Dongfeng City, one of the largest cities near Lushui County.
Leaving Da Bai in a forest far from the city, Wang Sheng and the other three walked to the city gates on foot.
Outside the city, there were many refugees clad in tattered clothing being denied entry but also unwilling to leave.
The four exchanged looks as if confirming the rumors they heard at the Salt Field, then prepared to enter the city.
They had thought that during wartime, the security would be strict, but the management was surprisingly lax, and they entered the city quite effortlessly, of course, at the cost of some silver.
Simply put, the soldiers guarding the city gates didn’t bother to check; they let anyone in who paid silver.
Inside the city, while not bustling, there was some liveliness, with people still walking on the streets.
A big city was different after all. Unless it was a major battlefield, the impact was lesser than on small villages or towns because the strength of the city’s defenses was much stronger, and bandits would not dare to loot without considerable power.
Of course, there was also the possibility that after half a year had passed, Shuzhou had already stabilized.
But this was good. They would have been more troubled had there been no one around; this time, they could gather information.
After entering the city, the group found an inn to meet up later before splitting up to attend to their own matters.
Wang Sheng naturally headed to a blacksmith’s shop.
His main goal was to know what the smithy needed—tools, essential facilities… everything to learn, as he planned to establish a smithing area in the village for his convenience.
However, before that, he first went to a pharmacy and exchanged some common ginseng for silver. Eventually, with silver paving the way and without seeking to learn the blacksmith’s skills, the blacksmith gave detailed descriptions down to the last detail, and Wang Sheng smoothly obtained what he wanted.
In short, Wang Sheng recorded all the details and also ordered a complete set of smithing tools for the blacksmith to prepare, which he would pick up later.
After handling these matters, he went to the agreed inn. Li Yongfeng and the others had not returned yet, so he found a secluded spot and sat down to wait.
The inn wasn’t very crowded, but there were still people gathered around, talking amongst themselves.
“The people outside the city, they’re from those three counties, aren’t they?”
“That should be the case, otherwise where would so many people come from? Those who could have escaped, have long since fled!”
“Such a sin, has no one dealt with that calamity yet? Yong…”
“Shut your mouth, do you have a death wish? Don’t you know what happened to Wang Ermazi?”
One person interrupted the speaker.
“…Let’s hope it doesn’t affect us here in Dongfeng City!”
…
Everyone in the inn was discussing things that Wang Sheng could easily overhear, mostly about the refugees outside the city and how to survive.
Soon, Li Yongfeng and the others returned one after another, and before long, everyone was gathered.
Wang Sheng got straight to the point and asked, “What information have you all gathered?”
Li Yongfeng spoke first, “It’s just like what we heard at the Salt Field. Lushui, Yanshui, and Yong’an counties are already under the control of the Green Flood Dragon Gang. Many people have fled, but some towns and villages are directly monitored, and the people inside can’t get out.”
“Is it really as the people at the Salt Field said, they want to use the people of the three counties as sacrificial offerings?”
Previously in the Salt Field, an official had mentioned that half a year ago, the Green Flood Dragon Gang had started capturing people in the three counties.
Now it was even worse; they had directly sealed off the people in their respective villages and towns, with Green Flood Dragon Gang members patrolling all over the three counties.
The refugees outside Dongfeng City were those who had found opportunities to escape; many more were recaptured during their attempts to flee.
“What I found out is the same. It seems that there were several sacrifices half a year ago, but they suddenly stopped, and then they began to blockade the three counties.”
“The fact that the Green Flood Dragon Gang worships an Evil Flood Dragon is no longer a secret. It’s said that they plan to sacrifice the people of all three counties to the Evil Flood Dragon. Some say that the people from the three counties who haven’t escaped are actually being bred by the Evil Flood Dragon and the Green Flood Dragon Gang.”
“…”
Li Yongfeng and his two companions shared the information they had gathered.
In essence, the people of Lushui, Shui County, and Yongfeng seem to be bred for eventual sacrifice to the Evil Flood Dragon.
“What about the situation in Shuzhou? Isn’t there anyone to deal with this Evil Flood Dragon?”
“The control of Shuzhou is now in the hands of King Yong Nian. The City Lord of Dongfeng City surrendered outright, so Dongfeng City was spared destruction….” The speaker was Wang Shuwen. He spoke very quietly, “As for military action, it is said that even a Ninth Grade Martial Artist who tried to subdue it five times failed and was killed by the Evil Flood Dragon….”
“Ninth Grade Martial Artists can’t defeat it?”
But when you think about it, it makes sense. The Green Flood Dragon Gang worships the Evil Flood Dragon and can become Martial Artists of the Sixth or Fifth Grade.
It is likely at least comparable to a Grandmaster among humans.
“As for the lord of Shuzhou, King Yong Nian….” Wang Shuwen’s voice grew even softer, “He’s too busy dealing with his own troubles. It’s said he’s been under severe criticism for half a year, and others have even taken up arms against him, so he’s unable to exert any strength.”
The information Wang Shuwen had gathered was simple: King Yong Nian was too preoccupied with his own problems to send a Grandmaster to deal with the situation.
Plainly speaking, he had left the people of the three counties to their own devices!
Zhou Yong continued the conversation.
“Speaking of this, I used to think it was just a rumor, but now it might not be. I heard that in one month, the Green Flood Dragon Gang will hold a sacrifice. There’s something fishy about it, as if someone deliberately spread the news, so I didn’t pay attention at first, but now it seems likely….”
Wang Sheng listened to the various reports while tapping on the table.
An Evil Flood Dragon… Sacrificing the people of the three counties…
After discussing for a while, everyone decided to leave.
“Our stockade is in Lushui County; this information is very useful. Let’s head back!”
After having been away for half a year, they hadn’t expected such things to happen.
The Green Flood Dragon Gang controlled the three counties and kept all the people captive, with no one coming to deal with it.
Everyone felt a heavy mood and quickly packed up their belongings to leave, while Wang Sheng went to get his blacksmithing gear before they all left the city.
Da Bai lay at his usual spot in the mountains. After packing up, he left directly.
On the return journey, as they had transported several thousand pounds of salt, Da Bai’s speed was significantly reduced.
Still, they made it back to Qingshan Village before dark.
Li Yongfeng and the others went to report to the village chief.
Wang Sheng, on the other hand, found some people to help him build his blacksmith shop.
Bellows, hammers, and such were taken directly from the blacksmiths in Dongfeng City; with the sway of silver, it was easy to “persuade” them. The most essential part was the smelting furnace.
It took about a week to construct the furnace.
Then Wang Sheng got busy with blacksmithing.
It was nearly half a month later when he finally stopped.
In his hands were two objects resembling jet engines, about the size of a plate.
These were the “Cloud Wings” from “Mechanical Technique: Azure Dragon Chapter”. Wang Sheng had eliminated the unnecessary wing design and made them even more compact, so they looked like jetpacks.
Of course, since they were made of ordinary iron, each could only be used once.
“Let’s test them first!”
If successful, there were some things he could do….