Chapter 283: Following One's Intent
With Medicinal Pills from the Dan Sect, and the precise locations provided by Ji You after he searched the mountains with his Divine Thought, the survival rate of the disaster-stricken common people across the five provinces of Qingyun World significantly increased.
Following that was the resettlement and distribution of relief grain, and everything continued in an orderly manner.
At the three meal times—morning, noon, and evening—smoke could almost always be seen rising from the temporary shelters built in the city, with white mist billowing upwards.
Many young children were frightened by this snow disaster; when they first entered the city, they seemed as if they had lost their souls, and countless suffered from night sweats and high fevers, but they gradually improved over the next few days.
Some of the rescued common people, after a slight recovery, began to spontaneously clear snow in the city, and some young, strong men even voluntarily participated in the search and rescue outside the city.
In fact, over these thousands of years, the common people of Qingyun World have been tempered to be as resilient as wild grass.
As long as there is a glimmer of hope, they can strive to live on.
At the same time, the second batch of relief grain also arrived in Luyang County, braving the wind and snow. This county seat is located in the center of the five provinces, and the relief grain would undergo short-distance secondary transportation here.
Zhang Pingyang and Guo Ziyi, who were driving the carts, jumped down from the shafts and looked at the common people who had just been rescued and brought into the city, unable to help but exchange glances.
They had always lived in Feng Province and were among the first to know about the Spirit Stone supply cut-off. They had also seen the Young Masters from the Sect who went to the State Prefecture to demand an explanation. On their way here, they had been worried that this matter would escalate.
Cutting off Spirit Stones for cultivators and transporting grain to the common people was something unprecedented in Qingyun World.
But seeing that the disaster relief efforts in the city were still ongoing, they realized that such a shocking event seemed to have caused no repercussions.
Just then, the two suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves, so they turned to look.
Under the freezing white sky, several horse-drawn carriages laden with goods traveled along the main road, heading out of the city. The horses, panting and snorting, exhaled plumes of white mist, then galloped away, disappearing into the endless wind and snow.
In fact, when Zhang Pingyang and the others were driving here, they had seen such carriages going in the opposite direction.
It was just that the wind and snow along the way were too heavy, and they hadn't seen clearly who the people were.
It wasn't until this moment that the banners embroidered with various family crests came into their sight.
And not far from Zhang Pingyang and the others, people from a nearby Immortal Villa were looking from a teahouse towards this spot.
“Which batch is this?”
“Almost the fifth batch. First, there were the Chen, Zhang, and Dragon Sect, who are quite far away. Then there are the Miao and Xu Sect from Yong Province.”
“Even those from so far away have come?”
“I heard there are also convoys from Ling Province on the way.”
As the words fell, everyone held their teacups and looked towards the threshing ground opposite.
Under the vast white sky, a white-robed swordsman sat on a collapsed wall, crushed by the wind and snow, watching a group of children, whose spirits had calmed, kick a woven bamboo ball.
Since the Spirit Stone supply in Feng Province was halted, Spirit Stone merchants across Qingyun World began to reallocate resources. The stored Spirit Stones were first supplied to large cities with Immortal Sects or thousand-year Sect. Therefore, their supply was cut off earlier than other places.
They originally thought that after Qingyun World gathered in Shengjing to demand an explanation, Spirit Stones would quickly be supplied.
Who knew that the expected carriages transporting Spirit Stones did not appear; instead, there were constantly appearing family carriages heading to the Northern Border to retrieve them themselves.
At the same time, Peng Dongyang, Mu Qing, and others from the Suxian Supervisorate were also standing in the nearby threshing ground, watching the carriages pass by, and they subtly breathed a sigh of relief.
However, as their spirits relaxed, they felt even more disoriented by the fact that such overwhelming pressure had truly been endured.
At this moment, Peng Dongyang couldn't help but recall the figure on the Snow Region, the one who leaped from the roof of a carriage in the night, striking the Soldier King of the Barbarian Race with forty-nine swords. Ji You's gaze also shifted from the children playing with the ball to the lines of carriages, gazing for a long time.
In fact, even without the disaster relief efforts, with such a massive snow disaster, the Spirit Stone supply in Feng Province would have inevitably been halted, because he did not want the coachmen of Feng Province to lose their lives for those cultivators.
Now, the fact that most Sect chose to retrieve them themselves, although not within his expectations, was still a good thing.
Because staying on mountains protected by formations, or in manors kept warm by charcoal fires, they would never truly understand how severe this snow really was.
And only when they truly embarked on the journey, truly saw the goose-feather snow falling, and the boundless snowy plains stretching endlessly, did they realize why this winter's heavy snow was called a disaster.
Subsequently, the disaster relief work continued, and everything proceeded in an orderly fashion according to the original rules.
Although the search and rescue team still rescued a group of refugees from outside the city every day, it was clear that the number was becoming smaller and smaller.
Then came the arrival of the third batch of relief grain, and doctors conscripted by the Suxian Supervisorate from several nearby cities also began to be active among the shelters.
Ji You, on the other hand, found himself with free time, so he followed the people from the Suxian Supervisorate up the mountain to cut wood.
Afterward, he and the people from the disaster area built shelters together.
Additionally, he played with the children, teaching them cat's cradle and hopscotch.
During this time, many eyes were on him, especially those Young Masters from the Immortal Villas, who found his actions baffling. They couldn't understand how such a person could withstand the pressure of cutting off Spirit Stone supply to the Nine Provinces, nor did they understand why he did these things.
Was it to comprehend the Heavenly Dao, or to enhance his Realm, or to achieve Ascension?
But in reality, a person doesn't need to have a purpose for every action they take.
For Ji You, he would do what he could, and not force what he couldn't. Not every single thing needed to be carefully considered and analyzed.
If he lived following his intent, then even if he died, it wouldn't be a loss.
This routine continued until the twelfth lunar month. On a relatively light snowy morning, Ji You left the Prefectural Residence and got into a carriage outside the door with Kuang Cheng.
There was also a warm stove inside the carriage, and the surroundings were wrapped in thick blankets. Lifting the curtain, one could feel a wave of heat.
The two sat down in the carriage, then felt a jolt as the carriage slowly started moving.
The heavy snow was still falling, but the disaster relief process was already clear, and the surviving refugees had temporarily been rescued, so there was nothing else for them to do.
Now, as long as everything proceeded systematically, it wouldn't be difficult for the disaster victims to get through this winter, so their continued presence here was not very meaningful.
Moreover, Kuang Cheng was, after all, a Mortal, and constantly braving the severe cold in and out of the disaster area could easily lead to illness.
“The grain reserves in the disaster area should be sufficient; getting through winter won't be a problem. However, post-disaster reconstruction is still a big issue. The Great Xia's national treasury is currently empty and cannot afford that much money.”
Kuang Cheng sat in the carriage, covered by a thick blanket, still thinking about what would happen after the heavy snow.
Ji You tossed a few pieces of charcoal into the warm stove inside the carriage and said, “Let's talk about post-disaster reconstruction after the New Year. When the cart reaches the mountain, there will always be a way through. The important thing is that they have survived now.”
“Is the Spirit Stone supply cut-off alright?”
“Since the major Sect have decided to retrieve them themselves, it's highly likely to be fine. I imagine Shengjing has probably quieted down by now.” Kuang Cheng pondered for a moment, then added, “Brother Ji, do you plan to resume Spirit Stone transportation after returning to the capital?”
Ji You looked out at the vast white world beyond the window: “Let's talk about it after the wind and snow stop.”
“That's good too. After all, transportation in winter is indeed too dangerous. Since those Sect can retrieve them themselves, then let them continue to do so.”
“Road tolls still need to be collected.”
Kuang Cheng paused slightly: “Still need to collect them?”
Ji You looked at the wind and snow outside the window: “Those who borrowed courtyards can be exempted, but collect more from the other Sect, otherwise, wouldn't I have made this trip for nothing?”
“That's reasonable.” “Speaking of courtyards, I really didn't expect Wei Rui's connections to be so extensive, able to borrow courtyards from Sect and even buy Medicinal Pills from the Dan Sect.”
Shengjing City, being located to the south and well-protected, did not suffer any attacks from the wind and snow. Amidst the silver-clad landscape, it possessed quite a Concept.
Looking forward from the official road outside the city, white snow piled on the city walls, echoing the red flags guarding the city.
The carriage carrying Ji You and Kuang Cheng, affected by the wind and snow, moved slowly and only arrived at the city gate at noon five days later.
The carriage then entered the city, slowly proceeding along Yong'an Avenue until it was stopped in the West City.
Kuang Cheng lifted the blanket from his body and turned to look at Ji You: “Brother Ji, I have a disaster report here that Elder Peng asked me to bring. I'll take it to the Supervisorate.”
Ji You nodded, and so Kuang Shusheng lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage.
There were many colleagues in the Supervisorate, and seeing him at this time, they all rose and greeted him. Kuang Shusheng waved his hand as he passed, entered the main hall of the Suxian Supervisorate, and after a detour, arrived at the Supervisor's study to present the report.
He Jingyuan took the report, flipped through it for a long time, then slowly began: “The scale of this snowfall and its duration are simply unheard of. The Literary Pavilion checked the history of Qingyun and found that such a large snow was only recorded similarly three hundred years ago. However, compared to that time, the casualties this time are much fewer.”
Kuang Cheng nodded upon hearing this: “If we hadn't reacted in time, the disaster might not have been controlled. Speaking of which, this matter is largely thanks to Young Master Ji.”
“Has Young Master Ji also returned with you this time?”
“That's right.”
He Jingyuan recalled the scene of the Sect arriving noisily and then quietly departing some time ago, and couldn't help but look up at him with complicated eyes: “What Realm is he in now…?”
Kuang Cheng shook his head upon hearing this: “I know nothing about cultivation, and Brother Ji rarely mentions it to me.”
He Jingyuan remained silent for a moment, then clasped the report in his hand: “Lord Kuang, you have also worked hard on this trip. With the New Year not far off, you don't need to come to the Supervisorate these days. Go back and rest well.”
“Thank you, my lord. This subordinate takes his leave.”
“Go.”
Kuang Cheng left the Supervisor's study and then walked towards the door. However, as soon as he stepped over the threshold, he couldn't help but freeze.
In his line of sight, the carriage that had brought them was still parked at the entrance of the Suxian Supervisorate, and Ji You was sitting in the carriage, not having left, as if he was specifically waiting for him.
