Chapter 9: Anhui Province

The bus was unusually empty and silently absent of its usual bustle as she watched the street she lived on for over a month slowly pass by her window.

When they had made it past the rural lands of the province, she turned to her own belongings and saw that the herbs she gathered were still there. They weren't much really and not as effective as those from the herbalists.

Willow had studied a bit of it when she was in college as a subject of interest. They weren't really much. Aside from the attainable tangerine peels and ginger, she did gather a good share of Goji berries and Bluebells with her from a kind vendor she worked for.

She also got some spices from the owner of the spice market. If she has some sort of health problems she should be able to treat minor issues. After all, her mother drilled it into her before she moved out during college in her last life.

This time, her destination was just south of Beijing at a city called Jinan in Shandong. The place is said to be riddled with refugees around this time of the catastrophe, but that's just exactly what she was going after. To get there would require a couple of bus stops from the one she got one from. She might also have to walk quite a bit.

"Where are you heading to, Miss?!" The driver with the medical mask called out from his seat expressing his curiosity over his wrinkly face, "With the current state of the country, almost everyone stays in their homes. Shops are closed and schools are canceled. It's rare to find a woman as young as yourself traveling about."

"I'm heading over to Anhui sir." She responded politely to the elder, "I have some private business that I must attend to."

The man chuckled, "Hearing you say that makes it sound like a mission! Just be careful, you hear! It's dangerous outside now. I've driven this bus since I barely turned eighteen and have never come across anything like this! Would've stopped business if the government hadn't gotten the companies to cooperate, I tell you."

He sighed and said while shaking his head, "As if that spectacle at the UN poll conference wasn't enough, now we have to deal with another epidemic. Who knows if this was started by that fool over in America. For a country of law, it's hard to believe that there would actually be such a cruel person. You know, they say that money and crime can go hand in hand just as much as it would go with justice."

"I was told the same." Willow nodded in agreement, "I've heard numerous times that those with money can become more likely to become conceited thinking they can do anything as long as they have money. Though usually there is some backstory and sometimes there're none, they mostly just do what they want."

"Ah." He agreed without needing to nod, "One needs to be taught morals and proper behavior from young. Who knows for what reason he did all that for? Still, even if he did all that for a reason, it doesn't change the fact that he's involved too many people to be given a pardon. Not having been killed by gunshots or a noose is the only fortune he has."

Hearing him say this, she realized that she barely knew anything about Elijah. Other than himself and his company, she barely knew much. Thinking this, she wondered what had her give all her attention and effort to him.

Pondering this to herself again, she felt that something definitely wasn't right. Once she gets the chance, she'll investigate that matter thoroughly and how those demigods weren't affected at all.

According to the people in Sichuan, she gathered that those kids were either greatly appreciated or to be suspicious of. However, Willow doesn't need concrete facts to understand that one of those people was the chosen child picked by the Greek gods. The only issue was which one was it and what do they plan to do now?

No doubt, they'd come after the next person that wants to create havoc, but what are those children after?

She should've asked this father of hers that question. Even if they were from different regions, they would definitely want to understand the situation before doing anything about it. What she does know was what she understood about that goddess's speech.

That goddess used the prefix, "her", meaning their chosen child was also a girl, like herself. As long as she was in this "game", she has to stay focus because her life was on the line again. What are the children after?

How many are there?

What is the situation between the gods?

Why did that come after Li Fei who hasn't appeared in the circle of demigods till they found her?

And, how did they do so?

Why is it that the Greek gods allowing all the other celestials to take action?

Aren't they afraid that they would get overwhelmed later on?

She has many more questions left unanswered about her opponents, her surroundings, and the gods, but this much she understands. Unless she puts her head in the game, she'll lose it instead.

Thus, she had to head over to Shangdong as quickly as possible. The only way to get there was to change buses from Anhui.

To be honest, she was also quite curious about the province of Anhui. She had heard from Sichuan Locals that it was a place literally meaning peaceful beauty with people inhabiting there for millions of years. So, it has a long history.

With this goal in mind, her first stop would have to be Anhui's capital city Hefei. Knowing the city had been inhabited for years, Willow knew that she would have to be much more cautious than she was back in Sichuan with the number of people that could still be walking on the streets. Because there were so many people there, it would be a problem if she comes across another demigod such as herself.

Willow knew about this after leaving the park, but she had been too careless during the first couple of days in Guiyang. Not only had she dropped her own guard, but she hadn't considered the consequences of practicing her abilities. Luckily, she had yet to use it, but she recalled back when Li Fei used it by accident before, it had only occurred twice.

Once was back in her home and the second was when a dominating student came after her. She remembered that, at the time, Li Fei merely caused a distraction, but, not long after, a tall man appeared and chased after her and it appears that he also told her to blame her family for selling her out. However, how would they know of her family?

Thanks to her mother's personal decisions in life, her family's tales were infamous in her rural town. Only younger children and tourists would not know of her background and the town was rather small so words get around quickly, but, that was it. Nobody else should've known about it nor would they figure out about her abilities. Not that or her demigod lineage. She remembered how "normal" Li Fei had lived her life as a human.

Nobody cared for her, but they also won't try to cause trouble to her household, not when her brothers were still apart of it. Once you are born into a family, your fame and infamy would also be tied to it unless the family disowns you or, back then, you choose to cut off connections with them. Something must've happened to have brought the family to their house. If not for the fact that she had used her powers in her brother's room than what?

It also can't be coincidental that they appeared shortly after she used her abilities back in Beijing. Now, she can only tread carefully and try to hide her appearance. Who knows what actions the brainwash Li Fei had done while under their control?

Throughout the entire long trip, she and the bus driver talked about trivial matters and places of China when he learned that she was a traveler from America. As he drove on the main road, she noticed how partially empty the streets had become when entering from the growing fertile, rural countryside of lush trees and flowers to the empty city of Hefei.

When she said her farewells to the kind driver, she found the air slightly less humid but still cold with bits of snow left on the corners of the slippery streets. Realizing the cold air, she quickly put on her think red jacket and began making her way to the next bus stop. The majority of the stone-paved streets were eerily empty of most people while few scatter to get supplies for their containment and few continue to work, much like that driver.

Then, there were the few people that were left defenselessly on the streets huddling with the remainder of their family or by themselves in the corner having become homeless and poor. She recalled the mission Feng had left her with and knew the moment that came to mind that it wouldn't be simple in the least.

After all, China was said to have been ranked in the top five of the most populated country in the world. One catastrophe could easily harm many thousands of people, especially in Beijing and Hongkong with so many inhabitants there. Not many have the back up to rebuild from the attack of disasters.

If she was going to help them, then she'll need a ton of supports and connections. The only problem is the language barrier and that China was not the only place facing the apocalypse.

As China wasn't the only place facing the apocalypse, the idea of getting support from other countries could vanish rather than exist in the future. The only way now would be to get those higher up in the social standing and finance world to offer support to the situation.