Da Xuan Martial Saint

Frostbiting cold earth.

About a few thousand shadowy figures were slowly trekking on the frozen ground. Although their pace was not fast, compared to their previous forced march when abducted by the foreign race, these thousands of women and children, despite the arduous journey, had a hint of vitality in their eyes, not the look of despair.

Women like Lu Yun, who possessed martial arts skills, all followed at the very end of the column, helping those who stumbled or fell, unable to keep up with the pace.

And on one side of the convoy...

One could see over a dozen carts moving slowly across the frozen earth, keeping pace with the column. The carts carried the wounded, some very young girls, and some supplies like rice and flour, all previously the marching provisions of the foreign race.

Cold gusts of wind from the north howled, bringing desolation and chill. However, as they passed the caravan, they silently dissipated and vanished, leaving the distant columns untouched by the biting cold.

One could hear the howling wind in their ears, yet their bodies felt none of it, as if the wind had circled around the group.

On the carts...

Some young girls, merely ten or eleven or twelve years old, many of them were quietly leaning against the side of the carts, their large and small eyes watching the lone figure walking beside the vehicle convoy. Your adventure continues at My Virtual Library Empire

They could hear the whooshing winds and even see sand and dust being carried from the north. Yet all the winds, upon passing that figure, would silently dissipate into nothingness. What seemed to be a simple and unassuming figure was like a vast and continuous mountain range, shielding them from all the fierce winds from the north.

That figure was Chen Mu.

His expression was as usual, just moving forward with the group.

Although he didn't possess divine skills that could remodel heaven and earth, being a Martial Arts Grandmaster who had mastered the Qiankun vein, escorting a convoy of a few thousand was not that difficult, even in the frozen soil of Han Prefecture.

He might not be able to carry everyone along, but he could easily fend off the fierce cold winds. With him around, they wouldn't lack water or fire; there wouldn't be a shortage of hot water. And the provisions from the foreign race's campaign were sufficient.

Of course...

Bringing a few thousand people safely to Sha Prefecture was not that easy, assuming they encountered no harassment from the foreign race. However, in the past few days, no such incidents had occurred, and he had already sent word to the border pass of Sha Prefecture.

As the carts slowly made their way forward, a flurry of footsteps suddenly came from the rear of the column. Chen Mu looked over and saw Lu Yun and another woman with martial arts skills hastily carrying a slightly pale woman toward him.

"My lord, she has a high fever."

Lu Yun quickly brought the woman up to Chen Mu and spoke in a low voice.

Even though the residents of Han Prefecture, women included, were well acclimated to the climate, some could still not withstand it after the foreign race's plundering and the long march.

The woman being carried was very young, it would be apt to call her a girl; she appeared to be only sixteen or seventeen, her face pale, seemingly a bit frightened, pleading in a weak voice, "I can walk, don't leave me behind..."

In the earlier marches of the foreign race, those who caught a wind-cold infection like hers were directly abandoned.

Chen Mu approached, touching the girl's forehead which was burning hot. He shook his head slightly; there were no medicinal supplies in the foreign race's matériel. If it were him in the past, he wouldn't have had much to offer for treating a wind-cold infection, but now he could at least use his Inner Breath to adjust her Qi-Blood somewhat and control the symptoms.

"Don't be scared, we won't abandon you," Chen Mu said softly, taking the girl from Lu Yun's hands. He extended his right hand, drawing in Heaven and Earth's Yuan Qi, which slowly entered the girl's body through his fingertips, harmonizing the chaotic Qi-Blood within her.

At the same time, he instructed Lu Yun, "I will help her adjust her Qi-Blood, then let her rest on the cart for a while. Continue to attend to the others at the back."

"Yes."

Lu Yun and the other person both responded respectfully, their eyes brimming with admiration when they looked at Chen Mu.

They had also come to know of Chen Mu's identity over the past few days: the Inspector of Yu State, the third-ranked individual on the Wind Cloud List, a real dignitary with a status on par with a Grandmaster—even esteemed figures of the Ice Extreme Palace in Ice State would look up to him.

Yet such an esteemed person not only personally rescued them from the clutches of the foreign race but also escorted them along the way, treating the sick and injured by himself without leaving anyone behind. He even made sure that the wounded and young girls were loaded onto the carts to continue with the journey.

"Thank you, my lord..."

The girl, being supported in the air by an invisible Qi Force in front of Chen Mu, who was regulating her Qi-Blood and Inner Breath, felt a strange warmth flooding into her body, and the sense of weakness began to fade away. Not knowing whether it was gratitude or something else, she trembled as she spoke to Chen Mu.

Chen Mu gave her a calm look and said, "Don't talk; just close your eyes and rest for a while."

"Yes..."

The girl answered softly, and although she was still in pain, she seemed to have escaped from despondency. Not only was her Qi-Blood better regulated, but her complexion visibly improved.

After Chen Mu had adjusted the disorderly Inner Breath and Qi-Blood within the girl's body for a while, he finally placed her on one of the carts, where several girls around ten years old quietly made space for her.

"Sister, sister, are you feeling better?"

A little girl asked the young woman in a soft voice.

"Hmm."

The young woman responded quietly.

The little girl who had been first rescued by Chen Mu was also on this carriage frame. At this moment, she looked at Chen Mu, who was traveling with the convoy not far away, with a pair of large eyes filled with admiration.

The column continued to move forward and after about half a day's march, a large group of people and horses finally appeared on the horizon of the wasteland. The number didn't seem large, perhaps only about a hundred or so.

However.

As soon as the figures appeared, everyone in the moving column, as well as Lu Yun and the others, became tense almost at once. Their pace slowed and they watched the approaching troop with nervous and uneasy gazes.

But when that group of people and horses arrived nearby, they all finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although each of the newcomers was armored and an army soldier, their appearances were not like those of the foreign race. The man leading them was tall and burly, but his face was weathered and the temples were tinged with white, giving off a sense of being steady and frank at first glance.

"Brother Chen, it's been a while since we last met."

His gaze first swept over the group of women and children before it landed on Chen Mu, who was walking alongside the carriage, and he called out to Chen Mu with a touch of sentiment.

The newcomer was none other than Xiahou Yan, the Inspector of Yunlu Pass in Sha Prefecture.

"It's been years, but Brother Xiahou doesn't seem to have changed much, still spirited as ever."

Chen Mu said to Xiahou Yan with a smile.

He had earlier managed to inform the border pass of Sha Prefecture, knowing that they would soon send someone for assistance, but he had not expected Xiahou Yan to be the one to come. Now, Yunlu Pass along with the northern border of Sha Prefecture, were all on guard against Heavenly Demons, Heavenly Corpses, and the foreign race, and even the Grandmasters of the Seven Profound Sect were stationed there. The whole structure had changed, and Xiahou Yan was responsible for a part of it.

Xiahou Yan looked at Chen Mu, his eyes full of sentiment as he said, "I'm not old enough to turn into a bag of bones in just a year or two, but Brother Chen, you truly... "

Back when Chen Mu first arrived in Sha Prefecture and revealed his Qian Heaven Artistic Conception, Xiahou Yan knew Chen Mu's talent was as good as they said, destined to be extraordinary in the future. After witnessing Chen Mu's Qiankun Artistic Conception in the desert, he was even more shocked. It was clear to him then that in the future, the name of Chen Mu would surely figure among those who moved Cold North.

Nevertheless.

He had never imagined that in just a short one or two years after leaving Sha Prefecture, Chen Mu would reach such a state, not only ascending the Wind Cloud List but now ranking third on it!

What exactly does it mean to be in the top three of the Wind Cloud List?

Beings like Feng Hongsheng, Shi Zhenyong, and Fu Jingyuan, who were famous Grandmaster powerhouses that shook Cold North, were among the strongest in the Grandmaster ranks. To be in the top three of the Wind Cloud List meant being qualified to stand alongside them!

Although he was not yet a Grandmaster, in terms of strength, he could almost surpass half of the Grandmasters. This was almost the pinnacle one could reach below the level of a Marrow-Cleansing Grandmaster. It could be said that Chen Mu's current status was already comparable to an Elder or Peak Master of the Seven Profound Sect!

Although Chen Mu's strength was already above his own when they were in Sha Prefecture,

the gap between them had widened to an unimaginable extent in just one or two short years. Being able to compete with a powerful Grandmaster like Feng Hongsheng, he couldn't help but feel that this was the gap between a once-in-an-age genius and an ordinary man.

Even he, Xiahou Yan, was once a true disciple of Spirit Profound Peak and a famous prodigy in Yu State, but compared to someone like Chen Mu, it was indeed no exaggeration to call himself an ordinary man.

"A minor achievement, not worth mentioning,"

Chen Mu said with a faint smile, "I appreciate Brother Xiahou taking the trouble to come out here for support on this trip."

Hearing Chen Mu's words, Xiahou Yan couldn't help but laugh and shake his head, at a loss for words. If being in the top three of the Wind Cloud List was considered only a 'minor achievement', what would count as a major achievement worth praising?

"It is my duty, no trouble at all,"

Xiahou Yan said as he glanced at the group of women and children and nodded slightly, "Moreover, Sha Prefecture is currently sparsely populated. Women are, after all, a resource, and having so many of them settle in our prefecture will enrich it somewhat."

Upon hearing Xiahou Yan's words, a strange flash crossed Chen Mu's eyes. He couldn't help but think that if these words were spoken in the world of his previous life, they would probably cause an uproar. However, here, even though the young girls on the carriage beside him had all heard it, none showed any unusual expressions. Instead, many were happy at the prospect of resettling in Sha Prefecture.

"Hmm."

So Chen Mu just nodded slightly and saw that Xiahou Yan's men had begun taking over the column. He said, "I've wiped out a group of the foreign race's soldiers. I'm not sure they'll let it go, and we still have hundreds of miles to cover. I'll escort them a bit further."

"Good, with Brother Chen escorting us, that will be much safer,"

Xiahou Yan said with a smile.