Chapter 162: Bring It Here!

Several days have passed since that sensational Dharma Assembly.

The Incense Pills for this ten-day period were all distributed this morning.

Merchant caravans and wealthy families have been eyeing them for a long time, collecting them through various channels, both openly and covertly.

The caravans do so to resell them at high prices in other provinces and earn greater profits. The wealthy families do so to stock up on life-saving items for their kin.

People of great families are not just in Xinzhou City; they also reside in other provinces of Beidi, and they would not put all their eggs in one basket.

Once they have good things, they will naturally buy a bit more to send over to them.

However, everyone wants to keep good things for themselves!

Those Incense Pills with Dan Patterns are too high-grade, too mysterious, and very few flow into the market.

One can often hear such conversations in the streets: "Can you get hold of Evil-Repelling Pills with Dan Patterns? If one could get a single pill and resell it for Grain Tickets, one could lie flat for the next half year!"

"Those are treasures refined by Qingyi Immortal using magic power! They are Immortal Pills! Even if some flowed into the black market, could they ever reach your hands?"

This is followed by repeated sighs, regretting only that they lack the means and the connections.

"I heard that even if one hasn't joined the City Defense Army, Xianshou Army, or Patrol Guard Division, as long as one has performed great service or accumulated enough merit, one can still be allocated a few this time."

"Sigh! I want to perform service too!"

"I am timid and dare not think of it. I will go back and tell my family to ponder how to perform service!"

The "Immortal Pills" were distributed to various places as a subsidy; apart from some stir in the black market on the initial day, there has been no sound since.

Those willing to trade have already traded, and no matter how many other ideas they have, they can only wait for the next ten-day period.

Evil-Repelling Incense Pills are different from others; these can save one's life out there!

In this chaotic world, those with the rank to be allocated these "Immortal Pills" would not be willing to take them out.

Those who earned rewards through merit are still counting on performing greater service to climb higher. How could they easily take out things related to their future unless absolutely necessary?

Inside Xinzhou City, Neicheng.

In an inconspicuous commoner ward.

Walking through it at random, one can see three or five commoners gathered together chatting. Occasionally, one can even see a dozen or so gathered in the shade.

In this kind of world, the situation of huddling together for survival is very common, and every commoner ward is in a similar situation.

In recent days, when they gather together, they are also talking about the Immortal Pills.

Those who can become the leaders of a small group have some connections, and they also want to use various channels to get a few more Immortal Pills to sell to the merchant caravans at a markup when the caravans become active.

They have already asked, and the caravans are buying those Dan Pills at high prices.

At the same time.

In a seemingly ordinary small room.

Unlike the formation of a dozen people gathering elsewhere, there are only three people in the room, but the topic they are discussing is one that the hundreds of people outside would not even dare to imagine!

A pair of hands covered in calluses peels open the oil paper, revealing round Dan Pills with distinct patterns inside.

"This is the divine object refined by the Daoist of Qingyun Fang, and also the Immortal Pill in the mouths of those people in the ward!"

The one speaking is a middle-aged man, looking neither sturdy nor thin, and he even has a quite honest face; at first glance, he looks like the kind of ordinary laborer common in the streets.

A young man beside him flashes over.

"That's right, it's it! I squeezed to the front row to watch that day, it's the same!"

The young man cannot help but lean in to smell the scent.

"It's this smell!"

He takes a few more deep breaths.

"Smelling it up close, the scent is even more authentic!"

He looks at the Dan Pattern on the Incense Pill, his eyes infatuated.

When he was watching from the side of the Daoist arena that day, he almost revealed his true nature to carry out a robbery!

There is no help for it; one has a conditioned reflex when seeing good things.

"In this Ghost-ridden world, this kind of thing is the most practical!"

As the two speak, they look at the third person in the room, who is also the one sitting in the head seat.

That person looks to be around thirty, strong and powerful, and is actually wearing the clothes of a Clerk!

He usually maintains a hearty appearance when dealing with colleagues, but at this moment, when his face sinks, the gaze that sweeps over between raising his eyes makes one's spine chill, and even his voice carries the roughness of wind and sand eroding rock, seemingly hiding a destructive power: "Rumors in the streets say that the batch of 'Immortal Pills' is only enough for one month?"

The two reply one after another: "That's right! I heard the news from He Da of Jingxing Fang; he was the one who followed that person over back then, the news is absolutely reliable!"

"A brother I know has a good relationship with Tao San of Jingxing Fang, and he also found out. The 'Immortal Pills' are kept in a batch for the nobles, and the rest are distributed to the Xinzhou Army, issued every ten days as rewards and subsidies. I calculated, it can probably only be issued three or four times."

The person sitting in the head seat stares unblinkingly at the Dan Pill in his hand and asks: "Has the Dan medicine been tested?"

The middle-aged man has a look of joy: "Lao Si has already tested it outside; the Plague Ghosts all avoid it. It is definitely good stuff! Among all the Evil-Repelling Incense Pills we have come into contact with, it is absolutely top-tier!"

The person sitting in the head seat places the Dan Pill under his nose and sniffs it carefully.

Even if he does not understand pharmacology, having handled many goods, he can distinguish the superior from the inferior. The question just now was just to confirm if this thing is truly useful against the Plague Ghosts outside.

Hearing the answer he wanted, he says with satisfaction: "That's good!"

The young one beside him has a slightly urgent tone: "Our action must be fast!"

The "Immortal Pills" are issued every ten days, and a lot are issued every ten days.

It has already been issued once; if they want to get the quantity they are satisfied with, they cannot wait too long.

They have already regarded the "Immortal Pills" as their own; how can they continue to give their own things to others?

The more they think about it, the more unwilling they are!

Being so urgent, yet not worried, is because they have the confidence to act!

Originally, what they were eyeing were medicinal materials. Food? They can go and raid villages.

Although many towns and villages are already desolate, now, surrounding the major cities of Xinzhou, many new villages have been organized one after another, distributing fields and planting crops.

The Xinzhou Army patrols near the villages from time to time to hunt down Plague Ghosts. But their group are not mindless, stupid things like Plague Ghosts; it is effortless for them to bypass the Xinzhou Army's line of sight to rob farmers.

Their group had snuck into Xinzhou City a long time ago.

Back then, as soon as they heard about the Evil Plague and that there were Ghosts outside, it was so terrifying that of course they hid away immediately!

Wherever the officials and nobles gathered, that is where they hid! Those people were all in Xinzhou City, so they hid in Xinzhou City too!

During the two years they spent hiding in Xinzhou City, they did not just sit around doing nothing.

The beginning of a chaotic era is exactly when people are needed; they have planted their own men in the City Defense Army, the hunting armies, and even as servants and laborers for some wealthy families.

Except for the Patrol Guard Division.

When that place, the Patrol Guard Division, selects people, they check backgrounds too thoroughly, so they were unable to infiltrate it.

Although they did not officially get in, they could still make contact through some roundabout methods.

So, over these two years, they have thoroughly familiarized themselves with every part of Xinzhou and have been preparing to "do something big."

Holding back for two years has been long enough; the planned operation was originally targeting the Zhao Family's Granary, as that is where the best goods are. Even if they cannot use them themselves, they can sell them to others.

Rob Lao Zhao's Granary and run!

Send troops to catch them?

Can the supplies keep up?

Right now, all of Xinzhou's supplies must be saved for the autumn Xianshou Army.

The Xianshou Army strikes outward; one reason is to clear threats while the Plague Ghosts are in a weakened state, and the other is to pry open granaries everywhere. The grain inside granaries, big or small, would just rot if left outside.

As long as the Xianshou Army survives that initial period, they earn as they fight afterward. Not only do they find food, but they can also scavenge a bit more for their families.

Why is the Xianshou Army so proactive? Because they can scavenge things!

Gold, silver, and wealth might not be practical enough right now, but if left for future generations, should the world ever become peaceful, they would be immensely useful!

Therefore, after figuring out the current situation, their group never intended to continue staying in Xinzhou; they also want to learn from the Mishou Army and go outside to scavenge for wealth.

The original plan was to act during the Autumn Hunt; after the Xianshou Army heads out, they will pull off a heist and run, fleeing to other places outside Xinzhou.

There are plenty of areas in Beidi that haven't been searched yet. Anyway, the imperial court has no one left now, and Xinzhou won't spare any cost to hunt them down.

They can run away safely and boldly!

Perhaps once they run out and find a good place, they can continue to develop and grow. If they set their sights a bit higher, maybe they could even become the seventh power of Beidi?

At this moment, the three people in the room have already begun to look toward the future, imagining their good life to come.

The "Immortal Pill" is the startup capital for their venture!

The leader smelled the scent of the Incense Pill, like a jackal staring at a piece of delicious meat, his eyes flashing with greedy, murderous light.

He said in a rough voice: "Xinzhou City uses the Ward System; the ward gates open and close at set times, keep that in mind."

While his mouth said "keep in mind," seemingly reminding them to be cautious, there was not a hint of hesitation or struggle on his face, only the viciousness of someone seeing profit and wanting to plunder it!

The three continued to plot their wild operation, which fits the characteristics of their Xinzhou Horse Bandits perfectly—they just love this kind of violent aesthetic that is as swift as thunder!

If they could make a name for themselves by stepping on Xinzhou, that would be even better!

The connections and relationships accumulated over two years, and various channels both overt and covert, can all be used now. Anyway, they are all one-time use; use them and discard them.

This kind of "Immortal Pill" is small in volume and doesn't take up space; they can each carry a box on their backs, and there will be no burden when they speed away!

Selling this stuff to merchant caravans can exchange for quite a few good items. Merchant caravans travel frequently during the autumn and winter seasons, making it easy to offload the Incense Pill.

Good things won't end up stuck in their hands.

Lightweight, practical!

A god-tier Incense Pill, huh?

A rare-to-see Immortal Pill, huh?

Priceless and in high demand, huh?

Hand it over!!