All the gods began by cultivating the Iron Shirt technique.

As the saying goes, plans can't keep up with changes. Originally, Yang Pan planned to continue his steady training at the martial arts school for a while, hoping to improve his Iron Shirt skill by at least half by the day the county town actually fell. But now he has to leave ahead of schedule.

Fortunately, those who left this time were all fellow disciples from the martial arts school. They settled down elsewhere, and as long as Senior Brother Huang was still around, his Iron Shirt technique could continue to be practiced.

Although he had received Huang's notification, Yang Pan had no intention of communicating privately with the other senior brothers. At this critical juncture, the county town was already in turmoil. The county magistrate's order to seal off the city was partly to prepare for the Mongols, but it also had the potential to preserve the county's fighting force.

After all, resisting the Mongols ultimately depends on the able-bodied men in the county, especially those with stronger martial arts skills. As the only martial arts school in the county, the members of the Tiehe Martial Arts School are probably already on the list of those the county magistrate must keep.

Therefore, this plan must be carried out secretly, without revealing a single word.

Hurala!

The wind seemed unusually strong tonight, whipping and tugging at the lights in the Qin mansion. Yang Pan remained steadfast at the side gate of the backyard, his wide guard robes bulging under his weight, especially around the waist where an irregular bulge appeared.

That was all the silver he had left after a year at the Qin residence, after deducting his cultivation expenses. Since he was already preparing to leave, Yang Pan naturally made preparations to take his belongings with him. However, Yang Pan discovered that, apart from himself, his other senior brothers also seemed to have made ample preparations long ago.

For example, Zhao Lei, who was also on guard duty on the other side, looked much more robust than others, except for the bulge around his waist and the fact that he seemed to have something stuffed under his robe.

Seemingly noticing Yang Pan's gaze, Zhao Lei also looked at Yang Pan. The two exchanged a glance and simultaneously gave each other a knowing smile.

The wind blew again, dragging the shadows of the patrolling guards into a grotesque and distorted shape.

"Teams one, two, and three, follow me! One team stays behind to continue patrolling!"

Just then, a guard rushed in from the front yard. He spoke hurriedly and didn't even give the others time to ask questions before turning around and running back to the front yard. The remaining guards from the back yard exchanged glances, and then groups of them, carrying torches, ran towards the front yard.

At the side gate, Yang Pan and Zhao Lei exchanged a glance; they were the guards of the second team.

"What's going on? Is it those Green Mountain Gang thugs again? They caused trouble just two days ago, and now they're at it again!" Zhao Lei's tone was disgusted, but his face didn't show much tension. As a martial artist who had also entered the second level of Iron Shirt, he naturally had enough confidence.

"Senior brother, let's go too. But be careful, this time seems a little different from before." Yang Pan gave a word of advice and left with the other guards, but he felt a little uneasy. In the past, including when there was commotion in the county a couple of days ago, he would come to the backyard to gather manpower, but never like today, where three teams were gathered at once, leaving only one team of guards behind.

It looks like tonight's commotion will be quite something...

East Street, once a bustling hub of shops in the county, was a vibrant place even at night, teeming with people. But since the county magistrate sealed off the city, it has become deserted, all shops closed and no longer see customers. And it's not just East Street; several other streets with shops are in the same state—all closed and eerily quiet.

But tonight, the streets, which had been deserted for so long, were lit up with lights, and the sounds of people talking and smashing echoed through the alleyways.

"Break it open! Our people are holding up life-saving grain! Charge with us!" A young man roared, holding a torch high, in front of a long-closed grain shop. He had a thin face, prominent cheekbones, and bloodshot eyes, as if he hadn't eaten in a long time.

Behind him stood a large group of people, all with thin faces. Hearing the young man's words, they remained silent for a long time, seemingly afraid of something. However, as they looked at the grain shop in front of them, which had been smashed open, their eyes revealed a deep sense of unease.

"Damn it, what's there to be afraid of! In this godforsaken state, the Mongol Tartars could come and raid us anytime. We'll just have to survive one day at a time!"

Suddenly, a middle-aged man with bluish eyes and a messy beard shouted, and then, under everyone's gaze, squeezed through the opening in the grain shop into the store. With this man leading the way, the previously hesitant people wavered even more.

Yes, the county town is now under lockdown, and we can't leave. The Mongol Tartars could attack at any time; we're going to die anyway, so why not just die a full-fledged death?

"Damn it, let's go! I'm out of food at home. I'd rather die well than starve!" Another young man rushed out from the crowd.

"Yes, the old man is really hungry." An old man staggered in.

Splash! Tap tap tap!

In an instant, the entire alleyway erupted in chaos. The wooden planks outside the grain shop were completely smashed, and the crowd surged into the shop like a flood. And it wasn't just this one place; the entire street was filled with the sounds of smashing, looting, and shouting.

......

"Hehe, Brother Ma, you're really something. These peasants are really starving."

At the street corner, a group of well-dressed young people with ruddy complexions gathered, looking more refined than the ordinary people who were looting and vandalizing the streets.

"Hmph, if we want to create chaos in the county, we'll have to rely on these peasants. Let's not fight, let them rob us, anyway, these things will be ours in the end." Ma San looked smug, his upturned eyebrows revealing an undisguised smile.

"Stop it right now! All of you, stop it!"

Just then, a loud shout pierced the night sky, accompanied by the sound of orderly footsteps. Yang Pan and Zhao Lei, along with the guards, rushed over, the torchlight illuminating the entire East Street as if it were daytime. The head guard of the Qin family, his face ashen, looked at the mess in front of the grain shop and the people frantically looting the grain, his forehead veins bulging with rage.

"Stop it, you bastards! Anyone who dares to gather and loot again, I will report this to the county government!"

The people who were frantically grabbing grain inside the store paused at the sound, their faces showing panic. But the instinct of hunger overcame their fear; some clutched their grain bags and huddled in corners, while others stared intently at the scattered grain on the ground, their eyes red, refusing to let go.

"Report to the county government?" Ma San sneered from the street corner and slowly walked out, followed closely by dozens of young men.

As Yang Pan watched the dozens of Green Mountain Gang members emerge from the opposite side, his pupils constricted, for he noticed that each of them carried a long sword, clearly indicating that they had come prepared.

"Now that the prefectural city is about to be breached by the Mongol Tartars, the county magistrate can barely protect himself, how can he have time to care about these things? I think you guards of the Qin family are nothing more than using the Qin family's power to oppress the people!"

Ma San's words acted as a catalyst, and the previously panicked crowd became restless again, with some people loudly echoing his sentiments:

"That's right! The Qin family's granaries are overflowing with grain, yet they watch us starve to death. Why should they?"

"We just need food to survive, we haven't done anything wrong!"

The head guard's face darkened further, and he shouted sternly, "The Qin family has already donated half of their grain to the government for distribution. You were instigated to gather a crowd and loot, and now you dare to turn around and accuse us! If you know what's good for you, put down the grain and leave immediately, or don't blame us for being impolite!"

However, the guard's words had no effect on the crowd, who were already blinded by greed. Yang Pan, standing at the back, saw everything clearly. He knew that tonight's riot was definitely the work of the Green Mountain Gang again, and compared to the previous minor skirmishes, this time the Green Mountain Gang directly incited the people in the city to forcibly rob grain shops.

Normally, this would be considered a rebellion, and the county government would have already dispatched troops to suppress it. But now, even the guards from the Qin family have come, yet the county government soldiers haven't reacted at all! What does this mean? Does the county government condone the Green Mountain Gang's actions? Or is the county government simply powerless to stop tonight's riot?

After all, the Xu family is behind the Green Mountain Gang, and the Xu family also has quite a few people in the county government.

Thinking of this, Yang Pan tightened his grip on the long sword, turned his head and exchanged a glance with Zhao Lei beside him, and saw the same solemnity in the other's eyes.

"You're not polite? I'd like to see how you're being impolite!" A ruthless glint flashed in Ma San's eyes as he winked at the youths behind him.

"Brothers, these guards are trying to ruin our plans! Kill them!"

Before the words were even finished, dozens of Green Mountain Gang members charged towards the guards, brandishing their long swords. None of them were martial artists, yet each was agile and ruthless, clearly having come prepared. The guard leader was momentarily stunned, obviously not expecting the Green Mountain Gang to act so decisively.

But the head guard quickly realized what was happening and organized his men to put up a fight.

The fight erupted instantly. Sparks from clashing torches, the dull thud of longswords slicing through flesh, and shouts of cursing mingled together, plunging the entire East Street into chaos. The Qin family guards, having trained in swordsmanship under Instructor Zhao, were no less formidable in the clash. However, the youths brought by Ma San outnumbered them and were all fearless, resulting in a stalemate for a time.

Amidst the chaos of the street, Yang Pan mingled with the crowd, dodging attacks from time to time. Although he had begun cultivating the second level of Iron Shirt Technique, no matter how tough his skin and muscles were, he was absolutely no match for the longsword's slashes at this moment.

Faced with such a chaotic battle, Yang Pan realized that his only advantage was the power from his Iron Shirt technique and the swordsmanship he had honed in the Qin family for a year. With these two, Yang Pan didn't suffer any serious injury for the time being; on the contrary, he was able to wound one or two Green Mountain Gang members who attacked him each time.

"Damn it, Junior Brother Yang, help me!"

Yang Pan dodged another slash, but before he could retaliate, he heard his senior brother Zhao Lei's voice.

Looking in the direction of the sound, they saw that Zhao Lei had been forced to a shop on the street, and three or four members of the Green Mountain Gang were slashing at him with knives.

Without hesitation, Yang Pan charged forward with his knife.

when!

Zhao Lei parried the incoming slash with his knife. He was stronger than his opponent and prepared to continue slashing before the opponent could react. However, he was surrounded. Just as he was about to strike, another member of the Green Mountain Gang slashed at his back.