I Can See Your Combat Power

Tang Luo was unaware of the machinations working between the two clans. These days he had been in seclusion, dedicated to practicing martial arts. The Mi Clan was gunning for him which contributed to him laying low, but more importantly, he was waiting for a person—Du Sha, the guardian of Red Cloud Mountain.

Upon reviewing all the records of the Red Cloud village, Tang Luo’s respect for this last guardian grew deeper.

A typical person, faced with the weight of their family generation’s imminent extinction would manifest extreme changes in behavior.

There isn’t just the Red Cloud Skill in the martial world, many of these techniques have all sorts of issues. There are many that like the Red Cloud Skill, results in decreasing fertility within a clan.

Accumulating all the information gathered by the Wind Media Department, gave one some insight into these clans who practice such martial techniques.

Following the detonation of flaws within martial routines, many cultivators saw drastic changes in their temperament— mild-natured practitioners transformed into volatile, irritable individuals. They went from cherishing life to treating it with disdain. Some, in their despair, eradicated their entire clan- old and young alike.

For the gloomy Red Cloud village, it was on the edge of extinction. Du Ziteng was married at fifteen and took in concubines. For three years there was no progeny. Du Sha had every reason to tread on the wrong path as he had no attachments, yet he stuck to his core values, acting as a chivalrous guardian at the border of Xiling.

Despite the tragic sense of a hero at his end, someone who could retain his True Heart and channel it throughout his martial arts journey is always admirable.

However, no matter how steadfast Du Sha’s martial spirit was, it didn’t change the fact that the villagers of Red Cloud Mountain were in dire straits. After all, if a solid Dao Heart equated to invincible might, what would be the point of training and striving?

The edicts of Xiling’s Five-Acre Law changed the lives of Xiling’s people somewhat in just half a year but they were far from prosperity. Being able to find food within three days of advance notice of a flood was a drop in the bucket, compared to the long-term impact of the flood.

With the flood’s arrival, Xiling became rainy, and plenty of food was left to rot if uneaten. One could only imagine the circumstances of the common folk.

Especially when two green peaks were taken over at Red Cloud Mountain, the only thing left for the common folk and the Du Clan was an open-pit mine. In this situation, farming couldn’t proceed and food consumption would increase manifold, even the most frugal citizens wouldn’t last for long.

But in every era, there were the well-off with a conscience. Many reputable local families on Red Cloud Mountain teamed up with the Du Clan to form fishing teams. Some wealthy families who held the people in their hearts started to distribute food from their storage, offering porridge for disaster relief. Some even implored various families in Xiling to offer food for relief, but none of them have responded so far. Only a couple of family heads had given food in their individual capacities, their donations were akin to a handout.

According to the intelligence obtained from the Wind Media Department, the supplies on Red Cloud Mountain would just about last until winter. Afterward, with the disappearance of birds and the hiding of fishes and bugs, there would longer be any source of food on Red Cloud Mountain.

When a man is starving to death, he would accept any terms. This simple method has been tried and proven by the influential families.

An ancient saying goes: “The conundrum of the gentleman lies in deception, it’s difficult to hoodwink him with what contradicts his principles.”

Be it the Tang Clan or Mi Clan, regardless of trying to co-opt Du Sha with kindness or forcing him with strength, it was impossible to win over this powerful man. This was because their principles didn’t align with his.

The lion and tiger eat sheep and cows, and the guardian dogs protect the weak. Therefore, guardian dogs and lions and tigers can never coexist peacefully in the same camp.

But often, if a different method is used, the guardian dogs will willingly bring the sheep and cows over.

For example, if the lions and tigers control the grassland and the sheep and cows are about to die of starvation.

In this situation, the guardian dogs have two choices. Watch the sheep and cows starve to death or request the lions and tigers to give up control over the grassland so the sheep and cows can survive.

By controlling resources and forcing the sheep and cows to come to them, this so-called “profits in adversity” is often this situation. There isn’t much technicality involved.

Whether it’s the Du Clan or the noble people living on Red Cloud Mountain, they have all become fat chunks of meat in the eyes of the influential families. Only waiting for them to weaken, who will then offer food?

However, while this simple truth is easy to say, it’s not that easy to understand. This is because the upright people living in this world wouldn’t believe that someone could stand by and watch millions of people starve to death.

The influential families wouldn’t let these nobles, and those civilians who have martial arts skills, die. They only want to make them cheaper by starvation. Then, the influential families would appear as saviors to save these nobles. As for the common people? Who will remember when the nobles are too busy to take care of themselves?

The influential families didn’t care about the life or death of the common people, but Tang Luo did. Since he informed these people to flee to Red Cloud Mountain, he’d make sure these people survive because this was related to the foundation of his power in the future.

He knew that Du Sha and those nobles had begun to move around various houses in Xiling, but so far, no one has come to him.

To think, he was the one who gave the people of Xiling a three – day advance notice to evacuate, but no one believes he has the ability to help the people through this crisis.

Even the Tang Clan Patriarch and various elders receive noble guest cards for visits every day. Yet, Tang Luo, who had been home for two months, didn’t get a single noble asking for help.

Even though he was acknowledged as the number one transcendent spiritual person in Xiling, a fifteen-year-old youth without a fixed power was not enough to raise their expectations.

Therefore, all he could do now was wait. Even though he was incredibly anxious in his heart, he still forced himself to calm down because he knew that Du Sha was in more of a hurry.

This powerhouse, who regarded benevolence and righteousness as his life’s principles, couldn’t tolerate seeing the common people starve to death. Therefore, he would certainly find a way. But what kind of solution could a small family with only a few hundred people think of?

Probably the only option was to sell himself in exchange for a way out. However, the price would be so high that no one would be willing to pay it.

What Du Sha needed was enough food to save over a million people. Even if he was a famous powerhouse in Xiling, no family was willing to bear this cost.

By a simple calculation, this flood was likely to remain for many years. Even at the minimum standard, even if warriors and civilians were treated equally, each person needed half a jin of grain per day. The daily consumption would be 750,000 jin.

If they were unable to cultivate, then grain would have to be distributed continuously. If the flood did not recede for ten days, it would be 7.5 million jin. If it did not recede for a hundred days, it would be 75 million jin.

In the whole of Xiling, only the Tang and Mi Clans could afford this amount of grain. But given this amount for merely the Du Clan, probably no one was willing to comply.

Therefore, Du Sha failing to receive help was almost a given. Even though he only met Du Sha once, he knew that this unique brave and virtuous man would never give up. Even if he had to resort to begging, he would carry on with this mission.

One day, Du Sha would show up on his doorstep, and that would be his time to step forward.