The light snow fell profusely, but only those whose minds were peaceful could hear it touch the ground.

Song Cheng's ears had always been keen.

The snow fell softly and lightly, as if the heavens were quietly playing the earth like a zither.

Umbrella in hand, he stood with Lady Zhushan atop the walls of West City.

After a while, he opened his mouth, "Granny, are you still worried?"

He had confirmed that Lady Zhushan was indeed much older than him, old enough to be his great-grandmother, and it was not until recently that he had changed the way he addressed her during a "family gathering."

Tong Jia had exclaimed, "It's awkward to call a senior by that title!"

Song Cheng had asked, "Then what should I call her?"

With a clap, Tong Jia had declared, "Call her Granny."

So, Song Cheng had called her that, and Lady Zhushan had accepted the name.

At this moment, hearing his words, Lady Zhushan said softly, "This old woman does not understand why the Ghost Servants did not strike during the peace talks, I can't figure it out... It was an excellent opportunity."

The only explanation, she continued, "is they are brewing an even greater conspiracy."

Song Cheng closed his eyes, thought about the intelligence he had gathered these days, and suddenly said, "The Northern Barbarians asked for a lot of food and supplies, other counties are starving and freezing, but these invaders are well-fed and clothed, that's going to be a problem, right?"

Lady Zhushan paused, her mind spinning, and then she seemed to understand, mulling it over for a moment before saying, "It will cause problems."

Song Cheng said, "Didn't the bigwigs think of that?"

With a long sigh, Lady Zhushan replied, "The Six Towns were originally guarded by descendants of military families and major sects, but gradually... this place became a refuge for exiles and lowlifes because of its harsh and impoverished conditions."

"That place is filled with various sects and powers, but it's also a breeding ground for chaos, and has never been valued by the Imperial Family."

"After all, why would they stoop to look at a place of exiled criminals?"

Song Cheng added, "But they are the first forces to resist the Northern Barbarians, and the ones most directly confronting them."

Lady Zhushan nodded and uttered, "Hmm."

Then she added, "I see now, it's an obvious strategy.

The generals from the State City need achievements, the Imperial Family needs stability."

"If scattering some grain can appease the wild beasts from the north, why not do it?

It's just the common people who will suffer."

"Now I understand why the Ghost Servants didn't make their move.

They're waiting right here.

But which bastard came up with this strategy for them?

The Ghost Servants themselves don't have the brains for it."

Song Cheng continued, "If we've seen it, surely many others have too."

Lady Zhushan spoke, "They were eager to send the grain, now realizing it is already too late.

But even if they had thought of it then, what could they have done?

If we don't seek peace, should we simply let the Northern Barbarians desperately, like madmen, lash out in a last-ditch attack, bringing the Ghost Tide down south? It's an unabashed strategy."

Song Cheng thought for a moment, then abruptly said, "Granny, there's peace now, right?"

"Yes."

"And the Ghost Tide hasn't appeared yet, has it?"

"Yes."

"This year's summer and autumn, my An Family collected a very large batch of rice, right? The Prefectural City is vast, and with the An Family being grain merchants, we have plenty of farmland, even right under your Pearl Mountain," Song Cheng said with a smile, "offering luxuries is not as good as providing coal in the snow."

He had already decided to put down roots in Hanping Prefecture and not to flee south anymore, so it was not only Hanping Prefecture but even the Six Towns nearby where he needed to build good relationships.

He needed an opportunity.

Initially, he was wondering where this opportunity would come from, but now, the Northern Barbarians had delivered it to him.

At this moment, sending grain and supplies to the Six Towns was truly life-saving and would be a hundred times more useful than usual.

Blessings and disasters go hand in hand; the troubles of the Six Towns are a disaster, but also an opportunity for the An Family.

Granny Zhushan was taken aback.

Before she could speak, Song Cheng said, "No one is sending grain to the Six Towns, my An Family will!"

...

...

Without delay, within two days' time, the An Family had gathered no less than eighty ox carts, carrying nearly Two Thousand Stone of grain heading north, escorted not only by An Family guards but also by Pearl Mountain Taoist Temple's "Form" realm Medicinal Humans, and even by Prefectural Soldiers.

The Prefectural Soldiers were already under the control of Shanhe Martial Arts Hall, and as a Guest Elder of the Martial Arts Hall, Song Cheng had enough clout to do so.

...

...

As the ox carts continued their journey northward toward the Six Towns, the Prefectural Soldiers returned.

Filled with ambition and high spirits on their departure, eager to earn distinctions and to join the ranks of two major powers, the soldiers and martial artists now returned with weary faces, etched by the elements.

The war had stripped away their superficiality, and each one of them found their families and wept upon returning.

Shanhe Martial Arts Hall and White Camel Estate did not go back on their word; they recruited a large number of Outer Sect disciples and promised to teach them Cultivation Techniques.

And the previously overlooked young blind boy, he now sat directly in front of the leaders of these two great powers.

There were four people at the table.

The Three Giants of the Prefectural City, along with a blind boy.

Lady Zhushan, wrapped in thick, unattractive clothes and with a large, pockmarked face.

The "Martial Arts Hall Master" Tie Zhenyi wore a dark blue robe, with a square face, thick eyebrows, and sharp, penetrating eyes, his voice firm and forceful.

The "White Camel Estate's Master," Ouyang Sha, had high-bridged nose and deep-set eyes, dressed in white. Though middle-aged, one could tell he must have been a charming and attractive gentleman in his youth.

And Song Cheng had confirmed that the person he had seen at the White Camel Estate was this very master.

At this moment, aside from Lady Zhushan's dim complexion, the other two men were outlined in bright white lines.

The pair also scrutinized Song Cheng.

For this newly risen young hero of the city, both were quite intrigued.

Especially since it was Lady Zhushan who had invited them to this gathering today.

Tie Zhenyi and Ouyang Sha were merely discussing matters of the battlefield, occasionally consulting Lady Zhushan for city affairs, yet neither paid much attention to Song Cheng.

The two probably knew that the real issue of the day concerned the Little Blind Boy.

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