Su Qingran was feeling annoyed.
Pei Xingzhou had exploited the Pingyang Marquis’s trust and desire to entrust his granddaughter’s future to someone reliable. In reality, he had been after the original owner’s dowry from the very beginning.
A scumbag like that deserved to die.
Getting rid of him would practically be doing the world a favor.
Still, there was nothing she could do about it now.
She had forgotten.
It wasn’t as though she could turn around and return to the capital solely to kill one man.
Besides, based on what she knew about Su Mingzhi and his wife, after being tricked out of three hundred taels, there was no way they would give up on that dowry.
The Marquis Residence and the Pei family still had plenty of fighting left to do.
By the time she reached the city gate, it was finally her turn to enter.
The guards took one look at the young woman traveling alone with a carriage and immediately demanded various fees.
Su Qingran curled her lips in disdain.
No matter the era, officials were always greedy.
Her carriage was completely empty from the outside, yet they still wanted three copper coins as an entry fee.
Three copper coins!
That was enough to buy a meat bun.
And that was at capital-city prices.
Outside the capital, buns would probably be even cheaper.
It was ridiculous.
On the journey to Yuzhou, she would inevitably have to pass through numerous cities and towns.
Avoiding them entirely would mean traveling through mountains and forests.
Su Qingran wasn’t interested in suffering unnecessarily.
Following her usual principle of avoiding trouble whenever possible, she simply handed over the three coins.
The guard weighed the coins in his palm and smiled in satisfaction.
“Move along.”
However, the elderly man behind her wasn’t so fortunate.
“What do you mean the entry fee has increased again?”
The old man wore patched clothing, and deep wrinkles covered his face.
Glancing back, Su Qingran saw him holding the hand of a little girl who appeared to be seven or eight years old.
The old man was desperately begging the guards for leniency.
They only had one coin left.
“Get lost!”
The guard waved them away impatiently.
“Where did this beggar come from?”
“The fee is two copper coins.”
“One coin short means no entry.”
“Please, Officer.”
The old man suddenly knelt.
“Please let us in.”
The guard’s face darkened.
“Oh, so you’re refusing to listen?”
“Fine.”
He waved his hand.
“Teach him a lesson.”
The moment the order was given, several guards rushed forward and began kicking the old man viciously.
“Please don’t!”
The little girl burst into tears.
“Don’t hit my father!”
“Please stop!”
Father?
Su Qingran blinked.
She had assumed the old man was the girl’s grandfather.
Judging from his appearance, he looked ancient.
In reality, he was probably only in his thirties.
Life had simply been too cruel to him.
Su Qingran had witnessed countless horrors during the apocalypse.
She considered herself far from soft-hearted.
Yet seeing this scene still stirred compassion within her.
The people standing in line behind them watched with complete indifference.
No one seemed surprised.
Only numbness remained.
The imperial court collected taxes.
Local authorities collected even more.
Naturally, fees increased year after year.
People worked themselves to the bone and still couldn’t pay everything demanded of them.
Sometimes they didn’t even know why they continued living.
Life was simply too hard.
Too hard.
At last, Su Qingran spoke.
“I’ll pay the other two copper coins.”
Her voice wasn’t loud.
Anyone nearby should have heard her.
Yet the guard who had just accepted her money acted as though she hadn’t spoken at all.
He continued watching his men beat the old man.
A cold smile appeared in Su Qingran’s heart.
If she had already decided to meddle, she intended to see it through.
Just as she was about to step forward—
A figure suddenly appeared.
Before she could even clearly see what happened, the man moved.
Several guards were instantly thrown through the air.
They landed in a heap and began clutching their backsides while howling in pain.
What incredible skill.
Ancient martial artists truly were dangerous.
Su Qingran immediately reminded herself not to become complacent.
Without modern weapons, she knew perfectly well that she was no match for people who possessed internal energy.
“W-Who are you?!”
The guard collecting money immediately panicked.
“How dare you assault imperial officers!”
Despite his bravado, his confidence quickly faltered.
The man’s clothes were made from expensive silk.
His bearing was elegant and refined.
Clearly not an ordinary person.
In this world, the last people one should offend were the powerful and well-connected.
When the stranger fixed him with an icy stare, the guard unconsciously shrank back.
Finally, he waved his hand nervously.
“Fine, fine!”
“Let them enter!”
Then he pointed toward the battered old man.
“Move along.”
“Anyone else who delays the line will receive the same treatment!”
After saying that, he looked around for the mysterious young man.
To his surprise, the man had disappeared.
He was nowhere to be seen.
The guard felt his scalp tingle.
The arrogance from earlier vanished completely.
The remaining travelers were allowed into the city with far fewer complications.
Seeing that everything had been resolved, Su Qingran decided not to interfere further.
She drove her carriage into the city.
After spending several days sleeping outdoors while traveling, she desperately wanted a proper bed.
Fortunately, she had stocked up on plenty of prepared food beforehand.
Whenever she felt hungry, she simply took something out of her space.
After entering the city, she immediately found an inn and rented a premium room.
Then she ordered a mountain of food and enjoyed a hearty meal.
Anything she couldn’t finish was tossed into her space, as usual.
Her plan was simple.
Rest properly for one day.
Continue traveling tomorrow.
Right now, all she wanted was to find a place to settle down.
Build herself a home.
Raise chickens and ducks.
Occasionally climb a mountain to gather mushrooms.
What a wonderful life that would be.
After spending years trapped in the endless grind of modern work—and then surviving the apocalypse—she finally understood how precious a simple rural life could be.
Once she finished eating, she followed another familiar routine.
Shopping.
Or rather, treasure hunting.
Her habit of stockpiling supplies would probably never disappear.
Not that she cared.
Her space preserved everything perfectly.
Nothing would ever spoil.
Leaving the inn, she wandered toward the bustling marketplace.
Most of the goods sold there came directly from nearby villagers.
However, the moment she arrived, she saw a familiar pair.
The same father and daughter from the city gate.
“Father!”
The little girl’s sobbing voice carried through the crowd.
“Please wake up!”
“Don’t die, Father!”
The child was crying so hard she could barely breathe.
Su Qingran frowned.
“Please help my father!”
The girl repeatedly kowtowed on the ground.
“If anyone can save him, I’ll work like an ox or a horse for the rest of my life to repay you!”
Her forehead was already bleeding from hitting the ground.
Yet she seemed completely unaware of the pain.
She continued begging everyone who passed by.
But no one stopped.
Some had probably seen situations like this too many times.
Others simply didn’t want trouble.
People glanced at her and kept walking.
Not a single person stayed.
Su Qingran sighed.
Very few people managed to catch her attention twice.
Perhaps she and this father-daughter pair truly had some sort of fate.
Walking forward, she crouched beside them.
“Let me check your father’s pulse.”
She looked gently at the little girl.
“I’ll see if he can still be saved.”