Chapter 103: Repeated Elbow Strikes to the Dao Heart

I know you don't believe me! You might even think I'm being mysterious—otherwise I'll take you down the mountain to Jiangcheng to have a look. Jiang Jinshi finally looked at Wei Xikang, his eyes mingling with undisguised provocation.

Fine! Wei Xikang agreed without hesitation; his original purpose was to come to Jiangcheng to see the subjects of the Da Qian dynasty, but he hadn't expected such an incident on the way.

Now that the bandit chief voluntarily proposed it, he had no reason to refuse, and he could also find out exactly what the other side was plotting!

As before, Xiao Hu followed, shouldering the Ghost Head Knife, while Jiang Jinshi and Wei Xikang walked side by side on the road to Jiangcheng.

Although Jiang Jinshi hadn't returned here since his raid on Jiangcheng, Wang Hou had arranged people to keep watch in Jiangcheng, so news about Jiangcheng would occasionally come through.

After Jiang Jinshi's raid on Jiangcheng, these refugees had been living a few days of good life; aside from a small greedy minority who were killed on the spot by the city guards, most received some grain.

Of course, this only lasted a few days; instead, as word spread, many refugees even took detours to reach Jiangcheng, just to seek a means of survival here.

This resulted in the number of refugees outside Jiangcheng being several times greater than before, although the Xiongnu's sack of the city also contributed.

At first Jiang Jinshi and Wei Xikang could still chat a few words, but the closer they got to Jiangcheng, the more silent they became.

As the number of refugees increased, Jiang Jinshi's attire inevitably attracted their crowding.

Sir, please! I haven't eaten for three days.

Just give me a meal, and I'll do anything!

I can go without food, but I beg you, noble one, to give my child a bite to eat!

The crowd murmured and surged, enclosing the three in an impenetrable mass; the various sounds made it hard for Jiang Jinshi to hear clearly.

Of course, not everyone was pleading like that; a few bold ones held polished stone shards in their hands, mixing into the crowd and slowly approaching Jiang Jinshi.

Without waiting for Jiang Jinshi to speak, Xiao Hu stepped forward, hoisted a youth as a weapon, and hurled him at the crowd.

Then he shouldered the Ghost Head Knife and stood beside Jiang Jinshi, after which the crowd of refugees dared not advance further.

This instead provoked Wei Xikang, who angrily interjected: "What are you doing? If they want money and you won't give it, why resort to violence?"

Jiang Jinshi truly didn't know where such a naive child came from; he could only use facts to make him see the truth.

Do you think I'm heartless?

Wei Xikang didn't reply, but from his expression it was clear he thought so.

Jiang Jinshi took out a piece of broken silver from his bosom and placed it before Wei Xikang.

You want to help them, don't you? I'll give you this silver—you decide what to do with it.

Wei Xikang received the broken silver; it might be the smallest piece of silver he had ever handled since birth.

He thought Jiang Jinshi just wanted to see whom he would give the silver to, which wasn't difficult for him.

Gripping the silver, he walked to the woman who had just said, "Give my child a bite to eat," and extended the silver in his hand.

Take it and buy something for the child to eat!

Jiang Jinshi watched the scene with a strange expression, but did not prepare to speak up and warn.

Thank you! Thank you, noble one!

The woman took the silver and was about to walk off holding her child, when in the next moment a crowd surged forward.

Some went to snatch the silver from the woman's hand, while others surrounded Wei Xikang in several circles, pulling at his clothes, tearing at his pants, each lamenting more bitterly than the last.

My three children have starved to death, leaving only a lone sprout; please, noble one, give me some silver too!

Have pity on me! I've been pregnant for several months, my husband died a month ago, and I'm alone……

Wei Xikang had never encountered such a situation; for a moment he didn't know how to handle it, so he could only try to soothe the refugees with words.

Don't panic, everyone! The government will surely provide disaster relief……

Unfortunately, he hadn't finished speaking when, in the next instant, a punch struck his face.

Before he could even see who had struck him, a crowd swarmed over, knocked him to the ground, and searched everywhere he might have hidden silver, even rifling through his undergarments with several pairs of hands.

Xiao Hu, save him—he can't die! Jiang Jinshi watched everything calmly, as if nothing that happened could surprise him.

Having received the order, Xiao Hu rushed forward, lifted everyone pressing on Wei Xikang and flung them aside until he rescued him.

Wei Xikang's appearance now was a sorry sight; his clothes and pants had been torn off, leaving only his undergarments to cover his last shred of dignity.

Meanwhile, the woman also perished in the scramble; with so many people involved, no one knew who struck her, and even the silver fragments' whereabouts were unknown.

Gazing at the dead woman, Wei Xikang could no longer maintain his former composure; the tremor in his pupils voiced his inner unrest.

Jiang Jinshi walked up to the woman's corpse and gazed at the swaddling cloth lying on the ground.

Wei Xikang hurriedly said, "Right, let's see if the child is all right!"

As he spoke, he hastily reached over to check, but the result shocked him even more.

This child had already been dead!

Jiang Jinshi explained, "With so many people pressed together, the child in her arms didn't cry or fuss—no matter how you look, it doesn't seem alive."

So…… Wei Xikang's words trailed off, or perhaps he simply didn't know what to say at that moment, feeling his throat blocked and even his breathing a little difficult.

Don't blame yourself either; this child might not even be hers. Jiang Jinshi gave him a rare word of comfort.

What do you mean by that?

Come with me! Jiang Jinshi turned and led the way, Xiao Hu following behind, while the surrounding refugees even dared not look at the two of them.

Wei Xikang followed Jiang Jinshi to a dense thicket where the stench made him feel physically nauseous.

Jiang Jinshi covered his nose and mouth, gesturing for Wei Xikang to go have a look himself.

Wei Xikang stepped forward two paces, then immediately ran to the side and vomited, continuing until he had emptied his stomach before stopping.

Looking at Wei Xikang's pallid face, Jiang Jinshi said, "That child might have been picked up here just to garner others' sympathy."

Wei Xikang couldn't utter a word; the scene kept replaying in his mind, making him want to retch just opening his mouth.

Is all this really the work of us mountain bandits? Do you know what I saw when I flung open the granary doors of Liu County Magistrate? Jiang Jinshi lifted his foot and walked toward the distance; the smell here was truly unbearable for him.

What? Wei Xikang replied, suppressing his urge to vomit.

It was full of grain, nothing but grain—I couldn't haul it all away even with thirty donkey carts! By the time I left, I still couldn't see the bottom. Jiang Jinshi suddenly stopped, his face solemn, and continued.

I'm telling you this not for any other reason, but to let you know: it's not that the people of Yangguangzhai want to become bandits; rather, if they don't become bandits…… they just wait to die.