When There's Trouble, Go to the Shop

This really was a human tragedy, Chen Xuan thought. No wonder she'd gotten so emotional during their earlier argument.

It was true that great disasters could turn people into things more terrifying than demons... but they had all been human before this. If Liu Shuyue had to draw her sword against them and kill thousands, even tens of thousands, of them, there was no telling what it would do to her state of mind.

To ensure his customer's mental health, he needed to lend her a hand.

"I see. I have a second question... can you take me to see where these refugees are gathered?"

Liu Shuyue hesitated. "I can, but..."

"The more detailed my understanding of the situation, the more effective the ability trade will be."

"I understand..." She could only agree. "I'll prepare a carriage."

Half an hour later, the two arrived outside the city.

This was Chen Xuan's first comprehensive look at Liu Shuyue's world. Zhangwei City was undoubtedly a major city. From the prefectural office to the outskirts, they had to pass through two city walls. The ground wasn't muddy dirt roads, but uniformly paved stone streets. Shops stood shoulder to shoulder along the streets, their hawkers' cries rising and falling one after another. Pedestrians, porters, mules, and horses streamed endlessly by. If he had to describe it with one word, it would be lively. Looking at the sights along the road, he couldn't help thinking of the painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival.

And Along the River During the Qingming Festival depicted Bianjing, the capital of the Northern Song. Yet Zhangwei wasn't the royal capital of Great Qi. That showed that although the sects stood apart from worldly affairs, their various mystical arts and cultivation methods still had a profound influence on this land.

Once they passed through the city gate, the scenery changed.

Patrolling guards could be seen everywhere along both sides of the official road. Whenever refugees drew near, they were driven away and beaten. On the muddy ground four or five hundred meters from the city wall, countless tents had been erected. From afar, they looked like crowded hills. Innumerable figures moved among them, while noisy arguments, curses, and wails could be heard from a great distance away.

"That's where those fleeing the disaster have gathered," Liu Shuyue said. "There were only a little over three thousand people two days ago. Now it's nearly seven thousand. But that isn't even close to the limit. Zhangwei lies on the vital route north, with the Nine-Bend River and swampland on either side. Most refugees from the disaster zones will gather here."

Chen Xuan wanted to get closer, but she grabbed hold of him.

"Are you really going over there?"

"Yeah. What's wrong?"

"...Then stay behind me." Liu Shuyue stepped past him as she spoke, then drew the longsword from her back.

Seeing outsiders approach, the shifting crowd closed in around them, their burning gazes fixed on the pair. For an instant, Chen Xuan had the illusion that they weren't refugees, but wolves drooling with hunger. Yet the vicious gleam and restless urges in their eyes were restrained by the sharp blade in Liu Shuyue's hand. Their feet shuffled for a long while, but in the end, none dared step within five paces of them.

"These people can't represent all the refugees..." the girl quietly defended them. "They've been hungry for too long."

"Master... please give us something to eat!"

"My lords, can you take my child? Just a few flatbreads will do, please, I'm begging you!"

"When can we finally enter the city?"

"That's right! I have relatives in Cheng Prefecture, so why won't you let us go there!?"

There were more people begging and questioning them than those who wanted to rush up and rob them outright. Their voices blended into one continuous mass, making it nearly impossible to tell who was speaking.

Suddenly, a heart-rending scream drowned out the crowd's clamor.

Liu Shuyue's brows tightened, and she immediately turned toward a tent. The people nearby didn't dare stop her and hurriedly made way.

The source of the cry was only about ten meters away. A middle-aged man lay in a pool of blood with a dagger lodged in his waist. Beside him, a pale-faced woman sat kneeling, while several young men were frantically squeezing into the crowd.

"Stop!" Liu Shuyue shouted.

Everyone instantly froze in place, unable to move.

This time, Chen Xuan noticed that he hadn't been affected. He followed Liu Shuyue forward and saw that those people were clutching a cloth bag tightly in their hands.

She snatched the bag away and opened it. Inside were several strings of copper coins and a small amount of loose silver.

"Let me go! That's mine!" the lead robber snarled viciously.

"Please spare me! I know I was wrong!" His accomplice, however, was so frightened that he begged repeatedly.

Liu Shuyue didn't even want to look at them again. She called over the guards and briefly explained what had happened. The guards pulled out ropes and immediately bound the men. After beating and kicking them, they dragged them back into the city. Only then did she return to the tent with the money bag, intending to give the stolen silver back to the woman.

But when the two returned to the tent, they saw the woman lying quietly atop the man, no longer breathing. Both hands clutched the dagger, its blade reversed and driven into her own chest.

"Without her man, she couldn't go on living."

"Yeah, that money's useless to her anyway... why not split it among us? At least we could buy a few flatbreads!"

The people around them chimed in one after another.

Liu Shuyue looked toward Chen Xuan as if she wanted to say something, but she couldn't bring herself to speak.

Chen Xuan took the money bag instead. "I've seen enough. Let's go back."

Sitting in the swaying carriage, Liu Shuyue couldn't help saying, "If there were enough food, those people wouldn't have become like this..."

Looking at her flickering gaze, Chen Xuan suddenly understood her initial hesitation, as well as why she had repeatedly defended the refugees. She hadn't only learned about the camp's situation today. What she feared was that, after seeing these people's ugly side, he would regard them as hopeless thugs and refuse to offer any more help.

"Isn't Shen Fang distributing relief grain? Why hasn't the refugees' situation improved at all?"

Chen Xuan had seen a temporary wooden platform in front of the tent area, with several large pots set atop it. It was probably the porridge distribution point arranged by the Prefect.

"The amount is too small... they're still distributing enough for the original three thousand people, and each person only gets one bowl of thin porridge per day. But the number of refugees gathering here has been rapidly increasing these past few days. This little porridge simply isn't enough." Liu Shuyue said helplessly, "I've already raised this issue with Shen Fang, and he agreed to increase the relief as soon as possible, but..."

But plans could never keep up with changes.

Chen Xuan knew what she meant. By the time the relief porridge was increased to cover seven thousand people, the number of refugees here would probably have surpassed ten thousand.

"If they're reluctant to provide porridge, why not simply let them head north? Letting these refugees pass through Zhangwei City in groups would still be better than concentrating all the pressure outside the city gates."

"Perhaps, to the Prefect, that would also count as a dereliction of duty—allowing Qingzhou's people to wander everywhere without travel permits would leave a black mark on his record and could affect his future career." Liu Shuyue looked indignant. "But even so, he's still the Prefect of Zhangwei, a respected Prefect. His life is already far better than that of most people. Yet he isn't even willing to pay such a small price."

After returning to the shop, the girl impatiently asked, "You've seen the situation. When can we trade for an ability?"

Chen Xuan gestured for her to calm down.

Could the famine problem be solved?

Of course it could.

But the solution didn't primarily rely on abilities... it relied on money.

But he couldn't tell her that so bluntly.

After all, he ran the Ability Store.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Xuan picked up the scanner and aimed it at Liu Shuyue.

"Reporting to the Prefect, Immortal Master Liu took that man outside the western part of the city earlier." The subordinate truthfully reported the news to Shen Fang.

"What was she taking her lover to a place like that for?" County Lieutenant Tang asked in surprise. He had also been in Wei Wu Hall earlier and had personally seen the Immortal Master lead a young man to her lodgings. Although the guards said the two hadn't returned to her room and had vanished midway, this shocking discovery had immediately caused everyone's attitude toward the Immortal Master to change completely.

Normally, there was always an icy aloofness in her speech, making people afraid to come within three paces of her.

"Those servants have loose tongues. Don't tell me you believed them too?" Shen Fang shook his head with a smile. "If he had seemed suspicious before, I'm now certain that man isn't her lover."

"Then who is he?" The County Lieutenant recalled the strange clothes the man had worn when he appeared. No matter how he looked at it, the man couldn't have been a local. "Could he also have come from a sect?"

"I hear the Lotus Cloud Sect only sends one disciple to the various kingdoms every hundred years. That's unlikely." Shen Fang dismissed the guess. "But I'm certain of one thing: the Immortal Master likely doesn't intend to let this matter go. That man's status should be comparable to hers, which is why she doesn't reject being close to him. She can't handle this matter alone, so she needs help."

"Someone who can help a sect disciple... only an outsider from an unorthodox path, perhaps." The County Lieutenant revealed a look of disgust.

The Lotus Cloud Sect wasn't the only place in the world that produced Cultivators. Countless people tried to peer into the secrets of Heaven, but unfortunately, most of them strayed onto evil paths and weren't accepted by the world.

Sometimes, they were even targets jointly eliminated by disciples of the Lotus Cloud Sect and the authorities.

"Hard to say. When the reckoning comes, that may be another crime." Shen Fang sighed. "Still, what a pity..."

"What is the Prefect regretting?"

"Immortal Master Liu. It's clear she truly wants to help those fleeing the disaster."

The County Lieutenant glanced around, then suddenly lowered his voice. "Is His Majesty really planning to bring the Immortal Master under control?"

"It's already been five years... and she's still outside the central power structure. No one can rest easy over that." Shen Fang spoke flatly. This wasn't really a secret. Any official who paid attention to politics and knew how to read His Majesty's intentions had heard related rumors to some extent. For example, in the northern Yue Kingdom, male Immortal Masters had become favored guests of the queen, and the immortal arts they offered could already equip an elite force. The other kings were much the same, doing all they could to squeeze every bit of value from immortal abilities. Liu Shuyue alone was the exception.

He had heard from his teacher, the current Prime Minister, that His Majesty had more than once cursed the Immortal Master for failing to appreciate his favor and neglecting her duty to support the kingdom. Coupled with certain rumors from neighboring countries, the King of Qi likely wouldn't continue tolerating this.

"So that's why the Prefect rejected her proposals?"

"At a time like this, the wise course is to avoid getting entangled with her in any way. Otherwise, when His Majesty's blame comes down, both of us will suffer."

"But can saving the people also be a crime?" County Lieutenant Tang suddenly hesitated.

"You've served as my County Lieutenant for two years. Do you still not understand how this works?" Shen Fang sneered, though he also felt a certain kinship in their shared vulnerability. "If someone wants to find fault, there'll always be fault to find. Saving the people is a good thing, but once it goes against His Majesty's wishes, a good thing becomes a bad thing. The Immortal Master is still a subject in the end. As long as she's a subject, there will always be ways to restrain her. After all, a king's command cannot be defied. That's an iron rule written in the Pact between Sects and Kings."

He paused. "Speaking of which, do you know where the secret arts and mystical techniques of those evil unorthodox paths come from?"

The County Lieutenant shook his head. "I hope the Prefect will enlighten me."

"Enlighten is too strong a word. I've only heard a rumor, so just take it as such." Shen Fang said casually, "Some say they're all derivatives of the Lotus Cloud Sect's immortal arts."

The County Lieutenant considered the connection and couldn't help widening his eyes.

The Prefect let out a long breath.

"Do you still think whether saving the people is a crime matters?"

To kings, sect disciples were treasures seen only once in a century.

That wasn't a figure of speech, but the truth—their entire bodies were treasures. Their hands and feet could serve as weapons, their immortal arts could expand one's strength, and even their descendants were smarter and healthier than ordinary people.

Supporting the kingdom meant supporting the king.

As for this matter, the only thing he could do was preserve himself and stay as far away from this vortex as possible.