Chapter 32: Not In Vain, The Person I Took A Fancy To

Although I want to take in more newcomers, it is better to inform them of some things in advance.

Wen Gu said to them, "I drew a rough route map yesterday; it is very likely that we will not be on the same path as the team led by the County Magistrate of Tan. The journey is perilous, so please consider it carefully!"

Wen Gu placed emphasis on "perilous journey" and "consider carefully."

Upon hearing this, He Da and Yu Er were stunned.

They had originally truly intended to catch up with the main force.

The County Magistrate of Tan was leading so many people, so their speed certainly would not be fast. As for Wen Gu's side, there were only a few people; when they increased their speed, it would surely be much faster, so catching up should be possible, right? Moreover, the places the main force passed through had those evil things slaughtered, making it safer.

But now that Wen Gu had informed them they were not on the same path, they felt a bit of hesitation in their hearts.

He Da and Yu Er discussed it in low voices.

Yu Er: "Actually, it is fine if we are not on the same path."

With a team of so many people passing through, everything along the way would be scavenged, and perhaps even the ground would have been scraped clean; if they followed behind, finding any food would be impossible.

Perhaps a lot of trash would be left behind, and the water sources might not even be clean.

Without firewood and food supplies, it would be even harder.

The weather was getting colder and colder, and the threat of those evil things outside had also greatly decreased; nowadays, the most important things for traveling were food, water, and firewood.

A moment later, the two told Wen Gu their decision—

It did not matter if they were not on the same path; they would just follow Wen Gu north. They would also contribute on the road and protect Wen Gu; they only hoped that when they reached the destination, Wen Gu could settle them in.

Both sides reached an agreement, and He Da and Yu Er also needed to take action immediately; the city was unstable now, and delays would lead to changes.

The longer it dragged on, the easier it was to cause trouble.

Wen Gu said, "We will wait here for one more day, and we will set off early tomorrow morning."

"Many thanks!"

The two turned and left, and soon went their separate ways.

They each had their own preparations to make anyway.

Yu Er bypassed a patch of woods and arrived behind a hill. There was a hollow there, with a small, low shack built from withered grass and bamboo. Two young people were already waiting nearby.

These were two of Yu Er's friends from outside the city, both seventeen or eighteen years old.

The two looked somewhat alike and appeared to be brothers, but one of them was actually a girl dressed as a boy; they were twin siblings.

Because their looks were too delicate, they had been pestered by a folk force in the city and had been hiding outside the city for the past half month.

"How is it?" Yu Er walked over quickly.

"Done! We even smoked it with smoke last night."

The two used wooden sticks to push aside a patch of withered grass, revealing the two-wheeled wooden board cart hidden underneath.

On the cart were already an iron pot, two knives with some notches, a bow, and a quiver of arrows. There were also other miscellaneous items used in daily life.

These were all things they had secretly saved up before.

Before, they had thought about finding a chance to sneak these things into the city, but now, leaving them outside just happened to save the trouble.

Yu Er showed a look of joy.

In the County Town and the surrounding villages and towns, most of the original means of transport had been taken away by the County Magistrate of Tan, and the remaining small portion was controlled by those gangs in the city; wanting to get one and hide it was truly not easy.

Besides these things on the cart, his family still had to bring quite a few items, so this wooden board cart would be of great use! His young niece could also sit on it.

"Alright, you guys get ready too, we set off early tomorrow morning! At that time, be on guard against He Da; he and his fox friends are very cunning, and they might take advantage of us."

Having secured the transport, Yu Er carried a small bundle of firewood he had prepared long ago into the city; he did not mind being extorted for two more sticks of firewood by the people guarding the city gate.

He had more urgent matters to attend to.

The one surnamed He had too many schemes, so he had to add more security for his own side. His own brother and sister-in-law were simple-minded, his niece was too young, and his two friends had average combat power...

Today, the scholar surnamed Wen mentioned hiring guards, which made him think of a few more people.

It was just that in this matter, he had to choose carefully; they needed to have a certain amount of combat power, have a good relationship with his family, and be able to keep their mouths shut...

Thinking this way, after Yu Er returned to the city, he did not go home immediately but went to another street.

It was an ordinary courtyard, and the outer wall was still intact, indicating that someone lived here and that they were able to protect their own courtyard wall.

The door was not closed tightly, and it opened with a push.

Yu Er did not knock; he just entered quickly after pushing the door, closed it again, and then lowered his voice to call toward the house: "Wu Shu, are you there?"

A sound of slapping came from inside.

Yu Er walked inside, observing his surroundings.

Wu Shu shared the same surname as them; perhaps they were of the same family hundreds of years ago, but now there was no close blood relationship. They knew each other because Wu Shu used to be a guard at their house.

Wu Shu did not look burly, but he was thin yet not weak; when he was young, he accumulated family wealth by carrying goods and selling his strength, and later he worked as a guard for their family.

The last time he came, this small courtyard was well-managed and lively, with old people, children, and the scolding of a woman.

Now that he had come over, the small courtyard was already empty; the dirt and debris left recently had not been cleaned up, and a smell of blood wafted from the house.

Yu Er did not go inside; he stood at the doorway.

The light in the house was dim, and Yu Er took half a step inside before he could barely see clearly.

A thin, tall figure was leaning against the wall, sitting in a pile of debris; there was a wound on the exposed arm that was bleeding. Some of the blood dripping on the ground had already dried. He did not know how long he had been sitting there.

Seeing this, Yu Er quietly took half a step back and said, "Wu Shu, the County Magistrate of Tan said that if you are injured, you must bandage it in time, otherwise it is easy to get infected with Evil Qi."

The person sitting there had a hoarse voice; he just smiled without any other reaction. The whole person carried a kind of decadent "if I die, I die, whatever" attitude.

Yu Er could understand Wu Shu's current mood.

He had asked around; half a month ago, Wu Shu made a deal with the leader of one of the folk forces—Wu Shu would stay in the city as a thug until they took East Third Street, in exchange for some food and supplies for his wife, children, and parents.

On the day the team organized by the County Magistrate of Tan left the city, Wu Shu sent his relatives into the northward team and really came back to be a thug.

Yu Er said, "I heard that yesterday, East Third Street was already taken by you all."

There was no response from over there.

Yu Er did not mind; he looked around, lowered his voice, and said, "Wu Shu, do you want to head north?"

The man sitting there suddenly raised his head: "Can we head north?!"

"There is a passing group. I just went out of the County Town to scout it out; it is a small group, not many people, but they look like people of status, and there is even a County Lieutenant.

"However, that scholar is easier to talk to; he has relatives in the north who are military officers, so we should be able to get settled once we go over. Although it might not be the same place that County Magistrate Tan and the others are going to, as long as we can get settled, Wu Shu, you will have a chance to see your wife and the others again in the future."

Yu Er's voice was not loud, but it was enough for the other person to hear clearly.

"Really?" Wu Shu's hoarse voice gained some strength.

"Meet outside the city at daybreak tomorrow. Don't let anyone know. Also, treat your wound first."

Yu Er did not stay long.

If Wu Shu had already been infected with Evil Qi, then that was fate!

After Yu Er left, the middle-aged man sitting there finally reacted, abruptly stood up to go wash his wound, then suddenly remembered the words County Magistrate Tan had urged the people with while he was still there, so he first used a clean cloth to wipe the wound and wrapped it up. He then spent a great deal of effort to light a fire to boil water, and after it was hot, he did not even wait for it to cool, took a cloth towel to clean the wound, and winced in pain.

But his whole person had spirit.

He had missed his family terribly during this time, so he had been holding his breath to fulfill the promise he made, and then return home to live or die on his own.

He had not expected to suddenly see hope, so he could not collapse at this time!

Heading north!

Yu Er was right; as long as they went north, as long as they could get settled, there might be a chance to see his parents, wife, and children in the future!

After coming out of Wu Shu's house, Yu Er went to find a few more people.

Only, upon probing, he discovered that these people were unreliable; their characters had all changed. He did not know if they had been brainwashed by those few civilian factions, as they were all thinking about watching the wealthy families and powerful clans passing from south to north during the period from late autumn to early spring.

Last year, many wealthy families moved north. County Magistrate Tan had traded grain and medicinal materials with people; he did not know the process, only heard that the trade was very fast. Everyone felt it should be quite simple, and after thinking it over, they only had a few methods—

If the other party had few people, they would directly swallow the supplies. If the other party had many people, then they would treat them with courtesy and earn a profit. Now, the County Town was their territory!

Seeing this, Yu Er did not say much to those few, dealt with them for a few sentences, and immediately went home to notify his brother and sister-in-law to pack their things and run away tomorrow morning.

They did not have grain in their hands now, but they could use the remaining items in the house to trade. Anything they could not take could be taken out to trade; if they could not trade for grain, they would trade for other items needed for the journey.

It just had to be done covertly and in a dispersed manner.

Several large water vats were all taken out to trade with people for food.

Ordinary residents certainly did not have many things in their hands, but the members of those few civilian factions had a bit of stock.

It was just that the prices were heavily suppressed.

Those people perhaps still harbored a bit of a coercive mindset: So what if you are a blacksmith? You still have to come to me and act humble to trade for a bite to eat!

Yu Er did not necessarily show his face himself; he would find someone to act on his behalf, which required paying a middleman fee, but it was safer this way.

They did not dare to sleep at night, worried that those factions in the city would come looking for them.

Those people certainly did not want the blacksmith Yu to leave.

The whole family gathered together at night, not daring to light a candle.

About to leave immediately, their moods were all quite subtle, with more worry and confusion about the future.

Yu Er did not have so many sentimental emotions and comforted them: "Big Brother, the scholar surnamed Wen has a flexible mind but a soft heart; when the time comes, if we have any trouble, we can just go and ask him. There are also children in their group, not very old, so our Xiao Cai can have playmates."

Blacksmith Yu and his wife heard this and worried again: "In this world, having too soft a heart is not a good thing."

Yu Er immediately said: "Isn't there also that County Lieutenant Zhou? He looks like someone with a hard heart!"

On the other side.

After He Da parted ways with Yu Er outside the city, he took a detour to another place.

There were three people hiding there.

Of these three, two were from the same Village as He Da, and the other was someone he met later in the County Town.

They were the ones who usually helped He Da smuggle supplies.

They were willing to do things for He Da; as long as they did the tasks He Da entrusted to them well, they could get their share of the reward and divide some food. Although it was not much, it was enough not to starve to death.

They also did not dare to be slippery; He Da was even more slippery, had methods, and was ruthless enough.

In the past, a rascal in the neighboring Village caused trouble for He Jia Er Mei, and within a few days, that rascal disappeared without a trace; it was said that he had offended a noble in the county and was killed by the government runners.

After the world became chaotic and everyone moved to the County Town, He Xiaodi also encountered trouble, which was also resolved not long after.

Behind all this was He Da's shadow.

Therefore, they had respect and fear for He Da.

At this time, the three loyal followers were showing He Da their results.

Not far away, a Water Buffalo was grazing.

As early as a month ago, when County Magistrate Tan was making preparations for the evacuation, they had secretly obtained a Water Buffalo; He Da planned it, and they executed it.

Horses, cattle, donkeys, and mules were all watched by people from the yamen; cattle included Water Buffalo and Yellow Cattle, but Water Buffalo liked to soak in water when the weather was hot, so the people in charge inevitably had fears and negligence, which made it more convenient for them to take action.

"Big Brother Big Mountain..."

"Don't call me Big Mountain in the future; call me 'Da Qiu'. Da Qiu is my formal name. Anyway, it means the same thing." He Da said.

"Why change your name? Big Mountain sounds so good." One of them was confused.

He Da thought to himself that that County Lieutenant Zhou seemed to be named something like Shan, so he could not have a name collision. But he said: "What do you know? I am taking a name after the sages; I have the protection of the sages!"

"Oh, oh! So that's how it is! This name is auspicious!"

The three praised him repeatedly.

"Then, Brother Daqiu, the cow has been brought over; it is cold now, so it hasn't soaked in water during this time."

"Today I specially boiled water to scrub it!"

"I secretly obtained some fine feed; livestock must eat this to have the strength to do heavy work!"

The three showed off their contributions.

"Not bad, not bad, well done! 'Zhugan'er', go get some more fine feed tonight. That group has been fighting fiercely these two days, and there are few people guarding the warehouse." He Da said.

"No problem, Big... Brother Qiu, there are actually people every day at the livestock feed storage monitoring that, what's it called, stealing things—stealing it back to eat at home!"

"Pilfering!" He Da said proudly. He had learned quite a few elegant words while chatting with his younger brother.

As for the livestock feed, they didn't consider it lowly; nowadays, everyone was short on food and nearly starving to death, so as long as it was edible, never mind what animal it was meant for, they would pry it back to support their own little household.

They hadn't managed to get a Wooden Board Cart, but with this Water Buffalo, He Da was already very satisfied.

The Water Buffalo could carry their bundles, and his younger brother, being physically frail, could also ride on the buffalo.

"When the time comes, we must be on guard against the people on Yu Er's side; don't let them take advantage and tire out our buffalo!"

Returning to the County Town, He Da tested the attitudes of the others living in the same residential compound. Not one of them wanted to leave.

Those who wanted to leave had already run off with the County Magistrate half a month ago; those who remained were quite happy to occupy a few more rooms.

He Da sneered in his heart; they were all people of short-sighted vision!

Not like me, I already have a direction—no, I have an ambition! I already have a loftier life goal!

This small place cannot trap me!

Actually, half a month ago, He Da had no intention of leaving. He had no other skills, this was the place he was familiar with, his connections and network were all here, and if he wanted to do anything, he could manage it by using his brain.

When the County Magistrate left, he had hesitated, but still didn't have the guts to leave. Originally just a lowly life, leaving his hometown would only make him even lower.

Who could have imagined that in half a month, the city would become this chaotic.

Nowadays, the city might be even more dangerous; if he wanted to choose a path to survive and have a better future, he really had to leave.

When sleeping at night, He Da couldn't sleep, his heart full of worries.

About to leave his hometown, he was indeed quite reluctant, and also anxious and bewildered. After calming down a bit, he thought of those few words from Wen Gu.

He didn't remember all of Wen Gu's words, but he remembered one sentence, "Traveling alone is fast, traveling together goes far," and told it to his younger brother.

There was another sentence, which was about making it big and returning home in glory, repairing the graves for his father, mother, and second sister, changing them into luxurious coffins, and burning more offerings so they could live better in the afterlife.

The more he thought, the deeper his emotions became, and he cried his eyes out.

"Little brother, the two of us, one literary and one martial, must make it big in Beidi!"

The younger brother, He Xiaodi, who also couldn't sleep, had tears shining in his eyes and said heavily, "Definitely!"

He Da thought again of the "karmic reward" Wen Gu spoke of.

A scholar who believed in karmic rewards—in the past, He Da would have mocked the other's naivety.

Having long mingled in the marketplace, he had heard too much of the evil of human nature. How many people who eliminated violence and brought peace had no good end, while those bullies who oppressed the common people lived good lives. If it could make his own family live well, He Da was willing to be a bully!

But nowadays, only someone like Wen Scholar, who still harbored a heart of benevolence and believed in karmic rewards, would be more accepting of people like them with humble status in such a world.

"Wen Scholar really is a good person; if the world weren't in chaos, he would definitely be able to pass the imperial examinations and become a great official! A good official!"

All of He Xiaodi's understanding of Wen Gu came from He Da's analysis. Although he hadn't met Wen Gu in person yet, he had already formed a deeply positive impression and agreed with a nod.

He Da felt even more that his choice was correct.

For village folk like them without a background, or street urchins from the bottom of the County Town like him, did making a name for oneself depend on who was smarter or better at handling things?

No!

It was about whether you followed the right person!

Right now, compared to this bunch of idiots in the city, following Wen Gu north was more reliable.

The next day, the sky was only just beginning to brighten, and the city gates were already open.

At this time, the temperature was low, and many people took advantage of this time to go out and cut firewood; having lived here for many years, they knew the roads so well they could walk them with their eyes closed. After walking for a while, the sky would be bright.

He Da and Yu Er's side had long been prepared, dispersing to leave the city, having taken care of what needed to be taken care of in advance.

Wen Gu waited by the shed, listening to the falcon cries coming from the sky, and looked ahead.

Before long, one figure after another appeared.

There were familiar ones and unfamiliar ones; it looked like there were about a dozen of them.

However, the most eye-catching things were still the Wooden Board Cart and the Water Buffalo.

Meeting after leaving the city, the two sides that had originally been on guard against each other: "..."

He Da looked at the other side's Wooden Board Cart.

Yu Er stared at the other side's Water Buffalo.

The atmosphere was subtle, each with their own thoughts.

Wen Gu looked at them, his gaze clear and sincere.

As expected of the people I have taken a fancy to!

What powerful subjective initiative!

(End of this chapter)