Umekawa Kojiro's corpse completely dissipated, turning into grayish-white motes of light that merged into the wind.

Lin Feng raised his head and looked toward the sky.

There, the supervisor from Sakura Country had vanished without a trace at some unknown point.

Only Liu Zhenshan remained, standing in the air and looking down at the battlefield below.

With a satisfied smile on his face, his figure slowly descended.

The moment his feet touched the ground, a steady aura as imposing as a mountain washed over them.

This vice city lord of Zhenyue City, a Level 39 Third-Turn Warrior, appeared even more majestic up close.

He had a square face, thick eyebrows, large eyes, and dark skin, with a blood-and-iron aura of a veteran of many battles exuding from his entire body.

“Lord Lin!” Liu Zhenshan laughed heartily, strode forward, and extended his right hand. “Good job!”

Lin Feng shook his hand, releasing it politely after a brief touch. “City Lord Liu overpraises me; it was just luck.”

“Luck?” Liu Zhenshan raised an eyebrow.

“Twenty ninjas, over a thousand Ashigaru, plus an Umekawa Kojiro with a Rare Lord Template—and you call that luck?”

He patted Lin Feng's shoulder with enough force to make it sink slightly. “Young man, modesty is a good thing, but excessive modesty is pride. This battle was fought beautifully!”

Lin Feng smiled and did not continue the argument.

Liu Zhenshan's gaze swept over him and then looked at the Beacon Guards nearby who were rounding up prisoners, nodding his head:

“Strong soldiers and sturdy horses, brave generals and elite troops. No wonder that old fellow Chen Weiguo keeps talking about you, saying Rongcheng has produced an extraordinary young man.”

He withdrew his gaze and said seriously, “Lord Lin, when you have time in the future, come to Zhenyue City as a guest. We’ll have a good drink and talk about matters of the Nightmare World.”

Lin Feng cupped his fists. “Certainly. Thank you for your supervision today, City Lord Liu. I will surely visit another day.”

Liu Zhenshan waved his hand. “Alright, you all get busy. Taking over Baigui County is more important; I won't delay you any further.”

As his voice fell, he pushed off the ground, his figure soaring into the air again and quickly disappearing into the northwestern sky.

Lin Feng watched him leave before turning to look at the battlefield.

The defeated Ashigaru had all surrendered; over nine hundred people were squatting on the ground with their hands behind their heads, trembling with fear.

The Beacon Guards were counting prisoners and confiscating weapons with efficient movements.

Zhao Hu was covered in blood but in high spirits. He strode over with a wide grin and said:

“Lord! These Sakura soldiers are real cowards. As soon as they saw Umekawa Kojiro was dead, they all knelt! We even picked up a few pieces of equipment along the way!”

He dumped the items in his arms onto the ground. Several pieces of equipment glowing with blue light rolled out—two blue-tier items and seven or eight green-tier ones.

Tie Dun leaned over and also poured out a few pieces. “I've got some here too! Those ninjas had quite a few good things on them!”

Wang Wu and Arrow Eye also each took out several pieces of loot, all of which had dropped when they killed those ninjas.

Lin Feng's gaze swept over them, and he nodded slightly. “Keep them for now. We’ll discuss distribution after we finish taking over Baigui County.”

Everyone responded in unison.

Lin Feng looked toward the west; in that direction lay Baigui County.

“Let’s go.”

The group headed west, followed by five hundred Beacon Guards and a long string of dejected prisoners.

...

After walking west for about ten li, the view ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) suddenly opened up.

A massive lake lay stretched across their path, its water shimmering with a faint green tint under the sunlight.

The surface was vast, stretching beyond the horizon. Flocks of waterbirds circled above the lake, occasionally diving down to snatch up a silver-scaled fish.

“This is Qinglin Lake,” Wang Wu introduced, pointing at the lake.

“It’s fifteen li long and twenty li wide. The water is greenish and the fish are as numerous as scales; that's where the name comes from.”

He paused and continued, “This lake is incredibly rich in resources, with swarms of fish and shrimp and vast patches of reeds.

The wetlands by the lake can also be used to grow water-loving crops. Thirty percent of Baigui County's food over the years has come from the fish in this lake.”

Tie Dun's eyes lit up. “Fish? I love eating fish the most!”

Zhao Hu slapped the back of his head. “All you think about is eating!”

Everyone burst into laughter.

Tie Dun rubbed the back of his head, then suddenly realized something. “Wait, Brother Wang, did you just say... this lake is controlled by Baigui County?”

Wang Wu nodded.

Tie Dun grinned. “Then doesn't it belong to us now?”

Everyone froze for a moment, then laughed even harder.

“Right, right, right! It’s ours now!”

“Qinglin Lake, a nice name! From now on, it’s Beacon Fire Town’s lake!”

Lin Feng also smiled. His gaze lingered on the vast surface of the lake for a moment before he continued forward.

...

Continuing west for five li along the dirt road by the lake, a vast forest appeared to the south of the path.

The forest was endless and lush, with tall trees blotting out the sun. Faint traces of wild animals could be seen within the woods.

A breeze blew through, making the leaves rustle and carrying the fresh scent of greenery.

“This is Qingmu Forest,” Wang Wu pointed toward that forest.

“It’s twenty li long and seventy li wide, with extremely rich timber resources.

Pine, cedar, hardwood—it has everything. Ninety percent of Baigui County's timber was harvested from this forest.”

He paused and added, “Baigui County is built on the westernmost edge of this forest. Once you exit the woods, you’re at the county seat.”

Zhao Hu stared at the forest, his eyes flashing with light. “Such a huge forest... in the future, we’ll never run out of timber!”

Tie Dun scratched his head. “Seventy li wide? How long would it take to walk through that?”

“Even at a full gallop, it would take half a day,” Wang Wu said. “But we’re in no hurry. We can explore it slowly later.”

The group continued forward, listening to Wang Wu's introductions as they walked.

“Thirty li north of Qinglin Lake is Heiyan Town,” Wang Wu said.

“That town is built at the foot of Tianji Mountain and produces stone, iron ore, and salt.”

“Salt?” Arrow Eye spoke up, which was rare for him.

“Yes, salt.” Wang Wu nodded. “There are salt mines in Tianji Mountain. The salt mined by the people of Heiyan Town is of decent quality. All the salt consumed in Baigui County comes from there.”

He paused and summarized, “Baigui County’s location was chosen very strategically. It borders Qingmu Forest to the south, Hupan Village by the west side of the lake is next to Qinglin Lake, and it controls Heiyan Town to the north.

The three places are connected, firmly locking down all the resources in this region.”

After hearing this, Zhao Hu grinned. “Then from now on, these three places are all ours!”

The group laughed again.

Wang Wu waited for them to finish laughing before continuing, “There’s one more piece of good news.”

He looked at Lin Feng. “Lord, because the Great Qin Nightmare Legion rampaged through the area around Beacon Fire Town years ago, other territories were leveled long ago. Which means—”

He paused and said word for word, “Everything east of Baigui County is now Beacon Fire Town’s territory.”

Everyone was stunned.

Wang Wu continued, “Starting from Baigui County, going east through the Copper-Tin Mine, passing through Beacon Fire Town, then through the Canglang Plain, and including the Eastern Swamp all the way to the Endless Sea—this line is about one hundred and sixty li long.”

“North to Tianji Mountain and south to the Endless Sea—this line is one hundred and thirty li wide.”

He looked at everyone, his eyes filled with irrepressible excitement. “An area of over a hundred li in every direction is all within Beacon Fire Town’s sphere of influence!”