Twilight Boundary-Chapter 532 - 523: Chaotic World and Grassroots

The matter began in Xiaoliang County.

A group of Truth Sect Followers, responsible for a dozen or so villages and towns in the southeast, had made a long sweep around the area. They encountered some turbulence during the grain collection, but not enough to hinder them from successfully escorting dozens of carts full of grain back.

They could have returned directly to Mingzhou Prefecture to report back, but unexpectedly, as they rounded a bend in the mountains, they spotted a dozen or so farm households nestled there, and decided to ride over to collect grain.

This was a small village with few people, but those who dared to cultivate and farm here were notably fierce. They didn’t rent from landlords, nor did they acknowledge any officials, so when someone came to seize their grain, they immediately grabbed their spears and hoes to fight back.

With the villagers’ bravery, even mountain bandits would suffer losses here. Unfortunately, these villagers were out of luck, as the leader happened to be a Vice Altar Master of the Truth Sect.

Seeing the villagers charging at them, he let out a cold laugh. Suddenly, with a guttural cry, he opened his mouth and spat out a black little ghost from his belly. The creature was slimy all over and shrieked chaotically, exuding a terrifying aura that made one shiver despite the daylight.

Riding on his horse, the Vice Altar Master shouted, "My son, if only we had this grain earlier, you wouldn’t have starved to death..."

With this shout, the black little ghost was filled with resentment and charged at the strong men among the villagers, waving its tiny arms and legs wildly. Despite the villagers’ bravery, they were terrified out of their wits by this little ghost.

"Our Truth Sect acts according to the rules, with a tax official accompanying us. Anyone who does not comply, try facing the blade."

The Vice Altar Master looked on with satisfaction as the little ghost terrified the able-bodied men who dared to fight with tools. He sat high on his horse, commanding sternly, "If you obediently hand over the grain, we only take four out of the ten dan in your barn. If you refuse to hand over the grain and dare to use weapons, you will be executed by Righteous Skill on the spot, and everything will be confiscated."

With his shout, the sect members behind him, along with the riffraff soldiers conscripted from various states and counties to assist with grain transport, surged forward to attack this Manor. They broke pots, smashed tiles, and ransacked everything of value, leaving nothing behind.

The villagers were already scared out of their wits. But seeing their grain being seized, they also knew that at this rate, they would starve. So, terrified, they knelt, kowtowing repeatedly.

Seeing the old men cry and the mothers wail, even the minor tax official dragged along by the Truth Sect couldn’t bear it and turned away. But the Truth Sect Followers didn’t care. Instead, many of them raised their knives, staring intently at the villagers, just waiting for them to resist.

Along the way, such incidents were common for them. Many didn’t want to hand over their grain, but how could ordinary villagers compare to the Strange Skill of the Truth Sect’s Vice Altar Master?

The first time they encountered resistance, they had been somewhat hesitant, but after killing enough people, their eyes had turned red. Far from fearing resistance, they hoped for more excitement.

This time, however, it seemed the Vice Altar Master had directly used his trump card, making these mud-legged peasants too scared to fight back, merely kowtowing. It left the followers feeling somewhat unsatisfied.

Just then, a loud shout rang out, "Where do you demon people come from, daring to impersonate tax officials and seize the grain our fellow villagers rely on to survive?"

Along with the shout, from the other side of the mountain pass, the CLATTER of footsteps mixed with horse hooves arose. Soon, a person on horseback galloped over like lightning.

The horse was extremely fast, and the rider was exceptionally fierce and swift, wielding a gleaming, swift saber. Taking advantage of the horse’s momentum and with formidable ferocity, he swung the blade down, crossing the Vice Altar Master’s path before he could even react.

SLICE!

The rider on horseback chopped off a head, catching it as it fell. Blood gushed from the headless corpse beside him, drenching the rider.

The remaining Truth Sect Followers, along with the minor tax official who had come with them, were left wide-eyed and speechless.

By the time they reacted and tried to fight back, they heard a large force charging over the mountain pass—dozens of horses and three to five hundred men, all armed, closely following behind.

Among them, half wore armor and wielded regulation swords or long spears, exuding a terrifying aura. They quickly surrounded those who had come to collect grain, aiming earth crossbows, hard bows, spears, and pikes at them.

"Spare me, great king..."

The minor tax official was terrified to see such a force appear from the mountains.

"They killed our Vice Altar Master just like that?"

The followers under the Altar Master were also shaken to see one of their own slain. Under such disadvantage, they dared not make a move. Instead, they clenched their teeth and stared intently at the man on horseback:

"Fine, very fine! I didn’t know Mingzhou Prefecture had such a hero. But know this: by raising your hand today, you must face the consequences!"

"Men like us just can’t stand by and watch such things."

Yang Gong, sitting on horseback, squinted slightly. He extended his saber and pressed it against the Truth Sect follower’s neck, saying, "You won’t be able to collect the grain in these mountains. Even if you did, you wouldn’t get it out."

"An Altar Master came, an Altar Master died. Even if your General came..."

"...he’d still have to leave his head behind!"

The Truth Sect follower, though his life was on the line, remained expressionless. "I will pass on your words."

"You’re a bold one. State your name, so we can report to the General when we return."

"Go ahead!"

Yang Gong snorted coldly. "My surname is Yang, given name Gong, and my nickname is the food-protection general! I’ll be waiting right here in these mountains. My only fear is that he won’t come!"

The man nodded. Showing no intention of fighting, he and the others left the dozen or so carts of grain behind and turned to leave. The villagers stood in a daze for a long time before they suddenly erupted in cheers.

Yang Gong, holding the Altar Master’s head, ordered his men to distribute three carts’ worth of the recovered grain. They kept the rest and escorted it back to their village. Upon returning to his village, Yang Gong went directly to see his Old Taishan and reported, "The task is complete."

"I killed the Altar Master with the most blood on his hands, made my name known, and reclaimed the grain."

"Should I pile it in the warehouse, or...?"

"Why store it?"

Yang Gong’s Old Taishan replied, "Our village has saved up enough grain in recent years to eat our fill. Let’s not be greedy for this bit. Distribute the grain you got back to those villages that were emptied."

"Let them eat their fill for once, but don’t give them too much surplus. Just tell them that outsiders will come to snatch grain again. If they’re real men, they should come and help."

Yang Gong understood and laughed, agreeing as he left. He had been doing similar things repeatedly these past few days. Unexpectedly, his Old Taishan suddenly remembered something and called out, "Wait a moment."

"How have you been thinking about what I asked you to ponder before?"

"Are you asking about all the times I’ve risked my life these past few years, how many times I nearly died?"

Yang Gong listened and replied with a bitter smile, "Old Taishan, I haven’t hidden it from you. I am a disciple of Red Fragrance, always gambling my life for wealth and status. The times I’ve nearly lost my life are countless."

"However, if we’re talking about truly hanging by a thread, on the verge of death, there were two instances. One was at Niu Family Bay, snatching Blood Food from the green clothes gang. The other was in Green Stone Town, fighting bandits."

"Both times, I thought I was done for, but I was lucky enough to have good brothers help me. Not only did I survive, but I also benefited. After the Niu Family Bay incident, the Lady favored me. And after fighting the bandits, didn’t I become your good son-in-law?"

"Not much of a son-in-law," the Old Taishan snorted coldly, shaking his head. "If you were, why didn’t you listen when I tried to teach you reading, writing, and military strategy?" But Yang Gong’s words had indeed given him food for thought.

With significant events approaching, he had sought a fortune teller to divine his son-in-law’s fate.

The result was astonishing. The fortune teller said his son-in-law’s fate was as light and insignificant as a weed, not at all like someone destined for greatness.

Yet, just when Old Taishan was thinking he had chosen the wrong man, the fortune teller added, "But precisely because his fate is so light and insignificant, the fact that he has survived, and even achieved such prosperity, makes things rather uncanny..."

"You should ask, old sir, if this child has a noble benefactor by his side?"

Old Taishan pondered. Certain words came to mind, but he ultimately decided to leave them unsaid, merely inquiring, "If I remember correctly, both times you were saved, it was by the same person?"

"This time, the one who sent word telling us to prepare, that people would come to seize grain—that was also this brother of yours, wasn’t it?"

"Of course, it was him!" Yang Gong laughed. "Old Taishan, do you have any more hidden daughters?"

"I can’t hog all the good fortune for myself; I want to share some with him."

"Get out!"

The Old Taishan pointed calmly towards the door and added, "Also, whatever you do in the future, do it boldly!"

Yang Gong happily went out. But Old Taishan sighed to himself, A pity. I’m too old to have more children, otherwise... TSK...

Yang Gong went out and acted according to his Old Taishan’s words. This immediately roused the able-bodied men from several neighboring villages. They grabbed their weapons, eager to follow the food-protection general and deal with the Truth Sect Followers who came to seize grain.

Similar events were spreading. The people of Mingzhou Prefecture, who had been suffocating under the Truth Sect’s grain collection, suddenly seemed to find new vigor. Their courage swelled considerably, and it even became a trend for many to join the resistance.

At the same time, the news that a Truth Sect Vice Altar Master had been killed in the mountains quickly spread throughout Mingzhou Prefecture. Hearing that someone was openly resisting and attacking the Truth Sect’s grain supervision team seemed almost unbelievable.

Ultimately, a command from the Heavenly Destiny General in Mingzhou Prefecture mobilized the scattered grain collection and tax personnel from all over Mingzhou, directing them to converge on this mountain region.

As more people gathered, the killing intent intensified, rolling forward in a tumultuous wave, ready to clash.