Mental Calculation

  The ancients said that even a strong crossbow at its end cannot penetrate thick silk.

  Indeed, Yan Chixia's cultivation was not bad at all, but his foundation was ultimately no match for those ancient practitioners who had refined their Qi by eating wind and drinking dew. As Yan Chixia's sword formation clashed head-on with Dusong's massive technique, he already knew he was at a disadvantage.

  Yan Chi Xia's forced intervention this time was a violation of many taboos in swordsmanship. A hard and direct confrontation is not the strong point of swordsmanship, and only by being light and agile can one be considered to be on the right path. With changes coming from all directions and sharpness that cannot be withstood, only by conforming to these elements can one be said to have understood the true meaning and subtleties of superior swordsmanship. If someone were to tread on a broken door panel and fly through the sky, and then think they are a sword immortal, it would be too ridiculous. Moreover, even if one wants to smash stones with their hands, using a hammer is much stronger than using a flying sword - doesn't everyone know that each skill has its own specialized approach?

  Sure, here is the translation:

  As expected, Yan Chixia's flying sword barely broke through the giant rock barrier and landed on several senior masters of the White Lotus Sect. With neither speed nor power, it was easily repelled, and Yan Chixia's first wave of attack ended in failure.

  In their first tentative exchange, Yan Chixia, who had chosen to take the initiative, found himself at a disadvantage. His old face involuntarily flushed with embarrassment as he glanced sideways at Lin Xu and Huang Shiran, who were watching from the side. Seeing that the two earth immortals did not show any dissatisfaction, Yan Chixia put down his worries and took a deep breath, vowing to make a big move to regain his family's lost face.

  "Hail! Hail! Hail! Great Sage, quickly show your mighty spirit!"

  With one move, he successfully neutralized the strong enemy's offensive in front of him, and the White Lotus Sect's senior brother who blocked Yan Chixia's flying sword was overjoyed. Under the gaze of his companions' complex eyes, he chose to continue his efforts, adding a bit more force to throw the giant boulder floating in mid-air towards Jiangjia Village.

  "A door can't be repaired by a hatchet."

  Lin Xiang was most clear about the unyielding reputation of Bai Lian Jiao's Xiao Qiang, and he never relaxed his vigilance against them for a moment, always keeping a close eye on their every move. At this moment, seeing that the giant rock had made a move, Lin Xiang let out a cold hum, squeezing out these few words from between his teeth.

  Then, Lin Xu's hands quickly formed various hand seals in front of his chest, finally returning to a single Wind Howling Thunder Seal, and his fingers firmly pointed at the giant boulder that was accelerating towards Jiangjia Village.

  Rumble...

  When a thunderous clap of thunder resounded through the sky, the explosive sound was like tens of thousands of iron cavalry rushing past one's ears, and it seemed as if Mount Tai had collapsed in front of them. Such violent thunder shook everyone present, causing their minds to be scattered and their feet unsteady.

  "Boom——"

  At this moment, a bright white lightning flashed in the night sky, and the huge rock as big as a giant wheel suddenly collapsed, instantly turning into countless sharp-edged stones pouring down from the air, with a rather majestic momentum. On the land just over a mile away from Jiangjia Village, it was like a stone rain had started.

  These rock fragments, which were blasted very evenly, averaged only the size of a fist, plus external factors such as gravity and acceleration. These stones that fell from the sky at high speed and splashed out were no less than a fatal notice to ordinary people.

  That arrogant White Lotus Cult Master Brother made a serious mistake, he really shouldn't have targeted the entire Jiang family village and launched a ruthless attack.

  In the premise that their own safety is threatened and a large number of followers are slaughtered, it is also permissible for gods to attack ordinary humans according to the rules of Shinto. You can't expect them to be beaten without fighting back or scolded without retorting. Moreover, gods have never been gentle persuaders. Even Christianity, which preaches its followers to turn the other cheek when struck on the left, didn't hesitate to hold public barbecue parties once it gained power. Anyone who provoked them basically ended up as meat ingredients being barbecued on a rack, and many times they were not fully cooked but rather smoked to perfection.

  Like raindrops falling swiftly, a large number of sharp stones whizzing down with a piercing whistle are now spreading the shadow of death among the White Lotus Army.

  Although the explosion site of this giant rock did not directly face the attacking troops of the White Lotus Sect, the aftermath still caused tens of thousands of casualties in an instant. In the dark night, it was hard to see the scene of flesh and blood flying everywhere, which was undoubtedly extremely tragic.

  The situation turned around in an instant, and no matter what the White Lotus Sect's Master thought, those followers who were either deceived or coerced into coming began to collapse, crying out for their parents as they started to flee.

  These people have been frightened by the terrifying scene of the great martial arts, they only know that they are fleeing in all directions without a purpose, and no one is heading towards Jiangjia Village. This is an instinctive fear from their animal nature. I believe that this horrific event on this bright moonlit night will be the deepest memory for many people present, a black fragment that cannot be erased until death.

  The White Lotus Sect's senior brother opposite, at this moment also stood stupidly in place, until a good friend and companion next to him pulled him, only then did he open his mouth, and blood mixed with internal organs sprayed out wildly, immediately after which he fell head-first to the ground, and actually died cleanly.

  Seeing this, those masters who were originally fierce and powerful immediately scattered like birds and beasts. It's easy to win when the wind is at your back, but to turn the tide in an unfavorable situation, even if it's just a try, that's not something ordinary people can do.

  Lin Xuyuan gazed far away at the White Lotus Sect's Great Master, who was directly confronting him and had suddenly died from his own magic backfiring. The other few great masters then mixed in with the escaping crowd along with some core members who hadn't made a move. Lin Xuyuan originally wanted to get rid of them once and for all, but as soon as he moved, Huang Shiren raised his hand to stop him.

  He tightly grasped Lin Xu's arm and said solemnly:

  "Lin Xian-di, don't pursue the poor bandit, your previous move made me break a cold sweat, you must not lose the big picture because of a small matter!"

  Thinking of the invisible sword hanging over his head, Lin Xu recalled the heavy constraints of the divine law and immediately calmed down, nodding to indicate that Zhang Yin should continue to command the militia to shoot and kill those White Lotus Sect followers who were approaching Jiangjia Village.

  Those White Lotus Sect core members who narrowly escaped, didn't dare to linger around Jiangjia Village. They followed a Master Brother who wasn't injured and ran tens of miles away, then found a small boat by the water and sailed downstream to report the battle situation to the leader of Huainan Prefecture.

  A group of people rushed into a temple that had been occupied, and the White Lotus Sect's Master Brother, who had just escaped from death, knelt down on one knee, his voice trembling with sobs, saying:

  "Master sister, Chen master brother and Hao master brother, they all..."

  Upon hearing this, the high-ranking members of the White Lotus Sect in the hall couldn't help but become highly agitated and stood up, their faces filled with shock and anger.

  These people all have a share in the decision-making, of course, they know that this time, in order to besiege Jiang's house, a total of tens of thousands of followers were mobilized, plus a group of strong and powerful generals stationed. Don't mention the small town of Jiang's house, even if it is a county town, it is not impossible to take down, why did it fall into such a miserable state in one night?

  At this time, a woman sitting in the main seat, with a white cloth wrapped around her head, looking elegant but born with a pair of sword-like eyebrows, giving off an air of heroism not inferior to that of men, suddenly stood up. She glared at him with her beautiful eyes and shouted:

  "Who did it?"

  The fellow who came all the way to report the death was immediately stunned, although there was moonlight last night, but unfortunately, both sides were fighting at a distance, how did he know who did it? Not knowing is not okay! To be sure, using this kind of nonsense answer to respond to the superior's question is purely brain-dead.

  He hesitated for a moment, and then this senior brother racked his brains. He suddenly thought of Yan Chixia, who had introduced himself before making his move, and immediately said with great excitement:

  "It seems like it was that Daoist with a big beard, Yan Chixia."

  In the past, Yan Chixia learned swordsmanship and left Guanzhong, traveling around to punish evil and help the poor, often doing things like robbing the rich to give to the poor, and helping people with grievances. Therefore, he was called the Great Hero of Guanzhong, and in the Central Plains, he was not an unknown small character either.

  The White Lotus Sect's mistress, who was stationed in Huainan, was also a well-informed person. How could she not know of such a famous figure in the Jianghu? Upon hearing this, she bit her silver tooth and said:

  "You're a sly one, Yan Chixia! Originally, we didn't interfere with each other's business, but I didn't expect you... just wait and see!"

  "Elder sister, since things didn't go as planned, what should we do next?"

  Facing the sudden bad news, many subordinates were at a loss, and simply threw their questions to Master Sister Wen Suxin.

  Upon hearing this, Wen Su Xian's eyes rolled over once, and a cold, icy intent flashed across her powdered face. She sneered and said:

  "Alright! Aren't they armed townspeople? You quickly send someone to the county town to report and accuse them of intending to rebel, with this Taoist Yan Chixia as the ringleader. Hmph, I'd like to see how he responds."

  All those who are professional heretics must first understand the general thinking of the government, they will be very careful and cautious before doing anything officially.

  In general, the leaders of cults have one foot among the people and the other foot in the officialdom, so as to ensure that their own power expansion will not bring about a crackdown from the official level, therefore they are also most clear about what situations the local officials worry about.

  The high-ranking officials are not afraid of the resentment and white eyes of the common people, because the dirty things they have done are rarely without causing hatred. The big masters are only afraid of those with prestige and ability to take the lead in making trouble. Those accumulated grievances among the people are like a pile of dry firewood under the scorching sun, and the leader who shouts out is like a spark. If there was no one to ignite it, no matter how long or much the firewood was piled up, it would be meaningless.

  To put it bluntly, the disunited common people are just a plate of loose sand. Without this ringleader appearing to stir up trouble, no matter how many common people there are or how deep their resentment is, they won't be enough to cause problems. After all, a snake can't move without its head!

  This is also why when the government sends troops to quell a riot, they often like to raise the banner of "execute the ringleaders and spare those who follow".

  The high-ranking members of the White Lotus Sect had a brief discussion and, in line with the mad dog spirit of the wicked reporting first, they unhesitatingly put on Yan Chixia a big hat of heresy and deceit, and then turned the remote Jiangjia Village into Yan Chixia's den for gathering crowds to start an uprising.

  Needless to say, the tens of thousands of residents living in Jiangjiaji Town naturally became rebellious mobs. This time, it can be said that the dry firewood and fierce flames are all ready, with both human evidence and material evidence available. If we reason based on the black materials provided by the White Lotus Sect, a massive rebellion centered around Jiangjiaji and spreading throughout Huainan will erupt at any moment. Local officials cannot continue to sit idly by; they must take measures to solve this thorny problem, otherwise, they will face worries about their lives and property being threatened.