After inspecting all the warehouses, I found that they were all in the same situation.

Ah Jiang said with relief, "Luckily, we put the bagged salt we stored earlier at the bottom. Otherwise, if it had been soaked by the rain, there definitely wouldn't have been anything left."

Village Chief Zheng glanced at the ground and said, "This much salt is enough to sustain us for a while. We can't waste the salt on the ground; we can use it to filter and refine it again."

“But it’s all mixed with mud, can it still be used?” As someone who grew up in the salt village, Ajiang felt that losing some salt was no big deal, especially since it was all dirty.

The village chief looked at him with exasperation, "Look at what you're saying, kid. There's a severe salt shortage outside right now. Even if we had some, we shouldn't waste it like this. After screening and refining, even if we don't use it for direct consumption, we can use it to pickle vegetables."

"So you guys still haven't been out there and experienced anything. Along the way, didn't you notice that the whole group was taking everything for themselves? Was it because they were lacking those things?"

Seeing that the warehouses were mostly safe, Village Chief Zheng was in the mood to lecture him, "Didn't you notice anything when Village Chief Si led his villagers to fight the wolf pack a few days ago?"

Ah Jiang said, "They are all very skilled, and their archery is especially accurate."

Village Chief Zheng shook his head. "You're only seeing the surface. You haven't seen the tacit understanding and mutual trust between them. How could they have achieved that without multiple training sessions and adjustments?"

“Then we won’t have a chance to get out, right? Besides, we’re taking a different route than them. As long as we guard this salt well, we’ll have everything, won’t we?” Ajiang was somewhat dismissive. He knew what the outside world needed most right now, so he was full of confidence.

Village Chief Zheng thought a little deeper: "We're like a little kid holding a gold brick in the middle of a bustling city. Without the corresponding capabilities, do you think we can hold onto this place for long?"

Ajiang was completely dumbfounded. "We've always been doing quite well. As long as there are no traitors in our village, it won't be so easy for outsiders to invade?"

Village Chief Zheng glanced at him. "Have you forgotten how Village Chief Si blew the Wolf King to smithereens? Once they have those things in hand, what can we use to fight them?"

Ah Jiang was rendered speechless by Village Chief Zheng's words, staring blankly ahead, lost in thought.

Ah Xiang also ran over, "Village Chief, the salt well is fine, but the water level seems to have risen a bit. It's just that those tools definitely need to be repaired, otherwise we won't be able to continue drawing water."

Village Chief Zheng was finally relieved. As long as the salt well was fine, the other tools were minor issues.

Ah Xiang glanced at Ah Jiang and asked, "Village Chief, what's wrong with Ah Jiang? Why aren't his eyes moving?"

Ajiang had already snapped out of his reverie while they were talking. "Your eyes aren't moving. I'm thinking about something."

Ah Xiang, "You think you can think about problems? Don't get caught up in them."

The villagers, who had returned to their own homes to check before rushing over, all gathered around.

No one asked any questions; instead, they ran to check the various warehouses. Village Chief Zheng hurriedly called out from behind, "Don't go into the warehouses yet! We don't know what the roofs are like. We don't want them to be damaged."

The villagers, who were about to step inside to check, quickly withdrew their feet, looked up at the roof, and couldn't help but take two steps back.

Regardless of how they handled village affairs, Si Cheng led his team to rest and reorganize at their previous campsite at the village entrance.

Seeing the changes in the salt village, no one was too surprised. After all, they had seen many abandoned villages along the way, some of which were in even worse condition than theirs.

"Brother Cheng, should we go in and help them?" Liu Xinwei looked at the dilapidated village in front of him and looked with some sympathy at the villagers who were busy in front of his original wooden house.

Si Cheng said, "Just focus on your work! If you're really bored, go and gather some more firewood."

Seeing that Liu Xinwei wanted to say something more, Yun Qi reminded him, "When people leave, they certainly won't take everything with them. If you go to help now, you have to see if they're willing to do so."

Liu Xinwei nodded in sudden realization, "I understand. We shouldn't flaunt our wealth. It's really not the right time for us to go out now."

Si Cheng and Yun Qi ignored him and went about their own business, leaving him alone to talk to himself.

On the way here, Si Cheng also talked with Village Chief Zheng about how they couldn't stay in Yan Village for long this time, and they had to get the salt as soon as possible before they had to go back.

Although Village Chief Zheng coveted Si Cheng and his group's strength and equipment, he didn't want such a large group to stay in the village any longer, fearing that it might cause some unforeseen problems. So he readily agreed to complete the transaction with them that very night.

After cleaning up a warehouse and putting all the usable salt on the open ground outside, he called Sicheng and the others over.

It's less of a transaction and more of a gift and a way of repaying a debt of gratitude.

Village Chief Zheng refused to accept the gifts, saying, "We can't accept your things this time. You've saved our village twice. Taking your things again would be a slap in our face."

Other villagers echoed this sentiment, realizing that if they hadn't encountered them, the entire salt village might have been wiped out at that service area.

Si Cheng looked speechlessly at the mountain of salt piles in front of everyone, then at his own luggage. There was no way he could take this back.

But this was a gift to everyone, and this time he didn't want to refuse or make a decision for them, so he stood silently to the side.

"But we can't take all this stuff back with us?" Quiet conversations gradually drifted from the other villages.

"Then what should we do? We have to make a choice! Don't forget why we came here. We must bring this salt back no matter what."

"Should we make another trip?"

"Do you dare to run away yourself?"

Everyone looked at Sicheng, hoping to get an answer from him.

Si Cheng didn't give them an answer, and instead lowered his head to help Yun Qi pack his things.

Village Chief Zheng also came over with several village officials.

Village Chief Zheng nervously rubbed his hands together, and finally, Accountant Liu spoke up for him, "Village Chief Si, I wonder if the medicinal herbs we brought this time will be..."

Later, even Accountant Liu felt a little embarrassed to say it, since he had promised to give them all the salt they needed. Now, his group had shamelessly come forward again.

They truly understood the importance of these medicinal herbs. They also knew that the demand for medicinal herbs was no less than that for salt, yet they were indispensable life-saving substances.

Saying this now would imply taking advantage of the situation, so Village Chief Zheng stood to the side, blushing, not daring to utter a sound.

Si Cheng understood their unspoken meaning and wanted to maintain long-term relationships, so he didn't want to haggle over trivial matters. "Take a look at the medicinal herbs we brought this time and see if you need anything. You can give us a list, and we'll set aside everything we can for you."