NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 198: The Heavens
Chapter 198: The Heavens
Just as Xu Lian and the three geniuses approached the village chief to ask for a few trained villagers to escort them to the city, an unexpected event disrupted their plans.
The village chief and the villagers were all pale, their eyes filled with fear as they stared helplessly at a man lying on the ground.
The man’s head had been crushed, and blood was pooling around him. He was clearly beyond saving.
“I didn’t mean to… I didn’t mean to…”
A villager knelt on the ground, his face equally pale, muttering in despair.
Xu Lian walked over, stunned. “What happened?”
Seeing Xu Lian, the villagers seemed to find a lifeline. One by one, they knelt down and begged.
“Sage, save us!”
“Messenger sent from heaven, please show us a way out!”
Over the past month, Xu Lian’s reputation had indeed reached such heights. No one called him “Little Xu” anymore, nor did they address him by name. Instead, they referred to him as “Sage” or “Messenger”.
Looking at the situation, Xu Lian vaguely understood. He pointed at the corpse on the ground. “Who was this man?”
The village chief’s face turned ashen. “He was a grain official sent by the imperial court to collect taxes from the villages. Originally, they took 50% of our grain, but in recent years it has increased to 60%. This year, they demanded 70%. Wang Er couldn’t take it anymore and argued with the official. The official slapped Wang Er, and in a fit of rage, Wang Er accidentally killed him.
According to the law, if a grain official is killed, the whole village will be punished. Our Jiyu Village is doomed.”
Xu Lian took a deep breath. No wonder the villagers were so poor. The imperial court already took 50% of their grain, and in recent years, it had risen to 70%. How could anyone survive like that?
Wang Er, the villager kneeling on the ground, grabbed Xu Lian’s pants and cried, “Sage, I really didn’t mean to. I was so angry that I picked up a stone and hit him on the head. I didn’t think he would die.
I’ll take responsibility for my actions. I’m willing to die for my crime, but I beg you, Sage, to find a way to save the villagers and my family.”
A grown man reduced to tears by the cruelty of the world, Xu Lian felt a heavy weight in his heart. Was this so-called divine kingdom within the Hundred Boat Secret Realm any different from the outside world?
The village chief looked at Xu Lian and asked, “Sage, do you have a solution?”
The villagers also looked at Xu Lian, their eyes filled with hope and despair.
For the past month, Xu Lian had been teaching the villagers to weave bamboo baskets, straw mats, and other household items. He had them dig for medicinal herbs, hunt, and even learn basic martial arts. His efforts had visibly improved their lives, and the villagers could see their fortunes rising day by day.
In the hearts of the villagers, Xu Lian had almost become a figure of worship, as if there was nothing he couldn’t solve.
“Let me think.”
Xu Lian was an outsider. He had no connection with the imperial court here, and his frail body made things even more difficult. This situation was truly a challenge.
“The rebel peasants of Jiyu Village have killed a grain official. They are traitors and must be executed!”
“Kill them!”…
A group of several dozen soldiers stormed into the village, laughing wildly as they swung their swords. They killed indiscriminately-men, women, and children alike. They ransacked houses, looted money and grain, and treated the beautiful young women of the village like prey.
The villagers were thrown into chaos as they desperately tried to protect their families.
Xu Lian’s eyes turned red. Judging by their uniforms, they were imperial soldiers. But how were they different from bandits? In fact, they were even more ruthless.
“If this world won’t give us a way to live, then we’ll make one ourselves!”
Xu Lian roared.
“Where are the men who learned archery and martial arts? Are you all dead?
What are you waiting for?
Grab whatever you can – bows, arrows, kitchen knives, hoes, wooden sticks – and fight back!”
The Sage was advocating rebellion?
The men were stunned. But then their eyes turned red. If they were going to be called traitors, they might as well fight!
“Fight them!”
“Kill them!”
The men grabbed whatever weapons they could find and clashed with the soldiers.
Arrows flew.
Kitchen knives and hoes swung.
Wooden sticks were smashed.
The martial arts and archery training they had received over the past month proved effective. With their superior numbers and newfound unity, they quickly overwhelmed the soldiers, who fled in terror.
“Kill them all!”
Xu Lian gave the order. “Don’t let any of them escape to report back!”
The men, now frenzied, chased down the remaining soldiers, surrounding and killing them.
“Thud!”
Wang Er shot an arrow, killing the last fleeing soldier.
Looking at the soldiers’ bodies strewn on the ground, the men felt no joy. Instead, they were drenched in cold sweat, their faces pale, their hands shaking as they held their weapons. They had truly become rebels.
The women and children clung to each other, crying uncontrollably, completely lost.
All eyes turned to Xu Lian, waiting for his guidance.
The village chief’s voice trembled. “What do we do now?”
Xu Lian knew that he couldn’t show any weakness now. If he faltered, the villagers’ newfound courage would crumble.
He said coldly, “We have come too far to turn back now.
If we stop, we’re just waiting to die.
We must keep going, increase our strength, and create a wave that the imperial court can’t ignore. We’ll force them to negotiate with us”.
The village chief and villagers were stunned by his grand vision. They had only wanted to survive, never imagining such a path.
“The heavens are dead; the yellow sky shall rise! Are kings and nobles born to rule?”
Xu Lian recalled the slogans of the Yellow Turban Rebellion and Chen Sheng and Wu Guang’s uprising, and decided to borrow them.
“Elders with high prestige, go to the neighboring villages and rally them to our cause. The imperial court demands 70% of our grain, which means we’ll starve. Many are already discontent. Some brave souls will surely join us.”
“The hunting team, trained in archery and martial arts, will follow me into the city. We’ll eliminate the imperial forces, seize the granaries, and distribute the grain to strengthen our cause.”
“The smiths will melt down all the farming tools to forge weapons – bows, arrows, spears, and swords.”
“Four…”
He gave order after order.
Seeing everyone still in a daze, he shouted, “What are you waiting for? Move! Every moment we delay brings us closer to death. The imperial court won’t let this pass. Will you wait here for their army to destroy us?”
The villagers snapped out of their stupor, scrambling to carry out his orders.
Ye Beining was thrilled. He had never imagined such a turn of events in the Hundred Boats Secret Realm. Xu Lian had opened a new path for him.
Shui Yingyue’s eyes sparkled with admiration. She didn’t know how far Xu Lian’s plan would go, but it was bound to be spectacular. Even if they ultimately failed, they would still leave a lasting mark on the Hundred Boats Secret Realm.
Xiang Chengxing had mixed feelings. He had agreed to form an alliance with the Shui family, and was planning to marry one of their daughters-preferably Shui Yingyue, their top genius. But when he saw Xu Lian leaving Shui Yingyue’s room that morning, he knew that this dream was over.
He had to admit that, setting aside talent, strength, and family background, Xu Lian’s performance in the Hundred Boats Secret Realm outshone his own.
“Let’s go! Follow me!”
Xu Lian mounted the horse of the fallen soldier captain.
The three geniuses also mounted horses. Although their frail bodies limited their fighting abilities, they could at least lend their presence to the cause.
The hunting team, trained in archery and martial arts, followed Xu Lian. With too few horses, many were forced to walk.
As they marched, their growing numbers stunned everyone they passed.
When they reached the city, Xu Lian instructed the hunting party to quickly eliminate the imperial forces. The city was remote and the Imperial presence was weak.
The entire town was soon in an uproar.
Xu Lian ordered the granaries to be opened and offered grain to anyone who would join their cause.
However, no one dared to take the grain. The townspeople were terrified, shutting their doors and hiding, knowing that this was a matter of life and death.
This made Xu Lian frown. Things weren’t going as smoothly as he had hoped.
Upon reflection, it made sense. The people were used to obeying the imperial court. Although the court demanded 70% of their grain, it hadn’t yet reached the point of starvation. As long as they could barely survive, people would never dare to risk their lives by rebelling.
Just like the people of Jiyu Village, they wouldn’t have rebelled if they hadn’t been pushed to the brink of survival.
Ye Beining sneered, “With just over a hundred people from Jiyu Village, we’ve reached the limit by taking this town. If we’re going to attack the county seat, we’ll need more people.
If the townspeople and those from the surrounding villages won’t join us willingly, then we’ll force them. Burn their houses, burn their grain, and see if they still refuse.”
The plan was ruthless, but it might be the only way to go. Xu Lian felt torn.
If he didn’t do this, it would mean failure, and everyone in Jiyu Village-men, women, and children-would be executed by the imperial court.
If he did this, he would turn all the people of the surrounding villages into refugees, homeless and forced to follow him.
“A kind heart doesn’t suit a commander. You’re not cut out for it.”
Ye Beining saw Xu Lian’s dilemma. “In that case, you can remain the pure spiritual leader. Leave the dirty work to me.”
Xu Lian fell silent, not knowing what to say.
Ye Beining, the top genius of Wuguang City, sharpened his gaze and immediately ordered the hunting team, “Set the fires!”
Wang Er, the leader of the hunting team, didn’t obey him. Instead, he looked at Xu Lian.
The rest of the hunting team also looked at Xu Lian.
Xu Lian opened his mouth, but he couldn’t bring himself to give the order.
Ye Beining glared at Wang Er and the hunting team, his voice cold and threatening. “Do you want your families to be slaughtered by the imperial court? If you do, then forget what I said. If not, then carry out the order!”
Wang Er hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, “Yes.”
“When you set the fires, warn the people first. Don’t hurt anyone.”
Xu Lian sighed. This was the only compromise he could make.
And so, Wang Er and the hunting team burned the grain and set the town on fire.
The whole town quickly descended into chaos.
Ye Beining gathered everyone and began to glorify Xu Lian, proclaiming him as the “Sage,” the “True Dragon Descended,” the “Chosen One of Heaven,” the “Messenger of Heaven,” and the “King Who Will Overthrow the World.”
With no other options, the desperate people were forced to join.
After that, Ye Beining used the same method to burn down the surrounding villages, turning everyone into refugees. To survive, they had no choice but to follow Xu Lian. His followers grew like snowflakes, swelling to tens of thousands in just two days.
It was impossible to determine the exact number, as the chaos made it difficult to keep count.
Ye Beining declared himself the grand general, while Shui Yingyue, Xiang Chengxing, and Wang Er were named generals, each commanding over ten thousand people.
The members of the original hunting team were appointed as deputy generals.
In this way, a ragtag army was formed that swept across the land like a swarm of locusts, vast and unstoppable, heading straight for the county seat.