It all started with one person becoming a shaman, but the Stand user...

But for them, the current situation is already much better than before.

On the open ground outside the dilapidated temple, several women specially recruited by Qinghe Miao were carefully scrubbing several large iron pots.

At the same time, they were also looking after several makeshift stoves.

Make sure there are still embers of firewood left below, so that they don't start a wildfire or go out completely.

It can also provide some warmth for those who are resting.

Even though many people were clearing away the ruins and moving the debris nearby,

But even as she mechanically worked, she couldn't help but frequently turn her head, her gaze eagerly fixed on the large pots being washed.

Many poor families today used to eat only two meals a day, or even just one.

Nowadays, Qinghe Miao not only gets two hot porridge meals a day, but also some delicious and exquisite pickled vegetable dumplings to go with his rice.

After finishing work in the evening, you can also receive a small portion of food.

This means that as long as you don't slack off, you basically won't starve to death this winter!

This was an incredible blessing and a great guarantee for them.

Of course, precisely because of this bottom-line guarantee of not starving to death, some problems have begun to emerge.

Most of these disaster victims did not have decent tools, so they were not very fast at working.

At this moment, the thought that as long as the status quo is maintained and there is work to do and food to eat every day, some people can't help but start to have ulterior motives.

Don't assume that ordinary people are too simple and honest, especially when faced with life-or-death situations.

They will instinctively make the choice that is most beneficial to themselves.

Leaving aside other matters...

Even during a regular workday, who hasn't slacked off at some point?

Chapter 43 A Scene Full of Vitality

In the absence of clear additional incentives and with concerns about uncertainty about the future.

An implicit consensus appears to be forming among some of the disaster victims.

What if we work too fast or too hard and finish the job before winter is over?

Does the Taoist priest think that so many people are no longer needed?

Who will go and who will stay?

Moreover, even if there is work to be done later, right now it's just easy work like weeding and moving gravel.

Women and children can do it too, so everyone can make a living.

But what if we move to the next stage and have to do some heavy physical labor? What will happen to the women and children?

Could I possibly have a bowl of porridge?

Therefore, with Qinghe Miao intentionally ignoring the situation, many people tacitly slowed down their work pace, maintaining a subtle rhythm.

In a way, Qinghe Miao also wanted this state.

So they knew perfectly well what was going on, but chose to turn a blind eye.

As a person from the future, how could he not know the efficiency of eating from a large pot?

The main rule at present is that a reasonable reason is needed to ensure that these people do not starve to death.

Moreover, the progress is not fast.

But through everyone's daily labor, the ruins of the temple gradually changed their appearance.

Most of the weeds were cleared away, and the scattered rubble and tiles were gathered to one side.

The outline of the foundation, which was originally buried, is still faintly visible.

Some people have even started using firewood and tree trunks to repair the existing house walls along the cleared boundaries of the courtyard.

The outline of a building slowly emerged in the cold winter.

Just as Qinghe Miao finished his work with the disaster victims and returned to his room, preparing to exit the instance as usual.

He habitually released the stand-ins first and, as usual, checked the surrounding area.

Being able to exit the instance is his last trump card, and naturally, the fewer people who know about it, the better.

However, just as the stand-in finished searching, Qinghe Miao's brows suddenly furrowed; he had unexpectedly made a discovery today.

"I have connections!"

It's not an illusion.

He really does have connections above him.

Through the Stand's perspective, he saw a figure lying motionless on the roof of his room, close to the ridge and in the shadows!

The man was thin and dressed in tattered clothes indistinguishable from those of the disaster victims. He had deliberately covered himself with some withered yellow straw as a disguise, and his breathing was suppressed to a very low and slow tone as he spied on him.

If the Stand weren't incorporeal and able to float on the house, it would almost look like an inanimate object.

When Qinghe Miao suddenly caught his face, she was startled.

"Who is this person?"

Qing Hemiao was startled, and then a surge of anger and fear welled up inside him.

He immediately cancelled his plan to exit the instance and, without hesitation, shouted:

"You hiding thing, get down here!"

The moment the shout left his mouth, the Stand [Red Hot Chili Pepper] that had been waiting beside him was activated instantly!

The Stand's arm, invisible to ordinary people and crackling with tiny electric sparks, gripped his collar with the precision of iron clamps, and then yanked him down without mercy!

"Whoosh—Bang!"

Thatch and gravel flew everywhere, accompanied by a short cry of surprise and a dull thud as a heavy object fell to the ground.

A gaunt, dusty man was forcibly pulled down from the not-too-high roof and crashed heavily onto the muddy floor of the side room, raising a cloud of dust.

Almost the instant the stand-in grabbed his collar, a system notification flashed through Qing Hemiao's mind:

[You have inflicted minor physical damage on the LV6 bandit...]

"Oh! Grandpa, have mercy! Grandpa, have mercy!"

The man, who had been thrown to the ground in a disheveled state, hadn't even seen who had done it before he felt an irresistible force rip him off.

They immediately made a very professional response.

Ignoring the pain, he skillfully shouted, "Grandpa, spare me!"

He appeared clean and efficient, making it obvious at a glance that this wasn't his first time doing this kind of thing.

Qinghe Miao glanced at the word "bandits" in the system notification, lost in thought.

He immediately stepped forward and unceremoniously stomped on the man's chest, pressing down on his upper body as he tried to lift it.

You could feel the fear and trembling beneath that frail body.

"Speak!"

Qinghe Miao's voice was not loud; she first tried asking a question:

"What are you doing?"

"Grandpa! Taoist Grandpa! I... I was just starving! There was no other way to survive at home, so I resorted to this desperate measure... Please forgive me this time! I'll never do it again!"

The bandit was being trampled so hard he could hardly breathe, his face turning red. He spoke rapidly, looking pitiful, with tears streaming down his face.

Then comes the pleading and begging.

No matter how Qinghe Miao asked, this person kept repeating the same excuse, insisting that he was extremely hungry.

If it weren't for the clear labeling in the system, he would almost have believed it.

By this time, a large number of disaster victims who had been disturbed by the commotion had gathered outside the room.

They watched from afar, whispering among themselves, but no one dared to come in.

Seeing this, Qinghe Miao hesitated for a moment, then bent down and grabbed the bandit by the back of the neck like dragging a dead dog.

Ignoring the bandit's exaggerated wails, they dragged him directly from inside the house to outside.

Ignoring the stares of the people around him, Qing Hemiao looked up and scanned the area, finding a young man who was usually quite clever and somewhat familiar, and waved to him.

The young man quickly jogged over and respectfully lowered his hands.

"I'd like to trouble you to make an errand."

Qinghe Miao pointed in the direction of Huangjiabao at the foot of the mountain:

"Go and ask Manager Huang Liu to come over. Tell him you need his help with something."

"Yes, Daoist Master!"

The young man dared not delay, nodded in agreement, turned around and ran down the mountain, his figure quickly disappearing on the mountain road.

Qinghe Miao ignored the bandits' incessant pleas for mercy and simply continued to tread steadily, patiently waiting.

He kept one Stand by his side for self-defense, while releasing the others.

Look around to see if there are any other suspicious people.

When the bandit realized that begging for mercy was having no effect, he tried to struggle or explain, but the pressure on his chest made him unable to move.

He could only gasp for breath in vain, his eyes darting around, seemingly plotting something.

After about the time it takes to drink a few cups of tea, the sound of donkey hooves and shouts came from the mountain path.

Huang Liu rode a sturdier little donkey, accompanied by two men wielding sticks, and hurriedly arrived at the dilapidated temple.

He nimbly jumped off the donkey's back, strode quickly to Qing Hemiao, and bowed with clasped hands in greeting:

"Master Qingmiao, you called for me? Has something happened?"

His gaze then fell on the thin man who was being trampled under Qing Hemiao's feet, and his brows furrowed slightly.

I wonder what this has to do with him?

Seeing Huang Liu arrive, Qing He Miao withdrew his double, loosened his grip slightly but didn't move away completely, kicked the bandit, and said to Huang Liu:

“Manager Huang, you’ve come at just the right time. I was meditating in my room when I noticed something unusual on the roof and captured this scoundrel. He claims to be a starving peasant who came to steal food, but he doesn’t seem like an ordinary vagrant. Manager Huang, you’ve lived here for a long time and know the people around here. Could you please take a look and see if you recognize him?”

Huang Liu was puzzled when he heard this.

I don't know why you would contact him about something like this?

They assumed that Qinghe Miao was used to ordering people around, and were slightly dissatisfied.

But he still stepped forward and carefully examined the person's face and clothes on the ground, even reaching out to pinch the person's bones and muscles.

Chapter 44 Wow, the experience points are coming on their own!

During this time, the bandit's eyes darted around, and it was unclear what he was planning.

Qinghe Miao snorted coldly and increased the pressure on his feet.

The bandit let out a miserable groan and could no longer utter a word.

Huang Liu searched the bandit's body for a while, paying particular attention to his belt, the inside of his clothes, and the seams of his shoes. His expression became serious.

Soon, he pulled out a small piece of roughly tanned animal hide from the lining of the other person's undergarments.

When unfolded, it shows some simple patterns drawn with a certain paint.

Huang Liu held the animal hide close to his eyes and examined it carefully for a moment. Then he looked at the person on the ground and a look of understanding appeared on his face.