All-Out War Preparations

Flower Village's central square was packed with people.

There were craftsmen with callused hands, farmers with weathered skin, women fresh off their shifts at the weaving mill, stooped elders, bewildered children, and ninjas of all ages.

No one spoke. Every eye was on the young man standing atop the stone platform.

Lu Zeming swept his gaze over the crowd, channeled his Spiritual Power, and began to speak.

"Three months ago, I stood right here. Back then, there was no square, no platform. Many of us had no homes, no food, no land. Back then, I said we were shit. We were weeds by the roadside, there for anyone to trample.

"Three months have passed. Look around you. Look at our village. With our own hands, we built this square and raised these houses. Every family has land and food in storage. Together, we changed this place. We turned mountains into fertile fields, rough mountain trails into roads wide enough for four carriages, and drove the beasts deep into the mountains.

"Now tell me: are we really shit? Are we really roadside weeds that anyone can trample?

"No, we're not. Shit can't build houses this fine. Weeds don't grow hands that can weave cloth.

"Before, we had nothing. Now we have homes and food stored away. But the jackals who see us as shit have caught the scent and are coming. Just like before, they'll kill our people, steal our food, and burn our homes.

"Tell me, will you swallow your anger and let them butcher you like you did before?"

Lu Zeming looked at the crowd and waited for their answer.

Faces flushed, fists clenched, and eyes blazed with barely contained fury as the people roared.

"No! We won't take it anymore! We'll fight back!"

"Let anyone try to steal