In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 438 Strong and Powerful

Upon hearing this, Li Qingyun's eyes showed a different expression, and even Liu Yi's eyes flashed with surprise.

A martial artist at the peak of the ninth rank is considered a superior person in Qingzhou. Whether they are protecting goods for merchants or running a martial arts school, they can earn a considerable income and become a wealthy man.

But in this Chen Family Village, a martial artist at the peak of the ninth rank is only fit to guard the gate...

This greatly surprised the two of them, and they became even more curious about Chenjia Village.

"Brother Li, why don't you take a look and see how Chenjia Village differs from your Ding'an County?"

Xu Zhiwen's voice woke Li Qingyun from his daze. He looked up and saw a very lively scene.

They were at the entrance of Chenjia Village. From this direction, they could see countless buildings under construction. Grain shops, salt shops, cloth shops, sugar shops and other shops lined both sides of Chencun Avenue. A large number of people were going in and out of the shops. Some were buying goods, while others were helpers working in the shops.

Along the edge of the main road, there are many vendors selling snacks such as candied hawthorn and tofu pudding. Some greedy children gather in front of these vendors' stalls, communicating with the vendors in their childish voices and buying snacks to satisfy their cravings.

"This Chenjia Village is truly prosperous."

Li Qingyun couldn't help but sigh. Even the county seat of Ding'an couldn't compare to the bustling Chenjia Village before him, after all...

The impact of the cold disaster was too great. People had no money in their pockets, so their demand naturally decreased significantly. As a result, many small vendors' businesses suffered.

Over time, the number of vendors in Ding'an County decreased significantly, and the town was no longer as prosperous as it once was.

Continuing forward, Li Qingyun saw the food stalls of Chenjia Village. Inside the food stalls, many young and strong people who had come to work in Chenjia Village were enjoying their meals.

"That's Zheng Bao Lou, which was opened by the Zheng family in the county town and located in Chenjia Village."

Xu Zhiwen pointed to the grand building under construction not far from the food stall and said.

"Zheng Baolou?"

Both Li Qingyun and Liu Yi were taken aback. Zheng Baolou's name was known to everyone in Taicang County.

In fact, there was a Zheng Bao Lou in Ding'an County. The goods sold in Zheng Bao Lou were numerous and exclusive to high-ranking officials and nobles. Ordinary people simply could not afford to enter Zheng Bao Lou to make purchases.

"Isn't Zheng Baolou supposed to cater specifically to martial artists and the wealthy? Why would he open a shop in Chenjia Village?"

Liu Yi couldn't help but ask. When he was in Ding'an County, he had also shopped at Zheng Baolou and knew how expensive Zheng Baolou's goods were. Even small landlords might not be able to afford them, let alone the villagers in remote villages like Chenjia Village.

Xu Zhiwen glanced at Liu Yi and explained, "Brother Li and Brother Liu may not know, but Young Friend Chen has been in frequent contact with the head of the Zheng family."

"what?"

The two were stunned again. Who was the head of the Zheng family? He was the governor of Taicang County. How could Chen Dao, a boy from a village, be associated with such a person?

Seeing their reactions, Xu Zhiwen smiled and recounted what Chen Dao had done in the county town recently.

After hearing this, Li Qingyun and Liu Yi were completely stunned!

He publicly beat the illegitimate son of the Wang family patriarch to death in the county seat, and then joined forces with the prefect to eliminate the Wang family...

This was something that completely defied their comprehension.

What kind of family is the Wang family?

Even Li Qingyun and Liu Yi, who lived in Ding'an County, had heard of the Wang family's reputation. They were the most powerful family in Taicang County, with countless martial artists among them.

However, this entity was eliminated by Chen Dao and the prefect working together...

This is simply unbelievable.

"This young friend Chen..."

Li Qingyun's lips twitched slightly, and he said, "You've really done something great!"

Li Qingyun knew Chen Daomeng, but he didn't know he was this powerful. He even wiped out a prominent family like the Wang family, which was simply astonishing.

Liu Yi was deeply shaken. Having just been promoted to the eighth-rank martial artist, he thought he was already very powerful and even felt a little proud.

But at this moment, his pride had completely vanished.

The Wang family had been entrenched in Taicang County for hundreds of years, and their foundation was incredibly deep. They had countless mid-level martial artists. Even such a family was wiped out by Chen Dao. What right did Liu Yi, who wasn't even a mid-level martial artist, have to be proud?

"Let's go, young friend Chen should be waiting for us."

Xu Zhiwen, who noticed Chen Cheng's figure, said something to the two of them, and then walked towards the Chenjia Village residential area.

Before long, the two met Chen Dao sunbathing in the front yard of his house.

Upon seeing the group arrive, Chen Dao sat up straight in his recliner and greeted them with a smile, saying, "Magistrate Xu, Magistrate Li, it's been a long time!"

"It's been a long time, Chen Xiaohao."

After exchanging greetings, Chen Dao said to Chen Cheng, "Cheng-ge, go inside and fetch a few chairs!"

"Ok!"

After Chen Cheng brought over chairs, Xu Zhiwen and the other two sat down.

Chen Dao then spoke up, "Magistrate Li has come all this way, surely you have something to discuss with me?"

The moment Chen Dao saw Li Qingyun, he knew that the three of them must have come to ask for something. After all, Li Qingyun was a magistrate of Ding'an County, and it would be an exaggeration to say that he was extremely busy. It was impossible for him to come to Chenjia Village to see Chen Dao for no reason.

"Brother Li has indeed come here with a request."

Xu Zhiwen acted as Li Qingyun's mouthpiece, conveying Li Qingyun's purpose for coming.

"So they came for the routed troops."

After listening, Chen Dao nodded. Those defeated soldiers were indeed a huge problem for Ding'an County. With thousands of defeated soldiers gathered together, the Ding'an County government simply couldn't handle them.

“Helping Magistrate Li deal with these defeated soldiers is no problem, but…”

Chen Dao changed the subject, saying, "Magistrate Li should know my demands?"

"know."

Having already prepared himself, Li Qingyun nodded without hesitation: "Don't worry, young friend Chen. As long as Chenjia Village can help me deal with that group of defeated soldiers, I, Li Qingyun, along with the officials of Ding'an County, will stand with Chenjia Village through thick and thin."

"very good!"

Chen Dao stood up and said, "Come with me!"

Fifteen minutes later, the group arrived at the drill ground of Chenjia Village.

Looking at the Chen family army training hard on the training ground, Li Qingyun finally believed Xu Zhiwen's previous description of the Chen family army.

When Xu Zhiwen said that everyone in the Chen family army was a martial artist, Li Qingyun probably didn't believe it. What Xu Zhiwen said was too outrageous. An army of three hundred martial artists, supported by a village, was simply too far-fetched.

But when Li Qingyun saw those strong and powerful men on the training ground, he had no choice but to believe it.