Chapter 113: Undercurrents Surging
Chapter 113: Chapter 113: Undercurrents Surging
That night, the refugees and Scavengers eager to steal the grain made a discovery—the Guards had withdrawn.
’Doesn’t that mean this land, farmed by these idiots, is our personal buffet?’
But before they could get excited, massive Silver Wolves suddenly appeared, blocking their path to the maize fields.
"AWOOO!"
Seven or eight high-ranking Silver Wolves growled in unison.
A natural sonic pressure washed over the crowd.
"Run!"
"The monsters are eating people!"
"Get away!"
"Mommy!"
"..."
The crowd, whether at the front or the back, turned as one and fled in every direction in a scene of utter chaos.
And that was with the Silver Wolves holding back. Otherwise, a few more roars, and the common folk would have lost control of their bladders and bowels, fainting in droves.
Carriage after carriage rolled in from the Outer City, and farmers carrying sickles, back-baskets, and other tools hopped down.
Looking at the bountiful harvest before them, they couldn’t stop smiling, their grins stretching from ear to ear.
Many spread their arms wide as if to embrace the sight, lost in the joy of the harvest.
By the lingering light of dusk, the farmers bent down in unison and began to reap.
They were experienced, their every movement as if honed through a thousand trials.
Bundle after bundle, the maize stalks were stacked neatly at the edge of the field, a deeply satisfying sight.
On any other day, it was these same farmers, along with their families or any willing refugees, who tended these fields.
"How much do you think we’ll get?"
"Hard to say, but it should be a good amount. And that’s not even counting Peach Blossom Spring!"
"Let’s hope this is enough to last the year!"
The farmers carefully placed the bundled, harvested maize into carriages lined with waterproof tarps.
This would effectively prevent the maize grains from spilling out due to the bumpy ride.
As carriage after carriage was loaded, the moon had already climbed high into the sky.
Full of vigor and protected by the Silver Wolves, the farmers shuttled back and forth between the Outer City and the lakeside fields.
They worked tirelessly until noon the following day.
The last cart of maize, stalks and all, was hauled away.
Commander Zhang went to negotiate, and the Silver Wolves on guard withdrew.
Instead of returning to the forest, they trotted over to the entrance of the Guard Battalion camp.
Two large, fat pigs were waiting for them there.
Sensing the aura of the Silver Wolves, the two pigs soiled themselves, their legs went limp, and they collapsed to the ground, not daring to move.
The Silver Wolves promptly killed them, tore them apart, and dragged the pieces into the forest.
"So that’s the payment for hiring the Silver Wolves?"
"What a waste!"
"Waste? What do you know!"
The Guards argued amongst themselves.
Meanwhile, the lakeside fields were left unguarded.
Refugees and Scavengers swarmed the fields, bending down to glean fallen maize grains and stalks from the ground.
Soon, their mad scramble turned into a physical fight.
The Guards watching from a distance had no intention of intervening.
’These people have a lot of pent-up frustration. It’s better for them to vent it!’
"You’re courting death!"
"I’ll kill you!"
"Hey, kid! Drop the maize!"
"I saw it first, so it’s mine!"
"I’ll beat you to death!"
"..."
The ferocity in the hearts of the refugees and Scavengers could no longer be contained, and they began to attack those around them with wild abandon.
The fuse for this slaughter was often nothing more than a small handful of maize or a few stray stalks.
"Sir Tang Wen, come eat with us! Sir Tang Wen!"
"Yeah, Sir Tang Wen!"
At the Outer City Guard Camp, two unfamiliar faces were greeting him enthusiastically in the mess hall.
Looking at their nearly identical faces, Tang Wen couldn’t recall ever meeting them, so he just gave a vague, noncommittal reply.
"Who are they?"
A little later, sitting in the private room reserved for Commanders, Tang Wen peered through the half-open door at the two brothers.
"Two Martial Artists who just joined the camp. They’re brothers."
"Ah, so that’s it. No wonder I haven’t seen them before. They just said hello to me."
"They’re new! With no backing, they’re probably looking to build connections. And you’re the big shot around camp. Here, eat up!" Commander Zhang handed a roasted chicken to Tang Wen.
Tang Wen waved a hand, and with a gust of wind, the door creaked shut.
Outside, the meals for regular Guards and their captains were roughly thirty percent meat and seventy percent vegetables and staples.
A regular Guard got one serving, while a captain got one and a half.
But for Commanders like Tang Wen, it was the opposite: seventy percent meat, ten percent vegetables, and twenty percent staples. And there were no portion limits.
Whether he knew them or not, Tang Wen wouldn’t eat out in the main hall.
An afternoon and the following day passed.
In the lakeside fields, only bare earth remained. Even the roots of the maize stalks had been pulled up.
The Guards returned to their posts, followed by the farmers. Large oxen were led out, yoked to iron plows, and they began skillfully tilling the land.
"These cyan oxen... they look like Low-level Exotic Beasts, don’t they?"
Tang Wen recalled their meat being exceptionally delicious—barbecued or sliced thin for hot pot, it was a first-rate choice.
"Heh! Even a Middle-level Exotic Beast would have to learn how to plow a field once it fell into our hands!"
Plowing, sowing, fertilizing, and watering.
In just three short days, the series of agricultural tasks was complete. All that was left was to wait for the seeds to sprout.
Tang Wen returned to the Royal Palace, ready to continue his closed-door cultivation.
Just as he reached the entrance, Qian Dong teased, "Perfect timing. Just in time for lunch!"
"What are we having?"
It had to be said, the food at the Royal Palace was on a completely different level from the mess halls in the Inner and Outer Cities.
The only place you could eat better than in the Royal Palace was at home.
But how much meat and maize would you go through eating at home every day?
The thought of that expense was just too painful.
"Wild vegetable dumplings!"
As expected, the food did not disappoint Tang Wen.
When the Royal Palace Kitchen made dumplings, they used very few wild vegetables; they were basically pure meat.
After all, with the ongoing drought, meat was easy to come by, but wild vegetables were truly hard to find.
Tang Wen swallowed hard. "Is there any beer?"
"Beer? We only managed to get thirty barrels in total, and they were all distributed long ago. You’re an important man, why don’t you go ask General Zhou for some?"
Tang Wen patted his stomach. "Dumplings just aren’t the same without beer. I’ll just have a small snack then... how about five hundred of them?"
Qian Dong threw up his hands and stormed off toward the kitchen. "Five hundred? If I give you all of them, what am I supposed to eat?"
As Commanders, they both ate from the same private kitchen, making them pure competitors when it came to food.
Tang Wen activated his Traceless Step, starting after Qian Dong but arriving first!
...
「A few days later, at Black Mountain Camp.」
In a hidden corner of the back mountain, a voice was reporting:
"There’s no opportunity!
There’s no opportunity at all!
That bastard is a Martial Arts Training fanatic!
You have no idea. He almost never leaves, and when he does train, it’s inside the Royal Palace.
That place is the heart of Flame Camp’s power—the most dangerous place to be.
Unless the Black Mountain King himself shows up, who would dare assassinate someone there?"
Black Old Ghost gave a silent, cold sneer. "Don’t come to me with this. Last year, Tang Wen used a Flying Stone to kill your Young Master Hongye—a born Awakened, no less. You’re here to avenge your own Young Master. What does your failure to find an opportunity have to do with me?
Go tell your Night King. See if he’ll come and do it himself.
Maybe he can personally teach you how to find an opportunity!"
"General Hei Gui, let’s not mince words. As far as we know, your beloved son, Young Master Black Blade, also met his end at Tang Wen’s hands! He was supposed to be the heir to your camp, wasn’t he? If it weren’t for Tang Wen, in another couple of years, you would have become the Taishang! That Tang Wen deserves to die!"
Black Old Ghost was silent for a long time. "I cannot influence the Black Mountain King’s decision."
"That won’t be difficult."
"You have a plan? The Black Mountain King is old. He won’t take risks."
"I know. But isn’t there that bear? Two against one, the advantage will be ours!"
Black Old Ghost shook his head again. "Cooperating with a beast isn’t a sure thing."
The man opposite him sneered internally. ’This bunch of Black Mountain Ghosts... completely spineless. Flame Camp managed to bring the Silver Wolf King into their fold! And what have you done?’
He didn’t say this aloud, however. Instead, he continued, "We can find a way to make..."
His voice trailed off, growing fainter until it was completely inaudible.
Black Old Ghost’s brow furrowed deeply. "The Black Mountain King will still hesitate. He’s too old! The older a man gets, the more he fears death!"
’He fears death?’
’I think you’re the one who’s afraid to die!’
The man gritted his teeth. "Then... we’ll just have to give him a little push!"