Gunpowder

The Zhang Family compound stood in the northern part of the city.

It did not occupy much land, but its courtyards were exquisitely laid out.

Only, blackish-brown bloodstains were everywhere.

After Gao Fei explained his purpose, Zhang Mingfei immediately agreed and opened the granaries to release the grain. However, he would sell it himself rather than hand it over to Gao Fei.

He still did not trust him. But as long as the granaries were opened, it did not matter who did the selling.

His goal achieved, Gao Fei took his people and immediately headed to the next household.

The Lin Family.

At this moment, the Lin Family gates stood wide open.

People dressed as ordinary citizens streamed into the residence one after another, then quickly carried item after item back out.

"Seal the gates and find out what's going on!"

More than a dozen yamen runners blocked the entrance.

The reason was quickly uncovered.

The Lin Family had already moved to Qing Province when Lin Shaokun died.

Only an old master had remained to manage things. Once the old man died, the guards left behind—never particularly loyal to begin with—took the valuables and fled.

When the people nearby saw the Lin Family compound gates open and the courtyard deserted, they began carrying away whatever remained.

Gao Fei glanced at the things in their hands.

They were all tables, chairs, stools, furniture, beds, blankets, and bedding... No one had taken grain, or perhaps they had not found any.

After a search, they discovered large quantities of grain in a tall, separate warehouse in the rear courtyard, as well as entire rooms filled with grain in several side chambers.

It seemed they had begun buying it up long ago.

"Leave the grain. Take anything else you want. Xiao Liu, you'll be responsible for inventorying and transporting it, then putting it on the records. Combine it with the remaining amount from the Zhang Family and give me a precise figure. I'm heading back."

After taking only a few steps, he remembered what his second uncle had said at parting and shouted to the yamen runners preparing to get busy:

"Remember! This is a loan, understand?"

"Understood!"

Being a hands-off boss really was satisfying. He finally understood why, as long as many companies made money, their owners stopped caring about the details.

He returned to the Gao Family's small courtyard.

A table of fine dishes, two jars of good wine, and three or five friends and relatives gathered around.

These days were truly comfortable.

Two days later.

Forty li southeast of Yueyang City.

The three demons had once again failed to surround Magistrate Xue and let him slip away.

The Fox Demon panted as she patted her chest.

"You weasel, did you actually kill all the officials in Yueyang County? Why is this fellow still so full of life? There's no sign at all of his Incense and Fire Prayer Power replenishment slowing down."

"I killed people exactly at the places you told me to, and I even lost a great many subordinates. Don't tell me your information was wrong, only for you to stand here blaming me."

"Rat Demons have so many offspring every year. What does it matter if they all die? We can find more later. This chance is hard to come by again. If orthodox Incense and Fire Prayer Power won't work, then let's use the Demon Race's old method—blood sacrifice."

The Cat Demon jumped down from a tree on the other side. He had originally been lying in ambush here, only for Magistrate Xue to flee in another direction.

"Blood sacrifice?! You might break through this time, but what about afterward? Your cultivation will never advance another inch. With so many dead, even if you hide deep in the mountains and ancient forests, you may not escape the pursuit of the inspectors. Even if you have some secret base to hide in, are you willing to stay hidden forever and be hunted down?"

A trace of mockery appeared on the Fox Demon's face. "Young demons from small places are just like this—barbaric and ignorant of the world."

"Ha!"

The fur on the Cat Demon's neck stood on end. He hissed at the Fox Demon, raised his head, and revealed claws gleaming with a chill.

The Fox Demon took several steps forward, flashed forward, and slapped the Cat Demon across the head.

The Cat Demon instantly rolled across the ground several times before jumping back to his feet. Yet he kept shaking his head, as if he had grown an extra brain.

The Fox Demon ignored him and turned to Yellow Great Immortal.

"You killed all the people who needed killing. With the Lin Family's influence, even if a few fish slipped through the net, you should have taken control of Yueyang County Seat long ago. Tell me, what other experts are in the city?"

Only then did Yellow Great Immortal mention the demon he had encountered, one with a powerful body and horns growing from his head—Gao Fei.

"What color were the horns on his head?"

Yellow Great Immortal thought for a moment. "White. Off-white!"

"You were deceived. The horns of a Primordial Rhino are grayish-black."

The Fox Demon looked at the two Spirit-Absorption Realm, Perfected demons and revealed a disappointed expression.

One pretended, one charged in blindly. Neither was of any use.

"Then... I'll make another trip into the city. Dead Cat can stall that Xue fellow for a while. I'll be back in no time..."

In two days, he had only enjoyed one peaceful meal.

Gao Fei had been handling every matter in the county seat, large and small.

From tallying the grain, to setting up several sales points, setting prices, and investigating those hoarding supplies...

Lu Xiaoliu had only just begun working, and the other yamen runners simply would not listen to him. Every time, Gao Fei had to lead them himself.

He beat down one batch, dismissed another, recruited a new batch, and only then did things finally settle.

"My lord, these Minor Monsters with Unawakened Intelligence and Awakened Intelligence are everywhere. All our current men are below the Middle Qi-Blood Realm and simply do not dare leave the city. What should we do about the villagers outside?"

"Defense inside the city is also a problem. If we encounter even one Skin Tempering Realm demon, a five-man patrol would not even have a chance to risk their lives. They could only run."

He had not been idle these past two days either. Whenever a demon at the Skin Tempering Realm or above appeared, he had to make a trip himself.

In the end, he was so overwhelmed that he invited his second uncle, the Zhang Family brother and sister, and Yue Qinghe, the martial arts hall master's daughter, to help. Only then could he stop here and rest for a while.

Even on Blue Star, rats had never been wiped out. Trying to exterminate them was easier said than done. They could only rely on the common people to defend themselves, otherwise they could kill until they dropped and still never finish them all.

Universal cultivation was impossible; there were not enough resources.

"My lord, when you have time, could you teach me how to use a spear? So I can be a little safer..."

"A gun—right, a gun! How could I have forgotten it? Xiao Liu, go find three things: saltpeter, sulfur, and willow charcoal."

Lu Xiaoliu had not yet reacted. Only after hearing Gao Fei repeat himself did he nod.

"My lord, I know willow charcoal, but what are saltpeter and sulfur?"

Gao Fei smacked his forehead. The names might be different here, or they might not exist at all.

Still, he had to look for them. It did not matter whether he used them himself, but to ordinary people, gunpowder was a sharp weapon. Even if a firearm could not break Skin Tempering defenses, its powerful impact could still inflict internal injuries on demons.

"Saltpeter is generally used for making ice..."

He described the appearance, smell, and places where saltpeter and sulfur could be found to Lu Xiaoliu.

"I know saltpeter. There's plenty of it in the county seat. As for sulfur, I'll check the medicine shops."

"Go quickly."

Watching Xiao Liu leave, Gao Fei could not help sighing.

These past two days had exhausted him. It seemed he truly was not cut out to be an official.

He could not put things off; whenever something came up, he wanted to resolve it at once.

Dealing with demon-related incidents over the past two days had also earned Gao Fei 72 Merit Points.

He now had 203 Merit Points remaining.

Merit Points came far too slowly. Adding this little to the Golden Body Art might advance it a little, but it would have no real effect.

Transforming Force had only just begun, and it was also a great devourer of Merit Points.

After waiting an hour, Lu Xiaoliu returned with the three items, a large bag of each.

Gao Fei opened them and took a look. They really were the right things, and their purity was decent as well.

He knew the formula. As for the best ratio for black powder, Gao Fei only remembered: one sulfur, two saltpeter, three charcoal.

Even that had to be adjusted according to purity.

This world had a cheat material like Black Iron, so strength should not be an issue. All that remained was to draw a rough blueprint and have a blacksmith give it a try.

He carefully ground everything into powder and mixed it evenly.

"Xiao Liu, use a long wooden pole to light it."

"No need!"