Folklore: Pre-emptive shelter begins with the stomach.

Ta Xueyunshu understood the deeper meaning in the words.

So he chuckled and said, "Here you go."

I, a dignified sergeant, am not one to break the rules.

She reached into her bosom and a bag of disaster stones fell into Feng Mo's hands.

Feng Mo didn't even look at it, and threw it directly to Huang Lao Er.

Huang Lao Er understood immediately, which boosted the temple master's reputation.

He immediately opened the package, checked the contents, and respectfully said:

"Temple Master, there are twenty-five disaster stones, but five are still left over!"

"Okay!" Feng Mo replied.

Then he said to Ta Xueyunshu:

"Since you are so generous, Lord Sibing, please come inside and rest for a while. We will fulfill our duty as temple guardians and provide you and your party with shelter and food."

Huang Lao Er immediately instructed his men, "Open the door!"

And so, Ta Xueyunshu led her men inside the walled compound.

However, they were only allowed to stay in the outer wall area.

Several wooden cabins have been repaired on the exterior wall area in the past few days, which are just right for the group to rest.

Meanwhile, the servants also prepared food for them.

It wasn't anything fancy, but it wasn't exactly a simple meal either; it just wasn't very oily.

Upon seeing these conditions, some members of Ta Xue Yun Shu's group immediately began to complain.

"They gave us the Disaster Stone, and this is all they offered?" Many people began to murmur.

Ta Xueyunshu didn't speak, but just stared at the bowl of water that the servant brought over.

The water was crystal clear, yet it carried a faint, austere scent characteristic of incense.

With her experience, she immediately realized that this water was unusual.

But she didn't think Feng Mo would harm her, so she raised her hand and drank it all in one gulp.

The moment it touched my red lips, a sweet and refreshing fragrance spread in my mouth, instantly sweeping away all the fatigue from my journey.

She, who had previously been indifferent to her subordinates' clamor, now found it all just noise.

"Shut your mouths."

Ta Xueyunshu spoke slowly.

Her voice wasn't loud, but everyone fell silent instantly.

"You've all seen the glowing wild grass we saw in the wild earlier."

Wherever it appears, the number of strange occurrences decreases significantly, which is likely the work of this temple master.

I've also examined his aura; his strength is no less than any of yours, and he should be at the level of a guardian deity protecting the region and temple.

In addition, there are these city walls and these arrow towers.

The Feng family was a prominent family in our Chang'an County. Even the county temple keeper would show them great respect.

"The eldest son of a prominent family, coming to this desolate wilderness to guard a village—that's unheard of. And to have him bring out defensive measures comparable to a town—do you really think they're easy to deal with?"

She shook the porcelain bowl in her hand: "Especially this bowl of talisman water."

After Ta Xueyunshu finished speaking, the soldiers around him immediately understood.

Even if you're not convinced, what can you do?

With so many arrow towers pointing at us, if we really tried, we'd be doomed.

Staying inside these walls, apart from the captain, I doubt any of them would have the ability to escape alive.

Some people even drank the bowl of talisman water and immediately showed expressions of shock.

If Ta Xueyunshu's words only convinced them in their hearts, then this bowl of talisman water made them completely convinced in their bodies as well.

I felt that spending that one disaster stone was absolutely worthwhile.

In Chang'an County, the best-selling Qingxin Powder has the same effect, but a single bottle sells for five disaster stones. The effect of this bowl of talisman water is no less than that of the Qingxin Powder.

Now it not only has good efficacy, but also tastes great!

It didn't have that burning sensation like Qingxin San at all!

……

Inside the Five Internal Organs Temple.

This time, Feng Mo did not meditate, but instead discussed the arrival of the Imperial Guard with Huang Lao Er and Tang Ren.

"Master Huang, you heard what the sergeant said earlier. She was only leading the vanguard, which means a larger force is coming. What are your thoughts on what will happen next?"

"What do you think? In my opinion, something big is definitely going to happen in our Huanjiang River basin! Temple Master, you're new here and don't understand the habits of these scoundrels."

Let alone our whole village!

Even if all the nearby villages were wiped out, they wouldn't go to such lengths.

Huang Lao Er said in a deep voice, "The things that can get them to take action are not simple. Our villages, though called villages, are more like outposts in the town."

When there are no issues, taxes are paid to the higher authorities on time.

When something happens, as you've seen...

Feng Mo's lips twitched.

Also.

The higher-ups ignored the concerns of those below and issued orders to hold the line at all costs.

Not only do they boss people around, they also squeeze every last drop of value out of them.

From this perspective, the unusual behavior of the imperial court must have a purpose.

Huang Lao Er was still rambling on and on.

It was supposed to be a discussion, but in reality, it was just him and Feng Mo talking.

Tang Ren continued fiddling with his divination board, occasionally tilting his head back at a 45-degree angle to feign profundity; no one knew what he was thinking.

Whenever Huang Lao Er asked him to say a few words, he would say, "Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed."

He then gave a mysterious smile, leaving it to the reader to guess.

After such a long period of contact, Feng Mo had long since dispelled the mystique surrounding this mysterious fortune teller who appeared to be a man with kidney deficiency.

Huang Lao Er pulled him along, not wanting to appear awkward by himself.

Therefore, Huang Lao Er didn't count on Tang Ren either.

He added, "I'll keep an eye on those thugs and make sure they don't cause any trouble."

"No." Feng Mo shook his head. "Master Huang, you and Master Tang continue to keep an eye on the movements of the strange disaster from the observation platform. These people from the temple can't cause any trouble."

Since the other party has already made their stance clear, he won't let them suffer.

Moreover, Feng Mo had absolute confidence in his own arrow towers.

……

Early the next morning.

That night, Huang Lao Er was on tenterhooks the whole time.

But just as Feng Mo said, nothing happened that night.

Outside the Five Internal Organs Temple, under the gate.

Feng Mo watched as the sergeant, Ta Xueyunshu, left.

Before leaving, Ta Xueyun Shu turned her head:

"You're lucky you didn't go to Jiangxuan Village."

"Why?" Feng Mo asked.

"For the sake of that bowl of water you gave me yesterday, I'll give you a heads-up. The terrain of the Huanjiang River Basin is unique, and the first-tier monster disaster may be about to upgrade to a second-tier monster disaster."

Huang Lao Er was also in the procession seeing them off.

Upon hearing this, an expression of disbelief instantly appeared on his face.

"The criterion for determining a second-tier calamity is the presence of a third-tier anomaly!"

How is that possible?

"Could a second-tier catastrophe occur in our remote place?"

After Huang Lao Er's reminder, Feng Mo instantly understood:

"Is Captain Levi referring to a third-tier anomaly near Jiangxuan Village?"

"That's right." Ta Xue Yun Shu said coldly, "The reason you're lucky is because you didn't go to Jiang Xuan Village."

It seems the Tang family of Jinjiang and the Huang family of Jiangxia can no longer be contained.

It's all their fault for disobeying orders from the government!

The supernatural calamities love to gravitate towards crowded places; if they huddle together, they probably won't live long.

She waved her hand and was about to lead the team away.

Seeing that she was really about to leave, Feng Mo immediately bowed and said:

"Then I wish Commander Sibing good fortune in battle."

"It's best if you mean it."

After saying this, Ta Xueyunshu led his men away towards Jiangqing Village, until they disappeared into the mountains and forests.

Although this sergeant had little interaction with him, he still brought him a lot of crucial information.

Judging from her words, it seems that the imperial court had long known about the presence of third-order strange entities in the Huanjiang River basin.

To cover up or conceal.

That's what it means.

They probably see these villages as a buffer zone.

If Jiangxuan Village is destroyed, who will be next?

It's just that the order in which they were attacked by strange forces was different.

So, what was the other side's purpose in going to retake Jiangqing Village?

And so the distinguished guest departed.

Feng Mo also returned to his stomach.

Along the way, there was one question that Feng Mo couldn't figure out.

He knew about the tendency of the supernatural disasters to gather in crowded places.

He didn't believe that others wouldn't know.

So he asked Huang Lao Er, who was in a great hurry, for advice.

"That's right, it's common knowledge that strange disasters tend to gather in crowded places."

When trouble comes, banding together is the best solution to deal with common disasters and can minimize casualties.

However, once a more severe calamity occurs, numbers alone cannot compensate for it!

Such behavior, just as that sergeant said, is tantamount to a mass suicide mission!

"I see." Feng Mo suddenly realized.

"Don't worry, before the incident in Jiangxuan Village, this place was relatively safe. Our Jiangbai Village only has about a hundred people at most, so it's not worth being targeted by a second-tier monster disaster."

What Huang Lao Er said was the same as what Feng Mo had guessed.

They were safe before the incident in Jiangxuan Village.

Even Tang Ren consulted a fortune teller about it.

"Master Feng can rest assured, the recent divination results are auspicious."

"What do you mean by 'recent days'?" Feng Mo asked.

Tang Ren shook his head: "My skills are still shallow. I can only guarantee that Jiangbai Village will be safe and sound for three days. After that, the divination will only become more and more inaccurate. At that time, I can only open an altar and calculate again."

With Tang Ren's divination, Feng Mo felt more confident.

During these three days, all he needs to do is build up the defensive fortifications and reinforce the protective stones.