Folklore: Pre-emptive shelter begins with the stomach.

……

Jiangbai Village, main road.

Even though the sun had just risen over the mountains and the horizon was just beginning to lighten, the village was already bustling with people.

As if they had escaped the danger lurking in the darkness, people cherished this hard-won day.

Jiangbai Village is located in the lower reaches of the river, making it one of the areas with the richest water resources.

It is so lively that it is one of the four villages surrounding Huanjiang Town.

The majority of pedestrians were vendors and beggars, and the rest were mostly rough-looking men and women.

Feng Mo's scholarly air, stemming from a well-to-do family, caught their attention.

Especially the fat, mangy dog ​​he was walking beside him.

The sallow-faced, emaciated people seemed to have a red glint in their eyes, revealing a malicious expression.

But he only licked his lips and didn't dare to make a move on Feng Mo.

The recent severe drought has resulted in a poor harvest.

If people are struggling to get enough to eat, who would dare to mess with someone who can afford to keep a dog?

Not to mention it's such a fat dog.

This means the other person has food to eat, and having food to eat signifies having status.

Seeing that Feng was an unfamiliar face, he was probably not from this village. Even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake, and some people who were starving and emaciated couldn't help but have their eyes on him.

However, someone in the crowd recognized Feng Mo's identity.

—The Third Young Master of the Feng Family!

In no time, news of the third young master of the Feng family parading through the streets began to spread throughout the city.

These rough men are rough; they don't understand the concept of the main family splitting up, but when they hear the name of the Feng family, even if they're starving, they can only swallow their saliva and put their minds back on their own.

Therefore, Feng Mo only felt that the pedestrians on the street were beginning to distance themselves from him.

Without much thought, he led Xiaobai to a rice shop.

A notice was hanging in front of the shop:

This year's severe drought has resulted in a poor harvest, so rice shops are limiting their sales.

Feng Mo glanced at it and went into the shop.

"Boss, give me some rice," Feng Mo said.

"How much do you want..." the boss asked instinctively.

But upon seeing the person's face, his expression immediately changed, and he said in a panic, "I won't sell... I won't sell anymore."

"What's wrong?" Feng Mo asked, puzzled.

"Sold out! All the rice for today is sold out..."

Feng Mo glanced at the rice bag behind the other person.

There were still many gray rice grains inside.

Seeing that he had been exposed, the shopkeeper shook his head vigorously, and no matter what Feng Mo said next, he simply refused to sell.

"If you want to sell, you can go to the east side; there are rice shops there too!" the shopkeeper pleaded tremblingly.

Seeing this, Feng Mo could only feel helpless.

But when they went to the rice seller in the east, they received the same answer.

He was shouting that he wasn't selling and told him to go find the supplier he had contacted before.

This made Feng Mo raise an eyebrow slightly.

The villagers and rice shop owners seemed unusually unfriendly to him.

Just as he was about to ask for the reason, a beautiful figure appeared outside the rice shop.

This person was pretty with fair skin, wearing a blue and white robe with wavy patterns embroidered on the hem, making her look gorgeous and noble.

And so, accompanied by two servants and a maid, they crossed the threshold.

Upon seeing her, the boss cowered like a mouse before a cat, saying, "Miss Feng, you've arrived."

"..."

Seeing the boss's attitude, Feng Mo seemed to realize something.

She and she share the same surname, Feng.

This must be a branch of the Feng family in Jiangbai Village.

Considering the original owner's experiences and the villagers' attitude towards him, it's hard not to connect the matter to the other party.

My own details have been suppressed.

walk slowly.

Let's play it safe for now, develop our strength first, and then come back.

Actually, a steamed bun plus the dried meat from the temple master could last a long time.

It will take another half a month for the gray wheat to grow, but it's just a matter of being hungry for half a day, and it's just a little hardship for the little white wheat.

Feng Mo immediately turned and left.

"Wait..." Feng Nuonian suddenly called out to Feng Mo at this moment.

Feng Mo did not turn around; instead, he quickened his pace.

However, their escape route was blocked by two servants.

One was tall and imposing, the other was imposing and tall.

They all had menacing faces and piercing eyes; they were clearly not to be trifled with.

Upon seeing this, Feng Mo's lips twitched.

No way, I didn't provoke you.

If I had known this would happen, I should have practiced internal martial arts before coming here, and I wouldn't be in such a passive position.

Despite his caution, he still made a careless mistake.

Feng Mo turned around.

Welcome with a smile.

As the saying goes, reach out and don't hit the smiling person.

But it was this smile that threw Feng Nuonian into a state of confusion.

Her eyes darted away, and she said awkwardly, "Uncle Mo... since the Third Young Master wants rice, then let's give it to him."

The words had barely left his mouth.

Not only the boss, but even the servants around him were slightly taken aback.

"Young Miss, our Shi Ping family gave a strict order that day: do not interfere with him under any circumstances."

"Are we really going to do this now?" The rice shop owner, clearly aware of the situation, immediately asked.

They were bewildered, and so was Feng Mo.

Upon seeing the Third Young Master's reaction, Feng Nuonian immediately explained:

"It was indeed the main family, but the one who gave the order was not the head of the main family, but the fourth son."

Like the third young master before him, he was also a legitimate son.

According to their social standing, the third son was older than him.

Based on his status, he is also the head of the Feng family's "Five Internal Organs Temple" in our Jiangbai Village.

Since the Third Young Master has made this request, we should fulfill it.

Feng Nuonian's answer was very logical and reasonable.

But Mr. Mo still had some concerns:

"But Grandpa..."

"This was also Grandpa's instruction."

"Okay... alright."

Following Feng Nuonian's instructions, the rice shop owner weighed the rice.

He simply took a ladle, gently scooped out about two palm-sized puddles of rice, and put them into the rice bag, then tied it with a thick rope.

Although there's not much rice, if we eat it sparingly, it'll be enough for several days.

He could understand the recent famine and drought, which led to rice rationing at shops.

Just as Feng Mo reached out to take the rice bag, Feng Nuonian interjected again:

"Uncle Mo, although the rice shop has a limited supply, that's only for outsiders."

"Young Master Feng is no outsider, please fill the cup."

"Yes...yes." The boss then untied the rice bag again, picked up a ladle and scooped it out until the rice bag, about the size of his calf, was full, and then he stopped.

So much so that they didn't even ask for the money.

At this moment, Feng Mo also realized that this rice shop belonged to the Feng family.

Even from the conversation just now, he understood part of the reason why the original owner was framed.

It seems I just misunderstood this girl.

Despite the time travel, he also brought with him the plot of a thrilling novel from his previous life.

No matter how incompetent the original owner was, he was still the head of the household.

Therefore, Feng Mo, without being impolite, bowed slightly to the woman:

Thank you.

"You're too kind, Third Young Master. This is what I, Feng Nuonian, should do."

The other party makes it sound so easy.

But Feng Mo knew that if it weren't for the other party saving the day, he would have really gone home.

Without this heavy bag of rice, I would really go hungry.

He would certainly remember this kindness.

……

And so, Feng Nuonian watched Feng Mo leave, gradually disappearing from sight.

The personal maid standing nearby said worriedly:

"Miss, didn't you say that the Third Young Master was on good terms with you when you were young? It seems he has forgotten you, after all, it's been more than ten years."

"..." Feng Nuonian was silent for a moment, "That's right, it's been more than ten years..."

"I guess this is how I repay the kindness of saving me from drowning back then."

She spoke with a sense of relief, as if recalling the past.

As for the latter part, she spoke softly, and the maid beside her didn't hear her: "Miss, did Master really give any instructions?"

"This is my personal choice, and it has nothing to do with you."

I will take the initiative to apologize and agree to my father's previous suggestion.

Upon hearing this, the maid's expression visibly changed:

"Is she really going to marry the second young master of the Tang family mansion?"

Miss! Would you like to reconsider?

Actually, I think the Third Young Master is quite nice too. He's single now, and I thought you were going to pursue him.

The young maid clearly had a good relationship with Feng Nuonian, as she spoke quite frankly.

The first half of the conversation was fine, but Feng Nuonian was both ashamed and angry by the last sentence, and couldn't help but quicken her pace:

"Of course it's fake. Agreeing to the proposal was just a temporary measure to appease Father. Otherwise, you would all suffer physical pain."

As for what you're talking about pursuing... it's not what you think."

"See, she's shy again. I knew it."

This time, however, Feng Nuonian did not respond, but instead got into the carriage.

"Dazhuang, Erzhuang, let's go."

Let Xiaoqing go home by herself.

"ah?……"

……

It was nearing noon.

Feng Mo led Xiao Bai back through the rustling ancient forest path.

On this trip, Feng Mo only brought back one bag of rice.

The reason he took so long was because he wanted to buy some other items.

However, he was being a bit delusional.

All the vendors selling goods were so intimidated by the tyranny of the original owner's family that they dared not sell him anything, not even a piece of coarse linen clothing.

Others dared not provoke him, but were also afraid of being implicated by him.

When the Feng family first came to Jiangbai Village, they killed an entire family as a warning to others.

The reason for the massacre of the entire family was simply that they learned of the original owner's situation and said, "What a pitiful person."

It should be noted that Jiangbai Village has fewer than 100 households.

If such a thing happens just because someone is expressing pity, who would dare to have any real dealings with him?

As for the other two families in the village, the Tang and Huang families, they also kept silent, afraid of getting involved with him.

After all, in their minds, Feng Mo's death was nothing; the higher-ups would still send people to guard the temple, and in the end, it would just be a matter of changing who to oppress them.

In the villagers' minds, Feng Mo was no different from the other two major families; they were all treated like cattle and horses, objects of oppression.

Feng Mo felt helpless about this.

This is the struggle for the crown prince position; they go to extremes in their actions.

He had studied countless books, but only now, experiencing it firsthand, did he realize the horror of the situation.

He only learned about these things after he left the rice shop.

This made Feng Mo feel a sense of crisis.

Knowing that he is still alive, his master will probably continue to target him.

To forge iron, one must first strengthen oneself; one must constantly strive to become stronger.

He put his things inside the wooden house and started getting busy.

……

It was approaching evening.

Feng Mo did not practice the "Five Organs Exercise," but rather he was verifying something more important.

Using the simple folk crafts he learned in his previous life, he is constantly polishing flint with stones to make simple handicrafts.

His technique was clumsy, but he was a patient and meticulous worker.

Finally, a sharp flint that could draw blood with a little effort was completed.

This small piece is also the product of his busy day.

He picked up the wooden stick with his left hand and used a stone shard in his right hand to leave a mark on the stick with a little force.

Once he had ensured the flint had a certain sharpness, he prepared to proceed with the advance.

However, the panel did not appear.

"It really didn't work out," Feng Mo muttered to himself.

He then used a rope made of weeds to bind the spirit herb, and used it to fix the polished flint to the wooden stick in his left hand.

Immediately, a simple, low-quality dagger was made.

Then, the panel appears.

"Wooden Rune Dagger (Tier 1)": A wooden dagger enhanced with rune crafting, capable of damaging monsters and possessing good durability.

"Repayment conditions": One kill.

"Equipment Attribute" Sharpness I: Level 1 Sharpness, sharp enough to cut through iron like mud.

"It's done!"

"As expected, the Mortal God Loan allows me to advance whatever I want, just like the effect of spirit stones."

Of course, this item must have certain prerequisites.

He wanted a dagger, so the item in his hand had to at least resemble a dagger.

Secondly, if he does not specify the item to be prepaid, the prepayment will be made in the direction that best matches the item.

For example, whether it's a stone or flint, it will eventually become a "talisman stone".

With this result in mind, Feng Mo looked at the "Five Organs Exercise" in his hand.

Since the Five Organs Exercise has its flaws, is it possible to create a cultivation method of one's own?

But after trying it, Feng Mo discovered that this path was completely impassable.

The effects of the "Divine Loan" only apply to buildings and materials; techniques are not included in this scope.

He then turned his attention to the dagger he had received in advance.

"The repayment condition is a single kill." Feng Mo's current situation does not meet this condition.

Feng Mo hung the simple dagger on his waist with satisfaction, and even made a simple storage box out of tree bark.

Before long, it was evening.