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The campaign in the Southeast had escalated into its most intense phase in just under ten days, with the Southern Barbarians and Jiangnan both amassing troops at Tiannan Pass.

It was said the Southern Barbarians, united by several nations, had rallied an army of five hundred thousand.

Evidently, they all recognized that once Tiannan Pass fell into Jiangnan’s hands, the Southern Barbarians’ opportune moment to advance into the Central Plains would be completely lost.

Before the great war, Chen Qing didn’t delay this time and personally went to the front lines. He wasn’t worried that Tian Heng would lose to the Southern Barbarians; he was concerned there might be other maneuvers taking place in the Capital City.

As for Jiang Xiaoling, he was arranged by Chen Qing to return to Jiangnan’s Lyuzhou. Along the way, he was escorted by two Yaksha generals, without a single major figure accompanying them.

However, this wasn’t because Chen Qing undervalued his safety; rather, there was a severe shortage of manpower at the moment. Zi Yue and Weichi Feihong and others had gone north, while Tian Heng and Ao Zhen had to stay by his side to capture Jiangnan in the shortest time possible.

Shen Qi’s magic was very suitable for scouting battlefields and could not be spared, while Wei Gongcheng and other members of the Shen Family needed to fully resist the breaches opened by the underworld.

How could they spare any important figures just to escort a child at such a time?

Of course, Chen Qing wasn’t worried about him being kidnapped either. The only one with a motive, the King of Qin, had already voluntarily given up. It was unlikely for him to suddenly seize Tianji and kidnap the boy, right?

So, three days later, Jiang Xiaoling and his remaining family members took to the waterway and arrived in the river channel of Jiangnan’s Lyuzhou.....

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"Mother, would you like some porridge?"

Jiang Xiaoling, holding a bowl of meat porridge, walked in with a gentle voice.

The boat they were aboard was a riverboat unique to Jiangnan, known for its speed and spaciousness.

However, unfortunately, there were too many people fleeing to Jiangnan this time, resulting in somewhat cramped quarters.

Even someone as important as Jiang Xiaoling only had access to a single small cabin.

The woman sitting on the bed was Jiang Xiaoling’s mother. Thankfully, most of the female relatives had survived this time, although emotionally they were somewhat unstable.....

But Jiang Xiaoling understood, too. After the men had been slaughtered, and they themselves had been stripped bare and leashed like dogs in front of everyone, the fact that they hadn’t gone mad yet was already a sign of considerable psychological resilience.

His mother was slightly better off; although somewhat distracted, she showed no signs of intending to take her own life. Clearly, the presence of her son and daughter gave her the courage to keep living. After accepting the meat porridge, she turned her gaze to the girl beside her.

Compared to her mother, the nine-year-old sister was practically a walking corpse.

Tears fell into the meat porridge as the woman looked on, unable to take a bite for a long time.

"Mother..... there’s no need to worry...

.." Jiang Xiaoling picked up another bowl of porridge, tenderly feeding his sister, "Once we get to Jiangnan, nobody will know about that day. We will have new neighbors, a new beginning. I’ve been granted admission to Jiangnan Academy. I’ve heard magicians hold very high status there.

I’ll definitely arrange a good marriage for my sister. "

Hearing these words, the woman’s pale face warmed a little, "Is that..... possible?"

"Of course, it is!" Jiang Xiaoling nodded eagerly, "The officials in Jiangnan said I have great talent. I can choose from any of the four major courtyards at the academy. Once I’m there, our family will receive direct subsidies, so we won’t have to live in hardship."

"I was referring to your sister’s marriage....." the woman looked at Jiang Xiaoling and glanced at the emotionally numb girl, only to discover that, originally unresponsive, there was now a glimmer in her eyes, nervously looking their way.

Seeing this, Jiang Xiaoling felt somewhat relieved at heart. His sister still had reactions, clearly hoping to look forward.

He hurriedly said, "It won’t be a problem. Once we’re there, no one will know about the incident. A magician’s status in Jiangnan is extraordinary, and plenty of good families will seek to ingratiate themselves. It won’t be hard to arrange a good marriage for my sister....."

"But so many people saw..."

"Those who are going to Jiangnan are wealthy households, who have, like us, been humiliated by those beasts. Everyone has suffered disgrace, nobody will spread rumors about others. If they do, they’ll surely be suppressed by us all.

This involves the reputation of everyone’s female relatives.

If anyone were to act so despicably, I’m sure the ones above would not tolerate it. "

"All... they are all wealthy households?" The woman looked at her son, somewhat astonished.

"Lord Wang, the King of Qin, is ambitious and highly confident this time in taking down the Southeast and expelling the Southern Barbarians. The people of the Southeast have been terrified by the Southern Barbarians and all want to flee to Jiangnan. But after you take down the Southeast, you’ll need its people to continue farming the land.

How could you possibly let a large number of people escape to Jiangnan? Wouldn’t that create refugees?"

"This... that’s true, but... why can the wealthy do it?"

"There are many reasons, and I can’t explain them all clearly..." Jiang Xiaoling shook his head.

He actually knew the reasons. The rich cherish their lives even more and are willing to pay the price. What Chen Qing wants is very simple, just the land...

Those who want to go to Jiangnan can do so, as long as they exchange all their lands for official credentials, then they can proceed to Jiangnan.

He believed that Chen Qing had the ability to forcefully reclaim the land, but that wouldn’t be conducive to governance.

At this moment, because of the crisis, the rich who value their lives are willing to actively surrender their fields and run to Jiangnan to save themselves, which happens to align with Chen Qing’s interests the most, and he would naturally be willing to facilitate this.

This isn’t his concern. To be honest, he would rather see Chen Qing’s power grow stronger and create a stable environment for him to protect his own family.

Now that Earth Spirits have revived, Jiangnan might very well be the last piece of land suitable for civilians to live. If Chen Qing can’t withstand the pressure, he dares not imagine how he could protect his own mother and sister.

When his family was slaughtered, he realized both the importance of strength and a stable environment for ordinary people.

Since he currently can’t obtain great power, then at the very least... he needs a stable force to ensure what he cherishes the most...

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Just as Jiang Xiaoling thought, among the several large ships heading to Jiangnan, most of the people aboard were wealthy households from the Southeast.

At this moment, they too were crammed into the cabins like refugees, looking bewilderedly toward the approaching Jiangnan.

"Father, why sell all our lands without keeping any? If the King of Qin takes over Tiannan Pass, our lands will surely regain their value."

Inside the cabin, a middle-aged man asked his father, who was over sixty years old.

"What’s the use of keeping them if you don’t sell?

" The old man gave his foolish son a glance: "With the natural disaster in the Southeast and demons everywhere, even the worms in the soil can rise up and kill people.

Our land has severely depreciated. Taking the opportunity to sell it cheaply now is both a matter of timing and advantage. How can you fight back?"

The younger man was speechless; the land indeed had become a liability. Nobody would farm it, yet the King of Qin was willing to exchange it for the most solid currency in Jiangnan: jadeite. To be honest... the offer was already quite generous.

"But if... the Southeast is taken down, the King of Qin will handle the demon incidents, right? I’ve heard that in the rural areas of Jiangnan, there is no talk of demons.

Plus, the King of Qin wouldn’t be taking our land at such high costs without being confident in dealing with those demons, right?

Otherwise, what’s he aiming for? We shouldn’t have sold everything. What if there’s room for appreciation?"

As soon as he said this, another middle-aged man burst into a sneer, obviously unable to hold back his laughter.

"What are you laughing at?" The man who had spoken earlier was immediately angered.

Before the other man could reply, his father couldn’t help but reprimand: "Enough, don’t make a fool of yourself. If you can see this, do you really think others are too foolish to understand? Appreciation..."

The old man sighed helplessly at his son’s naivety.

With the King of Qin’s military might that could expel the Southern Barbarians in an instant, and the crushing force, you should be grateful they didn’t just seize your lands.

Are you still expecting both to sell partially and also to observe the situation in a safe place like Jiangnan, waiting for the King of Qin to stabilize the situation before coming back to be a major landlord again?

What are you thinking?

Do you really think their swords are only meant for the Southern Barbarians?