122: Chapter 122 Current Status: One Star

Flower City. On a newly cultivated field at the edge of the wilderness.

Shang Youjun gripped a hoe, standing in the middle of the field ridge.

His body was slightly hunched, shoulders pulled inward, as if he wanted to hide himself.

His knuckles turned white from gripping the hoe handle, but there was almost no dirt on the blade—he had been tilling the ground for the entire morning, yet his progress was not even a fraction of what others had achieved.

"The rest… I'll do it myself." He bit his lip and said in a low voice toward the direction beside him, "You have already helped me too much."

"Nonsense!" A crisp female voice immediately interrupted him,

"You, a blind—" The words abruptly cut off halfway, the tone taking a sharp turn, "You're just not convenient, after all!"

"Exactly! Ten acres of land, what a waste if left fallow!" another voice chimed in.

"Don't worry! There isn't much left, and we have plenty of strength!"

The ones speaking were the three concubines of Minister Wang Fugui.

Ever since the decree on land distribution was issued, the five members of the Wang family had been allocated fifty acres, and the three concubines had taken on the majority of the farm work.

They were hardworking people to begin with, and after eating spirit rice and Demonic Beast meat for over half a month, their Physique was far better than it had been before.

Third Concubine casually rolled up her sleeves, revealing a section of fair yet well-defined forearm, and shook it at the person beside her: "See that? It's sturdy!"

Shang Youjun's grip on the hoe handle slowly loosened, and he bowed deeply: "Thank you, three sisters."

The three women laughed simultaneously.

"Oh my, he called us sisters!"

"Just for that 'sister'—good little brother, you just rest on the side!"

"Right! If you're thirsty, just shout, and we'll pour you some water!"

...

Shang Youjun straightened up, his hollow eyes flickering slightly, and a faint, imperceptible smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Since coming to Flower City, every day had been almost exactly like this.

Someone helped him get food, someone guided him on the paths, and someone tilled the land for him.

No one drove him away as trash because he couldn't see, nor did anyone speak harshly to him because he couldn't fight.

He couldn't see light, but he could see color.

The colors on every person in Flower City were changing—becoming brighter, becoming warmer.

From the initial dusty gray of anxiety and unease to the current bright yellow, light orange, and even translucent gold.

That was the color of peace of mind, the light growing from the bottom of their hearts after having a home, having land, and having something to look forward to.

He had never seen so many warm colors in any other place.

But Shang Youjun also noticed some things that were different.

A very small number of people, very, very few, the colors on them not only didn't brighten, but were darkening bit by bit.

Sinking down from gray, some even faintly revealing black edges.

That was not the color of sadness, nor was it fear.

It was something else.

Shang Youjun gripped the hoe handle tightly and said nothing.

...

Blue Star. Jianghai City.

The roll-up door of the fruit shop was half-drawn, and a "Closed for Business" sign stood at the entrance.

Zhou Tianhao sat in front of a small square table in the back kitchen.

A bowl of porridge sat on the table.

Calling it porridge was a bit of a stretch—the water in the bowl was clear to the bottom, with only a sparse dozen or so grains of rice settled at the bottom, each one distinct.

But the whole bowl of porridge faintly shimmered with a very faint luster, and when brought closer, one could smell a crisp, clear fragrance, completely different from ordinary rice.

Zhou Tianhao brought the bowl under his nose, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

The fresh fragrance rushed straight to his brain through his nasal cavity, as if a very thin, very cool thread had burrowed into his limbs and bones, creating a tingling sensation.

He opened his eyes and began to drink the porridge.

It wasn't drinking, but sipping. He sipped it in tiny mouthfuls, letting each mouthful linger in his mouth for a moment before swallowing.

He chewed the dozen or so grains of rice one by one, chewing extremely slowly and carefully, as if afraid to waste even a hint of the flavor.

Finally, he licked the thin layer of rice paste at the bottom of the bowl clean with his tongue.

Setting down the bowl, Zhou Tianhao stretched his fingers.

He made a fist with his right hand, then released it.

He made a fist again, then released it again.

After repeating this four or five times, he suddenly stood up and struck out with his right fist from his waist—

A dark red light flashed across his fist and vanished, so fast it was almost impossible to see.

But Zhou Tianhao saw it clearly.

He looked down at his fist and nodded, neither excited nor disappointed, as if he had confirmed an experimental data point.

Then he took a palm-sized notebook from the corner of the table and flipped to the latest page.

It was densely recorded with various data, some crossed out, some circled, with dates marked next to them.

He picked up a pen and wrote neatly on the bottom line:

Every 300ml of water, 14 grains. Absorption rate is highest.

Current: One Star.

After writing, he closed the notebook, put the bowl and chopsticks into the sink to wash them clean, and turned them upside down on the draining rack.

He wiped his hands, walked to the shop entrance, and flipped the "Closed for Business" sign over.

The other side read "Open for Business".

The roll-up door rose, and sunlight poured in.

...

It was late at night.

In the study of the City Lord's mansion, only one lamp remained lit. Zhou Yun leaned against the back of his chair, gripping his phone, the light of the screen reflecting on his face.

He opened the chat box with Zhou Tianhao.

There were only four messages inside, in two sets, separated by three days.

The first set—

[Did you take your medicine tonight? Don't forget.]

[Take care of yourself.]

The second set—

[What about today?]

[Take care of yourself!]

The exact same question, the exact same answer.

Only the second time, there was an extra exclamation mark.

Zhou Yun's thumb moved to the input box and hovered there.

The cursor on the screen blinked on and off, waiting for him to type.

He stared at the cursor for a long time, his thumb twitched, then pulled back. After repeating this several times, he finally extinguished the screen in one breath and placed the phone face down on the table.

He stood up, blew out the lamp, and lay down.

He closed his eyes.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

An urgent knocking sound exploded in the corridor.

"City Lord! City Lord!"

It was Tieshan's voice, hurried and hoarse, as if he had run all the way here.

Zhou Yun rolled over and sat up, walking to the door in two or three steps to pull it open. Tieshan stood outside, covered in sweat, his heavy breathing yet to subside.

"What happened?"

"The White Tiger Clan!" Tieshan lowered his voice, but his eyes were startlingly bright, "Some citizens discovered the silhouette of the White Tiger Clan at the edge of the cultivated fields!"

Zhou Yun's pupils shrank slightly, and he had already started putting on his clothes: "Did anyone make contact?"

"No! I gave orders to only observe from a distance; absolutely no one is allowed to get close."

"Very good!" Zhou Yun tied his belt, pushed the door open, and went out, "Tell me while we walk."

The two strode through the corridors of the City Lord's mansion.

Tieshan explained as they walked; that night, some citizens were breaking new ground on the east side of the wilderness, and when their torches shone out, they caught a glimpse of a shadow in the distance—white fur, black stripes, they couldn't have mistaken it.

He came over the moment he received the news.

However, when Zhou Yun arrived at the edge of the wilderness, it was empty in the night, and there was nothing there.

"What's going on?" Zhou Yun looked around.

...