Chapter 138: Refugees

Compared to the South, the original population density of Beidi was not high, and many prefectures and counties were vast and sparsely populated.

In less than three years, uninhabited towns have fallen into disrepair, and villages have turned into ruins.

Weeds and newly grown trees are constantly devouring the traces of human life.

The scorching sun hangs high, and the air carries a hint of heat.

One figure after another walks across the wilderness with strange gaits.

Their bodies are covered in stains, and the cloth, its original color no longer discernible, has long since become tattered and ragged, swaying as they move forward.

Experienced survivors could tell how long they have been in this state by the color of their clothing and skin.

Roars and gasps like those of wild beasts emerge from their mutated teeth, carrying a putrid, bloody stench.

These are the Plague Ghosts and evil things that people fear and dread.

As the temperature rises, more and more Plague Ghosts follow the scent of food, stepping into the northern lands that were once sealed by the bitter winter.

When their numbers in a certain area grow, quantitative change leads to qualitative change.

Thereafter, the group tends toward uniformity, exhibiting a collective behavioral pattern. It is as if countless parts have combined into a massive monster.

Their olfactory perception becomes more powerful and more greedy. They capture the faint scents in the air to seek out prey further away that can better satisfy their appetite, ultimately locking onto a target.

The gathered Plague Ghosts surge toward their prey like a tide.

The Ghost Tide does not always maintain high speed. When they first gather, it is actually quite slow; they are in a walking state.

At first, the speed is not very fast; they are merely tracking, not yet in a hunting state.

The gathered Ghost Tide passes through a forest, startling countless birds and beasts.

Ahead, survivors who are chopping wood, hunting, or on the road as refugees realize what is happening after seeing this, and then flee for their lives!

Those who truly cannot escape find a place to hide.

If they cannot even find a place to hide, there is only one outcome—regardless of whether one is a noble of royal blood or a commoner of humble roots, the end is "equality for all living beings."

The closer the gathered Ghost Tide gets to the "prey," and the stronger the scent of "food" they smell, the faster their speed becomes.

By the time they reach the location of Li Mountain, not far from Shuo City, their speed gradually increases.

A small team of refugees heading north is also struggling to flee for their lives at this moment.

They are just residents from an ordinary Town in the South; in these chaotic times, they could not obtain accurate information and were lost and helpless for a long time.

Only then did they finally obtain vague news from a large group of wealthy people heading north.

They set off last winter; it has been half a year, and the people on the road have become fewer and fewer, and more and more confused. They have even regretted countless times that it would have been better to just stay in their hometown and wait for death!

Now they can only die in a foreign land, unable to return to their roots. If it were not for a tiny bit of belief supporting them in their hearts, they would have given up long ago.

The young man leading the group has fallen ill and is being carried by a companion. The once strong man is now completely emaciated.

The young man being carried lifts his head and looks forward with great effort.

The terrain here is not flat; it rises and falls, affecting his field of vision.

They do not have a map of Beidi and are just fleeing based on a general direction. They kept thinking that once they reached Beidi, they would always be able to judge their location based on the traces of human life.

But only when they truly arrived in Beidi did they realize that it is vast and sparsely populated, and coupled with long-term abandonment, one might walk a long way without seeing recognizable houses or fields, and even the official roads might be covered by vegetation.

The young man turns his head to look behind him again.

The team only has six scattered people left; adding him, there are only seven.

When they set off last year, there were several dozen people!

Now, the remaining seven might all perish here.

"Put me down, you all run; run as far as you can!" the young man says.

The person carrying him walks with head bowed for a good while before saying, "I don't know where to go either. At worst, we'll all die together!"

The others only mumble vaguely to save energy, too thirsty to make a sound, or perhaps they have fallen into a state of numbness.

They can continue to walk forward mechanically like this, and it wouldn't matter if they died on the spot.

Fleeing as refugees until now, to be honest, they have already lost hope.

Even those who consider themselves very smart only realize how insignificant their own abilities are once they truly start fleeing!

A person nearby touches the dagger carried on his body. The heavier weapons were thrown away one after another just now; what remains in his hand is a wooden staff to assist in walking.

He takes out the dagger and looks around, wanting to find a decent place so everyone can just end it together.

The glaring sun makes him squint his eyes.

Should he find a higher place? Or find a shady place, so it can be cooler faster—

Wait!

He raises his hand to shield himself from the scorching sun above, opens his eyes slightly wider, and stares fixedly at a spot ahead.

"That—that place!"

His hoarse voice is somewhat slurred; his companions think he has found a place to "lie down," and they smile bleakly as they look over.

"

?!!

The small team instantly enters a state of silent agitation.

The young man being carried has seen more; he stares fixedly at the building standing on the ground ahead.

"—Wubao? A Beidi Wubao?"

Suddenly, he has strength!

They speed up and move forward.

They don't know what that place is; if they can hide, they can try to hide, and if they can't, just "lying down" directly in that place is fine too!

Anyway, it couldn't be worse than it is now; they will try with their last breath!

As they continue to approach, the few people become even more agitated.

Only when they got closer did they realize this building was much taller than they had imagined!

It just looked a bit strange; as a whole, it was cylindrical, with no windows opened at the bottom, and the windows opened at the top were small.

One of the young men with cracked lips shouted excitedly: "There are people standing on top!"

It was pure, desperate ecstasy.

"Help!"

He roared with a hoarse voice, waving his hands vigorously toward the top.

If the other party could open the door and let them take refuge, they would be willing to stay and work for them! It would be much more decent than staying outside and being eaten by those monsters!

The roof of the post station.

Cheng Xu watched the people below with an expressionless face.

He had seen these few people through the Telescope long ago; with his keen eye as the "former second-in-command of the Patrol Guard Division," he had basically analyzed their origins and current predicament.

A personal soldier saw the situation below: "Coming from the south?"

Cheng Xu spoke up: "Let them in, keep a close eye on them."

It was not a sudden burst of kindness. Having once been a Deputy Envoy of the Patrol Guard Division, he possessed absolutely no such thing as "kindness"!

And even less so now!

It was because he was wondering if he could learn more useful information. These people clearly looked like they had been fleeing for a long time, and the information they brought would help in understanding the situation in the south.

Of course, one also had to be on guard. What if these people were possessed?

Cheng Xu instructed: "At the slightest sign of trouble, kill!"

Han Lian, whose injuries and illnesses had not yet healed, was carried by his companions as he approached the building.

Able to become the leader of this group, his insight was greater than his companions', and his mind was more agile. Although he was excited at this moment, he was also observing the building in front and the people above.

He often delivered goods to teahouses and had come into contact with many people and heard many things; he knew that long ago, wealthy families built Wubao to protect themselves. Later, the imperial court forbade their construction, but some places in the north still retained them.

This was definitely a Wubao of the Beidi!

It looked very secure!

He had originally thought that a wealthy family capable of building such a Wubao would surely be on guard against suspicious people like them, and no matter how loudly they cried out, the other party might not open the door.

Just as Han Lian was thinking about how to trade for a glimmer of survival for himself and his companions, unexpectedly, the sound of heavy door panels opening with a *click-clack* came from the front.

The door was on the other side; they walked around and saw the opened gate.

Without time to think, the instinct for survival made the group exert force under their feet again, running in quickly—and then they faced a group of people holding long blades and long spears.

They were dressed in armor, their faces half-covered, and they all primarily used long weapons; the blades pointed at them glinted with a sharp light, looking like people not to be trifled with.

Being pointed at by weapons, Han Lian and the others obediently followed the other party's requirements, walking along the inner wall to a place enclosed by a fence.

Understood, a quarantine zone.

Han Lian's gaze swept cautiously over the people here, his mind analyzing rapidly.

Standardized, specialized bladed weapons and armor, everyone orderly and disciplined; they did not look like ordinary mountain bandits, nor did they look like the equipment of a typical wealthy family, but rather more like people from the Beidi military, trained in group combat!

Seeing this, he was not afraid, but instead even more excited.

What did this mean?

They had come to the right place!!

Han Lian let his companions put him down, stood with difficulty, and was about to cup his hands in salute toward a person not far away who looked like a minor leader, intending to introduce himself and express his gratitude.

Before he could even finish his starting gesture, his legs went soft, and he collapsed.

The soldier who was pointing his blade at the other party:

"————"

Feeling the sharp gaze from the post station master above, the soldier's hand holding the blade trembled; he was more panicked inside than these refugees.

Boss, listen to my explanation!

It wasn't me!

I didn't do it!

He fell down on his own!

The soldier defended himself loudly: "He collapsed from exhaustion!"

Han Lian's companion begged with a hoarse voice: "May we————"

A water canteen was thrown over.

It was not one of those stingy little water bags, but a Bamboo Tube canteen filled with water, with quite a large capacity; it even hurt a little when it hit him.

Would you complain about pain if gold hit you?

At a time like this, water was more precious than gold!

How could he feel pain?!

The person who helped Han Lian up snatched the canteen first. It was not out of selfishness, but to be cautious and test a sip himself first.

After just one small sip, his eyes seemed to burst with light.

He endured his thirst, handed the canteen to Han Lian's mouth, and whispered: "Clean water!"

Having survived all the way here, they could accurately judge whether water was clean or not.

Only after truly fleeing for one's life did one know how difficult clean water was to come by!

What kind of background did these people have? So wealthy!

They had fled to this place, and there were no streams or lakes in the vast surrounding area, nor could they find any water wells; even if they found one, it was a derelict well, which showed how precious water sources were! Obtaining clean water was even harder!

Han Lian, being fed water by his companion, finally recovered. He had never felt that clean water tasted so good!

At this very moment, a myriad of thoughts filled his heart.

The water he had just drunk turned into tears, sliding down from the corners of his eyes.

I am staying here!

I'm staying for good!

Not only am I staying here myself, but I'm also going to bring my whole family from the south over here!

Don't even think about driving me away!