Chapter 1992: Dragon God Appears

"Then what would be the consequences if we let Guo Baiyu march in?" Tu Shanfang's eyes widened. "You all have refugees among you. Ask them how Guo Baiyu treated their hometowns, how he treated their elders."

There was no need to ask; everyone already knew. If Guo Baiyu were as benevolent as the Dragon God and the Blackscale Army, would refugees still need to flee? Miancheng had endured for so long precisely because everyone was desperately resisting, unwilling to suffer the same fate.

Tu Shanfang continued, "At first, we couldn't defeat Guo Baiyu's army at all. But we've progressed rapidly, and now we frequently win battles! If we continue to develop like this, Guo Baiyu won't be able to do anything to us. Why should we fear him?"

A little over a month ago, their win rate against Guo Baiyu was two in ten—meaning they won two battles for every eight the enemy won. Now, it had improved to more than three in ten.

Although they still lost more than they won, their progress couldn't be ignored. Moreover, the fact that they could still achieve victories, even while everyone was gaunt and starving, with their belts tightened by another notch, was remarkable in itself!

Someone immediately scoffed from below, "What's the point of talking about development when there's no food? We have no future at all!"

Fan Shuang recognized him. This was the innkeeper's nephew from the guesthouse where the Fan family stayed when they first fled to Miancheng.

Seeing him, Fan Shuang was a little surprised. After all, he had been talking about leaving from the very beginning, and yet, several months later, he was still there.

Fan Shuang knew too well the pain of leaving one's home and fleeing to a foreign place. Without land, money, food, or shelter, let alone work, one might not even survive in a strange land. Furthermore, this was Shining Gold; how many people would perish on the escape route? Even if conditions were harsh locally, very few had the courage to relocate.

The man's uncle, standing nearby, slapped him on the back of the head upon hearing his words. "Your mother had an emergency last month, lacking food and medicine. If it weren't for Mr. Fan from the county government actively finding medicine for you, you would have lost your mother already. You need to have a conscience!"

Fan Shuang spoke up from the crowd: "The Celestial Demons are too powerful, and even the Dragon God himself is fighting on the front lines. But he will never abandon Miancheng; he will not let his most loyal followers be massacred by Guo Baiyu! We must believe that heaven helps those who help themselves, and salvation comes to those who save themselves. If we resist to the very end, the Dragon God will protect us to the very end!"

Since Fan Shuang had provided the medicine, the man immediately showed him some deference upon seeing him, yet still said, "Whether it's the county government or the Blackscale Army, as long as they can solve our immediate crisis, I will immediately prostrate myself before the Dragon God and devote myself to him wholeheartedly from now on, never daring to utter a single word against him!"

His words were very practical, and many common people below nodded in agreement.

Someone immediately added, "Although it's said that heaven helps those who help themselves, the county government's announcement also stated that Guo Baiyu is so powerful because he has the assistance of a celestial deity. So if we want to become powerful, we also need the Dragon God's help!"

"Exactly!""That's right, you've spoken my mind!""That's precisely it!"

"As long as the Dragon God can give me a single bite of food now, my entire family and I will devote ourselves to serving him wholeheartedly from now on!""I will fight for the Dragon God from now on, utterly devoted!"

More people on the side chimed in with agreement.

A wave of voices surged through the city. Miancheng's long-suppressed discontent, anger, fear, and despair erupted simultaneously. At this point, no amount of reassurance, encouragement, or ideological work would be effective. People had only one thought in their minds: food. "I want to eat!"

Some even had a greenish glint in their eyes. Was there still grain in the city? How could they get it?

Tu Shanfang was also shaken by their overwhelming aura, taking three steps back. He subtly wiggled four fingers on his left hand behind his back: "Begin. We can't hold out much longer."

A dozen breaths later, a clear cry sounded from the sky as a bird demon flew down, landing on County Magistrate Huang's shoulder and whispering to him. After just a few words, County Magistrate Huang's spirits lifted, and he waved to silence the crowd's discussions: "Stop, everyone stop! Great news, the Dragon God has manifested—" His voice was too low and was drowned out by the clamor.

Tu Shanfang walked over and whispered a few words to him, then gathered his true power and roared, "There's food!" These three words were like thunder, instantly overriding the city's noise and reaching everyone's ears. The entire city fell silent, so quiet that a pin drop could be heard. "Huh? What?"

"Aren't you all asking for food? Good!" With all eyes on him, Tu Shanfang announced, word by word, "The Dragon God has manifested! The crops south of the city have ripened early."

Many in the audience covered their mouths, momentarily unable to believe it was true.

"I'm not lying to you, it's today, right now! If we hurry and go out of the city to harvest, perhaps we can have a fresh, hot meal tonight!"

Upon hearing this, everyone swallowed. The crops were originally a long way from ripening, which was why the bird demons didn't usually fly there. But unexpectedly, the Emperor's Dew had fallen continuously for over half a month, accelerating their maturity.

"The fields south of the city are vast, not just those belonging to Miancheng." Several towns and villages had farmlands there, divided by boundaries. However, other counties and townships had mostly been occupied by Guo Baiyu, so— "The food we harvest will last us at least a month."

A thunderous cheer suddenly erupted within the city, overwhelming and almost shaking the stage pillars down. There was food! They were saved! A new lease on life from desperation!

The innkeeper grabbed his nephew. "What did you say, hmm, what were you just saying?""I know, I know, how would I dare go back on my word!" Even as the words hung in the air, the nephew immediately turned towards the Dragon God Temple, knelt, and repeatedly kowtowed, while shouting, "May the Dragon God protect us!"

His action didn't seem out of place, as many commoners also knelt down, bowing deeply nine times towards the Dragon God Temple, muttering, "A miracle, a miracle! The Dragon God first bestowed the spiritual dew, then granted food, relieving the people of Miancheng from hunger and hardship. His benevolence is immense!"

The Fan father and son watched all this, taking a long breath. They understood the performance put on by County Magistrate Huang and Tu Shanfang. After today, the people of Miancheng's faith in the Dragon God would undoubtedly reach a new level. However, Fan Shuang saw no problem with this. To continue fighting Guo Baiyu, what the people of Miancheng needed most was willpower and determination. Only the Dragon God could provide such a precious thing. Because from now on, defending Miancheng would only become more difficult. Moreover, while County Magistrate Huang's statement was a bit exaggerated, the crops outside the city were indeed ripened by the Emperor's Dew, and the unprecedented outbreak of the Emperor's Dew itself was due to the Dragon God slaying the Celestial Master Miaozhan and his subordinates! The spiritual dew now enjoyed by billions of living beings in Shining Gold Plain could all be traced back to the Dragon God's benevolence!

County Magistrate Huang looked at Tu Shanfang, who understood. Gathering his breath, he shouted, "No time to waste! The county government will immediately dispatch grain harvesting teams to go out of the city and gather the food, and we will escort them!"

The crowd's spirits soared, and people eagerly signed up for the grain harvesting teams. The previous animosity and despondency in the city were completely swept away by this immensely good news.