Chapter 119: Six Months of Heat, Six Months of Cold

The imperial palace.

The empress handed a letter to the Grand Xia Emperor as she sighed. "Chen'er mentioned that as the Duke of Grand Xia, he feels obligated to do more. Therefore, he plans to lead the Fang Family to the southern region and rectify the problems that had been piling up over there for the past hundreds of years.”

The Grand Xia Emperor looked at the letter. The handwriting on it popped out like dragons, emitting an indescribable pressure.

"No wonder Fang Canghai resigned from his position not long ago," said the Grand Xia Emperor faintly. "So he plans to migrate to the southern region. In that case, I feel a bit reluctant to let them go."

The empress smiled at him. "Your Majesty, now that no one from the Fang Family holds an official position in the court, you should be relieved, right?"

"Do you take me for someone who fears the Fang Family? When have I ever been wary of them?” he said with a smile. “If Fang Chen is willing to handle the matters in the southern region on behalf of me, then I must express my gratitude to him."

He said that, but inwardly he was more than relieved; had the Fang Family continued to dominate the capital city any longer, their influence would without a doubt overshadow the imperial family sooner or later. They were like a looming threat that he could never completely set aside.

"This news should be kept confidential for now. Even though the Fang Family's prestige is considerable, it is difficult to truly make certain individuals completely wary. They won't easily give up their immense benefits that would come with the departure of the Fang Family," decided the Grand Xia Emperor.

The empress gave a slight nod.

*

Sitting in his own residence, Xia Yu frowned. He glanced at Tao Yu, then at Li Huafeng, and asked, "What is the Fang Family planning to do?"

Li Huafeng pondered for a second, then replied, "They're probably intending to rectify the issues in the southern region. However, even if Fang Chen has reached the Earth Profound Realm, the issues in the southern region have accumulated for several hundred years. The issues there are complicated, not to mention that the entire region is involved. It won't be easy for him to deal with it."

Xia Yu's expression was odd, and he couldn’t help but wonder, "Fang Chen is already the Duke of Grand Xia, why bother with the troubles in the southern region? With his reputation, staying in the capital would be more beneficial for him. Even I, the crown prince, would have to show him respect when I meet him."

Everyone in the capital knew that dealing with the southern region was troublesome and thankless. There were no benefits to be gained, and it would only offend the martial artists of the southern region, leading to the displeasure of many military generals.

The most frightening thing wasn’t about offending those high-ranking generals but the mid-to-low-ranking soldiers. If they lost their morale, things would turn extremely serious. Therefore, as long as the southern region didn’t rebel, the capital city would allow them to govern themselves. The only consequences were that the commoners of the southern region would have to suffer slightly.

"We can’t be too sure. If the Fang Family wanted to intervene, Fang Zhentian would have taken action long ago. The fact that the Fang Family left the capital city might be related to the title 'Duke of Grand Xia.' They are probably afraid of arousing suspicion from the emperor, so they deliberately left the capital," said Tao Yu in a deep voice.

Xia Ye nodded. "That's also a possibility."

That was the conclusion he was leaning toward. It was especially so since none of the members of the Fang Family held an official position. Dealing with the issues in the southern region wouldn't benefit them in any way.

"If the Fang Family really went to the southern region, could they become the top martial family in the south, surpassing the four major sects? It would be much better than holding official positions in the capital," remarked Ye Qinghe suddenly.

"The southern region will always be the southern region. If the Fang Family wants to think that way, let them be. It won't affect the political situation in Great Xia. In fact, it might be a good thing," said Xia Ye, a strange smile on his face.

Xia Ji was dead, and Fang Chen had left the capital! It was as though he had stepped into the world of his dreams!

*

While everyone was busy speculating, there was a wave of secret letters flying everywhere; everyone was ordering their men to quickly head down south. However, Fang Chen didn’t interfere with what they wanted to do. Regardless of the people’s speculations, or the under-the-table actions of the more prominent figures, none of it really mattered to Fang Chen. What he intended to do was beyond their imagination.

Before long, they arrived in the Southern Immortal Prefecture.

The scorching sun hung high, and a wave of blistering hot air hit them. Many young members of the Fang Family were already showing signs of heat exhaustion.

It was only now that they understood why the southern region was called a desert. It was just too damn hot!

It was difficult for crops to even grow in such intense temperatures. It was clear that the citizens of the southern region would find it hard to fill their bellies.

"Big Brother, did Chen’er say that we'll be living here from now on?" asked Fang Cangyou, who had a strange look on his face. The fur blanket that he used to cover his knees with was long gone. Even as a martial artist at the Qi Detonation Stage, he found it difficult to resist the intense heat.

“There are six months of intense heat in the southern region, followed by six months of extreme cold. There is no spring or autumn here. But compared to the other eight prefectures, this place is considered pretty good. If you go to those places, I'm afraid you won't be able to last a month," said Fang Canghai with a faint smile.

"No wonder the emperor has been neglecting the southern region. If I were the emperor, I’d do the same. Having the southern region is like having a chicken rib on your plate; it’s a bit of a pity to throw it away, but there’s also no benefit to eating it," muttered Fang Cangyou.

Fang Canghai didn't find anything inappropriate about Fang Cangyou's slightly rebellious words. The Fang Family was always like that. They prioritized the people over the imperial authority and didn’t care about the minor details, which was probably why the emperor never had a good impression of them.

"Big Brother, has Chen’er arranged for the affairs back at the capital city? Even if we go to the southern region, we can't abandon those businesses back home. After all, so many people depend on them to put bread on the table," said Fang Cangyou, a bit worried.

"He took care of it," answered Fang Canghai with a smile.

"That's good, then." Fang Cangyou was relieved, and he nodded slightly. Then, his eyes suddenly brightened as he pointed to a nearby region, "There's a teahouse over there."

Fang Canghai shook his head slightly. "There are too many of us; going there would disturb others."

"Father, Second Uncle, a dozen miles ahead is an ice spring. It’s where we’re headed to," said Fang Chen, who rode ahead, as he pointed toward a certain direction.

Their eyes lit up instantly.

The people in the tea house observed the passing procession with curious gazes. Judging from their attire, they could tell that those who arrived came from the north.

"Is a wealthy man from the Northern Region coming to visit our southern region?"

"Who will be foolish enough to come and visit the southern region? Aren't they afraid of drying out enough to become jerky?”

"Did some high-ranking official come to take office?"

"It does look a bit like that."

The people whispered to each other.

A few figures in the teahouse were doubtful, and a strange light flashed in their eyes. They quietly took their leave.

The procession quickly left the official road and headed toward the direction of the ice spring.

Before long, the air became cooler, and in the distance, an ice spring came into view. Many villagers were fetching water from the spring, and seeing the group, they didn’t seem surprised; they were used to such sights and left after taking their fill of water.

"Chen’er, such a place in the southern region should be considered a blessed land. It's very cool here. Why are there no houses around?" Fang Canghai looked at Fang Chen with a strange expression.

Fang Chen had once shared the same thought, and he had ordered his people to investigate why that was. So it wasn’t that hard a question to answer.

"It’s because many wild beasts had appeared around this area due to the divine nature of the spring water. They are huge and different from ordinary wild animals. Sometimes they come here to drink water. If ordinary people live here, they become their prey. Villagers fetching water nearby are also occasionally taken away by wild beasts. That's one reason," explained Fang Chen.

Even wild animals would develop spirituality after drinking water from the spring. It was no wonder ordinary martial artists found it difficult to deal with them.

"Well, the second reason is because in the second half of the year, the temperature will drop immensely around here. In fact, it becomes the coldest place in the southern region. Ordinary people simply can’t withstand it. That is why no one thinks about settling here," added Fang Chen.

If not for those two reasons, a small town would’ve likely appeared here. It might’ve even been occupied by a large clan in the southern region if that wasn’t the case.