Chapter 69

With a loud bang, the sound was so immense that even Xu Yan, who was surfing the internet in his room, was startled. He came out of his bedroom and quickly walked towards the balcony, only to see that Zhu Youxiang was already standing there, looking out. Xu Yan's balcony faced the road outside the residential area.

"What was that noise just now? It was so loud!"

Zhu Youxiang turned her head. In the midday sun, her serene face was like a thousand-year-old ice pond, calm and still: "I saw it. Two cars collided on the road outside the residential area—Prince Xu, according to your terms, this should be a normal traffic accident, right?"

"Normal traffic accident?" Xu Yan felt that Zhu Youxiang's phrasing was a bit awkward—accidents were always unexpected, so how could they be normal or abnormal?

He walked to the balcony and stood there for a while. Through the dense greenery, he could only see the wreckage of a truck and a car on the road. He saw people running from all directions, and soon a crowd gathered on the road. The distant sounds of ambulances and police sirens could be heard.

Because it was too far to see clearly, Xu Yan quickly lost interest in the accident. He said, "It doesn't seem like there's much to see. Xuan Yun, what are you busy with?"

Zhu Youxiang continued to gaze in the direction of the accident for a while before turning her head. Her expression was a bit desolate. She lowered her eyelids and said calmly, "Nothing—Prince, it seems you have something you want to discuss with me?"

"Uh, yes, Xuan Yun, there's something I want to talk about with you."

Zhu Youxiang looked at him and asked lightly, "Prince Xu, do you intend to help your country's government resist the natural disaster?"

At that moment, Xu Yan really felt a chill down his spine. His first reaction was: "Zhu Youxiang is too powerful. Does she have mind-reading abilities? Oh no, all the things I've thought about in front of her before... Oh no, I even compared her to Japanese adult film actresses... Oh no, I'm doomed!"

Seeing Xu Yan's shocked expression, Zhu Youxiang knew she had guessed his thoughts correctly. She smiled, "Prince, there's no need to be surprised—since the official from the Jin Yi Wei left and mentioned those words to you, and you are now holding his card and thinking deeply, it's not hard to guess what you are thinking. I was just speaking casually, but I didn't expect you to really be considering it."

Zhu Youxiang's explanation helped Xu Yan recover from his shock. He exclaimed, "Xuan Yun, you are truly amazing! Your reasoning and observational skills would make you an excellent police officer—uh, Xuan Yun, you know my thoughts, are you not angry?"

Zhu Youxiang looked at him in surprise, as if he had said something very strange: "Why would I be angry? Since you are a citizen of the People's Republic of China, helping your country is a matter of duty. Moreover, this is to resist natural disasters and save the people—a just cause. From any perspective, it is both reasonable and ethical. Why would I be angry?"

Zhu Youxiang's understanding and reasonableness made Xu Yan feel relieved. He had been most worried that Zhu Youxiang would blame him for revealing her secrets. Since she was not angry, he felt much lighter.

"Then, Xuan Yun, if I really tell our government about the secrets of these natural disasters, will it be okay? You really won't blame me?"

"Prince Xu, serving your country, serving the royal family, and saving the people is a noble and righteous act. How could I blame you?"

Zhu Youxiang looked deeply into Xu Yan's eyes, her gaze full of meaning: "Just as in the future—if I were to serve the Ming Dynasty, I don't think you would blame me, would you?"

Unfortunately, our young Xu Yan was still too inexperienced. He did not realize the deep and terrifying implications of Zhu Youxiang's meaningful gaze. He thought she was just making a casual comparison and said, "Of course not, Xuan Yun. You are a person of the Ming Dynasty, and serving your government is only right. What's there to blame?"

Zhu Youxiang smiled faintly, "That's good—however, Prince, how do you plan to tell the government about the natural disasters?"

"Um..." Xu Yan was taken aback. After thinking for a moment, he said with a bitter smile, "I really don't know. But the official who came today, Mr. Shen, seemed quite polite and reasonable. I was thinking of telling him about it. What do you think, Xuan Yun?"

Zhu Youxiang glanced at the business card in Xu Yan's hand and smiled, "This is something you must decide for yourself, Prince. I am not familiar with the situation here and cannot give you advice."

"Uh, Xuan Yun, I often hear you talk about natural disasters. I remember you once told me that the possession by a demon was not a true natural disaster. A true natural disaster involves powerful demonic creatures descending into the world, causing many deaths. Can you tell me more about it?"

Zhu Youxiang pondered for a long time before saying, "Prince Xu, it's not that I am unwilling to explain, but the truth is that I have not experienced a true natural disaster. My master, Xia Jian Sheng, has experienced it and fought against those demonic creatures, but he is very secretive about this history and rarely mentions it to us.

However, I have read many records of natural disasters in the academy's books. There are over a hundred types of common demonic creatures recorded. They are manageable when they appear individually, but when they appear in large numbers, even the official army would find it difficult to resist without the presence of cultivators. They can only set up camps and wait for the demonic creatures to disperse, then hunt them down one by one.

But according to my master, there are even more powerful and terrifying demonic creatures. The exact nature of these creatures, my master did not elaborate, but I remember him saying, 'These high-level demonic creatures are as powerful as Golden Core cultivators.'"

Xu Yan became increasingly frightened as he listened. He interrupted Zhu Youxiang, "Xuan Yun, if what you say is true, will we also experience such large-scale natural disasters with many different types of demonic creatures?"

Zhu Youxiang shook her head, "I cannot say for sure—natural disasters cannot be accurately predicted. However, before a large-scale natural disaster, there are often many signs. For example, frequent possession by demonic spirits, rampant demonic energy, and unusual phenomena in the world, such as droughts or floods, chaotic elemental energy, and frequent anomalies.

Before a natural disaster, some people with sensitive intuition can feel the abnormality. They may become irritable, easily angered, have insomnia, feel fear, or be restless. Pets like cats and dogs may also exhibit unusual behavior, such as barking or howling—however, these signs are not always obvious and can be easily overlooked."

Xu Yan felt that the natural disaster sounded a bit like an earthquake. He asked worriedly, "Xuan Yun, if these signs appear, will a natural disaster definitely occur?"

"Um... not necessarily. In recent years, in our Ming Dynasty, I remember that in the past few decades, multiple regions, such as Henan, Lingnan, and Shu Chuan, have reported signs of natural disasters to the imperial court, requesting reinforcements. The court did not take it lightly, sending nearby troops to assist and evacuating the local population, which was very costly. After years of strict defense, it turned out to be a false alarm."

"So, the relationship between natural disasters and their signs is—natural disasters will always have signs, but signs do not necessarily mean a natural disaster will occur, is that correct?"

Zhu Youxiang thought for a moment and said approvingly, "Prince, your understanding is very precise. That is indeed the case."

However, according to the standards of the Ministry of War, events like demonic energy possession and possession by demonic spirits are already signs of a crisis that local authorities should be alert to. In Shu Chuan, where I was originally alerted to go for reinforcements, there were only a dozen cases of demonic energy possession. On Earth, the number of demonic energy possession cases has far exceeded this, and there have been frequent cases of possession by demonic spirits, with a high frequency and many occurrences..."

Zhu Youxiang shook her head, "If this were in our Ming Dynasty, such a high number of demonic energy possession cases would indicate that the demonic energy in the area is already very dense, which is a dangerous sign. At this point, troops would be mobilized, and cultivators would be called to stand by."

Xu Yan was secretly alarmed. He asked Zhu Youxiang, "Xuan Yun, based on your observations, if our country also needs to prepare for natural disasters, what should we do?"

"Well... I'm sorry, Prince Xu, I am not familiar with your country's situation, military, or government, so I don't know what would be effective.

However, based on the experience of the Ming Dynasty, some practices are universal: mobilize troops to be on high alert, evacuate the population, and when the natural disaster arrives, quickly identify the gathering places of the demonic creatures and eliminate them one by one or in groups. The most critical point is to quickly find the spatial rift—this is crucial!

If this can be achieved, the demonic creatures from the other world will lose their support and become fewer and fewer, like a tree without roots, and will be quickly eliminated. If this cannot be achieved, it will be troublesome, as various demonic creatures will continue to emerge, and it will be difficult to control them—however, achieving this is not easy and requires the presence of powerful troops or cultivators."

Xu Yan listened very carefully to Zhu Youxiang's words. As for her repeated emphasis on the need for "troops and cultivators" to participate, Xu Yan was not very concerned and ignored it—modern weapons are so advanced, with aircraft, artillery, and tanks having immense destructive power, which is far superior to the Ming Dynasty soldiers who only know how to wield swords and spears.

As for the most critical issue of how to find the spatial rift leading to the demon world, Zhu Youxiang was vague. She said that according to the records, after a natural disaster occurs, the demonic energy near the rift becomes very dense, and the closer to the rift, the more powerful the demonic creatures. High-level cultivators can sense the existence of the spatial rift. However, since she had not personally experienced a natural disaster, she was not very confident and spoke vaguely.

After discussing the natural disaster, Zhu Youxiang mentioned something else, "By the way, Prince Xu, if I want to exchange my gold ingots for RMB, where should I go to do that?"

Xu Yan was still immersed in the big issues of the country and people. It took him a while to react, "There are many places to exchange. Xuan Yun, how much gold do you want to exchange?"

Zhu Youxiang asked in return, "Prince Xu, to maintain my living expenses for a year, how much would I need in RMB?"

"Well, I remember you don't go out much and have no other expenses... about 3,000 RMB per month for food and miscellaneous expenses should be enough."

"3,000 RMB?" Zhu Youxiang smiled, "To be honest, I have a rather rough personality and spend money without much thought. 3,000 RMB might not be enough—let's say 20,000 RMB per month, I think that should be about right."

Hearing this, Xu Yan felt a sudden urge to be