From that day on, the villagers would see Xie Ming wielding a hoe in his field every day before dawn.

At first, some people laughed and joked with him, but after a month or two, no one laughed anymore, because his moves had become quite impressive.

Many villagers would mimic the movements as they passed by, and when accompanied by upbeat music, it resembled the dance of later generations.

Xie Ming didn't stop them. Heman Village was quite united and there weren't any truly evil people. If the villagers had a skill to protect themselves, they might be able to travel more safely on their way out of the famine.

As a result, more and more people followed him to train, and even Xie Liushan from the town sent his two mischievous boys to train with him for a while.

Xie Ming, being a family member, was naturally generous, treating all his sons, daughters, and nephews. Even if they didn't become experts, they were all healthy and strong.

Of course, besides being busy training his apprentices, he also had to visit the person buried in the ground and tell her the story of her beloved maternal family.

Xie Xing'er lay underground, tormented by the darkness day after day. She had never known that the stench of the rotting soil was so pungent.

Snakes, insects, rats, and ants would constantly crawl into her coffin and gnaw at it.

She no longer knew if her skin and flesh were still presentable enough to be seen by others. She was terrified and wanted to resist, and she also wanted to die... but it seemed that all of that was just wishful thinking.

She could feel the fabric covering her body and beneath her beginning to rot, and soon she would have nothing left.

Good heavens! Take her away!

Sobbing, Xie Xing whimpered, and as she cried, she felt that she couldn't breathe properly.

Her chest and lungs began to heave violently, and pain shot through her limbs and bones. Was she really going to die?

Could it be that Heaven heard her pleas and was coming to take her away? Xie Xing immediately felt a chill run down her spine.

She can't die! She can't die! She doesn't want to die!

But this time, it was as if fate had gone deaf, giving her no further chances. The air around Xie Xing became less and less until it disappeared completely.

After telling his story outside, Xie Ming lit a candle for her before turning and leaving.

Back in the village, Xie Ming was busy with other things besides leading the villagers in martial arts training.

Two years later, a severe drought struck. He had no intention of fleeing with the main group, so he planned early on to lead his people on an early journey.

Chen Guo's household registration management is not particularly strict, but there still needs to be a proper reason for migration.

Heman Village is located in the northwest. When he first arrived, he had already looked around to see where life would be better in Chen State two years later.

As luck would have it, if you went south and crossed two prefectures, you would find a small county town called Nanquan with very fertile land.

The State of Chen is vast, and most of its people live around bustling towns.

Few people are willing to go to small, remote counties like Nanquan, which is, in fact, a land of plenty without the bustling prosperity of other places.

Starting from Heman Village, it would take them two months to travel with their families.

With more than two years until the severe drought, he plans to depart next spring, the best time to do so, giving him a full year to prepare for things in the south.

No matter how many people are willing to leave, his group will definitely settle in Nanquan by the end of next year.

As for how to persuade his clansmen to relocate, Xie Ming's method was simple: inheritance of the clansmen's estate.

The Xie family had an uncle who went out to make a living and then disappeared without a trace. Xie Ming had calculated that he was no longer alive, so he used that uncle's identity to purchase a lot of land in the south.

Next year, he will arrange for someone to come and hand over the inheritance to the clan.

He would also state in the letter that as long as a member of the clan inherited the property, they would receive an additional 20% subsidy on top of their original wealth. The farmland in Heman Village could also be disposed of by the villagers themselves.

This means that clansmen who are willing to go to Nanquan will have an additional family property.

As for those who didn't want to go, Xie Ming didn't force them. What could he do if the food was practically offered and they refused to eat?

Another year passed quickly. Nothing much changed in the village this year, but the villagers were all stronger than before.

Many young men even considered joining the army to earn merit, but Xie Ming dissuaded them all.

Just when the villagers thought things would continue to be peaceful, Xie Ming's men arrived with news from Nanquan.

The visitor introduced himself as Uncle Li, the steward of the Xie family, and was received by the Xie family patriarch.

The clan chief was astonished to learn that his nephews and nieces had such good fortune.

He was amazed, but also saddened that his clansmen, who were so successful, had no descendants to carry on their lineage and that the steward had to come to their hometown to find someone to inherit and manage the clan.

After the clan chief settled in, the steward and the chief talked for several days about matters in the south.

Finally, after much deliberation, the clan chief decided to convene the clan members to discuss the matter, and all the male members of Xie Ming and Xie Liushan's families went.

Inside the ancestral hall, the clan chief, who had been keeping the news a secret, suddenly announced the big news, causing an uproar.

The arriving clansmen began to discuss the pros and cons of the south and the experiences of those who had ventured out earlier.

After much back and forth, the tribespeople were still undecided.

There are clearly more people who don't want to go than those who do, since there are too many unknowns there, and it's a risk for ordinary people who just want to live and work in peace.

Those who want to go are mostly from families with limited means. Giving up their homes here and going south is equivalent to gaining an additional family fortune, which is undoubtedly the best way for them to change their current situation.

Furthermore, since some clansmen do not intend to go, even if the extra fertile land is used as sacrificial land, the beneficiaries will be those who decide to go.

"Second brother, do you think this is a reliable plan?"

Xie Liudi's question did not mean that he wanted to go; in comparison, it was better for his family to stay in the village.

His family had lived a stable life since his ancestors' generation, and more importantly, the younger brothers in town would occasionally give them a considerable income.

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