Observations

Time is a wonderful thing; it validates the human heart and bears witness to human nature.

Time is also fair; whether you are a noble or a commoner, it cares for no one and only pushes forward.

A month later, in the Northern Border of the Heaven Dou Empire, within Rochester Province, an ordinary carriage was slowly making its way toward Lahe City.

Inside the carriage was a group from Wuhun Hall—or to be precise, the group accompanying Qian Ningshuang.

Originally, they had planned to head straight to Tiandou City, but Qian Renxue sent word that she was not currently in the capital, as she was in the Northern Border overseeing disaster relief—the very same drought Qian Renxue had mentioned in a letter to Qian Ningshuang half a year ago.

Perhaps Qian Ningshuang had guessed correctly that there were too many parasites, or perhaps the drought's reach was simply too vast, or perhaps it was a combination of both; the Heaven Dou imperial court could no longer treat this drought lightly, having dispatched Qian Renxue, the fake crown prince, to take charge of the relief efforts.

Of course, Qian Ningshuang could have chosen to wait for Qian Renxue in Tiandou City, but after some thought, she decided to head directly to the Northern Border to see Qian Renxue sooner while also witnessing just how severe this drought had become.

Qian Ningshuang stood outside the carriage door, gazing at the parched earth.

As a transmigrator, she had truly never seen a drought so terrifying; the worst drought she had personally experienced only required storing water in advance.

The cracked earth resembled the wrinkles on an old man's face after a life of hardship—so clear, so profound, and so helplessly sorrowful.

By the roadside were withered trees stripped of their bark, along with scattered groups of refugees.

There were also corpses lying by the road, left uncollected.

Everything she saw described to her exactly how horrific a drought in a feudal society could be.

Qian Chongling, acting as the coachman, saw Qian Ningshuang standing in silence as she watched the land. He remained silent for a long time as well, before finally speaking up: "Shuang'er, go back inside. We are almost at Lahe City."

"Mm."

Taking one last deep look at the land, imprinting the tragic scene into her mind, Qian Ningshuang turned and returned to the carriage.

"Sigh..."

Watching Qian Ningshuang retreat into the cabin, Qian Chongling sighed. He had seen far more tragic scenes than this, and such a sight could no longer stir ripples in his heart.

But Qian Ningshuang was different. Setting aside the fact that she was still a child, her thoughts—so distinct from her peers and overly kind—meant this scene likely left a deep impact on her.

Although he often said that Qian Ningshuang was his trump card for resisting the God Realm and that she needed rigorous training, for now, he decided to let her take it slow.

Furthermore, the fact that Qian Ningshuang could keep this scene in her heart was already enough to satisfy him.

Inside the carriage, Tian Yao, Gu Yuena, and Gu Qiu'er were present, but today, Qian Ningshuang had no mood to chat with her companions; she simply closed her eyes and began to meditate.

Tian Yao and the others understood that Qian Ningshuang was troubled, so they did not disturb her and followed her lead, beginning their own cultivation.

After the time it takes to eat two meals, they arrived at Lahe City.

The city gate was not as bustling as other cities; there were only two guards leaning crookedly against the shade of the city wall, resting.

A young man was hanging from the city gate, clearly dead. It seemed a soul master had used some method on him, as the scarred corpse showed no signs of decay despite the sweltering heat.

There was no dramatic confrontation or solicitation of bribes; the two guards simply stood up, offered a respectful salute, and let the group enter the city.

Anyone arriving at Lahe City at such a time in a carriage, combined with the attire of Qian Chongling and the appearance of Qian Ningshuang—who was beginning to grow into her looks—signaled that this was not a group they could afford to offend.

Qian Ningshuang had stepped out of the carriage again at the gate. She didn't say anything as she looked at Lahe City, merely noting the young man hanging on the wall.

If her observations were correct, he was a soul master, a three-ring Soul Grandmaster.

In the Douluo world, those whose corpses were hung on city walls after death were usually criminals who had committed grave offenses, displayed as a warning to the public.

The fact that they could hang the corpse of a Soul Grandmaster on the wall indicated that the situation inside Lahe City was dire.

After entering the city, to maintain their cover, the group did not go to the Wuhun Branch Hall and instead found a decent-looking hotel.

In such times, the owner was overjoyed to have guests, especially since they were generous with their money, and he busied himself arranging rooms for them.

Once the rooms were settled, the owner led them to the dining hall for a meal and provided some ingredients for their use.

"Please wait a moment, honored guests; I have already sent someone to tell the kitchen to prepare extra dishes," the owner said respectfully. "Feel free to order whatever you like later, and if you need any help, just ask."

Looking at the relatively sumptuous meal, Qian Ningshuang asked in confusion: "Isn't the drought in the Northern Border supposed to be severe? Does the owner not need to worry about food supplies here?"

"Ah, you guests don't know the situation. Other hotels might worry about food, but my place certainly doesn't need to."

Speaking of this, the owner's face was filled with pride.

"Why?" Tian Yao couldn't help but ask.

"Not to mention that in these times, we barely get a few guests every ten days or half a month, so we can save up plenty of food."

"Even if there were many guests and food consumption was high, there's no need to worry. My son works at the Wuhun Branch Hall. As long as I spend a little extra money, there is always enough food."

The owner maintained that proud expression.

"Does the Wuhun Branch Hall have a lot of food right now?" Qian Ningshuang asked again, while Gu Yuena also looked at the owner with curiosity.

Qian Chongling, realizing something, took out five gold soul coins and placed them on the table.

"That's for sure. Since you guests are so generous, I'll tell you quietly."

At this, the owner lowered his voice, leaned toward the table, and unobtrusively tucked the gold soul coins into his sleeve.

"The Wuhun Branch Hall doesn't just have a lot of food; they have a massive amount—enough to feed the refugees around Lahe City for half a month, and that's with them eating their fill at every meal."

"Where did the Wuhun Branch Hall get so much food?"

Qian Ningshuang was puzzled. Although she had guessed there were parasites involved, the fact that there was enough to feed the refugees outside for half a month was shocking, not to mention that it was a parasitic act led by Wuhun Hall itself.

"This..."

A look of hesitation appeared on the boss's face, but this time, Qian Chongling pulled out a coin purse and placed it directly on the table.

After opening the purse to take a look, the boss swallowed hard, then walked to the restaurant entrance to look around before returning to the table.

"The reason for the surplus is that a portion of the disaster relief grain was hidden by the city lord, along with grain that the wealthy families in the city had hoarded over the past days.

"Then, it was all handed over to the Spirit Hall branch master, Lord Liu Jing, the strongest person in the city, to guard.

"Today, for the sake of these gold soul coins, I am risking my head to tell you guests this.

"Please don't tell anyone else."

Hearing this, everyone except Qian Chongling looked at each other in dismay, and then Qian Ningshuang couldn't help but ask again: "Isn't the Heaven Dou crown prince supposed to be in charge of the disaster relief? Can't he do something about it?"

The boss shook his head with a bitter smile.

"The crown prince is in Linshi City; it's a case of 'the heavens are high and the emperor is far away,' so how could he manage it?

"Besides, the grain is stored in the Spirit Hall branch; even if the crown prince knew, he wouldn't be able to investigate it.

"What's more, it's not just Lahe City doing this; there are many cities in the Northern Border doing the same. With so many people involved, it's not easy for the crown prince to take direct action."

Qian Ningshuang fell silent, but Qian Chongling pulled out another bag of money and handed it to the boss.

"The child is just curious, sorry to trouble you, boss. We certainly won't speak of today's events to anyone else.

"You go ahead and get back to work."

The boss didn't take the money this time and retreated. He could tell that this group's status was not simple. At first, he was only after the money, but as he spoke of these dirty affairs, a trace of anger surfaced in his heart. He hoped these big shots could really do something about it; he was terrified looking at the disaster victims outside the city. It was just that his position was humble and his voice carried no weight, so he could only look after his own family.

Qian Ningshuang and her group lost the mood to talk, simply finishing their meal in silence before returning to their respective rooms to rest.