Shen Qingwan accepted everything without hesitation, taking and taking until she had emptied out the entire bandit stronghold.

She also rescued over thirty young women before finally leaving.

Most of these women were from nearby towns, while some were refugees who had been kidnapped by the bandits.

Now that the stronghold had been wiped out, they had nowhere to go.

Shen Qingwan had no intention of bringing them along, so she escorted them to the nearest town before departing.

In doing so, she had effectively eliminated a threat to the people—without the bandits, the surrounding towns would be much safer.

However, she couldn’t take the livestock from the stronghold with her, as her spatial storage could only contain non-living objects.

In the end, she distributed the horses, mules, and donkeys among the rescued women, giving each person an animal.

Additionally, she handed them two taels of silver each to help them settle down.

As for the cattle and sheep, she slaughtered them and stored the meat in her space.

After handling matters, Shen Qingwan changed into men’s clothing and rode off to catch up with Dahe Village’s caravan.

Due to the delay in escorting the women to town, along with the time lost when she was kidnapped, Shen Qingwan had fallen nearly two days behind the caravan.

Ironically, being late allowed her to witness something alarming—many of the refugees behind her had been infected with a plague.

Fortunately, she had kept a horse for herself; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to catch up so quickly.

After almost a full day of riding, Shen Qingwan finally reached Ji City.

She had expected the city gates to be closed but was surprised to find them open.

Without hesitation, she rode straight into the city, confident that the village chief would be waiting for her.

Since the gates were open, it was likely that the people from Dahe Village had already entered.

Given the large number of villagers, they wouldn’t have stayed at inns or guesthouses, so Shen Qingwan figured they must be staying somewhere in the city.

She rode through the streets, searching for familiar faces, unaware that not long after she entered, the gates were shut, and the city went into lockdown.

Patrolling soldiers began shouting for everyone to go home and remain indoors.

Shops were ordered to close, and all refugees were forced to gather at the city gates to be expelled.

No one was allowed to loiter in the streets.

Sensing that something was wrong, Shen Qingwan quickened her pace in searching for the villagers, but she found no trace of them.

Meanwhile, the soldiers had begun forcibly rounding up anyone dressed in ragged clothing, assuming them to be refugees, and driving them out of the city.

Fearing that she might also be expelled, Shen Qingwan quickly found an inn to stay at.

She handed her horse over to a stablehand and booked the best available room—a second-floor chamber with a window overlooking the main street.

What she didn’t realize was that this randomly chosen inn, Yunlai Inn, was actually the finest establishment in Ji City.

Downstairs in the common hall, guests were buzzing with discussion.

“Innkeeper, what’s going on? Why did the city suddenly go into lockdown? I need to leave tomorrow morning—are they going to stop us from leaving?”

“I saw them driving people out of the city. Are there too many refugees? Did the magistrate issue an order to expel them?”

“Don’t talk nonsense! Magistrate Hai is a good official! Other cities are charging outrageous entrance fees, but Ji City still charges just two wen per person, the same as before the disaster. He even convinced the wealthy families to set up porridge stations in the west of the city, serving food all day. Not only that, he allows refugees to beg in the city.”

“That’s right! Magistrate Hai is like a father to us. He wouldn’t expel the refugees unless something serious had happened.”

As the debate grew more heated, the innkeeper raised his hands to calm the crowd. “Ladies and gentlemen, please don’t speculate. It’s best to return to your rooms and rest. The lockdown might be lifted by morning.”

Just as people were about to disperse, someone suddenly shouted, “It’s the plague! The plague has arrived! My cousin went to Jixiang Town yesterday and saw many refugees infected. He said their bodies were covered in festering sores! I thought he was exaggerating, but now I realize it’s true!”

“Plague?”

The entire inn erupted into chaos. Guests immediately distanced themselves from one another, eyeing each other with suspicion.

“Don’t talk nonsense! How could there be a plague?”

“If there’s really a plague, many people will die!”

“If it’s true, then we’re doomed!”

The man who spoke first frowned. “If it weren’t the plague, why would Magistrate Hai, who is known for his kindness, suddenly expel the refugees and lock down the city? Look outside—there’s no one in the streets except soldiers. Why else would they take such drastic measures?”

His reasoning convinced most of the crowd.

In a dimly lit corner of the hall, a man wearing a silver half-mask sipped his tea.

He was dressed in an elegant black robe embroidered with cloud patterns, exuding an air of nobility.

Even with his usual calm demeanor, his fingers hesitated slightly around his teacup when he heard the word “plague.”

“Master, should we leave immediately?” his attendant asked in a hushed voice. Regardless of whether the plague was real, he couldn’t allow his master to be exposed to danger.

The masked man lifted his gaze slightly, looking out the window at the now-empty street. His voice was firm.

“We must find that object. If it falls into the wrong hands, the consequences will be disastrous.”

The next second, he coughed lightly.

His attendant immediately stepped forward in concern. “Master, your health—”

If his master weren’t injured, he wouldn’t have stopped him from continuing the search.

But now, with the possibility of a plague outbreak, he was even more worried.

“It’s nothing. Just a minor wound—it won’t kill me,” the masked man replied nonchalantly. “Xuantian, go investigate whether the plague rumors are true tonight.”

If there really was a plague, he needed to act quickly.

The refugees were all heading north, and Suzhou—his territory—was already overwhelmed with displaced people.

If a plague spread there, the situation would become catastrophic.

The black-clad man named Xuantian immediately bowed. “Yes, Master.”

Their conversation was held in hushed tones, unnoticed by the guests still discussing the news.

After listening for a while, the masked man realized there was no more useful information to gather.

He stood up and walked upstairs.

His presence was striking—tall, poised, and exuding an air of authority.

Even with a mask covering half his face, his noble aura was undeniable.

However, his unsteady steps and pale lips betrayed his physical condition—he was not well.