Entering the City

The road to Xiaocheng was not smooth.

Not to mention wolves, tigers, leopards, venomous insects, and fierce beasts, just bandits who robbed and plundered along the way were enough to make people tremble. Shen Tang and the other person tried to avoid unnecessary trouble and not stay outdoors overnight as much as possible.

However, the urgent matter was to get new clothes for Young Master Shen, as Qi Shan's own clothes were almost too small to wear.

He came out of the cloth shop with a cloth bag in his hand.

There was no time for custom tailoring, so he could only pick out two ready-made men's shirts that were similar in height to Young Master Shen.

There were inner and outer garments, and with the one he lent to Young Master Shen, three sets should be enough for him to change into.

"Young Master Shen, it's time to go..."

Qi Shan was about to call Shen Tang to set off for the next village before dark, but Shen Tang, who should have been by the door, had disappeared.

Where did she go?

She dared to run around in a place she was unfamiliar with?

He was about to go look for the missing Shen Tang, but before he could take a step, he caught a glimpse of a familiar pure white figure across the street out of the corner of his eye—that tall, snow-white mule was obediently lying on the ground, and even though passersby gathered around it in a circle, they couldn't stop its tail from wagging.

Qi Shan: "..."

"Fellow villagers, come and see, freshly picked green plums, three coins a pound, sold until gone..."

As soon as he approached the crowd, he heard a familiar shout.

He saw his familiar Young Master Shen sitting on the ground without any pretense, tying her hair up into a bun with a straw rope. In front of her was a piece of cloth spread out, piled with a small mountain of green plums, and next to it was a large basket full of green plums.

She seemed completely unashamed, enthusiastically selling the green plums.

As long as someone came to buy, she would greet them enthusiastically, calling them "young master," "madam," "Brother," and "sister," with a honeyed tongue.

She also didn't forget to advertise the green plums, saying they were good quality and cheap, with thin skins and large sizes. Eating them not only quenched thirst and relieved heat but also beautified the skin, making them essential fruits for midsummer.

Qi Shan stood in the crowd and watched for a while. He found that most of the buyers were women, and each bought three to five pounds. Not to mention that the green plums were too cheap, and buying them was a profit, just letting this handsome young master call them "sister" or "madam" was not a loss.

If it weren't for Young Master Shen being too young, his enthusiastic attitude, his good looks, and his clean and pure eyes without any dirty thoughts, the men on this street would probably drag him into a small alley and beat him severely—why was he flirting with these married women and young ladies?

Calling everyone "madam" and "sister" was frivolous.

Before long, Shen Tang's green plums were completely sold out. Dozens of copper coins were put into her money bag. She stood up, patted the dust off her pants, as if she had expected Qi Shan to be nearby.

She smiled and asked, "Yuan Liang, are you done?"

Qi Shan said irritably, suppressing the urge to roll his eyes.

"I'm done. What were you doing?"

Others sell wine at the counter, and Young Master Shen sells green plums on the street?

Shen Tang jingled the money bag in her hand.

"I'm out of money, Yuan Liang, what kind of question is that..."

Didn't he know how poor she was now?

She couldn't just ask Qi Shan for money, right?

They were not related by blood or anything, and they were tools for each other. Neither owed the other anything. Shen Tang couldn't shamelessly treat him as an ATM.

Under Qi Shan's complicated gaze, Shen Tang returned the basket to another stall owner, redeemed the Literary Heart Sigil that had been pawned, and put it back on her waist. With the newly earned money, she bought some salt, wine, and other pickled side dishes.

"Since you know you're short on cash, why did you give money to Master Tian and the others?" Qi Shan said as he put the cloth bag into the cloth bag carried by the motorcycle. Since discovering that Shen Tang could condense the motorcycle for twelve hours a day without getting tired, the motorcycle had been given a new job.

They put all their luggage on it to carry, saving effort.

Two days ago, when they parted ways with Tian Zhong and his group, Shen Tang took out a few pieces of silver from her pocket and gave them, along with more than ten flatbreads.

"First, those pieces of silver weren't earned by me." She had found them on the first official who was killed. She didn't feel bad about using someone else's inheritance. "Second, Tian Zhong and the others were injured and had no money. Even if they had a place to go, they had nothing on them. It's unknown if they could even reach their destination alive."

Even if she had no money, she wouldn't starve to death.

After some thought, she gave away those few pieces of silver.

Shen Tang, a homebody artist who grew up in peacetime, always felt sorry for pitiful people. If she could help, she would help.

Qi Shan seemed unconvinced and asked again, "Is that the only reason?"

Shen Tang tilted her head in confusion.

"If not this reason, then what other reason could there be? What, doing good deeds is now considered conspiracy?"

Qi Shan: "..."

Seeing that Shen Tang's expression was not fake, he imagined something in his mind, and his expression changed unpredictably, making people confused.

Shen Tang was puzzled and could only cautiously ask, "Yuan Liang?"

Qi Shan looked at her deeply, sighed, and said, "It's nothing."

But his feet shifted, and his figure flashed three zhang away.

Shen Tang, left behind: "...Damn it!"

If it was nothing, why the hell did you run away using a Word Spirit?

They just bullied her because she couldn't ride a motorcycle using Chase the Wind and Tread the Scenery!

Because she was truly broke, Shen Tang could only walk and sell her homemade cakes, preserved plums, and malt candy along the way.

The prices of preserved plums and malt candy fluctuated based on the local people's attire. Those who were well-dressed and clean were charged a few more coins, while those covered in patches and with unkempt hair were charged a few less. The price of cakes depended on the local vendors. Since it was a no-cost business, she tried not to disrupt the market.

Qi Shan remained noncommittal about her considerations.

Of course, he had no idea what Shen Tang was thinking internally.

Young Master Shen was the most pathetic Literary Heart strategist he had ever seen. Even in his own most desperate times, he hadn't been this way.

But since she was enjoying herself, he couldn't say much.

The two hurried along and finally approached the borders of Four Treasures Prefecture.

Considering the time they had spent on the road, they were estimated to be slower than the second batch of exiles from the Gong Clan.

"Yuan Liang, I heard from the common folk in the market not long ago that Four Treasures Prefecture has four treasures and its people are well-fed and clothed... but why?"

Shen Tang led the motorcycle by hand, following Qi Shan, looking around.

The streets were empty, and all she saw was ruin. Occasionally, she would see passersby who were sallow and thin, like a frame of bones covered in a tattered sack, swaying with every gust of wind.

These passersby were also timid. If their gazes accidentally met those of Shen Tang and the other stranger, they would shrink their necks like startled rabbits and quickly disappear.

Qi Shan sighed, "Four Treasures Prefecture was one of the first prefectures Geng Country conquered. Of the six surrounding prefectures, three were completely looted, and Four Treasures Prefecture was even more severely affected. It will be difficult to restore its former prosperity..."

White mourning banners fluttered from every household, and funerals were held. The wails and sobs in the air never ceased.

Qi Shan was not surprised by this scene of decay.

It was inevitable that the battlefield of the war between the two countries would be in Xin Kingdom.

The people of this land were destined for tragedy.

However, when the two finally arrived at Xiaocheng after much hardship, they discovered that the inside and outside of the city were two completely different worlds.

Outside the city lay corpses everywhere, and the wilderness stretched for miles. The howling of the night wind sounded like thousands of lonely ghosts crying mournfully by their ears.

And inside the city—

The crowds surged, and there was singing and dancing.