Chapter 179: The Magistrate of Yong’an
With nearly 100,000 people moving northward in tandem, the pace was naturally slow.
Wei Yuan had only given them only one ke to pack their belongings, yet many were still laden with possessions from head to toe, acting as if they valued their wealth more than their lives. Had he given them even a moment more, he was sure they would have dismantled their shacks to bring them along.
Throughout the journey north, the riders had remained silent and utterly impartial. Anyone who lagged behind was immediately whipped, those who dared to throw a tantrum were whipped until they were half-dead. Those who were beaten too severely, or too exhausted to walk, were allowed to ride in a cart—but only if they discarded every single item they carried. Literally, all of them—they were not permitted to keep even a single piece of immortal silver.
The riders of the Heaven Fighting Gang clearly didn’t care about these personal belongings; casually tossing even the immortal silver on the ground. However, they forbade anyone else from picking up the discarded items either.
Consequently, many people silently discarded their excess baggage and kept only their most precious possessions.
Wei Yuan did not travel along the main group. Instead, he returned to the realm of Qingming first. As he was bringing in a staggering 80,000 people into the realm this time—the total number of mortals were expected to exceed 140,000 after this venture—the accommodation of this many mortals was going to be a major undertaking.
Yong’an City had already reached capacity, so Wei Yuan had designated five new sites for city construction. When these people moved in, they would be settled across these five locations. All five sites were situated on the periphery of the realm, forming a protective ring around the center. Should enemies invade from outside, these five new cities would serve as the first line of defense.
As soon as he returned to the realm, Wei Yuan immediately sensed a new sign of life. It was coming from the herb garden—the Star Dragon Tree had finally sprouted!
After finishing the arrangements for the mortals’ resettlement, Wei Yuan rushed straight to the herb garden, where he saw a new sprout emerging from the ground. The sprout was star-blue in color, but its first leaf bore a distinct white-gold thread.