Chapter 921: The Beginning of the Warfare

Editor: Henyee Translations

The little girl obediently responded, “I understand.”

Chu Qingzhi beckoned the little girl, “Come, let’s go find the warehouse, and after that, the cellar. With such a large mansion, it’s very likely that not everything was taken when they left.”

The little girl followed her instructions, “Okay.”

Chu Qingzhi added, “We can look elsewhere for blankets and quilts, as well as fabrics and clothes.”

The little girl earnestly replied, “I’ve remembered all that.”

After searching, the two reached the warehouse.

The warehouse was located in the backyard and was locked, suggesting that it contained valuable items. Chu Qingzhi kicked the door open.

The little girl was startled but then admired Chu Qingzhi, staring at her legs. Despite looking slender, they were incredibly powerful.

The pair entered the warehouse to find several boxes amidst a largely empty space.

Upon opening the boxes, they were disappointed to find only valuable porcelain, not a single grain of rice—completely impractical.

Wiping her face with the back of her hand, the little girl expressed her disappointment, “There’s nothing here.”

Chu Qingzhi pulled out a set of teacups, “We can take these home for drinking water, aren’t they beautiful?”

The little girl took them, smiling again, “Beautiful.”

Chu Qingzhi patted her head, “Let’s keep looking.”

“Yeah.”

At the cellar entrance outside the kitchen, the little girl set down the teacups, clasped her hands together, and prayed, “May the heavens bless us, there must be food down there.”

Chu Qingzhi smiled, opened the cellar, and climbed down the ladder.

The little girl followed slowly.

The cellar of the large household was spacious, filled with many pickling crocks, baskets, and cabinets.

Opening one of the crocks, they were greeted by a foul smell of rotten pickles. The water seal had dried up, allowing air in and causing decay.

Suddenly, the little girl exclaimed, “Ah, I found some dried radishes.”

Chu Qingzhi walked over to see several dried radishes, about five or six kilograms, “Let’s take these back, we can cook them later.”

“Okay.” The dried radishes were put into a cloth bag, easy to carry. The little girl grabbed the bag and headed towards the exit.

Chu Qingzhi opened all the cabinets to find them empty, then searched the surrounding area to no avail, “We can go out now.”

“Yeah.”

After searching all likely places in the mansion, they found only two items: a set of tea ware and a few kilograms of dried radishes.

The little girl, holding the tea set in one hand and the radishes in the other, treasured them greatly, “Fairy sister, are we going to look for more things?”

“Let’s take these back first, then continue searching.”

“Okay.”

The two searched three large mansions and finally found ten kilograms of rice in a rice container, although the rice had been mostly eaten by bugs, leaving little left.

Under such circumstances, having something was better than nothing. The little girl got a cloth to bag the rice, bugs included, to take home.

Chu Qingzhi helped her bag it, then found a small jar of salt in the kitchen, taking it with them on their way home.

Exhausted from hunger, the little girl could no longer search, and at that moment, Xue Gui arrived.

At the city gate, Xue Gui greeted with a bow, “I have seen Miss Chu.”

He was a close associate of Tang Jinghong. Chu Qingzhi did not conceal her identity, “Have the medicinal herbs been loaded onto the cart?”

Xue Gui pulled back the curtain of the cart, “They are loaded, miss, please take a look.”

Chu Qingzhi climbed onto the cart to check, especially the turmeric, and seeing no issues, she jumped down, “Send it back.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Xue Gui, puzzled, “Aren’t you coming with me, miss?”

“I’ll say goodbye to the little girl and catch up with you.”

“Okay.”

Chu Qingzhi returned to the county office and handed over the collected vegetable seeds to the little girl, “I have to leave now, you’ll have to make your own way from here.”

The little girl knelt and kowtowed, “Fairy sister, I will remember you for a lifetime, never forgetting this kindness.”

The old grandmother and others came out to see Chu Qingzhi off, “Miss, we will remember your great kindness.”

Chu Qingzhi smiled, “Take care, I’m leaving.”

The little girl looked up, her eyes filled with earnest desire, “Fairy sister, can you tell me your name?”

Chu Qingzhi replied, “Chu Qingzhi.”

The little girl etched the name “Chu Qingzhi” deep into her memory. “Sister Qingzhi, farewell.”

Chu Qingzhi nodded and mounted her horse, riding away.

The sound of horse hooves faded into the distance in the empty county town.

The little girl knelt down three more times in the direction Chu Qingzhi had left, “Sister Qingzhi, may your journey be smooth. I hope we can meet again.”

…

Linzhang City, South Gate.

Before dawn, the riverbank near the south gate was already crowded with people. Both inside and outside the city, the people almost surrounded the entire area, with some even climbing trees.

Despite the crowd, it was eerily silent.

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on a large pit dug by the riverside, as if it contained some precious spectacle.

As the sky began to lighten, a troop of soldiers pushed through the crowd to the edges of the pit, standing tall and exuding an aura of invincibility like an unbreakable iron wall.

Between the soldiers, the crowd parted to create a pathway two meters wide.

After a brief wait, Tang Jinghong arrived on horseback. His face was handsome and commanding, dressed in a battle robe, his presence fierce and imperious, almost too daunting to look directly at.

He dismounted before the pit, proclaiming, “For too long, this divine ointment has caused suffering. Today, it shall all be destroyed here, witnessed by the heavens above and the people here, marking the start of the gunfire!”

The crowd cheered, “Good! Good! Good!”

Boxes of divine ointment were carried to the edge of the pit and poured in. The divine ointment looked unassuming in its dark green hue but was notoriously harmful.

Everyone watched this scene, hearts pounding with excitement, relieved to see the substance being destroyed.

Those who had suffered, losing families and homes because of this powder, cried on their knees, shouting praises to the heavens for this justice.

A staggering five thousand pounds of divine ointment were confiscated—a truly shocking amount.

Amidst the cheers, a stealthy threat approached.

Some assassins, disguised among the crowd, slowly edged closer to Tang Jinghong, armed with knives, sleeve arrows, and crossbows, determined to kill him.

Tang Jinghong issued another command, “Pour the lime!”

Mixing the divine ointment with lime would properly destroy it.

“Yes, General!” The lime had been prepared, and upon his command, soldiers swiftly began cutting the bags…

“Stop!” A masked figure in black descended from the sky, landing on a tree, “Kill Tang Jinghong, seize the divine ointment!”