Forge a path to success.

Chapter 365 Abundant Harvest (5)

The moment the guard spoke up, Ji Huaisu leaped high into the air. She knocked the strange guard unconscious with one punch, and with her other hand, she reached out to grab Feifeide.

Fifede hurriedly summoned his divine shield, but this time the pale green light was torn apart. It was the Disintegration Technique that had transformed into Shadow Claws! Ji Huaisu used the Shadow Claws to tear a gash, grabbed Fifede by the back of the neck, and slammed him against the wall.

"What are you doing, sneaking around like that? If you don't want to die, you'd better tell me the truth!" Ji Huaisu threatened, releasing a terrifying killing intent.

"Pop!" Fife let out a high-pitched, mouse-like squeak. Even with his astonishingly large frame, this farmer was ultimately no warrior. Those who hadn't experienced a battlefield of carnage couldn't withstand such an aura! "Captain Lingfeng, help! Pop!"

Ji Huaisu suddenly threw aside Feifeide and leaped back. Two flashes of cold light streaked past, embedding themselves in the thick wall like knives cutting butter. They were two long, narrow, rainbow-colored sleeve arrows; if she hadn't acted in time, her hands would be pinned to the wall right now.

Having her whereabouts discovered, Ji Huaisu simply summoned her Azure Armor for protection. As she changed, she threw a punch covered by her gauntlets, only to be met by the back of another person's fist, which lashed out with a powerful gust of wind. The clash of fists triggered two opposing elemental forces, causing an extremely cold wind to sweep through the corridor!
Ji Huaisu cautiously retreated, withdrawing her fist. The flickering light illuminated the attacker's figure. It was a slender, short-haired woman clad in black wooden soft armor, her face concealed by a half-covering helmet. Several points of cold light gleamed between her fingers—invisible blades of wind. Invisible razor blades were wrapped around her fists.

Ji Huaisu waved his hand: "That's quite insidious, and it doesn't quite fit with the mainstream ideology of your city-state."

“Only nobles and idiots would consider morality and justice. In the military factory, practicality comes first.” Captain Lingfeng raised his hand, as if to salute. “Fourth Captain Lingfeng, you are hereby arrested for attempted manslaughter.”

Ji Huaisu jerked her head back, and a thin blade of wind grazed her nose. The movement wasn't a greeting at all, but rather a sneak attack from Ling Feng. She unleashed a dense barrage of lightning in response, but Ling Feng vanished silently, the lightning only piercing through the mirage-like illusion.

The communicator vibrated violently: "Please evacuate immediately. The fourth team is also responsible for the internal purge of the city-state; they are actually the assassination squad of Jing Sha."

"I can already sense it...!"

Ji Huaisu sensed a flash of light; it was Ling Feng, who had instantly appeared in his blind spot, using elemental transformation to achieve short-distance teleportation.

She swung her shadow blade, unleashing a wide-area slash, but Lingfeng floated up as lightly as a piece of paper. Lingfeng used the same trick again, throwing a rainbow-colored hidden arrow. Ji Huaisu completely disregarded her image, rolling and dodging, knowing that she couldn't withstand the attack of the Anti-Rainbow at this moment.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Lingfeng moved closer and unleashed a three-stage combo of elbow, fist, and fingertips. Ji Huaisu managed to withstand the initial elbow strike with a light shield and endure the subsequent blows with her jade armor. However, a sudden burst of pain erupted within her body a moment later, and the agonizing sensation of blood loss left her mind blank.

The area struck by Lingfeng was glowing, and the light burst forth, forming rainbow-colored flowers on her body.

"Can you feel it? This flower absorbs your emotions, making it most effective against those who have ascended to the Supreme Path," Lingfeng said. "Let me tell you something else. If you tear this flower apart, you'll become an idiot due to the emotional turmoil. So, stop trying to pull any tricks...!"

Ji Huaisu ignored her and forcefully mobilized her power to prepare for a thunderstorm. However, Ling Feng swung out a slender, whip-like soft sword, which dragged a long trail of light and bound her.

New flowers bloomed upon contact, and the chaotic flow of emotions caused Ji Huaisu a pain akin to her internal organs rupturing. At that moment, Ling Feng clenched her fist and smashed it towards the rainbow-colored flower!
"Stop right now, Captain Lingfeng! We're not murderers!"

Lingfeng's fist stopped in front of the flower. She withdrew her fist, turned around, and silently looked at Feifeide, who had finally caught her breath.

"They're all manufacturing weapons illegally, and you still dare to say that..."

“That’s a different matter,” Phifide gasped. “Both sides are fighting for the city-state! We’re working so hard not to hurt good people! *Kiss*

Lingfeng waved her hand dismissively and stepped aside. Fife, rubbing her neck, floated over and said in a deep voice, "You have your reasons for opposing the bill, and we have our reasons for supporting independence. If you really want to oppose us, please understand the whole picture first. This is also for those behind you!"

Having seen many storms, Ji Huaisu remained calm: "Alright, let's see what other tricks you have up your sleeve."

"Come with me!"

Fifi stormed off, and Lingfeng gave Ji Huaisu a hard shove, pulling on the rope to drag her after her. Ji Huaisu muttered under her breath as they walked, which inexplicably irritated Lingfeng: "What are you planning to do now?"

“It’s nothing, I’m just holding a grudge. On the night of July 30th, Fourth Captain Ling Feng abused his power, beating innocent tourists three times, slashing innocent tourists twice, attempting to assassinate innocent tourists twice, and maliciously restraining innocent tourists with ropes once…” Ji Huaisu said with a smile, “You’re a public servant too, how come you haven’t developed good habits? You need to keep a good record of all the law enforcement processes, we’ll need it for reconciliation later.” Without saying a word, Ling Feng kicked her, and Ji Huaisu shouted, “Beating innocent tourists four times!”

"Enough, Captain Lingfeng! You're supposed to be the captain of the Divine Guard!"

Lingfeng said coldly, "It's her fault for irritating me."

Fifi sighed inwardly, thinking that of all the people who could be captain, it had to be this crazy woman from Supreme Road. It led the two down to the fifth basement level, into a sealed space made of one-way transparent material. The floor was covered with hamster cages of various sizes, all open, and the imprisoned citizens were nowhere to be found.

"This is the first stop for the volunteers who have come underground. You must be wondering why they volunteered to work here, right? I'll tell you the reason now."

Suddenly, the enclosed space lit up, the light focusing on the wall and projecting an old black-and-white photograph. It depicted withered fruit trees, barren soil, and a listless, elderly oxen. Small animals in the fields, their fur dry, lined up to receive cool water and shriveled dried fruit.

Ji Huaisu frowned. She was very familiar with poverty and could tell at a glance that this was not a lie. The citizens' eyes were filled with confusion and fear, anxieties about an uncertain future.

"Is this a historical famine?"

"History?" Lingfeng shook her head. "You really know nothing about city-states!"

The projection turned to color, transforming the black and white of history into the familiar colors of reality. The frame of the photograph shattered, and the camera zoomed out to reveal more of the scene. There was more than one line for receiving relief food; the fields were almost entirely filled with long queues. On the few open spaces, first-aid tents were set up, and numerous wounded soldiers groaned in their hospital beds, while their families wept from hunger.

Lingfeng stood next to the "old photo" and sneered, "Let me tell you when this history is from. This is the fourth lineage from 20 years ago!"

Ji Huaisu was utterly astonished: "20 years? This is the city-state of Jingsha!"

Anyone who heard this would find it absurd, for Thorns was the place furthest from famine in the world. Its land was fertile, its produce abundant, and it served as the granary for the entire Allied forces. How could anyone starve in a place where a handful of seeds could grow into fruit?
“I know what you’re thinking. If farmers cultivate the land normally in the city-state, they won’t starve to death,” Phifed said. “That’s true! But this conclusion is based on the premise that the farmers can cultivate the land normally. And the farmers of our city-state are also the manufacturers of weapons!”

Ji Huaisu suddenly realized his mistake, and Fei Feide said seriously, "The city-state of Jingsha takes turns guarding the front line of the desperate war, rotating every 30 years, with each rotation lasting a full ten years. During the 20 years when it is not responsible for the war, Jingsha can ensure its self-sufficiency. But once the war comes, our fields will be completely transformed from farmland into arsenals, and what is planted in the fields will no longer be fruit, but war plants!"

Of course, the Jing Sha Kingdom has its own reserves. We will gradually accumulate food over 20 years, maintaining a balance between farming and fighting in the early stages of the war to sustain basic needs… However, maintaining this balance is actually very difficult. The operation of this system depends entirely on Lord Shenshu's 30-year development plan for the city-state, and once the war reaches a stalemate and the supply balance is broken, misfortune will occur like an avalanche.

"Twenty years ago, the attacks from the heretics were extremely fierce, and our situation was further exacerbated by the loss of divine support. In order to protect our city-state, we had no choice but to mobilize all our resources and devote ourselves entirely to the production of war plants... At that time, the Thorn Robe was not differentiated by vein, and even the great nobles of Mansa Star Castle were growing vegetables! It took us so much effort to finally hold this front line!"
But after the victory, the good days didn't come... Our camp was filled with weapons, and our food supplies were almost exhausted. We had to use the remaining weapons as emergency rations. The dried fruit you see in the photos are actually weapons hastily made into food. But relying solely on eating guns and cannons couldn't feed 17 billion people!

“At that time, a great famine was almost upon us, but the people of Jingsha were demoralized. The citizens, who had just survived for ten years, were no longer able to cope with the disaster that was about to follow,” Lingfeng said. “But just as you thought, the famine did not actually happen. This is the city-state of Jingsha, and we always have the help of the divine tree.”

The projected image changed; the barren fields became fertile again, and new buds sprouted from the withered fruit trees. The autumn fields welcomed an unprecedented harvest, and people filled their stomachs thanks to this miraculous harvest.

But miracles always come at a price. Unseen by the public, Old Jing Sha lay ill in bed. He had once appeared to be a fairly robust man, but with the arrival of the harvest, he became emaciated and pale. For the harvest had once again given its strength, feeding the starving commoners.

"We survived, once again thanks to the divine tree's sacrifice," Lingfeng said coldly. "But what about next time? And the time after that? Will the war be so fortunate? Will the divine tree still possess such power?"

"Times have changed too fast. The once solid righteous defense line is now reduced to a city-state that can barely hold on. We have appealed countless times for the support of the Jing Sha, but Longquan Township is willing to help but is far away. Shura Island is powerful but is plagued by internal strife. Wuchendi and Paradise are too busy to take care of themselves, and the legendary other righteous force is still silent inside the Heavenly Prison."

What else can we do? What else can Jing Sha do?

Lingfeng sneered, "Let me make myself clear. These farces in the Fourth Lineage's underground are preparations for war after independence. While Parriman himself is undoubtedly a scoundrel, the city-state chose Parrimanism to save itself. The Divine Tree won't last another ten years; we can only rely on our own strength to protect the city-state!!"

(End of this chapter)