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Tang Luo looked at Gong Zheng in surprise and said directly: “Since you consider Lu Liang a talent, let him assist you. As for these informers from the Mi Clan, you handle their interrogation. See what they are up to and then you can retire.”

I obey the head of the family’s command and shall leave now.”

Early morning on the Sixteenth of October.

The starving followers had gathered on the vast platform of the main peak from the middle of the night just to secure a good spot. The relief food peak of Red Cloud Mountain had all been withdrawn. They seemed to have gone back to the state of famine they faced fifteen days ago. The three-day confinement had also made them detest those who had first instigated them.

“If it weren’t for your agitation to demand justice, we wouldn’t have starved for three days!”

Some instigators hidden among the followers still wanted to stir up some more after the three-day moratorium but most of the followers just responded in kind and left it at that.

Once the master of Red Cloud Mountain had returned, the one notable change was the attitude of this group of followers.

When Tang Luo was not there, they regarded themselves as the owners of Red Cloud Mountain and dared to defy even Sun Jinfang, a renowned scholar of Xiling. Tang Luo couldn’t figure out who gave the people this courage but it was actually him.

Since they considered themselves Tang Luo’s entourage, they obviously didn’t have to give Sun Jinfang any face. The meaning of the saying ‘the fox leveraging the tiger’s power’ was that I have someone backing me, so I’m not afraid of you.

Even the third-ranked Xiao family in Xiling obediently sent ten million pounds of food as rent to our household head. You, a single doctor, are nothing.

In the eyes of the unenlightened commoner, fame was equivalent to a person’s strength.

The most influential in all of Xiling once was Old Xu. They believed that although Old Xu was merely in the Mortal Realm, he was invincible, otherwise why would the whole city of Xiling’s martial artists submit to him.

Now, they believe that Tang Luo is the most powerful. After the Xiao family yielded by providing food, it propelled him to the pinnacle of power. Intimidating with borrowed power could make one arrogantly rule the forests, but what if the one behind was a dragon?

Apart from not daring to provoke the Xiao family, the free civilians of the Red Cloud Mountain faction, who wore bandanas atop their heads, appeared superior to anyone else. However, this arrogance was rooted in a psychological compensation for being indentured servants.

The more arrogant they were outside, the more humble they became in front of Tang Luo. Gong Zheng’s brutal act of throwing the entire Yue family into the flood was still vivid in their memories. How could they dare to contradict Tang Luo, who would exterminate a clan in a fit of anger?

So, they obeyed the three-day confinement and assembled on the platform. The civilians with bandanas on their heads were incredibly obedient, filling the entire platform.

When Tang Luo led a group of renowned scholars out of the council hall, he saw the crowd packed from end to end on the platform, spreading out to fill half of the main peak. This number was just half of his followers.

When people saw Tang Luo and his party coming out, they cheered for their household head. The wave of applause swept outwards and before long, it transformed into thunderous shouts. Seeing Tang Luo didn’t particularly elate the people, but rather the sight of the bountiful, snow-like, new grain in the wide-opened granary doors!

Just as they had expected, after the punishment, their household head would restore the relief food system. The civilians, who had been starving for three days, returned to their grateful state.

The scholars watched the joyous cheers of the people with complicated feelings, gaining an even deeper understanding of the saying ‘gratitude for rice given, resentment for rice withheld’.

Tang Luo’s expression was calm throughout, but he also didn’t want to waste too much time on the cheering. With an explosive display of divine power, his solo voice instantly drowned out the shouts of hundreds of thousands.

Starting from today, we will stop distributing relief food and switch to the work credit food system.”

The cheering crowd felt like they were thrown into an icy pit when they heard this dreadful news. Does discontinuing relief food mean they won’t receive food anymore?

Tang Luo of course knew the shock discontinuation of relief food would cause to the civilians, but what he understood better was that to get through a disaster, they could not rely simply on the mindless distribution of food. He needed these civilians to regain their confidence in life. He couldn’t be expected to provide for these refugees forever, so selecting the Marshal Stars through a work-for-food program was the main direction of his future work: “All followers, respect my orders!”

“… Those with special skills in the Five Elements and Eight Categories, tie the cloth strip on your right arm and go to Ou Clan’s camp located on the eastern hump. Those passing the Ou Clan’s examination and capable of participating in the city construction project will receive three pounds of food per day. Those inferior in skills and considered apprentices will receive one pound per day! For those who cheat, death will be the punishment!…”

… Those who can read and write, tie the cloth strip to your left arm and go to the Shen Family’s camp located on the southern hump. Those passing the Shen Family’s examination and capable of recognizing several hundreds of commonly-used characters will receive one pound of food per day. Those who can recite the classics will receive three pounds per day! Cheaters will be executed!…”

“… Those who have completed the Foundation Building of the 36 Pre-Heaven Diagrams and achieved an Inner Sight level of cultivation in the Mortal Realm, tie the cloth square around your neck and wait for further orders.”

“When the household head finishes his orders, all skilled individuals adjust

their bandanas and head to their respective territories.”

Just like before, Tang Luo repeated his orders three times. Even though it was his first time issuing a household order, he seemed quite capable, having discussed the matter with various scholars over three days.

As the household order was given, the hundreds of thousands of civilians started moving in confusion.

If the immediate discontinuation of relief food was a source of despair, then the following words gave many people hope for survival. Anyone with skills, at the very least, could obtain one pound of new grain. This made some skilled refugees ecstatic. Before becoming refugees, most of them were craftsmen earning a living through their skills. As people who could survive in a giant city like Xiling where farming was not permitted, how could they lack any real skills?

Even considering fundamental tasks such as the Five Elements and Literacy, some people who had already changed careers tied the cloth strips to their right arms.

Build the city or starve? One didn’t need to think much to choose between the two.

Their faces beaming with smiles, everyone adjusted their bandanas and hurried towards the hump they felt more suited to. The cultivators were even more proud, tying the bandanas around their necks and waiting on original spot, looking arrogant.

However, those with special skills were still a minority. The majority of the world was mediocrity. Even if the dozen or so industries of the Five Elements were discounted, there were still many other skilled individuals who couldn’t apply their skills and could only stay in place.

They watched dejectedly as people around them steadily started drifting toward the southeast. They rued not having any special skills in the Five Elements, even literacy would have been enough..