43-Tense County.

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The spot on the street designated for posting official notices was crowded with passersby. A bailiff from the yamen held a bronze gong, struck it heavily, and shouted loudly.

"Gentlemen, young and old, come over here! The County Magistrate has issued an urgent notice. Starting today, all citizens, with household registration, can purchase grain in limited quantities at a fixed price. Each household is restricted to a maximum of two pounds of grain per day. Additionally, due to rebel forces causing chaos outside, the County Magistrate has decided to conscript soldiers to protect the city. Every household must provide one male—no exceptions."

Each time the bailiff struck the gong, he repeated the contents of the notice in a loud voice.

Zhong Lin's brows furrowed slightly. "Conscription? Grain rationing? Has it gotten this tense outside?"

The people depend on food as their heaven. When grain starts becoming an issue, it's essentially a sign that things have rotted to their most dangerous point.

Now, with both conscription and grain limits, it was clear that the natural disasters and military conflicts outside were overwhelming even the County Magistrate.

At the same time, Zhong Lin felt fortunate that he had bought enough grain in advance. Otherwise, he'd be in trouble too.

Ignoring the bustling streets, Zhong Lin quickened his pace toward Xu's Clinic.

Compared to the busyness of the past few days, Xu Lewu was now sitting leisurely in a grandmaster chair, sipping tea. Only one apprentice was nearby, sweeping the floor.

"Little Zhong's here."

Seeing Zhong Lin arrive, Xu Lewu didn't get up. He simply placed his purple clay teapot on the table.

"You old coot sure know how to relax. It's practically a uproar out there," Zhong Lin said with a laugh.

"Thanks to you, I've got enough grain at home. As for conscription, they can't possibly expect an old bag of bones like me to go to the battlefield, right?" Xu Lewu replied nonchalantly.

Zhong Lin didn't say much more. He tossed a black cloth bundle over.

Xu Lewu caught it and weighed it in his hand, his old face breaking into a grin that resembled a chrysanthemum.

"That's it for this month. Next month, you could prepare more of other things—like hemostatic powder. It's getting chaotic out there, and stuff like that should sell well."

Xu Lewu nodded thoughtfully. "Makes sense. I'll prepare some later, and next time you can take a batch to test the waters."

"You could also tweak your recipe a bit. Replace salvia with gorgon fruit and astragalus. The efficacy won't drop much, but you'll save at least three qian of silver on costs," Zhong Lin continued.

"Gorgon fruit, astragalus…" Xu Lewu stroked his beard, mulling it over. "Gorgon fruit's called the ginseng of the water, and paired with astragalus, it's not a bad idea. I'll try it out and see how much of each to use."

"Three qian of gorgon fruit, ten qian of astragalus."

Xu Lewu rolled his eyes. "What do you know? With herbs, a tiny misstep can lead to disaster. Sometimes an extra qian of a good medicine can turn it into poison. You… wait, how do you know my Eight Treasures Blood-Replenishing Soup uses salvia?"

Xu Lewu suddenly caught on, eyeing Zhong Lin warily, as if his most precious treasure had been stolen.

"Angelica, rehmannia, poria, cistanche, raspberry, dodder seed, privet fruit, polygonatum… need me to keep going?" Zhong Lin said with a smirk.

"You, you, you…"

Xu Lewu couldn't sit still anymore. He stared at Zhong Lin with a mix of shock and fear, his hands trembling.

"It's just a qi-boosting, blood-replenishing recipe—not some pill formula. What's the big deal? I'm off."

With that, Zhong Lin turned and left Xu's Clinic without looking back. On his way out, he snatched two medical books from Xu Lewu's table, leaving the old man dumbfounded.

"What a calamity! I should've been nicer to him. Now he's cracked my recipe. I wonder if he'll still get medicine from me in the future." 

Xu Lewu sank into a tangle of frustration.

…

"There's a ruthless figure outside named Guo Yanhuai. He first gathered the eighteen strongholds of Heishan for a summit, beat all the bandit leaders into submission, and took control of the eighteen bandit groups. Then, using the promise of opening granaries to distribute food, he attracted countless refugees to join him. Under his unified command, he's actually gained momentum."

"A while back, the County Magistrate led the city's reserve army, but Guo Yanhuai cut off their grain supply route. Then, experts raided them at night and burned the reserve army's provisions. With morale in chaos, Guo Yanhuai launched a full assault, and the reserve army suffered a crushing defeat. That's why the County Magistrate issued the conscription and grain-rationing orders."

Old Zhou sighed and continued, "My nephew's a squad leader in the reserve army. He's the one who told me this—it's legit. We're really in trouble this time."

Zhong Lin nodded. The reserve army had already lost once. If this conscription effort succeeded, fine. But if they lost again, the rebels would come straight for the county seat.

"Zhong Lin, the city's getting more chaotic by the day. Try not to go out unless you have to these days. Keep that little brother of yours home too—don't send him to school. Just stay put. Heishan County's dangerous now," Old Zhou said gravely.

"I get it. You take care too."

"Don't worry. This is the yamen, after all. Unless the rebels breach the city gates, no one dares cause trouble here," Old Zhou said with a wave of his hand.

Leaving the yamen, Zhong Lin's expression was heavy. He wasn't pondering whether the County Magistrate or Guo Yanhuai would win, but how he'd protect himself if things truly went south.

"Should I take Little Shi out of the city and back to Xiahe Village to take shelter?"

"No, grain's hard to transport, and if we ran into rebels, that'd be even more dangerous."

"On the contrary, the city still has some basic order. With my Eighth Rank strength, as long as I don't stir up too much trouble, I can protect myself easily and keep Little Shi safe too."

"The worst-case scenario is Guo Yanhuai wins and Heishan County falls. That'd be a real mess."

A flicker of worry passed through Zhong Lin's eyes. Books and movies from his past life had taught him about the plight of civilians in wartime—especially when rebels stormed a city.

Burning, killing, looting, countless deaths.

Every imaginable sin would likely emerge in such a place.

"No rush. There's still time, and these are just my guesses. Who wins or loses isn't certain yet. In chaotic times, martial strength reigns. What I need to do now is keep training in martial arts. The Seventh Rank Bone-Forging Realm grants a thousand pounds of strength, bones like refined steel. If I can reach Seventh Rank, even if I encounter rebels, I could easily get Little Shi out safely."

Zhong Lin's thoughts raced, but his heart settled.

…

Time passed, and the atmosphere in Heishan County grew increasingly tense.

Grain shortages, forced conscription, rampant gangs…

The entire county felt like a powder keg, ready to explode with the tiniest spark.

Zhong Lin rarely left the house these days, spending his time practicing martial arts at home or reading when he got tired.

He kept Little Shi home too, teaching him basic fist techniques to build a foundation. Little Shi was still young, his bones not yet fully developed, so he wasn't ready for serious martial arts training, but basic fists were fine.

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