In the pharmacy courtyard.

Cheng Zongyang handed the bamboo canister of Exotic Beast Blood and the cloth-wrapped bundles of flesh to Zhang Jinquan, saying,

"This is some Exotic Beast Flesh and Blood I just happened upon. Weren’t you saying you were short on it? Try this for now."

Zhang Jinquan looked at the small amount and said helplessly, "This will only be enough to experiment with cultivating the Red Jade Ganoderma."

Cheng Zongyang nodded. "You can decide how to handle it."

Cheng Zongyang knew that due to the lack of Exotic Beast Flesh and Blood, many of Zhang Jinquan’s experiments had stalled.

Although Ma San and his men had gone out with weapons, Geomagnetic Stones, and other special items, he still didn’t know if they would be able to find any Exotic Beasts.

The notifications he had received so far were all feedback from them hunting ordinary creatures.

Each kill was worth only one Point.

It would be a while.

Since a barbecue was out of the question, Cheng Zongyang decided not to linger. After some thought, he chose to head back to the Inner Mountain.

’By my calculations, Father should be about done selecting the personnel.’

So, he took a bottle of Red Blood Pills and a thousand Wilderness Silk Insects and left the Wilderness World.

He planned to take the Red Blood Pills back to the village to test them out. As for the Wilderness Silk Insects, they would be raised in the village.

As for what Li Lu needed, that could wait until he returned to the County Town.

「Meanwhile, in the outside world, on the border between Linchuan Prefecture and Xiangyang Prefecture.」

Several columns of men and horses marched from Linchuan onto the official road to Xiangyang, heading toward the nearest county, Jade Peak County.

These forces stretched for over ten li, a vast and mighty procession with various heavy supplies and a large contingent of personnel.

Furthermore, judging by their different attire, they appeared to belong to several different factions.

Similar situations were occurring almost simultaneously in Xiangyang, Linchuan, Xichuan, and Haining Prefecture. They all entered from beyond the former Da Liang Border, heading in various directions toward the Four Mansions.

All the family factions under the rule of the Thirteen Royal Families were beginning to truly take over and absorb these conquered territories. Even the gangs and Sects were trying to get a piece of the pie.

「In Tiantuan Village, just outside the West City of Jade Peak County, Li Lu was inspecting the construction of the new village.」

With a large number of workers, the village was being built at an incredible speed.

Tiantuan Village was now mostly complete. The remaining work mainly consisted of finishing the drainage systems and leveling and compacting the village roads.

Everything was being done according to Cheng Zongyang’s designs. Not only were the functional areas distinct, but the houses for different people were also arranged in a staggered and aesthetically pleasing way, creating a beautiful environment.

Li Lu stood at the entrance of Tiantuan Village’s main assembly hall, looking out at the houses facing Jade Peak County, and was in high spirits.

This assembly hall, the largest building in the village, was where village affairs would be handled in the future.

He had a stake in Tiantuan Village as well.

In the future, this place would become the foundation for him and the Cheng Family.

In the distance, the rice paddies would be ready for harvest in just over a month, which made his smile grow even wider.

This was another resource that would secure their footing in the future.

Food was the foundation of all development!

But as he gazed upon this flourishing scene, his thoughts inevitably turned to the situation elsewhere, and a hint of worry appeared in his eyes. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

’When the Foreign Race Influence eventually settles in the County Town, will he and Cheng Zongyang be able to defend this place?’

Although the fifty core members had already begun their Body Refining Medicine Baths, the process would still take another half a month.

He could only hope that the next half-month would pass smoothly. He even hoped the newcomers would wait until after the grain harvest to arrive.

「Tianduan Mountain, Cheng Family Village.」

Now that Cheng Family Village had successfully fired its own bricks, they were gradually beginning to build houses with a completely new layout.

Although the geographical location was the same, the overall layout would be much neater and more orderly than the previous haphazard arrangement.

The farmland, medicinal fields, and livestock areas were being reorganized according to the terrain.

However, this reorganization had not yet truly begun. They were still in the planning and preparation stage, gathering large quantities of new building materials.

For this, the Ministry of Industry was working at full capacity, issuing tasks for people to constantly search for usable resources.

After the summer harvest, once the families no longer had to worry about food, the real work would begin in earnest.

「Martial Arts Hall, Outer Courtyard.」

In the center of the outer courtyard, two youths were engaged in close-quarters combat. Neither was very old, perhaps fifteen or sixteen.

Surrounded by onlookers, the two exchanged a flurry of blows. Their punches and kicks landed solidly, and it was clear neither was holding back.

Even though their faces were bruised and battered, even though their lips were bleeding and they were gasping for breath, the fighting spirit in their eyes had not diminished in the slightest.

At the front of the outer courtyard, Cheng Guanghai—the head of the Martial Arts Hall and the Clan Leader of Cheng Family Village—watched with a calm expression, showing no sign of stopping the fight.

"AAAHHH!!"

Suddenly, the youth in the black short-sleeved shirt curled his palm into a fist and charged forward again.

A fierce gust of wind from his fist shot toward the youth in the blue short-sleeved shirt opposite him. But the latter showed no fear and charged forward as well.

Just as they were about to collide, the blue-shirted youth bent his right arm inward, using his elbow to abruptly knock aside the black-shirted youth’s fist. He ignored his now numb and powerless right elbow and continued to press forward. With what little strength he had left, he opened his poised left fist into a palm and landed three quick, successive strikes on his opponent’s chest!

This follow-up combination sent the black-shirted youth stumbling backward until he fell to the ground, fresh blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

The blue-shirted youth rushed forward again, raising his right foot to stomp on his opponent’s chest, when a powerful voice rang out:

"Stop!"

Instantly, the gasping, blue-shirted youth froze.

It was as if that single command had shattered his fighting spirit. He immediately collapsed to the ground, completely spent, and began gasping for air.