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

The local earth god temple was completely empty; there wasn't even a mouse dropping inside.

Wang Mang kicked over the dilapidated offering table.

"Oh shit!"

"Where are the people? Where are the things?"

Zhao Si shrank his neck and looked around: "No...no, Brother Mang. Didn't Sun Gouzi say he saw him come out of here?"

Sun Gouzi's face turned pale, and he stammered, "I...I really saw it! It was just before dawn, right here! His arms were bulging, and he was running incredibly fast!"

"Plump up?"

Wang Mang slapped Sun Gouzi across the face, sending him spinning halfway around. "Are you kidding me?!"

Lin Qingxue stood at the entrance, looking at the chaotic and smoky atmosphere inside the temple, and frowned.

I thought I could find some food, but it was all for nothing.

That good-for-nothing Chen Mo is getting better and better at playing tricks.

"Let's go!" Wang Mang spat out the word through gritted teeth, his eyes fierce. "To his house! Straight to his house! I'm going to tear that dilapidated house down today! I want to see where he can hide his stuff!"

He limped and led the way out of the local temple, as if he couldn't wait to get to the Chen family's house.

Zhao Si and Sun Gouzi quickly followed, jogging all the way.

"That Chen Mo, he's asking for it!" Zhao Si cursed as he ran, trying to bolster his courage. "He dared to lie to our Brother Mang!"

"If we break into his cellar later, there'll definitely be grain!" Sun Gouzi mumbled, covering his face.

The four of them, looking very aggressive, headed straight from the east end of the village to the west end.

On the village road in the early morning, there were already villagers who had gotten up early to gather firewood, and some emaciated children were rummaging through the roadside for something to eat.

Upon seeing Wang Mang and his group, everyone avoided them as if they were facing a plague god.

Zhang San was carrying a small bundle of dry branches when he saw Wang Mang. He immediately hid behind an old locust tree, only daring to peek out with half his head showing.

"What are they up to now?"

"Judging by the direction, is this Chen Mo's house?"

"Tsk tsk, that kid from the Chen family is probably going to be in trouble again."

Several elderly people squatting against the wall, basking in the sun, also glanced up and began whispering among themselves.

"That kid from the Wang family is getting more and more arrogant."

"His father is the village head; who dares to mess with him?"

"The Chen family is in a terrible state. The old are sick, the young are starving, and they still won't let them off the hook."

Aunt Li, holding her grandson, saw Lin Qingxue following behind Wang Mang and couldn't help but spit on the ground.

"Shameless bastard! She just broke up with him and then led her new boyfriend to ransack her ex-husband's house! What a piece of trash!"

The whispers were very soft, like the buzzing of mosquitoes.

But when they come together, they create a sense of oppression.

Wang Mang couldn't hear, and even if he did, he didn't care. His mind was filled with anger at being mocked, and the villagers' fearful eyes only made him happier.

This is exactly the effect he wanted.

Not far away, on the edge of the field.

Li Laogen, leaning on his cane, also heard the commotion. He glanced in the direction Wang Mang and his party had left with his cloudy eyes, his brows furrowing into a knot.

He didn't move; he just stood there quietly.

"Bang!"

A loud bang.

The already rickety wooden door of the Chen family was kicked inward by Wang Mang, crashing into the wall and sending dust falling.

Inside the room, Chen Dashan coughed violently.

"Brother..." Chen Ling'er's voice trembled with fear, her face turning deathly pale.

Chen Mo's movements were faster than his voice.

The instant the loud noise came, he grabbed the sack containing the hunting bow from beside the bed, shoved it into the woodpile in the corner behind the door, and covered it with a few pieces of rotten wood.

The whole process took less than two breaths.

"Stay inside, don't come out."

He whispered something to his sister, then turned around, his face completely expressionless.

He walked out of the inner room and stood in the courtyard.

Wang Mang had already stepped one foot into the courtyard and was blocking the way. Behind him were Zhao Si, Sun Gouzi, and Lin Qingxue, whose face was full of resentment.

"Useless trash!" Wang Mang pointed his finger at Chen Mo's nose, spitting everywhere. "Hand over what you stole from the local temple! Otherwise, I'll tear down this shabby place of yours today!"

Zhao Si shouted, "That's right! Hand it over now! Don't force us to take action!"

Sun Gouzi, taking advantage of the situation, shouted, "Chen Mo, do you think you can hide? Hurry up, or you'll suffer!"

Chen Mo's gaze swept calmly over each of them.

His gaze lingered on Lin Qingxue's face for a moment, then moved away, as if he were looking at a stranger.

"The local temple belongs to the village; it's unclaimed land," he said, his voice low but clear. "Anyone can go there, so how can it be considered stealing?"

"Wang Mang, you led your men and forced your way into my home, what do you want?"

His counter-question directly asserted the principle of reason.

More and more villagers gathered around to watch the spectacle, eventually surrounding the dilapidated walls of the Chen family's courtyard.

"Wang Mang was too domineering."

"Yeah, Chen Mo is already in such a bad situation, and they still won't let him go."

"This isn't looking for something, it's robbery!"

The murmurs grew louder and reached Wang Mang's ears, making him even more embarrassed.

"Shut the fuck up!"

Wang Mang's patience ran out, and he let out a sinister laugh.

"I'm telling you today, you stole it! What? Search me!"

With a wave of his hand, Zhao Si and Sun Gouzi immediately rushed into the house.

Chen Mo's eyes sharpened.

Instead of retreating, he took a step forward, his thin body blocking the doorway.

"Let's see who dares!"

Three words, chilling to the bone.

Zhao Si and Sun Gouzi stopped in their tracks, startled by Chen Mo's reckless energy.

"Useless trash! You dare to stop me?"

Wang Mang was completely enraged. He stepped forward himself and shoved Chen Mo in the chest.

"Get out of here!"

Wang Mang was tall and strong, and Chen Mo had been starving for several days, so they were no match for each other.

He was pushed so hard that he stumbled backward several steps, his back slamming heavily against the door frame.

But he did not fall.

In the instant he stepped back, he turned around and reached his hand into the pile of firewood behind the door.

A hunting bow suddenly appeared in his hand!

He held a bow in his left hand and drew an iron arrow from behind his back with his right.

"Click".

The arrow was nocked on the bowstring.

Wang Mang's forward thrust froze in mid-air, his eyes wide open, staring intently at the bow in Chen Mo's hand.

Zhao Si and Sun Gouzi were so frightened that they stumbled back several steps, their faces pale, and almost bumped into each other.

The villagers outside the courtyard gasped in shock.

Bow and arrow!

In this village where even a kitchen knife is considered a weapon of mass destruction, this thing is a deadly weapon!

Chen Mo's eyes were icy cold.

"Take another step forward and give it a try."

Wang Yimang's face turned pale and then red.

"You...you dare!" he roared fiercely, but his feet seemed rooted to the spot, and he didn't dare to move forward another step.

"Where did this broken bow come from? Who are you trying to scare? Go ahead and shoot if you dare!"

He was gambling, gambling that Chen Mo wouldn't dare.

Zhao Si's voice trembled as he tugged at Wang Mang's sleeve.

"Brother Mang... he... he has arrows..."

Sun Gouzi's legs went weak, and he began to quietly move backward, ready to slip away at any moment.

"Chen Mo! Are you crazy!" Lin Qingxue suddenly screamed, "Put it down! What do you think you're doing? Are you trying to kill someone?!"

Her voice was sharp and shrill.

Chen Mo completely ignored her.

His eyes were fixed on Wang Mang.

He pulled the bowstring tighter.

The bow made a slight creaking sound.

"I, Chen Mo, have nothing to lose. I'm barefoot and have nothing to fear from those wearing shoes."

His voice was deep.

"Wang Mang, if you dare to harm my family or steal my things today, I'll take you down with me."

"You try and see if your life is more precious or mine is less precious."

This statement is a blatant threat.

A life for a life!

The atmosphere was extremely tense.

The villagers watching held their breath, not daring to utter a sound. They wanted to persuade him, but looking at Wang Mang's fierce face and the gleaming arrow in Chen Mo's hand, who dared to step forward?

Just as the stalemate was at its peak, the sound of a cane hitting the ground came from outside the crowd.

"Make way! Make way!"

An old but powerful voice rang out.

The villagers automatically parted to make way for each other.

Li Laogen, leaning on his cane, strode in.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw this tense scene.

Chen Mo, holding a bow, faced off against Wang Mang, who remained frozen in place.

His brows furrowed instantly.