How many people went after this world? Chang'an didn't care, nor did she want to know. Wasn't she and Old Gu Six told to just muddle through life and not get involved? So they would just muddle through and live their own days.
They didn't rush on the road, walking and stopping, looking for a suitable place to live. Although they were going to the northern lands, there was no need to go all the way north, right? Somewhere partway would be fine.
As the sun set in the west, they passed by a small village. The village was tiny, with only a dozen or so households visible. The wooden thatched huts were dilapidated, and there was no sign of life in the village, so it must have been an abandoned one.
Old Gu Six went down to scout the path, entering the village to investigate. The houses were full of dust, with straw all over the floors, and the roofs had holes. Almost every house was in this state.
The people of this village must have left a long time ago, turning it into a deserted village.
However, it was better than sleeping outdoors, so Old Gu Six stood in the village and waved towards the highway opposite, waiting for someone to see him and drive the cart into the village.
But the mules and donkeys refused to move forward once they reached the village entrance, no matter how much they were whipped and pulled.
Chang'an thought of the stories of animals predicting disasters, and she looked seriously towards the village ahead. After a while, she said, "Chang Le, don't force the mules. We're not going in."
Then Yang Sheng called out to Old Gu Six, "Dad, come out, we're not staying in the village tonight."
Being a treasured daughter's dad who trusted her unconditionally, Old Gu Six promptly left the village without hesitation. He had also noticed the mules' abnormal behavior, and for whatever reason, it was better for them to sleep outdoors tonight.
When Old Gu Six returned, the group turned around and left. They didn't even need to drive the mules, as they bolted on their own, not stopping until they had run five miles away.
Old Gu Six thought about it and decided not to rest there. He led everyone another ten miles before stopping.
Night had fallen completely. Ever since the cold disaster, the originally moonless night sky now had moonlight and twinkling stars, no longer pitch black.
"Alright, this wide open area will do. We'll rest here for the night."
Old Gu Six had chosen an open area, far from the mountains, surrounded by fields.
It was like they had entered another world. The flowers, grass, and trees here were lush and vibrant, the green rice paddies flickering with fireflies in the moonlight, striving to radiate their own unique light.
The starry sky, rice paddies, and fireflies - these were sights Chang'an had never seen in her previous life. The marvelous animations had come to life, beautiful and dreamlike.
Chang'an's large eyes were filled with wonder, and she wished her future home would also have such beautiful nights.
While they appreciated the night scenery here, those who had already reached the capital were not faring so well.
The capital's city gates were tightly shut, with no one allowed in or out. The disaster victims were completely ignored, and when they went to villages in the suburbs, they were driven away.
In the dead of night, the tightly closed city gates suddenly opened, and officials holding torches rode out on tall warhorses.
Upon seeing this, Yu San's eyelids twitched, and he had a bad feeling. He promptly decided to quietly move back with his wife and children, abandoning their donkey cart and taking only half a bag of old rice and a clay pot.
When he reached Doctor Ren, he whispered, "Leave, quickly."
Doctor Ren didn't ask any more questions. Yu San was a clever one, and following him was the right choice. He put his luggage on his back and tightly held his old wife's hand, crouching and slowly retreating through the crowd with Yu San.
There were tens of thousands of disaster victims at the city gates, and they all thought the officials were coming out to provide them with shelter. Everyone surged forward, their eyes filled with joy as they looked ahead. Only a few noticed their abnormal behavior.
After retreating to the back of the crowd, they took advantage of the night and the crowd's cover to quickly move towards the nearby mountains.
Not only the five of them were alert. Some others also left the crowd and entered the mountains.
Those who entered the mountains didn't dare stop to watch the commotion. They didn't even dare look back, using the dappled moonlight to head in another direction - the downhill path towards the villages in the suburbs.
They dared not hide deeper in the mountains, lest they be caught by the officials or torn apart by ferocious beasts.
Yu San's instincts were spot on. As soon as they entered the woods, torches were lit on the city walls, and a row of soldiers with bows and arrows took aim at the disaster victims below. The officials who had come out, along with their soldiers, bound all the able-bodied men, young and old, among the disaster victims.
Only then did the disaster victims realize that these officials were not there to provide shelter. Some tried to make a commotion or escape, but the archers on the city walls rained arrows down on them.
Cries filled the area outside the city gates. Those who tried to flee into the woods were caught by the pursuing officials and beheaded.
After more than half of the disaster victims were killed or injured, the rain of arrows from the city walls finally stopped. The disaster victims huddled on the ground, trembling and covering their heads with their hands. Women clung to their children, weeping tears of blood. Children who had lost their parents sat on the blood-soaked earth, wailing loudly.
"Mother, mother."
Beautiful young women were captured by the officials and taken away on horseback. When their husbands chased after the horses, pleading for their release, the officials slashed them in half with their blades.
The officials led away the bound men, and the lead official raised his sword and shouted, "It is your honor to swear allegiance to the Rong King! Anyone who dares disobey will be killed!!"
"Move out!"
Only the weak women and children were left outside the city gates, their eyes filled with despair as they cried out in anguish that shook the heavens.
Even after running far away, Yu San and the others could still faintly hear those miserable and despairing cries. They wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads with their sleeves.
They came to the edge of the village but didn't immediately descend the mountain, afraid of encountering the officials as soon as they went down, rendering their efforts futile.
They went hungry on the mountain, hiding for an entire day. Only at deep night, when all was quiet, did they quietly descend the mountain, passing by the side of the village without making a sound.
After descending the mountain, they didn't dare stop to rest. Even though they were hungry after a day, they could only endure it, as they had not yet left the dangerous area and couldn't linger for a moment.
After walking all night, they still hadn't left the capital's territory, and everyone looked exhausted.
"Keep going, keep going. We're heading north, and we'll be out of the capital's territory soon," Yu San encouraged everyone while panting heavily, carrying the food supplies and holding Little Ya's hand.
The Rong King's territory was in Zhizhou Prefecture, part of the Jiangnan region. As long as they didn't go south, they wouldn't encounter those officials.
It wasn't until noon that they finally left the capital's territory. Only then did they dare stop, as a clear stream lay ahead. The group of over twenty people, whether acquainted or not, set up fires by the stream to cook.
Little Ya simply collapsed on the ground, not wanting to move an inch. In this lifetime, she never wanted to experience fleeing from a disaster again.
She thought that if they had followed Chang'an from the beginning, nothing would have happened. Of course, she did not blame her father for making the wrong decision.
If her mother had not made a fuss, she believed her father would have followed Master Six without hesitation.
No, she was too tired. She should sleep for a while.
Unlike the excitement on this side, Chang'an and the others had a good night's sleep while camping, but equally exciting was the deserted village they passed through in the afternoon.
