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Chapter 282 Heading to the North to Retrieve It Yourself
Relief efforts continue despite the blizzard.

Led by the inspector of the Imperial Observatory, local soldiers and yamen runners quickly joined the effort, first relocating the people from the vicinity of the town into the city.

After completing these tasks, they began searching for the people trapped in the mountains.

These people generally live in remote areas, mostly in villages, ranging from a few dozen people to a few households. They are unable to make it to the city and it is difficult for them to survive in the snow for long.

At first, this search was extremely difficult.

Because everything is covered in white snow, it's impossible to search accurately with the naked eye.

Those who cultivate their bodies are better off than those in the Sixianjian, but a large number of the supervisors in the Sixianjian have low cultivation levels, and quite a few of them have developed snow blindness during the long search.

Even some local officials with no cultivation at all found themselves trapped during the search.

Some local powerful families and wealthy clans stood by and watched coldly, offering no assistance.

For them, such things waste their time for spiritual practice.

However, one day in the following year, the situation suddenly began to change drastically.

The search and rescue team's efficiency began to improve steadily, and countless refugees were rescued and poured into the city, causing these aristocratic families and immortal estates to frown deeply.

Although these cities all have their own city officials, most of them are occupied by powerful clans. The influx of so many refugees will naturally disturb their peaceful lives.

Many powerful families and immortal clans were puzzled as to why these search and rescue teams seemed to have suddenly gained supernatural insight, managing to rescue such a large number of people each time.

Until one day, one of them obtained a letter from the government.

The contents of these letters are very simple, all of them drawing forests, hills and villages as reference points, with arrows indicating the locations.

"What is this?"

"Sent by the Directorate of Immortals, the search team followed the map and found that many refugees were trapped in each location."

"Who found this location???"

"According to them, this was found by an immortal using divine sense."

"Searching mountains with divine sense? Are you kidding me..."

Upon hearing this, all the cultivators' expressions changed slightly, and they smirked, calling it absurd.

Because there are some things that mortals may not know, but they know very well how high a level of cultivation is required to search a mountain with divine sense.

Meanwhile, Ji You sat pale-lipped on a collapsed wall weighed down by heavy snow, the gold in her eyes lingering as if it had dyed her pupils.

He had already slept, but he still felt weak and drained.

He felt that if the young appraiser of Lingjian Mountain saw him looking so listless, he might even dare to crawl naked into his arms.

Not far in front of him, Kuang Cheng was leading the people of the Sixianjian Bureau, as well as a group of yamen runners who had stayed in the city, to settle the refugees who had just been rescued.

Many of the children, their hands and feet blue from the cold, were gathered around the charcoal fire, shivering and clutching millet porridge. Their complexions did not return to normal for a long time.

Some were in more serious condition, with frostbite already forming on their bodies, and doctors carrying medical kits were applying ointment to them.

Ji You quietly watched the scene in the wind and snow, when suddenly she felt a gaze upon her.

Turning his head, he saw Kuang Cheng settling the newly arrived refugees not far away. He straightened up and waved to him.

In fact, ever since he encountered the little girl who had frozen to death on the road the day before yesterday, Kuang Shusheng had felt that Brother Ji's complexion had been bad, and there was a faint dark aura between his brows.

But after entering the city and seeing that many people had been rescued, he noticed that Brother Ji's expression gradually softened.

Brother Ji saved many people, but at the same time, he felt that Brother Ji was also saving him.

Just then, Peng Dongyang arrived with a letter in hand: "Lord Kuang, the first batch of disaster relief grain from Fengzhou has arrived. Please have someone come and distribute it."

"Should we ask Brother Ji first?"

Peng Dongyang was taken aback for a moment: "The grain comes from Fengzhou, so it should be the case."

The three then walked towards the collapsed wall and looked at Ji You, who looked exhausted: "Young Master Ji suddenly fainted in the mountains, which really frightened this old man. I wonder how he is now?"

Ji You opened her dry lips: "My spiritual energy was overused, but fortunately my body is strong, and I feel much better after a good night's sleep."

"The first batch of disaster relief grain has arrived in Fengzhou. We came to ask if it should be distributed now."

How do you plan to distribute them?

Peng Dongyang glanced back and said, "The refugees gathered in the city are basically organized by village. I think we should distribute them by village and according to the number of people."

Ji You glanced around at the places where the refugees had gathered: "By village as a unit, call all the women, the elderly and children to come and receive it. Each person will receive two portions according to the number of people. Men will not receive any. If anyone who comes is beaten or injured, the entire village will receive half of the portions."

Peng Dongyang pondered for a long time, then turned around thoughtfully to give the order.

Seeing this, Ji You stopped him: "Remember, my grain is not given away for free. If you eat my grain today, you will have to go to my Fengzhou to work and pay off your debt after winter."

"clear."

"Thank you for your help, Lord Peng."

Peng Dongyang bowed deeply, then got up and left to give orders to his subordinates.

Subsequently, the first batch of grain was unloaded, prepared according to the number of people, and began to be distributed downwards according to the procedures established by Ji You.

For several days in a row, the elderly, women, children and children came to collect the food and took it back to the refuge where their villages were located.

On the first day, many women had injuries, but as time went on, their injuries gradually lessened, and no new injuries were inflicted.

There were also some children who had been rescued much earlier. Even after the Wulu Trading Company distributed all the stored food, they were still pale with hunger, but now they were finally getting better.

However, after the food shortage problem was temporarily resolved with the arrival of the first batch of food, another problem became urgent.

That is, as the number of refugees increased, all the places under the city walls and in the valleys were filled.

It should be noted that it is still the dead of winter, and the cold wind alone is enough to kill a person. Allowing refugees to gather in this open-air place is not a long-term solution.

After all, winter is long, lasting for months, and no one can endure that long under such circumstances. Ji You has been pondering whether to kill a few immortal manors to alleviate this immediate crisis, but then he thinks that if he really goes that far, even with his boundless fighting power, he probably won't be able to withstand it.

He won't be the only one to suffer; the Directorate of Immortals and these refugees will likely also be doomed.

However, at this troublesome moment, Kuang Cheng led him to a courtyard.

The courtyard was vast, with numerous houses, but it was completely deserted.

"This courtyard is an abandoned residence of a prominent family from the south. People only come here in spring and autumn to appreciate the changing seasons. It is currently uninhabited."

"There are such great places?"

Then Kuang Cheng and he rode in a carriage to the west of the city, and as before, they pushed open the door to a courtyard.

This courtyard was used by one of the prominent families for outings and relaxation, but it was uninhabited at the moment.

After Ji You finished looking at them, she looked at Kuang Cheng with a strange expression: "How do you know about these courtyards?"

“It was Rui’er who sent me a letter yesterday, telling me the location of these courtyards and asking me to come and see if they were suitable for taking refuge.”

"Did Miss Rui'er also get involved in this?"

Kuang Cheng nodded: "Although Rui'er did not come here with us, she has been helping out at the Sixianjian these past few days, calculating the required food and counting the number of disaster victims."

Ji You looked at the courtyard and said, "Behind the red gates, meat and wine go to waste, while on the road, frozen corpses lie."

"Brother Ji, what do you think about settling the disaster victims here?"

"How could immortals allow mortals to live in their courtyards? But this is the only way now. If any trouble arises, we can ask the Heavenly Academy for help."

The refugees were then moved into these vacant gardens, but Ji You did not leave them idle.

Instead, they were instructed to use this time to build temporary shelters in their original valleys and near the city walls to house the refugees who would later enter the city.

Moreover, giving these refugees something to do can prevent them from overthinking and causing chaos.

However, it was only after these people moved in that Ji You realized something: where did Kuang Cheng get the key?

He asked Kuang Cheng, who said it was borrowed by Wei Rui and that there was no need to worry about these powerful families settling scores later.

Wei Rui was merely the granddaughter of the Prime Minister of the Great Xia Dynasty, so Ji You was quite surprised that she had such great influence.

After the houses were built, more refugees were rescued and brought into the city. Ji You went to see them a few times, mainly to see the children.

Then he discovered that the Director of the Immortals was feeding them a kind of crimson pill, each about the size of a fingernail.

"what is this?"

"The Cold-Dispelling Pill can remove cold toxins and warm the body after taking it."

Ji You watched as the child swallowed the pill, observed for a while, and then asked, "Does this pill have any side effects?"

The inspector of the Imperial Observatory immediately replied, "In response to your question, young master, there are no side effects."

"Medicines from the Pill Sect?"

"Yes."

The only sect in the world capable of refining pills without side effects is the Pill Sect. After hearing this, Ji You picked up a pill and examined it for a long time: "Where did this pill come from?"

The inspector pointed to a figure not far away: "It was sent by someone contacted by Lord Kuang. It is said to be the work of Miss Wei, the daughter of the Prime Minister's family."

Upon hearing this, Ji You couldn't help but look up at Kuang Cheng.

The pills of the Dan Sect have never been sold to outsiders, let alone to mortal women.

Moreover, after news spread that he hadn't broken through to the next realm in the Holy Land of the Sages, the Pill Sect's attitude towards him changed, and they were unlikely to send him pills out of consideration for him.

As for Yuan Caiwei, she might want to do it, but at this time, it is the time for the Pill Sect to deliver pills to the Immortal Sect, and the Pill Sect will not allow her to waste her time on this kind of cold-dispelling pill.

Ji You seemed to be deep in thought, then patted the child's head in front of her, stood up and looked around.

Not far away, some cultivators with decent cultivation levels were watching him in the wind and snow.

The supply of spirit stones had been cut off a few days ago. Several powerful families in the Nine Provinces set off for Shengjing, while several large clans in the surrounding areas sent people to keep an eye on him, planning to take action as soon as there was a result.

In addition, people from several nearby sage estates were also watching, waiting for this farce to end.

This increasingly tense atmosphere, with its ever-approaching chill, naturally creates a sense of unease.

The staff of the Immortal Supervisory Office have been quite anxious these past few days, because they themselves know in their hearts that the impact of the interruption of the spirit stone supply is too great.

When Ji You made this decision, everyone in the Imperial Observatory advised him to think it over.

However, Ji You said he had his own plans, and then issued an order to Fengzhou, saying that if anyone came to ask, they should put all the blame on him.

He also said that he was a disciple of the Heavenly Academy and was not under the control of any aristocratic family; only the Heavenly Academy could give him orders to govern him.

As expected, the powerful families went to Shengjing to demand an explanation.

The problem is that he has always been a loner in the Heavenly Academy and has never thought of making friends. It is said that he even declined several invitations from He Xianzi, a disciple of the Zizai Hall. So how could anyone in the Heavenly Academy speak up for him?

Amidst the anxiety and unease, disaster relief efforts continue.

During this period, some cultivators who came to monitor him even followed him closely, but they could not see any change in Ji You's expression. Instead, the people in the Immortal Supervisory Bureau were quite uneasy.

Not long after news of more than a dozen aristocratic families gathering in Shengjing and heading to Mount Ni spread, several aristocratic families not far from here suddenly made a move.

They hired several horse-drawn carriages, loaded with rice and utensils, and set off on the official road to the north, disappearing into the distance amidst a series of bumps and jolting.

At that very moment, the people who had been following Ji You withdrew overnight.

"Why are you all gone?"

"They said they would go to the North to retrieve it themselves..."

(End of this chapter)