Wang Tieshuan was picking at the bits of flesh stuck in his teeth with a sharpened wooden stick. He glanced at his underling beside him and said impatiently, "You think you're so great at talking? Do you think I don't know the city gates are closed and we can't get in? You come up with a solution. If I don't hear a plan by tomorrow morning, I'll cut your tongue out and use it as a snack!"

Hearing Wang Tieshuan's menacing voice, the henchman next to him turned pale with fright. He covered his mouth and shrank back, saying to Wang Tieshuan, "I...I know...boss!"

Wang Tieshuan let out a satisfied burp, ignoring his meddlesome underling.

This night was both long and unbearable for the unarmed refugees, especially for the women who had already been brutally violated by Wang Tieshuan.

If they weren't worried about what might happen to their husbands and children, they probably would have already smashed their heads against the wall and died.

The next morning, the talkative underling from yesterday appeared in the crowd with a shifty look on his face. He had changed into a fairly neat-looking outfit.

If it weren't for those darting, shifty eyes that stood out in the crowd, they would have looked no different from the people of Pingxi County.

The situation inside the city was not good either. Some of the migrants who had arrived earlier were either begging on the streets or staring blankly at the crowds coming and going.

The talkative younger brother pricked up his ears to listen to the conversations around him.

As he listened, the talkative younger brother ended up at Zhao Erleng and his wife's spicy hot pot stall.

It was early morning and there weren't many customers, so Zhao Erleng's wife was busy in the kitchen preparing the broth.

The spicy and fragrant aroma kept tempting the gossipy younger brother's stomach. He kept swallowing his saliva. Just as he was about to leave, Zhao Erleng jumped off the oxcart and carried the fresh vegetables he had bought that morning into the shop.

"It's almost the end of the month, we need to go back early today to reconcile the accounts with Sister Jiang!" Zhao Erleng said to his wife who was stir-frying the ingredients.

Zhao Erleng's wife nodded in response, "Yes, yes, thanks to you, our lives have changed a lot!"

"That's right! I heard that the shampoo that the girl researched has been ordered for almost half a year! Jiang is really a living bodhisattva in our village. Look at the surrounding villages, none of them live as happily as our Lujia Village!" Zhao Erleng said with a joyful expression.

What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener. The talkative younger brother, who was already darting around, almost had his eyes pop out of their sockets after hearing these words.

He smirked, a mischievous grin spreading across his face, and silently disappeared into the crowd, vanishing from the somewhat deserted street.

Inside the dilapidated temple, Wang Tieshuan, having eaten and drunk his fill, was lecherously eyeing the women before him. Just as he was about to reach out and grab one of the women hiding in the corner, his talkative henchman pushed open the temple door.

"Is your father dead?! Why are you in such a hurry to announce his death!" Wang Tieshuan, whose mood had been interrupted, cursed and scolded.

Although the younger brother who had been scolded felt wronged, he didn't dare to retaliate. He walked up to Wang Tieshuan with his head down and told him everything he had just heard.

Upon hearing this, Wang Tieshuan's eyes widened like copper bells. He stroked his chin and pondered for a long time before glaring at his talkative underling with a fierce look, saying, "Is what you said true?"

"Brother, how could I possibly lie to you? Even if you gave me the courage, I wouldn't dare!" the talkative younger brother said timidly.

“Alright! I doubt you’d dare lie to me! Then we’ll…” Wang Tieshuan said, revealing a lewd expression and exchanging a glance with his talkative underling.

Meanwhile, Jiang Ling, who was inspecting a shampoo factory, suddenly felt inexplicably uneasy.

Jiang Ling quickly sat down in a chair, clutching her chest as she carefully observed her surroundings.

"Mother, what's wrong?" Jiang Yaojie asked, looking at Jiang Ling's pale face.

Jiang Ling glanced at the calm surroundings, hesitated for a moment, and then shook her head.

"Is it too hot in here? Let me help you back to rest!" Jiang Yaojie was worried that the high temperature inside the house was making Jiang Ling uncomfortable, so he quickly helped Jiang Ling out.

Throughout the day, Jiang Ling remained uneasy. She didn't know why she felt this way, but she still secretly went home and bought weapons for self-defense from the mall. She also bought some very sharp long knives.

Then another solar panel was laid down in the direction of the direction. Some wires were then connected below the solar panel, with very thin iron wires tied to them, and these were laid on the ground.

After finishing setting up all the defensive structures, Jiang Ling, carrying several long swords, hurried towards the village chief's house.

Seeing Jiang Ling panting heavily and the weapon gleaming coldly, the village chief was startled. He took a step back and asked in surprise, "Jiang, what... what are you doing?"

"Today I accompanied Suihe to the winter examination. I heard from Magistrate Duan that there have been refugees near Pingxi County. On the way back, I asked Qianyu, who is the son of the magistrate of Guangping County, and he said that refugees have also been found in Guangping County!"

"Village chief, our guards are on high alert. These weapons were specially made by a blacksmith. Please distribute them to the villagers, but tell them to be careful not to fight alone if they encounter any suspicious people!" Jiang Ling explained patiently.

The village chief was taken aback when he heard this. He did not question the truthfulness of Jiang Ling's words, but instead led Jiang Ling towards the Lu family ancestral hall.

The bell was rung and the meeting was started in one go. After the village chief finished speaking, everyone's face was gloomy, and some women were even frightened and at a loss.

Seeing this, Jiang Ling quickly reassured everyone, "Don't panic, everyone. Let's be on high alert. We have weapons now. How could we, a whole village, not be able to defeat these refugees?"

Jiang Ling's words were very persuasive, and many hesitant people nodded in agreement after hearing them.

In the afternoon, Wang Tieshuan sent a few of his henchmen to Lujia Village. Upon discovering the presence of the guards, the henchmen fled back in fear.

Of course, the behavior of these henchmen inevitably resulted in another beating from Wang Tieshuan. After looking at the woman and child in the corner, Wang Tieshuan's eyes suddenly lit up.

As he stroked his chin, a wicked plan popped into Wang Tieshuan's mind.

As the sun set, Zhao Erleng and his wife, along with their son, sat on Uncle Lu's oxcart, carefully reviewing the accounts from the past few days.

The oxcart slowly came to a stop in front of Jiang Ling's house, and Zhao Erleng's wife came in with the accounts.

Upon seeing that the person who had come in was Zhao Erleng's wife, Jiang Ling hurriedly greeted her warmly, saying, "Sister-in-law, come in quickly!"

Zhao Erleng's wife smiled and turned to the last page of the ledger, saying to Jiang Ling, "Sister, we owe you so much for your spicy hot pot stall. Otherwise, Zhao Erleng and I don't know what we would be living in! Take a look at this ledger. If there are no problems, I'll withdraw the money and bring it to you tomorrow!"