Meanwhile, in the upper realm, Fang Yuan rose from the cool river, water streaming off his body as he began to dress.

Having mastered the latest form of the Tyrant Light Sword: the Spatial Cut.

It was as if his control over the technique had reached a new height.

The Tyrant Light Sword martial technique had even advanced to Saint high-grade.

Once fully dressed, he set off toward the slums.

Except... it no longer felt like one.

The crooked alleys had been cleared, the filth pushed aside, and crude shelters had slowly taken on the shape of proper homes.

What once reeked of desperation now carried the faint rhythm of life. At a glance, instead of a worn down, smelly slum for the beggars, the place resembled a small, growing town.

Still, if he continued on with the slum as he already is now, it won’t be long until he finally run out of silver to spend.

It wasn’t as if his silver was infinite either...

Silver flowed out far faster than it came in.

He not only paid them with silver for their labor, he also fed them daily for free.

Do I start charging them for food?

He shakes his head at the thought. He didn’t need the silver, the thing he needed was their unwavering faith instead.

Unlike a proper town, where money flowed from hand to hand in a living cycle, this place had no true market to sustain itself.

The silver Fang Yuan handed out had nowhere to go.

At best, it could be spent in Hallowfall City... a six-hour journey on foot.

And these people weren’t fools.

They understood the weight of a coin far better than most. They knew that kindness like this rarely came without a price and even when it did, it never lasted forever.

They had survived too much to believe otherwise.

Years of hunger had carved caution into their bones. Begging had taught them humility, but also vigilance. Every scrap, every coin, every fleeting chance at survival had been fought for.

They knew exactly what money meant.

They should be hoarding it.Guarding it like their lives depended on it.

Some, perhaps, were already preparing for the day he would leave, preparing for the moment they would have to fend for themselves again... even if it meant spending it all just to secure their next meal.

At least... that was what he believed.

Until he stepped into the slum district.

"...What is this?"

Fang Yuan stopped.

Children ran through the streets, laughter echoing as bright kites danced against the sky.

Some were guided by parents who watched with soft smiles, their eyes no longer hollow.

Others, those who had no families left, still held their own kites and we’re just as carefree.

No one was left out.

His gaze shifted.

Nearby, members of the caravan team were unloading goods, not necessities or food but leisure items. Kites. Simple board games. Dice.

Fang Yuan silently strode toward the caravan, his gaze sweeping over the piles of goods before asking,"What’s all this?"

One of the workers stepped forward, a thin young man with a sun-darkened face. Zhu Chao.

"Benefactor," he said, bowing slightly, "we’re distributing what the people ordered during our last trip. We’re also taking new orders about the things they want. When we head to the city, we will sell the grains you prepared in the warehouse, then purchase what they want and bring it back."

He let out a small, proud laugh.

"We took orders for our second trip... but I didn’t expect this many for the third."

Fang Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Who came up with this?"

Zhu Chao’s expression froze.

In the next instant, he dropped to his knees.

"Benefactor, it was my idea. Solely mine. Please punish me!"

"...What?"

Fang Yuan blinked, caught off guard.

He reached down and pulled the man back to his feet.

"No—why would I punish you?"

Zhu Chao hesitated, clearly confused.

Fang Yuan shook his head, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

"This is a good plan. A very good one. If anything, you should be rewarded."

"You... won’t punish me?" Zhu Chao asked carefully, as if testing each word.

"Of course not."

Relief flooded his face. He scratched the back of his head, letting out an awkward laugh.

"Ah... then it’s actually Sister Hong. She came up with it. I just thought, you might punish her for this, so I said it was mine."

He grinned sheepishly, still rubbing his head.

"I didn’t expect you’d praise it instead..."

"Why?" Fang Yuan asked, his expression turning stern. "Am I that frightening?"

Zhu Chao opened his mouth... then closed it again. No answer came and he simply stood there, stiff as a board.

Silence stretched for a few breaths.

Then Fang Yuan chuckled, the tension breaking as easily as thin ice. He gave the man a light pat on the shoulder. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"I’m joking. You’re all doing well."

Zhu Chao let out the breath he’d been holding.

"Where’s Yiting?" Fang Yuan asked.

"Oh—right! Sister Hong." Zhu Chao straightened. "She’s out walking with a young man. Says he knows how to find... uh... fertile land." He scratched his head, fumbling for the word. "Something like... arabi... arabia... arable? L-ratio?"

Fang Yuan gave a small nod. "Arable land."

"Yes! That!"

"Good. I’ll go find her."

He then proceed to spread his divine sense, sweeping across the settlement and It didn’t take long to find her.

But the moment he did, his eyes narrowed.

The young man beside her turned his head slightly, making eye contact with him.

Fang Yuan’s divine sense snapped back instantly.

He noticed me?

With no time to waste, Fang Yuan stepped into the void and in the next instant, reappeared directly before them.

Hong Yiting barely had time to react before he stepped in, one arm pulling her firmly into his embrace.

His eyes locked onto the young man.

"Who are you?"

The young man’s gaze lingered on Hong Yiting for a moment before shifting to Fang Yuan, calm and unhurried.

"My name is Yi Chen," he said evenly. "An elder of the Yi family. I was sent here after reaching an agreement with Lady Hong, to develop arable land in exchange for constructing a teleportation formation within our clan’s territory."

Fang Yuan didn’t respond immediately.

His eyes lowered towards his arms where Hong Yiting gave a small, almost imperceptible nod.

Her face was flushed a deep, unmistakable red, like a ripe tomato yet she didn’t pull away.