Fate Is Unpredictable

In the Great Li Dynasty, within You Province.

The plains were a muddy mess, fertile fields had turned into swamps, and the air was filled with the stench of rot and mildew.

A group of ragged, emaciated refugees, like wandering spirits, roamed in small clusters, desperately searching for even a morsel to fill their stomachs.

These refugees were originally the people of Lishan County, hundreds of miles away. Several days prior, Lishan County was hit by a sudden flood. Being adjacent to the Cang River, Lishan County bore the brunt of it, with fertile fields and houses completely submerged.

Tens of thousands of people were displaced and starving. With no other options, the survivors headed for the nearest city, Jinling City, hoping for relief from the authorities.

However, misfortune rarely comes alone. After the flood came drought and plague.

Along the way, a group of fifty to sixty thousand people dwindled to just a few thousand.

"I'm hungry!"

"Brother Qi'an! I can't walk anymore!" A little girl with pigtails could no longer hold on, collapsing onto the muddy ground.

A young boy named Qi'an quickly helped her up.

"Xiao Cao! Are you okay?"

"We're almost at Jinling, there's lots of good food there! You absolutely cannot fall asleep, understand?"

Xia Qi'an wiped the mud and water from the little girl's face with his tattered sleeve, saying anxiously.

As if hearing about food, a flicker of life returned to Xiao Cao's unfocused eyes.

After a long while, she managed to pry her eyelids open and weakly asked, "Is... is it true?"

"It's true... it's true..."

"We'll have food soon..."

Xia Qi'an comforted her while carrying her on his back.

In reality, Xia Qi'an himself was already seeing stars from hunger, but he was strong and naturally full of energy.

For now, he could still barely endure the torment of hunger. However, this endurance wouldn't last, as the hunger was gradually eroding his senses.

At that moment, Xia Qi'an suddenly sensed several piercing gazes fixed on him from not far away.

He followed their gaze and saw four or five middle-aged men staring at him like hungry wolves.

More precisely, their gazes were like sharp knives, piercing directly at Xiao Cao on Xia Qi'an's back.

These men had numb expressions, their eyes hollow like walking corpses, sending a chill down Xia Qi'an's spine.

As if foreseeing a terrifying end, Xia Qi'an's survival instinct was instantly ignited.

A mysterious and powerful force erupted within him. Carrying Xiao Cao, he turned and fled the refugee group without hesitation.

Seeing this, the middle-aged men slowly left the group and followed Xia Qi'an at a leisurely pace.

They knew very well that Xia Qi'an couldn't escape far no matter what.

By then, both Xia Qi'an and Xiao Cao would be their easily obtainable prey.

After running for an unknown amount of time, Xia Qi'an's legs felt like lead, and he couldn't run anymore.

He caught sight of a withered tree in the muddy ground ahead. Grasping it like a lifeline, he dragged his exhausted body towards it, intending to rest for a moment.

However, as Xia Qi'an approached the tree, a pungent, fishy odor assaulted his senses.

Upon closer inspection, he saw a middle-aged man in black official robes leaning against the tree.

Xia Qi'an was all too familiar with these robes; they were the standard uniform of the Wei Dao Si.

And every member of the Wei Dao Si was a powerful martial artist.

But at this moment, the Wei Dao Si martial artist seemed to have suffered a fatal wound.

His abdomen had been pierced by something unknown, and his intestines and dried blood were scattered all over the ground.

From the surrounding signs, he must have struggled all the way to this withered tree. Perhaps it was the martial artist's powerful life force that allowed him to cling to life.

Seeing that the Wei Dao Si martial artist had noticed him, Xia Qi'an froze.

"Li... lit... little... brother! Co... come...!" The Wei Dao Si martial artist, seeing a boy of about fifteen or sixteen, mustered all his strength to speak.

Xia Qi'an saw that the martial artist seemed to have no ill intentions and was severely injured, so he felt pity. He carefully approached with Xiao Cao on his back, "Le... Lord...! What can I do for you?"

The middle-aged martial artist gritted his teeth and forced out a few words from his throat: "I am from the Wei Dao Si... Su Mu. There is a letter in my clothes, near my chest. You must deliver it... to the Wei Dao Si in Jinling City. Also, take my token from my chest and this knife... and deliver them... Please... I beg you..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the middle-aged martial artist's head lolled to the side, and he breathed his last.

However, Xia Qi'an had no time to heed the middle-aged martial artist's dying words. At this moment, an intense hunger surged through him like a tide, almost rendering him incapable of thought.

A horrifying idea began to spread in his mind!

Should he eat the middle-aged martial artist in front of him?

Doing so would go against all natural law, but perhaps it would allow him and Xiao Cao to survive...

Just as Xia Qi'an was locked in an internal struggle, a middle-aged refugee with a blank expression suddenly appeared not far from him.

Unexpectedly, this middle-aged man had been quietly following Xia Qi'an all the way here.

"Hungry!" "Hungry!"

The middle-aged man drooled, muttering the two words incessantly.

Xia Qi'an keenly sensed that the middle-aged refugee's condition seemed somewhat off.

Immediately after, his eyes involuntarily turned blood-red, and the world before him underwent a strange transformation.

He could clearly see every acupoint within the middle-aged man's body, and even felt a foul energy continuously eroding his consciousness.

Xia Qi'an's heart tightened, and he quickly pulled the unconscious Xiao Cao protectively behind him.

At the same time, he subtly reached out and grasped a standard long saber from beside a Wei Dao Si warrior.

The middle-aged refugee, however, remained oblivious, staggering and swaying as he approached Xia Qi'an.

Leaning against the tree trunk, Xia Qi'an tightly gripped the incredibly sharp long saber behind his back, his palms slightly sweaty from excessive tension.

He stared wide-eyed at the approaching middle-aged refugee, his heart pounding violently, as if about to leap out of his throat.

Time ticked by, second by second. Finally, when the middle-aged refugee stepped within reach of the saber, Xia Qi'an, who had appeared utterly defenseless and extremely weak, suddenly erupted with astonishing strength.

He swiftly drew the long saber and, with lightning speed, thrust it towards the middle-aged refugee's throat!

In an instant, a dull thud echoed as the sharp blade easily pierced the opponent's skin and flesh, sinking deep into his throat.

The middle-aged refugee's face contorted in shock and agony. His mouth gaped open, but no sound escaped.

Simultaneously, a torrent of hot, gushing blood erupted like a fountain, splashing onto Xia Qi'an's face and dyeing him entirely red.

After a long while, Xiao Cao slowly opened her eyes. The familiar aroma of cooked meat wafted into her nostrils, instantly invigorating her.