If people starved for days and saw no hope, what would they do?
The citizens of Jinzhou City had an answer at this moment!
Typically compliant, the citizens now completely blocked the County Government Office, and it wasn't just there; at the gate, people also senselessly stormed in.
If Liang Sheng were here, he would recognize many among the crowd wearing headbands and appearing the most agitated were monks who had previously come to the city with Jinshan Temple for funerals.
They incited the citizens sporadically, and after speaking, they quickly moved and shifted, never exposing themselves.
For a short while, there was an uproar outside the County Government Office yet its main gate remained tightly closed, with a group of constables blocking everyone.
Outside in a secluded corner near the county office, Master Hongzhi and a few others watched the activities of the office expressionlessly.
"Once Zheng Wanchun appears, we will be ready to act," said the speaker, Yang Laifa, the leader and Protector of the No-Life Sect.
As he spoke, he glanced at Master Hongzhi, his tone even, "Master Hongzhi, when will your master, the saint monk Xuan Ji, arrive?"
Hearing this, Master Hongzhi couldn't help but frown slightly, his tone somewhat harsh, "Jinshan Temple merely cooperates with you, we are not your subordinates; there's no need to report my master's whereabouts to you."
When Master Hongzhi said this, Yang Laifa only furrowed his brows slightly, but the other men's eyes nearly shot flames, which were quelled by Yang Laifa's gaze and a calming gesture.
"Master Hongzhi, my apologies for my harsh words, I sincerely appreciate the assistance your temple provided by sending your fellow monks into the city."
Hearing this, Master Hongzhi's mood somewhat improved, and he reined in his emotions, then spoke, "My master said the situation in the city has been a bit unusual lately, he feels uneasy about it, hence he decided to wait and see what happens."
"Hmm? Your master doesn't plan to act with us?"
Yang Laifa was puzzled and then nodded, "Since your master said so, we will delay our plan, as Jinshan Temple has been rooted in Jinzhou City for many years and knows the situation here better than us."
Finishing, he turned to another subordinate, "Inform our men not to take any action for now, just watch and see."
"Protector..."
This follower of the No-Life Sect clearly became anxious, but seeing Yang Laifa's look, he could only reluctantly accept the order.
He quickly moved to where the citizens were causing trouble, lowered his head, and mingled into the crowd. Then, after locating their spy, he whispered instructions and swiftly led people away.
The chaos among the citizens was too great, so the constables and clerks did not notice them, considering these furious commoners somewhat crazy.
Master Hongzhi hadn't expected Yang Laifa to make such a decision, which increased his regard for them. Remembering the recent encounter outside Liang Sheng's residence where the other side had given him face, his expression also eased.
"Protector Yang, as our sides cooperate now, we naturally need to work closely. This is a critical matter; we can only act when we are one hundred percent sure."
Seeing this, Yang Laifa smiled, "Master Hongzhi, don't worry about any reluctance on my part; my Holy Sect has been planning for centuries and naturally will not be hasty."
Hearing this, Master Hongzhi said no more, glancing toward the rioting citizens, he couldn't help but give a cold laugh.
The citizens starve, but what will these aristocratic families do about it?
Eventually, Yang Laifa and Master Hongzhi, along with their group, withdrew along the alleys. Meanwhile, atop a tall building outside the county office, a few people watched the rioting crowd calmly—it was Xia Zhiqiu, Liang Ying, and Wu Chang.
"County Lord, since the No-Life Sect has not acted for such a long time, it seems to be spontaneous behavior by the citizens. Should we distribute the grain from our stores?"
Wu Chang couldn't help but suggest. Despite the grain shops being largely destroyed in the markets, the aristocratic families and the county government still possessed large quantities of grain.
This is what it means to be a noble family, after all—able to stand for hundreds of years, how could they not have corresponding preventive measures?
At this moment, Xia Zhiqiu shook his head, "It's not time yet, the No-Life Sect hasn't appeared, and whatever we do now is useless."
Upon hearing this, Liang Ying and Wu Chang said no more. Since the County Lord himself had said so, why should they meddle further?
Afterwards, the group discussed their respective responsibilities briefly before Liang Ying and Wu Chang took their leave. They dared not stay away from their family for too long, especially since Jinzhou City was in too much chaos at the moment.
Not long after they left, Zheng Wanchun went upstairs. Without turning around, Xia Zhiqiu immediately asked, "Has the State Governor's office sent a letter yet?"
"Sir," Zheng Wanchun said, his voice tinged with excitement, "the Dragon Suppression Guard has already reached twenty miles outside Jinzhou City, hiding in Miaoshan."
"Good, let them be prepared at any time. The No-Life Sect must be making their move soon since we've sent them such a big 'gift' to force their early exposure. I assume these rats on the street won't be able to endure much longer."
"Yes, sir!"
Zheng Wanchun's expression was fervent. The Lord was a man destined for great things, and perhaps no one would have expected that the demise of the County Lord wasn't the work of the No-Life Sect.
At this moment, Xia Zhiqiu looked down at the entirety of Jinzhou City, a slight smile playing at his lips, "I want to see just how long you all can endure!"
...
During the turmoil in Jinzhou City, Liang Sheng remained hidden within his mansion, daring not make any unnecessary movements. However, despite being an outsider, he saw many things that the players inside the chaos could not.
The Liang Family had been moving frequently and fighting incessantly. The area of the Liang Family was filled with white mourning banners and sounds of sorrowful cries, far more than usual.
One day, during a brief moment of calm, Liang Sheng stealthily ventured into the Wu Family's area to investigate and found that their situation was similar.
Overall, amid this turmoil, the County Government Office suffered the least. Even though the County Lord was killed, Liang Sheng found his death to be extremely suspicious.
Why had the No-Life Sect not declared their involvement in the previous deaths of the secretary and qianshi? Why choose to reveal themselves at a critical moment?
Once Liang Sheng pieced together the entire course of events, he spotted the discrepancies. Over these three months, both the Liang and Wu Families suffered severe losses, and the followers of the No-Life Sect also suffered countless casualties.
However, the County Government Office, aside from losing several "important figures," did not lose much military power—it was as if everything was within their grasp.
The last time the Shengde Building was smashed and incurred significant losses, fortunately, there were no casualties. At that time, Zheng Wanchun even came to visit Liang Sheng who was relieved to find him unharmed.
However, thinking back to Zheng Wanchun's meaningful glance at the time, Liang Sheng became even more certain that the upheaval within Jinzhou City was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.
Yet, this made Liang Sheng feel even more at ease. Since that was the case, it meant that there was a power struggle from all sides. They surely wouldn't spend their efforts on him, a "useless" individual.
After all, during the previous chaos in Jinzhou City, the No-Life Sect didn't come after him, and now, as the final battle approached, why would they care about someone as insignificant as him?
At this moment, Liang Sheng also gained more confidence. Even if there truly were any accidents, he now had the ability to defend himself and not just be a lamb waiting for slaughter.
After months of arduous cultivation, his Unmoving Ming King Seal had finally advanced to the third layer. It took him a full ten years to progress from the second layer to the third.
Without the advantage of starting from a high realm that the Talent of Innocent Foolishness provided, his cultivation was extremely slow, but the breakthrough of the Unmoving Ming King Seal brought him astonishing benefits.
His Golden Dragon Technique was finally about to break through the "eighth" layer, meaning Liang Sheng was about to break through the Post-Natal "Eighth" Level.
At that time, his strength could compare to Wu Chang and Zheng Wanchun. How many in the city could match him?