461 Qi State's Landscape in Battle - Map 1
Jingzhai was unusually relaxed, relying on a reassuring person. At this moment, she felt at peace, without the slightest worry, as if all her troubles and sorrows had vanished.
Whispering softly, before me stand towering, enormous trees reaching into the clouds. A mountain stream babbles, its waters crystal clear, lush with vegetation, and wildflowers bloom in vibrant colors, dotting the green sea.
Birds and beasts of all kinds, wild animals hunt, the weak are preyed upon by the strong, natural selection prevails, and civilization does not exist.
Wild animals also reproduce and thrive, their lineage never ceasing.
Jingzhai nestled quietly in his arms, her jade-like hands gently encircling his waist, her breath softly whispering in his ear, before pressing close and offering him a small reward.
Crystal, her face flushed, chuckled softly, "My love will have to work even harder in the future. After the changes at the Demon Slayer Bureau, many unexpected things will probably happen."
When I was in the capital, I was still wondering how I should handle things. It was only when Shen Lang arrived that I suddenly realized that since my lover is now the head of the department, these matters are no longer my concern. I will have to rely on my lover's help.
He Chen nodded slightly, put his arm around her, took her hand, and asked softly, "It's alright, Yue'er already told me. But if the Demon Slayer Division is really like that, do they have enough manpower to manage it?"
Jingzhai nodded slightly, then shook his head slightly, and said in a low voice, "If that's really the case, this place is probably already a complete mess, and it needs to be cleaned up."
Moreover, after the cleanup, it's always feasible to promote some managers from the local area or transfer some managers from other places. There are always some people who are afraid of a knife to their throat.
If anyone is truly bold, I'll follow my elder brother's example and be more decisive. The more I see, the more I get used to it.
Her whole body seemed boneless, her strength entirely supported by her lover. She relaxed, her long hair seemingly about to drag on the ground, gently entwining around him, and she whispered casually, "Before the upheaval in Qi, I had some doubts, wondering if I had truly gone against my brother's wishes."
After the upheaval in Qi, it all felt like a dream. My elder brother had already seen through it all, but I had never truly awakened. Under his protection, I had never even considered these things.
Her cheek pressed tightly against his chest, her eyes closed, she whispered, "Please be more understanding from now on."
The beauty was tender and loving; at this moment, all he could do was hold her tightly in his arms. They slowly rose.
All around were pure white clouds, some light and graceful, others heavy and low-hanging, like fields of ever-changing shapes, soft and enveloping me.
They gently inhaled the surrounding clouds, and instantly, eggshell-like clouds enveloped them.
The clouds were ever-changing, the candles flickered, the stars shone, and some of them turned into big red lanterns, a square table, a rocking chair the length of a person, and soft quilts and beds.
The clouds swayed gently, as if experiencing violent fluctuations, and the heat mingled, like sweat pouring down. After half an hour, they slowly calmed down.
Flame flew high in the sky, seemingly unaware of any changes. The border region was now familiar to her. With a flap of her wings, she swept through the clouds and took off toward her destination.
Half an hour later, Jingzhai's face was flushed red, down to her ears, and she had no strength left. She leaned shyly against his chest.
She said softly and coquettishly, "Yan'er must be arriving soon. It's all your fault. Help me straighten the hem of my clothes; they're all wrinkled. They'll laugh at me when they see them."
She suddenly hugged him tightly, her fingers gently smoothing the hem of his clothes from bottom to top, carefully tidying up any wrinkles.
Her voice was soft and delicate. Half an incense stick later, Yunfeng strode away quickly.
In Qingyang Village of Qi State, the villagers, who were gathered together, all looked panicked.
"Village chief, something terrible has happened! I just heard that all the lords in the city have fled, all of them! Some wealthy families have also gone with merchant caravans and security escort agencies. Everyone's scattered to other cities. Now there's not even a single guard left in the city."
He was dressed in ordinary linen clothes, his hat was in his hand, his shirt was soaked with sweat, and he was panting heavily. He finished speaking in one breath and was breathing heavily, almost choking to death.
The village chief, thin and with a short beard, wearing a tattered straw hat, looked at the nearly ripe crops before him and sighed softly, "Let's go, let's go, where can we go? We're close to the Red Kingdom, and we occasionally trade goods."
He shook his head slightly. "Our lives are tied to our own livelihoods. We all have to hand over 70% of our income in taxes every year. We basically have no surplus food; we live beyond our means. If we flee, we'll likely face certain death."
Seeing the sorrowful expressions of the surrounding villagers, he felt helpless but had no choice but to say, "The Qingzao Village next door came to discuss this this morning and had the same opinion. If we leave, it will be voluntary."
If we don't leave, our fate is in the hands of destiny.
He then offered a glimmer of hope to the crowd, saying, "We occasionally trade with the people of the Red Kingdom, and they are relatively fair. I imagine they won't kill us all. If we leave with the wealthy families in the city, we can hardly guarantee our survival."
I'm old and have no choice, as are some of the old folks around me. If you want to leave, take some of the village's food with you and try to survive.
The village chief wasn't without ideas, but after discussing it with the neighboring village for a long time, they still had no chance of survival. His own Baiyang Village still had some tree resources and decent land. He could hand over 70% of his land and make do with some grass roots and wild grass seeds to barely survive.
The neighboring village of Qingzao doesn't have many jujubes either. However, whenever the jujubes start to grow and are still green and edible, they start eating them, and they're all gone in just a few days.
Other villages, such as Wushan, Beida Village, and Qinghua Village, are similar; those with connections in the villages will not gather here to discuss matters.
He shook his head slightly, awaiting the arrangements of fate.
The villagers looked at each other, unsure of what to do.
Suddenly, a sharp-voiced woman shouted, "Yang Dadan, what are you doing? Put the grain down right now!" As she spoke, she chased after him, and the man beside her saw this and immediately followed.
He chased after them, cursing, "Yang the Bold, how dare you steal my grain! You're asking for death! Put him down right now!"
Everyone turned to look in the direction of the sound and saw a figure running hurriedly away from a house, carrying two thick burlap sacks that were half a person's height on his back.
He was carrying a heavy sack, but at this moment he was running very fast, running quickly along the narrow path. With his rapid breathing, it was clear that the sack was not light, but he refused to put it down.
No matter how fast you run with the bag on your back, you can't outrun the pursuers. The pursuers are running even faster, seemingly willing to give up their lives and everything else, as long as they can get the sack back, which is their only means of survival.
So they had no choice but to fight tooth and nail to take it back.
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