Chapter 174: Empty warehouse

Li Qi rode without stopping, quickly rushing to the military granary.

The journey was peaceful, after all, this was near Guangyang City, and it was difficult for demons to survive here in groups.

Where cities are located, human popularity gathers, and all things originate from it.

Where human popularity gathers, there are five colors connected, resisting the heavens, its Qi stabilizes all things, communicates with the four seasons, and communicates the Qi of above and below.

From Li Qi's Shaman's perspective, the popularity of the city connected heaven and earth, like a majestic mountain fixed on the ground, difficult to shake.

Demons could not possibly shake such a city.

If the tens of thousands of demons encountered before had formed a Formation and gathered military Qi, this military Qi would probably disintegrate after just one charge against the city's popularity.

So, this place was absolutely safe, at least in Li Qi's opinion.

He galloped all the way to the granary, surrounded by soldier, but they all looked lackadaisical, without any of that elite Evil Qi.

However, Li Qi could understand; after all, they were guarding a granary in the deep rear. Even the most elite soldier, after guarding for a few years, would become tired and naturally not be very elite.

But when they saw someone riding a horse, they perked up, raised their spears, and one officer shouted loudly, "The granary is a vital area! No galloping! Dismount and verify your identity!"

Hearing this, Li Qi immediately dismounted, quickly ran over, holding up the official document, displaying it everywhere: "Sima's personal order! I need to requisition grain!"

However, when the officer heard Li Qi's words, his expression became extremely strange, and he asked with great surprise, "Sima's personal order?"

"That's right, Sima's personal order, with the seal and signature!" Li Qi held up the document and extended it to the officer's eyes.

"Hahaha, that's new. I haven't received a Sima's personal order in two or three years. Alright, the document is correct, go get it yourself~." The officer chuckled, laughing loudly, and didn't lead the way, just burped and cleared the path for Li Qi.

"Drinking while on guard duty?" Li Qi frowned.

"What's it to you? Pretty boy, what do you know? In this place, if you don't drink, there's nothing to do! Get lost, go get your grain and fodder." The officer immediately became annoyed when he heard Li Qi's words.

Li Qi naturally didn't bother to ask for trouble. He quickly entered the granary, then placed the personal order on the Formation.

The Formation above automatically recognized the special Qi of the Sima's seal and then opened the door.

Li Qi walked inside and took out the White Rhinoceros Army's military mustard bag.

However, halfway through, Li Qi froze.

The entire granary was much larger inside than outside; it must have used the 'Mao Tun Dahai' technique.

But no matter how large it was inside, it wouldn't make Li Qi stare in surprise.

What truly made him stunned was that the granary was empty.

There was dust everywhere inside, though no cobwebs, but the entire massive granary, enough to hold food for a million people, was now completely empty, not a single grain of food.

Li Qi immediately rushed out the door and shouted loudly, "What's going on!? Was the granary robbed!?"

"Shouting, shouting, what are you shouting about? What's wrong with you? Did you just come back from Zhenguan? Didn't you hear what I just said? There haven't been any personal orders for several years. Without personal orders, the grain here only goes out and never comes in. How could there still be grain? Do you think I'm drinking on duty? I'm just bored out of my mind!" The officer leaned outside the door, mocking Li Qi.

"If the central government has no grain, then what about the war in Zhenguan?!" Li Qi suppressed his anger, barely holding back his rage as he asked.

"Are you even a military person? Didn't you come from Zhenguan? Don't tell me you don't know that side has already been disbanded? It's been over three months since the news, Zhenguan has been abandoned! I remember your commander has already been transferred back, right? Didn't he tell you these things?" The officer picked his ear with his pinky finger, speaking impatiently to Li Qi.

Upon hearing this, Li Qi was stunned.

The White Rhinoceros Army, indeed, seemed to have no commander.

Zhenguan, too, was indeed empty.

Damn it, has Bailin Kingdom given up resistance??

The common people were lost, Zhenguan was lost, and the only army seen gathering the common people, their commander actually concealed the news and abandoned the army to escape!?

Leaving behind a squad of soldiers who fought to the death, starving in place, protecting the common people while waiting for death?

If the common people were truly sent to Baiding Mountain, would the local government of Baiding Mountain accept them? If they weren't registered in the household registry and weren't taken in, wouldn't all these people become displaced persons?

Tens of thousands of displaced persons, wait a minute...

The beggars seen in the city before were not isolated cases.

Bailin Kingdom, did it really just let Zhenguan and all the common people near Zhenguan wait for death?

The officer watched Li Qi's expression gradually change, from suppressing anger, to stunned blankness, then to uncontrollable rage, then taking a deep breath, and finally becoming complex, his expression difficult to describe.

His complexion changed from white to red, then red to green, then he let out a long sigh and returned to normal.

This series of changes amused the officer. He took a sip from his wineskin and then offered it to Li Qi: "Alright, don't be angry, brother. At least you're in Guangyang City now; you don't have to wait for death in place, which is a good thing. Come, have a drink, calm down."

Hearing this, Li Qi finally regained his composure.

He looked at the officer and the dispirited soldier here and finally understood why they were so decadent.

In this situation, it would be a ghost if they weren't decadent.

However, he couldn't be decadent; tens of thousands of people were still waiting for him to return with food.

"I appreciate the kindness, but I still have important matters and cannot drink. Farewell." Li Qi took several deep breaths, cupped his hands, and then turned to leave.

"Hey, hey, don't go! What other military duties do you have? You're not thinking of going back to die, are you? You guys from Zhenguan are just idiotic. I've seen a few fools like you in the past few months. Don't be so stubborn." The officer watched Li Qi leave, waving drunkenly at him.

But Li Qi didn't look back, quickly walked to the old horse, swung onto its back, and galloped forward.

Along the way, Li Qi was silent, constantly pondering things in his mind.

"Lü lü lü..." The old horse neighed, slowing down, seemingly worried about Li Qi.

"Don't worry, keep going. We're going to visit the Guangyang Prefect." Li Qi stroked the old horse's mane, comforting it.

The old horse shook its head, feeling that its prolonged consideration was useless, so it simply gave up and continued to gallop.

Riding on horseback, Li Qi constantly pondered.

The military supplies in Guangyang City were probably rotten to the core. That Guangyang Sima was obsessed with Buddha-Dharma, completely neglecting government affairs. He neither organized grain collection nor distributed grain, and now the granary was empty.

So, did the Guangyang Situ, who was responsible for tax collection, and the Guangyang Prefect, who oversaw the overall situation, know about these things?

If they knew and still didn't resolve it, it meant things were already quite serious, probably not so simple to solve, and likely involved more rotten things in the imperial court.

If they didn't know, it meant it might just be a communication problem with the Sima. After reporting, it might be resolved, but the side effect would be offending the Guangyang Sima.

Li Qi wasn't afraid of offending people; at worst, he could just run away. He didn't live here, so he wasn't worried. So, in the best case, things were like this.

But there was also the worst case.

That was, the Guangyang Situ and the Guangyang Prefect were just like the Guangyang Sima.

Then the problem would be a headache. This meant that at the official level, Li Qi would not be able to get any help; he would have to raise the grain himself.

Enough for tens of thousands of people to eat for a month... No, not enough. To support those common people until the next harvest after their migration, it would require at least three hundred thousand shi as a base.

How could such a large amount of grain be gathered in a short time anywhere else other than through official channels?

The more Li Qi thought about it, the more he felt it was impossible. However, with over ten thousand lives resting on his shoulders, how could he simply dismiss it with the words 'impossible'?

Li Qi closed his eyes, constantly thinking, unconsciously muttering to himself, while recalling the current state of Guangyang City that he had seen on his journey here.

"Think hard, think hard. This Guangyang City has millions of people. How much food do they consume daily? Guangyang City doesn't show signs of famine, which means it has its own methods of collecting and storing grain. If I can find these methods, a mere three hundred thousand shi is only eight or nine days' consumption for Guangyang City. Guangyang City can definitely supply it." Li Qi murmured.

So, two steps.

First step, go and see the true situation of the Guangyang officialdom.

Second step, find the source of the daily consumption of grain and meat in Guangyang City.

Once clues are found, then plan the next step.

After all, with too few clues now, the operational space is small. The more one knows, the more one can do. Planning, in fact, is trying to achieve the desired outcome through known things. If one knows nothing, then there's no talk of planning; ultimately, one can only act rashly.

Thinking this, Li Qi simply had the old horse stop.

The old horse was puzzled but still dutifully braked.

Li Qi dismounted and then took out a finger from his懷.

Just looking at this finger, one would find it very beautiful, tender like a green onion. Although it was broken, it seemed still alive, but the断面 was very smooth, without any bloody mess, making one feel like it was a jade finger.

It was truly beautiful, and when touched, there was a coolness, like stroking some extremely high-end material, making one feel very comfortable.

However, since it was just a severed finger, it was still somewhat unsettling.

This severed finger belonged to Shen Shuibi.

She pulled it off and gave it to Li Qi back in White Snake Mountain.

After all, it was the body of a Fifth-Grade Cultivator, an immaculate body, indestructible and imperishable, so it was no different from when it was attached to her hand; touching it felt like touching her hand.

Of course, Li Qi taking out the finger at this time was certainly not for touching.

He landed on the ground because there was a small river near the old horse at this time. Li Qi didn't know the name of this river, but that didn't stop him from coming over.

Arriving at the riverbank, he took out the exquisite jade prepared for daily sacrifices and Cultivation.

As the saying goes, 'exquisite jade and pure sacrifice to honor the River God.'

First, set up an altar, then offer the jade tablet.

Then he ran to the old horse's side.

The old horse snorted, rolled its eyes humanely, and looked at its mane with heartache.

One day, Li Qi would pluck it bald.

Li Qi cut off a small tuft of mane with a small knife.

The so-called 'pure sacrifice' refers to clean and pure livestock.

Although it sounded a bit off, the old horse perfectly fit this requirement.

Offering the mane of a Dragon Steed as a pure sacrifice.

Using the jade tablet as exquisite jade.

Reciting the sacrificial text, the ritual was complete.

Then, from the deep, dark water, bubbles gurgled up.

A small snake with blue-black rings quietly floated up from the water.

Then, she swam from the water to the shore, transformed, and became a beautifully dressed woman, with delicate features, a graceful figure, and a softly swaying slender waist, making people dizzy and enchanted.

But despite her temperament, her expression was very solemn. She appeared before Li Qi, bowed, and then asked earnestly, "Great Shaman has summoned me. I did not prepare a feast to welcome you in advance, which is truly impolite. Please forgive me. May I ask what brings you to visit so late at night?"

"My sudden disturbance has already startled the Water God, but there are truly some matters that require the Water God's help. I specially offer this sacrifice and this wisp of pure water Qi. May the Water God assist me." Li Qi cupped his hands and said politely.

"If it is within my power, I will not refuse." The Water God accepted the sacrifice and said so.

"Please remember the Qi on this object, Water God, and deliver a message for me." Li Qi took out the severed finger and showed it to the Water God he had summoned.

The Water God looked up, and her pupils suddenly contracted into vertical slits.

Then, as if struck by lightning, her body abruptly recoiled, flying directly backward. Her clothes receded, and a blue-black water snake directly burrowed into the water, hiding itself.

Nothing else, her sixth sense perceived intense fear.

Grand, vast, and cold, like the full moon in the sky, ancient and unchanging, hanging high in the heavens.

That was a noble existence that must not be touched, a sacred object that could only be admired from afar but not reached.

If she were disrespectful to it, perhaps just a glance could crush her Spirit Soul and Physical Body, leaving no chance for Reincarnation.

Just feeling this Qi made the Water God of this small river so terrified that she directly reverted to her original form and fled.

It was several minutes before she timidly swam back, asking in her snake form, "Great Shaman... what, what is this thing?"

Li Qi sighed, overestimating these small local Mountain and Water Deities , but he still said, "Water God, have you remembered the Qi on this object?"

The Water God smiled bitterly, "I'm afraid I'll never forget it in this lifetime."

"This object is a treasure. I won't go into details, but the Qi on it points to an Eighth-Grade Great Power... I want to ask the Water God to use the power of water to connect the four directions, perform the Mountain and River Communication method, and deliver a message for me." Li Qi said again.

"What the Great Shaman entrusts, I dare not refuse, but... what does Eighth-Grade mean?" The Water God asked.

"Uh, Water God, you Cultivate the Divine Dao method. What Realm are you in now?" Li Qi felt a headache upon hearing this, so he asked an extra question.

"As for me, I am currently in the Golden Body Realm. Why does the Great Shaman ask this?" The Water God asked.

"Golden Body Realm, then Eighth-Grade... roughly, it's the Spirit Soul Realm. Compare it, that's roughly the level." Li Qi estimated and said so.

"Spirit Soul!?" The Water God was startled; this was three whole major Realms higher than her! It was the type that could crush her with one hand.