CHAPTER 75: CHAPTER 75: IMMORTAL MASTER CHEN, OFFICIAL SOLDIERS LEAVE THE CITY

Back when the Qinghe Gang raided the villages outside Pingting County, many of the villages suffered.

More than twenty Qinghe Gang members stationed at Dadong Lake were immediately beaten to death by the villagers.

At first, they were a bit afraid when fighting the Wang Family’s Guard, but at this moment, that fear had dissipated, replaced by an intense passion from the depths of their bones.

Despite having not slept all night, their eyes were bloodshot, but they didn’t feel a trace of fatigue, instead, they were full of energy.

"Hey, come quickly, there are two horses here."

After fighting off the Qinghe Gang members, some villagers found two horses.

As soon as the words were spoken, everyone suddenly felt a bit hungry.

Someone proposed to slaughter the horses and eat them.

Someone suggested taking the horses into the city to sell them; in the Great Song Dynasty, a horse was quite expensive.

But the suggestion to sell the horses was quickly met with curses.

"Are you out of your mind? The government is hunting us down. You want to take them into the city to sell and walk into a trap?"

"All of you stop arguing, ask Chen Mo... the young master." Suddenly, Han Wu shouted, silencing the other’s noise.

Everyone turned to look at Chen Mo.

At this moment, the sky was ablaze with colors, splendid and dazzling, with the rising sun surrounded by magnificent clouds, its rays spreading in all directions.

Chen Mo sat cross-legged by the lake, bathed in a purple aura.

In the eyes of others, Chen Mo seemed to be clad in a purple robe of clouds, reminiscent of his earlier exploits, making them regard Chen Mo as an immortal god sent to save them.

Some of the older individuals even began to kneel and worship Chen Mo, praying for their own blessings.

Even Han Wu, who didn’t believe in ghosts and gods, almost bulged his eyes out at the sight.

This was far from the means of a mere mortal.

But for the people of Fu Ze Village, they weren’t all that surprised.

Because when Chen Mo killed the bear earlier, there had been rumors in the village that Brother Mo was protected by golden light and could shatter stone with a palm.

Now, seeing it with their own eyes was confirmation.

Involuntarily, they felt an excitement born from being villagers of the same village as Chen Mo.

They went from reverence to admiration.

Some even began to address Chen Mo as "Master Immortal."

Chen Mo opened his eyes, looked at everyone, stood up, and walked over: "What’s going on?"

The purple aura followed Chen Mo, forming a halo behind his head, making him appear more like an immortal god.

Everyone was momentarily too afraid to speak, except for Han Wu, who gathered his courage, bowed, and said: "Chen... Master Immortal, we found two horses, what... what should we do with them?"

Chen Mo did not immediately answer but curiously observed Han Wu for a few moments. Considering he held substantial authority, Han Wu daring to step forward first demonstrated some courage.

Recalling the earlier situation at Fu Ze Village, although Han Wu had been intimidated, he hadn’t retreated in fear like everyone else.

Interesting.

As Han Wu was feeling uneasy under Chen Mo’s gaze, Chen Mo asked: "What’s your name?"

"Han... Han Wu."

"From Da Han Village?"

"Yes."

"According to seniority, what would my sister-in-law, Han Anniang, call you?"

"Uncle, I call An Niang’s father ’brother,’ we’re of the same clan, our ancestors were siblings," Han Wu replied truthfully.

Chen Mo nodded, then suddenly asked: "You and Han San are very close?"

When the words were spoken, Han Wu’s face changed instantly, cold sweat poured, and his voice trembled: "N-no, Han San and I are just clan relatives, our relationship is average."

Han San was the third uncle of Chen Mo’s sister-in-law and had been killed by Chen Mo.

Not being a direct relative meant being...

Seeing Chen Mo raise his hand, Han Wu was so frightened he immediately knelt down, as did a dozen others from Da Han Village behind him, pleading for mercy while distancing themselves from Han San.

"What’s this about?"

But who knew, Chen Mo merely patted Han Wu on the shoulder, helped him up, and smiled: "I’m not blaming you for anything."

"Thank you, Master Immortal Chen, for your magnanimity." The moment Chen Mo raised his hand, Han Wu felt his breath stop.

"From now on, you’ll be in charge of Dadong Lake. How many people do you have?" Chen Mo said.

"Ah..." Han Wu was stunned, not understanding what Chen Mo meant, then hurriedly said: "We have twenty-one people."

Chen Mo nodded, then turned his gaze to the crowd, and said loudly: "Those from Willow Village, step forward."

Upon hearing Chen Mo’s words, about sixty people quickly stepped forward from the crowd.

"Those from Xiaogao Village, step forward too," Chen Mo said.

Quickly, another fifty to sixty people emerged from the crowd.

Chen Mo turned his gaze back to Han Wu, saying: "From now on, these people are under your command, responsible for the fishing work at Dadong Lake. Any objections?"

"No, but... isn’t Dadong Lake owned by the Qinghe Gang..."

"If there are no objections, it’s decided." Chen Mo glanced around the crowd and said: "From now on, Dadong Lake belongs to us."

Acquiring Dadong Lake was the initial step toward solving the food problem.

The grain in his cellar couldn’t sustain these hundreds of people.

And these villagers, already condemned to death, now found protection and sustenance under Chen Mo’s care, improving their lives, prompting them to rally around him of their own will.

Then Chen Mo looked at the people from Willow Village and Xiaogao Village, with eyes like an eagle: "Do you have any objections?"

"N-no objections," the people from the two villages mumbled.

Chen Mo knew they were dissatisfied, but that depended on Han Wu’s methods. For now, under his deterrence, they didn’t dare defy him.

"Since there are no objections, you can call him Han... Village Chief." Chen Mo mused for a moment, then said.

This was just the beginning; some things hadn’t been entirely formulated yet, but patience was necessary.

"By the way, what were you saying earlier?" Chen Mo asked Han Wu again.

"Chen... Master Immortal, we found two horses, asking what to do with them?" Han Wu’s tone now carried a hint of flattery. Now that he was head of over a hundred people, he was among the most supportive of Chen Mo.

"Horses..."

When Chen Hu was killed earlier, they seized two horses but dared not keep them.

Now, there was no fear.

Horses were critical strategic resources, not to be slaughtered and eaten; Chen Mo intended to keep them for his purposes.

"Have someone lead them to my house," Chen Mo said.

"Yes... Sir." Han Wu emulated the respectfully learned manner from the military barracks, responding dutifully.

"Not good, Brother Mo, something’s wrong..."

Just then, Zhang River came running over, flustered, saying: "Brother Mo, the government has sent people out of the city to arrest everyone, they’ve already entered Xiaogao Village."

As soon as he spoke, the people from Xiaogao Village panicked, and those from other villages began to stir as well, knowing that the official soldiers were out to arrest their families.

Chen Mo’s eyes narrowed.

He knew if he wanted them to completely obey him.

The key lay in this step.