158: Chapter 158 Returning to Su Family Village

That was real grain!

Grain that could save lives!

In an instant, the doors of every household were pushed open.

Skinny men, women holding emaciated infants, and staggering elderly people all flocked to the grain distribution point set up by Su Bai.

When they held that snowy white rice and touched the solid grain...

All the commoners felt a deep, heartfelt respect for this young general named Su Bai.

This was a living Buddha descended to earth!

This was a noble official come to save them from their sea of suffering.

On the street.

A grey-haired old man tightly clutched half a bag of grain, trembling as he squeezed out of the crowd.

When he saw Su Bai patrolling the street atop a tall horse...

The old man's eyes reddened, his legs went weak, and he fell to his knees with a thud on the hard stone road. He kowtowed heavily, his voice choked with tears as he spoke:

"Great Noble Official! You are the Second Parent to us people of Ze City!"

"If only my late wife, who starved to death, could have lived to see this day!"

The old man's kneel was like a falling domino.

On both sides of the street, countless commoners holding grain—men, women, young and old—all knelt down in unison.

A vast, dark mass of people were all kowtowing toward Su Bai.

Su Bai watched this scene.

He felt a wave of emotion in his heart.

He dismounted and strode toward the old man who had led the kowtowing.

The surrounding Yunzhou Army soldiers immediately gripped their sword hilts, fearing an assassin might be hiding among them.

But Su Bai waved them off nonchalantly.

Su Bai reached out with both hands and personally helped the tearful old man up from the ground.

He intentionally circulated his spiritual power to make his voice exceptionally loud.

"Fellow villagers, please stand up!"

"I, Su Bai, have come late and let you suffer!"

Su Bai's gaze swept over those gaunt faces, and he spoke with a firm tone:

"That remnant of the previous dynasty, Kang Bo, preyed upon the people and deserved a thousand deaths. His head is now hanging from the city gate tower!"

"I guarantee here to all the people of Ze City."

"As long as I, Su Bai of the Yunzhou Army, am here, from now on, no remnant of the previous dynasty will harm you in Ze City."

"No one will ever dare to withhold your rations without cause again."

"As long as I, Su Bai, have a piece of meat to eat, you will definitely have a bowl of soup to drink."

Boom!

Su Bai's words completely ignited the fire in the hearts of the Ze City people.

If the grain distribution just now made them feel Su Bai was a good official...

...then this resounding promise made these commoners wish they could immediately set up a Longevity Tablet for Su Bai in their homes.

"Long live General Su!"

"The Yunzhou Army is mighty!"

Deafening cheers echoed over Ze City, lingering for a long time.

Standing behind Su Bai, Ma Lie felt his scalp tingle as he looked at the fanatical eyes of the commoners.

He secretly swallowed hard.

His admiration for Su Bai grew even deeper.

The General's methods were simply brilliant!

Killing the enemy to win hearts, opening the granaries to feed the people—with just a few words, he had won the city's loyalty.

With the support of these people, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe Ze City as an iron fortress from now on.

Following such a lord, how could great things not be achieved?!

The dust had settled in Ze City, and the people's hearts were beginning to find peace.

On the other side, a hundred miles away from Ze City, at the former site of Su Family Village, a carriage was bumping along the road.

The carriage curtain was gently lifted by a fair hand, revealing Lin Weiwei's beautiful face.

She gazed at the silhouette of the village in the distance, her eyes sparkling as she murmured to herself:

"Finally arrived."

Beside her, Lin Chanchan couldn't contain herself, leaning half her body out of the window and shouting excitedly, "Sister, look! That's where Young Master grew up! It looks... like nothing special."

In her imagination, a hero's hometown should be a place of crouching dragons and hidden tigers, or at least have beautiful scenery.

But the Su Family Village before her was plain and unremarkable.

It was a village so ordinary it couldn't be more ordinary.

On the other side of the carriage, Zhou Qingying, who had been resting with her eyes closed, opened them now.

After scanning the terrain outside, she spoke slowly:

"The entrance is wide, with no natural defenses to hold."

"The village is backed by mountains, but the slopes are gentle and easy to climb. If an enemy invades, there are paths on all sides. This place... is a death trap."

Lin Chanchan's excitement vanished instantly, her face falling as she said, "Sister Qingying, why do you always say such discouraging things?"

Lin Weiwei, however, nodded in agreement:

"Qingying is right. That is precisely why my husband sent us here. He conquers the world, and we guard the rear. We must protect this home for him."

Her voice was steady and powerful, making both Lin Chanchan and Zhou Qingying feel a jolt in their hearts.

Yes, they weren't here for a sightseeing trip.

They carried the mission Su Bai had given them.

The carriage slowly entered the village entrance.

A dark-skinned man had already been waiting for a long time.

His name was Su He, a member of a branch of the Su family, and the instructor personally appointed by Su Bai to train the new group of cultivators.

Su He only knew the General would send people, but he hadn't expected three delicate beauties.

He froze for a moment, then cupped his fists and bowed, saying in a muffled voice, "Su He, by the General's order, awaits the three... Madams."

He was a bit unsure of how to address them.

Lin Weiwei smiled slightly and stepped out of the carriage gracefully, saying to Su He, "Instructor Su He, thank you for your hard work. My husband has already informed us of the village's affairs. From today on, the three of us will take over. Take us to see those 'recruits'."

Su He didn't dare be negligent and quickly led the way.

On the martial arts field in the center of the village, thirty young people were sitting cross-legged.

They all emitted weak but definitely present fluctuations of spiritual power, the sign of the Qi Refining First Layer.

Seeing Su He leading three women over, the formation of these young people became somewhat disorganized. Many opened their eyes and whispered to each other, looking curiously at the three women who had suddenly appeared.

They were the chosen talents of Su Family Village.

They revered Su Bai, the man who had led them onto the path to heaven.

But toward the women by Su Bai's side, they inevitably felt a bit of contempt.

In their eyes, women were merely appendages of the strong.

In fact, this was normal; in such a world, the strong only worshiped the strong. As for others, regardless of gender or age, they were all ants.

A young man with the most solid aura stood up.

His name was Su Lei, the most talented among the thirty and the first to reach the Qi Refining Second Layer.

At this moment, he was vaguely the leader of this group.

Su Lei took a step forward and casually cupped his fists toward Lin Weiwei and the others, speaking with an unavoidable arrogance:

"The three Madams have come a long way; you've worked hard. I wonder what orders the General has sent you with? We big men aren't suited for embroidery work."