Chapter 191 - Doomed in the Wilderness?

After the carts went empty, Xiao Tieshu and Xiao Tongshu felt more than relaxed. Squire Liu suggested throwing away the carts to help save strength, but the two men felt it too extravagant to do so. They only needed a little strength to set the wheels rolling.

Since Li Hongmei was still unskilled in driving, Squire Liu sent a servant to help her. That was why she could settle herself inside the carriage now. Wong Mudan and Chen Ju weren’t willing to sit anymore. They would rather walk with their husbands than stay cooped up with numb feet.

As they went past Wuyang Mountain, they were high alert in case any robbers might jump out again. But no one stopped the swarm this time. If they met any refugees heading for Zhengwu county, Squire Liu would remind them, “Fellow-villagers, the county has been sealed off. Don’t waste your time waiting outside or you’ll starve to death there.”

Some refugees didn’t believe what he said and continued on their initial route. Some who were persuaded otherwise asked him where he planned to go. He told them he would go northwest where they would be “welcomed” by one city or another. To go there, the crowd must again pass a small town where they would turn west to Baoning city. It was located between Qinghe county and Zhengwu county.

Huddled refugees in rags filled the town, most of them looking very miserable.

Squire Liu asked a family, “How’s Qinghe county now?”

One of them replied with a sigh. “Hexin county has been captured and now enemies have besieged Qinghe county. Almost nobody is there now. Alas, the war has really screwed our lives up!”

Another refugee warned Squire Liu not to go back. “Qinghe county might be captured at any moment. You’d better go as far as you can because the imperial court is grabbing men for military service. Although it’s our common responsibility to protect our country, we’ll just be courting death in a leaderless battle.”

Hearing that, Squire Liu urged his people to head for Baoning city as fast as possible. They would pass Dinghe county and Da’an county before they arrived there. Apart from the gates, they could enter the counties via mountain roads. This was not so for Zhengwu county, however, which was situated on the central plains with it’s network of rivers.

The large group then began hastening northwest. The farther they went, the greater the misery that filled them. Some had escaped early, but they were now starving to death and could only beg on the roads. Some were on the verge of death, lying feebly on the ground. Some adults held their bony kids in their arms, wailing and begging.

Gripped tightly by a mournful mood, Ye Xiaoxian tried hard to focus only on her driving. Their food was not much considering the long journey. Besides, if she gave a beggar a bun, others would definitely swarm them for more. They didn’t have enough food to be charitable. They could only defend themselves at this moment.

After walking a long way, Squire Liu stopped in front.

Ye Xiaoxian thought to herself, “Does he want to be a good samaritan and give alms?”

He asked people to gather around him before saying with leadership, “Friends, our food is not much. Although these refugees look pitiful, we’re also facing the same misery. We have both elderly parents and young kids to care for, so we must protect our food well. It’s not the right time to be charitable. Our food is our own. It’s will not be stolen. If anyone wants to rob us of our food, we must beat them away!”

No one objected. If they were merciful at this time, they would starve themselves to death. Xiao Tieshu and Xiao Tongshu discarded their carts and stayed alongside the carriages with clubs. If any refugee approached, they would threaten to beat them.

Taking a deep breath, Ye Xiaoxian fixed her eyes ahead and tried to ignore the poor men.

Frightened by the tragic scene, Wong Mudan and Chen Ju got on a carriage and held the food in their arms tightly. Out of sight, out of mind.

Chen Ju asked in a whisper, “Sister Wong, can we really turn a blind eye to those poor refugees?”

Wong Mudan replied, “We can’t save many of them. Even if we help them today, they can’t survive another day. We must protect ourselves first. Don’t worry too much. Just follow what Squire Liu told us.”

In the other carriage, Xiao Baofeng had been sitting silently and Xiao Baocheng was gripping a rolling pin.

The refugees became less after two days, but the corpses increased dramatically. The dead bodies blocked their way from time to time. Since winter hadn’t yet come, flies buzzed around them rampantly and the smell was terrible. Some corpses had started rotting with their eyes, mouths and noses horribly deformed.

Wong Mudan, Chen Ju and Liu Qianqian were so scared by the sight that they cried.

Ye Xiaoxian covered her nose and mouth with a handkerchief and encouraged her horse to go faster. Another mountain appeared in front of them. Since the ancient roads were low on the mountain, their carriages could also get over it. However, dangers always lurked in a place occupied by beasts and bandits.

Squire Liu decided to take a rest at the mountain foot and let all the people eat and drink to refresh themselves. Once going up the mountain, they would press on without letting up.

He added, “You must pee or shit in advance. I won’t stop to let you do this on the mountain. By then, you can only hold it in or do it on yourselves!” Then, he let the people wash their hands in groups. Men and women went separately.

While Ye Xiaoxian and Liu Qianqian were squatting behind a tuft of grass, Liu Qianqian suddenly let out a scream. “A dead body!” She pulled her trousers up immediately and jumped away. Ye Xiaoxian looked down only to find a rotten corpse in the grass. Uncontrollably, she began to vomit. They lost their urge to pee.

The mountain roads were steep and winding. They needed to pull the carriages uphill and prevent them from charging downhill. The towering trees along the roads provided perfect cover for evildoers. It was hoped they would be desperate refugees rather than fierce brigands. But luck was not on their side this time.

As they heard a rustling in the forest halfway along the road, a dozen large men rushed out with broadswords. It was without doubt that they were bandits.

The two families gasped involuntarily. It was unlikely that they could defeat such enemies with not only strong bodies but also daunting weapons. Were they doomed to die out here in the wilderness?

The villains pounced at them at once, offering no negotiation. The servants of the Liu family tried to fight against them but failed. Xiao Tieshu and Xiao Tongshu also joined the battle. They could just about manage to fight one-on-one at first, but they were soon defeated. A merciless slash caused Xiao Tieshu’s shoulder to bleed, which scared Wong Mudan so much that she fainted.

Ye Xiaoxian also panicked.

Well, this is in no way a satisfying time travel. I’m neither a member of a rich family nor a princess in the imperial palace, and I haven’t feathered my nest. Am I going to die in this wilderness and share the fate of those rotten corpses?

Her first instinct was to run away, but there was nowhere to go. A large wood on her left and a cliff on her right forced her to face her doom. Noticing a bandit rushing towards her, she defended herself with a horsewhip which was immediately sliced into two pieces.

As the man raised his broadsword again, she heard Li Hongmei and Xiao Baofeng crying out her name. She couldn’t escape her doom this time, so she immediately closed her eyes.

However, nothing happened to her. She neither ached nor bled but only heard a tortured scream. She then opened her eyes to find the bandit lying on the ground with a sword through his chest.

In the blink of an eye, another two robbers were killed. The other bandits all stopped to figure out what had happened. In an instant, they got their answer. A carriage carrying two young men dashed up from behind them. One of them was standing on the canopy and the other sitting inside the carriage.

Ye Xiaoxian became excited as she recognized them. It was Fengsheng and Li Chengru!