Shiyue went straight into the inner room and collapsed onto the bed, not even wanting to move a finger. Xu Ji saw his beloved disciple return and quickly came over to take a look. As soon as he saw Shiyue's condition, he stepped back to his original position. He knew there wouldn't be any good news approaching.

"Quick, go check on your junior brother, see if he's sick," Xu Ji said, noticing Hu Li behind him and pushing him into the room.

Hu Li grabbed a wet towel and haphazardly wiped Shiyue's face. Shiyue lay there without any spirit. He sighed, "Senior brother, you're really consistent after all these years. You know your junior brother is tough, so you don't even bother with hot water. Are you trying to polish wood with this much force? Hmph..."

Shiyue kept babbling, irritating Hu Li to the point where he almost wanted to stuff the towel into Shiyue's mouth. "Even wood has been rubbed raw by me long ago. Your skin is thicker than city walls. You're probably fine."

"Senior brother, your sense of humor is still the same," Shiyue chuckled dryly, his gaze lingering on Hu Li's face for a moment.

"Yeah, I've been eating more salt than you for two years," Hu Li retorted.

"Yeah, the older one takes care of the younger one, it's only natural," Shiyue replied, his thick skin even thicker than Xu Ji's. This was probably what they meant by "the student surpasses the master".

Shiyue extended his arm in front of Hu Li's eyes. Hu Li glanced at him, asking, "What are you doing?"

"Senior brother, my legs are weak, my head hurts, and I can't see clearly," Shiyue hastily fabricated, before burying his face in the blanket to avoid another scolding from Hu Li.

Hu Li threw the towel on Shiyue's back and left the room.

Shiyue remained lying there, unperturbed.

He silently counted to ten in his mind, and sure enough, Hu Li came back into the room, aggressively changing his clothes. Shiyue stretched his arms and legs lazily.

Shiyue blinked and said, "In two days, a group of people from the capital will pass through Yanran City. I wonder what's going on in Yanran City."

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"I saw the Imperial Guards in the street the other day," Hu Li said.

Upon hearing this, Shiyue quickly sat up from the bed, slightly surprised. "The Imperial Guards are in Yanran City?"

"What's happening in the capital?" Hu Li knew something, but still followed Shiyue's lead.

"It's all because of the flooding of the Qia River," Shiyue said as he lay back down. "After the start of summer this year, there was heavy rain, causing the Qia River to flood again. The Emperor allocated funds to send people to control it, and it seemed to be working at first, but then it burst again after a few days of heavy rain. The fields near Yizhou, relying on the Qia River, were all flooded."

"Yizhou is the granary of the country, the loss is not small."

"That's right. So the Emperor was furious. Over two thousand officials were involved in controlling the Qia River this time, and most of them were implicated. The more serious ones were sent to prison, and the lighter ones were exiled to Yiling. If they're going to Yiling, they'll have to pass through Yanran City."

"You..." Hu Li was slightly stunned, about to say something, but was interrupted by Shiyue.

"My parents are also on the list of exiles."

At this point, Hu Li understood. "The Emperor must have other intentions this time. The Imperial Guards are already stationed in Yanran City."

Shiyue nodded and suddenly remembered something. "A few days ago in the capital, I heard some other news about Yanran City, not far from our sect, about that Blissful Temple where they ring the bell all day long. It's said to be miraculous, with a gold Buddha enshrined inside. Several decades ago, three highly respected monks in the temple prayed for forty-nine days and then achieved enlightenment, relieving a disaster for the Ming Dynasty."

"The Emperor sending the Imperial Guards this time must not only be about the exile of officials. He probably has some other intentions, like seeking good weather from the Blissful Temple."

Hu Li wasn't interested in these things. Finally, after taking care of the young master from top to bottom, he let go with both hands, and Shiyue's arms fell onto the bed. Hu Li stood up straight and looked down at Shiyue.

"My father probably sensed something was wrong early on and had Liang Mu intercept me halfway. Liang Mu rushed back to Yanran City with me. We just rushed for a day, and news came from the capital that the list of exiled officials was out. The officials were sent out of the capital that night."

Overnight, the young man was forced to grow up, pulled like a drawn tree, stumbling as he tried to shelter himself from the wind and rain.

Shiyue pursed his lips before continuing, "At least I'm still alive now. I need to figure out a way to send some silver to my father, take care of everything, and plan for the future."

The rain stopped at night.

Yanran City was still filled with sand and stones.

The barren plains showed no signs of greenery.

The team escorting the criminals had overworked ten or more horses to death. Just entering the border area, whether they were criminals or guards, they all relied on their own two legs.

This time, the Emperor was ruthless. In the past, officials exiled could bribe their way into a comfortable life in a remote area. But with over a thousand officials implicated this time, the Emperor was determined to send each and every one of them to Yiling. Even if they died, their bodies had to be dragged to Yiling.

The team walked with a shuffling gait, the clanking of shackles on their feet and hands making a piercing sound with every movement.

"Hurry up, you officials who have been feasting on delicacies all day long, can't even walk this little road," the small official escorting the criminals sneered, enjoying the taste of stepping on the imperial officials under his feet.

Shiyu walked to the front of the team, followed by Mrs. Shi and his two daughters.

Shiyu was somewhat familiar with Yanran City. He often heard about this border town in his youngest son's letters. Shiyu had forgotten his current situation and was somewhat looking forward to it.

"Little brother, how long until we reach Yanran?" Shiyu asked.

The small official leading the team turned his head to look at Shiyu, carefully considering before whispering, "Sir Shi, we'll definitely arrive before sunset."

Shiyu glanced at the small official again, feeling doubtful.

The man just shook his head slightly and turned away, saying nothing more.