Frog Croaks

025 Frog Sounds

As the proclamation of King Chu's visit spread across the Central Plains, unrest rippled through the land, and grain prices fluctuated three times a day.

When Ming Shu left Qing Shui County, he saw that the area around the pier outside the city was still crowded, but the atmosphere had changed.

Even though many tragedies had occurred within the city before, resulting in numerous deaths, people hadn't been this panicked.

This was because the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty, which had been passed down for a thousand years, had been torn in half from within by its own people.

The new emperor wasn't rushing to conquer the south. Instead, he was rewarding meritorious officials, discussing a new reign title, and celebrating his victory in the previous battle.

Little did he know that the next wave was already relentlessly crushing down.

The influential families in various regions were, in fact, more clear-headed, as were local officials like Magistrate Li.

The Barbarians in the north were restless. They hadn't moved south this winter, but they would next year.

The reason they had held back and taken no action this year was that they were waiting for the Immortal Dynasty to make the first move internally.

Since the former emperor's death, the north had been unusually calm, which had given everyone more reason to speculate.

Ming Shu and the others had no choice but to set off quickly and travel at an accelerated pace the day after the news arrived.

Whether there were any other lingering issues in the city was no longer something they could help resolve. The main forbidden areas where Ghost Spirits were cultivated had already been dealt with by the Sorcerers of the Sky-Toppling Observatory.

The remaining troubles were insignificant. In the academy, the faction close to Li Jixu had already sent people to help with the cleanup.

Moreover, with the official start of chaotic times, who could calmly serve as a local official and wait for promotion?

Military achievements were the fastest path to advancement.

At the same time the news of the southern rebellion arrived, Chong Li also received a secret letter from the Sky-Toppling Observatory. That's why she put down her work, pulled Ren Yuan along, and escorted Ming Shu further east.

The wheels of history accelerated.

Ming Shu recorded in the Fate Book that in the year before the Sacred Reign, in the twelfth lunar month, King Chu raised his army, proclaiming it a campaign to pacify the rebels. He accused the new emperor in the capital of patricide, regicide, and the slaughter of his brothers, declaring him inhumane, unrighteous, and unfit to inherit the throne.

The new emperor had finally made up his mind and set his reign title as Sacred Reign. Next year would be the first year of the Sacred Reign.

New messages continued to pour in from all sides. King Chu wasn't rushing north; instead, he was conquering territory in the south, developing and expanding his own power.

Although he hadn't yet declared himself emperor, his ceremonial standards were already no different from those of an emperor.

Ming Shu and the others rode their horses at full speed, day and night.

With the previous battles, the combined combat power of the five of them was already formidable. They didn't even bat an eye at ordinary bandits.

The only regret for Ming Shu was that just as he had begun negotiations with a family of old farmers, whose young son was a scholar in his early twenties, to have them move their entire family east to develop in Ming Shu's territory.

He planned to hire the scholar for clerical work, while the old farmer would assist with agricultural matters.

However, the bad news kept coming. The family would rather starve at home than leave.

King Chu might not necessarily reach this area, but the constant stream of true and false news was enough to cause panic among the people in various regions.

With the fluctuating prices, it was easy for people's livelihoods to collapse.

Without a single soldier being dispatched, a significant portion of Emperor Sacred Reign's strength had already been weakened.

War wasn't just about the consumption of generals and soldiers; it required extensive logistical support.

The team in the south seemed more professional.

However, Ming Shu had now boarded the Sky-Toppling Observatory's ship. Until the Sky-Toppling Observatory indicated that he needed to support a particular side, he just wanted to lie low.

His strength didn't allow him to act recklessly.

Earl Ying had left Qing Shui County only a few days prior. Even if he had traveled south along the canal, he would have only just entered the Azure Dragon Great River basin by now.

The timing was exceptionally clever.

South of the Great River would become King Chu's base, while the north would be Emperor Sacred Reign's territory. It was estimated that the two sides would clash in the region north of the river.

Ming Shu's access to information was limited, so he stopped paying attention to these major events.

He would focus on the path beneath his own feet first.

Upon arriving at Donghai Prefecture, he needed to report to the Huai Ren County yamen, where Bai Family Village was located. With the documents issued by the Imperial Clan Court, he would obtain new ownership of Bai Family Village from the yamen.

Although it was currently ownerless, the true ownership lay with the Imperial Clan Court. Even if Huai Ren County had intended to reclaim the land, it would have been practically very difficult.

The result was nearly ten years of continuous neglect.

Taking advantage of the ongoing atmosphere of war and chaos, while people still needed time to adapt to this rhythm, Ming Shu and the others directly went to the Huai Ren County yamen.

It looked even more dilapidated than the yamen in Qing Shui County.

With the guidance of Magistrate Li Jixu, Ming Shu had Old Zhao take Li Jixu's letter and the proof from the Imperial Clan Court to make arrangements.

That same day, they received the county yamen's approval, and two bailiffs were assigned to accompany Ming Shu and his group to Bai Family Village.

The person who handled the matter was the secretary; the county magistrate did not appear, claiming he was away on other official business.

In reality, he was likely trying to gauge the situation with the influential figures behind him and determine how to adjust future administrative policies.

Originally, a change of emperor wouldn't have been a big deal for them; everything was maintained by unwritten rules. Even if there were new policies, the higher-ups would handle them.

Now, it was different: a north-south confrontation, the Barbarians stirring, and chaos had truly arrived.

The position of a county magistrate, while not grand, wasn't insignificant either. In the past, they were referred to as "Lords of a Hundred Li."

Ming Shu and his group replenished some supplies in the county town and took a brief tour of Huai Ren County before heading directly to Bai Family Village.

It wasn't until nightfall that they reached the outskirts of Bai Family Village, by an unnamed hill.

They had originally planned to travel through the night, so they lit torches. The two bailiffs, having already accepted their payment, continuously introduced the surrounding situation along the way without any complaints.

Before it got dark, they had already finished a hearty dinner by the edge of the woods.

Now, it was as if they were just out for a night stroll.

Their moods had been good until now.

A few croaks of frogs alerted Ming Shu, Old Zhao, and Chong Li.

In the dead of winter, the sound of frogs felt rather strange. At this time of year? It didn't make sense.

Ren Yuan took the initiative to scout ahead, while Little Zhao drew his weapon. He had been practicing his saber techniques recently, finding wooden sticks too disadvantageous in combat.

Ren Yuan had taught him that saber techniques were easier to learn than sword techniques, so it was better to practice that first.

The two bailiffs hadn't noticed anything amiss at first, but seeing the reactions of Ming Shu and the others, they finally realized.

They remembered that the reason Huai Ren County was so weak now was because of the damned pirates who frequently raided them.

They used to operate in the county town and rarely encountered pirates.

They hadn't expected that earning this money wouldn't be easy, and they had run into pirates. They might die here. They had lost a fortune.