Immortality: Starting with a grave, I'm invincible when burying corpses.

"I'm not afraid of being laughed at by the important people. The stories told by the storyteller are not to be taken seriously. The situation on the front lines is probably not like that."

The small shop hired him as a storyteller, partly to deal with government scrutiny...

It's not that the shopkeeper is greedy for a little money, it's just that those petty officials are too fierce, and they can't take a punch..."

After chatting for a while, perhaps realizing that Mu An was really easy to talk to and not as unapproachable as he appeared, the shopkeeper found himself becoming more talkative.

When the shopkeeper first saw Mu An sitting by the window, he was genuinely startled.

With his aloof and independent demeanor, wearing a moon-white robe that gleamed with pearly luster, and a jade pendant with swirling clouds and mist, one could tell at a glance that this was an extraordinary person.

The shopkeeper had met the prefect of Wangliu City before, and his demeanor was worlds apart from that of this young master.

It's ironic that someone like this would end up in a small teahouse like theirs.

Fortunately, Mu An is very approachable and knows just how extravagant the gift Mu Ling'er gave him really is.

He was startled when he heard names like "White Cloud Golden Silk Shoes" and "Snow Moon Flowing Cloud Robe".

Later, Mu An learned that the entire set of clothes he was wearing was made from the finest materials from all over Daqi, costing 600,000 taels of silver.

To be honest, Mu An felt that he was not suited to such clothes, but Mu Ling'er insisted that he was now an immortal and should have the demeanor of one.

After all, it was a gift the little one had prepared for years, and Mu An had no intention of spoiling her mood, even if he really thought the clothes were outrageous.

He simply turned the clothes into a magic robe, engraving countless formations on it, making it a true celestial treasure.

Now, wearing this extremely flamboyant outfit, Mu An silently complained about Mu Ling'er in his heart and put the design of a mortal transformation formation on his agenda.

He also subtly adjusted the environment, causing the teahouse owner to instinctively lower his guard.

The two chatted for only seven or eight minutes before their conversation shifted from official matters to the sentiments of ordinary people.

Mu An listened quietly, occasionally asking a question, naturally guiding the conversation toward what he wanted to know.

"We don't know where you come from, young master, nor what kind of battle reports have reached you, but from what we know here, the situation at the front is probably not optimistic."

The shopkeeper lowered his voice and glanced around every now and then. Only when he was sure no one was looking at him did he continue.

"Take our Wangliu City for example. Starting in the autumn of the year before last, people have been leaving the town with their families every day. At first, it was fine, not many people left. In the past few years, we were still winning battles, so no one took it seriously."

Around last autumn, the winds in the city suddenly changed, and soldiers from the front lines began to return, supposedly to defend the city, but in reality, they were deserters.

Young master, think about it, under what circumstances would deserters return?

Anyone with half a brain could guess that the front lines had likely been defeated.

Later, some merchants returned from the front lines, each fleeing westward with their families. Although these merchants were greedy, they wouldn't cheat us. They subtly and overtly told everyone that the demon race was about to attack.

The government maintained its original narrative: the Holy Emperor was exceptionally wise, and the Great Qi army was unstoppable, achieving one great victory after another, routing the demon race.

They even hired storytellers and sent them to every teahouse to tell stories.

Some people believe these things, and some people don't.

Anyway, all those wealthy families have run away, and now all that's left in the city are ordinary people like us.

"What do you think the truth could be?"

The teahouse owner's tone was rather bitter; he wanted to complain but dared not, and only uttered these words, which were considered to be in accordance with proper etiquette.

Mu An took a sip of tea and didn't press the matter of the demon race further.

The tea is on the strong side, slightly bitter, a bit stronger than regular black tea, but much weaker than dark tea.

Mu An took two sips and put down the cup. Although it was fresh, he didn't like strong tea.

The fish from these two rivers are quite delicious, and there are also some local snacks that I can't name that are quite unique.

There was no such thing as not speaking while eating; Mu An asked questions casually while eating her food.

"Since the shopkeeper is so well-informed, why didn't he take his family with him when he left?"

A seemingly casual remark caused the shopkeeper's expression to change. He sighed several times, looked up at Mu An's clothes, and finally lowered his head imperceptibly.

"I grew up in Wangliu City since I was a child. My whole family has settled here and worked hard to make a living for most of our lives. Where can we escape to?"

"Do you have any relatives or friends in other regions? If so, you might be able to seek refuge with them."

"Yes, they exist, but they live too far away. They haven't been in contact for generations, so how can we rely on them?"

"Is that so..."

Seeing Mu An's sigh, the shopkeeper laughed instead. He went to the back room with a smile and brought back a pot of wine.

"Young master doesn't seem to like tea very much. Would you like to try our local wines?"

"That's great, that's exactly what I like." Mu An smiled back, but looked out the window as the innkeeper poured the wine.

In just a short while, the shopkeeper had adjusted his mood and returned to his kind and enthusiastic self, even starting to analyze the situation quite seriously.

"Actually, staying in the city is quite good. You can open a small shop, have food and clothing, and your whole family can stay together and live a peaceful life. This kind of life is much better than most people's."

"The shopkeeper is quite optimistic." Mu An didn't turn his head; his gaze remained fixed on the view outside the window. He simply responded in accordance with the shopkeeper's words.

"I'm not afraid of being laughed at, young master, but I am afraid too."

"Afraid?" This time, Mu An turned her gaze away from the window and looked at the shopkeeper with curiosity.

The shopkeeper scratched the back of his head, looking somewhat ashamed.

"I have so many fears! I'm afraid the demons will attack, I'm afraid the government will seize the teahouse, I'm afraid those gangsters will rob me, and I'm even more afraid that after finally making up my mind to flee with my family, I'll end up losing everything and dying on the way."

Inside the city, at least people follow the rules, but outside the city, it's a different story. There are bandits and brigands everywhere, and you might get robbed of your property or lose your life on the way.

I don't know if the news is true or false, but I heard from others that the Great Qi is in chaos now, with rebellions in many places and people everywhere struggling to survive.

Think about it carefully. If the locals can't survive and are forced to leave their homes, how can we, as helpless outsiders, possibly survive even if we manage to escape?"

As he spoke, the shopkeeper let out a long sigh, "It's tough, everyone's suffering, who isn't..."

Mu An picked up her chopsticks, took a bite of the stew, and nodded after eating two bites.

"It's quite chaotic; there are people struggling to survive everywhere. As for bandits and brigands, their background is hard to say—government officials, gangs, refugees, villagers… it's hard to say, really hard to say…"