Upcoming Storm

The morning life in Shengdu Village wasn't much different from the previous evening when the streets were filled with refugees and all the shops were closed. Most of the villagers were in fields to harvest their crops before it would be too late.

Since Xiang Ling was focused on finding the Crown Prince of the Heavenly Realm last evening, she didn't pay much attention to the villagers and the village in itself. But as she currently walked through the streets while observing the villagers, she noticed the terror that had taken home in the hearts of the people. They all were skeptical about the future that was looking dark because of the danger that was looming over their heads.

It was still early hours of the morning as she headed toward the fields to take a look. Most of the villagers were farmers and only a few families did other businesses. In general, Shengdu Village was a small place with people having very low incomes.

By the time she completed her survey and returned to the village square where the food stall for refugees was installed, it was already noon.

The sun was high in the sky, its heat warming the Mortal Realm. Yet, as Xiang Ling's eyes turned toward the sky, she realized that a huge trouble was heading their way.

Turning her attention toward Li Xian who was once again busy distributing food to the refugees, she quickly headed toward his stall. The Crown Prince noticed her and spared a quick moment to turn his attention toward her.

"It's bad," She told him as soon as she reached his side, surprising not only him but all the other people who were present nearby. "A storm is coming." She revealed once she had his full attention.

"A storm?" Li Xian asked while turning his attention to look at the clear sky with the bright sun. The doubt was clear in his eyes and for the right reason. Looking at the current weather, a storm seemed like the last problem they would be facing for the time being.

But Xiang Ling was sure about her guess. Being an Immortal, she could read the weather very well and despite the sunny day that was on display at the moment, she could tell for sure that a storm would hit the village by evening.

"Young Lady, are you joking? Look at the clear sky and the bright sun, there's no hint of any rain let alone a storm." An old man, who had been working alongside Li Xian to distribute the food to the refugees, commented as he too glanced at the clear sky and immediately dismissed Xiang Ling's warning.

"I know that a storm doesn't look possible because of the current weather but please listen to me, a storm is indeed coming." Xiang Ling kept her eyes focused on Li Xian as she tried to make him believe her words. However, it wasn't as easy as she thought.

Li Xian grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the stall. Once they were far enough from prying ears, he let go of her hand and asked, "Are you playing another trick for fun, Lady Chen?" He almost sounded angry but he kept his voice low and just stared at her.

"..."

Xiang Ling was at a loss for words. She forgot that she was the least trustworthy person in Li Xian's eyes. He would never trust her random words. She opened her mouth to speak but was not given the chance as the man started speaking first.

"Please stop. This is neither the right place nor the right time to play a joke like this. Can't you see how bad is the situation here? This might be fun for you but it will create panic in the villagers and refugees. If you are doing this because you are feeling bored, then you should return to the city first. I will also return once the situation here will stabilize."

Xiang Ling found herself shaking her head to deny the man's accusations. She couldn't even be angry at him for not trusting her because he wasn't the one at fault. The actual culprit was the previous owner of her body. "I know that it is hard for you to trust me but this time, I'm not playing any jokes. I'm serious. There's indeed a storm coming and if we don't start preparing now, it will be too late."

Li Xian opened his mouth to speak and by the look on his face, it was pretty clear that he still refused to believe her. But before he could have spoken, another voice joined their conversation - a very familiar voice but not one that Xiang Ling expected to ever speak in her favor.

"This time she is indeed telling the truth." Xin Cheng said as he walked out of the shadows of a nearby alley and joined the two of them. His eyes were fixed on Li Xian and he didn't even spare Xiang Ling a single glance. "A storm will hit this village by night. The current weather will last for an hour or two for the most."

Li Xian was silent for a few moments before he finally nodded his head in understanding. "Alright. I will talk with the Uncle Wang and inform the villagers. Thank you... both of you."

He spared a quick look in Xiang Ling's direction and it seemed like he wanted to say something to her but then he decided against it and turned away from her, returning to the food stall.

Xiang Ling watched as the Crown Prince talked with the old man working with him in the stall for a moment before he hurriedly left the place to talk with the Village Head.

Left behind alone with Xin Cheng, Xiang Ling was not sure what to say or do. She stood there in an awkward silence for a while before she just turned around and started walking in a random direction to get away from the man.

She needed to find a way to help the villagers and the refugees so that she could return to the city with Li Xian as soon as possible. If demons were indeed behind the attack on the neighboring town, then Shengdu Village wasn't safe for either Li Xian or Wei Guang.