Giving Thanks on His Father's Behalf

These people all recognized Shen Jingchuan. As soon as they entered, they all clasped their hands in greeting and stepped forward to pay their respects.

"Greetings, Young Master Shen!"

Shen Jingchuan waved his hand, signaling them to sit down, and his expression became serious.

"Perfect timing, since you're all here, I have some news to tell you."

He glanced at everyone, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"The imperial Government Army has already departed from the Capital today."

"I saw it from the sky; the number is approximately 300,000."

He paused, then continued.

"Of these 300,000 troops, excluding auxiliary soldiers and laborers, I estimate that there are over 200,000 soldiers capable of fighting."

Shen Jingchuan tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

"And another thing, the provisions they brought didn't seem like much."

He smiled at everyone's surprised looks and added another sentence.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, I went to the Capital these past couple of days and took the opportunity to check out the terrain and the details of the Government Army."

Upon hearing this, the generals were first taken aback, then their faces lit up with excitement.

A general clasped his hands in a deep fist salute and spoke from the bottom of his heart.

"Young master, we also sent out scouts, but they were nowhere near as fast as you, young master."

"Even if they find out, it will take them several days to return. Young Master, you've given us time to prepare."

Hu Tieniu slapped his thigh and burst into laughter.

"Good! With this information from you, young master, we feel much more confident!"

Hu Tieniu came closer, rubbing his hands together, a smile plastered on his face, but with a hint of embarrassment in it.

He coughed lightly and said, "Young Master Shen, this... look at this grain, hehe."

Shen Jingchuan looked at him. "Go on."

"You know, a large number of disaster victims have recently arrived, and the number is increasing." Hu Tieniu's smile faded slightly. "The people who come all say that a celestial being saved them and showed them the way, which is why they came this way."

"In just a few days, another 50,000 to 60,000 people arrived, and the rate of increase accelerated. Now, some are even coming from Chang'an."

"The scouts report that a large number of people are swarming towards this place. They all say it's a celestial being riding a black horse who gave them food and showed them the way. I guessed it was you."

Hu Tieniu looked at him, then chuckled sheepishly, "You can't just gather them all and then leave them alone; I really can't conjure up any more grain."

"Even if we start planting now, the harvest won't be very good, and there won't be a harvest for a while. It's still a long way off before there is one."

People from several nearby prefectures flocked here, and word spread quickly. You know, once they arrived, I couldn't just ignore them. So now I'm barely managing to give them some porridge.

He paused, then continued, "Recently, our Rebel Army has captured several nearby counties, as well as the neighboring Xia Prefecture, and brought back all the silver, gold, and jewels from the treasuries."

Hu Tieniu turned to a general and said, "Song Fei, bring all the spoils up to Young Master Shen. Remember, don't take the silver."

Shen Jingchuan waved his hand. "Alright, don't bother, take me to the warehouse."

Hu Tieniu slapped his forehead. "That's right, that's right! You're a sage, you don't need us to go through all that trouble moving things around. Come on, let's go take a look together."

The group then went with them to the treasury.

The treasury has been filled with many more items, stacked in boxes.

Hu Tieniu said, "Young Master Shen, I know I can't take your food for nothing. Although you are a celestial master, I also know that these things don't appear out of thin air. Take whatever you like."

Shen Jingchuan said, "Alright, I won't stand on ceremony with you."

He walked over.

"Keep all the silver; I don't need it much. Keep it to pay the soldiers' salaries."

With that, he waved his hand, and more than a dozen boxes of gold and forty or fifty boxes of various jewels on the ground were all put into his spatial storage.

Shen Jingchuan added, "You can handle those paintings and calligraphy yourselves. It would be best if you could exchange them for gold or jade or something similar."

Hu Tieniu quickly replied, "Yes, yes, I'll send someone to Chang'an as soon as possible to exchange them. I'll sell them all and buy gold, jewelry, and jade."

The group then left the storeroom.

As soon as he stepped outside, Shen Jingchuan saw Zhou Tong's father busy in the room next to the warehouse.

Upon seeing him, Shen Jingchuan remembered something and turned to the others, saying, "Alright, you can all go about your business. I'll be heading straight back to Azure Cloud Stronghold soon, so don't worry about me."

"I'll bring you the grain in the next day or two. Use what you have now as you see fit; don't worry. I'll also bring you some weapons and armor in a few days."

Everyone thanked them and then went about their business.

Shen Jingchuan kept Zhou Tong behind, and the two went into the room.

Zhou Tong stepped forward and called out, "Father."

Father Zhou looked up, saw Shen Jingchuan, and quickly put down what he was holding. "Oh, Master Shen... Immortal Master Shen."

Shen Jingchuan quickly replied, "Uncle, please don't be so polite. Zhou Tong and I are very good friends. You can just call me your nephew."

Zhou Tong chimed in, "Father, just listen to Brother Shen."

Shen Jingchuan took out a box from his pocket, took out the Life-Extending Pill, and handed it to Zhou Tong.

Zhou Tong took it and turned to his father, saying, "Father, this is the medicine I told you about. Uncle Lin and the others took it, as did Uncle Xu and Great Confucian Yan. It can extend their lives by fifty years."

Upon hearing this, Father Zhou immediately bowed, his face showing both excitement and gratitude.

His health was already poor, and after spending so much time in prison, he was still very weak after his release. He took the pill and swallowed it without hesitation.

The pill melted instantly upon entering the mouth, and a warm current flowed down the throat, spreading throughout the body.

Father Zhou shuddered, feeling a warm and swollen sensation all over his body, an indescribable comfort. Immediately afterward, a layer of black, greasy grime seeped from his skin, emitting a foul stench.

He had been in prison, and his body was severely weakened; this time, he expelled more filth than anyone else.

In just a short while, the haggardness on his face faded, his back straightened, and he looked twenty years younger, his whole demeanor becoming much more energetic.

Father Zhou looked down at the stinking mud stains on his body, not bothering to wipe them off, and raised his leg to kneel in front of Shen Jingchuan.

Shen Jingchuan reacted quickly and reached out to support him, not daring to accept such a gesture from an elder.

"No, sir, what are you doing?"

Zhou Tong, standing beside him, had already bent both knees and knelt down, kowtowing to Shen Jingchuan.

"Brother Shen, I thank you on behalf of my father."

When Shen Jingchuan turned around to pull him up, Zhou Tong's eyes were already red and his voice was choked with emotion.

Shen Jingchuan had no choice but to use his Spiritual Power, and a gentle force lifted Zhou Tong up.

He patted Zhou Tong on the shoulder and said, "Brother Zhou, this is pointless. Don't you even consider me a friend anymore?"

Zhou Tong wiped his eyes and said, "If it were my own business, I wouldn't do this. I'm doing this on behalf of my father."

Shen Jingchuan waved his hand. "Alright, you go take your uncle to wash up, I'll be going now."

He then turned to Father Zhou and said, "Uncle, please go back and rest first, then you can go back to work tomorrow."

Elder Zhou nodded repeatedly, expressing his deepest gratitude.

The father and son escorted him to the door. Shen Jingchuan waved his hand, stepped onto his flying sword, and arrived at the courtyard of the government office in the blink of an eye.

Without saying goodbye to the others, he flipped himself onto Big Black's back, soared into the sky, and headed straight for Azure Cloud Stronghold.