I Can See Your Combat Power
Chapter 1231 - Chapter 1231 Chapter 524 Heroes Emerge in Troubled Times

Chapter 1231: Chapter 524: Heroes Emerge in Troubled Times Chapter 1231: Chapter 524: Heroes Emerge in Troubled Times The youngest daughter of the Xiang Family patriarch died young, yet East Camp found the young daughter of the Yun Clan.

From that day forth, Xiang Lan lived on this world under the identity of Yun Xiu.

If no one had told her this, she would have gladly accepted the identity of Yun Xiu and played out the role of the puppet city master well.

However, the Xiang Family wanted an obedient city master, not a double-minded bomb, so Xiang Lan understood her origins and mission from a very young age.

The clever girl was a top-notch pretender. Even at the age of six or seven, no one doubted her identity as the heavenly girl of the Yun Clan, and after living an identity for twenty years, even a false one became true.

She had forgotten how many years it had been since anyone called her Xiang Lan; perhaps in this world, no one remembered Xiang Lan anymore.

The female city master, who had fallen into the confines of the prison cell, huddled in the shadows of the corner, staring at the gleaming, ghostly light on the bowl of Clear Water, lost in thought for a long time.

…

Longzhou Calendar 1787

February 15

The continuous turmoil in Chaochang caused the common people to move out of the city in droves, and some previously deserted Wilderness villages welcomed a wave of new members.

Even in the richest places, there are poor people, and it is difficult for the poor to be generous.

Due to the scarcity of resources, the villages did not welcome refugees, even detested them.

The saying goes, “Those who are warm and full think of lust; those who are cold and hungry think of theft.”

The refugees, unable to live in Chaochang without anything to their name, also wanted to live. To starving refugees, morality was not as important in comparison to survival.

For the villages outside Chaochang, accepting three or five down-and-out relatives might not be difficult, but a flood of refugees would bring more suffering than a locust plague.

Incidents of petty theft were endless, and in the face of these refugees, unless there were relatives in the village responsible for their support, they would not be allowed to pass.

Facing these refugees, who had neither enough clothing to cover themselves nor enough food to fill their stomachs, villagers would select local militia, wielding iron forks and sticks, to patrol day and night. Upon seeing a refugee, they would drive them away with clubs or even kill them.

Under such circumstances, women’s experiences were much harder than men’s. For some lepers and idlers in the village who could not claim to have wives, this time was indeed like spring.

They would roam outside Chaochang, and upon encountering a lone woman, they would swarm and deceive her into coming back to the village, where after satisfying their bestial desires, these women would rarely meet a good fate.

It was during such times of pervasive public resentment that a secretive, cheerful rumor quietly spread throughout Chaochang.

“The Tang Clan’s base in Nangang is taking in refugees from all over Chaochang. As long as you agree to become a subject of the Tang Clan, you will be entitled to housing property, farmland, and rations for a season!”

This news had no known source, but in no time, it spread throughout Chaochang. The refugees swarmed Nangang, only to find it was not as they had been told.

There was housing, but it had to be built by the refugees themselves. Lazy clerks would simply assign a plot of land after registration, warning you not to cross the line, and then they would leave.

There was farmland, but it belonged to the Tang Clan. They provided the farming tools and seeds, and fifty percent of the harvested crops had to be handed over to the clan’s storage.

As for the season’s rations, it wasn’t free. It was only after giving up one’s status as a free citizen and joining the Nangang registry that one would receive the allocation.

The terms and the rumored news were vastly different, yet refugees still swarmed and stayed in droves.

Tang Lian, who was responsible for spreading the news, watched refugees happily accept the harsh conditions and settle in Nangang. He truly believed Tang Yao had cast some bewitching secret spell.

“Of course we can finish all the infrastructure work before bringing in more refugees, but those we would attract would be nothing but idlers,”

Standing on the top floor of the Nangang Council Hall, Tang Yao pointed down at the refugees laboring incessantly, like ants below: “The Tang Clan may be wealthy, but not wealthy enough to support idlers. Therefore, even when accepting refugees, we must select them carefully.”

“Does the boss mean that we set these conditions to filter out the outstanding refugees?”

“Exactly,” Tang Yao nodded as he looked at the drastically changed Nangang landscape: “Gather those who have already built their own houses and are ready for the spring irrigation. Tell them that for the next three months, they can reduce their tenancy fee by one-tenth for every household of refugees they bring back. By the middle of May, I need the household registry of Nangang to exceed one hundred thousand. Can you handle that?”

“No problem, boss. Leave it to me!”

…

Chaochang Inner City, Xiang Family’s territory

Xiang Ange’s memorial hall was set up in the front courtyard of the Xiang Family.

Xiang Loulan, dressed in hemp and mourning attire, had knelt in the memorial hall for three days, bowing and giving thanks to every uncle and relative who came to pay their respects.

It was once said that parents are the walls that shield daughters from the real world. At that time, Xiang Loulan had not understood the meaning of this saying, but after hearing that her father Xiang Ange had been assassinated by the Devil Lord Gou Chen, she suddenly grasped its significance.

When parents are alive, their children actually live in a world that has been embellished. This world is filled with more good than hardship; even if one gives up or fails, there are no consequences.

Here the days pass peacefully, here the air is filled with the smoke of hearth fires, and all of this, with the parents’ departure, will change.

Xiang Loulan, unprotected by her father, finally saw the real world clearly.

The respect she received in front and behind others was not because of her stunning talent.

The modesty of her brothers and sisters wasn’t about elegance either.

Behind the smiles hid perhaps contempt, and within the sorrow, there was unstoppable joy.

All the evil spirits once repressed by Xiang Ange suddenly gathered around the Ancestor Xiang Qian, reminiscing about the great clan leader who had left the world before realizing half his ambitions.

Were these people truly sorrowful? Why were there no tears in the memorial hall, yet one could hear laughter from the heart?

Even Xiang Loulan, who was used to her clanspeople’s honeyed words but hidden swords, felt a sense of revulsion.

When the stakes are high, the human heart becomes scattered; this was something her father reiterated many times, and now, it seemed so true.

Those relatives crowding around the Ancestor were eyeing the clan leader’s seat, yet they didn’t understand who decided the position of the Xiang Family leader–it was quite laughable indeed.

“Father, rest in peace. Your son will avenge you, and personally slay the Devil Lord Gou Chen!”

Dressed in hemp and mourning attire, Xiang Loulan continued to burn joss paper in the brazier, vowing silently in her heart, “No matter the cost, I will make sure that bastard meets a horrible end!”

…

In a gloomy and quiet cave

Tang Luo, wearing the Gou Chen Mask, was seated cross-legged outside the prison cell, asking Xiang Lan inside, who was grinding her teeth in rage, “Do you want to live or die?”

“My father will not let you go, nor will the two grandmasters of the Xiang Family. If you are smart…”

“Your father has been killed by me. If you woke up early enough, you would already understand that the Yanyun Grandmaster can’t stop me.”