Li Yuechan led her convoy of refugees across the wild forests for three more days until they finally arrived at Crystal Bamboo City. Everyone sighed in relief as the jagged white crystal walls of the city appeared in the distance.
"I see the city! Finally returned! We can get a nice bath!" Xu Lanyi shouted with happiness.
This two-week mission had been a long and tiring ordeal. It was the longest mission they had undertaken since the start of the competition and they were constantly under stress until the very end.
The refugees cheered as well and everyone picked up their pace, eager to reach the safe haven. The last part of the trip uneventful. The roads leading toward the capital city were wide and flat, increasing their travel speed. There were also many cultivators around so no monsters dared to even venture close.
"Heroine Li," Mayor Zhang who was riding beside her spoke up, "I know we all agreed to settle in your province, but you didn't tell us how we will get there?"
"Don't worry Mayor Zhang. Before entering the city, we will hand out money to everyone. It will be enough for the teleportation fee and for additional funds to get your people settled down." Li Yuechan explained.
"Ah! Thank you! Thank you so much!" Mayor Zhang was astonished by her generosity once again and thanked her profusely. It was not a difficult choice for Mayor Zhang to trust Li Yuechan. The benefits she promised was simply too good to pass up.
Once below the towering crystal walls and the gates, the refugees lined up in neat rows with their families while the five sisters handed out gold. Adults were given twenty taels while children were given ten. Ten taels of gold were for the teleportation fee while the other ten were for temporary lodging and for purchasing food and supplies in Dragon Flower Province.
"People! I remind you once again!" Mayor Zhang yelled out, "There will be cheap food and supplies in the new province. Do not spend all of the money in Crystal Bamboo City. We will be leaving this city tomorrow. You will not receive any more money from our heroines after this!"
"Yes mayor!" "Hooray!"
There might have been a minority that wanted to splurge but most of the refugees were not dumb. They held onto the gift as if it was the most important thing in their lives. And it indeed was. It was a ticket to a new life in a new land, completely safe from the monster invasion.
Ten taels of gold were more than sufficient for an adult. It was more money than what an average farmer made in a year. It would allow the refugees to rent houses or farms and establish themselves in the new land. It allowed skilled labors such as blacksmiths, tailors, carpenters, and others to immediately restart their crafts and businesses without having to worry about feeding their starving families or finding a roof over their heads.
Zhou Ziyun had calculated the economic benefits of providing such aid. The uneducated ones might have thought of this as a massive waste of money. But in reality, it was an astute investment that would pay off quickly. The refugees would immediately inject that gold into the local economy which would only grow stronger with the influx of people and new manpower. The additional economic activity from agriculture, crafts, services, and trade would result in greater tax revenue for the province for years to come.
After the money was distributed, Mayor Zhang led his people into the city and they settled down for the night. The city wasn't crowded and had plenty of open rooms and buildings as many residents had already fled west. The city itself was also not a common target for refugees as they could not afford the teleportation fee or the afford to live within the city. It was thus a strange sight for the cultivators to see thousands of ragged and tired refugees stream in.
Li Yuechan and the sisters left the refugees at the inn and went first to the town square to pick out their next mission. They also had to reserve a teleportation slot for tomorrow. Since they had to teleport thousands of people, they had to pay an additional thousand gold to reserve a thirty-minute time slot for their use.
Once these tasks were complete, they started heading back.
"Hey, don't you think there's a lot more cultivators here than last time?" Xu Lanyi asked.
Song Wushuang pondered the fact, "Perhaps, maybe they are here for money. If the cultivator isn't a part of the competition, they can make some decent money off of the missions."
"Aww, I want to get paid for missions, too!" Su Yue complained.
"Dummy! Count how much gold master already gave us! You want more?" Su Xue giggled.
"Oh, haha!" Su Yue realized and laughed as well.
The girls' spirits were high and they chatted happily as they walked. They meandered among the street vendors, sampling roast meats and drinks. They were having fun and didn't expect to find a frantic Mayor Zhang rushing up to them. His hair and robes were a complete mess and it looked like he had been in a fight.
"Heroines, there's trouble! Please help!" Mayor Zhang gasped.
"Lead the way!"
The girls followed Mayor Zhang and dashed back towards the inn at full speed. Along the way, Mayor Zhang explained what had happened.
After they had left the inn, a few of the wealthy refugee families formed into a few groups and went out to visit the city. Among the groups were pretty daughters of businessmen and town officials. They were sightseeing when they became the targets of some rogue men. These men then started harassing the young women, not letting them leave.
"I was close by and heard it happen." Mayor Zhang said as he ran, "The men are cultivators and asked to buy the girls for the night. Of course, the girls refused but those men wouldn't take no for an answer. I was no match for them so I rushed off to find you. Hopefully there hasn't been any blood shed!"
They finally arrived and thankfully they were in time. There were two packs of people arguing loudly with each other. On one side, there were five cultivators wearing red robes and armor. Each of them was young but well into the middle levels of the Spirit Initiate Realm. They would have been considered dashing and heroic if it were not for the gloomy looks on their faces. On the other side were tens of commoners who looked tense and scared.
"One gold per woman for the night. This is my most generous offer, do not push me further!" One of the red armored men growled out menacingly.
"Please sir heroes! Let our daughters go! We really do not need the money!" One of the parents pleaded.
"You peasants dare refuse this lord?!" Another one of the men yelled.
"Divine Blazing Mountain bastards! Fuck off!" Xu Lanyi yelled and charged forward, putting herself between the men and the refugees. The other four followed suit.
"Who the hell?!" One of the men yelled in astonishment. "Where did you bitches come from?"
"Hey bro, these bitches are really hot. Much better than those peasants! Hahaha!" Another one yelled out.
"Scoundrels!" Xu Lanyi spat.
The two groups stared at each other, ready to fight at any time. The air between then was fiery and explosive. Li Yuechan's side was filled with anger and indignation. The men were furious at first at Xu Lanyi's insults but they soon became lustful and excited by their opponents stunning beauty.
Mayor Zhang quickly rounded up his people and retreated towards the safety of the inn. There wasn't much else he could do and he prayed the sisters would be alright.