Twin Dimension Yin-Yang Mirror: Attaining immortality through the martial path
Chapter 447 - 397: Food as the Sky, All Mouths Gild

Chapter 447: Chapter 397: Food as the Sky, All Mouths Gild

Zhou Ping’an closed his eyes and pondered for a moment.

"It seems that at the very moment of entering the passage, the fluctuations of the Mirror Trace were most intense... That direction, to the west, very far away!"

He gently touched the Mirror Trace on his wrist, recalling an old event.

The records of the Dongjiang Public Security Department regarding the incident at General Wenshan’s Tomb weren’t very detailed, but they still clearly listed the number of relics unearthed and the participants involved.

After gaining access rights, Zhou Ping’an had analyzed them in detail.

Apart from Master Dong Qingshan obtaining a fragment of the Broken Mirror, another piece was seized by a bodyguard from Taihe Pharmaceuticals, which naturally ended up in the hands of Chen Guangyuan and had already been taken by himself.

There were a total of three Broken Mirror pieces found in the General’s Tomb; one was taken by Jacob, a graduate student from the History and Archaeology Department of Linhai University, led by Professor Zhuang Ziwen, an exchange student from the Northern Europe United Song and Lyre Academy. After acquiring the mirror, he must have known it was a rare treasure, thus abandoning even his mentor and immediately fleeing.

The archives stated that under the chase of Taihe Pharmaceutical’s private armed forces, he killed more than a dozen people and escaped into the sea, becoming untraceable.

Zhou Ping’an had also sent people to search for further information, but nothing was ever found.

It ended up being left unresolved.

Across the ocean, with vast lands in Northern Europe, if he simply boarded a long-distance vessel and headed for some city, even with the best will, how could one hope to find a person intent on hiding in this vast world?

In Zhou Ping’an’s heart, he basically considered the Broken Mirror taken by Jacob to be irretrievable.

Unless one day luck struck him incredibly well, and he encountered him face to face, sensing it within a short distance, he might be able to retrieve it. Otherwise, as long as the other party didn’t expose themselves, it would be impossible to collect all the mirror pieces.

That’s what he thought, but deep down he still harbored some longing.

This time, as Zhou Ping’an passed through the passageway into Another World, he sensed a faint disturbance at the moment of entry and immediately took notice.

Indeed, another Broken Mirror had been stirred from afar, in a direction that seemed not to be the Northern European Union but rather the territory of the Sky Hawk Alliance...

"Why was there a sense of reaction there only when my mirror was activated? Could it be..."

The slight ripple of the Mirror Trace calmed down gradually, and a spark of enlightenment rose in Zhou Ping’an’s mind.

"Could it be that the other mirror is also affected by mine, synchronously crossing over? Can it bring people to this side of Another World? Most likely, yes..."

He thought of what the archives said, that Jacob was surrounded by more than a dozen shadows, killing silently. With a gunshot wound on himself, he fled swiftly.

This obviously wasn’t the ability he originally had.

There was only one explanation.

That was, like Master Dong Qingshan, Jacob had acquired the ability to cross into Another World. It’s unknown where he ended up and what kind of opportunity he had gained?

"The most crucial point is, that guy didn’t die?"

Compared to Master Dong’s luck, his was much better.

"I must find him quickly and retrieve the mirror; otherwise, if time drags on too long, it’s very likely that the other party will grow completely, and who knows what schemes they’ll have for me then?"

No sooner had the thought come to him than a slight anxiety surged through Zhou Ping’an’s heart, but it was quickly subdued.

Now without a clue, not even sure of the exact location of that Broken Mirror, it was useless to hurry.

He could only take one step at a time, with the primary goal of getting stronger before the other side.

Then no matter the situation, he could face it with ease.

...

It was already broad daylight.

Inside Yunhu County Yamen,

The civil and military officials were divided on both sides...

No, that’s not right. What civil and military officials? Besides Zhou Ping’an seated at the head, only about a dozen people were standing around, all the taller ones among shorties, handpicked by Xiao Chengfeng, who was instructed to promote the examination and excavation of talents as the acting County Magistrate.

"Master Ming, the Order of Recruiting Talents has been posted for three days now. There are indeed not a few applicants, but most are not of much use; some only have brute strength and can barely recognize a few characters."

Sunlight streamed through the windows into the great hall, but it did not illuminate Xiao Chengyfeng’s face.

His face was slightly tinged with black, his mouth corners drooping.

Zhou Ping’an wondered if he would break into tears on the spot if he were to continue questioning or scold him—this descendant of the twenty-third generation of Prince Huaipeng.

’This man is too prone to crying!’

’No wonder he managed to lead so many commoners to flee when the Red Lotus Sect’s Huangze Sub-rudder broke through Pingshan County...’

Still, it was rather far-fetched that not a single talent was recruited from the vast Pinghu County, with a hundred miles in every direction.

He himself had issued the Order of Recruiting Talents in Qingyang City and had attracted some poor family scholars and disgruntled retired officials. Could it be that the Pinghu Scholars and large household families had all become frightened due to the ruthless slaughter during Ran Sifei’s occupation?

Gathering everyone today, the first discussion topic was struck down by Xiao Chengfeng with a blow that nearly drove Zhou Ping’an into a state of shutdown. After some thought, he asked again, "What about the candidates for the land reclamation officials? This is of utmost importance. Even if knowledgeable people cannot be found, aged farmers who can farm are not out of the question as a substitute."

"We’ve found a few good hands at farming," said Zhou Ping’an, "and one of them is particularly noteworthy, a man named Ruan Xiu, who was originally the agricultural officer of Pinghu County. Over forty years old, he’s not one for talking much and wasn’t favored by the previous County Magistrate Wang Jin, spending all his time toiling in the mountain fields. He narrowly escaped during the Red Lotus raid."

Xiao Chengfeng casually answered.

Although he had yet to see the man’s governance strategy and policies, his memory and capability for handling affairs were already apparent.

Thorough and meticulous, not a single detail missed.

He had merely mentioned it in passing, and yet this man had already gathered comprehensive details about some individuals’ life histories.

With the addition of a farming expert, Zhou Ping’an felt slightly more at ease inside.

Now with the territory of three counties in hand and millions of hungry citizens to feed,

it was like gathering a significant force.

But there were conditions.

If the people are loyal, then everything would go well, and his own cultivation speed would greatly increase.

Equipped with this tremendous momentum, he could advance or defend at will, essentially securing his own stronghold...

But if the people were starving and saw no hope,

forget about the Power of Wishes Incense.

The momentum that had been gathered could collapse at any moment, and all the efforts would be wasted.

’Food is the most important thing for the people.’

One cannot be careless about this.

This time, Zhou Ping’an had brought many superior seeds, ready to make a big push.

Of course, he also brought some specialized books... But those agricultural planting books, not having been studied before, would take some time to learn from scratch.

And without practical experience, even if he understood a lot, he wouldn’t necessarily farm better than an old farmer who had been doing so for years.

Each profession has its specialization.

After all, professional matters should be left to professionals.

Before he could even start to feel relieved, Xiao Chengfeng’s face turned bitter once more and said, "Just so Master Ming knows, news has come from the direction of Guangyun County, labeling Qingyang, East Mountain, and Pinghu as bandit-controlled territories. Arrest warrants have been issued, declaring Master Ming a major criminal, with a bounty of three thousand taels of silver. Additionally, missives have been sent to Huangze, Zhao Mountain, and other counties. It won’t be long before the Imperial Court sends troops to attack..."

"How preposterous!"

Inside the great hall, the ground trembled faintly.

It was Zhan Shanhe, the senior sister from Emerald Peak, holding her trident-style long sabre upside down, the hilt pounding heavily on the ground.

Her face flushed with anger, and even when she saw everyone looking at her, she still seemed quite indignant.

"In these three counties, who among the million commoners hasn’t received the life-saving grace of...Master Ming? Not to mention anything else, the distributed rice and flour are indeed mountains and seas. Master Ming truly achieved ’[not letting a single person starve to death].’ Which bandit would act like this? Cui Guangling distorts the truth and babbles nonsense, regardless of the people’s lives and deaths, deserves to be executed..."

"Indeed, if acts such as Master Ming’s can be called that of a bandit, then where in the world isn’t there banditry?"

Yu Changlie, with his hand on the hilt of his spear, emanated a chilling evil Qi. This rare moment had him agreeing with Zhan Shanhe’s words.

The moment these two spoke up,

the several Red Lotus Generals below also chimed in one after another.

Fang Zhenwei, with his lean and withered figure and resolute look, nearly leapt up and cursed, filled with righteous indignation, "Ever since Master Ming came to Pinghu County, he eradicated the Water Monster, helped the weak and orphaned, greatly developed irrigation, and assisted refugees. Compared to those past Red Lotus Bandits, it’s like heaven and earth. Cui Guangling, a man who devises treacherous plans to kill the wise and good without looking into the facts, is truly detestable and insane beyond measure."

"Let it be. If they want to call us bandits, let them. When soldiers come, we will block them; when water floods, we will cover it with earth. We were never on the same path. Why bother with what they do or say?"

Zhou Ping’an raised his hand to calm the ’surging emotions’ within the hall.

His expression remained unshaken.

Seeing him this composed,

everyone gradually calmed down, even Xiao Chengfeng’s grimace faded a bit.

He was afraid that Zhou Ping’an didn’t fully understand the profound impact of being labeled as bandits by the Imperial Court power and carefully said, "Master Ming, reputation is, on one hand, unimportant, and on the other, very important. The so-called ’the multitude can turn a platter into gold,’ once a bad reputation spreads, the Three Counties of Liyou will never gain the support of noble clans and wealthy families again. All scholars will see serving bandits as a disgrace and will surely flee, and then it will be hard to find capable people."

He paused before adding, "Moreover, now the Imperial Court’s general in charge of quashing rebellions, Xiao Yuanfang, is stationed in the vicinity of Hushan and is eliminating bandit forces everywhere. If he turns his attention to our side, it could spell big trouble."

Zhou Ping’an already knew that Hushan was located in the Hualing Prefecture of Yunzhou, and Xiao Yuanfang, as one of the Eight Pillar Kingdom’s generals, was sweeping through the Southwest, with many excellent generals and advisors under his command, decimating countless bandits and Red Lotus Bandits on his way.

Ordinary skirmishes he couldn’t be bothered with, but should someone directly bring news about his stronghold’s domain to his doorstep, a side attack wouldn’t be out of the question.

"What about Huangze County? Have any messages come from there?"

Xiao Yuanfang’s army of suppression was still far away and not something Zhou Ping’an needed to worry about for the time being.

He was more concerned about the intentions of Huangze County, just across the water from Yunhu County.

After all, in a way, the Governor of Huangze County, Zhang Zhongshu, from the Cloud Water Sect’s Chongyang Peak, shared the same sect as his; if he could offer some assistance, this side might not be as dangerous as imagined.