Practice starts with skill points.

Chapter 43 Rebellion
The place on the street where official notices were posted was crowded with passers-by. The yamen runners held a gong, struck it loudly, and then shouted loudly.

"Gentlemen, come here. The county magistrate has issued a red notice. From today on, all citizens will purchase grain based on their household registration, with limits on quantity and price. Each household will receive a maximum of two kilograms of grain per day. Furthermore, there are rebels outside. To protect the city, the county magistrate has decided to conscript soldiers. Every household must provide one man. No exceptions."

Every time the yamen runner struck the gong, he would shout out the contents of the notice.

Zhong Lin frowned slightly. "Conscription? Food rationing? Has the situation outside become so tense?"

Food is the most important thing for people. When food problems start to arise, things have basically become deteriorating to the most dangerous point.

Now there is conscription and food restrictions, which shows that even the county magistrate cannot handle the natural disasters and war outside.

At the same time, he was glad that he had purchased enough food in advance, otherwise he would be in trouble.

Ignoring the bustling streets, Zhong Lin walked quickly towards Xu's Clinic.

Compared to the busyness of the previous few days, Xu Lewu was now sitting on the armchair, leisurely drinking tea, with only an apprentice cleaning beside him.

"Zhong boy is here."

Seeing Zhong Lin coming, Xu Lewu did not stand up, but just put the purple clay teapot in his hand on the table.

"You old fellow seem to be so leisurely, while the noise outside is almost making a big noise." Zhong Lin said with a smile.

"Thanks to you, there is enough food at home. As for conscription, you can't let an old man like me go to the battlefield, right?" Xu Lewu said indifferently.

Zhong Lin didn't say much and just threw a black cloth bag over.

Xu Lewu also stretched out his hand to weigh it, and his old face almost turned into a chrysanthemum shape with smiling.

"That's all for this month. Next month, we can prepare some other things, such as hemostatic powder. The situation outside is so chaotic, and these things can just be sold."

Xu Lewu nodded thoughtfully: "That makes sense. I'll prepare some later. You can take some to test the waters next time."

"Your prescription can also be adjusted. Salvia miltiorrhiza can be replaced with Euryale ferox and Astragalus membranaceus. This way the efficacy will not be reduced much, and the cost can be saved by at least three taels of silver." Zhong Lin continued.

"Gorgon fruit, astragalus..." Xu Lewu stroked his beard and said thoughtfully, "Gorgon fruit is known as the ginseng of water. It is indeed a good match with astragalus. You can try it. I will try to adjust the amount of these two herbs."

"Three grams of Gorgon fruit and ten grams of Astragalus."

Upon hearing this, Xu Lewu said angrily, "You know shit. When it comes to medicinal materials, even the slightest mistake can lead to a huge error. Sometimes, even a little extra good medicine can turn into poison. You... no, how did you know I put salvia miltiorrhiza in my Eight Treasures Blood Tonic?"

Xu Lewu suddenly reacted and looked at Zhong Lin warily, as if his most precious thing had been stolen.

"Angelica, Rehmannia, Poria, Cistanche, Rubus idaeus, Cuscuta, Ligustrum lucidum, Polygonatum... Do you want me to continue?" Zhong Lin's face was full of smiles.

"you you you……"

Xu Lewu could no longer sit still and looked at Zhong Li with a little fear, but Zhong Lin's hands were shaking constantly.

"It's just a prescription for replenishing qi and blood, not a recipe for pills. What's the big deal? Let's go."

After saying that, he turned around and left Xu's Clinic without looking back. Before leaving, he took two medical books from Xu Lewu's table, leaving Xu Lewu with a confused look on his face.

"What a sin! I should have been nicer to him earlier. Now he has opened all my prescriptions. I don't know if he will come to me again to get medicine in the future." Xu Lewu was in a state of confusion.

……

"A ruthless man named Guo Yanhuai appeared outside. He first convened the Eighteen Black Mountain Villages for an alliance, defeated all the bandit leaders at the meeting, and subdued the bandits from the Eighteen Villages. Then, he used the gimmick of opening up his granaries to release grain, attracting countless refugees to join him. With this unified command, he actually became a force to be reckoned with."

"Some time ago, the county magistrate led the reserve army in the city, but he cut off their food supply and attacked them at night. They were also attacked by experts and their food supplies were burned. When the people were in panic, Guo Yanhuai attacked them in one fell swoop, and the reserve army was defeated. That's why the county magistrate issued the decree to conscript soldiers and limit food supplies."

Old Zhou sighed and continued, "My nephew is a military leader in the reserve army. He told me the news, it can't be false. This time we're really in trouble."

Zhong Lin nodded. The reserve army had already been defeated once. If they won this conscription, it would be fine. If they lost again, the enemy army would really march straight to the county town.

"Zhong Lin, the city is becoming more and more chaotic. If you can stay at home these days, don't go out. Don't let your younger brother go to school. Stay at home. In short, Heishan County is in danger now." Old Zhou said solemnly.

"I understand. You should also pay attention to safety."

"Don't worry, this is the government office after all. Unless the rebel army breaks through the city gate, no one dares to cause trouble here." Old Zhou waved his hand.

When Zhong Lin left the county government office, his face was extremely solemn. He was not thinking about who would win or lose between the county magistrate and Guo Yanhuai, but was thinking about how to protect himself when the chaos really happened.

"How about taking Little Stone out of the city and returning to Xiahe Village for refuge?"

"No, it's hard to carry food, and it would be dangerous if we ran into a rebel army."

"On the contrary, there is still the most basic order in the city. With my eighth-rank strength, as long as I don't jump too much, I can more than protect myself, and I won't have any problem protecting Xiao Shitou."

"The worst-case scenario is that Guo Yanhuai wins and Heishan County is captured. That would be troublesome."

A hint of worry flashed in Zhong Lin's eyes. The books and movies in his previous life explained to him the plight of civilians during war, especially when the rebel army entered the city.

There was burning, killing and looting, and countless deaths and injuries.

Basically, all the crimes you can imagine are born here.

"No rush, there's still time, and these are just my guesses. It's still unknown who will win or lose. In troubled times, force is everything. Now all I have to do is continue practicing martial arts. The seventh-grade Bone Refining Realm possesses immense strength, and bones are as strong as steel. If I can reach the seventh-grade martial arts, even if we encounter a rebellious army, I can easily protect Little Stone and escape."

Zhong Lin thought quickly, and his heart calmed down.

……

As time passed, the atmosphere in the entire Heishan County became increasingly strange.

Food shortages, forced conscription, rampant gangs...

The entire Heishan County is like a powder keg, and it feels like it will explode instantly with just a small spark.

Zhong Lin rarely goes out these days. He practices martial arts at home every day and reads when he is tired.

He also kept Xiao Shitou at home and taught him some basic boxing techniques to lay a foundation. He was still young and his bones had not yet grown, so he was not suitable for practicing martial arts, but he could practice some basic boxing techniques.

(End of this chapter)