“My wife is kind-hearted and won’t hold grudges against you, but if I hear any more idle gossip, don’t blame me for turning hostile.” Sheng Huaian’s final words were spoken calmly, yet everyone knew he meant every word!
Those who had stirred up the most trouble trembled in fear, wishing they could vanish into the ground, filled with regret: How foolish had they been to think Sheng Huaian would be easy to bully just because he was ill?
A tiger, even when sick, remains the king of the mountains, capable of devouring anyone!
With this mix of carrot and stick, the Sheng family proceeded smoothly on their journey.
Following the System Panel’s prompt, Song Jiaojiao suggested taking a path with more greenery. The entire family was anxious about the cholera outbreak, and for them, anywhere was fine as long as they could quickly distance themselves from the main group.
“Let’s follow your lead.” Sheng Huaian looked at her steadily, his tone filled with trust. “You’re most familiar with the surrounding terrain after searching for food this morning.”
Although his suspicions about Song Jiaojiao hadn’t diminished in the slightest, they were all in the same boat now, and cooperation required mutual trust.
With his support, the others had no reason to object.
However, they soon noticed a few households following closely behind. A small group of over twenty people trailed them, neither too close nor too far.
After observing for a while and confirming they posed no threat, Sheng Huaian relaxed.
They walked for an entire day.
As evening fell, they passed by a village. Located downstream along a river, the foul stench hit them long before they approached.
When they crossed the ridges and looked into the distance, they were horrified to find the village, both inside and out, littered with rotting corpses—humans and animals alike.
“It seems cholera has already spread here,” Sheng Huaian sighed.
Hearing this, everyone was terrified once more.
“What are we waiting for? Let’s get out of this cursed place!” Sheng Erlang shrieked, rushing ahead without looking back. Exhausted both physically and mentally, he couldn’t bear to stay another second.
Song Jiaojiao chuckled silently, her peripheral gaze accidentally meeting Sheng Huaian’s. In high spirits, she teased, “He’s quite lively—won’t die anytime soon.”
It also helped that he had vomited most of the water he drank.
Nevertheless, Sheng Erlang suffered from diarrhea all night, eventually collapsing by the roadside from exhaustion, his body reeking of foul waste.
The morning sun slowly climbed the eastern hillside, and scattered cries of children echoed in the distance. The day’s busyness had begun.
Amid the clamor, Song Jiaojiao slowly opened her eyes. The campfire still emitted residual warmth, heating half her body comfortably.
Had someone added firewood during the night?
Puzzled, she got up and looked around.
Except for the two younger ones, Da Niu and Erya, everyone else was already up and working. Not far away, Sheng Huaian had his shirt open, applying crushed dandelion paste to his firm, well-defined chest muscles.
The slightly bent curve of his arm revealed taut, smooth muscle lines, exuding a wild, powerful beauty that made her breath catch.
Just then, the man suddenly turned his head and raised an eyebrow slightly.
Song Jiaojiao awkwardly averted her gaze, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment, wishing she could bury her head in her clothes.
How utterly mortifying.
“The mountain range behind us stretches endlessly, and the vegetation deep in the mountains still shows shades of green. I fear there are still many fierce beasts there. This place is not suitable for staying long; we should set off as soon as possible.” Sheng Huaian squinted as he gazed at the distant mountains, raising his hand to form a loose fist. A flicker of killing intent surfaced in his eyes but quickly vanished.
The truth was, he had heard wolf howls late last night. With food growing scarce in the deep mountains, ferocious beasts could descend at any time to forage. Wolves, in particular, were pack animals—vicious and vengeful.
“If we continue along the mountain path, we’ll surely reach Fengzhou City within ten days. It’s said that Fengzhou is rich in resources, and Lord Feng, the prefect, loves the people as his own children. He should properly resettle the refugees.”
Song Jiaojiao, however, was not as optimistic as him. There were tens of thousands of refugees, far more than Fengzhou City alone could accommodate. Well, she thought, they would just have to take things one step at a time.
“Let’s try to stock up on as much food as possible along the way, just in case.”
In ten days, Sheng Huaian’s injuries would also be mostly healed, and this small group of refugees would be better equipped to handle whatever might arise. Thinking this, she felt slightly reassured.
“Ah! Isn’t that Sheng Erlang? Someone from the Sheng family, come quickly! Your Erlang has fainted!”
A sudden scream rang out in the distance.
The two hurried over to find Sheng Erlang lying pale-faced on the road, one foot half-stuck in a pit. He had narrowly avoided stepping into excrement.
Sheng Huaian quickly pulled his troublesome younger brother aside. Before he could even begin to examine him, Sheng Erlang slowly regained consciousness, clutching his elder brother’s leg and wailing, “Big brother, I was wrong. I’ll never disobey you again.”
Though physically weak, it didn’t stop him from crying loudly enough to shake the heavens.
It was all just a false alarm.
Just as everyone was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the real bad news was yet to come.
“Husband, how could you die? Leaving us, a widow and an orphan, how are we supposed to live?”
“Er Gou, wake up, don’t scare your mother.”
“Grandma is coughing up blood! Father, come back quickly.”
Heaven had not favored the villagers who had drunk large amounts of river water or eaten rotten meat. A very small amount of cholera bacteria could be killed by stomach acid or eliminated under high temperatures.
Those who were still standing alive now began to feel grateful. They had heeded Sheng Sanlang’s advice to boil water before drinking it, suffering only mild diarrhea and not losing their lives as a result.
“Cholera is contagious. We should leave quickly,” someone suggested, and everyone agreed, springing into action.
As the group began packing up, the three families who had lost loved ones to the illness protested, accusing, “We’re all from the same village. If you won’t help, fine, but now you want to abandon us?”
“No, no one is allowed to leave today. If we die, we die together.”
“Please, take my child with you. He’s still young; he definitely hasn’t been infected.”
Some were desperate, some cynical, and others kowtowed and begged for mercy… The spectrum of human reactions was vividly portrayed. If they hadn’t separated from the main group yesterday, would they have been trapped forever?
A chill ran through everyone’s hearts.
“Bah, who dares block my way?” Butcher Gao, who had slaughtered pigs all his life, gripped his butcher knives with both hands, radiating an aura of bloodlust.
Along with his sons, all tall and imposing, standing there with fierce determination, the villagers who had just been clamoring for a collective demise fell silent instantly.
Seizing the opportunity, the group hurriedly set off on their journey.
The journey was eerily quiet.
Before setting out, the entire Dashe Village had been harmonious, with everyone helping one another. Who could have imagined it would fall apart so suddenly?
Times of famine truly test the human heart.
An uncontrollable sob suddenly broke out from someone, weighing heavily on everyone’s hearts.
The oppressive atmosphere persisted for a full two days.
Then, in the early hours of the third day, howls erupted from the mountains.
The hungry wolves were descending!
[Ding! Gray wolf detected at 300m, reward ranging from 2,000 to 10,000 Points.]
[Ding! A wild boar detected at 310m, reward of 3,000 Points.]
The System abruptly announced two tasks, startling Song Jiaojiao awake. A warm hand covered her lips.
“Shh, it’s me. Wolves are coming,” Sheng Huaian whispered, signaling her to stay quiet as he pointed ahead.
Startled, she followed his gesture.
On the mountain about a hundred yards away, a pair of emerald-green lights flickered in the darkness.
A single wolf?
No.
Wolves are pack animals, meaning its companions were likely nearby. It was unclear whether they had been spotted yet.