Chapter 88: The Refugee Team

Therefore, whenever she received fresh and interesting gossip, how could she bear not to share it with her other old sisters? He Lingchuan shook his head. The old man had sent quite a few people to the capital, so there would be more than just Old Lady He spreading the news. The second brother's deduction was correct; the old man was trying his best to promote the rumors among the people, so that the Royal Court would have no chance to deny the He family's credit.

On his way to eat, two flashes of lightning suddenly rolled across the sky.

It had only been clear for two days, and the dull thunder returned with the heavy rain.

The torrential rain made it hard for people to open their eyes, and He Lingchuan wiped the water off his face. In just those ten breaths, even his underwear and socks were soaked, sticking to his body, which was very uncomfortable.

He had gone to the latrine after the meal; how did the scene change completely as soon as he walked out?

It was pitch black all around, the He family's wind-proof lanterns were gone, and only the lightning occasionally flashing across the sky could provide light.

Although it was pitch black and he couldn't see clearly, He Lingchuan was very sure that this was not the He Fu, because the dense weeds in front of him were already as tall as a person. If the He Fu's gardener dared to be so lazy and slack off, he would have been kicked out by Lady Ying long ago.

There was mud, sand, water, and grass roots on the ground; he walked with deep and shallow steps, there was no road ahead, and he could only push through the grass.

He Lingchuan glanced back and found that behind him was a giant rock; not even a few calamus plants grew on the steep and complete basalt.

There was no road behind, so he could only move forward.

The young man groped his way forward, walked out more than ten zhang, and suddenly his feet felt empty! He had been concentrating fully, stepping firmly before putting his center of gravity down, so he wasn't panicked when his left foot suddenly stepped into empty air, and he just leaned back and retreated.

Pushing aside the grass, He Lingchuan discovered that this was a dead end.

Under his feet was a cliff with a drop of seven or eight zhang (twenty-plus meters).

If he had stepped into empty air and rolled down, he wouldn't necessarily lose his life, but he would at least be half-dead.

He Lingchuan sighed long and wiped the grass seeds on his face along with the rain. How did he appear in the middle of nowhere? Having had the experience last time, he wasn't overly surprised.

Any such inexplicable scene switching + memory disconnection was mostly the broken saber playing tricks again.

However, while this guy dragged him into the dream, couldn't he have handed him a saber? Even if it could only cut grass to open a path, it would be good.

Now, where should he go? Two consecutive blue-white flashes of lightning in the sky illuminated the universe and also illuminated He Lingchuan's field of vision.

Only then did he discover that below the cliff was a vast plain, with only a few small hills occasionally, and where he stood, he could already see all the mountains at a glance.

Most importantly, there were people on the plain!

This was a long team, passing almost right under the low cliff where He Lingchuan stood, less than fifteen zhang away from him. From his angle, he couldn't see the end of the team.

It wasn't an army.

There were men and women in the team, mostly civilians from their clothing. The rich could ride in carriages and horses, while ordinary people could only walk forward, supporting each other in the wind and rain.

Most people carried things on their shoulders or in their hands, and the oxen and donkeys were also loaded with household goods. Dogs scurried around at everyone's feet. He Lingchuan also saw an eleven or twelve-year-old girl, holding her mother's hand tightly while hugging the small cat in her arms.

Under the washing of the rain, her small face was pale, making her eyes look even bigger and rounder, filled with confusion and helplessness.

Was this a refugee team? Cavalry often came to patrol, just like there were always soldier ants busy around a marching ant colony.

He Lingchuan was very familiar with the light armor of these cavalrymen; he knew at a glance that it was the Great Wind Army.

The Great Wind Army appeared very early this time.

He Lingchuan considered for more than ten breaths and decided to mix into this team. Otherwise, in the middle of nowhere, where else could he go? Following the Great Wind Army, the team at least had a goal, right?

Most importantly, he had already seen a cavalryman hand his horse to a companion and run to the edge of the cliff, starting to climb up with his hands and feet.

It was so dark, and the grass was so long; He Lingchuan felt it was unlikely he would be discovered, so the only reason for this cavalryman to climb the mountain in the rain was one: he was a scout, and climbing to the highest point to scout and keep watch for the team was his duty.

This also indirectly indicated that there were pursuers behind the team.

He Lingchuan didn't think much more and quietly climbed down the mountain from the other side, clinging to the solid rock.

The torrential rain could cover most of the movement, and everyone had to lower their heads to look at the road in the pitch-black night. Besides, there were many people in the team who would quietly go behind the small hills to solve the trouble of the five grains, and then had to come back, so he easily mixed into the team without encountering any trouble.

In a refugee team, who knew who?

Even the Great Wind Army cavalrymen who occasionally swept past him turned a blind eye to him.

Last time he was discovered as soon as he entered the scene, just because he was alone in a strange land and the locals could see through him at a glance; now he was hiding in the vast ocean of people, bowing his head and being submissive like the civilians, so how could the cavalry have time to spare him a glance? Just like this, He Lingchuan followed the team quietly for more than an hour, even helping people move things halfway, receiving a few words of thanks, and taking the opportunity to fish for information.

The rain on the plain never stopped, and at this time, if you opened your mouth, the cold rain would flow into your mouth. But in exchange for his help, this family explained that they lived by the winery next to the Sui Town in Weicheng.

The male host's surname was Liu, and his daily work was brewing wine in the workshop. Because he was ranked third among his peers in the clan, others simply called him Liu Sanjiu. He took his wife and two children to flee, just because the offensive of the Baling Army this time was particularly fierce, and Weicheng couldn't be held, so everyone had to roll up their bedding and flee for their lives overnight, and many valuables were too late to be packed.

Fortunately, they had only walked for a few hours when the Great Wind Army came to meet them, and everyone felt much more at ease.

So, where were they going? Liu Sanjiu said that if they could walk east to Shadan Pass, they would be safe; that was Panlongcheng's territory.

How much further?

On this plain without any coordinate hints, no one was clear.

Following the team for so long, He Lingchuan felt a little heavy, because he knew that this scene might have also truly happened in history.

Although the Panlong Wasteland was named a wasteland, it was much richer than the desert that came later and could support quite a few cities. He remembered that Weicheng seemed to be several hundred li west of Panlongcheng, with strong soldiers and sufficient grain, and it also held out for nearly twenty years under the enemy's offensive.

What he saw today was probably the scene before Weicheng was broken, which could be considered witnessing history.

The most pitiful thing was that some civilians were not leaving their homes for the first time.

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 89 =====