Stockpiling Grain, Crisis

After accepting the Demon Suppression Division's Assessment Token, Lin Changqing's expression turned grave as he asked in a low voice, "Shopkeeper Chen, I heard the Eternal Army has already reached Jiuyin County. The Imperial Court has suffered a defeat, and many people in the county are busy relocating. Hasn't your Chen Family made any move?"

"They're nothing more than a pack of clay chickens and pottery dogs. They'll never amount to anything." Chen San smiled dismissively. "The Eternal Army is merely a puppet created by the White Lotus Heretical Sect. They only managed to seize Three Counties because they caught the Imperial Court off guard. Now that the Imperial Court has reacted, it has not only dispatched a great army to support Jiuyin County, but also sent experts from the Demon Suppression Division to act. This turmoil will soon be put to rest..."

Lin Changqing said nothing, merely frowning slightly.

As External Personnel of the Demon Suppression Division, and with the Chen Family's influence behind him, Chen San was naturally well-informed. Logically speaking, he understood Jiuyin County's situation far better than Lin Changqing did.

Since Chen San said there was nothing to worry about, there should surely be no problem.

But!

Deep down, Lin Changqing felt a faint unease.

This time, he feared things would not be so simple.

This was a premonition brought by Spiritual Perception. Unfortunately, his Spiritual Realm was only at the Lesser Stillness stage.

He could not yet sense much information about the future.

Yet this feeling of a Sudden Urge was enough to keep Lin Changqing from taking it lightly.

Still, Lin Changqing did not voice his thoughts. Spiritual Cultivation was simply too mysterious, even somewhat unbelievable.

He had created the Visualization Method himself, and it was completely different from the martial path of this world.

To Chen San, abilities such as Spiritual Perception would undoubtedly sound like pure fantasy.

Even if he told him, Chen San might not believe him.

And even if Chen San did believe him, it would not change much. After all, Chen San was only External Personnel of the Demon Suppression Division.

He counted as someone of importance in Fengle County Town.

But before the Demon Suppression Division, he was nothing at all.

Changing the subject, Lin Changqing casually asked, "When I arrived, I saw quite a few Refugees gathered Outside the City. Yet not only has the Yamen sent no one to settle them, it has even set up checkpoints at the city gates, using them to collect exorbitant entrance fees in disguise and line its pockets. It would be one thing in ordinary times, but these are extraordinary times. For the Yamen to act this way..."

Lin Changqing stopped halfway through.

In truth, if Chen San had not been External Personnel of the Demon Suppression Division, he would not have said any of this. Strictly speaking, as one of Fengle County's Three Great Families, the Chen Family should have stood on the same side as the County yamen.

By saying such things, was he not slapping the Chen Family across the face?

Chen San immediately understood what Lin Changqing meant. His expression changed as he said in a deep voice, "Some people in the Yamen have indeed gone too far. I'll have someone investigate this matter, then report it upward. When one's table manners are that ugly, retribution will follow..."

As he spoke, Icy killing intent surfaced in Chen San's eyes.

Lin Changqing said nothing more, but he knew someone in Fengle County Town was about to be unlucky. He just did not know who it would be.

Still, none of that was his concern.

After chatting with Chen San for a while longer and learning some details about the Demon Suppression Division's assessment, Lin Changqing did not linger. He rose, bade farewell, and left.

After leaving the Divine Weapon Pavilion, Lin Changqing did not immediately depart from Fengle County Town.

Instead, he found a restaurant, enjoyed a hearty meal, then strolled around the city and bought a number of things.

A small portion consisted of daily necessities. The rest was grain.

The quantity was considerable. Only after arranging for the merchants to deliver it to Green Mountain Village the next day did he pay the deposit and leave.

Lin Changqing had a feeling that Fengle County would not remain peaceful in the coming period.

Grain prices would certainly rise, perhaps even shortages would appear.

Thus, he was preparing for a rainy day by storing some in advance. Even if something truly happened in the future, it would be enough to hold out for a while.

After riding out of Fengle County Town, Lin Changqing looked at the ever-growing number of Refugees Outside the City.

His heart grew increasingly heavy.

Jiuyin County's situation was definitely more serious than he had imagined—perhaps even more serious than Chen San knew.

After riding along the Imperial Road for nearly an hour, Lin Changqing finally stopped a group of Refugees.

It was a small group, numbering roughly twenty to thirty people.

Lin Changqing took the initiative to distribute some of the food he had brought with him to the refugees.

He had specifically bought this kind of flatbread before setting out. It did not taste like much, but it was filling.

To refugees who had gone hungry for days, it was a delicacy beyond compare.

"Old sir, where have you come from?"

Only after Lin Changqing had handed out all the flatbread did he turn to the oldest old man among them and ask.

"Young Master, we all came from Jiuyin County."

The old man ate the flatbread in his hands as he sighed. "A month ago, the Eternal Bandits attacked Jiuyin County.

"The Imperial Court suffered defeat after defeat.

"The Eternal Bandits' leader indulged his troops, letting them burn, kill, and plunder. Left with no choice, we could only flee for our lives with our families..."

"Didn't they say the Imperial Court had already sent reinforcements to Jiuyin County? Has Jiuyin County still fallen?"

Lin Changqing frowned slightly and asked in a deep voice.

"Alas... the Imperial Court's army did go to reinforce them, but it was of no use. The Eternal Bandits are too powerful. I heard that they even have people within the Imperial Court's army..."

The old man shook his head with a sigh. "I don't know the details either. All I know is that Jiuyin County is in a terrible state now.

"I heard the Eternal Bandits are about to take Jiuyin.

"And they're going to attack this way as well. Who knows when it will ever end..."

Lin Changqing's brow furrowed even more tightly.

He realized that his earlier intuition was likely about to come true. The Imperial Court had underestimated the strength of the Eternal Army created by the White Lotus Sect, and it would probably suffer a devastating loss.

However!

Lin Changqing was also certain that the Eternal Army would amount to nothing.

The White Lotus Sect likely had never expected the Eternal Army to truly succeed in rebellion.

After all, Lin Changqing had never seen a rebel army whose leader did not restrain his troops—one that, after capturing cities, freely burned, killed, and pillaged, even dispatching advance forces into other prefectures and counties to act as bandits, slaughtering villages and razing strongholds—ever truly succeed in rebellion.

They were nothing but a rabble of chickens and dogs.

The only reason they had managed to seize three counties, perhaps even four, in one stroke was because they had caught the Imperial Court completely off guard.

At the same time, they had made the Imperial Court underestimate their strength.

That was why they had been able to defeat the Imperial Court's army in the early stages. Once the Imperial Court truly reacted, the Eternal Army would inevitably be defeated.

"Still, I need to be more careful."

After bidding farewell to the old man and the others, Lin Changqing continued on his journey, quietly calculating in his heart. *Once I get back, I need to have the village walls reinforced and raised.

Turn all of Green Mountain Village into an earthen fort. That will greatly improve Green Mountain Village's defenses...

And bows, crossbows, armor—those need to be made as well.

Lin Changqing silently made his plans.

As for making bows, crossbows, and armor being forbidden, Lin Changqing could no longer concern himself with that.

He would make them first and worry about the rest later.

Whether they would be used or not could be decided afterward.

After all, if his life was truly in danger, preserving it came first. As for whether something was forbidden or not, that would no longer matter.

In fact!

Lin Changqing refused to believe that Noble Clans such as the Chen Family and the Wei Family did not possess bows, crossbows, and armor.

They merely kept them well hidden in ordinary times, unknown to outsiders.

If Noble Clans like the Chen Family and the Wei Family could do it, then why couldn't Green Mountain Village?