Unexpected Gains

"Thud, thud... thud, thud..."

The dull beat of hooves drew closer, as though each strike landed in the crowd's hearts.

The crowd froze for a moment, then grew restless. Some looked nervously at Xia Lun, some slipped into their tents, and most glanced around, at a loss.

Renee's heart sank. She had a vague feeling that something was terribly wrong.

She instinctively looked toward Xia Lun at the center of the crowd. Yet even in the face of this danger, he remained remarkably calm and certain, as though he could see the future.

The stooped refugee Morod straightened his gaunt chest and stood trembling in front of Xia Lun. Others followed his example, shielding Xia Lun with their frail bodies.

A refugee named Huai'en gripped his bag of food and stepped forward to the front of the crowd.

"This is a trial. A better future awaits us..." Fear made his voice thin and squeaky, but his steps were steady.

The cold wind howled and hooves pounded. Though the crowd wavered, no one scattered.

Renee felt a sense of absurdity. What she was seeing lay far beyond anything she understood.

Half an hour ago, these refugees had been numb and indifferent, greedy and timid. Xia Lun had attacked just one militiaman, and they had trembled in fear. Now those same people were risking themselves to protect him, even daring to stand against the militia and the guards!

It was as if Xia Lun possessed some Pilgrimage ability akin to brainwashing. He had accomplished all this with words alone, utterly upending Renee's Worldview.

Yet she had a faint sense that the refugees' former apathy and their present fearless fervor sprang from the same cause.

"Thud, thud... thud, thud..."

Hooves struck the gravel road, kicking up clouds of dust. In the Blood Wax's