Wow!

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the main hall looked at Bai Shu with astonished expressions.

Even the man whose head was smashed and bleeding had a look of surprise in his eyes.

Chen Mo's brows furrowed.

One hundred thousand coins? That's quite audacious.

"Is this General Yuan's idea or Commander Bai's?" Chen Mo lightly tapped his fingers on the table.

"Of course, it's General Yuan's idea," Bai Shu replied.

"No." Seeing the other party show no shame and directly resort to extortion, Chen Mo's face also turned cold as he directly stated that there was none.

"You..." Bai Shu's expression changed. He had mentioned one hundred thousand coins to raise the threshold and then negotiate. His mental price was thirty thousand coins, but the other party didn't even bargain and just said there was none.

"Deputy Commander Bai, you may leave now," Chen Mo didn't say much more.

"Is County Magistrate Chen trying to become an enemy of General Yuan?" Seeing that the other party even emphasized the word "deputy," Bai Shu's face turned slightly cold.

"I am not trying to be his enemy, but I can't come up with these one hundred thousand coins."

"Can't produce one hundred thousand coins, but surely you can provide a little less, like fifty thousand coins? The refined salt sold to Quanyang County by County Magistrate Chen is priced at as much as one thousand five hundred cents per jin. You should be able to come up with fifty thousand coins, right?" Bai Shu said with a fake smile, his eyes staring intently at Chen Mo.

Chen Mo's expression did not change and calmly said, "I don't understand what Deputy Commander Bai means by this. Someone, see the guest out."

"County Magistrate Chen, do not bring misfortune upon yourself," Bai Shu angrily said.

"Deputy Commander Bai, please."

Sun Meng stepped forward and blocked Bai Shu's way.

Bai Shu gave a push, but Sun Meng did not budge.

Seeing the people in the hall looking like predators, Bai Shu understood that they would rather offend General Yuan than pay this money.

Enraged, Bai Shu flung his hand and said, "Let's go."

Upon walking out of the main hall, a voice drifted from behind, saying, "Deputy Commander Bai, haven't you taken the money yet?"

Chen Mo pointed at the basket of money.

Pretending not to hear it, Bai Shu stormed away angrily.

"Deputy Commander Bai, take care. Oh, and remember to take the heads of those six from yesterday hanging at the city gate as you leave the city," Chen Mo said.

Bai Shu snorted, quickened his pace a bit, and resolved that he would definitely complain to General Yuan upon returning to Qingtian County.

Just about to leave the city.

A whizzing sound suddenly reached Bai Shu's ears.

Turning his head, Bai Shu saw that the man whose head was smashed and bleeding in the main hall had been pierced by an arrow.

When he looked back, he saw a dark shadow slip into the crowd.

Before Bai Shu could react, a loud shout came from behind, "How dare you commit a crime in the city?"

Zhang River, leading a group, charged toward the dark shadow in the crowd, not forgetting to say to Bai Shu, "Deputy Commander Bai, don't worry, I'll catch that criminal and give you an explanation. Chase!"

The group soon vanished from sight.

Bai Shu's expression fluctuated, Criminal? What criminal?

If that person wasn't ordered by Chen Mo, he would not believe it.

This is simply intolerable.

"Let's go," Bai Shu fumed with rage, taking the heads hanging at the city gate with him as he left Pingting County.

...

Government Office.

Zhang River returned, saluted Chen Mo, and said, "County Magistrate, aren't we offending Yuan Youchun to the death by doing this? If he sends troops to attack us..."

Sun Meng, Zhao Daoxian, and others nearby also looked worried.

"He won't. We now go under the name of the Celestial Master Army, and this matter is not our fault. We have the moral high ground; they have no excuse to send troops."

Chen Mo wasn't really afraid of Yuan Youchun. Although their troop numbers were not as many, in terms of overall strength, they were not inferior. Besides, they had built several defensive lines outside the city. If it came to defending the city, Yuan Youchun wouldn't be able to break through.

The only concern was Yang Minggui. If he got involved, things would get busy.

Although concerned, he didn't lose his composure.

After all, he had a backup plan; he could always hide in the mountains if worse came to worst.

After deliberating for a while, Chen Mo said, "Starting today, implement an identity system. If strangers have no proof, they are not allowed to enter the city. The Divine Brave Guard will work in shifts with the constables to strengthen patrols within the city.

After the city gates close at night, anyone who cannot answer the password correctly, even myself, should not be allowed in."

Although Chen Mo wasn't worried about Yuan Youchun sending troops to attack, it was better to be cautious.

"Understood."

…

After finishing instructions at the government office, Chen Mo returned to Fu Ze Village. The paddy fields were growing well, with each grain full. In about ten days, they would be ready to harvest.

By then, while not enough to feed the entire city for a few years, it would be sufficient for the remaining months of this year.

In the city, workers were putting the refined salt into the warehouse, where over ten thousand jin had already been accumulated.

Due to the complete fall of Qingzhou, Quanyang County, too, was on the brink, reducing the quantity they could absorb.

Currently, supply was exceeding demand.

Lu Yuan has been out for more than half a month and hasn't come back yet.

Chen Mo really hopes nothing happens to him.

If Lu Yuan can't get the channel through, it will be troublesome. There are still a hundred thousand pounds of coarse salt in the warehouse, all bought from Qingtian County over these days.

It's not like it would be a loss; salt is a daily necessity. Even if Chen Mo sells it at a low price, he can still sell it off.

However, the strong military initiative would have to be put on hold for the time being.

"Immortal Master Chen."

"Hello, Immortal Master Chen."

"Have you eaten, Immortal Master Chen?"

Returning to the village, the villagers greeted Chen Mo warmly along the way.

These warm greetings were not fake; they were genuine and sincere.

Chen Mo solved their food and shelter problem, ensured their safety, and made their lives better than the peaceful times before.

Now, they even have the leisure to weave some bamboo baskets to sell at the general store for extra income.

If a household has a member in the Divine Brave Guard, they are the envy of others.

Now, everyone in the village sees being a soldier as an honor.

At the Chen Family Mansion, Han Anniang and a group of village women were sitting together. As night fell, it was cool in the mountains, but there were many mosquitoes, so each held a big fan to wave away the pests.

Han Anniang was no longer the gentle and soft-spoken woman she used to be; when Chen Mo was not around, she became a truly independent woman.

She even organized the village women to build a textile factory in the village.

Yes, the textile factory was organized and built single-handedly by Han Anniang, without help from Chen Mo. Except for the first two machines bought from the city, the rest were crafted by artisans based on the purchased machines, and their efficiency was no less than the bought ones.

At this moment, she was discussing with everyone about setting up a small workshop to produce mosquito coils.

Mosquito coils are also known as mosquito incense.

"I heard from others that making mosquito coils isn't difficult. The main material is wormwood, with some realgar added..."

Han Anniang wore a linen skirt, just fresh from a bath, her hair still somewhat wet. She sat on a stool made from a tree stump, her ample hips covering the entire seat, her chest almost bursting out, though she wore a small chest-binding garment underneath, so nothing was exposed.

Song Min squatted nearby, taking advantage of the remaining daylight to do her homework.

The village women were all supportive of Han Anniang's idea, not entirely because she was the Immortal Master Chen's sister-in-law, but also because the textile factory was effective.

Though it had not yet made any money, it was self-sufficient, saving the cost of buying fabrics.

"Alright, since everyone has no objections, let's start tomorrow by collecting wormwood." Han Anniang instructed.

"Immortal Master Chen."

"Lady Han, Immortal Master Chen has returned."

Suddenly, cries from the villagers echoed outside.

"Uncle is back." Upon hearing the news, Han Anniang's face lit up with joy. She put down her fan and immediately went out to greet him, Song Min also put down her homework and followed suit.

As soon as she left the courtyard, she saw the returning Chen Mo. Han Anniang stepped forward, took the Tang blade from Chen Mo's hand, then pulled out a handkerchief from her bosom to wipe the sweat from Chen Mo's face, asking, "Uncle, have you eaten?"

"I have." Chen Mo caught the hand An Niang was using to wipe his sweat, lowered his head, and kissed it lightly.

At that moment, the village women came out from the courtyard. Seeing this scene, they all blushed.

They were not fools; they knew the relationship between the two, but because of Chen Mo's status, they didn't speak of it openly.

They didn't comment but just chuckled a few times before leaving.

Han Anniang gently tapped Chen Mo's shoulder: "You're terrible, making me so embarrassed."

Chen Mo squeezed her hip and released Han Anniang, his gaze turning to Song Min behind them. He walked over, patting her head, and the three of them went home: "Min'Er, how's your homework?"

"Min'Er is quite impressive; the teacher, Mr. Wang, from the school, said she's always first in class," Han Anniang boasted.

"Actually, I wasn't first every time; I was second last time," Song Min said.

"Wow, my Min'Er is so amazing." Like he was holding a daughter, Chen Mo picked up Song Min and spun her around.

Song Min's face turned crimson. After being put down, she shyly said, "I'll go heat some water for Brother Mo."

With that, she ran off.

Han Anniang took care of the Tang blade, came out of the house, and Chen Mo casually remarked, "It seems Min'Er is becoming more sensitive about matters between the sexes."

"Min'Er has started her period." Han Anniang said.

Chen Mo was taken aback; to his knowledge, Min'Er was only about eleven years old.

He wasn't well-versed in women's issues, wondering if it was normal for girls to menstruate so early.

"Isn't it a bit early? Have you seen a doctor?" Chen Mo asked.

"I did. The doctor said it's no problem; Min'Er is just developing a bit early," Han Anniang clarifies.

Chen Mo: "..."

"As long as it's okay." Chen Mo didn't linger on the topic and instead asked about the village affairs.

Han Anniang talked confidently.

The sky gradually darkened.

After freshening up, they returned to their room, and Han Anniang proactively embraced Chen Mo, kissing him.

Chen Mo responded warmly, then picked up Han Anniang, pinned her to the wall, and lifted her skirt...

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