Wandering Gods of Day and Night

Among their conversation,

Lady Hong Guan's emotions had gradually calmed down, and an overwhelming aura began to radiate from her body.

"Using the red coffin of my childhood, I'll announce to the Time Realm."

Lady Hong Guan mimicked the motion of grasping air before abruptly releasing it. Zhou Xuan then saw, in the heavenly dome above them, a cascade of river water.

The waters carried a small red coffin. From within the coffin, came the heart-wrenching cries of a young girl.

That young girl was Lady Hong Guan in her childhood.

The red coffin dissolved into specks of light, and the prophecies of the eight incense disciples resounded within Lady Hong Guan's heart, echoing throughout the Time Realm.

"Eight incense sticks… I've broken past the boundary of eight incense sticks!" Lady Hong Guan couldn't contain her excitement and shouted aloud.

Off to the side, Zhou Xuan grinned. To him, Lady Hong Guan appeared endearing; despite her tragic past, the pure-hearted spirit within her was not buried.

The painter cupped his fists toward Lady Hong Guan and said, "Congratulations, Guan Niang, for transcending into the demigod realm of the human world."

Zhou Xuan suddenly felt that demigods in Jing Country were quite numerous. Since the appearance of the Kongming Mirror, Mingjiang Prefecture alone had gained three new demigods.

"The Kongming Mirror truly proves its worth. No wonder those cunning men in black adamantly opposed its dissemination within Jing Country."

Finally regaining composure, Lady Hong Guan spoke in a more subdued tone.

The car continued to drive, and as they passed by the government office, Zhou Xuan caught sight of its massive courtyard—stacked with countless bodies.

There was no need to ask; these corpses were the unfortunate souls lost to the Mingjiang floods.

"Stop the car."

Zhou Xuan instructed the driver to halt, then got out to walk toward the government office's courtyard. The painter and Lady Hong Guan followed suit.

As he gazed upon the sea of bodies, Zhou Xuan, witnessing such a scene for the first time, felt an immense weight settle across his heart.

He sighed heavily, moving among the corpses. When he came across bodies whose eyes remained open, he delicately closed their eyelids.

At that moment,

The faint remnants of Dragon Qi lingering on the corpses moved on their own accord, without the need for Zhou Xuan's perceptive threads to engage them, flowing directly into Zhou Xuan's Secret Realm.

Several fragments of Dragon Scales materialized within the realm, anchoring themselves to the incense of Zhou Xuan's Dragon Seeking techniques.

It seemed this Dragon Qi was a manifestation of gratitude from the deceased civilians for Zhou Xuan's concern.

The unexpected assimilation of Dragon Qi deepened Zhou Xuan's sorrow, prompting him to instinctively chant the soul summoning words of the Zhou Family's Troupe, offering prayers for the departed.

Lady Hong Guan and the painter, touched by Zhou Xuan's actions, began to replicate his gestures, closing the eyes of the corpses that had not yet found rest.

By the time they had finished, two hours had quietly passed.

Only then did Zhou Xuan turn to ask the painter, "Old Hua, how many people died in Mingjiang Prefecture this time?"

"Close to twenty thousand. Mingxi District suffered devastating losses, though fortunately the flooding didn't reach Mingdong District. If it had, given Mingdong's population density, the death toll could have been several times higher."

The painter finished speaking, took off his hat, and bowed deeply toward the corpses.

"More than twenty thousand… there don't appear to be twenty thousand bodies here," Zhou Xuan remarked.

"This is just a portion. The rest have been placed at Hui Feng Medical College. Sigh, it's thanks to the efforts of hundreds of Bitter Ghost disciples and Lady Hong Guan that thousands of civilians were saved using the Water Escape Technique."

"Have arrangements been made for compensating the disaster victims?" Zhou Xuan asked in concern about the post-flood measures.

"It's already been decided. For households that lost family members, compensation has been set at eight thousand per deceased individual. If an entire family perished, their data will be recorded and their compensation redistributed among other affected families."

The painter's face reddened as he explained, "Eight thousand isn't much, but it's the best we could gather by pooling resources from every Tangkou, the wealthy families of Mingjiang Prefecture, and the government's coffers. Over the years, Mingjiang Prefecture's rapid development has left the treasury strained, with funds mostly allocated to various projects."

"The disaster relief fund looks adequate, but your Bone Elder Association will need to remain vigilant. Supervision from top to bottom is crucial; there are always opportunists looking to profit from such calamities. This hard-earned funding must not be allowed to line the pockets of those white-eyed wolves."

Zhou Xuan was well aware that, during large-scale disasters, there were always those who greedily gorged themselves like gluttonous locusts.

"Young Master, we share the same concern. We worry the collected funds won't reach the hands of the victims. This time, we've appointed witches to oversee the relief operations."

"Do witches have special traits for this kind of task?" Zhou Xuan inquired.

"Young Master, don't you know?" The painter was surprised. "Your sister is, after all, the first witch of the Old Hall—how could you be unaware of a witch's characteristics?"

"Oh, I seldom discuss incense matters with my sister."

"Witches practice the Way of Detachment, refining red threads known as Unfeeling Threads by severing their own emotions and desires. Therefore, witches are largely indifferent to worldly affairs. Apart from their dedication to incense, they tend to adopt a more aloof demeanor,

making them ideal for overseeing post-disaster relief efforts. Witches don't crave wealth or status, so their impartiality ensures the integrity of every operation."

As the saying goes: when the upper beam is straight, the lower beam won't warp. If the upper beam is steadfast, the lower beam cannot go astray.

Witches served as the upper beam during this flood relief.

"So that's the reason! No wonder my sister always behaves like a lazy cat."

Zhou Xuan recalled his sister's daily habits within the Zhou Family's Troupe; she would spend most of her time meditating and seemed utterly languid.

"I feel reassured now. Let's proceed accordingly—we must interrogate the timelines. The mistress lurking beyond the Time Realm has polluted Mingjiang Ancestor Dragon. If we don't investigate its anomalies promptly, we're bound to face more catastrophes."

After bowing three times toward the corpses, Zhou Xuan returned to the carriage and resumed his journey toward the City God Main Hall as planned.