Rebel Army

The streets around the spots where official notices were posted were packed with passersby. A yamen runner held a bronze gong, struck it heavily, then shouted at the top of his voice.

"Men, women, old folks, young folks, come over! The County Magistrate has issued a red notice! Starting today, all commoners must purchase grain with their household registration papers, in limited quantities and at fixed prices. Each household may buy no more than two jin of grain per day. Also, Rebel Army forces are causing trouble outside the city. To protect the city's residents, the County Magistrate has decided to conscript soldiers. Every household must provide one man. There must be no mistakes!"

Each time the yamen runner struck the gong, he shouted the contents of the notice once more.

Zhong Lin frowned slightly. "Conscription? Grain rationing? Has it already become this tense outside?"

The people regarded food as heaven itself. Once grain became a problem, things had basically rotted to their most dangerous point.

Now there was both conscription and grain rationing. It was clear that even the County Magistrate could no longer keep the natural disasters and military calamities outside under control.

At the same time, Zhong Lin was glad he had bought enough grain in advance. Otherwise, he would have been in trouble too.

Ignoring the boiling streets, Zhong Lin hurried toward Xu's Clinic.

Compared to the bustle of the past few days, Xu Lewu was now sitting leisurely in a Grand Preceptor's Chair, sipping clear tea. Only one apprentice was beside him, cleaning up.

"Boy Zhong is here."

Seeing Zhong Lin arrive, Xu Lewu did not rise. He merely set the purple clay teapot in his hand onto the table.

"You old bastard are certainly taking it easy. It's nearly turned the world upside down outside," Zhong Lin said with a smile.

"Thanks to you, there's enough grain at home to eat. As for conscription, surely they aren't going to send these old bones of mine to the battlefield?" Xu Lewu said indifferently.

Zhong Lin did not waste words. He directly tossed over a black cloth bundle.

Xu Lewu reached out and weighed it in his hand. His old face nearly bloomed like a chrysanthemum.

"That's it for this month. Next month, prepare more of some other things, like Blood-Stopping Powder. It's chaotic outside, and those things should sell well."

Xu Lewu nodded thoughtfully. "Makes sense. I'll prepare some later. Next time, take some with you and test the waters."

"You can also adjust your prescription. Replace Salvia Root with Euryale Ferox Seed and Astragalus. The medicinal effect won't be reduced by much, but the cost can be cut by at least three qian of silver," Zhong Lin continued.

"Euryale Ferox Seed, Astragalus..." Xu Lewu stroked his beard and said thoughtfully, "Euryale Ferox Seed is known as ginseng of the water. Paired with Astragalus, it really is not bad. We can give it a try. I'll test how much of these two herbs should be added."

"Three qian of Euryale Ferox Seed, ten qian of Astragalus."

Xu Lewu said irritably, "What the hell do you know? With medicinal herbs, a difference of a hair can lead to an error of a thousand miles. Sometimes, one extra qian can turn good medicine into poison. You... no, wait. How did you know I used Salvia Root in my Eight Treasures Blood Nourishing?"

Xu Lewu suddenly came to his senses and stared at Zhong Lin warily, as though his most precious possession had been stolen.

"Dong Quai, Rehmannia, Poria, Cistanche, Raspberry, Dodder Seed, Privet Fruit, Polygonatum... Do you want me to keep going?" Zhong Lin's face was full of amusement.

"You, you, you..."

Xu Lewu could no longer remain seated. He looked at Zhong Lin with a trace of terror, his hands trembling without stop.

"It's only a prescription for replenishing qi and blood, not some pill formula. What's there to make such a fuss about? I'm leaving."

With that, he turned and left Xu's Clinic without looking back. Before leaving, he snatched two medical books from Xu Lewu's table, leaving only the utterly bewildered Xu Lewu behind.

"What a sin! If I'd known, I would've treated him better. Now he's cracked my prescription. I wonder whether he'll still come here to buy medicine afterward."

Xu Lewu fell completely into a tangle of indecision.

"A ruthless man named Guo Yanhai has appeared outside. He first gathered the Black Mountain Eighteen Forts into an alliance. At the meeting, he beat every bandit chief into submission and took in the bandits of all eighteen forts. Then, using the bait of opening the granaries to distribute grain, he drew countless refugees to join him. With unified command and deployment, he actually built up some momentum."

"A few days ago, the County Magistrate led the city's Reserve Army out, but Guo Yanhai cut off their grain route. Then experts launched a night raid and burned the Reserve Army's provisions. While everyone was panicking, Guo Yanhai struck in one sweep, and the Reserve Army suffered a crushing defeat. That was why the County Magistrate issued the conscription and grain-rationing orders."

Old Zhou sighed and continued, "My nephew is a Military Head in the Reserve Army. He told me the news himself, so it can't be false. This time, we're truly in trouble."

Zhong Lin nodded. The Reserve Army had already lost once. If this round of conscription won, that would be one thing. But if they lost again, the bandit army would truly be pressing straight toward the County Town.

"Zhong Lin, the city is getting more and more chaotic. If you can avoid going out these days, don't go out. And don't let your younger brother go to school either. Have him stay safely at home. In short, Black Mountain County Town is dangerous now," Old Zhou said gravely.

"I understand. You should be careful too."

"Don't worry. This is the County Yamen, after all. Unless the Rebel Army breaks through the city gates, no one would dare cause trouble here." Old Zhou waved his hand.

When Zhong Lin left the County Yamen, his expression was exceedingly grave. He was not considering who would win or lose between the County Magistrate and Guo Yanhai. He was thinking about how he should protect himself when true chaos broke out.

Should I take Little Shi out of the city and return to Summer River Village to take refuge?

No. Grain would be difficult to carry, and if we ran into the Rebel Army, that would be even more dangerous.

On the contrary, the city still has the most basic order. With my Eighth Rank strength, as long as I don't draw too much attention to myself, protecting myself will be more than easy enough. Protecting Little Shi won't be a problem either.

The worst outcome would be Guo Yanhai winning and Black Mountain County Town being breached. Then things would truly become troublesome.

A trace of worry flashed through Zhong Lin's eyes. Books and films from his previous life had shown him the plight of civilians during wartime, especially when a Rebel Army entered a city.

Burning, killing, looting—countless dead and wounded.

Every evil one could imagine would basically be born there.

No rush. There's still time, and these are only my guesses. It's still uncertain who will win and who will lose. In troubled times, strength matters most. What I need to do now is continue cultivating martial arts. The Seventh-Rank Bone Forging Realm possesses the strength of a thousand jin, with bones like refined steel. If I can reach the seventh rank of martial arts, then even if I encounter the Rebel Army, I can easily protect Little Shi and leave.

Zhong Lin thought rapidly, and his heart gradually calmed.

As time passed, the atmosphere throughout Black Mountain County grew increasingly wrong.

Insufficient grain, forced conscription, rampant gangs...

The entirety of Black Mountain County was like a powder keg, as though one tiny spark would make it explode in an instant.

Zhong Lin had rarely gone out these days. Every day, he cultivated martial arts at home, and when he grew tired, he read books.

He also kept Little Shi at home, teaching him some basic fist techniques to build a foundation. He was still young, and his bones had yet to fully develop, so he was not suited to cultivate martial arts. However, he could practice some basic fist techniques.