"You're overestimating your own importance. Can those measly scraps you steal feed anyone? If they didn't know how to farm themselves, they'd have starved to death relying on you."
Da Qingzi's Second Uncle tapped his forehead once more, shaking his head as he left. If the Qing family didn't have just this one seedling left, he wouldn't have bothered with him at all.
He was quite curious about the father and daughter down the mountain. He couldn't divine anything about them - their origins were unknown, their destination unclear, and their future unforeseeable. All he could see was a fog of mystery. Trying to divine further almost resulted in backlash - the fate of this father-daughter pair was beyond his ability to calculate.
Hmm, it had been a long time since he'd returned to his sect. Perhaps it was time for a visit?
As for his grand-nephew?
Heh, he wouldn't die anytime soon anyway. Let him be for now.
The man of ethereal demeanor packed his bags and fled in the night.
When Da Qingzi went to find his second uncle in the morning, he discovered the room empty, its occupant long gone. He had hoped to learn some powerful techniques from his uncle, but he was too late.
Down the mountain, Chang'an and Old Gu Six finished breakfast, packed up, and continued their journey towards the morning sun.
Fortunately, this small path had no forks, otherwise they might have taken a wrong turn somewhere.
Spring thunder rolled, but for half the day no rain fell. Just as Chang'an thought it wouldn't rain, a fine drizzle began to fall.
This kind of gentle rain, once started, wouldn't stop easily. They were still on the mountain path with no village or inn in sight, and no place to take shelter.
They had no straw rain capes, though Chang'an did have a raincoat for electric scooter riding in her spatial storage. Thinking that there was no one around in this wilderness anyway, she figured they might as well use it.
However, Old Gu Six refused, saying, "We can't let our guard down. Who knows if we might unexpectedly encounter someone? If we attract the attention of ill-intentioned people, we'll have no peace."
Chang'an put away the raincoat, noticing that her father's hair was already wet from the rain. She worried he might catch a cold.
"Alright then, let's stop for now and find a flat spot to set up a shelter and rest," she suggested.
Spring was prone to thunderstorms, so they couldn't stay near large trees for fear of lightning strikes.
Finding a relatively high spot, Old Gu Six went to cut some sturdy tree trunks. The father and daughter worked together to set up a large tent using waterproof tarpaulin.
The pair sat holding cups of clear tea, listening to the rain and watching the spring drizzle.
"Daughter, do you think it's raining in Yizhou?" Old Gu Six asked, wondering if the whole world was experiencing this spring rain.
Chang'an took a small sip of tea and replied unhurriedly, "Is it possible that it's only raining in the north?"
She popped a dried plum into her mouth and added indistinctly, "As long as the drought hasn't passed, those disaster-stricken areas probably won't see rain."
The two looked so content, it was as if they were sitting in a spacious, bright courtyard rather than a makeshift tent.
Idly watching flowers bloom and wither in the courtyard, sitting and observing the clouds gather and disperse.
For lunch, Chang'an prepared steamed shrimp and mapo tofu in her spatial storage, with rice as the main course.
The rain continued all day, and Chang'an felt it might outlast her very life.
While they took shelter here, appreciating the rain, other refugees continued their journey wrapped in oilcloth.
The next day, the rain showed no sign of stopping. Instead, it grew heavier, accompanied by the rumble of thunder and lightning.
Seeing that they still couldn't leave, the father and daughter pair passed the time by practicing their internal energy cultivation.
Chang'an had already made some progress, able to fly a hundred or so meters without falling, and climb trees with ease.
The heavy rain continued for six or seven days. Old Gu Six stepped out of the tent to survey the surroundings. Fortunately, they had chosen a spot on a small hill, avoiding the valley below. If a flash flood occurred, it shouldn't reach them.
Some refugees who had arrived in the area before the heavy rain began had also set up shelters with tarpaulins, like Chang'an's family. However, their tarpaulins weren't large enough, with seven or eight family members crammed into small shelters.
Due to the rain, a small stream had formed in the valley below, filled with muddy water flowing down from the mountains.
A loud crack of thunder sounded, and a bolt of lightning struck a large tree on the opposite mountain. The tree immediately began billowing smoke, but didn't catch fire due to the heavy rain.
Soon after, another loud boom was heard, but this time it wasn't thunder. A section of the mountainside on the other side of the valley had collapsed.
The refugees in the lower areas, seeing this, began moving to higher ground despite the heavy rain.
Meanwhile, Chang'an and Old Gu Six remained as steady as old dogs on their side. Unless a flash flood occurred, they wouldn't need to move.
This was heavy rain, not a torrential downpour, so its power wasn't as great.
On the eighth day, the rain began to lighten, turning back into a persistent drizzle.
The refugees, fearing more heavy rain and feeling unsafe in the area, packed up and continued their journey in the rain, hoping to quickly find a safe place to shelter.
Chang'an and her father remained unmoving, reluctant to travel in the sticky, persistent rain.
Taking advantage of the lighter rain, the father-daughter pair went out under oil-paper umbrellas to gather mushrooms.
Their decision to stay proved right, as heavy rain returned the next day. Who knows if those who had set out in the rain had found shelter?
The weather alternated between heavy rain and drizzle for a full half-month before finally stopping.
When the rain ceased, the sun came out, and Chang'an saw a rainbow hanging in the sky.
"Dad, let's not leave yet. Should we go gather more mushrooms to keep for later?" she suggested.
Old Gu Six nodded. Fresh mushrooms in chicken soup were delicious, so of course they should gather more.
They not only collected mushrooms but also caught several wild chickens and rabbits, setting off again with a bountiful harvest.
On the road, they encountered many refugees who had fallen ill with colds from traveling in the rain. At times like these, a simple cold could be life-threatening.
As they passed through villages, they saw mothers kneeling with their children, begging local villagers to save them.
Not all villagers were cold-hearted. In the village they were passing through, the villagers were quite kind.
One mother had barely knelt down when a village woman helped her up. With the approval of a nearby elder, she led the woman into the village.
From a distance, they could hear her say, "I'm taking you to Doctor Chang's house now. Don't worry, your child will be fine."
Some adults who had caught colds weren't allowed into the village. While the villagers sympathized with the refugees, they had to consider their own people's safety.
What if they let everyone in and they suddenly caused trouble? Letting in a woman and child wasn't too concerning, especially since the child was so young - it would have been heartless to refuse.
They would ask Doctor Chang to come to the village entrance later to treat these people.
Old Gu Six urged the mule cart on without stopping, quickly leaving the group of refugees behind.
His daughter had said that some colds could be contagious. He wasn't worried for himself, but he feared his daughter might catch something, which would be miserable.
For two consecutive days, Old Gu Six traveled at an increased pace, fearing the group of refugees might catch up to them.
It wasn't that he lacked compassion, but he couldn't bring himself to feel sympathetic. Knowing the risk of catching a cold from the rain, they had still chosen to travel, showing little regard for their own health.
Despite leaving so many days ahead, the refugees hadn't covered much more ground, as they had caught up to the father-daughter pair.
To survive the journey to their destination, one had to protect their health. Otherwise, dying halfway would render all the previous travel meaningless.
"Old Six"
Old Gu Six thought he heard someone calling him. How strange, did someone here know him?
How had he become famous?
He turned his head to look. Well, well, a familiar face.
