The personal guard had to shout several times before a bunch of people finally crawled out of the earthen huts. They shuffled slowly over to Wei Yuan and huddled together before him.

“Stand in straight lines, you lot! And you, what are you hiding in the back for? Step forward so that the upper immortal can see you clearly! Looking for a beating, are you?”

In fact, Wei Yuan’s heart was already sinking when the soldiers were crawling out of their earthen huts. Less than forty of them were standing in front of him. The old were really old, and the young were really young. Even the handful of people who were in the prime of their life were emaciated, their eyes devoid of any spark of vigor or spirit. Their attire was unkempt, their belts were hanging loosely around their waists, and only a handful of them carried weapons on their person. It wasn’t even the standard-issue Western Jin straight saber. It was some sort of knife that looked like it was carved out of a bull’s horn.

One look was all Wei Yuan needed to see through everyone’s cultivations. Only a couple people were barely halfway in the flesh-tempering stage, and the cultivation method they were using was mediocre to say the least. As for the effects, it was better than nothing.

“You call them auxiliary soldiers?” Wei Yuan asked darkly.

“Yes? Everyone is accounted for.”

Noticing the disgruntled look on his face, the personal guard finally added, “It’s been over half a year since the war began. The strong and healthy ones have been mobilized a long time ago. Naturally, the only ones left in our little camp are the misfits.”

Wei Yuan pointed out, “If that is true, then where are my sectmates getting their soldiers from?”

The personal guard replied, “They paid, didn't they? With this money, we can temporarily loan back the soldiers that were originally assigned to other posts. Since it's a loan, it's only natural to give the original owners some benefits. It would only be fair, don't you agree?”

The personal guard's slick tone made Wei Yuan unwilling to exchange another word with him. It would be a waste of time and breath anyway. In fact, the Palace of Absolute Beginning had already warned him of the Western Jin court's incompetent governance before he set out, but he never imagined that it had deteriorated to such an extent.

According to Western Jin’s military system, a border county should possess three hundred auxiliary soldiers and one thousand militia. The militia engaged in farming during peacetime, trained during the off-season, and were mobilized for battle during wartime.

Wei Yuan was well-versed in the military systems of various states. Of the five cultivators who were assigned to this county, two hadn't even collected their auxiliary soldiers. Even if his two sectmates who paid immortal silver had taken away the best soldiers, there should still be over two hundred troops remaining. Yet, he saw only thirty or so men in front of him, all elderly or infirm, and not one person who had completed the flesh-tempering stage. If the military standards were followed to the letter, then not a single person in this group qualified for the battlefield at all.

It didn't take a genius to know that something was amiss. However, Wei Yuan was here to guard the border, not disciplining Western Jin’s troops for them. If these were his only choices, then so be it. Thus, he picked twenty people who looked passable to his eyes.

The personal guard said in a hurry when he saw this, “Too many, upper immortal! That's too many! The county needs a garrison too, no? You can only pick ten at most.”

Wei Yuan said coldly, “I traveled all the way here from distant lands to fight the Northern Liao, yet you are hampering me at every corner. Very well then, I shall report this matter to a Trueman immediately. Speaking of, I have a letter due for the commandery administrator as well.”

The personal guard hurriedly paid him an obsequious smile, “Calm down, upper immortal! The county really is low on manpower right now. If the barbarians managed to break through, then the tens of thousands of lives living here will all perish. The commandant is suggesting that you pick less auxiliary soldiers and more militia. There are currently three hundred militia in your defense zone, most of them strong and fit. Their leader, Teacher Fang, is a high Dao Foundation stage cultivator even. It's a privilege only your defense zone enjoys, you know?”

It was true that one Dao Foundation stage cultivator was worth a hundred auxiliary soldiers. Wei Yuan loosened up a little after finally hearing some good news. He didn't have much time left at this point, so he randomly picked ten soldiers and left the county, making way for the three villages he was responsible for guarding.

The villages were twenty li away from the county, and he didn't have a mount. Thus, Wei Yuan had no choice but to walk. As he was a tall man, his strides were fairly lengthy. The ten auxiliary soldiers following behind him were either too young or too elderly. The oldest one’s hair was half-white, and the youngest one looked younger than even Wei Yuan himself. Still, he reckoned that the average age of his group of misfits was around thirty-five or thirty-six.

The group lightly jogged the whole twenty li, but to Wei Yuan’s surprise, not a single one of his troops had fallen behind. It was just past noon, and the sun was shining brightly in the middle of the sky. They were now close enough to see the villages.

Wei Yuan walked up to the biggest and closest village to the frontier—Flying Sand Village. The entire village was surrounded by a wall of stone a little over a zhang tall.

According to the intel issued by the Palace prior to his departure, Gan province was a wild and remote region where the people were fierce and unruly. Not only did the Northern Liao frequently invade and plunder, countless bandits ran rampant locally. Consequently, residents throughout the region had to build fortified compounds for self-defense. At the very least, they needed earthen walls to keep the enemies at bay.

There were blade marks and even a couple of arrows still stuck on the walls. Clearly, a battle had just taken place a while ago. Many people were currently moving rocks and carrying earth up the walls to fortify it.

Wei Yuan and his men’s appearance quickly drew the workers’ attention. A man immediately jumped up the wall before yelling, “Announce yourself!”

A wall that was barely over a zhang tall could not keep Wei Yuan at bay, of course. After leaping into the air and landing in front of the man, he revealed his identity token and introduced himself, “Wei Yuan of the Palace of Absolute Beginning, reporting for duty. My orders are to protect this place and resist the invading Liao.”

The man looked a little nervous at first, but he let out a sigh of relief when he heard this. He exclaimed in joy, “A high disciple from an immortal sect! You’ve finally arrived!”

Wei Yuan examined the man closely. His face was covered in dirt, and his hair was unkempt and loosely tied into a bun. Heavens only know how many days it had been since he washed. His clothes looked dirty and stained with dirt, sweat, and crusted blood. It had long lost its original color. Surprisingly, he was wearing a scholar’s robes, though the hemp of the garment had long been ripped away for ease of movement. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

The man boasted a thin stature and a short beard. Judging from his sunken eyesockets, it had been many days since he had had a good night’s sleep. However, his eyes remained clear, bright, and full of spirit.

Although this was their first meeting, Wei Yuan instinctively felt that this was no ordinary man. When he channeled a Qi Viewing Spell and looked at him again, he noticed a ball of gentle white light resting inside his forehead. It was the sign of a cultivator who had formed his Dao Foundation. This must be the Teacher Fang the personal guard had mentioned. He was almost surprised to find that he was actually a Dao Foundation stage cultivator.

That said, the white light didn’t appear very bright in his eyes. Its density was sparse, and there were no unusual colors or extraordinary phenomena. His Dao Foundation was probably just a Human-tier Dao Foundation.

Wei Yuan saluted him again. “You must be Senior Brother Fang. I greet you, fellow immortal.”

The man replied smilingly, “Please, I dare not call myself your senior brother. My name is Fang Hetong—the Hetong from “The gentleman seeks harmony but not uniformity”. My sect is a humble one, and all I really wanted to do was study the principles of the sages. It is already fortunate that I am able to form a Dao Foundation, and I dare not compare myself to an immortal sect. Anyway, there is a better place to talk. Please follow me.”

He ordered the man to open the gates and let the auxiliary soldiers inside. Then, he yelled at the laborers working on the walls, “Let’s put in a little more effort and add another half a chi to the walls before the day is over, okay? For every chi you add to the wall, a couple more lives will be saved!”

The laborers acknowledged the order with a loud cry and worked a little faster.

Wei Yuan checked out the village after getting off the walls. The houses here were all earthen-made with straw roofs and branch doors. Anything plank-made was few and far between. Right now, a lot of men were sitting beside a wall and basking in the sun. Most of them were wrapped in bandages and covered in bloodstains.

Suddenly, one man started tilting sideways. He showed no signs of catching himself. The two men sitting next to him hurriedly caught him and called his name repeatedly, though he did not react whatsoever.

Fang Hetong strode up to the man and tapped him once in the solar plexus, injecting a wisp of mystic power. It was only then the man woke up and threw up a mouthful of yellowish green bile.

“Give him some water, but take it easy,” instructed Fang Hetong before ordering the two men to carry the sick man away for treatment. It was only then he returned to Wei YUan.