Chapter Nineteen Scheming

  "There should be around one hundred thousand refugees in the entire Xuan Mountain City, which is indeed a great merit."

  After Lao Bai left, Xiao Fan sat alone on the bed, muttering to himself and thinking about how to obtain the power of merit to repair the damage to his spiritual sea.

  As the young master of Xuan Shan City, it's not difficult for Xiao Fan to help those 100,000 refugees. However, his previous reputation was really too bad. If he doesn't plan carefully, even if he successfully settles all 100,000 refugees, they still won't be grateful to him. No one will think that the biggest wastrel of Xuan Shan City is doing a good deed.

  "It hurts so much..." As he thought about it, Xiao Fan only felt a severe headache coming on, his head feeling as if it was going to split open.

  Xiao Fan's hands were clasped tightly over his head, and he was curled up on the bed, drenched in sweat. At first, he had cried out in pain, but later on, he seemed to have gotten used to it, and his voice gradually grew softer, until all that could be heard was the sound of his teeth gritting together, his lips bitten till they bled.

  "Second Master, what's wrong? Is there something you'd like to instruct me on?" The sound of a servant knocking at the door came from outside.

  "Nothing, don't enter my yard!" Xiao Fan gritted his teeth and shouted loudly.

  "Yes, yes, yes." The little servant outside the door heard Xiao Fan's angry roar and was frightened, hurrying to leave, fearing that if he was late, he would provoke the second young master and lose his life.

  Inside the house, Xiao Fan was sweating profusely, his clothes were soaked, and even the bed sheets were wet in a large area.

  Xiao Fan endured the pain and rushed to the table, grabbing the water jug and drinking it all in one gulp. If he didn't replenish his fluids, he might have died of dehydration even if the pain hadn't killed him.

  This severe pain lasted for more than an hour before temporarily relieving. After the pain passed, Xiao Fan was almost exhausted.

  "It's just that the pain comes and goes, if it was like this for a whole day, that would be a truly hellish life." After resting for over an hour, Xiao Fan finally caught his breath, still feeling lingering fear.

  "Someone come and clean up the room."

  Xiao Fan was after all at the peak of Tempering Body, his physical strength recovered very quickly, two hours later, he left the small courtyard with a lively spirit.

  After more than an hour of painful torture, Xiao Fan felt that there was something extra on his body, but he couldn't say what it was.

  "Transcending the limits, the path of cultivation is to defy the heavens. I seem to have understood a little." Xiao Fan's eyes had a hint of determination, and he whispered softly.

  When Xiao Fan was taking the Body Tempering Pill, he endured a pain similar to that of slow slicing. At that time, Lao Bai had said that the path of cultivation is against the heavens, and the suffering and difficulties one must experience to achieve great accomplishments are far greater than this.

  When cultivating the "Mind Sword Body", the shattered power of Xiao Fan's spiritual sea's observational chart was a mental agony. Xiao Fan had not yet truly set foot on the path of cultivation, but he had already experienced the pain within.

  The path of cultivation is one where if you don't advance, you'll retreat. If you want to have great power, you must pay the corresponding price. If you want to be proud and carefree in this world, you will necessarily have to pay a huge price.

  The way of heaven is fair, to get as much as you want, you must pay as much as you want. In this world, some people are incredibly powerful every day, covering the sky with one hand, calling the wind and rain, and making people envy. However, they don't know that these strong men have paid more.

  When Xiao Fan came before Fu Bo, Fu Bo stared blankly at Xiao Fan, feeling that Xiao Fan's entire demeanor had changed greatly in just one day. The original Xiao Fan always gave people a lazy impression, but now Xiao Fan, although wearing almost the same clothes as before, seemed to have an extra spirit, as if carrying a fearless and bold momentum, like a general ready to charge into battle at any moment.

  "Haha, okay, okay." Mr. Fu laughed loudly and said "okay" several times in a row.

  "Fubo, if I want to rescue the 100,000 refugees in Xuanshan City, what should I do?" Xiao Fan asked Fubo directly.

  "How did Second Master think of rescuing the 100,000 refugees in Xuan Mountain City?" Fu Bo asked in puzzlement.

  "Hehe, I just feel that the impression I left on Xuanshan City is too bad. I want to change my image in the eyes of the people of Xuanshan City." Xiao Fan naturally couldn't reveal the true situation, so he casually made up a lie. Although his words sounded a bit forced, this was the best excuse, and only by pretending to be a prodigal son returning home could he truly make people believe him.

  "If Second Young Master only wants to change the impression of him in the minds of the people in Xuanshan City, then it's not necessary to go to such lengths. As cultivators, we don't need to care about what others think, as long as we act righteously and sit upright, why bother with the opinions of the people in Xuanshan City?" Fu Bo consoled, he was stunned by Xiao Fan's sudden words, the previous Xiao Fan didn't cause trouble and he was already grateful for that, let alone Xiao Fan helping others.

  "Although that's the case, I still want to do something and change my image in the eyes of the world." Xiao Fan said softly. Just as Fu Bo said, if it wasn't for obtaining the power of 100,000 people's merits, Xiao Fan wouldn't have wanted to change his image in the eyes of the world either.

  "Time is probably running out, after a while, we will be ready to leave Xuan Mountain City." Fu Bo suddenly sighed and said.

  "What? We're leaving Xuanshan City? Where are we going?" Xiao Fan was shocked, the sudden news made him flustered and he asked three questions in a row.

  "The old slave will pass on the news of your breakthrough to the peak of Tempering Body to Master, and after Master's reply, I was told to prepare to leave Xuan Mountain City. As for where to go, just wait for Master's reply." Fu Bo said.

  "Where is my father now?" Xiao Fan asked.

  "Even I don't know the specifics," said Fu Bo.

  "How much more time?" Xiao Fan's heart was anxious, in Xuan Shan City he was the second young master of the city lord's mansion, with great power to utilize, wanting to obtain the merit power of 100,000 people was relatively simple, if he left Xuan Shan City, it would be difficult to get such a large amount of merit power.

  "There is at most three more months of time." Fu Bo gave such a timeline.

  "In three months, it should be enough time. " Xiao Fan murmured softly, then raised his head and said to Fu Bo: "Fu Bo, since our Xiao family is leaving Xuan Mountain City, shouldn't the position of the city master be taken over by someone else?"

  "Yes, the position of city master is directly appointed by the imperial court." Fu Bo replied.

  Xuanshan City is subordinate to the Tiandu Imperial Dynasty, which is one of the more powerful dynasties in the Eastern Wilderness. The city lord of each city is directly appointed by the imperial dynasty.

  "Although Father is the lord of Xuanshan City, he has been away from Xuanshan City for many years and hasn't achieved much. Since we're about to leave soon, let me take his place and achieve some merits in these last three months."

  Xiao Fan's eyes flickered with a faint light, and at this moment, as the second young master of Xuan Shan City, his father Xiao Zhan was not in Xuan Shan City. In daily life, all major and minor matters of Xuan Shan City were handled by Fu Bo. Although Xiao Zhan was the city lord, the actual person in charge of Xuan Shan City was Fu Bo. Fu Bo, although holding a high position, was extremely loyal to the Xiao family, having watched Xiao Fan grow up since childhood, and doted on him excessively. This led to Xiao Fan being able to mobilize the powerful forces of Xuan Shan City.

  "With great power in hand, wanting to rescue the 100,000 refugees of Xuan Shan City is really too easy."

  Xiao Fan's face was filled with a smile, at this moment, he had the confidence to obtain enough power of merit before leaving.

  "Does Second Master still want to provide relief for the 100,000 refugees in the city?" asked Fu Bo.

  Xiao Fan nodded and said, "Of course, when we leave Xuan Shan City, I want the entire city to be free of refugees. I want Xuan Shan City to prosper and flourish, and for all ordinary people in the city to live a rich life." At this moment, Xiao Fan seemed to have become a victorious general on the battlefield, commanding millions of troops with an unstoppable momentum, his aura was like a brave warrior, breaking through the clouds.

  Fu Bo smiled as he looked at Xiao Fan, feeling that the second young master he had watched grow up since childhood had finally grown up. He felt a sense of relief in his heart and slightly turned his head to look towards the eastern horizon, whispering softly: "Miss, the young master has finally grown up."

  "Haha, since Second Master has this intention, how can I, an old slave, dare to disobey?" Fu Bo laughed loudly and agreed.

  Fu Bo watched Xiao Fan grow up from a young age. Back then, Xiao Zhan had entrusted Xiao Fan to Fu Bo. Although Fu Bo was extremely cautious and didn't let Xiao Fan suffer even the slightest harm, Xiao Fan still became the biggest spoiled brat in Xuan Shan City. This made Fu Bo feel guilty and ashamed of not living up to Xiao Zhan's trust, and he couldn't bear to face Xiao Zhan.

  Now, Xiao Fan's cultivation had reached the peak of Tempering Body, and he had undergone a complete transformation, changing his previous idle rich style as if he had grown up overnight, which made him extremely happy.

  "What the old slave wants to do, I'm sure Second Young Master has already made plans in his heart." Fu Bo said with a smile. Xiao Fan wanted to do something, and Fu Bo agreed, but he wanted to see Xiao Fan's true abilities, and only wanted to provide him with help.

  After seeing Fu Bo's trust in himself, Xiao Fan felt a bit embarrassed. He didn't have any plans at all. Just wanting to use the power of the City Master's Mansion to help him gain merit, he hadn't even had time to think about what to do yet.

  "Excuse me, Mr. Fu, how much funds can we mobilize?" asked Xiao Fan. To rescue 100,000 refugees, the first problem to be solved is the issue of funding.

  "We, the City Master's Mansion, are different from other large families and do not engage in any other businesses. Therefore, our only source of income is tax revenue, which has not been much over the years. Now, we can only use about 5 million gold coins."

  Other aristocratic families within Xuanshan City have been passed down for hundreds of years, with a large population and numerous industries, which is something that the City Lord's Manor cannot compare to.

  "Five million gold coins, that's enough." The Xiao family controlled the entire Xuan Shan City, but the Xiao family had few people, the city master Xiao Zhan was often away, and the young master Xiao Tian was also studying abroad. Only Fu Bo, an old steward, and Xiao Fan, the second young master, were left behind. As for the previous Xiao Fan, it's not worth mentioning that he didn't learn or study anything, only knowing how to eat, drink, and have fun. The old steward Fu Bo could barely manage the affairs of Xuan Shan City by himself, so it was naturally impossible for him to have other experiences to operate other business sources.

  For the controller of Xuan Shan City, the available funds are only 5 million gold coins, which is not a lot, but enough for Xiao Fan to use, at least for now; if it's not enough later on, then another solution will have to be thought of.

  "How many people can use it?" Xiao Fan asked.

  "Heh heh." Fu Bo smiled slightly: "The City Master's residence controls nearly 10,000 Imperial Guards, all of whom are cultivators. Some of their cultivation is not weak, and the 50,000 soldiers in Xuan Shan City controlled by the City Master's residence can also be mobilized."

  Xiao Fan nodded slightly, with 10,000 Imperial Guards and another 50,000 soldiers, a total of 60,000 people, which was already sufficient in terms of manpower.

  "Alright, since that's the case, please have Uncle Fu prepare the funds and manpower. I'll look for you when it's needed." With sufficient funds and manpower, Xiao Fan was confident in making a big move and obtaining the power to repair the damage to his spiritual sea within three months.

  "Yes, young master can do as he pleases. No matter what happens, I will be here." Fu Bo smiled faintly, his white hair and beard a stark contrast to his wrinkled skin, which seemed to sag under the weight of years. His back was slightly hunched, giving him the appearance of a frail old man, but for an instant, a powerful aura flashed across his face, leaving Xiao Fan with a lasting impression of its intensity.

  Xiao Fan's heart skipped a beat, and at this moment, he couldn't help but look at Fu Bo with new eyes. After careful consideration, Xiao Fan was no longer surprised. As the steward of a city lord's mansion, Fu Bo was able to control the entire Xuan Shan City and become the de facto ruler of Xuan Shan City. If Fu Bo didn't have extraordinary abilities, how could he achieve this?

  "It seems that within this Mystic Mountain City, I indeed have no need to fear anyone."

  Xiao Fan muttered to himself, with Fu Bo as a powerful backer, he no longer had to be timid and fearful when doing things.