At this moment, Jiang Fan sensed a light spot deep within his sea of consciousness. He gently moved and touched this spot with his mind, then a stream of information flowed into his sea of consciousness again.
"At midnight, go to the Osmanthus Village entrance, 300 meters beneath an Osmanthus tree, and dig the soil there. You can obtain an Eighth-Grade Opportunity without risk."
Jiang Fan immediately realized what this was all about. As long as he could overcome calamities, his Life Chart could help him gain various opportunities without risk.
The time is set at midnight. If he doesn't go at this time, it might be dangerous. Perhaps he'll be discovered by other villagers, bringing unexpected risks.
So even though he was eager to excavate the Eighth-Grade Opportunity now, he could only wait until midnight.
As for Luck Points, he hasn't discovered their use yet.
"Is this what they mean by surviving a great disaster brings fortune?"
Jiang Fan took a deep breath, sensing the power of this Life Chart.
It's known that in this world, hard work doesn't necessarily yield results. Misfortune isn't always followed by blessing.
Sometimes, being unlucky leads to even more bad luck. When it rains, it pours.
His past experiences already proved this point, that bad luck has no limits.
If overcoming calamities always meant rewards, he wouldn't have been so miserable in his past life.
At least there would have been a day to rise again.
He just didn't know what this Eighth-Grade Opportunity was.
Could it help him change his current fate?
"Ah!"
Just then, a sharp scream suddenly echoed from afar, accompanied by fierce clashes and cries for mercy, chilling people to the bone.
"What happened?"
Upon hearing this, Su Weiwei's face revealed a hint of terror, and she couldn't help but look at her only support, Jiang Fan.
"Stay here, I'll go out and see what's happening."
Jiang Fan said to Su Weiwei, then left the house.
At this moment, the neighbors seemed to have heard the sound too, and they came out of their homes one after another.
"Uncle Fugui, Uncle Ziqiang."
"Do you know what happened?"
Jiang Fan greeted the neighbors one by one. They were all Osmanthus Village villagers and quite familiar with each other.
"Alas, something happened to the Old Meng Family."
"It's said that the Dragon King Gang wanted to increase the monthly salary by thirty percent. Although Old Meng didn't plan on refusing, he complained a bit."
"As a result, he was beaten violently by those beasts from the Dragon King Gang."
"Even the valuables in his house were robbed."
The speaker was a fisherman named Song Fugui, aged forty, with a dark appearance. Having weathered the storms of life, he couldn't help but feel a sense of mourning seeing the tragic state of his neighbor Meng Da.
"Shut up, who told you to speak!"
"If that gang hears this, they might beat you up too."
Next to him, Song Fugui's wife Liu Zhuzhu immediately grabbed him, keeping him quiet. She looked anxious, afraid that Song Fugui's words might be overheard by the Dragon King Gang.
If Song Fugui's words reached the ears of the Dragon King Gang, he might be beaten up.
Even the money and assets at home might be robbed.
Such things have happened before.
Hearing this, Song Fugui immediately fell silent, looking around. Seeing that those from the Dragon King Gang had already left and didn't hear his words, he finally relaxed.
"This."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Fan's heart felt a chill, making him shiver.
Just complaining a little resulted in being beaten half to death, showing how ruthless the Dragon King Gang is.
Perhaps Zheng Wenbing and others planned this demonstration in Osmanthus Village.
After all, suddenly increasing the monthly salary by thirty percent made Osmanthus Village filled with complaints.
To solve this problem, Zheng Wenbing and others naturally needed to demonstrate power, even killing chickens to frighten monkeys.
If he hadn't been cautious earlier and promptly paid the monthly salary, perhaps he would have been that chicken.
While the Old Meng Family didn't understand this point, their complaints immediately triggered trouble.
They were used as objects of demonstration.
Thus they faced this disaster.
At this moment, Jiang Fan looked afar and immediately saw the situation at the Old Meng Family's house.
The front door was wide open, and inside was a complete mess.
Tables and chairs were shattered everywhere, and various pots and pans were smashed on the ground.
Even the wooden door was kicked and ruined.
The forty-something Uncle Meng lay on the ground moaning in pain, blood streaming from his eyes, mouth, and nose. He curled up like a boiled lobster.
His twenty-year-old son Meng Tie also lay on the ground, having been beaten too, with a broken arm.
Only Uncle Meng's wife was there, crying softly, her face showing red marks, as if slapped.
The villagers all showed sympathy but had no way to help.
They couldn't even lend a hand.
However, it's not the villagers' fault. Every household has no surplus grain.
The Dragon King Gang's monthly salary was already plenty, suffocating every fisherman.
Now with an added thirty percent, it's simply driving people to death.
If they helped Uncle Meng, they might starve to death.
Kindness is a luxury only available to the wealthy.
In these cannibalistic times, not committing evil already makes one a good person.
"But why did the Dragon King Gang add more salary?"
"The monthly salary was already a lot; why exactly is this?"
Jiang Fan asked.
He believed that while the Dragon King Gang was domineering, they weren't a gang that would fish to exhaustion. They sought money, not to drive fishermen to death.
Something must have happened.
"It's said to be because of the Emperor's alchemy."
"In order to refine the Immortal Pill for eternal life, the Emperor is collecting herbs nationwide, raising taxes indiscriminately."
"It's sheer exploitation."
"Since the Emperor wants to raise taxes, local officials exacerbate it, fleecing more from the people."
"The Dragon King Gang also took the opportunity to add more salary."
"Layer upon layer, our burden has become heavier."
The speaker was neighbor Zhao Ziqiang, aged thirty-eight, the carpenter of Osmanthus Village.
Although most villagers were fishermen, they needed to repair boats and make furniture, so Zhao Ziqiang lived decently in Osmanthus Village.
After all, carpentry was a skilled trade, earning decently, managing to pay the monthly salary.
Additionally, compared to other villagers, he was more informed and had some ties to Tonghe County.
"Yes, our northern lands of the Wei Kingdom have been suffering droughts for consecutive years, resulting in poor harvests and a large number of disaster victims."
"I've heard many disaster victims are headed south, seeking survival."
"The Emperor did not provide relief; instead, he raised taxes even more, practically driving us to death."
"It's said there have been several rebellions attempting to overthrow the Court."
"It's uncertain when they might reach our Yunmeng Lake."
Song Fugui said, full of worry.
It's said that one should rather be a dog in peaceful times than a human in chaotic times.
Once chaos arrives, for ordinary citizens, it's the most suffering, with even their lives uncertain.