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墨書 Inktalez
Qing Luan cast a disdainful glance at the man who had taken advantage of the situation and was now acting innocent. She let out a cold snort, too lazy to bother with him any longer.
At that moment, Xuanyuan Rui was in high spirits, feeling grateful for the inexplicably appearing woman; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to be with Qing Luan.
The tragic scenes along the way made Qing Luan tighten her lips, but she couldn't stop midway; otherwise, the areas truly suffering would remain unaddressed.
After several days of travel, they finally approached the disaster-stricken area. Qing Luan dismounted from the carriage and noticed that there weren't many people around—only a few scattered individuals moving slowly forward, step by step.
"Sir," Qing Luan stopped one person, handed him two buns, and then helped him sit in a corner while asking about the local situation.
The man, perhaps famished, bit into the buns continuously until he swallowed them. He pounded his chest desperately until Qin'er handed him a water pouch, allowing him to drink a few large gulps before he calmed down and spoke about his circumstances when he left.
After understanding the situation, Qing Luan's expression grew even graver. Her brows furrowed tightly as she instructed Qin'er with a few words, ordering everyone to continue on their journey. Along the way, they endured hardships without anyone saying much.
After two more days of travel, they finally arrived at the area most severely affected by the disaster.
"How foul!" A delicate voice exclaimed among the crowd, drawing Qing Luan's sidelong glance and the scornful gazes of others.
"I... I didn't mean it," she said defensively, her eyes glistening with unshed tears as she looked at Xuanyuan Rui for support.
Xuanyuan Rui couldn't be bothered to respond to her. He turned to Qing Luan and said heavily, "The court hasn't sent anyone down yet..."
"By the time they arrive, everyone will be dead," she replied. The breach in the dam was unlike other disasters; anything that had been submerged was inedible and contaminated with corpses, making it extremely prone to plague outbreaks. Fortunately, it was cool now, but caution was still necessary; otherwise, if an epidemic broke out, even the Great Immortal would struggle to save so many refugees.
"Sister Yun," a woman who had followed them on their journey called out. Li Yunluo turned her calculating black eyes toward Qing Luan and quietly asked the woman beside her, "What is Miss doing here?" This place reeked terribly; everyone was in rags and it was utterly disgusting—she couldn't bear to stay even a moment longer.
"Saving people!" Sister Yun kindly provided the answer.
"Saving... people?" Li Yunluo expressed disbelief, her eyes revealing contempt and disdain. "How can we save them? There are so many refugees; even the court dares not intervene. Who does she think she is to say such grand things?"
"We will save them however we can," Sister Yun replied curtly. A sharp killing intent flashed in her dark eyes as she gently added, "Miss Li, if you find it too difficult to stay here, you might as well leave early." With her around, everyone felt uncomfortable; she had thought herself welcomed here.
She couldn't leave! The thought of her purpose made Li Yunluo smile awkwardly, changing her expression to one of determination as she said, "Saving a life is worth more than building a seven-story pagoda. Since you are so brave, how could I possibly leave? Hehe..." In the end, she forced a few laughs, not daring to say anything more to Sister Yun.
Upon arriving at the location, Qing Luan instructed Xuanyuan Rui to find someone from the local government. It was better for him to take the lead rather than herself as a merchant. With him around, many issues could be resolved.
Before long, an elderly man in his fifties approached. He looked utterly exhausted, his face covered in dust, and his clothes were filthy. Anyone unfamiliar with him might mistake him for a beggar who had just come out of nowhere.
"Miss Zhu," he said as soon as he heard someone was there to help. He stepped forward and asked urgently, "Water Young Master said you brought food to save people. Is that true?" If things continued like this, even more lives would be lost.
They weren't just drowning; they were starving to death!
Thinking of the hungry children waiting for food, tears filled his eyes, and he felt an overwhelming urge to cry—yet as a public official, even if he were exhausted, he couldn't shed a tear; otherwise, it would cause panic among the people.
Seeing the dirty old man before her, Qing Luan noted that he didn't put on airs or distance himself from the situation. He must be a good official. She offered him a gentle smile and met his anxious gaze. "Yes, please tell me about the situation here..."
The old man introduced himself as Lin and mentioned that he was the Prefect. After the disaster struck, he had stayed behind to help organize the people's self-rescue efforts and gather food... But with so many people needing to eat, there simply wasn't enough food. If they couldn't hold on for a few more days, those who couldn't escape would surely starve.
Looking at the devastation around her, Qing Luan felt a deep shock in her heart. She noticed Xuanyuan Rui's eyes were also dark and somber; she understood that his pain was no less than her own.
He had fought on the battlefield for the peace and prosperity of the people; how could he bear to see such a tragic scene? It was as grim as witnessing a bloody war.
Qing Luan had brought several carts of food with her from their journey, so upon seeing the starving children, she immediately ordered her people to set up pots and cook porridge...
"Old Man Lin," Qing Luan found this title quite amusing. The Prefect insisted they call him Old Man Lin, saying that in his current state, he hardly resembled a Prefect at all. They had no choice but to comply. "What about the areas submerged by water? Should we abandon them?"
Standing halfway up the hill and looking at the flooded land and houses below, Old Man Lin sighed and said, "This place is remote; the court doesn't care at all. The people can't even fill their stomachs right now; even if they wanted to help, they wouldn't be able to come!"
Biting her lip and gazing at the turbulent sea in the distance, Qing Luan felt a chilling anger rise within her—when it truly mattered, those in power were nothing but useless.
"Miss Zhu," Old Man Lin said anxiously, "the food you brought will only last until tomorrow. After tomorrow... everyone doesn't know what will happen."
He didn't have any complaints against her; he simply felt that since she arrived, many things he hadn't considered or couldn't figure out had been resolved by her. He believed she had a way to handle things, which is why he spoke like that.
"Things will get better," Qing Luan said, biting her lip heavily.
Time passed quickly, and the food that Qing Luan had brought was gone. The supplies from the government were dwindling as well, leaving only enough for the children and the elderly. The young and strong had nothing to eat.
"Master, there's trouble!" A person rushed in, shouting as they approached Qing Luan and Old Man Lin, who were discussing their next steps.
They were in a makeshift shelter where most of the suffering people were staying.
"What happened?" Old Man Lin asked, turning to the newcomer with an annoyed expression at their panic.
"They're gathered outside, saying... saying they want to..." The newcomer looked timidly at Master Lin, unable to continue.
"Let's go see," Qing Luan said, already heading outside without needing to think about what was being implied.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It had been a tragic day spent in the management center, and they had only just managed to enter now.
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