Frog Croaks

As the proclamation of King Chu's visit spread across the Central Plains, people everywhere grew panicked, and grain prices changed three times a day.

When Ming Shu left Qing Shui County, she saw that there were still many people around the docks outside the city, but the atmosphere had already changed.

Even after the many tragedies that had occurred inside the city and claimed numerous lives, everyone had never been this frightened.

Because the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty, which had carried on for a thousand years, had been torn in two from within by its own people.

The new emperor was in no hurry to attack the south. Instead, he was still rewarding meritorious officials, still discussing a new era name, and still celebrating his victory in the previous battle.

Yet he had no idea that the next stop had already come charging over at full speed.

The great Aristocratic Clans everywhere were, if anything, more clear-headed. Local officials like Magistrate Li were clear-headed as well.

The northern barbarians were already restless and ready to move. If they did not head south this winter, they would do so next year.

And the reason they had held back all year was that they were waiting for the Immortal Dynasty to make the first move from within.

From the late Emperor's death until now, the north had been unusually peaceful. That alone had given every clan more ideas.

The day after the news arrived, Ming Shu and the others had no choice but to set out as quickly as possible and hasten their journey.

Whether there were other lingering problems in the city was no longer something they could help deal with. The main forbidden grounds where Ghost Spirits were cultivated had all been handled by the Sky-Toppling Observatory's sorcerers.

The remaining troubles were nothing significant. Within the academy, the faction close to Li Jixu had already sent people over to handle the aftermath.

Besides, with the age of chaos officially beginning, who could calmly serve a term as a local official and then wait for promotion?

Battle achievements were the fastest route upward.

At the same time the news of the southern uprising arrived, Chong Li also received a secret letter from the Sky-Toppling Observatory. That was why she had set aside her work, brought Ren Yuan along, and escorted Ming Shu farther east.

The wheels of history accelerated.

Ming Shu recorded in the Life Book that in the winter month of the year before Sacred Reign, King Chu raised an army and declared that he was pacifying a crisis. He proclaimed that the new emperor in the Royal Capital had murdered his father and sovereign, slaughtered his brothers, was neither benevolent nor righteous, and was unworthy of inheriting the imperial throne.

The new emperor had finally made up his mind as well, choosing Sacred Reign as his era name. Next year would be the first year of Sacred Reign.

New reports kept arriving from every side. King Chu was in no hurry to march north; instead, he was attacking cities and seizing territory in the south, expanding and strengthening his own power.

Although he had not yet declared himself emperor, the regulations and ceremonial standards he used were already no different from those of an emperor.

Ming Shu and the others rode hard, traveling day and night.

After the previous battles, the combined fighting strength of the five had become formidable. Ordinary highway robbers were beneath their notice.

The only thing that disappointed Ming Shu was that, after they had just made contact with a household of old farmers, the family's young man—a scholar in his early twenties—had initially begun discussing moving the entire family east to develop on Ming Shu's territory.

The scholar would be hired to handle paperwork, while the old farmer would also come along to advise on farming.

But bad news kept arriving. They would rather starve at home than leave.

King Chu might not necessarily reach this place, but all kinds of true and false reports were flying everywhere, making people in every region panic on their own.

Prices fluctuated wildly, and that could easily cause people's livelihoods to collapse.

Without sending a single soldier, the Sacred Reign Emperor's strength had already been greatly weakened.

War consumed more than generals and soldiers. It also required massive logistical support.

The southern side's faction seemed much more professional.

However, Ming Shu had already boarded the Sky-Toppling Observatory's pirate ship. Until the Sky-Toppling Observatory indicated that it needed him to support one side or the other, he only wanted to hide himself away.

His strength did not allow him to act recklessly.

Earl Ying had left Qing Shui County only a few days earlier. Even if he had gone south along the Grand Canal, he had probably only just entered the Azure Dragon Great River basin by now.

The timing had been handled with exquisite precision.

The lands south of the Great River would become King Chu's base, while the north would be the Sacred Reign Emperor's domain. The two sides would probably clash in the area north of the river.

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

For now, he would simply watch the road beneath his feet.

After reaching Donghai Prefecture, they first had to report to the Huai Ren County government office, where Bai Family Village was located. Based on the documents issued by the Imperial Clan Court, they would obtain the new ownership of Bai Family Village from the office.

Although the place was still ownerless, the true ownership lay with the Imperial Clan Court. Even if Huai Ren County wanted to reclaim the land, doing so would be extremely difficult in practice.

The result was that it had remained abandoned for nearly ten years.

Taking advantage of the atmosphere of war and turmoil that was still spreading, while people still needed time to adjust to this new rhythm, Ming Shu and the others went straight to the Huai Ren County government office.

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

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

That very day, they obtained the county office's approval, and two runners were sent to accompany Ming Shu and the others to Bai Family Village.

The person who came forward to handle matters was the secretary. The magistrate did not appear, supposedly because he was away from the county office handling other official business.

In truth, he had probably gone to sound out the influential figure behind him and see which way the wind was blowing, as well as how he should adjust his future policies.

If it had merely been a change of emperor, it would not have been a major matter for them. Unspoken rules kept everything running, and even if there were new policies, the powerful figures above them would deal with them.

But now things were different. The north and south were confronting each other, the barbarians were ready to move, and the chaotic age had arrived at a moment's notice.

The position of county magistrate was not especially great, but it was not insignificant either. In the past, such officials could be called hundred-mile lords.

Ming Shu brought the others to replenish their supplies in the county town, took a simple tour of Huai Ren County, and then headed directly for Bai Family Village.

It was already dusk when they reached the outskirts of Bai Family Village, where there was an unnamed hill.

They had originally planned to continue through the night, so they lit torches. The two runner brothers had already been paid and kept introducing the local conditions along the way without a single complaint.

Before dark, they had first eaten a sumptuous dinner by the edge of the woods.

They would treat it as a night outing for now.

Their moods had originally been quite good.

A few croaks made Ming Shu, Old Zhao, and Chong Li grow alert.

Frog calls in the dead of winter seemed rather eerie. At this hour? That made no sense.

Ren Yuan took the initiative to scout ahead, while Little Zhao drew his weapon. He had recently been practicing saber techniques, since facing enemies with a wooden staff was still too disadvantageous.

Ren Yuan had taught him that saber techniques were easier to pick up than swordsmanship, so he should practice those first.

The two runner brothers had not noticed anything amiss at first. Only when they saw Ming Shu and the others' reactions did realization dawn on them.

That was right—the reason Huai Ren County was so weak now was all because of those damned pirates, who frequently came calling.

They had always operated in the county town and rarely encountered pirates.

They had never expected this money to be so hard to earn. They had actually run into pirates, and might even die here. What a massive loss.