After this incident, Master Zhao Jiu no longer dared to leave A-Sen alone with Fu Tingyun. As a result, he couldn’t scout ahead by himself, and it wasn’t convenient to take Fu Tingyun and A-Sen along, so he had to change their route and travel along the post roads as much as possible.

If previously Fu Tingyun had felt what it meant for a thousand miles to be desolate, now she witnessed firsthand what it meant for corpses to litter the landscape.

“Don’t look!” Master Zhao Jiu stood in front of her. “Didn’t you bring a handkerchief? Tie it over your face. The stench of corpses is everywhere—be careful of the plague.”

Fu Tingyun responded with a soft “Mm” and took out a handkerchief from her sleeve, tying it over her face.

The weather was scorching hot. From frequently wiping away sweat and having nowhere to wash it, the handkerchief was full of sweat odor, but compared to possibly contracting the plague, these concerns became insignificant.

Her gaze couldn’t help but drift toward the roadside again.

Under the fierce midday sun, large trees stripped of their bark had long since withered. Their bare brown branches reached toward the sky as if begging for help. Beneath them lay seven or eight shriveled corpses scattered about. The oldest appeared no more than forty-five or forty-six, with deeply sunken eyes wide open, expressions showing unwillingness to die. The youngest was still held in its mother’s arms, naked, with limbs like reed stems and ribs visible. Its disproportionately large head hung limply from the mother’s arms. The mother’s clothes had been stripped away by someone, revealing her body covered only by an undergarment… There was no dignity to speak of!

A chill ran through Fu Tingyun’s heart. She buried her head in the small cart, found a straw mat, and handed it to A-Sen without caring whose it was: “Help cover that poor woman!”

A-Sen took it but didn’t move: “Miss Fu, if we cover her now, someone will come and take it away as soon as we leave…”

“Just go when I tell you to!” Master Zhao Jiu spoke up. “Why so many words?”

A-Sen immediately ran over.

Master Zhao Jiu sighed and said, “Let’s go!”

Fu Tingyun nodded numbly, sat on the small cart, and no longer dared to look up.

That night, she couldn’t sleep.

When she closed her eyes, the image of that woman appeared in her mind.

In just two or three days, Fu Tingyun had grown noticeably thinner.

Master Zhao Jiu glanced at her and said, “We’ll reach Weinan in at most three days.”

Fu Tingyun’s heart lifted at these words. Thinking of her uncle’s spacious house that was cool in summer and warm in winter, bathwater sprinkled with rose essence, and clothes scented with lily fragrance, her spirits improved considerably.

After walking for another three days, Fu Tingyun still hadn’t seen even a shadow of Weinan County’s walls. She suddenly realized: “So it was just wishful thinking!”

Master Zhao Jiu smiled.

The smile softened his features, adding a touch of warmth.

“So how many days will it take to reach Weinan?” Fu Tingyun felt bolder now, her tone carrying a hint of innocent directness.

“Three more days!” Master Zhao Jiu said.

“Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow! How many tomorrows are there!” Fu Tingyun joked, pretending to sigh in resignation, finding humor in their hardship.

Master Zhao Jiu laughed heartily, his bright eyes like morning stars on the horizon, flashing with dazzling light that made his eyebrows and eyes fly upward.

Fu Tingyun was stunned.

Usually, Master Zhao Jiu always wore a stern face, looking gloomy. She never expected he would look so handsome when he laughed.

“This time we really will arrive in three days!” Master Zhao Jiu said, the remnants of laughter in his eyes like the sparkling surface of a lake at sunset, still somewhat dazzling, causing Fu Tingyun’s tense nerves to suddenly relax.

However, the further they went, the more refugees they encountered.

Men who could still push carts, children who could still walk, women and children who could still sit upright—all looking well-fed and watered. Master Zhao Jiu, A-Sen, and Fu Tingyun were conspicuous among the gaunt, emaciated refugees. People occasionally cast surprised, envious, or even greedy looks at them, as if they were hiding some coveted treasure, making Fu Tingyun feel as uneasy as if sitting on pins and needles, constantly feeling that something dangerous would happen.

One noon, as they rested by the roadside, things indeed erupted.

First, four or five strong men simultaneously rushed toward the small cart from all directions, followed closely by seven or eight more… Master Zhao Jiu wielded his staff with impressive force, but those men came at them as if they had no regard for their lives. As some fell, others rushed forward, eventually surrounding them.

With so many men looking at them as fiercely as hungry wolves eyeing food, Fu Tingyun’s legs trembled.

Master Zhao Jiu snorted coldly and instructed A-Sen: “Protect the young lady. We’ll head north.”

North was the direction toward Weinan City.

A-Sen responded, holding his staff against his chest.

Fu Tingyun hurriedly pushed the small cart.

A-Sen led the way, Master Zhao Jiu guarded the rear, and they headed north.

Those men knew Master Zhao Jiu’s prowess, so they only attacked A-Sen and Fu Tingyun.

Master Zhao Jiu seemed to have eyes in the back of his head—whoever approached, he would strike with his staff, immediately rendering them unable to move.

After several rounds, those men didn’t dare approach, yet they were unwilling to give up. They surrounded them as they walked north for about half an hour. Some began to grow impatient and rushed forward with ferocious intensity.

A murderous aura suddenly rose in Master Zhao Jiu’s expression. Somehow, between his fingers appeared two thin, willow leaf-sized curved blades that flew out like lightning and returned just as quickly.

Among those who had rushed forward, someone fell to the ground with a “thud.” Bright red blood flowed from their neck, gradually soaking into the earth, leaving a dark red patch.

All of them were stunned.

After some time, someone came to their senses and let out a shriek, shouting “Murder! Murder!” while backing away. Yet others still refused to give up, standing there looking at each other.

The air began to fill with restless, uneasy emotions.

Master Zhao Jiu’s gaze grew colder. The willow leaf blades flew from his hand again, and two more people fell.

Only then did those men begin to fear, scattering like birds and beasts.

Master Zhao Jiu urged Fu Tingyun and A-Sen to keep moving without stopping.

Along the way, they encountered robbery attempts twice more.

The first time, there were seven or eight people. Master Zhao Jiu used his willow leaf blades directly.

The second time, it was just one person. He staggered toward them, but before A-Sen could even raise his staff, the man had already fallen to the ground powerlessly.

Fu Tingyun covered her eyes.

They chose small paths and traveled through the night, only resting by the roadside at dawn.

Fu Tingyun drank water numbly. In the early morning light, she suddenly noticed something different about the trees nearby.

“Master Jiu, Master Jiu, look!” Fu Tingyun pointed excitedly at the roadside trees. “Green leaves!”

Master Zhao Jiu and A-Sen both looked up.

On the dusty branches of a large tree sprouted two green leaves.

A-Sen ran over and plucked the leaves: “Master, look!”

Master Zhao Jiu’s expression sharpened as he stood straight and looked around.

Fu Tingyun’s heart jumped: “Master Jiu, is something wrong?”

“It indicates the disaster has eased somewhat in this area,” Master Zhao Jiu said gravely. “Perhaps Weinan County still has a normal water supply. But the more this is true, the more refugees will be trying to reach Weinan County, making it more difficult for us to enter the city.”

“Why do we need to enter the city?” Fu Tingyun smiled. “We’re headed to Fengyuan, not Weinan County town. We can go directly from Li Family Hollow to Fengyuan!”

Master Zhao Jiu raised his eyebrows, gesturing for her to explain more clearly.

“When I used to visit my uncle, sometimes my mother felt the gifts we prepared were too modest and didn’t want my aunts to gossip. So I would go directly from Huayin to Weinan, wait until we had properly arranged more suitable gifts, and then proceed to Fengyuan. If we didn’t need to prepare expensive gifts, we would leave the post road and head south, taking the route through Li Family Hollow to Fengyuan. This way, we could save a day’s travel time.”

Hearing this, Master Zhao Jiu’s eyes brightened slightly, clearly pleased with this information.

Fu Tingyun quickly added, “However, I don’t know the exact route, I just know we can go this way.”

Master Zhao Jiu looked at her with a strange expression, as if he wanted to laugh but was holding back.

Fu Tingyun felt embarrassed: “I wasn’t the one driving the cart, how would I notice these things…” Her expression showed displeasure.

“We can just ask someone for directions!” Master Zhao Jiu said quickly, instructing A-Sen to carefully guard Fu Tingyun while he went up to the post road.

Soon, Master Zhao Jiu returned.

“The entrance to Li Family Hollow is just ahead,” he urged Fu Tingyun and A-Sen to eat quickly.

“Aren’t we going to rest for a while?” Fu Tingyun looked at Master Zhao Jiu in surprise.

He had been pushing her all night.

“It’s better to reach Fengyuan quickly,” Master Zhao Jiu said. “The road is too dangerous.”

Fu Tingyun remembered the robbery attempts, her fingertips turning cold. She hurriedly ate a steamed bun, drank some water, and set off with Master Zhao Jiu.

…

Li Family Hollow was a village inhabited entirely by members of the Li clan. It got its name from being built in a depression among the hills.

They hadn’t seen many people on their journey, but when they reached Li Family Hollow, they saw that the entrance to the village was barricaded with a wooden palisade twice the height of a man. Several tall, strong villagers patrolled in front of the palisade with large swords, looking quite fierce. About a dozen severed heads were impaled on the wooden fence, blood dripping down and drying to a dark red color.

This didn’t look like a village at all, but rather a bandit stronghold claiming territory.

Fu Tingyun was horrified and looked toward Master Zhao Jiu.

Master Zhao Jiu’s brows furrowed slightly, his expression solemn: “It seems Li Family Hollow has water and food.”

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have sealed off the village to protect themselves.

Fortunately, they only needed to pass by the front of the village.

Fu Tingyun breathed a sigh of relief.

The people near the wooden palisade had already spotted them and gathered at the front, holding large swords and watching them vigilantly.

Master Zhao Jiu pushed Fu Tingyun past them without any expression. Even from a distance, Fu Tingyun could still feel their gazes on her back like knives.

Two young men walked toward them from the opposite direction.

One wore a dove-gray silk robe, the other a blue-lotus colored silk robe. They were empty-handed, pale-faced, and looked panic-stricken. They didn’t look like refugees.

Master Zhao Jiu couldn’t help but turn his head to observe them.

The two young men quickly walked to the wooden palisade in front of Li Family Hollow village and said loudly: “We are from the family of Eleventh Aunt in Fengyuan. Fengyuan has been raided and killed by refugees, with only about a dozen of us escaping. Please inform the clan leader that our elderly patriarch, supported by our mother and other female relatives, is following behind. Please send people to help them…”

Fu Tingyun’s mind buzzed with shock.

Fengyuan had been raided by refugees!

She jumped off the cart and ran quickly toward the two young men.

But someone reached the two young men before she did.

“Young masters!” Master Zhao Jiu’s face turned somewhat ashen. “I am a relative of the Xie family in Fengyuan. Because of the disaster in my hometown, I was going there to seek refuge…”

Before he could finish speaking, the young man in the dove-gray silk robe exclaimed: “You’re a relative of Scholar Xie’s family… The entire Xie family has been slaughtered by the refugees!”