Refugees

He reached down and picked up a pebble from the ground. Unlike before, the moment he touched it, he could easily sense its weight, hardness, moisture—even how to exert force to make it fly the farthest, and what angle would inflict the greatest damage.

He took aim at a turtledove perched in a tree twenty meters away and adjusted his angle.

Whoosh!

The stone flew over the turtledove's head. The sound of it tearing through the air startled the bird into stumbling, and it hurriedly flapped its wings and vanished into the forest.

Zhong Lin's face darkened. "I knew it."

He picked up another stone, this time aiming at a bluestone roughly fifteen meters away.

Whoosh!

The stone struck the target dead-on—right on the left edge Zhong Lin had aimed for.

Experience was experience. The Zhong Lin in his memories had practiced Flying Locust Stones for decades, with tremendous arm strength. Naturally, he could hit wherever he pointed. But I'm just a scrawny weakling, my arms as thin as hemp stalks. Whether in speed, strength, or accuracy, I can't compare to him. Still, hitting a target from around ten meters away is easy enough, Zhong Lin thought.

He opened his mouth in a yawn. Sleepiness washed over him, making it feel as though he could barely keep his eyes open.

He woke Little Shi, who was still sound asleep, told him not to run around, then lay down and drifted off himself.

More than three hours later, Zhong Lin woke from his sleep. He was still tired, but much better than before.

He set up the pot and cooked. It was still wild vegetables with smoked meat. Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, the two set off again.

Zhong Lin yawned nonstop as they traveled. They crossed the second hill, and thankfully, the journey remained calm and uneventful.

After descending the mountain and traveling another fifty or sixty li, a village finally appeared on the road ahead.

"Second Brother, Second Brother, look!"

Little Shi pointed at the distant village houses and shouted. A smile appeared on Zhong Lin's face as well. They had not seen a single person all the way here, and he had worried for a long time that he had taken the wrong road. After all, his predecessor had never been to Black Mountain County either; he only knew the route from what others had said.

This world did not even have map navigation. If he truly went the wrong way, who knew where he might end up?

"This should be Crouching Ox Village. Come on, let's go in and take a look," Zhong Lin said with a smile.

Little Shi jumped down from the wheelbarrow as well, hopping along at Zhong Lin's side as they headed toward Crouching Ox Village.

"Wow! What a huge ox!"

Little Shi pointed at an enormous bluestone at the village entrance and cried out in amazement.

Zhong Lin smiled too. The bluestone was a natural rock, shaped like a crouching blue ox. That was where Crouching Ox Village got its name.

At the sight of this stone, Zhong Lin was certain that he had not taken the wrong road.

Little Shi first ran around Funiu Stone in a circle, crying out in wonder all the while. Only after Zhong Lin urged him did he reluctantly head toward Crouching Ox Village.

"Stop."

Zhong Lin suddenly halted and shouted for Little Shi not to go any farther.

"What's wrong, Second Brother?"

"Something's not right."

Zhong Lin took the bow from his back and nocked an arrow, ready to fire at any moment.

They had crossed a hill and traveled so far that it was already evening. Under normal circumstances, the villagers should have long since started fires to cook, yet there was not a single sound in all of Crouching Ox Village. Zhong Lin could not hear any human voices either. Only a flock of crows circled overhead, letting out harsh, piercing cries.

Zhong Lin's expression turned grave. As the sun set, the entire village was dyed red. Yet for some reason, that red made it seem drenched in blood.

"Get on the cart. We're leaving."

A sense of urgency rose in Zhong Lin's heart. He grabbed Little Shi, tossed him onto the wheelbarrow, then turned and left.

A gentleman did not stand beneath a crumbling wall.

This was not Huaxia from his previous life, with its sound rule of law. In his predecessor's memories, there were often stories of bandits killing people and brigands plundering them.

Though the system had given him max-level archery, with his hemp-stalk body, he would run out of strength after firing only a few arrows. Faced with a situation whose danger was unknown, leaving was the best choice.

Though Little Shi was young, he was a sensible child. He did not ask questions. He only needed to follow.

The two set off once more, putting Crouching Ox Village behind them. They did not stop until the sun had fully set and they could no longer see the road.

Zhong Lin looked toward the now-invisible Crouching Ox Village and let out a breath of relief.

"Looks like we'll have to camp in the wild again tonight. Shi Tou, go gather some dry firewood nearby. Remember, don't wander too far."

"Okay."

Little Shi trotted off on his short legs to gather firewood, while Zhong Lin searched for dead leaves to start a fire.

There was not much water left in the waterskin, so they did not set up the pot to cook. They simply ate the jerky Taro Uncle had given them to fill their stomachs.

Zhong Lin stayed awake through the night again, and he was even more cautious than the night before. He did not even practice Flying Locust Stones, fearing that something unexpected might happen.

Nothing was said that night, and nothing happened either.

"Looks like I was worrying for nothing."

Zhong Lin let out a breath, yawned, woke Little Shi, and then lay down to sleep himself. It was not until the sun was high in the sky that he struggled to get up, his face full of drowsiness.

"Let's go! We'll try to reach our destination today."

"Okay!"

They washed down jerky with cold water and barely forced it into their stomachs before setting off once more.

As they continued onward, Zhong Lin found that the road was growing wider and wider. There were even wheel ruts on the ground. When they crossed another hill, an even broader main road came into view—wide enough for horse-drawn carriages to run upon.

"Second Brother, Second Brother, look! People!"

After three straight days without seeing a soul, even Little Shi, with his childish mind, had grown weary. At the sudden sight of people, he became wildly excited and pointed into the distance as he shouted.

"I see them. Come on, we'll follow them too."

Zhong Lin nodded, lifted Little Shi onto the wheelbarrow, then turned onto the main road.

Once they drew close, Zhong Lin's brows furrowed tightly when he got a clear look at the travelers.

At the front was a family of four: a man and a woman with two children. The man walked in front, carrying a shoulder pole, while the woman followed behind, holding one child in each hand.

All four were disheveled, sallow, and gaunt, their eye sockets deeply sunken.

Zhong Lin looked farther ahead. The other travelers were dressed much the same. Some did not even have any luggage. Barefoot, leaning on wooden sticks snapped from who knew where, every one of them was yellow-faced and emaciated.

"Refugees?"

Zhong Lin sighed inwardly. He immediately understood their circumstances, and his understanding of this drought disaster deepened further.

Summer River Village had gone three months without rain. The land had dried and cracked, and the crops had failed completely. Yet there was still a river flowing through it, and it lay close to a branch of the Black Mountain Range, where they could enter the mountains to hunt.

But other places might not be so fortunate. The Black Mountain Range was enormous, filled with many mountain strongholds, villages, and market towns. Yet not every settlement had a river like Summer River Village. From the looks of it, Summer River Village was not the worst off after all. No wonder Taro Uncle had not recommended that they leave. It seemed the outside was even worse than home.