Shen Tang said, "As long as people aren't immortals who can subsist on wind and dew after practicing Grain Avoidance, they can't go without the five grains and other staples—even if they're powerful Martial Gall Warriors of the 20th Rank Che Hou. The people regard food as heaven itself. How is farming undignified work?"
Ning Yan tried to explain.
"My lord, it's not about dignity. It's—"
Shen Tang knew Ning Yan was still stuck in her old way of thinking. She smiled and cut her off. "Tu Nan, don't rush. I didn't explain myself clearly. Farming with Word Spirits is different from the kind of tilling you know. A single person's efforts could even feed an army of a thousand."
One person's efforts...
Could feed an army of a thousand???
Ning Yan's first reaction was to think it sounded absurd. But she was clever, and at her second thought, she remembered Shen Tang's heroic feat: leading a lone force deep into the heart of Ten Crows territory for over a month, wreaking havoc, and still making it out unscathed.
Outsiders only thought Shen Tang had guts: she'd ventured into enemy territory without getting lost and achieved an impressive victory. They never considered the matter of supplies. Even if they did, most would guess she had lived off the enemy, using their food to solve her own army's crisis.
As for how she had pulled off such a feat, found the enemy's stronghold with pinpoint accuracy, and raided their granaries in time to keep her troops fed...
That was anyone's guess.
Without knowing the truth, living off the enemy was the most logical explanation. But Shen Tang's words gave Ning Yan another possibility—
Someone in the army could use Word Spirits to conjure food.
They could become entirely self-sufficient!
Freed from