CHAPTER 293: CHAPTER 13: PUBLIC OUTRAGE

"Lady and esteemed guests, please return, for Fengdan County no longer has the capacity to accommodate outsiders," Nan Muyu snorted coldly, not even granting Yue Jinghua and the others a proper glance.

"How audacious, Nan Muyu. As a former deputy captain of the County Guard, you are a soldier of the Duke Mansion. To think you dare expel guests upon seeing the Lady and the young masters," Hongling, unable to stomach his rudeness, charged forward and confronted the middle-aged man.

"One should partake in the ruler’s provisions and heed the ruler’s orders. Now, I am merely a humble hunter of the wilds. Years ago, when I received my salary from the Duke Mansion, naturally, I had to obey their commands. Today, I neither receive provisions nor allowance from the mansion. My parents and wife all perished in a beastly assault; with Heaven as my father and Earth as my mother, how do you speak of insolence?" Nan Muyu glowered fiercely, like a fierce tiger from the mountains, sending chills down one’s spine.

"Nanzi, don’t speak so harshly. Since the Duchess is here, of course she is welcome. It’s just that for several esteemed guests, as Fengdan County is currently facing internal and external pressures, if our hospitality is not up to par, we seek forgiveness from the Lady and everyone," spoke an elderly man with a hunched back as he emerged from the crowd, who was the village chief of this area.

The Lord Mansion of Fengdan County had long been crushed in an avalanche, leaving no place for the people to find refuge. They could only lead the carriages inside to serve as a temporary resting place.

On the very day they settled in, everyone quickly realized that aside from the village chief and Erwang, most of the villagers bore hostility toward them, with Nan Muyu, the former captain of the County Guard, being the most overt.

Taking the opportunity when the village chief brought a few bags of millet over, Teng Wu struck up a conversation with him.

"Don’t blame Nanzi, he too is a man of misfortune. Not too long ago, Manager Hong, concerned for the safety of Fengdan County, had signed a Head Tax agreement with Bailu County. It was during that time that his family was taken by Bailu County, and up to now, their fate remains uncertain," the village chief sighed, justifying Nan Muyu’s unfavorable attitude, and set down the few bags of millet.

In the village, there were not a few others who had met the same fate as Nan Muyu. They all harbored resentment because the people from the Duke Mansion had signed the Head Tax agreement, hence the antagonism toward Yue Jinghua and her party.

To avoid the Head Tax from Bailu County, the common folk of Fengdan County either migrated or hid themselves in the mountains. Now, only a little over a thousand people still lived in the village, with only a few dozen being of able-bodied age. It was for the sake of the old, weak, solitary, and unprotected in the village that Nan Muyu remained here.

This year’s winter came early and lasted long. By the time winter has passed, I fear that more than half of the village will have perished from hunger and cold.

"And what’s the situation with that Dark Array at the village entrance? It seems to be a Defensive Dark Array, isn’t it? And where is Manager Hong?" After entering the village, Yue Jinghua soon noticed the Dark Array at the entrance. Judging by the structure of the Dark Array, it must be a Middle-level one; moreover, a comprehensive Dark Array which not only serves as defense but also wards off the chill.

"Manager Hong is a good man; he set up that Dark Array. He never got along with the people in the village. Half a month ago, when heavy snow blocked the mountain passes and the village truly had no more surplus grain, he descended the mountain with several others to borrow grain from Bailu County. It has been half a month, and there has been no news; the villagers all say that he couldn’t endure the hardship and has gone back to the Imperial City," the village chief’s voice darkened. Hongling bit her lip and silently brought the millet over to start a fire to cook.

The group, having departed from Shang Kingdom, exhausted all their dry food and fresh water by the time they arrived in Fengdan County. Receiving the millet from Hongling, they prepared to wash it, and the paltry amount in the dried bags made it clear that Fengdan County was sorrowfully short on food.

Seeing Hongling fetching well water, about to wash it, Erwang emerged like a little dog, "Sister Ling, that’s not how you rinse the rice."

Efficaciously, Erwang filled a bucket with water, soaked all the water from inside the rice bag into it,.

Yun Luo, watching from the side, showed an expression as if she had seen a ghost, "I won’t eat such rice, I’d rather starve than eat this."

Erwang was stunned for a moment, glancing at the millet in his hands. This was already all the millet of Fengdan County, and on ordinary days, they couldn’t even afford to eat this kind of millet.

"Yun Luo, drop your missy attitude," Yue Jinghua frowned.

Yun Luo stamped her foot, not bothering to respond, and climbed directly into the carriage, ignoring everyone else.

"Let’s just make do for tonight, everyone. Tomorrow, Hong Yao and Hongling will take the carriage down the mountain to Bailu County to buy rice, food, and clothing. Mother, you and Yue Chen take a walk around the village to learn more about the county’s situation. As for Teng Wu and Shalman, accompany me for a circuit around the perimeter of Fengdan County; I want to see the defensive setup around here."

Yue Jinghua wasn’t picky; her requirements for food were merely that it be enough to stave off hunger.

Nothing happened overnight, and by sunrise, everyone set about their tasks according to Yue Jinghua’s arrangements.

By the end of the day, Hongling and Hong Yao had brought a carriage full of rice and cotton clothes up the mountain to distribute to the villagers. Moreover, after Lie Rou and Yue Chen had made a round in the village during the day, the villagers warmed up to them a bit. The only exception was Nan Muyu, who still wore a face full of hostility and was unwilling to come and collect winter clothes and food.

Hong Yao was also very cautious; when she made her purchases in Bailu County, she had inquired about the people who had been released but heard nothing from them. It seemed that Viscount Mo’er hadn’t shown any intention of sending troops to offend Fengdan County again.

"No rush, a Viscount must act with caution, after all. He’s probably already sent someone to spy in Wo Hua Imperial City by now. As long as they find out my brother is still in the Imperial City, they will definitely send someone to cause trouble," Yue Jinghua said calmly. The Dan Xuan Card she held was not enough to repay the Duke Mansion’s debt, but it was more than sufficient for rebuilding a village that housed thousands of people.

She had already inquired; in another month, the snowline on the ridge would melt, making it possible to rebuild the village.

"Rebuilding is not hard, the problem is how to resist the attacks of the Dark Beasts from the mountains. The villagers say that groups of Dark Beasts appear here from time to time. Even if we rebuild the village, we must also construct a wall capable of resisting Dark Beasts," Yue Jinghua seriously considered this.

"When I visited the Empire Border City Qihu, I saw Dark Stone craftsmanship there; it involves engraving a permanent Dark Array on each piece of the city wall. With that, even if groups of Dark Beasts attacked, it would provide certain defensive capabilities," Teng Wu suggested thoughtfully.

"The production cost of Dark Stone is very high. The Foundation Stone is long stone, and then transforming long stone into Dark Stone requires at least a Middle-level Array Master, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive. We do not have the manpower or resources," Yue Jinghua immediately rejected his proposal.

"Alternatively, we could reorganize the County Guard Army. Patrols day and night could also have some deterrent effect, but right now, no one is willing to be stationed in Fengdan County," Hongling muttered.

Just as everyone was hesitating, Lie Rou came in looking anxious, "Has anyone seen Miss Yun and Miss Ye? Both of them have disappeared."