Qin He set down his teacup, lightly tapped the edge of the table with his fingertips, and said calmly, "Don't be anxious, old man. Wind and rain will come eventually. Perhaps it will rain today."
Hearing this, the old man merely slowly shook his head. He looked at the clear sky, where not even a wisp of cloud could be seen, and pulled his lips into a bitter smile.
"You mean well, sir. Let us hope so."
Qin He said no more. He rose and paid for the tea. The old man accepted the money and said, "The road ahead is rugged, sir. Travel carefully."
Qin He followed the small river by the village and slowly walked upstream.
The stream had indeed not run dry. A thin trickle flowed slowly over the gravel in the riverbed, clear enough to reveal the smooth pebbles beneath.
Yet such a meager flow was barely enough for the villagers to drink. As for watering the crops in the fields, it was but a cup of water against a burning cartload.
It was early spring, a season when vegetation should have been sprouting and rain abundant. Yet the soil along the banks had long since hardened and cracked into fine fissures. Even the wild grass by the river grew limp and wilted.
Qin He raised an eyebrow slightly.
As he walked, he released a wisp of extremely faint divine sense, probing the surrounding Earth Veins and spiritual energy.
There was no Killing Intent of a Hanba, no fluctuations from any formation, and the Earth Veins were entirely stable, showing no abnormalities.
Without slowing, he continued upstream along the creek. The farther he went, the sparser the vegetation became and the drier the air grew. Even the moisture in the wind had thinned considerably.
After