Chapter 282: Proceeding to the Northern Frontier to Seek It Themselves

Beneath the blizzard, relief efforts continued.

Led by inspectors from the Imperial Spirit Surveillance, local militia and government office runners swiftly joined, first relocating all civilians near the town into the city.

After completing this, they began searching for those trapped in the mountains and wilds.

These civilians usually lived in remote areas, clustered in villages—some dozens strong, others just a few households—unable to reach the city and unlikely to survive long in the snow.

At first, these searches were extremely difficult.

The snow-covered land was a blinding white expanse; the naked eye could not locate targets accurately.

The Imperial Spirit Surveillance's body cultivators fared better, but many of their inspectors had low cultivation bases, and numerous suffered from snow blindness after prolonged searches.

Some local officials with no cultivation at all were themselves trapped during the searches.

Local clans and immortal villas watched indifferently, offering no aid.

To them, such efforts wasted their cultivation time.

Yet on a certain day afterward, this situation abruptly changed.

Rescue teams' efficiency soared; countless refugees were saved and flooded into the city, causing deep frowns among the clans and immortal villas.

Though each city had its own magistrate, most were dominated by powerful families; such a surge of refugees naturally disrupted their quiet cultivation.

Many clans and immortal villas wondered why these rescue teams suddenly seemed to possess divine sight, always locating large groups of refugees.

Until one day, someone retrieved a letter from the government office.

The letters contained simple drawings: forests, hills, villages as reference points, with arrows pointing to locations.

"What is this?"

"Sent by the Imperial Spirit Surveillance. Rescue teams followed these maps and found refugees trapped at every marked spot."

"Who found these locations?"

"According to them, an immortal used spiritual sense to locate them."

"Spiritual sense scanning mountains? What nonsense…"

Upon hearing this, all cultivators paled, lips twisting in disbelief.

For while commoners might not know, they understood: using spiritual sense to scan entire mountains required immense cultivation.

Meanwhile, Ji You sat pale-lipped atop a collapsed wall crushed by snow, golden hues still staining his eyes.

He had slept, yet still felt hollowed out, drained.

He thought if the junior overseer of Lingjian Mountain saw him now, he'd dare crawl naked into his lap.

Before him, not far off, Kuangcheng led Imperial Spirit Surveillance members and a contingent of Liushou government office runners, arranging the newly rescued refugees.

Many children, their limbs blue from cold, huddled before charcoal fires, clutching millet porridge and shivering, their faces long unchanged.

Some severe cases bore frostbite; physicians with medicine chests applied ointments as they were carried.

Ji You watched this scene in the snowstorm silently, then suddenly felt a gaze upon him.

He turned; Kuangcheng, arranging new arrivals nearby, straightened and waved at him.

Since encountering the frozen girl on the road two days prior, Master Kuang had noticed Ji's pallor, a faint black mist lingering between his brows.

But after entering the city and seeing so many saved, he noticed Ji's expression gradually soften.

Ji had saved many—but Master Kuang also felt Ji was saving himself.

At that moment, Peng Dongyang arrived holding a letter: "Master Kuang, the first batch of relief grain from Fengzhou has arrived. Send someone to distribute it."

"Should we ask Ji first?"

Peng Dongyang paused: "The grain is from Fengzhou—yes, that makes sense."

The three walked toward the collapsed wall, facing the weary Ji You: "Young Master Ji collapsed suddenly in the mountains—old man was terrified. How are you now?"

Ji You opened his dry lips: "Spiritual sense overexerted. But my body is strong; after sleeping, I've recovered much."

"The first batch of Fengzhou relief grain has arrived. We came to ask whether to distribute it now."

"How do you plan to distribute it?"

Peng Dongyang glanced back: "Most refugees in the city are grouped by village. I propose distributing by village, according to headcount."

Ji You scanned the refugee clusters: "Distribute by village. Only women, elders, and children may collect. Two rations per person. Men get none. If any collector bears signs of abuse, the entire village's ration is halved."

Peng Dongyang pondered long, then turned to issue orders.

Ji You called him back: "Remember—my grain isn't free. Those who eat it today must work off the debt in Fengzhou after winter."

"Understood."

"Thank you, Master Peng."

Peng Dongyang bowed deeply, then rose and departed to relay the orders.

The first grain shipments were unloaded, pre-sorted by headcount, and distributed according to Ji You's plan.

For several days, only the elderly, women, and children came to collect, carrying grain back to their village's refuge sites.

On the first day, many women bore injuries; over time, these faded, and no new ones appeared.

Some children rescued early, even after Youlü Trading House exhausted its reserves, had been pale with hunger—but now their condition improved.

Yet after the first grain delivery briefly eased the shortage, another urgent problem loomed.

With refugee numbers rising, every space beneath the walls and in the granary yards was filled.

Remember, it was still freezing; the wind alone could kill. Leaving refugees exposed outdoors was no long-term solution.

Winter would last months; no one could endure it that long.