Folklore: Pre-emptive shelter begins with the stomach.

And so, Feng Fugui and his daughter finished their conversation.

After paying their respects at the only remaining temple in Jiangbai Village, they took Feng Nuonian back with them.

Before parting, Feng Nuonian asked again if they needed any manpower.

After thinking for a moment, Feng Mo asked Tang Ren and Huang Lao Er to select some manpower.

Both of them agreed, reasoning that it would be easier to get things done with more people.

……

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

Feng Mo hasn't been idle during this time either. Besides cultivating, he has also spent a lot of "protection stones" in advance to add an extra layer of protection to the city wall.

After all, once the outer city walls are damaged, they can only be repaired by offerings of incense.

He also knew that incense offerings relied entirely on people's sacrifices, which were far less tangible than the relief stones.

That day, Feng Nuonian came to see him again, saying that he wanted to hold a council meeting in Jiangbai Village. There would be news about other villages besides Jiangqing Village, which had been destroyed. The other two major families would also be present, and the meeting place would be in the Feng family mansion.

I thought about it.

One cannot be completely isolated from information.

So Feng Mo agreed.

……

The main road of Jiangbai Village.

After a few days, the village is still the same as before.

However, due to the rampant evil, far fewer people went out.

Those who remain in the village now are mostly beggars or refugees who have fled from nearby villages; their numbers are significantly greater than when Feng Mo last saw them.

Looking at these refugees, Feng Nuonian asked Xiaoqing to take Dazhuang and Erzhuang to distribute some grain.

Although it wasn't much, it wasn't enough to starve them to death.

She couldn't help but feel worried:

"Recently, strange disasters have been occurring frequently, and Jiangbai Village has also encountered a severe drought."

"Springtime is usually a rainy season, isn't this a bit unusual?" Since the other party took the initiative to ask, Feng Mo voiced the doubt that had been weighing on his mind.

It's not that there won't be droughts in the spring.

However, Huanjiang is a large river basin, and even Jiangbai Village, which is located near Huanjiang, has suffered from drought.

This is clearly not normal.

"Miss Nuonian, is this also due to the calamity?"

Feng Nuonian nodded: "Yes, Jiangbai Village experiences drought every three to five years. This is only the beginning of the drought, and it's already like this."

Is it only once every three to five years?

It sounds like a long interval, but in this chaotic world, how many three- to five-year periods does a person have?

Not many, but not few either.

"How did you spend the year in previous years?"

"Just grit your teeth and it'll pass..." Feng Nuonian's face showed pity.

"Temples rely on incense offerings, and at this time of year, our family branch would open its granaries to distribute food and provide relief."

Although they weren't full, they weren't starving to death.

But now that natural disasters and supernatural calamities have collided, the situation is completely different...

We were unable to go out to store water, and trade with caravans completely ceased.

I'm afraid this year will be very difficult to get through.

Feng Mo nodded, finally gaining some understanding of this natural disaster.

Looking at the roadside, it wasn't just the Feng family helping the refugees; the Huang and Tang families had also sent people over.

This reminded him of the gray wheat he had grown; thankfully, he had the foresight to do so.

The gray wheat is growing well now, which may alleviate the food crisis in Jiangbai Village.

……

Along the way, the villagers of Jiangbai Village saw Feng Mo,

They became exceptionally affectionate, their previous distance gone.

They all brought out their best food and supplies, even if they were struggling financially, they still wanted to give them away.

Knowing that Feng Mo refused to accept it, they then used the name of "Master of the Five Internal Organs".

These were all offerings to the Five Internal Organs God, and as the temple master, he naturally could not refuse them.

It was just a short stroll through the streets.

The once empty carriage was now crammed with all sorts of food and miscellaneous items.

……

And so, they arrived at the Feng family mansion.

Today, of the three temples that originally stood in Jiangbai Village, two have been destroyed.

It's all thanks to the single pillar of our digestive system.

The Feng family, which was originally the least prominent of the three major families, has also risen in status.

Therefore, the meeting place was decided to be the Feng family's residence.

The core issue of this meeting was about the neighboring villages of Jiangzhu and Jiangxuan.

And so the discussions began.

At this point, Feng Mo learned that the neighboring Jiangzhu Village had also suffered a strange calamity.

Moreover, it has a second-order weirdness.

Last night, Jiangzhu Village, unable to withstand the strange calamity, has already sought refuge with Jiangxuan Village.

Now, Jiangxuan Village has sent people to inquire about Jiangbai Village's wishes, hoping that they can also merge with it and overcome the difficulties together.

This has sparked heated debate among many senior members of the family.

"I think it's possible. Jiangxuan Village was once the most powerful village in the Huanjiang River Basin."

This terrifying disaster can only be overcome by working together.

The speaker was Huang Zuozhang, the patriarch of the Huang family in Jiangxia. He was a burly man with a scar on his eye, dressed in coarse linen clothes, looking extremely casual, like a rough man from the roadside.

Feng Mo clearly sensed that his aura was extremely powerful.

He wasn't a martial artist; he was probably a cultivator, like Huang Lao Er, who practiced the traditions of the Xisang Temple.

His words sparked a great deal of discussion among the crowd.

But an elderly voice interrupted him:

"No, our Jiangbai Village is downstream, while the other village is upstream."

The journey was dozens of kilometers long, and the migration took a day and a night.

"It's manageable during the day, but what about at night?! Isn't this just sending the people of Jiangbai Village to their deaths?!"

The one who refuted him was Tang Qinglian, the head of the Tang family in Jinjiang.

A tall, thin man, dressed in a white robe similar to Tang Ren's at the time, but with a few more auspicious embroidered patterns.

"You think I didn't think of that?"

How many could die? Given the current situation, it's better than everyone dying!

Huang slammed his left hand on the table with a deafening roar.

"This lineage can't just fall into my hands like this, can it?!"

Our ancestors passed down their knowledge from generation to generation, but instead of seeking a way out, are you content with this?!

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire room fell silent.

The two held their own opinions and refused to give in.

As a result, everyone's eyes turned to Feng Fugui.

It's time for the Feng family patriarch to speak.

Feng Fugui's forehead was covered with large beads of sweat; he was under immense pressure at that moment.

But he remained silent.

Although he was the patriarch of this branch, he dared not utter a single word unless Feng Mo gave the order.

Nowadays, the Feng family is centered around Feng Mo.

He knew in his heart that this discussion would determine the future direction of Jiangbai Village.

But Feng Mo was just there to observe and never intended to speak.

Finally, Feng Nuonian slowly spoke up:

"Now, the only remaining temple is the Feng family's Five Stomachs Temple. How about we hear what Temple Master Feng has to say?"

With her words, everyone's eyes immediately turned to Feng Mo.

Everyone knows who's in charge within the Feng family right now.

Feng Mo was the most important person to the host family.

Seeing that the atmosphere had reached this point, Feng Mo said directly, "I...I won't go."

Upon hearing this,

The Feng father and daughter were not surprised.

Even the entire Feng family thought it was perfectly normal.

In this way, based on the proportion of willingness, the ratio of going to staying is two to one, so those who should stay should stay in the village.

But at this moment, Huang Zuozhang refused to listen:

"Hehe, this is tantamount to courting death."

Since you are so stubborn, I'll just tell you one more thing.

The message brought back by our clan's assassins says that there was more than one second-tier monster that attacked Jiangzhu Village that night!

In other words, this includes the one Jiang Baicun encountered.

There are at least three second-order bizarre creatures in our Huanjiang River basin!

This is just what we've seen.

What I can't see is something I don't even dare to imagine!

His words caused the slightly relaxed atmosphere to freeze again.

Huang Zuozhang continued, "I don't care what you do."

At dawn tomorrow, I will lead my people to migrate to Jiangxuan Village.

I have solved the problem of traveling at night.

Our branch prepared hundreds of paper figures and enough money to pay for our lives! That was enough to get us to Jiangxuan Village!

It's up to you whether you stay or leave!

If you are willing to follow us, we can also protect you along the way.

"Really!?" Tang Qinglian was somewhat incredulous.

"Absolutely true!" Huang Zuozhang replied decisively.

Feng Fugui didn't dare to breathe loudly, and his eyes secretly glanced at Feng Mo.

Feng Mo remained calm and expressionless.

But at this moment, Tang Qinglian, who had originally intended to stay behind, suddenly changed his mind.

"In that case, I am willing to follow."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the discussion, except for Feng Mo, was astonished.

The Huang family left, and that was that.

The Tang family's statement means that two of the three major families will be leaving!

Jiangbai Village is in a precarious situation.