Xueyi swore she had never seen such a person, someone who could indulge in revelry but also warm an unfamiliar little beggar. She slowly turned around, looking back with every step, and even waved from afar once she boarded the painted boat.

Song Yan, holding the child, could feel the little one's limbs and body slowly warming up. He could feel the child being gently pulled back from the brink of death, which filled him with happiness—a joy of the soul, different from physical pleasure.

On the next day, as dawn broke...

The snow also stopped.

The child slowly woke up.

It was a little girl—not pretty, with a sallow and thin face, resembling a boy.

Song Yan fed her some water, gave her something to eat, and washed her face. Seeing her blank expression, he held her close and softly said, "Big brother's name is Jian Huang, what's yours?"

"San... Sanniu..."

"Sanniu, don't be afraid. Live bravely."

"Mm... Thank you, big brother..." The little girl named Sanniu sniffled, resting her little chin on Song Yan's shoulder, tears streaming down her face.

Leaning against the dirty, broken walls of the slum, Song Yan basked in the rare warmth of the sun, feeling the little one's vitality slowly return. He felt at peace.

Suddenly, a cold breeze from the corner made the little girl shrink back abruptly.

"So cold, so cold..." the little girl said, trembling.

Song Yan turned his head towards the cold wind, then looked into the distance. It was a wind blowing from the east, from the Barbaric Land, mixed with a scent of decay, deathly stillness, desolation, and ominous signs—the signs of the dark disaster era.

...

...

As the true form of the Formless Celestial Venerable, Song Yan's words had an effect by the next evening.

Even in a city like East Corner City, porridge carts were being pushed into the slum alleys. Some people were laying foundations on open grounds, preparing to build temporary shelters.

Refugees swarmed forward, the servers ladled porridge into scarce bowls while saying, "Thank the Formless Celestial Venerable, thank the Sovereign, thank the City Lord... You won't starve this winter!"

Another person said, "When the shelters are built, you'll be accommodated. Children who have lost their parents without any place to go will be arranged for in the city. Come register now."

The slum suddenly became busy.

Song Yan, holding Sanniu, was about to go see the City Lord when he suddenly felt someone approaching.

He turned his head to find a woman with an excited expression.

The woman said in a trembling voice, "San... Sanniu?"

The little girl looked up, stared at the woman, and cried out, "Aunt!"

"Sanniu!"

"Aunt!"

The two, one big and one small, hugged each other and sobbed.

Song Yan quietly placed a dozen or so copper plates on the ground, made a move, and left.

Too much money would be hard to protect, but a dozen copper plates, that's just right.

That night, Song Yan bathed and changed clothes, then rolled onto Xueyi's bed. After an entangled intimacy under the covers, he comfortably held the lovely lady and fell asleep.

Xueyi was happy to play with him too. She had never met such a man, but she felt an indescribable charm in him.

...

...

Day by day, in the blink of an eye, several months passed,

All the women in Canyue Tower became familiar with Jian the gentleman.

He was amorous and wealthy, singing drunken ballads and often performing astonishing acts, yet not disliked. Almost every girl competed to be with him.

Song Yan spent tonight here, tomorrow there, without any restraint.

This evening, under the beautiful moon and flowers, after drinking, Song Yan was seeking fun with a girl in a red dress, embracing in pleasure, when he suddenly heard a scream from afar.

He felt today's young lady in his arms tense up, and with his Divine Sense swept over, he noticed the lake, now warmed by spring, was floating with horrifying corpses.

Each body seemed to have been torn apart by tremendous force, like a clay pot cracked, flesh and blood pulled apart. Being soaked in water, they swelled up considerably: a man six or seven feet tall swelled almost double in size, while a thin woman transformed into a huge bloated figure.

The dreadful bodies floating on the warm water turned the lantern lights on the shore a deep crimson, and the water itself appeared as dark as the Netherworld, eerily gruesome.

Song Yan was about to move when the lady in the quilt urgently lifted a leg to pin him down.

Song Yan moved again, and the young lady flipped over to press him down.

Song Yan said, "Xianghong, what's wrong?"

The girl fearfully said, "My lord is a good man, don't go."

Song Yan laughed, "My lord is not a good person, I must go."

Xianghong pouted, "Then go tomorrow my lord. I can't bear something happening while I'm with you. I won't be able to show my face anymore."

She spoke while tightly hugging Song Yan, afraid he would run away, then gently added, "I heard people say that the storm in Lu Kingdom is unending, with Demon Beasts eating people and evil spirits killing people.

The Immortals above came to subdue it, but... it hasn't improved.

The screams at midnight must mean someone died; who knows whether it's a Demon Beast or evil spirit that slipped in to kill.

My lord, please don't go, or else... your handsome head might also be lost."

Song Yan's Divine Sense swept the surroundings, finding no Demon Beasts or evil spirits, but the city's lake connected with the moat, which in turn connected outside. After prolonged heavy rain, the water level had risen, possibly drifting from somewhere unknown.

"I won't go, I still need to cherish you, my little enchantress."

"Hee-hee, come on my lord."

...

...

In a blink, winter arrived again.

But last year's residents now were nearly refugees.

The whole of East Corner City received orders to relocate.

The disaster in Lu Kingdom broadened its scope, not occurring every moment, yet the situation continued to gravitate toward its worst magnitude.

The orders from above stated: in the Barbaric Land, particularly within Lu Kingdom's Earth Realm, Demon Beasts of various types were rampant. These beasts seemingly did not hunt humans but pursued ghostly entities. During their pursuit, if someone happened to be nearby, the Demon Beasts wouldn't care, and those nearby would be affected and die from the full range of their power. Wangguang Village and Xiaofeng County were destroyed in this manner. Now the Immortals have forecasted that in as little as a few months or at the most half a year, East Corner City will also come under the range where Demon Beasts and ghostly entities roam, necessitating the evacuation.

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