I am a living immortal.

Generally speaking, it is the former, but there are also emergencies, such as rushing or accidents. In both cases, delay is of the utmost importance, and every delay will result in more deaths.

It's obviously too late to allocate food from the provincial government's main warehouse, so the only options are to collect it locally or from surrounding areas, or to buy and sell it. Actually, even if it's called buying and selling, it's likely to be a loss. The army is using their pay to buy emergency food, and in times like these, the army has the final say on how much to spend. If you dare to say anything, they'll have plenty of ways to deal with you.

But it's impossible not to pay at all. After all, with so many troops, the food and fodder they need is also a huge amount. If you force them to buy or sell, it will cause chaos. If they fight in front and drag their feet in the back, how can that be?

So, generally speaking, everyone compromised. The original price was out of the question, even the cost price was out of the question. The grain and fodder collected was generally slightly lower than the cost price, so it wasn't a loss; at most, it was a break-even. But doing something for the county government could earn a favor—a favor from the county government, not the army. The local wealthy families had nothing to do with the army.

The county government was responsible for collecting food and fodder, not the army. So overall, it was still a good deal, after all, there was a favor involved. In this county government, unless one had committed a heinous crime, they could generally get away with it.

By the time Su Mu and his companions arrived, hundreds of carts carrying provisions were already being transported to the front lines. Due to the urgency, almost every available cart, including horse-drawn, mule-drawn, and ox-drawn carts, was deployed. The journey to the front lines would likely take a week, and even traveling day and night would take four or five days.

The city itself remained unaffected by the war, and people continued to carry on as usual. They were the advantaged side, having just won a victory, and they were also quite far away. Qishan County, though closest to the battlefield, was actually quite far away. The battle took place on the territory of a neighboring nation. From the neighboring city to the border of our country—Shoushan Pass—was a distance, and from Shoushan Pass to Qishan County was another distance, with Qishan County further back.

It was precisely because of the distance that food and fodder were urgently needed; it was also precisely because of the distance that the people of Qishan County did not have much of an atmosphere of war. A life of peace and prosperity, of peace and tranquility, was the very image of Qishan County.

Therefore, Su Mu and his companions easily entered the city. Their clothing didn't stand out in the city, so few people noticed them. Su Mu thought this place was nice, so he decided to stay for a while. The fusion of Xuan Mo was nearing completion, so he would return to Yan State when the time came.

He didn't intend to interfere too much. This country was quite interesting. Both were large, both on the rise, and they had two ambitious monarchs. The country was well governed, with good weather and no natural disasters. For any emperor, this was a dream come true.

But for the two emperors, whose ambitions lay elsewhere, aspirations for a long reign, this small amount of achievement was far from enough. So, they simultaneously set their sights on each other. The military officers naturally welcomed this opportunity, and the civil officials were also unanimous. Too much peace can sometimes be a bad thing, so both sides, unanimously, launched war for the same absurd reason.

This war, sparked by the emperor's capriciousness and the indulgence of his ministers, raged on for five years. During these five years, many events spiraled out of control. The once restrained conflict was beginning to spiral out of control, with both sides vying for supremacy and winning and losing alternately.

War is no joke. The emperor, who had initially harbored ambitions for territorial expansion, now realized what he had done—a point he would absolutely slap himself in the face if he could go back in time. One side decided against fighting, while the other seemed to have lost its temper.

The war had taken a turn for the worst. Fortunately, the emperor, who hadn't wanted to fight, had the upper hand. He knew the outcome was inevitable, and so he began planning for the final battle.

But no matter how much planning there is, success or failure depends on luck. Accidents followed one after another: first, the prince intervened, then General Li, who was escorting a secret letter, was ambushed, preventing the emperor from connecting with his main army. Next, the question of whether to fight or make peace rested with the generals on the front lines, but how to fight, how many troops to fight, when to make peace, and how to make peace all rested with the emperor.

Now the battle report and the secret letter had vanished. The time difference between the two trips was enough to accomplish many things on the battlefield. This wasted time, and the depletion of rations every day, meant the commander could only resign himself to fate.

Su Mu felt the twists and turns in his mind. Although he had the secret letter in his hand, if he delivered it directly, he probably wouldn't let anyone act according to the instructions. The direction of this war was unknown.

"You're just bored." Cao Chen sighed. He had traveled to many countries, but he had never seen anything like this.

"Who says it isn't? But now that you've made a decision, you have to bear the consequences. A hasty beginning will inevitably lead to an even more hasty ending."

"The taste of cause and effect seems a bit too strong." Su Mu sighed.

Although he said it casually, it sounded far from the truth to the other four people.

"What did you find?" asked the Mirage Dragon.

"Do I need to discover this? Here." Su Mu and others were sitting in the restaurant and looked in the direction Su Mu pointed.

"Buddha's light? Very faint." Cao Chen narrowed his eyes slightly.

The direction Su Mu pointed was a bookstore next door, which housed a Buddha statue that emitted a faint Buddha light.

"And talking about cause and effect is the specialty of Buddhism. And these two countries obviously believe in Buddhism." So it is not too strange that the flavor of cause and effect appears.

Everyone suddenly understood. The old goat and the mirage dragon didn't understand, but Cao Chen had a gloomy expression—he didn't like Buddhism. Perhaps it was because fellow practitioners were enemies, or perhaps he simply didn't like the Buddhist monks' theories: cause and effect, reincarnation, and so on.

Buddhism is one of the mainstream sects in this world, and it's not uncommon, but Su Mu has encountered fewer of them. Famous ones include Kongmang Temple and Xuanfo Temple, but I don't know which one this country is.

Although Cao Chen disliked Buddhism, he didn't dislike it to the point of aversion. He had to admit that some Buddhist sects were truly excellent, far superior to some immortal sects and spiritual abodes. Immortals were mostly about conformity, and while they did engage with the world, that was rare. Buddhism, on the other hand, involved much more in worldly practice.

In fact, in many countries, Buddhism is the state religion. But I don't know if it's my imagination, but this country feels strange. As Su Mu said, the flavor of cause and effect is too strong, even reflected in every aspect. Whatever the cause, the result will inevitably be, a sense of retribution. And it's not smooth, giving people a dull feeling.