Folklore: Pre-emptive shelter begins with the stomach.

Su Huaisang gave a brief introduction of himself.

It was clear that she was quite pleased to see her brother-in-law.

The Gongwu Su clan also believed in the chivalrous spirit of using martial arts to suppress the True Lord.

The True Lord passed down twelve lineages, most of which were inherited by prominent families in various regions.

Some aristocratic families would fight each other over the inheritance of their lineage, and even fight for the sake of unifying the lineage of the True Lord they believed in.

Some prominent families would form alliances through marriage to ensure the continuation of their lineage.

The Gongwu Su family and the Shiping Feng family belong to the latter.

It was precisely because of this kinship that Su Huaisang treated Feng Mo with great friendliness.

Her eyes held a hint of tenderness as she placed her hand on her full, firm waist.

Even without deliberate expression, her innate charm is undeniable.

It was precisely because of this relationship that Feng Mo wanted the other party to stay as a guest.

However, Su Huaisang declined, citing the upcoming trial and his busy schedule: "The trial begins tomorrow, and I will definitely be quite busy then, so I won't stay in the temple to rest."

She bit her lip lightly, her tone tinged with regret, "Let's do it another day."

"Alright, another day, then." Feng Mo readily agreed, cupping his hands in a gesture of respect. "Then I won't keep my distinguished guest any longer."

"Hmm." Su Huaisang nodded slightly with her beautiful eyes and added.

"Brother-in-law, you don't need to worry about those scions of noble families."

Although they act arrogantly and domineeringly, this trial is presided over by the imperial court, so they naturally cannot cause any trouble.

There's nothing I can do about you inside.

If they're outside, their families will probably exert pressure on the Feng family of Shiping.

Feng Mo nodded slowly.

With Su Huaisang's confirmation, he believed it was a good thing even more.

Perhaps these scions of aristocratic families are not considered top-tier in terms of strength.

But he had no room for doubt about the power struggles.

After comforting Feng Mo, Su Huaisang turned and left the temple of five stomachs.

Unlike the other young men from prominent families who came in groups, she was alone from beginning to end.

She walked away without looking back.

……

"Temple Master, what should we do?"

After the person had completely gone far away, Huang Lao Er breathed a sigh of relief and asked.

The tense atmosphere just now put him under immense pressure.

In contrast, Feng Mo remained calm and composed: "Do it the way you always do it."

"What if these scions of noble families come again?"

"Of course you're welcome, just pay the disaster stones according to the rules." Feng Mo said gently, but his attitude changed abruptly the next moment, "If you really dare to cause trouble, according to the village rules, we'll kill you."

Upon hearing this, Huang Lao Er felt a pang of unease: "But they are a prestigious family..."

"They are from a prominent family, and so am I," Feng Mo smiled slightly. "If the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up."

Feng Mo's meaning is quite clear.

Just shift all the blame to the Feng family of Shiping in Chang'an County.

He established his own household in Jiangbai Village and recruited talents, all under the name and authority of the Feng family of Shiping.

Even if someone is killed now, does that mean it doesn't count as an order from the Feng family of Shiping?

There are rules to follow when it comes to killing.

By diverting the blame, he can stay in this desolate wilderness; who can do anything to him?

Something really happened.

At worst, we can invite them to Wuzangmiao for a cup of tea and a tour of the towering arrow towers.

Of course, he didn't believe that these scions of noble families had the guts.

Even when a dozen or so people gathered together, they didn't dare to really cause trouble. Now that they've dispersed, they can't stir up any waves at all.

……

The eternal night has completely faded away, and the old year has given way to a new one.

The trial has officially begun.

The first trial was the preparation period.

The first week is given to the sons of noble families to build temples and construct defenses.

After all, they had to rely on temples to ward off evil spirits and disasters.

Whether it's arrow towers or walls, the most time-consuming aspect of construction is time.

When faced with a second-tier calamity, the vast majority of aristocratic families share a great deal of tacit understanding.

Each county has sixteen trial slots, and exactly sixteen people will ultimately be granted official titles.

This is no coincidence.

Rather, it was a deliberate act by the government.

The goal was to unite the scions of prominent families in the same county to jointly resist the strange disaster.

In some counties, the sons of prominent families followed suit.

However, some people don't think so.

After all, there are too many counterfeit goods in the same county, and if a disaster strikes, they will inevitably be dragged down.

Some even choose to join forces with powerful families, completely disregarding kinship ties and only associating with the sons of strong and influential clans!

Similarly, some people believe they are so capable that they don't need to associate with others at all.

After all, the calamities have a strong desire to attack settlements; the more people there are, the bigger the target becomes.

In the end, it's really hard to say who will survive.

In this way, the scions of the four major counties were split into countless teams.

They were scattered throughout the Huanjiang River basin, each ruling their own territory.

Some aristocratic families relied on mountains for support, occupying strategically important locations;

Some were built along the water, solely to seize a geographical advantage.

As for the scions of prominent families in Chang'an County, their goals were very clear, and they seemed to be the most united, perhaps because their strength was not as great as that of other counties.

After what happened last night.

The other seven prominent families in Chang'an County had long since given up hope on Feng Mo.

But that doesn’t mean Feng Mo can’t be used by them.

Led by the Lanling family, led by Xiao Chui Gongzi, who was the most arrogant in Wuzhan Temple yesterday.

He immediately put forward his own proposal.

With Jiangbai Village as the core, a sophisticated defense line was set up around it.

If the defenses are breached and cannot be held any longer, you can give up and seek help from other temples.

Given the nature of such unpredictable events, they will surely turn around and attack Jiangbai Village.

This way, other temples won't feel any pressure.

The pressure won't disappear; it will only shift to Jiangbai Village.

Xiao Chui was very satisfied with the plan.

This can be considered a lesson for Feng Mo!

His plan quickly gained the unanimous approval of the other scions of prominent families.

According to the trial rules, as long as the temple's shrine is still standing, even if the temple is destroyed, it does not count as being eliminated.

However, at that moment, a female voice raised a question.

"Young Master Lanling's plan is certainly good, but what if Jiangbai Village can't hold out?"

The speaker was Su Huaisang.

The moment she opened her mouth, she instantly became the focus of everyone's attention.

More than questions were about her beautiful figure and appearance.

Lanling Gongzi also feigned composure and said loudly, "If we can't hold on any longer, we can just band together again."

Our Lanling family is a lineage descended from the True Lord of All Taboos.

Coincidentally, my lineage is related to the Temple of Moving Mountains and Ridges, which involves some skills in moving mountains and unloading ridges.

At that time, a family secret technique will be used to gather everyone's buildings together.

"At that time, what problem can't we solve? We'll definitely be able to overcome any difficulties!"

Well-reasoned and supported by evidence.

His words instantly gave everyone confidence.

This provides double protection!

"So, Miss Su, you don't need to worry."

My family has made all the necessary preparations for this investiture ceremony.

The architect brought two people with him.

There is one first-order and another second-order.

Not only that… but they also brought a first-tier array master!

Upon hearing the word "second-tier architect," everyone was already surprised.

Upon hearing the words "array master," everyone was utterly terrified.

Judging from the reactions of the crowd, the value of these two identities is self-evident.

In ordinary families, there are usually only one or two architects.

But he, the young master of Lanling, brought the architect along as a servant.

This is enough to show the profound heritage of the Lanling family.

Among them, formation masters are particularly adept at dealing with strange disasters and strengthening defenses.

It is a profession that can easily rank among the top ten in the world of arts and crafts.

With this guarantee from the young master of Lanling, the scions of many noble families were quite satisfied.

At the same time, they were also very grateful for Lanling Gongzi's actions.

"Young Master Lanling is truly a role model for us all!"

"That's right! Compared to the likes of the Feng family from Shiping, they cherish our hometown ties even more!"

"We owe you this favor, Young Master Lanling!"

"Hmm—!" With so many people praising him, Young Master Lanling couldn't help but let out a smug hum.

He craves praise, fame, and fortune—that's the feeling he wants!

With such a powerful background, many people in other counties also wanted to win him over.

However, he rejected them all.

After all, within Chang'an County, the Lanling family still held considerable influence.

However, this advantage is lost in other counties.

He prefers to stand out from the crowd rather than be a foil to others.

He made everyone follow him as their leader, while he simply turned a blind eye to the changing world!