The Calm Before the Crisis

Yang Guanfeng learned from Xu Guang that this situation was occurring throughout the entire Tiger Chasing Dynasty, and similar conditions were even appearing in the neighboring dynasties.

Because the number of refugees was too high, the population capacity of the towns of Willow Leaf and White Stone quickly reached its limit.

The town gates had already been closed, and outsiders were no longer permitted to enter.

Refugees wailed and cried outside the towns all day long, kneeling in row after row, refusing to leave even when soldiers held blades to them to drive them away.

The Yang Family had also taken in many refugees during this time, and the villages beneath Little Pine Mountain had not been harassed by beasts due to the presence of the Yang Family.

However, they were only a single family after all and could not compare to the scale of a town; taking in three hundred people was about their limit.

On the twenty-eighth day of the beast plague, Yang Guanfeng swapped shifts with Elder Yu and returned to the Yang Family from the mines.

Inside the Council Hall, Yang Feiyun and Yang Xiaolei were reporting the situation to him.

"As of today, we have taken in 213 refugee households, and they have all been properly settled," Yang Feiyun said.

Yang Guanfeng nodded and asked, "Can we continue to take more in?"

"This... in terms of finances and food, the family can indeed still bear it. As for space, if we squeeze in, it's still doable, but there isn't enough land for them to farm."

"Don't make them farm; issue them weapons."

"Issue weapons?" Yang Feiyun was somewhat confused.

Yang Xiaolei, standing to the side, pondered, "Big Brother, do you mean to have them become external clan soldiers?"

"Correct. The Beast Tide is coming, and the offensive will surely be fierce. If these people have no ability to resist, they will end up with only death!"

Yang Guanfeng stood up and said, "Leave this matter to you two. Go down and explain the stakes to these people. Those willing to serve the Yang Family will join the clan soldiers. After the Beast Tide, their elderly and children will be allowed to stay here. For those unwilling, they must fend for themselves. During the disaster, the Yang Family will provide their rations, but afterward, they must return to where they came from."

"Yes, Big Brother, we understand."

Yang Guanfeng realized that this beast plague was a major tribulation for the Yang Family, but while dangerous, it was also an opportunity.

To grow large and strong, one must first have people.

The river below Little Pine Mountain was called the Linshan River. A few days ago, Elder Yu had taken Yang Lingrui to build two wooden bridges and one stone bridge there.

The Yang Family and the villages below were currently on the north side of the Linshan River. Yang Guanfeng's original plan was to open up the area south of this river for the Yang Family's use.

But at the time, there was not enough labor, so it was temporarily shelved.

Now that a large number of refugees had gathered here, it was the perfect time to absorb a wave of them. After the Beast Tide, they could become a new force to reclaim land for the Yang Family.

After the Patriarch's Order was passed down, the refugees responded one after another.

Once they heard they could stay here in the future, eighty percent of the young men and women expressed their willingness to become clan soldiers.

After experiencing this beast plague, they understood that it was better to rely on a big tree for shade.

Training for the new soldiers began in full swing. The Yang Family had reached the level of total mobilization; except for the elderly and children, everyone had a task to perform.

Little Pine Mountain had a steep mountain pass that was difficult for people to traverse, making it the area where beasts emerged from the mountains most frequently.

Yang Lingrui led the clan soldiers to guard this location.

As for the other cultivators of the Yang Family, Yang Guanfeng went deep into the mountains alone to observe the latest movements of the beast plague.

Elder Yu kept watch at the mines. The refined ore produced in the mines was one of the few resources the Yang Family could use to steadily exchange for Spirit Crystals, so it could not be lost.

Linghu and Lingqing were guarding the Forbidden Cliff.

A few days ago, beast harassment had been frequent, but it had quieted down quite a bit over the last few days.

"Immortal Master! The scouts have returned; there is still no movement today!"

The leader of the clan soldiers returned to the camp where Yang Lingrui was stationed to report.

His name was Yang Tieli. If counting by bloodline, he was considered Yang Lingrui's uncle and had even held him when he was a child.

However, nowadays, Yang Lingrui had embarked on the immortal path and become an Immortal Master supported by the Yang Family, possessing a transcendent status far superior to mortals like them.

Yang Lingrui, who was examining a map, nodded gently at the sound.

"Thank you for your hard work, Leader Tieli. Continue to scout; you must not let your guard down."

"Yes, I obey the Immortal Master's decree!"

After exiting the camp, Yang Tieli passed down Yang Lingrui's orders, and a new batch of scouts headed up the mountain again.

"Leader, are we really going to just listen to the commands of a little brat like that?"

Returning to his own tent, one of Yang Tieli's subordinates voiced his doubt: "We've killed so many beasts these past few days, yet he does nothing but stay in his tent all day."

Soon, another person chimed in: "That's right. There are no beasts appearing now; I think this beast plague is nearing its end and will be over soon."

"Audacious!"

As the two were talking to themselves, Yang Tieli suddenly roared in anger.

"I think you two have lived long enough! How dare you discuss the faults of an Immortal Master with me!"

Seeing this, the two immediately shrank their heads, not daring to speak.

These two were not very old, only eighteen or nineteen. They had heard of the great name of the ancestor Yang Guanfeng since they were children, but they still had a question mark in their hearts regarding how much ability this new little Immortal Master actually possessed.

Under the habitual thinking of mortals, Yang Lingrui was young—just a little brat—making it truly impossible for them to trust him completely.

But Yang Tieli was different; he and Yang Guanfeng were of the same generation, and he had seen with his own eyes the various techniques and divine powers Yang Guanfeng had practiced under the guidance of Elder Yu in his youth.

He knew very well that the power possessed by a cultivator was far beyond the reach of any mortal, regardless of age.

Therefore, he respected Yang Lingrui from the bottom of his heart.

"Get lost, and tell the others: if I find out anyone is gossiping about the Immortal Master in private, they will all be dealt with according to clan law!"

Under the leadership of Yang Guanfeng, the Yang Family's clan laws were quite severe.

Hearing that term, the two young Clan Soldiers were visibly frightened, realizing the gravity of the situation, and hurriedly agreed before trembling as they retreated from the tent.

On the cliff to the north of the Yang Family.

Because their identities had to be kept secret, Yang Linghu and Yang Lingqing were responsible for guarding this cliff during the current Demon Beast infestation.

The height of the cliff was fatal to ordinary mortals and wild beasts, but that was not necessarily the case for Demon Beasts.

Yang Guanfeng had entrusted Chen Yang to Yang Lingqing.

Among the three children, she was the one he trusted the most.

This child had a cool head, remained calm in the face of trouble, and possessed a sense of the big picture; there was no one more suitable to entrust the Exotic Stone to.

Coincidentally, the Mud Dragon Technique that Lingqing practiced excelled in control and defense, and with this Exotic Stone to make up for her shortcomings, she would have both offense and defense.

"Xiao Qing, there's no movement in the woods. Could it be that the wild beasts have all returned to the mountains?"

Yang Linghu said after patrolling the area and returning to the Forbidden Ground.

Yang Lingqing shook her head: "It's impossible for them to retreat so easily. It's just the calm before the storm; they want us to lower our guard before launching a full-scale attack. Looking at it this way, there is indeed a Demon Beast behind this. Ordinary wild beasts wouldn't understand such tactics."

"That makes sense!"

"I'll go take another turn; you get some rest, Tiger."

The two swapped shifts, and Yang Lingqing began to patrol the cliff with Chen Yang tucked inside her robes.

After walking the length of the cliff and finding nothing unusual, she headed into the woods.

After venturing in for a distance, she took Chen Yang out.

"Good treasure, can you see if there are any traces of Demon Beasts around here?"