Chapter 5

Compared to wild beasts, Jing Da also felt that living people were much more frightening. He had witnessed those rotten people secretly killing others in the middle of the night and stealing their belongings more than once. Besides, their family now had the Fox Immortal's blessing and possessed more belongings than before. It was inevitable that others would become interested in what they had. After confirming that they wouldn't travel with the main group, Jing Laotou pointed toward two possible directions, looking rather hesitant. Ning Tian Prefecture had first suffered a locust plague and then a severe drought. The disasters had continued for nearly a year, leaving people with practically no way to survive. If they wanted to stay alive, they could only head toward either Kaitai Prefecture or Yanghua Prefecture. Perhaps they could find a way to survive in one of those places. “Little Yin, which direction do you think would be better?” Grandma Jing tentatively asked Jing Yin. Jing Da also turned to look at her. Ever since the incident with the Fox Immortal, it seemed that the entire family had begun relying on Jing Yin as their main decision-maker. Jing Yin gently stroked Tangyuan in her arms. After hesitating for a moment, she said, “Tangyuan says going to Yanghua Prefecture would be better.” Kaitai Prefecture was the closest to Ning Tian Prefecture, so many refugees had already flocked there. Moreover, countless others were still on their way, with Kaitai Prefecture as their destination. It wouldn't be long before Kaitai Prefecture became overwhelmed and could no longer accept refugees. The refugees had neither food nor water. The longer they remained hungry, the greater their resentment would become. Once a riot broke out, the first ones to suffer would undoubtedly be the refugees themselves. By then, the authorities would certainly send soldiers to suppress the unrest, and the casualties would undoubtedly be enormous. Even though these were only her speculations, it was better to avoid such risks whenever possible. Although Yanghua Prefecture was a little farther away, it was considerably more prosperous than Kaitai Prefecture. There were also fewer refugees there, making it relatively safer. The only thing they really needed to worry about was food. As for bandits and wild beasts, the chances of encountering them shouldn't be too high. And even if they did run into any, she had ways of dealing with them. “Good! We'll listen to Yin and head to Yanghua Prefecture!” After deciding on their general direction, the entire family immediately set off. Jing Yin checked all the supplies the family had. They only had three large bamboo baskets. Aside from pots, bowls, utensils, clothes, and bedding, there wasn't a single bit of food. They had also been forced to abandon quite a few belongings along the refugee route for various reasons. The only food they had was what Jing Yin had taken out, and their remaining water supply was also running low. Grandma Jing had carefully hidden the remaining dried meat and elm leaves, making sure no one else could see them. Although they weren't traveling with the main group, they occasionally encountered other refugees heading in roughly the same direction. However, the Jing family wasn't particularly small, and they hadn't revealed anything conspicuous. Therefore, no one paid much attention to them. ... The weather was unbearably hot. On top of that, the original owner's body was already weak. Jing Yin hadn't even walked for an hour before her mouth became dry and her legs felt as heavy as lead. “Little Yin, have some water and take a rest.” The entire family collapsed behind a small slope, where they managed to find a little shade. Grandma Jing handed Jing Yin the half-empty water bag. As for herself, she merely licked her cracked lips and didn't touch the water. Water sources were extremely scarce. So far, Jing Yin hadn't seen a single place where they could replenish their supply. Looking at the others, she noticed that their lips were also cracked and pale. Clearly, they were all terribly thirsty. Jing Yin first took a gulp of water before handing the water bag to Grandma Jing. “Grandma, all of you should drink some too.” “Grandma isn't thirsty...” Grandma Jing was just about to refuse when she noticed Jing Yin staring directly at her. “Grandma, if you don't drink while there's still water, are you planning to drink urine when there's none left?” Grandma Jing: “...” (／_＼) Her precious Little Yin didn't love her anymore... “A young lady shouldn't go around talking about shit and piss all day long. It makes you sound like—” Grandma Jing began her usual lecture, but when she glanced at the Fox Immortal in Jing Yin's arms, the rest of her words abruptly died in her throat. She hurriedly took a gulp of water to soothe her wounded heart. Everyone took turns drinking some water. When it was Jing Erdan's turn, Grandma Jing glared fiercely at him. Under her glare, Jing Erdan's face immediately turned pale. He didn't even dare drink the water, freezing in place without moving an inch. “Grandma, do you dislike Erdan so much because you think he's a jinx?” Jing Yin took the water bag and brought it to Erdan's mouth. However, Erdan still didn't dare move. He looked fearfully toward Grandma Jing. Grandma Jing snorted. “Isn't he a jinx? Ever since he was born, this family hasn't had a single peaceful day!” “Grandma, I don't think Erdan is a jinx. Look, he's already six years old, and not a single person in our family has died.” Grandma Jing: “...”!!! Σ(ﾟ∀ﾟﾉ)ﾉ Her well-behaved granddaughter might not be as muddleheaded as before, but somehow, she was even worse now! Just listen to the things coming out of her mouth! When Grandma Jing glanced over and saw that Erdan was still frozen in place, she immediately became angry again. “What? Do you expect your mother to personally pour it into your mouth? If you won't drink, then get lost!” Only after Grandma Jing gave that order did Erdan finally dare to move. “Grandma, Tangyuan and I are going to look around nearby.” Jing Yin mainly wanted to test her golden finger again. Aside from the check-in function, the other abilities of her golden finger seemed to be triggered by random missions. “Let your older brother go with you.” Grandma Jing wasn't comfortable letting Jing Yin wander around alone. The world was far too dangerous these days. “There's no need, Grandma. I'll just look around nearby. I'll be back soon.” “Fine. If anything happens, remember to shout as loudly as you can.” Grandma Jing was convinced that the Fox Immortal must once again be guiding her precious Little Yin. At this point, Grandma Jing had become a completely devoted believer in the Fox Immortal, trusting Jing Yin without question. ... The once-vibrant fields were now completely barren. Even weeds, which were known for their extraordinary ability to survive, were difficult to find. Jing Yin walked around, touching one thing and then another, but the system's voice never sounded. She eventually gave up and secretly took two bamboo tubes of water out of her space. Just as she was preparing to head back, she suddenly stepped on something. [Ding! A pearl has been discovered! Hurry and turn it into a beautiful piece of jewelry! Host, would you like to accept the crafting mission?] Jing Yin: “...” She had misunderstood the system earlier. This definitely wasn't some kind of carpenter-training system. It was obviously a master handicraft training system! Jing Yin used her foot to brush away some dirt and discovered a freshwater mussel. This place had originally been a small irrigation ditch used to water the fields, so it wasn't surprising that there were mussels here. The mussel had long since died. Only a single pearl remained inside its shell. It was about the size of her little finger, although its quality wasn't particularly good. Jing Yin silently accepted the mission. [Ding! A crafting mission has been issued. Successfully completing the mission will reward the host with 2 points.] Jing Yin: “...”? What about the reward for failing? Why wasn't it mentioned? She dug the pearl out of the ground and casually picked up two stones from nearby. Smack! Smack! The once-intact pearl was immediately crushed into tiny fragments. Points? What she wanted more right now was food. She needed to secure her survival first before worrying about anything else. System: “...” @#6%&￥ BEEP—— After a burst of electrical static, the system's voice became particularly cold and emotionless. [Ding! The host has failed the mission. You will not receive the points reward.] [Ding! The host has received a consolation reward: 2 jin of pearl rice. Please keep up the good work!] For some reason, Jing Yin actually detected a hint of gritted teeth in those final four words. ?? Had she done something wrong? But she had crushed a pearl. Why had the reward turned into pearl rice? What exactly did pearls and pearl rice have to do with each other?