A daily intelligence report; in chaotic times and famine years, grain is plentiful.

Wang Mang's fist whistled through the air as it hurtled straight at Chen Mo's face.

Chen Mo didn't take the blow head-on; instead, he suddenly shifted his body to the left, barely dodging the powerful punch.

In the instant the two crossed paths, he used all his strength to sweep the shovel fiercely at Wang Mang's calf, which was supporting his body!

"Bang!"

A loud crash.

"Aww!"

Wang Mang let out a miserable howl, his body instantly losing its balance and staggering forward several steps.

He looked down and saw a little blood seeping through his trouser leg; the bone there was burning with pain.

The entire room fell silent.

Everyone was stunned.

No one expected that Chen Mo, who looked so frail, would actually dare to fight back!

Moreover, he injured Wang Mang with his very first move!

After landing a successful attack, Chen Mo immediately took two steps back to create distance.

"You fucking..."

Wang Mang steadied himself, turned around and glared at Chen Mo, "You dare hit me?!"

"I'm going to kill you today!"

He pounced on him again.

When Wang Mang's fist came flying, he dodged to the side and thrust his short shovel into Wang Mang's ribcage.

Although Wang Mang was strong, his body had been weakened by years of drinking and womanizing, and after several rounds of fierce attacks, his breathing had become heavy.

He had several bruises all over his body, which were painful and numb, making him move more and more slowly.

"You bastard! Don't hide if you dare!"

Another round.

Chen Mo couldn't dodge in time, and his shoulder was grazed by Wang Mang's fist, causing him to stagger.

Wang Mang seized the opportunity and delivered a powerful punch to his face.

"puff!"

Chen Mo was knocked to the side, half of his face went numb instantly, and his ears were ringing.

it hurts!

But he did not fall.

Instead, the intense pain fueled an even fiercer ruthlessness in his eyes.

"Oh."

He actually laughed.

But the smile, coupled with the blood at the corner of his mouth, looked particularly ferocious.

"Is that all the strength you have?"

Wang Mang was taken aback.

Chen Mo suddenly took a step forward and slammed his shoulder into Wang Mang's arms. At the same time, he thrust the short shovel in his hand upwards with all his might into Wang Mang's abdomen!

Wang Mang bent over in pain, and Chen Mo took the opportunity to kick him in the injured calf.

"Thump!"

Wang Mang could no longer stand and knelt down on one knee.

"stop!"

A loud shout came from outside the crowd.

The villagers who had been watching automatically parted to make way for them.

An elderly man with half-gray hair, wearing a patched old cloth gown, walked in. It was Li Laogen. He was the only literate man in the village. In his youth, he had been a hopeful scholar, participating in the imperial examinations of the Great Qian Dynasty, but ultimately failed and returned to his hometown disheartened. Although a failed scholar, in this ignorant countryside, his knowledge of Confucian classics and the integrity in his bones made him one of the few influential figures in the village.

He had just returned from gathering herbs in the back mountain when he heard a commotion at the village entrance.

Squeezing through the crowd, I saw the young man from the Chen family and Wang Mang locked in a fierce battle.

Not right.

He remembered Chen Mo; he was an honest and simple boy.

Why do you seem like a completely different person today?

Looking at Wang Mang's appearance, it's clear he suffered a great loss.

This is going to escalate!

In times of famine, human life is the least valuable, but it is also the easiest time for trouble to break out.

Wang Mang looked up and saw it was Li Laogen, then spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva in a vicious rage.

"You old bastard, mind your own business! Get out of my way!"

Li Laogen wasn't afraid. He walked between the two of them, first glancing at the injury on Chen Mo's face, his eyes flickering.

Then he turned to Wang Mang.

"Wang Mang, you stole someone's wife, took away their food, and even committed murder in front of the whole village."

"Do you really think there's no law in this village?"

Wang Mang was momentarily speechless after hearing this.

Whispers began to circulate among the crowd.

"Uncle Li is right!"

"Exactly! Wang Mang is so bullying! He doesn't treat us like human beings at all!"

"The Chen family lad was driven to desperation..."

Wang Mang's face turned ashen. He could disregard Chen Mo, but he could not disregard the opinions of the entire village.

If he truly incurs public wrath, he won't escape unscathed.

Li Laogen walked up to Chen Mo and said, "Kid, that's enough. Just bear with it for now."

"You can't beat him. If you really hurt him, you'll be the one who suffers."

Chen Mo gasped for breath, the murderous intent in his chest slowly subsiding.

He knew that Li Laogen was right.

Today we have achieved our goal of teaching Wang Mang a lesson; if we continue fighting, it will be a matter of life for life.

not worth.

Li Laogen then turned to Wang Mang and raised his voice: "We've all seen what happened today. If you really kill Chen Mo, and someone dies, even if you manage to get to town, do you think the constables in the county government are just sitting around doing nothing? The world is in chaos these days, and the government is just looking for a way to establish its authority. There are plenty of desperados willing to do it for a few taels of silver in reward for a head!"

These words were poured over Wang Mang's head.

He was arrogant and domineering, but he was afraid of death and even more afraid of the government.

The fear of "a life for a life" is ingrained in our very bones.

He struggled to his feet, his injured calf throbbing with pain.

"Fine! Useless trash, I'll give Li Laogen face today!"

He walked over, grabbed the still-dazed Lin Qingxue, pulled her into his arms, and hugged her tightly.

"But you listen to me carefully!"

"If you don't hand over the grain today, this isn't over!"

"And another thing," he deliberately kissed Lin Qingxue on the cheek, "she, Lin Qingxue, is my woman now! If you dare touch her again, I'll chop your hand off!"

Lin Qingxue smelled the stench of his sweat and felt her stomach churn.

But she still endured it, resting her head on Wang Mang's chest.

In her opinion, so what if Chen Mo is good at fighting?

In the end, didn't Lin Qingxue end up with an even stronger man?

Looking at the man and woman in front of me.

Chen Mo felt no emotion whatsoever.

"I, Chen Mo, have already divorced her."

"From now on, whether she is a prostitute, a courtesan, or a concubine, it has nothing to do with my Chen family."

"but……"

"If anyone dares to touch a single grain of food in my house, I, Chen Mo, will risk my wretched life to drag them down to hell with me!"

Wang Mang's heart skipped a beat, and he felt a chill for no apparent reason.

Is this still the same spineless coward Chen Mo?

"Let's go!"

Wang Mang ultimately didn't dare to make another move. He put his arm around Lin Qingxue and limped away.

As the two walked away, the villagers who had been watching gradually dispersed.

Someone looked at Chen Mo with pity and sighed.

Some people shook their heads, seemingly unconcerned, and discussed the recent turn of events.

Soon, only Chen Mo and Li Laogen remained on the open space.

"Your father and your sister..."

"well enough?"

"Thank you for your concern, Uncle Li."

Chen Mo turned to him, shedding his fierce demeanor and reverting to his somewhat dull-witted farm boy.

He bent down and picked up the cloth bag from the ground.

"I just went to the back mountain and dug up some wild vegetables. That should last Dad and my sister for two days."

He deliberately opened the bag a little wider.

Beneath a pile of dark, murky wild vegetables, you can vaguely see several round, plump things.

His peripheral vision swept over the cloth bag.

It's an egg.

In times of famine, eggs are more precious than grain.

Where did this kid get it from?

Li Laogen's eyes flickered, but he didn't say anything.

Everyone has their own secrets.

Especially in these times.

He simply said in a low voice, "Be careful lately. Wang Mang is a vengeful man. His cronies aren't exactly saints either."

"Yes, I know."

Chen Mo nodded.

"Uncle Li, come inside and have some water."

"No."

Li Laogen waved his hand, "I have other things to do. Take care of yourself."

After saying that, he put his hands behind his back and slowly walked away.

Chen Mo stared intently at Li Laogen's retreating figure.

This old scholar is no ordinary person.

He carried the heavy cloth bag and turned to walk into the dilapidated thatched hut.