Chapter 679: Chapter 679: The City Lord’s Premonition
"Qingli! Look at Lanlan!" she said excitedly.
"She built such wonderful stone houses for herself and her family. Even the entire Fox Tribe has already completely transitioned to stone houses under her guidance. They’re unbelievably warm, they’re sturdy, and they don’t fear heavy snow or strong winds at all! Why don’t we issue an official order for the people of Dragon Beast City to build them too?"
Mo Qingli looked at her enthusiastic face and smiled bitterly, a trace of regret in his eyes.
"It’s not that I never suggested it, Mulan. I did," he shook his head helplessly, remembering past council meetings.
"But the people of this city are simply too stubborn and set in their ways. They don’t like sudden changes. In the beginning, they even looked down heavily on the Fox Tribe, viewing them as weak. They didn’t want to associate with them, and they certainly didn’t want to humble themselves to learn their building techniques."
He sighed again, staring back out at the freezing dark.
"Looking back now... I should have been firmer. I should have insisted. Even if they complained and resisted, I should have forced them to build at least a few large communal stone shelters before the ground froze."
Wang Mulan’s excitement dimmed, and she too let out a sympathetic sigh. "The beastmen of Dragon Beast City really are too old-fashioned. They always refuse to accept anything new until it’s staring them in the face. But things are different now."
A faint, proud smile touched her lips. "Ever since Lanlan arrived, she has helped everyone so much. The females of the city especially have received so much care and warmth from her. Now, many people have started looking at the Fox Tribe with respect. They’re much friendlier than before."
But then, her eyes drifted back to the heavy snow piling up on the window sill.
"But... it’s already too late for regrets. Winter has already arrived in full force. The ground is frozen solid. What are we supposed to do right now?"
At that exact moment, the heavy wooden door clicked open.
Su Mingxuan walked into the room, carefully carrying a large tray filled with several steaming, fragrant dishes.
Although he had never been a great cook in his youth, he had taken his role as a mate seriously and had learned quite a bit of culinary skill from his talented sons-in-law over the past few months.
The rich, delicious aroma of roasted meat and seasoned broth instantly filled every corner of the chilly room.
Wang Mulan’s eyes immediately brightened, her somber mood instantly evaporating at the scent.
"Food!" she cheered. Without another thought, she slipped right out of Mo Qingli’s warm embrace and happily ran toward the dining table like a hungry cub.
Mo Qingli blinked, staring blankly at his suddenly empty arms. "..."
He could only shake his head helplessly at his mate’s adorable antics. Then, a doting, affectionate smile broke across his face as he turned and followed closely behind her.
Su Mingxuan carefully placed the hot stone dishes onto the low table and sat on the floor. "What were you two discussing so seriously by the window?"
Wang Mulan quickly explained her anxieties about the snowstorm and the fragile wooden houses while eagerly grabbing her chopsticks.
After listening quietly to her worries, Su Mingxuan offered a reassuring, warm smile.
"Don’t worry yourselves to illness over this. If some houses really do collapse under the snow, there are still many empty, newly built stone houses over in the Fox Tribe’s territory. They can temporarily move the displaced families there. And if that’s still not enough, we can also take some families into our own spacious homes. The Fox Tribe certainly won’t refuse to help."
Wang Mulan paused, looking up with surprise.
"Really? The Fox Tribe won’t object to taking in outsiders who used to look down on them?"
Su Mingxuan smiled confidently, his chest puffing out slightly with pride for his people. "They won’t. Our people are very generous and forward-thinking now. As long as someone truly needs help to survive the winter, no one in the tribe will turn them away."
Hearing those comforting words from a tribal elder, Wang Mulan finally relaxed a little, letting out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
However... Mo Qingli did not look relieved. He slowly shook his head, his expression remaining grim as he stared at the steam rising from his bowl.
"That’s only a temporary fix, a bandage on a deeper wound. The real, catastrophic problem still remains unsolved."
Both Wang Mulan and Su Mingxuan paused, putting down their utensils to look toward him.
Mo Qingli’s expression became dead serious, the true weight of a city lord settling onto his shoulders.
"We have to start preparing to build more large-scale stone houses in the day. Even if quarrying and building is incredibly difficult during the dead of winter, we must build whenever the blizzards allow. Because I have a terrible feeling..."
He turned his eyes back toward the window, watching the endless, heavy flakes blanket the city in darkness.
"The winter one month from now... will be even worse than this. I’m afraid it won’t just be a few old houses that collapse. It may be many. It could be half the city."
The dining room instantly fell into a heavy, suffocating silence. Wang Mulan’s bright smile completely disappeared, and Su Mingxuan’s expression became deeply solemn.
Because in their hearts, they both knew that the City Lord’s instincts were rarely wrong. Mo Qingli was absolutely right. A crisis was coming.
Not long after, Lan Shun and Yin Feng also joined everyone for dinner. Both of them carried several more steaming dishes, their forearms braced against the heavy stone platters as they placed them carefully onto the table.
The rich, savory aroma of slow-simmered roots and roasted beast meat instantly filled the entire room, pushing away the last lingering chill of the night.
Looking at the massive spread of delicious food, Wang Mulan’s mind suddenly drifted, and she thought of someone else who might be struggling out in the cold. She turned her gaze toward Lan Shun.
"Lan Shun," she called out, pausing with her utensils. "Yue is still living over in that wooden house, isn’t she? Why don’t we invite her and her family to come stay here in the residence for the winter? The draft in those old buildings is terrible. I’m truly afraid she’ll be freezing out there."
Lan Shun smiled warmly, shaking his head to ease her worries. "Don’t worry, Mulan. Yue and her beast husbands are all Ocean Beastmen. Their bodies are built differently; they’re much more resistant to the bitter cold than ordinary land beastmen. They’re doing just fine over there."
Then, a corner of his mouth ticked upward, and he couldn’t help laughing softly.
"In fact, I even heard a rumor from one of her husbands this morning... She secretly snuck out and ran down to soak herself in the frozen river yesterday afternoon."
Wang Mulan’s eyes instantly widened to the size of saucers. "What?!"
She almost stood straight up from her chair, her face full of shock and horror.
"Has that child completely lost her mind? Who in their right mind voluntarily soaks in a frozen river during the dead of winter?!"
