Chapter 10 Seventy thousand is seventy thousand, we'll support them all!

The soldiers and civilians were overjoyed.

"Fairy Jinli, I accept this! Thank you, Fairy!"

"It took so many of us to move it, but the fairy took it away with a single touch!"

"Fairy Jinli possesses boundless magical power! Please, fairy, save us!"

...

"No... wait, wait a minute!" Ning Jinli turned and ran.

When I arrived at the food warehouse, the piece of wood was lying quietly on the ground.

"Teleportation?"

She stared wide-eyed at the light screen outside the door.

I understand now. The spacetime portal has indeed been upgraded, granting her this ability.

"If I'm not mistaken..."

She turned her head to look at the little flour and rice left in the warehouse.

With a thought, all thoughts vanish in an instant.

However, if you try to go outside the range of the light curtain, there is no response.

After Ning Jinli finished the experiment, she immediately ran back to the cave.

Sure enough, those bags of flour and rice from before were here.

The soldiers and civilians expressed their gratitude to her once again.

"What's your current situation? How long can you hold out?" Ning Jinli asked.

The leading soldier said:

"The Yu Kingdom's 50,000 troops must have taken into account the terrain of Linxian Village, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and the lack of water and food, so they adopted a siege tactic against us."

"Given the current situation, we... won't last more than a few days before we completely lose our ability to resist."

"Then they can easily break in and slaughter us all."

"Before the Yu Kingdom's army surrounded us, we had already received orders from the emperor to send a message to the court. But even if we act quickly, it will still take ten or twenty days for reinforcements to arrive..."

The more they talked, the more somber the soldiers' expressions became.

"How much water and food do you need to last this long?" Ning Jinli asked again.

The soldiers pondered as they spoke:

"Here are 10,000 soldiers from Xitun Pass, over 4,000 warhorses, and more than 1,200 villagers from Linxian Village, including ourselves. The grain that the fairy gave us was almost entirely used up after we shared it with the soldiers. There are also many wounded and sick..."

Ning Jinli listened and made her assessment, then nodded, "Hmm, not a big problem."

She currently has over 50 million yuan in savings, enough to easily support a workforce of over 10,000 people.

“There are also refugees from other villages who have fled here,” the soldier added. “Of all the villages in the Xitun Pass area, only Linxian Village is safe for the time being.”

How many disaster victims have fled here?

"Around 60,000..."

"ah?"

Ning Jinli's vision went black.

The current population of Linxian Village must be as high as 70,000!

She took a deep breath. Seventy thousand it is, I'll raise them all!

"Just bear with it a little longer, and by tomorrow afternoon at the latest... I'll give you more food! As for water, I'll also try to get more supplied."

Unfortunately, her factory has stopped operating, and she can't hire enough people or contact raw material suppliers in a short period of time.

Otherwise, the food production lines would be fully operational, providing a continuous supply 24 hours a day.

The only solution right now is to purchase readily available parts!

Ning Jinli acted immediately and returned to her side.

Just as I stepped out of the time tunnel, I suddenly saw Xiao Qidi standing in front of me in a hospital gown.

Ning Jinli exclaimed in shock, "Why are you back?!"

Xiao Qidi's face was pale, and his sharp eyebrows furrowed. "I slipped out of that strange place."

Ning Jinli found it hard to believe.

"That hospital isn't far from here, but you don't know the way!"

“I don’t know… I just went by instinct… I seemed to be able to sense that I was here.”

Xiao Qidi was still a little dizzy and staggered toward the time tunnel.

Ning Jinli quickly stopped her, "No! You're still injured, you can't go back!"

Xiao Qidi's gloomy brows were filled with determination. "Without me in charge, Linxian Village will be in chaos. Miss Ning... I must go back. Please do your best to help me. Thank you."

...

Inside the cave, the soldiers were arranging the bags of rice and flour that Ning Jinli had just delivered, intending to have the old village chief take them back.

The old village chief shook his head, "This isn't enough for tens of thousands of people. You're all going to stay here and guard the Immortal Cave, so we'll give it to you. I'll call on everyone to look for more grass roots and tree bark..."

The soldiers were moved to tears.

Where can I find grass roots and tree bark?

Even the clay has been eaten up...

"Hey! There really is still food here! Hand it over!" A shout suddenly rang out from outside the cave.

The hundred or so people inside the cave realized that a large group of people had arrived outside.

Leading the group were a dozen or so soldiers from Xitun Pass, dressed in armor and carrying long swords.

The next two hundred or so were villagers who had fled from other villages.

The soldiers of Linxian Village immediately stepped forward and protected the old village chief and others behind them.

The leading soldier shouted, "You are all soldiers and civilians of the Xuan Kingdom! At this critical juncture, are you going to rebel?!"

The other men, their eyes gleaming with greed, stared at the bags of rice and flour inside the cave and swallowed hard.

The leader of the opposing side said viciously:

"The Yu Kingdom's army has already surrounded this place. We only have a mere ten thousand defeated soldiers, and we will die sooner or later!"

"What Xuan Kingdom soldiers? I'm done!"

"Even if I die, I'll at least have a full stomach before I go! You won't hand over the grain, huh? Fine, then I'll slaughter you all, roast you, and eat you with the grain!"

More than two hundred hungry people outside the cave swallowed hard, their voices rising and falling in the darkness, which was particularly eerie.

The leader charged into the cave, brandishing his sword and roaring menacingly, "Kill them all!"

A tall figure suddenly appeared from the innermost part of the cave.

He appeared in front of the rebel leader in the blink of an eye, and the other party stopped in his tracks in surprise by the domineering aura he exuded.

"Your Majesty? You've returned!" The soldiers and villagers of Linxian Village inside the cave were moved to tears.

Xiao Qidi was wearing clothes they had never seen before.

She was thin, and the hem of her clothes looked somewhat loose.

But his upright posture and aura remained undiminished.

"Rebels, die."

Xiao Qidi's thin lips moved slightly, his deep black eyes filled with murderous intent.

Before the leader of the rebellion could react, the bronze sword in his hand was snatched away.

Swish—

A cold glint flashed.

A head flew off, rolling to the ground with a spray of blood.

The headless corpse's body was supported by armor, its knees were on the ground, and blood was gushing from its neck cavity!

Xiao Qidi beheaded the ringleader of the rebellion in the blink of an eye.

The rebel soldiers and civilians outside the cave were so frightened that their legs went weak, and they knelt on the ground, trembling.

"Your Majesty...I know I was wrong..."

"Your Majesty! It was these traitors from Xitun Pass who instigated us! We are just refugees..."

"Please, Your Majesty, spare my life!"

The sounds of people kowtowing and begging for mercy were incessant.

Xiao Qidi's eyes were devoid of any emotion. "If I spare you, how can I face the other soldiers and civilians who are starving but have not rebelled?"

Swish--

Several more flashes of cold light appeared in succession.

One by one, heads rolled to the ground.

Some of the more timid ones fainted on the spot.

Xiao Qidi turned his head slightly and ordered the soldiers of Linxian Village in the cave, "Chop them all up and hang their bodies as a warning to the public."

Dozens of soldiers from Linxian Village drew their swords at once.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

In chaotic times, harsh measures are necessary; without killing, it's difficult to stabilize the morale of the military and the people!

It was late at night.

Inside the factory, Ning Jinli estimated the cost of purchasing food.

Based on the calculation that 70,000 people and several thousand warhorses would need to hold out for twenty days.

I contacted the manufacturer to buy a large quantity of food at the purchase price; the 52 million in my account was barely enough.

But there are also many who are sick or injured...

This requires buying a lot more medicine.

"My goodness, this is so expensive!"

Ning Jinli was so worried that she kept scratching her head.

She suddenly remembered the golden nanmu ebony and decisively made a phone call to Master Wu.

While on his way home, Uncle Wu received the call, immediately turned around, floored the gas pedal, and quickly arrived at the scene.

When he entered the warehouse and saw the piece of black jade-like wood on the ground, his eyes widened instantly.

"My God! Top-grade golden nanmu ebony! Miss Ning, you...you actually have such a rare treasure?!"

He could tell just by looking at it.

He rushed over and, disregarding his appearance, lay down on the wood to examine it closely.

Ning Jinli asked, "How much can it sell for?"