The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 167 Bestowing Fire
A slightly trembling sentence came out of Wang Pingzhang's mouth.

The elegantly dressed young man was startled and quickly looked at the man.

The other person, whose body was trembling slightly, looked at him and said:

"The Southwest has suffered for three years, and the people have been dead for three whole years."

“Your uncle is no good person. When I was young, I was brave and violent, and I did all sorts of bad things. Even after I got married and had children, I was still the same stubborn and unruly person. I was a complete spoiled brat.”

"My parents had no other choice but to send me into the army."

Finally, he slumped down, and said blankly:
"But since I came to this godforsaken place, I've realized that people can be so miserable."

He still remembers one night when he went out to relieve himself and, in his dazed state, stepped on something and fell.

After turning around while cursing, he was completely stunned.

Because it was a corpse, so shriveled and unrecognizable that it could only be vaguely identified as a woman, holding a similarly shriveled child.
The night wind made him shiver, just as it made them shiver.

He later realized that the woman's fingers had long since turned to twigs, yet she still managed to carve several shallow holes in the child's back, as if she wanted to give the last bit of warmth to the child in her arms until her death.

She knew perfectly well that she wouldn't survive, and neither would her child.

Indeed, that was the case, because what Wang Pingzhang saw were two withered corpses. They were small, so small that at first glance they could be mistaken for larger dogs.

But she held her child tightly, wanting him to at least have some warmth to keep her warm after she died.

Wang Pingzhang often thinks of this scene.

I didn't have any nightmares, but after thinking about it, I just couldn't fall back asleep.

He didn't know what was wrong, nor did he know what he could do; he just felt that this was not right.

But what exactly is wrong?
Was it the government troops who were wrong? The rebel army who were wrong? The disaster victims who were wrong? The imperial court who were wrong? Or was it Heaven who was wrong?
He couldn't say anything.

Suddenly I understood why the general released the surrendered rebels and gave them food and water.

Later on, he gradually became numb, partly because he had seen so much, and partly because he realized that he was completely helpless.

But now.

It seems like there's a solution?!
The elegantly dressed young man asked hesitantly:

"Uncle, are you serious?"

Wang Pingzhang, remembering the mother and child, slowly stopped trembling and simply nodded calmly.
"Would there be any use for me if I stayed?"

Looking at Wang Pingzhang repeating this sentence once again.

The elegantly dressed young man stared at him for a long time without speaking, finally bowing and saying:
"Uncle, yes!"

Both of them felt a great sense of relief.

The road ahead is clear, and the path in my heart is clear.

"What do you want me to do?"

The elegantly dressed young man replied without hesitation:
"I don't know who that person is, but since he deceived the army, he must be trying to use his army to suppress the people and undermine the efforts of his predecessors to achieve great things."

“In that case, I’m sure he won’t let this go, and the General will probably send someone over again. That’s all we can do.”

Before he could continue, Wang Pingzhang grasped the hand of the elegantly dressed young man and said:
"I was ordered to head straight for Cold Pine Mountain. Since I failed, the next group will likely target the scattered refugees. Therefore, we must get there ahead of time and intercept them!"

The elegantly dressed young man nodded earnestly and said:
"Yes!"

“Since I came first and have now pledged my allegiance, the next one to arrive will surely be a trusted confidant of the General. The only one in the camp capable of this task at this moment is Zhang Wei.” He paused, then analyzed carefully, “Zhang Wei is adept at finding stability amidst danger, but he also loves to take risks even in times of peace. Knowing his nature, he will definitely detour through Yishui County—driving away those famine victims searching the mountains and seas while heading straight for us.” At this point, Wang Pingzhang stared blankly at the richly dressed young man and said:
"By the time the General receives the message, it will likely be at night. Half of the cavalry in the camp are with me, so he will probably rely mainly on infantry and archers. Even if he sets off immediately upon receiving the order, I can intercept him if I move in the middle of the night!"

At this point, both of them understood perfectly.

"Should we hurry and report to the immortal?"

After they finished speaking, the two went to where Du Yuan was.

Upon hearing this, Du Yuan raised her eyebrows slightly.

He knew it wouldn't be that simple, but he never expected those old fogies to use this trick.

After a moment's thought, Du Yuan said to Wang Pingzhang:
"You are all colleagues, is there really nothing wrong with doing this?"

Wang Pingzhang sighed and said:

"I also wish to avoid this if possible, but I fear that after my incident, it will be difficult to accomplish anything else."

If he hadn't met his nephew on the way, he probably would have been kept in the dark and attacked directly.

Now that his vanguard has been 'fallen', we will certainly be more prepared for what comes next.

Nephew's method of forcing himself to see the truth will certainly not work.

Du Yuan smiled and said after hearing this:
"I cannot leave this place, but it is not that I cannot help the general."

As she spoke, Du Yuan raised her hand and flicked the stove.

His gaze was fixed on Wang Pingzhang, but he looked at the elegantly dressed young man and said:
"This fire was started by the wishes of the people and has the power to dispel evil and remove obstacles, so I took a wisp and gave it to the general."

Then, pointing into the distance, he said:

"At that time, all the general needs to do is throw it at them, and it will be done!"

Within the furnace fire, a flickering yet majestic bright yellow flame flew from the furnace to Du Yuan's fingertips.

Seeing the flickering flame on her fingertips, Du Yuan knew it was a success and handed it to Wang Pingzhang, saying:
"Come!"

Wang Pingzhang, staring in disbelief, hurriedly and carefully accepted the gift with both hands.

At first, he was worried about getting burned, but after taking it, he found that the fire was not only floating in his palm, but it would not burn him even if he put his hand on it.

This made Wang Pingzhang even more excited.

This is the magic of immortals!
This delighted the two of them, as it gave them a much better chance of success!
Seeing their excitement, Du Yuan also said to Wang Pingzhang:
"The southwest has suffered from disasters for a long time, with corpses of the starving everywhere and countless cries of agony. I believe that the general has the people in his heart and will surely act impartially to bring benefits to this region."

"Therefore, I implore the general to join me in restoring order and saving the people from this calamity!"

Finally, Du Yuan grasped Wang Pingzhang's hand and said, word by word:
"General, the fate of countless people in the southwest now rests in your hands! Please, General, cherish it!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Pingzhang froze on the spot.

After that, Wang Pingzhang had no idea how he got down the mountain or how he made various arrangements for the army.

It means knowing that you can't see anything anymore and can't remember anything.

The image of Du Yuan was etched into his mind. Later, even Du Yuan's image became increasingly indifferent, then towering like a mountain, rising abruptly from the ground.

Only these few words remained, stubbornly hovering on his mind and the towering mountain in his heart.

(End of this chapter)