"Why should we honest folk suffer under the tyranny of the wicked? Why should the evil ones live in luxury while we starve here? If we don’t overthrow such an Imperial Court, then what are we waiting for? Couldn’t the nobles and generals show some spine?"

Wang Qi didn’t know why, but at that moment his mind was exceptionally clear, and thoughts he had never had before surged forth.

The words he blurted out instantly ignited the refugees’ hearts. Were these words not their own innermost thoughts, only unspoken due to fear?

But some were still hesitant; after all, this was nothing short of rebellion.

"That’s right, to hell with it! Since we’ve already committed the capital offense of killing soldiers, we’re doomed anyway. We might as well fight with all we’ve got!" someone shouted loudly.

This statement reminded everyone that there was no escaping the reputation of being rebels, and along their way, they had come to understand the true character of the Imperial Court’s government officers.

In their eyes, these people were probably worth less than grass.

All at once, there was a consensus, but every cause needs a leader. However, given that this involved risking their heads, for a moment no one dared to step forward.

So, Wang Qi became the leader of this Righteous Army. The men cut down trees to make weapons and raised poles as their banners, unleashing a vast peasant uprising on the land of Great Ning.

At the same time, a handsome Taoist was mingled among them, his face revealing a profound and inscrutable smile.

The Rebel army moved mightily towards the nearest city.

Things were progressing more smoothly than Wang Qi had anticipated. He had thought the county government office would be difficult to take and had only intended to attack a few landlords along the way to seize some grain.

Who could have known that the County Magistrate, timid as a mouse upon hearing of a rebel approach, would be so terrified that he abandoned the city and fled?

The disciples of the Daoist Sect within the city had even opened the gates early. Without shedding a drop of blood, Wang Qi took the city as if in a dream.

Even after they entered the county government office, Wang Qi was still in a daze. Everything had gone too smoothly.

It was as if an invisible hand was pushing him forward, but at this moment he was all in. Someone who had decided to rebel would not look back, for it was a matter of life and death. As long as something was to his advantage, all else could be set aside. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

However, the County government office presented him with a pleasant surprise. Inside the Armory, there were many weapons. Though somewhat old, they were far better than nothing.

With these weapons, Wang Qi stood much taller. He excitedly called over the young Daoist.

"Daoist Priest Qiu, what should we do next?" Wang Qi asked with a smile.

Though nominally Wang Qi was indeed the true leader of the Righteous Army, it was this handsome Taoist who had the greatest influence over it.

Wang Qi was a man of great magnanimity and bore no resentment because of this. After all, during the early stages of their venture, unity was key.

Compared to Wang Qi, who had a humble background as a commoner, this Daoist Priest Qiu was a distinguished figure—he was a true member of the Daoist Sect, formally registered with the Qingning Temple.

He was versed in astronomy above and had knowledge of geography below. Therefore, along their journey, the major strategic directives had always been decided by him, and it was thanks to his strong support that Wang Qi’s army was able to take the county city without a fight.

Now that the county city had been occupied, greater difficulties lay ahead. Although many in the Righteous Army were jubilant, Wang Qi remained keenly aware of the dangers lurking behind.

Therefore, after taking over the County government office and securing arms and equipment, he did not immediately revel in victory but instead summoned the inscrutable Daoist Priest Qiu for advice.

"Now that you have raised the banner of rebellion, it won’t be long before the Imperial Court’s armies swarm in. With our current strength, we’re simply no match for them. The best course of action is to abandon this place and hide in the mountains," said Daoist Priest Qiu with a confident air, clearly having thoroughly considered his answer.

"Abandon this place, go to the mountains?" Wang Qi murmured to himself.

Truth be told, he did not want to do this. The prosperity of the county city made it hard for him to give it up.

"Is there really no other way?" Wang Qi still asked, somewhat reluctantly.

Daoist Priest Qiu shook his head resolutely, his gaze burning into Wang Qi.

Since ancient times, those desiring to achieve great things must not be shortsighted, indulging in self-congratulation upon the slightest success, especially when they were engaged in a capital crime, risking execution. Any carelessness could lead to the annihilation of one’s entire clan, and they could not afford to be complacent.

Therefore, he needed to gauge whether Wang Qi had the makings of a great leader. If the latter was too greedy for comfort and unwilling to leave, then he would have to consider his own exit strategy.

Wang Qi found himself torn. Deep down, he was unwilling to leave the county city. After all, as a poor man who had suddenly become the supreme ruler of a county city, he was experiencing things he had never even dreamt of before.

To ask him to abandon all of this and retreat into the mountains was truly difficult for him. Yet his vision was not clouded by wealth, and he was acutely aware of the predicament he faced.

If the Imperial Court were to dispatch a formidable force, his ragtag group of fighters would likely disintegrate, and by then it wouldn’t be a matter of enjoying luxuries but rather a question of survival.

With this realization, Wang Qi gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, we’ll go to the mountains, but before we leave, we need to gather plenty of food."

Seeing this, Daoist Priest Qiu nodded silently in approval. Wang Qi was proving himself to be someone capable of great deeds, even under such circumstances.

As a result, the wealthy families within the city experienced disaster. Having decided to leave, Wang Qi was not going to be soft-hearted. He confiscated the homes and exterminated the families that had hoarded vast amounts of food, thus quickly amassing a large supply.

Countless sacks of food were orderly brought before Wang Qi, who slowly approached and opened up one of the bags, revealing grains that emitted a unique fragrance.

Wang Qi grabbed a handful of the grain and scrutinized it closely. Coming from a farming background, with farmers as ancestors, he could tell this was top-quality grain, something he had never been privileged to eat before.

It struck him how, while people like him lived each day unsure of their next meal, running around for just a bite to eat, these wealthy landowners hoarded large quantities of grain to deliberately drive up the price, not caring in the slightest about the lives of people like him.

Even when he had been utterly desperate and had approached these landowners to borrow grain, they made things extremely difficult for him.

"Hmph! They truly deserved to die!" Wang Qi said with hatred.

However, by now, the big landowners in the county city had already been slaughtered, leaving Wang Qi with no one to vent his fury on.

Meanwhile, the news of Wang Qi’s rebellion and capture of the county city reached the Capital city, immediately causing a huge commotion.

In the hundreds of years of Great Ning, the county city had never been overtaken. This incident was truly unprecedented.