Fleeing from famine? Not a chance; the divine healer's wife made her fortune.

Exile crisis, a way to resolve it

Night fell over the campsite by the stream, the campfire crackling and illuminating the weary faces of the Xiao family members. The air was filled with the aroma of food, but it couldn't mask the unease of the darkness. Su Yunlan stared at the flames, alarm bells ringing in her heart. The road to exile was fraught with danger, and tonight's calm was like the calm before the storm. She arranged for the Xiao family members to take turns keeping watch: Xiao Yuhan would keep watch for the first half, and she would keep watch for the second half.

Just past midnight, the once clear night sky suddenly became overcast, a howling wind whipped up fallen leaves, creating a rustling sound like ghostly whispers. Large raindrops pelted down, the campfire hissed and flickered, and the stream roared and surged, its water level rising rapidly, threatening to overflow its banks. "Oh no! The water's rising!" a cry shattered the silence, throwing the exiled crowd into chaos, their cries and curses mingling with the wind and rain.

Su Yunlan made a decisive decision: "Yuhan, quickly take some people and move the things to higher ground! Everyone else, follow me!" Her voice was calm and powerful, reassuring the Xiao family. Without a word, Xiao Yuhan led the young and strong men of the Xiao family to salvage the supplies in the pouring rain. The rain soaked their clothes, and sweat mixed with rainwater streamed down their faces, but no one stopped what they were doing. Su Yunlan directed the women, children, and the elderly to move to higher ground, comforting the children and helping the elderly. The wind and rain lashed against her face, and her clothes, soaked through and clinging to her body, remained steadfast like a tall pine tree.

As the water level rose, many supplies remained unmoved, and Xiao Yuhan was extremely anxious. He looked at Su Yunlan, who smiled mysteriously. Su Yunlan pulled him aside and whispered a few words. Xiao Yuhan was taken aback at first, then nodded and turned back to the crowd to continue directing. Under the cover of night and wind, Su Yunlan entered her spatial dimension, where the sun shone brightly and birds sang sweetly. She quickly stored the essential supplies such as food, medicine, and clothing into her space, then returned to the wind and rain, pretending to help salvage the supplies.

The rain intensified, the stream overflowed its banks, and the floodwaters swept away supplies that couldn't be moved in time, leaving people crying out in despair. At that moment, Xiao Yuhan pointed to the high ground and shouted, "Everyone, head over there!" The group trudged to the high ground, still shaken, huddled together, their hearts filled with fear and sorrow as they looked at the flooded camp. When they discovered that most of the important supplies were safe, they were both surprised and relieved. Lin Wanyan asked, "How...how were these supplies saved?" The group exchanged bewildered glances. Xiao Yuhan's gaze fell on Su Yunlan, who smiled slightly. She knew some secrets had to be kept to herself.

Lin Wanyan slipped and fell, but Xiao Yuhan quickly caught her. "Mother, are you alright?" "I'm fine, Yuhan." Su Yunlan felt a surge of warmth in her heart as she watched this scene; family ties are precious even in difficult circumstances.

The rain gradually stopped, the dark clouds dispersed, revealing the starry sky. The survivors cleaned up the debris and rebuilt their homes. Su Yunlan noticed malicious gazes fixed greedily on the Xiao family's supplies. A ragged man approached Xiao Yuhan with a forced smile and said, "Fourth Young Master, you're really lucky. You managed to keep so many supplies..." The air after the rain was thick with the earthy smell of dampness, the wet clothes made them feel cold, and the greedy gazes around them were even more unsettling, like hungry wolves eyeing their prey.

Su Yunlan watched all this with a cold smile, whispering a few words in Xiao Yuhan's ear. Xiao Yuhan nodded, clutching his chest and staggering against a tree. "Yuhan, what's wrong?" Lin Wanyan asked anxiously. "Mother, I... my chest hurts..." Xiao Yuhan said weakly, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

A burly man rubbed his hands together and said in a sarcastic tone, "What's wrong with Fourth Young Master? Do you need our help?" Xiao Yuhan forced a smile and said no, but the man reached out to grab his arm. Just then, Xiao Yuhan suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp as lightning, and a chilling aura erupted from him. He moved with the speed of a cheetah, grabbing the man's wrist and twisting it with a swift, fluid motion. A sharp "crack" rang out, the sound particularly jarring in the silence. The burly man's wrist snapped, and he let out a scream, collapsing to the ground like a lump of mud, clutching his wrist. The surrounding exiles seemed frozen in place, their mouths agape, their eyes filled with horror and disbelief, as if they had witnessed the most unbelievable thing.

Xiao Yuhan stood up, his piercing gaze sweeping across the surroundings, his powerful aura intimidating everyone. At the same time, Su Yunlan stepped out from the crowd, quickly inserting silver needles into several wounded members of the Xiao family. The members, who had been groaning in pain, immediately felt their pain lessen and their spirits lifted. The onlookers were stunned. Led by Xiao Yuhan and Su Yunlan, the Xiao family members were like tigers descending the mountain, the other exiles being routed, crying out in despair. After the battle, the Xiao family members sat around the campfire, their faces beaming with the joy of victory. Su Yunlan gazed at the starry sky, a mysterious smile playing on her lips, "There's more to come..."

As the first light of dawn pierced the veil of night, the exile caravan set off once more. After days of arduous travel, the exiles, ragged and listless, dragged their weary steps, their eyes vacant. Only the Xiao family members remained spirited and resolute; Su Yunlan was the team's morale booster. Along the way, Su Yunlan used his spatial resources to alleviate the caravan's hunger and thirst, and provided herbal remedies to the sick convicts, earning the admiration of the others. The exiles, who had previously been menacing, now showed reverence instead of greed, and Su Yunlan's prestige reached its peak.

That day, the group arrived at the desolate Gobi Desert. The scorching sun baked the earth, and the air was thick with the pungent smell of sand. Everyone was drenched in sweat, their lips cracked, and many showed signs of heatstroke. "Fourth Young Madam, this can't go on. Everyone is about to collapse," Butler Zhang said anxiously. Su Yunlan frowned and looked around, her gaze landing on a distant sand dune. An idea struck her. "Butler Zhang, take a few men and go check that dune. Maybe we can find a water source," Butler Zhang said, though he was skeptical, he had no doubt and led his men there.

The group, exhausted under the scorching sun, their lips cracked like parched riverbeds, their eyes filled with despair and helplessness. An hour later, Steward Zhang and his entourage returned, overjoyed, followed by several oxcarts laden with water bags. Upon seeing the carts, they were initially stunned, then erupted in deafening cheers, the sound seemingly piercing the blazing sky. The previously lifeless procession was instantly filled with life and energy. It turned out that Su Yunlan possessed maps and geography books in her spatial dimension; she remembered an underground water source deep within the Gobi Desert and guided Steward Zhang and his companions to it. With the water problem solved, the group's morale soared, and they looked at Su Yunlan with gratitude and admiration.

However, Su Yunlan felt a vague unease. She had learned from Deputy General Li that the road to exile ahead would pass through the treacherous Black Wind Ridge, a place of complex terrain and teeming with wild beasts—a nightmare for the exiled corps. Night fell, the stars twinkling. Su Yunlan stood at the edge of the camp, gazing at the distant, dark mountains, her mind filled with countless thoughts. "Black Wind Ridge..." she murmured to herself. "What's wrong?" Xiao Yuhan walked to her side and asked softly. Su Yunlan looked away, turned to Xiao Yuhan, and gently shook her head. "Nothing." She didn't want Xiao Yuhan to worry; she knew Black Wind Ridge was a new challenge.

The next morning, the team set off again. Su Yunlan stood at the team's assembly point, gazing at the surrounding desolate path, and said to Zhu Xia, "Bring me the map..."