Free Web NovelChapter 589: Chapter 589: Exterminating Aberrants
Zhang Yuan was unaware that after his departure, all the forces in the Crescent Oasis breathed a collective sigh of relief.
The reason was that during this period, Zhang Yuan had been secretly causing chaos, leading to frequent disappearances within the oasis.
Several gangs vanished overnight without a trace.
Neither living nor dead bodies were found, leading to widespread rumors of ghostly activities, causing panic.
The missing individuals were far from harmless and had numerous connections with the local forces within the oasis.
Or they were simply members of certain forces.
Wandering heroes, fugitives, horse bandits, thieves, and villains...
Due to the frequent disappearances in a short period, the truth remained elusive, and the culprit was nowhere to be seen.
The various forces in the Crescent Oasis had planned to unite and investigate to unearth the culprit.
In the end, Zhang Yuan fled far away, leaving these disappearances as complete mysteries.
The only one who knew the truth was Scholar Guan!
Although Zhang Yuan left, the impact he left on the Crescent Oasis did not disappear.
For a long time afterward, incidents of robbery, oppression, and betrayal significantly decreased.
Two days later, Zhang Yuan returned to West Plain City.
Although he had been away for some time, the situation in this Dao City had not changed, remaining peaceful and prosperous, and even more lively.
After returning to the Dao Camp, the Daoist soldiers sent by Upper Scenic Celestial had completed their mission.
They soon left West Plain City.
Soon after, Zhang Yuan received commendations from the sect.
Because he completed his mission almost perfectly, not only helping the Wu family reclaim their treasure but also leading the army to destroy the culprits, Upper Scenic Celestial awarded him five thousand Daoist Merits and a piece of Profound Armor!
Wu Ziyu, on behalf of the Wu family, also expressed his gratitude to Zhang Yuan formally.
Of course, the prestigious Wu family wouldn’t just offer words; they gave Zhang Yuan thirty thousand taels of gold.
Along with the previous sum, it totaled sixty thousand taels.
Even though Zhang Yuan wasn’t short of money, he was still taken aback by the Wu family’s generosity.
In fact, the silver notes he paid for the seven-leaf reishi at the Crescent Oasis auction had all been returned.
He even gained some extra spoils.
Wu Ziyu also brought a pair of beautiful twin maidens, intending to gift them to Zhang Yuan as maids.
But Zhang Yuan politely declined.
With too many secrets and plans for more travels, accepting money was fine, but receiving people wasn’t necessary.
After his return, Zhang Yuan secluded himself in the Dao Camp for half a month.
Upon emerging, he summoned the deputy generals Mo Wei, Sun Yujiang, and Feng Hui.
"Vice General Feng..."
In the White Tiger Hall, Zhang Yuan’s gaze first fell on Feng Hui.
This deputy general was a local tyrant with opportunistic tendencies, and Zhang Yuan had considered replacing him but decided to keep and observe him further.
Since Zhang Yuan became the West Plain Dao General, Feng Hui had been diligent and completed his assignments well, earning some trust from Zhang Yuan.
He asked, "How much of the information I asked you to gather have you collected?"
Feng Hui promptly presented a prepared dossier: "Sir, everything I could collect is here!"
"Not bad."
Zhang Yuan received the thick stack of documents, and as he opened the top cover, rows of words came into view.
He had asked Feng Hui to gather records of bizarre events in West Plain County and surrounding areas over the past three years.
By normal procedure, any bizarre events affecting local order needed to be reported to the County Government Office quickly for resolution.
Harmless oddities were to be ignored or driven away.
Threats to local safety had to be eliminated to protect the people.
West Plain County, being a land offering tribute to Upper Scenic Celestial, paid special attention to such matters.
Thus, the records were comprehensive.
Honestly, it was not easy for Feng Hui to obtain these records.
As the initial reports were sent to the County Government Office.
Not the Dao Camp.
The means and channels Feng Hui used to gather such extensive information were unknown and commendable!
After reviewing several pages, Zhang Yuan put away the documents and solemnly said, "I plan to go out for a while to clear the local specters; the Dao Camp’s affairs will be up to you three."
Previously, at Crescent Oasis, Scholar Guan had disclosed something crucial to him.
This mysterious grandmaster informed Zhang Yuan that eliminating specters would benefit him in achieving the Divine Realm!
Zhang Yuan was astonished, having never considered the correlation between vanquishing specters and reaching the Divine Realm.
However, Scholar Guan refused to divulge further details.
The reason being that knowing too much now wouldn’t benefit Zhang Yuan.
Despite this, Zhang Yuan trusted the words of the hidden master and made his decision while returning to West Plain.
"Ah?"
As soon as Zhang Yuan finished, Mo Wei immediately spoke up, "My lord, allow me to accompany you!"
Zhang Yuan shook his head, "Just focus on your duties."
Mo Wei scratched his head awkwardly.
Zhang Yuan then addressed Sun Yujiang, "Vice General Sun, I leave things to you again; don’t forget those matters."
Sun Yujiang, aware of the implications, saluted, "Understood, sir!"
He knew Zhang Yuan was reminding him to keep an eye on the Daoist Government Office, watching out for any actions by Fei Hongming.
Recently, Fei Hongming had been staying low, confined within the Daoist Government Office, ignoring external affairs.
Even during Zhang Yuan’s absence from the Dao Camp, he made no moves.
Yet Zhang Yuan remained vigilant against him, placing Sun Yujiang in charge of surveillance to avoid surprises.
"Very well."
Zhang Yuan nodded.
Among the deputy generals, Mo Wei’s "loyalty" was the highest, despite being a Mo family member.
But in terms of ability, Sun Yujiang surpassed Mo Wei in all respects.
Zhang Yuan’s trust in him equaled that in Mo Wei.
As for Feng Hui, Zhang Yuan regarded him merely as a tool.
After arranging affairs in the Dao Camp, Zhang Yuan once again left West Plain City.
His destination was Liping Mountain, over a hundred li southeast of West Plain City.
Liping Mountain wasn’t a famous mountain but stretched hundreds of li, with dense forests and steep terrain, partly within West Plain County’s borders.
According to records provided by Feng Hui, bizarre happenings had been frequent in Liping Mountain over recent years.
Resulting in the deaths of many hunters and travelers.
Yet the specters in the mountains were notoriously difficult to eradicate, and no prior Dao Generals had acted against Liping Mountain.
