Chapter 557

Chapter 557: Taking You to Fly

Mount Qiyun

Tian Xiong was listening to several accountants counting their supplies. The results made Tian Xiong frown. They were lacking supplies too much. When they first fled to Mount Qiyun, they had almost nothing, and now they were still very poor.

"Leader, winter is coming in a month. It’s not a problem if we don’t have enough winter clothes and bedding since there’s plenty of wood on the mountain. We can just cut more wood. But without enough food, people will starve. Twenty-three people starved to death last year, and this year we have even less food. What should we do?"

"Don’t worry, I will figure something out."

"Leader, what can you do? For the past two years, we have hunted all the animals in the mountains, even the field mice are all gone…"

The accountant replied that ever since they entered the mountain, they never had enough food every year. They used to rely on hunting to survive, but in the vast Mount Qiyun, there were hardly any animals left. Can you believe it?

Upon hearing this, Tian Xiong also felt despondent. The wildlife in Mount Qiyun was indeed in trouble. When food was insufficient, they resorted to hunting. Not to mention the larger prey, even the field mice were nearly eaten up. This winter was going to be difficult.

"General Little Qin, while it’s not yet winter and snowing, make several trips down the mountain. This jade pendant is a family heirloom and should fetch a good sum of money. After exchanging it for money, don’t buy anything else, just get as much food as you can."

"Uncle Tian, this is your family heirloom, I can’t…"

"I can’t just stand by and watch these people starve to death. They trust me and follow me."

Tian Xiong said that his family used to be rich in the countryside with thousands of acres of land and a lot of wealth, but a prolonged heavy rainstorm caused disaster in his hometown.

Originally, with his family’s wealth, it would have been easy for him to survive the disaster. However, seeing starving refugees and people resorting to extreme measures, he chose to use his wealth to help and support the victims.

He thought he could survive natural disasters, but then unexpected trouble came. Because of his kindness, he was falsely accused of rebellion and thrown into prison, facing a death sentence.

Just when Tian Xiong thought he was doomed, the refugees rebelled, killed officials, broke into the county, and rescued him from prison. They even elected him as their leader.

Tian Xiong had to join the rebellion and led the refugees to survive. At first, they were successful in attacking towns and wealthy households before the government reacted. However, they became no match for the government’s forces and suffered heavy losses.

If it wasn’t for General Little Qin’s sympathy in releasing an opening in the siege, allowing them to escape, they might have all died in the chaos of battle.

Throughout their journey, the refugees stood by Tian Xiong and sacrificed themselves to save him several times. Since he owed them his life and the dead can’t be repaid, Tian Xiong decided he couldn’t abandon them anymore. What’s the value of just a jade pendant?

General Little Qin wanted to say more, but suddenly there was a loud explosion and someone exclaimed. A group of tough men, does it make sense to be indecisive?

"Who, come out!"

Tian Xiong shouted loudly, and General Little Qin reacted quickly. With a cold glint flashing, he unsheathed his sword and leaped into the air, aiming to stab outside the window.

However, a hand reached out from outside the window and easily caught General Little Qin’s sword between two fingers, causing him to be shocked. He tried to pull back his sword but found it unable to move an inch.

"Who are you, sir?"

Lin Jiang jumped in through the window. Tian Xiong spoke in a deep voice, mentioning that both he and General Little Qin were the strongest in the rebel army, but they were only skilled martial artists. General Little Qin’s family background was even more powerful than his.

"Have you heard of the great Mr. Wolong in the mountains?"

"Mr. Wolong from the state of Zhong."

"Are there others outside of Zhong State who claim to be Mr. Wolong?"

"Are you the Mr. Wolong who killed King Chu and Wang Lun?"

"Is it beneficial to deceive you?"

"·····"

Tian Xiong was stunned, suddenly realizing that there was indeed no benefit.

"Sir, may I ask why you are here?"

"If you have heard of me, then you should know what I have done outside."

"I have some knowledge of it."

"That’s enough. Currently, in the Chen Kingdom, everyone is useless, but I despise them. However, I don’t want to see the Demon Humans rampaging on human land, so I have decided to conquer the world on my own."

"So, what you mean is…"

"You are right, I have taken a liking to you all and have decided to take you under my wing, to soar and prosper."

Lin Jiang said, everyone looked at each other, not knowing what to say for a moment.

"Don’t doubt my strength and identity, there’s nothing on you that I want to take."

"Sir’s words are quite surprising, we are a bit caught off guard…"

"Can’t accept it?"

"Yes."

"I understand. I will give you a gift to prove my sincerity. Tomorrow at noon, come to the Feng State military camp outside the first hill of Qiyun Mountain to move supplies."

"Sir, you…"

"That’s right, a mere less than three thousand soldiers, I can easily defeat them. Tian Xiong, I have high hopes for you, don’t disappoint me."

Lin Jiang nodded, then turned and left. He disappeared from the sight of everyone in just a few steps, leaving them all looking at each other.

·······

Qiyun Mountain was too big, they couldn’t block all the paths down the mountain. They only blocked the main entrances and couldn’t control the small paths. But those small paths weren’t enough for nearly a hundred thousand rebels to escape, so it was sufficient.

On the first hill to the east of Qiyun Mountain, there were three thousand Feng State soldiers stationed there. However, due to some soldiers being lazy, the actual number was around two thousand. Their military camp was well organized, so even if there were tens of thousands of soldiers, it would be hard to capture it.

It was deep autumn, and Feng State had already started bringing winter supplies to their military camp because it was two hundred miles away from the closest town, and snow would come in winter. If they didn’t prepare in advance, the soldiers would starve or freeze to death.

At noon, Lin Jiang was waiting for Tian Xiong three miles outside the military camp. Tian Xiong arrived with five hundred soldiers, the most elite among the rebels. They had all practiced some martial arts, and many had killed or been in battles with the soldiers before.

"Mr. Wolong, we’re here."

"You’ve made the right choice."

"From now on, we will follow your lead."

"We’ll talk later. You all will ambush the remaining soldiers on both sides of the military camp."

"Teacher…"

"Just listen to me."

Without saying a word, Lin Jiang went straight to the military camp.

Within a hundred or two hundred meters near the camp, the patrolling soldiers spotted Lin Jiang. They tried to stop him, but Lin Jiang didn’t hesitate. Some of them shot arrows at him, but Lin Jiang caught them and dealt with the attackers.

The commotion quickly alerted the people in the camp, and many soldiers started appearing. Without giving them time to organize or operate the large crossbows, Lin Jiang rushed into the camp.

The commander of the camp was a strong man with a full beard. He was highly skilled in martial arts, but Lin Jiang found him and quickly defeated him with a single strike. Lin Jiang then yelled at the others, "Drop your weapons and spare your lives!"

After Lin Jiang’s roar, despite the attacks from the soldiers, he remained unharmed. Many lower-ranking officers realized Lin Jiang’s martial arts prowess and some chose to run away, some kept fighting, and some were just confused.

Lin Jiang had to keep fighting and kill those who resisted, while trying to force the others to surrender and prevent any damage to the camp. Luckily, it was daytime with few places for fires.

Fifteen minutes later, Tian Xiong and his men stormed in. The appearance of Tian Xiong caused the remaining soldiers to lose morale, and more and more of them surrendered. Those who refused to surrender or dared to resist were swiftly dealt with by Lin Jiang.

"Sir, what should we do with these prisoners?"

Tian Xiong naturally took charge of the remaining tasks, instructing people to gather the prisoners and count the spoils of war.

"All prisoners leave their weapons and armor behind, receive twenty copper coins and five pounds of dried food as travel expenses, then let them go. Provide medical treatment for the wounded, also, check for any craftsmen and bring them back to the mountains."

"Sir, you are righteous and kind."

"Release the prisoners after we leave."

Lin Jiang nodded, he was not a butcher; there was no need to cause unnecessary harm.

"Sir, the monthly rations for three thousand soldiers may not be enough to feed over a hundred thousand people in the mountains. Why not use this opportunity to expand our influence and dominate the world?"

At this moment, a middle-aged man dressed as a scholar spoke to Lin Jiang. He was a strategist by Tian Xiong’s side, rumored to be his former cellmate and a man of letters who had been wrongly imprisoned.

"Conquering the world is not as simple as it sounds. Although I am unbeatable, I don’t wish for a chaotic world. I seek an orderly world because my goal is not only to bring about change in power, but also to drive out the demon humans."

Lin Jiang said that it is easier to conquer the world than to rule it. He needed the full support of Chen Kingdom to fight against the Demon Human, so he needed more time to prepare.

"Sir, I admire your ambition, but this cold winter…"

"Don’t worry, I have a plan. Tian Xiong can assist me."

"Sir, I’m here."

"Keep these prisoners for a few days before releasing them. Go to the mountains and ask people to come here to transport supplies. We will go down the mountain to borrow some food."

"Borrow food?"

"Yes, I see many wealthy people living at the foot of the mountain. We can borrow some from them."

Lin Jiang mentioned that those landlords had exploited many people and filled their granaries with food and cellars with treasures. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to borrow a bit from them.

Tian Xiong immediately understood and felt excited. While being a skilled Innate Martial Artist, they were not rare. However, Lin Jiang’s strength had proven his Martial Saint level. With a Martial Saint’s help, why would those wealthy not agree to lend?