Unsheathed

Chen Ping'an and his companions chose some suitable locations for the congee stalls and medicine shops in the prefectural city, quickly and methodically working through the necessary steps to bring everything to life. The prefectural overseer's office was familiar with these matters, and it also helped that the prefectural overseer was personally overseeing everything. As for the identity of the young man in azure cotton robes, the old prefectural overseer spoke in a vague and mysterious manner, not revealing it to anyone else. This caused them to respect and fear Chen Ping'an even more.

Three days later, Chen Ping'an asked Ma Duyi to secretly return the thirty-two snowflake coins to the rooms of the two vagrant cultivators.

Afterward, the three of them traveled to a congee stall near the city gates, stopping their horses far away before dismounting. Chen Ping'an asked an official immortal who had accompanied them to help look after the horses for a moment.

After arriving at the congee stall, Ma Duyi was unwilling to act as a beggar, while Zeng Ye felt like he didn't need to eat a bowl of rice congee that was as bland as water. Thus, Chen Ping'an went to patiently line up by himself, receiving a bowl of congee that could just barely be regarded as thick. He also received two steamed rolls, and he squatted down next to the path and started to eat.

He could hear the petty officials calling out from time to time, loudly telling the impoverished locals and arriving refugees the rules of the congee stalls. They couldn't be greedy, and each person could only receive one serving of congee and steamed rolls. They shouldn't eat too quickly either, or else they would get in trouble if they choked or became bloated.

Chen Ping'an looked at the snaking lines, and among them were quite a large number of local men who were healthy and well-dressed. There were even some people who brought their children along, with the children enjoying tanghulu as they waited in line.

There was a group of local men not far from Chen Ping'an, and none of them appeared weak or emaciated. As they ate the congee and steamed rolls, they complained that this food was even worse than pig feed.

Chen Ping'an silently ate his food, unfazed by what he saw and heard. This was because he knew that worldly matters were just like this. It was very difficult to appreciate and cherish what came for free. If one spent money to buy the same thing, however, they would perhaps feel like it tasted better, even if it were just rice congee and steamed rolls. At the very least, they wouldn't grumble and complain like the group of men.

Chen Ping'an returned the congee bowl before walking over to Ma Duyi and Zeng Ye and saying, "Let's go."

The three of them jumped on their horses and left the prefectural city.

Ma Duyi was very observant, and she noticed something off after frequenting the congee stalls and medicine shops with Zeng Ye over the past few days. After leaving the prefectural city, she finally couldn't hold back anymore, complaining, "Mr. Chen, at least thirty percent of the silver we gave them was pocketed by those sly officials in the prefectural overseer's office. At the very least! Even I managed to see through them so easily, so how did you not notice anything, Mr. Chen? Why didn't you scold that prefectural overseer?"