Afternoon.

A gentle breeze wafted by.

Jiang Ning walked ahead, hands clasped behind his back, looking relaxed.

Behind him followed a young girl in a green dress, carrying two jars of wine, which appeared quite heavy.

The two of them wobbled their way to the private garden of Chunfeng Lou.

Tingzhu Pavilion, located in the private garden of Chunfeng Lou.

"Lord Jiang, just returning from Jiuxiao Building?" Zhao Yulong asked as he greeted Jiang Ning.

"Indeed!" Jiang Ning nodded, continuing, "I just tried the wine and food there."

"Pretty good, right?" Zhao Yulong inquired.

"Not bad!" Jiang Ning nodded, "Out of twenty-four signature dishes, ten suits my taste. Not bad at all!"

"You've got quite the discerning palate, Lord Jiang!" Zhao Yulong remarked.

Jiang Ning chuckled, "Enjoying fine food requires a discerning taste!"

In his past life, he was born in a land where food is paramount, the pinnacle of global culinary culture.

He had long since developed this hobby.

He still remembers, when he received his first paycheck in his previous life, he splurged it on a feast.

That meal cost him a thousand.

A third of that month's income.

But he didn't feel it was wasteful, but worthwhile.

Life is about trying things.

At an age where he only had to feed himself and care not for others, he could afford such indulgence.

As they say, "To buy osmanthus and hold onto wine, it's never like, a young wander."

Once past that age, the feeling never returns.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the two parted ways.

Before leaving, Zhao Yulong invited him to a banquet.

Tonight Zhao Yulong was having a gathering with some old friends and invited him and Bai Luoyu.

Jiang Ning briefly considered it and nodded in agreement.

Zhao Yulong's friends must be influential figures in Guangning City.

Having more friends is always better than having more enemies when away from home.

He wasn't arrogant enough to dismiss socializing with others.

Besides, he didn't plan to practice today and could use a day to relax.

Going out and clearing his mind seemed like a fine idea.

...

Upon returning to the courtyard, Jiang Ning lay down directly among the bamboo grove.

Lying on the lounge chair, its rounded bottom gently rocked, Jiang Ning squinted, enjoying the gentle breeze.

In the courtyard, Lv Yi saw him like this and immediately softened her footsteps.

Suddenly.

Her gaze froze slightly on Jiang Ning.

Because, at that moment, she couldn't sense Jiang Ning's presence at all.

Unity of Heaven and Man?!!

The four characters flashed in her mind.

Her heart stirred, and she lowered her breathing even further,

Fearing she might disturb Jiang Ning at this moment.

Time flowed slowly, one breath after another.

The sun gradually slanted westward.

Their shadows lengthened, and the sunlight became softer.

When Jiang Ning finally opened his eyes and rose.

Lv Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Standing there for more than two hours, you really have some persistence!!" Jiang Ning remarked, shaking his head at Lv Yi.

Having just achieved insight into the Unity of Heaven and Man, he had impeccable control over his surroundings, nothing escaped his perception.

So Lv Yi's every move was naturally known to him.

Seeing his expression, Lv Yi immediately stuck out her tongue.

Then she stomped her foot, and the qi-blood circulation instantly restored her stiff limbs to normal.

"Pack up! Later, come with me to the banquet!"

"Yes, master!!"

...

The next day.

Jiang Ning got up.

He rubbed his temples.

He drank a lot last night, all of which were fine, strong wines.

Such wines are of great benefit to a Martial Artist.

So he didn't refuse.

After all, they brought him many benefits, infused with Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, boosting his Source Energy Points.

[Source Energy]: 27121

"Not bad!"

Glancing at his status panel, he nodded in satisfaction.

The fine wines at Zhao Yulong's private banquet last night boosted his Source Energy Points by several hundreds.

Just for that alone, it was worth the trip.

As for those people, it was merely a simple acquaintance.

A fleeting acquaintance, in his view, was of little use.

True friendship isn't that simple.

Subsequently.

A refreshing breeze blew in through the open window, lifting the delicate curtain like a veil.

The breeze hit his face, instantly clearing his mind, leaving him feeling refreshed.

After getting out of bed and a simple wash-up.

The fiery sun had already risen from the distant mountain range.

"Another beautiful day!" He smiled, watching the slowly rising sun.

At the same time, he understood.

It wasn't normal.

From Luoshui County, to Dongling City, and now in Guangning City.

Since the beginning of the year, the snow has melted, and the weather has been exceedingly abnormal.

All it has been is sunny, day after day.

Continuous sunny days have already led to drought.

It's only May, so it isn't obvious yet.

But come June and July, during the harvest, it'll be very apparent.

The grain yield would severely decrease.

And last year had already seen a drought lasting over half the year, drastically reducing crop yield.

Even if ordinary families had surplus grain previously, they would have run out of reserves by this year.

If there's another significant drought this year, the consequences would be unimaginable.

And this is still the forest and river zone.

Guangning Prefecture primarily consists of forest and river terrains.

The Luoshui River, covering part of its area in Guangning Prefecture.

The Yunmeng Swamp, located within Yunmeng County, is also in Guangning Prefecture.

Along with the famous Yunmeng River, it too is in Guangning Prefecture.

Besides, there are numerous forests.

This terrain has much stronger resilience to consecutive droughts.

But even so, continuing crop failures will make the situation in Guangning Prefecture worsen.

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