The man put down his carrying pole and ran over to help the old man up.
“Father, let’s keep going. Maybe there’s still a way ahead. If we run out of food, we’ll figure something out,” he said.

The old man looked at his granddaughter crying her heart out and couldn’t bear it any longer.

In the end, he had no choice but to summon his strength and continue on the road.

Seeing her grandfather walk with them, the little girl quickly got up and supported him.

The group from Dahe Village walked past them, gradually overtaking them.

They had witnessed too many separations like this along the way, and all they could do was sigh helplessly.

Bai Yong’an furrowed his brows.

Suddenly, he ran a few steps back.

Shen Qingwan only glanced at him but didn’t interfere.

Who said merchants only cared about profit and forgot their roots?

This Second Master Bai seemed to have a compassionate heart.

When Bai Yong’an returned, he saw Shen Qingwan eyeing him up and down.

The teasing look in her eyes made it clear she had seen right through him.

Bai Yong’an coughed awkwardly and explained, “I just thought the little girl was pitiful, so I helped them out.”

All he did was give the man two taels of silver—a reward for his pure filial piety.

With that money, they could buy some food to last until Suzhou.

To him, two taels of silver were nothing more than the cost of a cup of tea, but to that family, it could save their lives.

Perhaps that was the true value of giving it away.

Shen Qingwan gave him a thumbs-up and teased, “Second Master, what a great kindness.”

Bai Yong’an rubbed his gradually shrinking belly in embarrassment.

“Ah… Ahhh!”

“Whoa, where did this lunatic come from?”

The village head was leading the group when he suddenly saw a disfigured madman crawling toward them.

The man was missing an arm and a leg, his face was ruined, and his hair was a wild mess.

As soon as the madman saw him, he lunged straight at him.

The village head was so frightened that he stumbled and nearly fell, but his eldest son quickly caught him.

“Ahh… Ahhh!”

The madman was clearly mute. When the village head shoved him to the ground, he struggled to crawl toward the crowd again.

“Good heavens, what is that? He looks terrifying!”

“Quick, move aside! He must be crazy.”

The villagers were scared and quickly backed away.

Old Man Lu saw the madman crawling toward them and was startled.

“Wife, get away from him! Don’t let him latch onto you,” he warned, afraid the madman might attack someone.

But to their surprise, the madman was indeed crawling straight for them.

“Ah… Uhh!”

The madman frantically gestured at Old Man Lu and Old Madam Lu, but they couldn’t understand him.

Shen Qingwan, however, recognized him immediately.

It was Lu Wenzhi.

Those people had been ruthless, tormenting Lu Wenzhi until he became this wreck of a man.

“Father, doesn’t he look a bit like Third Brother?” Lu Jiaojiao asked, her sharp eyes recognizing his tattered clothing.

Shen Qingwan walked over and kicked the man to the ground, then smiled at Jiaojiao.

“How could this possibly be your third brother? He’s so proud and arrogant—he’d never let himself end up like this. I also noticed some festering sores on him just now. He might have some contagious disease. Everyone, keep your distance. We should leave this place quickly.”

Her words scared the villagers even more, and they hurriedly moved away.

Shen Qingwan looked down at Lu Wenzhi, her lips curling into a cold smile—a warning.

Lu Wenzhi sobbed, watching as his parents walked further away.

Panic consumed him, and he desperately kowtowed before Shen Qingwan, begging for mercy.

But she didn’t even spare him a glance.

As the village group moved ahead, Shen Qingwan finally turned to follow them.

Lu Wenzhi watched them disappear into the distance, filled with endless regret.

But it was too late.

..

By mid-afternoon, the sun was scorching.

The vegetation along the road had begun to wither, and even the edible leaves had been plucked clean by starving refugees.

The mountains’ greenery was fading due to the drought.

Even the once-lush Yunxi Mountain had turned yellow and dry.

With the relentless heat, even plants were struggling to survive, let alone people.

The village head led the group to rest in a shaded area at the foot of the mountain.

He then sent Lu Dajiang and Lu Dahe to search for a water source in Yunxi Mountain.

Just by looking at the mountain’s condition, it was clear the springs had likely dried up.

But everyone still clung to a shred of hope. Water had become too precious.

Shen Qingwan left the two children in Lu Wenguang’s care and prepared to follow the search team up the mountain.

Bai Yong’an also glanced at Yunxi Mountain and decided to go with her.

She didn’t object, allowing him to come along.

The mountain path was difficult to traverse.

Old Man Lu was initially worried about Shen Qingwan, but remembering her skills, he ultimately said nothing.

Bai Yong’an followed behind her but soon regretted it.

Hiking a mountain was nothing like walking on flat land—it required much more energy, and one had to be cautious at every step. A single misstep could lead to a dangerous fall.

For someone of his size, this terrain was especially unfavorable.

“You could’ve at least stopped me! This path is too rough,” he complained.

Shen Qingwan had let him come along on purpose—after all, more exercise might help him lose some weight.

She was about to turn around and encourage him when she saw him stumble.

His foot slipped, and he tumbled toward a steep slope.

Reacting quickly, Shen Qingwan grabbed his sleeve, stabilizing him just in time.

“Phew, that was terrifying! If I had fallen, I’d either be dead or crippled. Good thing you’re quick,” Bai Yong’an said, drenched in cold sweat.

He no longer dared to be careless.

Shen Qingwan grabbed a thick bamboo stalk beside her, cut off a section, and handed one end to Bai Yong’an.

“Hold onto this. I’ll pull you along.”

She wasn’t about to let her golden meal ticket get injured here.

Bai Yong’an laughed, his face wrinkling with delight.

“Haha, you’re a thoughtful one, aren’t you?”

With Shen Qingwan leading the way, he followed the team deeper into the mountain.

They searched several locations but found no water.

Just as everyone was losing hope, they spotted a few drops of water trickling down a cliffside.

“There’s water here! But… there’s too little of it,” someone muttered.

Beneath the cliff was a dried-up pool, indicating that there used to be a substantial water source here.

Shen Qingwan looked up at the towering rock face and said, “I’ll climb up and take a look. Wait here.”

The cliff was steep, impossible for an ordinary person to scale.

But Shen Qingwan climbed it effortlessly, leaving everyone below stunned.