Chapter 86

Chapter 86

"Damn you."

At the same moment, a thousand li away, Liu Mingfeng's skin crawled as he shoved away the old man trying to grab his leg, staring in dread at the starving refugees charging down from the mountain like ravenous beasts, a chill running down his spine.

Their journey had been smooth so far—they'd bought their goods in Quzhou Prefecture and started back two days ago. Having gotten a taste of the wider world, the group was no longer as tense as when they first set out. The return route was familiar, and everyone had relaxed, already daydreaming about the stories they'd spin for the villagers when they got home.

But of course, trouble always shows up when you least expect it. That day, they'd just done a good deed for a ragged old couple who'd collapsed from hunger, offering their own water and rations. But the next thing they knew, the old man lying on the ground leaped up, blew a shrill whistle toward the mountain, then turned to grab at Liu Mingfeng's leg—the closest to him—trying to yank him off the ox cart.

Even the unflappable Liu Mingfeng let out a curse. You can bet everyone else freaked out too.

Pei Mu had been feeling oddly uneasy for a while now. He was riding up front, and the carts behind him had stopped and only then called out to him, so he hadn't caught on to the old couple's act in time.

There was no time to think. He shouted, "Guard the oxen—don't let them get hurt!" and raised his bow, nocking an arrow and aiming at the crowd still charging at them.

"Twang—"

Old Zhang's heart nearly stopped as the four men came charging over, cursing, but suddenly the twang of a bowstring reached his ears, and the next moment, the biggest of the four collapsed with a scream.

Old Zhang, still yelling, didn't even process what had just happened, but he caught a glimpse of Zhong He vaulting off the cart, knife in hand, charging in.

"Please keep an eye on my master."

"He Geer, watch out!" Zhong Yizhu went pale, but he still grabbed an arrow and kept a wary eye on the fight. Old Zhang snapped out of it, eyes wide. One man was down from an arrow, but the other three weren't backing off—they clearly wouldn't quit until they got what they came for. How was He Geer, just a young man, supposed to take on three grown men? Shaking, he shoved Zhong Yizhu: "Zhu Ge'er, get out of here—hide in the woods if you have to!"

The three men had hesitated when their leader dropped, but the promised reward made them grit their teeth and charge on. There was no way he'd hit all four of them. By the time he could nock another arrow, they'd have already reached him and grabbed their prize.

The one who'd been shot was yelling to grab them too—otherwise he'd taken that arrow for nothing, and he'd still have to pay the healer.

When they saw the archer—just a young man—climb down from the cart on his own, they relaxed. Sure, he'd caught them off guard with a cheap shot, but now he was coming down to face them? No way they'd fear one kid.

But this was exactly what they wanted. Two of the three peeled off to take on the young man while the third went for Zhong Yizhu. They didn't want to attract the authorities—better to snatch someone and get out fast. Old Zhang's yell earlier might bring more people if they hung around.

They'd barely split up when Zhong He was already on them. He leaped and landed a brutal kick that sent the guy going for Zhong Yizhu flying a good twenty feet.

The other two gritted their teeth and raised their knives, but Zhong He blocked and shoved them back, not budging an inch. Two more solid kicks—and both went down just like the first, crumpling onto the mountain path.

They finally realized they were in over their heads and tried to run, but a cold blade was already at their throats: "Where the hell do you think you're going!"

Unlike Zhong He, who hadn't seen much blood, Pei Mu was a lot more ruthless.

He picked off the ones leading the charge with his bow, then drew his blade and waded into the fray. He didn't aim for anything lethal, but every slash drew blood—no mercy at all. It didn't take long to scare the ones in front into backing down.

Lin Aniu and the others held the line, keeping the ones trying to break through from getting to the oxen. He fought hard too—even with just a woodcutter's hatchet, he swung it like a weapon. Liu Mingfeng and the others were just farmers—trained, sure, but few of them dared to go on the offensive. At least they knew how to hold their ground. An ox was everything to a farming family—if it got hurt, they couldn't travel, which was worse than any of them getting injured. And since these guys were clearly after the oxen, everyone fought like hell to keep them off.

After the chaos of the fight, Pei Mu's side was the first to stop. The rest of the attackers, intimidated, also stopped, realizing they'd picked a fight they couldn't win.

"Move!" Pei Mu barked, gripping his still-dripping blade at the ones who lingered, too stubborn to run. The group traded looks—scared but stubborn—glaring at Pei Mu and Lin Aniu for a long moment before finally stepping aside.

Pei Mu shouted, "Aniu, take the reins. Everyone else, get on board. Now."

Lin Aniu didn't waste a second, sprinting up to grab the reins of Pei Mu's cart.

The other carts had clustered together during the fight, and everyone wasted no time, quickly falling back into formation and following.

Pei Mu held his blade level, maintaining his standoff with the group, ready for anyone to suddenly lunge at the oxen. Only when the last cart had passed beyond their reach did he sprint a few steps and board Liu Mingfeng's cart.

He sat at the rear, watching them, feeling their eyes still locked on the convoy. He didn't let his guard down until they'd traveled several li and the group was long out of sight. Only then did he move to the front of the cart.

That night, they had originally planned to camp in the open. After this incident, Pei Mu didn't hesitate to push on to the next county town. Even if they missed curfew and had to sleep outside the city gates, it was safer than the wilderness.

The others had witnessed Pei Mu's prowess and now looked to him as their leader. No one objected to his words—they were all still shaken.

Liu Mingfeng thought of those eyes and still felt a chill. He asked Pei Mu in a low voice, hesitant: "Those weren't bandits, were they? They didn't seem like it."

The group had numbered around thirty, all men, dressed in rags like the old couple, with eyes like starving beasts. When they charged, they showed no interest in the cargo—they were after the oxen.

He remembered the old woman saying their family had suffered a disaster and were going to seek refuge with relatives, that the old man had collapsed from hunger because they had nothing to eat. Some of that might have been true—they really did seem like refugees.

But being pitiable was one thing—what had they, innocent travelers, done wrong? He thought of the ambush tactics Pei Mu had described on the way here and felt a wave of fear. They hadn't been cautious enough, and it had nearly cost them everything.

Pei Mu nodded: "Probably not." They barely had proper weapons—sickles and firewood hatchets at best, some even charging down with wooden clubs. But that didn't make them any less dangerous. When people are starving, they lose their humanity. Judging by their demeanor, if he hadn't been fierce enough to intimidate them, they'd have taken more than just goods—a wooden club could kill just as easily.

Pei Mu frowned. Though the crisis had passed, he still felt unsettled. He couldn't think of anything else—he just wished he could sprout wings and fly home that instant.

Irritated, he turned and barked at the forest beside the road: "Come out! Are you going to follow us forever?"

Liu Mingfeng started, gripping his firewood hatchet and looking in the direction Pei Mu faced.

So those refugees really hadn't given up—they'd sent someone to tail them. He joined Pei Mu in shouting. In a fight, momentum mattered; whoever had more of it usually won. The shout was also to bolster their own courage.

Before long, two half-grown boys emerged from the woods, dressed in the same rags as the earlier group, gaunt and sallow.

Those on the carts ahead saw them and joined in the cursing, each fiercer than the last.

Fear showed on both boys' faces. The taller one bit his lip, pulled the other down to kneel with him, and said in a trembling voice: "We're not with them—my brother and I have no family left. We can do anything. Please, kind sirs, spare us a bite to eat."

Hearing this, Liu Mingfeng's expression flickered, then he quickly said in a low voice: "Another trick?"

These people really were persistent—scheme after scheme. Were they truly not going to let them go? But this trick wasn't even well thought out. Boys of that age ate like horses—who could afford to take them in? Sending women or children might have stirred more sympathy.

They kept shouting but didn't stop the carts without Pei Mu's order. The ox carts moved slowly, and a person on foot could keep up easily. But the two boys knelt, and the convoy moved past, disappearing from sight. The boys ran a stretch, knelt again, ran again—until the third time they caught up, Pei Mu finally gave a gentle tug on the reins.

The convoy stopped briefly, then continued on. Liu Mingfeng moved to the front cart, and Pei Mu sat on the side of the driver's seat, turning to look at the two boys: "Tell me, what's this really about."

Pei Mu tossed them a flatbread. The taller one broke it in half and gave the other his piece—deliberately uneven, one big, one small. He shoved the bigger piece into the other's mouth without argument, then wolfed down the smaller one himself. Licking his lips, he recounted their story in brief.

The two were from Siyuan Village, a hundred li away. Not blood brothers—one surnamed Fang, the other Yang. Their families lived close, and they'd grown up together, thick as thieves.

Some days earlier, a flash flood had hit the mountain behind their village. Mud and rock had washed down and buried the village. It happened so suddenly that many people were buried alive in their own homes.

He had happened to be out delivering a message for his family and survived, but his home was gone, his people were gone, and the crops they'd planted had been washed away. He tried to go to his uncle in a neighboring village, but that village had been hit too—his uncle could barely feed his own family, let alone take him in.

All the surrounding villages had been affected, and many people couldn't find food. He'd brought Fang You along with the refugee crowd, first going to the nearest county town, where they got a few days of thin rice porridge outside the walls before being driven off—not even allowed to stay outside the city.

Later, the crowd headed toward Quzhou Prefecture. Along the way, some starved to death, some died of illness, some split off to seek relatives. With no one to rely on, they could only follow the crowd.

The two kept each other's spirits up, thinking that once they reached Quzhou Prefecture, things might turn around. But before the refugees even arrived, chaos broke out.

Some said the officials were all the same—no different at the prefecture. Rather than pin their hopes on the authorities, they'd be better off earning their own full bellies.

Everyone was starving, and a portion of them were swayed into banditry, robbing passing merchants of food and livestock to fill their stomachs. They'd even considered raiding villages, but lacked the numbers and weapons to pull it off.

"We escaped—they wanted us to join them, and when we refused, they locked us up."

"Join them in what?" Pei Mu asked.

"...Eating human flesh." Yang Luo's eyes held terror. At the mention of it, Fang You beside him began to tremble. Yang Luo reached out and firmly gripped his shoulder, the two huddling close together.

They'd been dragged in by a guy from their village who was like an uncle to them, and had been planning to bolt at the first chance—but before they could, they were exposed.

Even Pei Mu's face flickered. The world was at peace now; even if local officials failed to provide relief or take action, how could things have gotten to the point of eating people? These people were just using this as an excuse to cause trouble—they'd completely lost their humanity.

Yang Luo's stomach was in knots. This impressive young gentleman in front of him had let them onto the cart, but hadn't said whether he'd take them in. What if he just wanted to hear their story and then kick them off?

He thought Pei Mu was formidable—one man guarding an entire caravan, with a proper and upright demeanor. Following him was better than being captured again or sold to some unknown household. He carefully tried again: "Could you spare us a bite to eat, sir? We don't need any payment—just a bite to eat will do."

Pei Mu pondered for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the two. Though they were young, holding their ground under these circumstances was already commendable. Escaping from a pack of adults who had lost their humanity at such a young age showed real wit.

He nodded. "You can follow me. But one thing: since you've made this choice, if you ever dare betray me in the future, you've seen what happened to those people today."

Yang Luo and Fang You nodded eagerly. Yang Luo, quick to read the situation, reached out to take the reins. "Let me handle it, sir—I'm very good at driving carts."

Pei Mu passed him the bag of dry rations. "Just call me Boss. Eat your fill before you start working."

Yang Luo and Fang You accepted the bag of rations with a mix of surprise and gratitude, both unable to hold back tears.

"Thank you, Boss."

"Thank you, Boss..."

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Author's note: Next chapter we return to the village. Originally planned to deal with the third branch slowly, but since they're so bent on courting disaster, our boy Pei's about to throw down. Can you feel it?