Eternal Army, Refugees

The eastern sky had begun to pale, and daylight was gradually brightening.

Lin Changqing let out a long breath of turbid air. Standing at the cliff's edge, he carefully sensed the many benefits his increased cultivation and strength had brought to his body.

Using his Spiritual Power to look inward into the world within his body, he examined every inch of flesh and blood, even every single cell.

All of it lay under his observation and surveillance.

His five viscera and six bowels, in particular, were the focus of his attention.

With his organ refinement complete, he had broken through the limit and tempered Jade Organs. Lin Changqing could clearly feel that the functions of his five viscera had improved by not merely tenfold, but a hundredfold.

The Qi and Blood within him surged like a rushing river, moving through his entire body at his command.

With just one charge, it could shatter that layer of shackles and burst from his body.

The Three Body Cultivation Realms had nine ranks.

Body Tempering, Blood Changing, and Qi Refining. He had now reached the limit of the Body Tempering Realm. If he wished for his Qi and Blood to pass beyond his body, he had to step into the second realm.

The Blood Changing Realm!

So-called blood changing did not mean truly replacing all the blood in one's body.

Rather, it was a special tempering method that continuously purified one's blood and Qi and Blood. The Three Stages of Blood Change followed the usual path of Martial Cultivation: one blood change equaled one stage.

Lin Changqing closed his eyes, sensing the flow of Qi and Blood within him, and murmured, "The next step is Blood Changing.

"But there's no rush.

"I've only just broken through to the limit of Body Tempering. I still need to settle and consolidate.

"The Great Body Realm is the realm of laying one's foundation. Only by forging an unparalleled Foundation can I walk farther down the path of Martial Cultivation in the future.

"And since the Body Tempering Realm has an extreme limit, "the Blood Changing Realm likely has one as well. But I still know too little about Martial Cultivation. If I can obtain more Martial Arts Cultivation Methods and Martial Skills, "I can further refine my Five Elements Technique and deduce an even more powerful blood-changing method."

At that thought, Lin Changqing suddenly opened his eyes. Two streams of divine radiance shot forth like bolts of silk, piercing toward the end of heaven and earth.

Perhaps it was time to make a trip into the city.

With one step, Lin Changqing was already dozens of zhang away. Like a Spirit Deer, he darted through the forest, the rugged mountain paths as level ground beneath his feet.

In only a few minutes, he had descended Great Green Mountain.

When Lin Changqing returned to his own courtyard, he found Clan Chief Lin Yuntang, Lin Yongteng, and the others had arrived as well.

But something about the atmosphere was off.

Everyone was dejected.

Lin Changqing immediately frowned and asked in a low voice, "What is it? Did something happen in the village?"

"No!"

His father, Lin Yongfan, shook his head slightly. "It was Yunshui Town next door. Several villages were wiped out last night.

"Not a single person in those villages survived.

"I heard the ones who acted were the Eternal Bandits..."

"The Eternal Bandits!"

Lin Changqing frowned at once. The Eternal Bandits his father spoke of were the Eternal Army that had rebelled in Yunshan County.

He could not help frowning slightly. "Didn't I hear that the Imperial Court had sent a great army to suppress Yunshan County?

"Has the Eternal Army's rebellion still not been put down?"

"Alas... how could it have been put down?"

Clan Chief Lin Yuntang sighed and shook his head. "The Imperial Court did send a great army to suppress them, but I heard they suffered a defeat.

"Not only has the Eternal Army not been suppressed, it has only grown more rampant during this time.

"I heard they have already captured the three counties of Yunshan, Yunshui, and Huxi, and are now attacking Jiuyin County.

"Once Jiuyin County falls, only Tianyuan County will stand between them and our Fengle County..."

Hiss!

Hearing this, Lin Changqing could not help drawing in a sharp breath. He thought to himself that those Demon-humans of the White Lotus Sect were truly formidable.

They had stirred up an Eternal Army rebellion, and it had actually gained momentum.

Without a sound, they had already captured the land of three counties.

He had a premonition that Jiuyin County would likely be unable to hold either. It made him think of Qingfeng Stockade. Looking back now, the master behind Qingfeng Stockade's First Boss, Xu Maotian, was most likely someone from the White Lotus Sect.

Placing Qingfeng Stockade as a chess piece was likely preparation for the Eternal Army's attack on Fengle County.

Since the White Lotus Sect had already planted a piece in Fengle County, Lin Changqing refused to believe they had made no such arrangements in Jiuyin County.

He even suspected that Yunshan, Yunshui, and Huxi—the Three Counties—had fallen so quickly, and that the Imperial Court's army had suffered defeat, because something had gone wrong within their ranks.

"Changqing, I've heard rumors that the wealthy clans and great families in the county have already begun moving out, preparing to relocate to Fengle County Town. What do you think we should do...?"

Lin Yuntang glanced at Lin Changqing and said gravely, "Shouldn't we start making preparations early as well?"

"No need to rush yet. They haven't reached us yet." Lin Changqing shook his head.

"But if we wait until they do, it'll be too late." Lin Yongteng added, "Those Eternal Bandits are inhuman. I heard that the ones who wiped out the village last night were merely their vanguard..."

Lin Changqing swept his gaze over Lin Yongteng and said in a low voice, "Uncles, it's not that I don't want everyone to relocate. It's just that the situation is still unclear. We cannot throw ourselves into disarray. Calm down and think about it—right now, we know nothing about what's happening outside. Where exactly would we move to? And with so many people in Green Mountain Village, if we panic and relocate at the slightest alarm, how many would die? Surely you don't think it's peaceful out there!"

At Lin Changqing's words, everyone immediately fell silent.

Lin Changqing was right. In these troubled times, nowhere was truly peaceful. Bandits and brigands ran rampant outside, and it was said that demons and monsters were causing havoc as well.

With so many people in Green Mountain Village, a single migration would likely claim at least half their lives.

"How about this? I'll go into town today and find out the specifics first." Lin Changqing said gravely. "Green Mountain Village's information is still far too limited. I'll make a trip to the Divine Weapon Pavilion and ask Chen San about the situation..."

He had originally intended to enter town to see whether he could obtain some cultivation manuals or Martial Skills. This matter simply happened to be along the way.

"Then we'll do as Changqing says. We'll have to trouble you with this trip." Lin Yuntang nodded at once. "Third Master Chen has the Chen Family behind him, one of Fengle County's Three Great Families. His information will surely be far more extensive than ours. It won't be too late to make plans after we understand the situation. After all, even if the Eternal Bandits truly intend to attack us, they won't arrive within a day or two..."

"Exactly. That's the reasoning!"

Lin Changqing smiled faintly. Without further delay, he gave Lin Yongfan a few instructions, then returned to his room, took the Jingzhe Saber, led out a horse, and left the courtyard.

He rode straight for Fengle County Town.

He galloped all the way, encountering quite a few groups of carriages along the road, scattered in twos and threes.

They traveled with their entire families in tow, covered in dust and looking travel-worn.

One glance was enough to tell that they were wealthy households who had caught wind of trouble and fled ahead of time.

However, as he drew closer to Fengle County Town, Lin Changqing began to sense that something was amiss. There were clearly far more people on the Imperial Road.

Yet most of them were sallow-faced, gaunt, and clad in rags.

Judging by their appearance, they were most likely Refugees who had fled from counties such as Yunshan and Nine Plains.

"Young Master, have mercy and give us something to eat!"

"Please, Young Master, save us. I haven't eaten in three days."

"Hungry... I'm so hungry. Please give me something to eat!"

The moment many of them saw Lin Changqing riding over, they immediately tried to crowd around him, begging for food and drink. Lin Changqing frowned slightly. "It seems the situation in Nine Plains is far more complicated than I imagined."

He did not dismount or stop. Instead, he slapped the horse's flank and sped away in a cloud of dust.

It was not that he was coldhearted. He simply had not brought any food or drink with him, so even if he stopped, he would not be able to help.

And these people were already starving beyond measure.

If they surrounded him, who knew what might happen? Lin Changqing did not dare underestimate the evil in human nature.

When people were driven to the brink of starvation, they could do anything to survive.