After causing trouble for Jiangchun for a few months, the demon, Chen Feng, finally gave up and stopped causing trouble.
The county governments and martial arts sects in Jiangchun finally had a chance to catch their breath.
Just as they were nervously guessing who Chen Feng would attack next, news came from the martial world. Someone had seen Chen Feng and the others take a ship west and show signs of leaving Jiangchun.
As soon as the news was out, the officials and nobles of Jiangchun heaved a sigh of relief.
This plague god was finally gone!
Over the past few months, half of the county cities in Jiangchun had been visited by this person. Countless corrupt officials and gentry had died, and it had already made the entire Jiangchun tremble in fear.
However, after the Jiangchun government was helpless against Chen Feng, the landlords and nobles of the various counties did not wait for death. They all ran out to take refuge. As a result, every time Chen Feng visited the county city, he found fewer and fewer people to kill, and the results of his deeds of getting rid of evil gradually decreased.
After all, Chen Feng only had one group of people. There was nothing he could do about them escaping.
Now, only when they heard that this person had left did those officials that were afraid that Chen Feng would come looking for them dare to return to their respective cities.
This demon was like a figurative Sword of Damocles hanging above their heads. They did not know when it would slash down, causing many nobles in Jiang Chun to tense up and not dare to conduct themselves in negative manners.
Although they could return to their cities after this person left, their actions were not as ostentatious as before. They were careful and their lingering fear had yet to dissipate, afraid that Chen Feng would return.
Unlike the joy of the Jiangchun nobles, the nobles in the nearby provinces began to panic.
Originally, they were just watching the show, but now, whichever area this demon chose to step foot in would become the center of attraction!
The officials of the surrounding provinces in the south were the most nervous. They kept asking about Chen Feng’s whereabouts and secretly prayed that this fellow would not come here and cause trouble to his neighbors.
At the same time, the nobles in the nearby provinces had wrapped themselves up in advance and were prepared to escape. Once Chen Feng appeared in their province, they planned to run off to other provinces for temporary refuge. They really did not want to risk their lives.
If they did not get rid of this person completely, they would not be able to eat or sleep in peace!
However, the reaction of the people was the opposite of that of the nobles.
Chen Feng’s current reputation was like the sun in the sky. Some people were afraid, but more people respected him.
The citizens of the nearby provinces were overjoyed. They looked forward to Chen Feng coming to their territory, wanting to be the next beneficiary of Chen Feng’s “Evil Cleansing” deeds.
As for Jiangchun’s citizens, they were greatly disappointed.
This was especially so for those areas whose nobles who had gone out to take refuge or did not have Chen Feng visiting them at all. The citizens inside felt that their expectations had failed, and they even felt speechless despair.
When Chen Feng was wandering around the river, many people felt that there was still a chance, so they had still been praying and hoping, hoping that Chen Feng would come and help them get rid of the tyrants and nobles in their hometown.
But now, before the bullies in his hometown could be eliminated, Chen Feng had already left. Who could still get rid of these people?
If Chen Feng left, would he return one day?
Many commoners were at a loss.
However, after Chen Feng left, the impact began to appear.
In a few counties in Jiangchun, there actually appeared imitators.
Some Green Forest outlaws or poor villagers began to form a loose group. While the rich and inferior nobles in their hometown were escaping, they organized themselves and planned to find an opportunity to kill the returning tyrants.
After experiencing the days of hope, some people suddenly became unwilling to hide anymore. When they realized that for a long time, no one would come to “do justice on behalf of the heavens”, some people did not have the patience to wait for the next “Chen Feng” to appear out of nowhere and simply uphold justice for themselves.
Chen Feng’s actions had become an example for them to imitate… Killing corrupt officials and getting rid of bullies. Since Chen Feng had done it, they would do the same!
In the eyes of the officials in Jiangchun, this was because the disaster brought about by Chen Feng had yet to be resolved. Therefore, they contacted the nobles and suppressed these groups that had sprouted like bamboo shoots after a rain. They planned to kill the rioters and make the remaining bumpkins who should not have such thoughts become obedient again.
When Chen Feng was still around, many commoners could still wait in peace. However, after he left, civil unrest began to spread.
For a moment, chaos flourished in the Jiangchun area.
…
Ning Tian Prefecture.
One of the noble families invited a famous chef to hold a banquet as usual. They invited the important figures of the various noble families as guests to bond.
All kinds of delicacies, fine wine, and water were sent over. They even invited the courtesans from the brothels to play the zither and dance to entertain themselves.
It was a luxurious scene, full of wealth and opulence.
After three rounds of wine, everyone chatted about what had happened recently.
“That demon, Chen Feng, has finally left Jiangchun. It’s really a good thing. A few days ago, those martial sects suffered his revenge as well. I thought that Chen Feng would also come to settle the score with us. Fortunately, this person didn’t come to Ning Tian Prefecture.”
Someone spoke out in joy.
The other person curled his lips and said stubbornly, “Hmph, Ning Tian Prefecture is not like those countryside county cities. If he dares to come, he will definitely not be able to return.”
These Ning Tian aristocrats had hired the 28 famous martial artists. After the matter was exposed, they had been on tenterhooks, afraid that Chen Feng would come knocking on their door. Only now did they heave a sigh of relief.
Sun Maocai took a sip of wine and smiled, “Although there are many troops stationed in Ning Tian, that demon has the courage to go up against them. In my opinion, it’s a good thing Perfected Master Windwalker is here. Chen Feng didn’t dare to provoke the Daoist, so he retreated. Otherwise, why would he let the matter rest?”
Everyone nodded and took the chance to praise Bill.
Over the past few days, Perfected Master Windwalker had been their reassurance. As long as he held the fort here, they would feel safe.
“It’s not just the work of this Daoist. His Majesty is now in Ning Tian and has the protection of the dragon qi. He must have intimidated Chen Feng and made him not dare to bump into His Noble Face, so he retreated in panic.” Someone took the chance to suck up to the Emperor as well.
Everyone present paused and agreed. They looked at each other and smiled, feeling relaxed.
No matter what, that demon, Chen Feng, had left Jiangchun and would probably not return for a while. They felt that they could rest easy now.
…
The Great Xia Dynasty had 24 provinces in the world. Huyang was at the border of the Central Plains and the south. It was very vast. Although it was also a province, its area was close to the Lu River and Jiangchun.
From Jiangchun to Huyang, the fastest way was to cross the Lu River.
Because Zhou Jing did not want to return the way he came and stay in the Lu River, he planned to take the faster water route. If he did not do anything else on the way, he could save a lot of time.
Pitter patter ——
On the vast river, a large ship broke through the waves.
On the deck, Zhou Jing leaned against the side of the ship and looked at the moving scenery on the shore. His entire body was like an iron tower that stood tall. Even if the ship shook, he did not move. His thin clothes trembled in the river wind, rustling.
At the side, Guo Haishen was also standing by the ship, introducing the situation in Huyang to him.
“The area of this lake is vast, and the water net is dense. There are countless rivers and lakes, so there are often water disasters. Yueshan Lake is also here. It’s said to be 900 miles wide and spans dozens of villages and counties. It’s a famous landmark in this area.”
Zhou Jing nodded and asked, “Then what’s the situation of the Green Forest here?”
Guo Haishen pondered for a moment before continuing,
“Speaking of which, Huyang is the most prosperous area of the Green Forest in the south. Because it often floods, there are many poor people, and the people are valiant. Due to the terrain, it’s difficult for the Imperial Court to encircle and suppress them, causing there to be endless water bandits in this area. They’re known as the ‘Nine Hundred Mile Mountain and Six Hundred Mile Water Stronghold’. Just the famous water bandits in the Green Forest have more than ten of them. There are at least a thousand of such water bandits, and at most three to five thousand. There are also countless small groups of water bandits.”
When Zhou Jing heard this, he narrowed his eyes and asked, “Then are there any promising outlaws in the Green Forest here?”
“Of course there are.” Guo Haishen nodded deeply, “There are three famous Green Forest powerhouses here, also known as the Three Flood Dragons of Huyang. Not only do they have many subordinates, but they also have a portion of the support of the Huyang Water Bandits and occupy a territory.
I’ve dealt with them before, and these three all plan to dominate the Green Forest of Huyang. They’ve been fighting endlessly, but they can’t do anything to each other and are still in a three-way position.”
“So, at the moment, the Huyang Water Bandits are still divided. No one can command all the water bandits?”
“That’s right.”
Hearing this, Zhou Jing’s thoughts raced.
Currently, he was still considered as an outlaw who was causing trouble everywhere. Because of Chen Feng’s goal, he would most likely have to use a wandering fighting style to rebel. He could not be limited to one place. However, in the end, it was best to have a reliable base to accumulate strength.
As his reputation in the Green Forest became more and more famous, the milestone of being the number one in the world was gradually approaching completion. Now, he could already start the early stages of preparations for the rebellion. Washing his blade would not delay the cutting of firewood.
Red Cloud Mountain was too small, and its strategic location was not good. It was too easy to be surrounded and killed. Zhou Jing did not want to stay there. This was also one of the reasons why he had always rejected the invitations of the Red Cloud leaders.
However, this Yueshan Lake was different. Its area was vast and the terrain was complicated. It had rivers and lakes as natural barriers, and it was close to the Central Plains. Moreover, there were many outlaws around the area, and it was an ideal place to start.
If he could unify the 600 miles of water stronghold here and take in the Huyang Water Bandits, he would become a great outlaw leader in the world, not inferior to the Northern Heavenly King Stronghold. Then, he would have a team to start a rebellion.
Moreover, the lives of the people of Huyang were in terrible states, and there were many poor people. The moment they took out a set of slogans and rebelled, perhaps there would be hundreds of thousands of them joining his cause.
Zhou Jing looked at the river in front of him, his eyes flickering.
“Looks like I have to go and meet these Huyang Water Bandits. I wonder if my current reputation in the Green Forest is enough for them to give me face.”
He secretly made up his mind that this time, he would no longer just wander around Huyang. Instead, he would really think of a way to take down a base and officially debut as a chief.