Chapter 372: News of War

"The Liehuo Fawang's strength far exceeds the True Qi Realm?

And he is also injured??

He is actually recuperating in Heimu Prefecture?

This news is quite explosive!"

Cheng Feng slowly savored the news he had just obtained.

He also took the opportunity to sort out the internal structure of the Red Lotus Sect.

Liu Zheng was only a small fry at the Blood Refining Stage, but he had been in the sect for quite some time,

and through constant exposure, he had learned a lot of information unknown to outsiders.

The origins of the Red Lotus Sect could not be verified, but at least it was known that there was a Sect Leader leading it.

Under his command were two Travelers, the Four Great Dharma Kings, and the Eight Great War Generals; these were considered the upper echelons.

The lower-level envoys and backbone members were countless.

According to a more formal ranking of strength, Red Lotus Envoys were basically all in the Organ Refining Realm.

The War Generals were in the True Qi Realm.

The Dharma Kings were said to be experts in the Hua Gang Realm.

As for anything further up, Liu Zheng did not know.

Yet even this information shocked Cheng Feng quite a bit.

The Red Lotus Sect was so powerful, yet they were still losing ground against the corrupt Great Zhou Dynasty and could not strike in one breath to march straight to the capital.

One could imagine the strength of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

And the motto of the Red Lotus Sect was:

"The Great Zhou has no virtue, the Red Lotus saves the world."

In this era where reputation was everything,

the Great Zhou Dynasty and the aristocratic clans divided the world between them.

The channels for upward mobility were controlled by each.

How could those from humble backgrounds ever get ahead?

Waves surged in Cheng Feng's heart; this information was like a giant rock thrown into a calm lake, stirring up layers of ripples.

The scale of the Red Lotus Sect's power far exceeded his imagination.

A Dharma King in the Hua Gang Realm was an existence like an overlord, even when placed in the context of an entire prefecture city.

Generally, a prefecture city was only suppressed by a Martial Artist in the True Qi Realm.

And that mysterious Sect Leader made him feel even more awe.

"The Great Zhou has no virtue, the Red Lotus saves the world..." Cheng Feng repeated this slogan in a low voice, a flash of deep thought in his eyes.

This was not just a simple slogan, but the cry of countless grassroots people dissatisfied with the status quo and longing for change.

In this world where the strong are respected, how difficult is it for an ordinary person to turn their life around?

He remembered his own past experiences; if he hadn't met that talking big fish, Autumn Water.

If he hadn't obtained the silver from the nameless skeleton in the canyon river to pave the way,

he feared he would still be lost and helpless if he wanted to gain a foothold in this chaotic world.

He wouldn't even be able to walk out of Qingxi County, right?

"It seems I must work even harder." Cheng Feng swore to himself, a firm light flickering in his eyes.

Just then, a burst of hurried footsteps came from outside the door.

Immediately after, a figure pushed the door open.

"Brother Feng, it's bad! The Red Lotus Army has set out, and their direction is pointed straight at Qingyang County!"

Wang Hu looked nervous, his tone carrying a hint of urgency.

Thanks to Cheng Feng's suggestion, carrier pigeons were no longer the patent of large clans.

Previously, the small and humble Hong Sect also had its own means of communication.

Cheng Feng frowned, and a sense of foreboding surged in his heart.

At this time, the Red Lotus Army was setting out to march.

Could it be related to the news about the Liehuo Fawang in Heimu Prefecture?

This was a world of extraordinary Martial Dao; with an army pressing down, it was impossible for there to be no Martial Artists fighting.

Qingyang County was in front of Qingxi County; even at the army's marching pace, it would only take three days.

"Three days, that's enough."

Cheng Feng muttered.

As the person behind the Hong Sect, preserving his own strength first was the way to go.

"Pass down the order: all Hong Sect disciples and their families are to relocate in secret. The location is the site of Black Wind Stronghold.

That place is easy to defend and hard to attack. As long as we run fast enough, the Red Lotus Army shouldn't care about targets like us.

Additionally, take out eighty percent of all the silver on the Hong Sect's books and buy it all as daily necessities.

Rice, flour, grain, oil, cloth, livestock, and all kinds of seeds—I want them all.

Buy as much as you can.

Split up the manpower to buy them; do not draw attention.

Anyone who dares to leak the news, die!!!"

Seeing Cheng Feng so calm and composed, Wang Hu no longer felt so panicked.

And Wei Zhuang, having received the news, made the same arrangements.

He even added that bran and coarse grains could be made into ready-to-eat flatbreads at home.

This would make them easier to retrieve, transport, and store.

With a great war approaching, no one can survive on their own.

Cheng Feng did not participate much in these specific measures;

he only listened to some of the plans and was satisfied as long as the general direction was sound.

For the Hong Sect, which had not yet fully grown, the most important thing was to keep a low profile.

To clash with a fully organized military force at this time—

wouldn't that be courting death?

Fortunately, he had the Sun.

Of the thirty-six stratagems, fleeing is the best.

The disciples of the Hong Sect had been arranged properly,

and his own family naturally had to be moved to Heimu Prefecture as well.

At the very least, to get to Heimu Prefecture, one had to pass through Lianshan Prefecture.

With so many mouths to feed, as long as Lianshan Prefecture City could hold them off, a year or two should be no problem, right?

Cheng Feng asked himself if he had exhausted all his methods over these two years.

He had also thought long and hard about his sources of income.

He feared that if he brought out things that would change the world too much, it would invite prying eyes from the shadows.

Even his liquor was sold in tiers,

and he only dared to trade Snow Salt in secret.

He did not even dare to flaunt his earnings.

He kept things under control once his own private desires were satisfied.

Cheng Feng, who only wanted to protect his own life,

had walked step by step to this point under the influence of his surroundings.

However, a large-scale war involving tens of thousands of organized troops—

Cheng Feng only dared to think about it.

If he were to truly see so many flesh-and-blood bodies slaughtering each other in a quagmire of gore,

a scene of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, with blood flowing like oars, about to unfold before him—

just thinking about it made him shudder.

Cheng Feng still felt a sense of melancholy in his heart.

He had originally thought that becoming a gang leader was already a sign of success.

Eating well and drinking well,

having wine, meat, and women—

this life was truly enjoyable.

But after not even two years of good life, why had war arrived?!

At this moment, Cheng Feng also felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

He sat on an expensive wooden chair, his hands clenched tightly, and his eyes revealed a trace of confusion and exhaustion.

He recalled his experiences over the past two years, from a small fish vendor to a gang leader;

he had experienced too much wind and rain, too many struggles.

"Brother Feng, the brothers are all ready to go, just waiting for your word."

Behind him, a trusted subordinate reported respectfully, his voice carrying a trace of imperceptible trembling.

Clearly, even these veterans who had been struggling in the underworld for years found it difficult to remain absolutely calm in the face of the coming war.

War was not just about being brave and ruthless to seize territory.

Cheng Feng turned around, his gaze like a torch, scanning the subordinates before him.

In their eyes, there was both fear of the unknown and absolute trust in their Lao Da.

Cheng Feng felt a complex mix of emotions; he knew that this battle concerned not only his own survival but also the livelihoods, and even the lives, of the thousands of people behind him.

"Pass the word down: everyone get ready, but unless it is an absolute last resort, we must not initiate conflict. Maintain total silence."

Cheng Feng pondered for a moment before finally issuing the order; his voice was steady and powerful, attempting to provide a sense of stability to everyone in this turbulent time.

However, Cheng Feng knew in his heart that this was merely a futile struggle.

In this chaotic world, it was almost impossible to protect only oneself.

Those high-and-mighty big shots, for the sake of their own interests, had long since treated this land as a chessboard,

and they, the small characters at the bottom, were nothing more than pieces on the board, their lives and deaths left to the heavens, their fates unpredictable.