After Havria and the others had finished gathering their things, Jiang Yan sent one of the Thousand Rock Army to accompany them to Guili Plains.
With that soldier serving as his messenger, Guizhong would naturally know what to do.
Once the Thousand Rock Army had rested and reorganized, they continued onward with Jiang Yan and Ganyu, heading toward Guili Plains.
After a month of leisurely travel—sightseeing, camping, and fighting off the occasional monster—they finally arrived at their destination.
"So this is Guili Plains?"
Jiang Yan frowned deeply.
What lay before him was nothing like the tranquil, picturesque place he remembered.
In his mind, Guili Plains had always been a serene paradise—terraced fields by winding streams, misty mountains, and the perfect place for one's retirement.
But what met his eyes now... was ruin.
Scattered monsters prowled through the flooded terraces. Rotten corpses floated in blackened water, their blood tainting the air with a putrid stench.
Even Ganyu covered her nose, her delicate brows furrowing.
"It must be that the demon god Chi gathered large numbers of monsters before the war broke out. That would explain this concentration of them near Qingce."
"Monsters are naturally hostile toward humans," she continued. "Once they gathered here, the people who once lived under Chi's so-called protection would have been the first to suffer."
Jiang Yan sighed at her words.
"Looks like cleaning this place up will take quite some time."
He straightened, his tone firm again.
"In any case, let's purge the monsters first before we deal with anything else."
He turned toward the Thousand Rock soldiers behind him.
"This place is yours. I'll go take a look at what's left of the human settlements."
"Yes, my lord! Leave this place to us, Immortal Lord!"
The Thousand Rock commander struck his spear against the ground, bowing with solemn respect.
Jiang Yan nodded and led Ganyu deeper into the devastated village.
Everywhere they walked, the air was thick with the smell of blood and decay.
The corpses that littered the paths stared up at the sky, eyes wide with disbelief.
Even in death, they could not comprehend that the god they had once worshiped had summoned the monsters that slaughtered them.
Chi was cruel—never a god of love.
He was a being who pursued his goals by any means necessary.
Humans?
To Chi Dragon, they were nothing more than livestock that clung to his shadow.
For once, Jiang Yan said nothing.
The ever-cheerful young man walked in silence, a slow anger rising within his chest at the sight before him.
Beside him, Ganyu closed her eyes, unable to bear looking any longer.
They climbed a small slope and saw the ruins of a village ahead.
Smoke still curled weakly from some houses—signs that there might be survivors.
Chi's plan to summon monsters had begun twenty years ago, but it wasn't until five years back that the large-scale gathering truly started.
Thankfully, it hadn't lasted that entire time. Otherwise, Guili Plains might have been erased from the map entirely.
Now, Chi lay grievously wounded, hiding somewhere to lick his wounds and plot revenge.
Jiang Yan and Ganyu had to move quickly—take control of Qingce, restore food production, and reestablish the supply chain.
"You're... an Immortal Lord... from Guili Plains?"
A young voice broke the silence.
Jiang Yan looked down to see a small child in ragged clothes staring up at him, eyes wide.
"Hello there, little one," Jiang Yan said gently, walking clOsial with a smile.
But before he could take another step, the child screamed, snatched up a rock, and hurled it at his chest.
"Go away! You bad man!"
The stone struck Jiang Yan with a dull thunk—not that he felt anything, of course. After opening hundreds of treasure chests, his body was tougher than steel.
But the reaction caught him completely off guard.
Why was this child—whom he'd never met—looking at him with such terror?
"Hey now, little one, why do you think I'm a bad guy?"
Jiang Yan tried his best to soften his expression, his smile as kind as possible.
"Waaaahhh!!!"
The child burst into tears, turned tail, and ran.
As he fled, his shrill cries echoed through the village:
"Mom! The man-eating Immortal Lord is here!!!"
"The silver-haired, pointy-eared, man-eating Immortal is coming!!!"
Jiang Yan stood frozen for a moment, expression darkening.
Beside him, Ganyu covered her mouth, shoulders shaking as she tried—and failed—not to laugh.
Jiang Yan turned to her, face blank.
"Am I... really that scary?"
"N-no... pfft—no, you're not... hahaha!"
Ganyu finally gave up and laughed openly, tears glimmering in her eyes.
"Still," she added, collecting herself, "it is strange. You defeated Chi—you saved these people. Why would they think you're some man-eating monster?"
Jiang Yan rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Maybe the villagers can tell us the reason."
"Let's go."
He walked onward at an unhurried pace.
Before long, they reached the center of the ruined village, where a small group of survivors had gathered.
The same child was there, sobbing in his mother's arms, recounting what he'd seen.
The villagers around them looked terrified, whispering among themselves.
"Well now," Jiang Yan said casually, his voice carrying through the tense air,
"I just heard a child say that I'm a man-eating Immortal Lord. Would anyone here care to give me a reasonable explanation?"
The villagers turned toward the sound—
and saw a silver-haired youth in azure-white robes walking slowly toward them, a serene smile on his face.
Beside him walked a graceful, half-qilin girl whose beauty made them hesitate between fear and awe.
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