"I will not die, and you have no chance," Xu Nian said coldly. "Believe it or not, I can destroy your city in an instant with just two fingers."

Lord Ding naturally scoffed at Xu Nian's words, sneering, "If you were really that capable, how could you have been captured and brought back?"

"You asked for it."

As Xu Nian finished speaking, a mocking smile appeared on her lips. She raised her hand and said, "Taiyuan Haoshi Thunderfire Essence, borrowing yin to gather yang to guard Thunder City, gathering yang to bring rain in an instant, driving dragons and drawing lightning to emerge from the Xuan Hong, so be it!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a thunderclap struck out of nowhere, and the once clear sky was instantly covered with dark clouds.

Ding Yaozu's expression was unfriendly, and he took a few steps back behind Madam Ding.

Madam Ding carefully maintained her composure and said, "Even country folk know how to read the weather. What's the point of you playing tricks on me?"

Lord Ding barely managed to keep his expression steady. "Do you think I'll believe you if you do this?"

But no sooner had he finished speaking than a bolt of lightning struck right at Ding Yaozu's feet.

Startled, Ding Yaozu sat down on the ground with a thud, his pants becoming wet under everyone's gaze.

He was so frightened that he wet his pants on the spot.

Ding Yaozu suddenly went black and fainted.

The soldiers who had surrounded Xu Nian were now all panicked. They scattered and knelt on the ground, chanting, "Fairy Maiden, spare my life! Fairy Maiden, spare my life!"

Thunder on a sunny day is already unusual, let alone Xu Nian's ability to strike wherever he points, which would leave anyone speechless for a while.

No wonder she was so arrogant just now.

[Approaching Science x Stepping Out of Science √]

I love watching streamers cast spells; they always teach those arrogant people a lesson.

[Hey passerby, let's open a sale here! Let's see how long this city lord can hold out before begging for mercy.]

I bet three minutes! If I'm wrong, I'll send the streamer a big gift.

Xu Nian glanced at the comments with a wry smile; it turned out that their calculations were still too conservative.

Lord Ding knelt on the ground as if exhausted, "Impossible..."

"I just told you that I can overthrow your city in an instant. Do you believe me or not?" Xu Nian asked City Lord Ding in a calm tone.

Lord Ding was terrified and kowtowed repeatedly, begging for mercy, "Fairy Maiden, please spare my life! I was blind and didn't recognize your greatness. I have offended you. Please don't punish me, so that my people may not suffer."

This fellow actually has the nerve to mention the people of the city?

Xu Nian initially wanted to be sarcastic, but then she remembered what the man had said to her last night.

Those who cultivate the Tao believe in reciprocity; good deeds are accumulated through action.

Now that the two children are missing, Xu Nian is doing a good deed, which can be considered as accumulating good karma for them.

"Do you know that the city may look glamorous on the surface, but inside it is already destitute?"

Lord Ding wiped his sweat, trembling with fear, and said, "It's...it's my dereliction of duty."

"From this day forward, if you continue to indulge your good-for-nothing son's misbehavior, don't blame the lightning for striking where it shouldn't have. Do you understand?"

"Yes, yes, the fairy is right."

Lord Ding nodded repeatedly and respectfully saw Xu Nian out of the mansion. Before leaving, he promised Xu Nian that he would temporarily lend them two courtyards to arrange temporary accommodations for the villagers.

"Alright, but I should also manage this city for a couple of days."

"What does the fairy maiden mean by this?" Lord Ding looked somewhat troubled. "If the higher-ups find out, I won't know how to explain it."

Xu Nian spoke calmly, slightly raising her eyes as if looking at the cloudless sky.

Before she could utter a single word, Lord Ding panicked and hurriedly said, "Alright, alright, I'll do as you say. Whatever you want me to do, I'll cooperate."

[They must have been scared out of their wits! That's hilarious.]

[A true story of a middle-aged man admitting defeat.]

The host seemed to say nothing, yet also seemed to say everything.

“In that case,” Xu Nian finally spoke after a long pause, “you should go and settle all the debts your son owes. Come find me at the city gate tomorrow morning.”

After saying this, Xu Nian drifted away gracefully, displaying an air of otherworldly elegance.

Lord Ding dared not be careless and immediately ordered his men to handle the matter properly according to Xu Nian's instructions.

As for Xu Nian, she went back and settled the villagers in the new houses. The villagers were in much better spirits, and many even wanted to stay there permanently.

Xu Nian could understand; after all, they had been wandering aimlessly for too long, and now that they had finally found stability, they naturally didn't want to give it up.

But with the capital just around the corner, Xu Nian couldn't let them give up now.

“This place is nice, but it’s only because it’s in the capital,” Xu Nian said loudly. “We can reach the capital soon if we leave here, so why give up something better and settle for something less?”

Many people listened to Xu Nian's every word along the way, and after she made her statement, they stopped saying anything more.

However, some troublemakers who had been holding back all along were no longer willing to let Xu Nian control them as the good days were approaching.

After a long silence, Wang Jinmei shouted at the top of her lungs, "What do you mean by 'choosing to compromise'? Look at this house, have we ever seen it before? We've been through so much already, if you want to go to the capital, go by yourself!"

"Yes, isn't the whole point of our journey to find peace and security? Why should we continue forward now?"

As more and more people echoed her sentiments, Wang Jinmei became increasingly arrogant. "You're so eager to go to the capital, but I don't think it's for our better life at all. You just want to see your lover!"

Lover?

Xu Nian's rebuttal was on the tip of her tongue, but she was stopped by these two words, unable to say it or not.

She did not deny that Gu Zhan was partly responsible for her strong desire to go to the capital, but this was not an excuse for Wang Jinmei to push her luck.

They remain silent during times of hardship, but now that they've tasted some sweetness, they've revealed their true colors and are turning against themselves.

“Of course you don’t want to go to the capital,” Xu Nian said innocently. “You are the same. I never said I would coerce you to go with me.”

"That's more like it."

Wang Jinmei thought she had finally gotten the better of Xu Nian, and before she could even clapp her hands in smug satisfaction, she heard Xu Nian continue.

"However, this house was lent to me by the city lord. The previous one was rented. I don't have much silver on me. If you want to stay, you'll have to find your own place to live."

After that, everyone fell silent.

The atmosphere was frozen, and no one wanted to break the silence.

Finally, the village chief mustered his courage and spoke up, "Half..."

"Are you still going to the capital?" Xu Nian interrupted the village chief, putting him in a difficult position.

The village chief smiled helplessly, "We've come all this way, how can we not go, right?"

"Since you also agree to go to the capital, it wouldn't be too much to ask you to do me a small favor, would it?"