The autumn wind grew colder with each passing day.  

After the prefectural examination concluded, it was time for the academy examination.  

Li Ping'an maintained a strict routine between his school and home, focusing intently on his preparations.  

One evening after dinner,  

Li Pingcan shared the intelligence he had gathered with Li Rongzhou.  

"You hired a refugee? Don't they know I'm a Bone Realm martial artist?"  

Li Rongzhou found it amusing after his initial surprise. Having been a refugee himself, he knew some skilled fighters could emerge from such desperate circumstances. But a refugee bribed with just ten steamed buns was clearly just another destitute wretch.  

Village rumors truly never lied.  

"Ten steamed buns?"  

Li Ping'an was furious. He, a brilliant Literary Star destined for greatness, was only worth ten lousy buns!?  

The local gangs had absolutely no manners!  

Li Pingcan, however, noticed something unusual. It was post-harvest season - where had these refugees come from?  

This particular refugee was strong and traveled alone, likely among the first to reach Peach Blossom Mountain.  

The Great Yu Dynasty maintained firm control over its territories with no signs of war. The last refugee crisis had been during the "Celestial Calamity."  

Could something unexpected be happening?  

When Li Pingcan voiced his concerns, Li Rongzhou pondered and said, "We should investigate. If disaster looms, we must prepare."  

"Father, let me accompany you to escort Second Brother to his exam," Li Pingfu clenched his fists. "Whatever happens, we'll face it together - father and sons standing united!"  

......  

The oxcart bound for the academy examination stopped at Flat Peach Town.  

While Li Ping'an purchased fodder and steaming meat buns before heading to an ink shop in the alleys,  

shuffling footsteps echoed from the shadows where sunlight couldn't reach.  

A beggar followed nervously, clutching a stone - raising it hesitantly before lowering it again.  

"Friend." A calloused hand seized the man's wrist like an iron clamp. Li Rongzhou demanded, "Why are you following my son?"  

The man panicked, trying to flee but couldn't break free.  

Just as despair set in, a warm meat bun was offered. "Freshly steamed. Eat."  

Hunger - such unbearable hunger.  

The man swallowed hard, tears welling as he devoured the bun gratefully.  

Li Rongzhou waited patiently.  

Having been a refugee himself, he understood starvation's agony.  

Only after the meal did he ask, "Who sent you?"  

The man shook his head blankly. "Don't know."  

"Do you know whose legs you were supposed to break?"  

"Don't know," came the quicker reply.  

How could such an ignorant man be an enforcer? Utterly unprofessional.  

Yet he seemed honest and cooperative. His prolonged hesitation suggested not a vicious thug, but a desperate soul pushed to extremes.  

Li Rongzhou pressed further: "Where are you from? How became a refugee? What happened?"  

Ordinary questions, yet -  

The man suddenly clutched his head, curling into himself with hoarse screams, eyes wide with terror at some horrific memory.  

Exchanging grave looks with his sons, Li Rongzhou understood -  

Something terrible had indeed occurred.  

......  

Li Pingcan unsealed the small bamboo tube attached to Little Black's leg, extracting a soft yellow paper covered in dense handwriting - his second brother's account.  

The refugee, Zhou Yu, was originally an herb farmer from Phoenix County.  

His life shattered when nearby rivers turned black overnight, corrupting living creatures into mindless zombies that attacked the living.  

Zhou Yu had been away selling herbs during the initial outbreak. Upon looking back after fleeing, he witnessed Phoenix County engulfed by a monstrous black tree's roots, forming a nightmarish burial sphere.  

Terrified, he ran instinctively until reaching Peach Blossom Mountain.  

Finishing the letter, Li Pingcan inhaled sharply.  

Phoenix County's disaster resembled either a demonic outbreak or some sinister cult ritual!  

Like the Celestial Calamity, ordinary folk stood no chance against such horrors.  

"Fortunately, Phoenix County lies thousands of miles away. The celestial officials should contain this before it spreads."  

Li Pingcan trusted the officials' efficiency when the dynasty's interests were threatened.  

His immediate concern was the local impact.  

"If this is a demonic outbreak, Zhou Yu's account shows clear early warning signs."  

Blackened waters, zombified animals... As a Druid, Li Pingcan could detect such unnatural corruption early enough to evacuate his family if needed.  

The real danger now was people.  

With Phoenix County gone, panic would send refugees flooding into neighboring regions - desperate, starving masses capable of anything.  

"First step: stockpile grain."  

While Li Rongzhou and Li Ping'an continued to the examination, Li Pingfu returned home with Zhou Yu in tow - the household needed protection during uncertain times.  

"Brother, why bring him to our village?" Li Pingcan eyed Zhou Yu warily.  

"He has nowhere else," Li Pingfu explained quietly. "Offered to farm medicinal herbs for us in exchange for food and shelter."  

Herb cultivation was valuable knowledge.  

When Li Pingcan remained unconvinced, Zhou Yu desperately added, "I can grow fleeceflower root, wild ginseng..." Finally, through gritted teeth: "I... I possess a family heirloom - a spiritual herb seed!"  

A spiritual herb seed?  

Though intrigued, Li Pingcan insisted, "Then we draft a contract!"  

Not out of cruelty, but necessity - without mutual trust, he'd never normally accept a stranger, even one as harmless as Zhou Yu.