There are still helpers

"Young Master Xu, you...you really aren't leaving?"

Yue Shaohua was stunned, somewhat disbelieving her ears, and pressed for an answer.

Xu Yunxin's gaze swept over the faces of Uncle Fu, Yue Yinping, and Yue Shaohua, and he said solemnly, word by word, "I said when I came that I would treat this place as my home."

"Since this is my home, why would I leave when my home is burgled and I'm needed most?"

Xu Yunxin's words were firm and resolute. Uncle Fu's lips twitched, as if he wanted to play the villain and persuade the young master to leave, but seeing that the young master had already made his decision, he ultimately didn't say the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

In just one month, he saw growth and hope in the young master, and also gained unprecedented respect. Since the young master has decided to fight the barbarians here, he will risk his life to protect the young master!

A glint appeared in Yue Shaohua's eyes, but she felt that things were not going to work. Her lips trembled slightly under her veil, and two voices kept arguing in her heart: Did she really want to fight the barbarians here?

If we were to fight head-on, how tragic would the final result be?

Yue Yinping stared intently at Xu Yunxin, trying to discern any unusual expression on his face, but she couldn't detect even the slightest hesitation.

"Are we really going to fight here?"

At this point, she, who was usually the most opinionated and assertive, hesitated first.

"Of course we'll fight, but not here, and not with everyone!"

Xu Yunxin already had a plan in mind, but there were still some details that needed to be discussed.

He looked at Yue Yinping and said, "Sister Ping, are you sure the barbarians who attacked first only had one small squad?"

Yue Yinping said, "It's confirmed, all these years it's been a small team."

Xu Yunxin nodded and then asked, "Where did you usually flee to? Was it towards the due north of the Immortal Dynasty? Could you outrun the barbarians?"

His words made Yue Yinping's face darken. She seemed to recall some unpleasant memories, and after a long silence, she finally answered, "We fled to the Immortal Dynasty, but not directly, because the barbarians could catch up. So each time, we had to leave someone behind to cover our retreat."

Yue Shaohua's eyes were also red, and she said in a hoarse voice, "The elderly and the disabled in the town will stay behind to cover the retreat. When the barbarians kill someone, they will stay for half a day to offer sacrifices to the 'gods'."

No wonder there was only one old man and a few able-bodied men left in the town, while the rest were women, children, and infants. It turned out that the other wounded and elderly had all sacrificed themselves on the way to escape.

Xu Yunxin didn't say: Since we're all going to die anyway, why not just take a chance?

Uncle Fu remained silent for a moment before asking, "Since you knew the barbarians would come before the winter month every year, why didn't you run away earlier, to Shuangmu Town or Wancheng?"

Yue Yinping sneered, "Running over there to your death?!"

Yue Shaohua also said angrily, "There's no way to escape. The Immortal Dynasty will station troops outside the Thousand Lakes Wasteland and will not allow any living creature to escape from the Thousand Lakes Wasteland."

Uncle Fu stared wide-eyed incredulously and said, "Not even people?"

The two daughters of the Yue family did not respond, but their meaning was self-evident.

Xu Yunxin had already guessed that this was probably a military town around the Thousand Lakes Wasteland, and he was worried that if the gates were opened, all the creatures in the Thousand Lakes Wasteland would run away prematurely.

The barbarians ravaged the "Thousand Lakes Wasteland," but they couldn't obtain enough lives to satisfy their "gods'" needs, and in the end, they brought the war to the area they were guarding.

The "Thousand Lakes Wasteland" is not under the jurisdiction of the Immortal Dynasty. It is a no-man's-land. In the eyes of these border towns, those who make a living in the "Thousand Lakes Wasteland" are probably not even human. Naturally, they would not risk their lives for the sake of the people here.

"So the only option is to flee into the 'Thousand Lakes Wasteland'?" The more Uncle Fu thought about it, the more he felt a tightness in his chest. He really wanted to grab the officials of Wancheng and the surrounding cities and give them a good scolding.

Yue Shaohua said helplessly, "Yes, the previous escapes were also made in advance, but escaping in advance consumes a lot of energy, and we have to be on guard against monsters every day. In the later escapes, the food and supplies stored in the town became less and less. If we escaped early, we would not have enough food to eat. Even if we were not killed by the barbarians, we would starve or freeze to death."

"Didn't you ever think of digging a tunnel to hide in Qifeng Mountain or in the town?"

The people of Qingxi Town were suffering terribly, and Uncle Fu unconsciously put himself in their shoes and began to actively try to find solutions.

"They can't hide. These barbarians have secret methods to search. No matter where they hide, they can find them. That's why it's called 'begging for alms'!"

Yue Yinping gritted her teeth, clearly hating the Southern Barbarians to the extreme.

The four remained silent for a while, then Yue Yinping suddenly asked, "How do you plan to fight?"

Xu Yunxin countered, "Sister Ping, with the big battle looming, what are your and Shaohua's resources? Let's tell each other so I can formulate a strategy."

Yue Yinping stared intently at Xu Yunxin, who looked back without glancing at her. He said earnestly and solemnly, "Uncle Fu is at the eighth level of Qi Refining and possesses a first-grade high-quality magic weapon. He can fight against cultivators at the ninth level of Qi Refining."

"I am at the third level of Qi Refining cultivation, and I also have three second-tier magic talismans. Their power is stronger than that of a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator, and they can probably hold off a Foundation Establishment cultivator as well."

"Triple Qi Refining?!"

"Blocking Foundation Establishment?!"

Not to mention Yue Yinping and Yue Shaohua, even Uncle Fu stared wide-eyed in disbelief upon hearing this!

"Wasn't the young master only at the second level of Qi Refining? How come he's already at the third level in just a few days?!"

Uncle Fu knew that the second-tier magic talisman Xu Yunxin mentioned was his "Heaven-given Divine Power," but this "Heaven-given Divine Power" had many limitations, so how could it possibly challenge a Foundation Establishment cultivator?

Putting everything else aside, just the fact that Foundation Establishment cultivators can fly through the air means that when it comes to fighting, they can simply fly into the sky, and even if the young master uses his "Heaven-Given Divine Power," he won't be able to hit him at all!

How could this possibly withstand a Foundation Establishment cultivator!

Although the two Yue family daughters did not know what Xu Yunxin's second-tier magic talisman was, they clearly did not believe that a second-tier magic talisman could block a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

After a cultivator reaches the Foundation Establishment stage, their level of life has changed.

Although second-tier magic talismans are powerful and pose a threat to Foundation Establishment cultivators, they are only a threat.

Xu Yunxin certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to transform into a "Golden Buddha Tree" to challenge a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

He was counting on Xiaoqing.

As a second-tier low-grade spirit beast, Xiao Qing's strength was comparable to that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. With Xiao Qing around, Xu Yunxin had the real confidence to decide to confront the barbarians head-on.

Seeing the disbelieving expressions on the three men's faces, Xu Yunxin realized he had said something wrong and said helplessly, "Alright, I have another helper. He's at the Foundation Establishment stage and can hold off the barbarians' Foundation Establishment cultivation!"

"There are reinforcements!"

"It can block Foundation Establishment cultivators!"

"Young master, would you like to call for reinforcements from home?"

Uncle Fu asked somewhat uncertainly.

Xu Yunxin shook his head and said, "I didn't invite them from my family. They are partners I know myself. I mentioned it to you before, and Sister Ping said I was being unrealistic."