The bald man noticed that Ye Wenxue was slightly out of sorts and raised an eyebrow at her.

Ye Wenxue shook her head, telling him to shut up and not to disturb the people inside.

After a short while, another, deeper voice came from inside the room:

"Next target: Longxing Prefecture."

"Why not go to Tanzhou County? Longxing Prefecture is too far away, and in this freezing weather, these refugees are almost at their breaking point."

"No. Tanzhou City has taken in the refugees, and there's little public resentment. No matter what we do secretly, we won't be able to stir up any trouble. On the other hand, in Longxing Prefecture, I've heard that Prince Pan is seriously injured, and his men are taking the opportunity to amass wealth. Grain and charcoal prices are sky-high, and they're not allowing refugees into the city, causing countless people to freeze to death. It's the perfect time to strike..."

While Ye Wenxue wasn't paying attention, the bald man quietly peeked his head into the house.

The small thatched hut was filled with people, all dressed in tattered clothes. A few were covered with blankets of indeterminate color, while the others shivered in their sleep.

A fire was burning in the middle of the house, burning thatch and wood that had been pulled from the roof, and two not-so-strong men were sitting nearby.

The two were chatting casually, occasionally glancing at the refugees with disdain.

Ye Wenxue touched the kitchen knife at her waist, her eyes slowly narrowing.

She suddenly realized that the bald man seemed too quiet, and knew something was wrong. She quickly turned her head and pressed the bald man's head down.

At the same time, a cold shout suddenly came from inside the house: "Who's there?"

Neither Ye Wenxue nor Ye Wenxue made a sound. They tiptoed to the back of the house and took the opportunity to sneak onto the roof.

Those who were light sleepers in the room were instantly awakened. Three or five people went outside together, walked around twice but couldn't find anyone. They returned to the room and asked in surprise:

"Nobody's here, Brother Yuan, are you sure you didn't hear wrong?"

Yuan Cheng didn't see the bald man's head. By the time he realized something was wrong, the bald man had already been pressed down.

But Yuan Cheng had a vague premonition; he felt that someone was eavesdropping outside and was about to send someone to check again.

Seeing the discontent in their eyes, Yuan Cheng shook his head. No wonder these refugees couldn't amount to anything.

"I might have misheard you. You guys go to sleep first, I'll warm myself by the fire for a while longer."

The group of people who got up couldn't fall asleep for a while, so they sat down by the fire to warm themselves. Some even took out a piece of meat from their cloth bags and slowly started to eat it.

The bald man on the roof mustered his courage, moved aside the thatch, and looked down. He almost lost his composure and screamed in shock.

What kind of meat is that person holding?!

It's clearly a child's hand!

The man, while biting the child's arm which had barely any meat on it, complained, "It's too cold today, shall we not go into the mountains? Besides, we don't have much food left."

The people next to him stared longingly at the meat in his hand, swallowing hard. They wanted to snatch it but were afraid that Brother Yuan would kill someone.

"Aren't there still two women here? If we're careful, they'll be enough to feed us for a few days."

"They refuse to eat human flesh, and they're so skinny, how much meat could they possibly have? It's better to..."

Yuan Cheng forcefully interrupted them, saying, "Alright. It's late. Don't disturb other people's sleep. Go and get some rest."

The group was somewhat wary of Yuan Cheng. They exchanged glances, said nothing more, warmed themselves by the fire for a while, and then went back to sleep.

Yuan Cheng took two pieces of wood from the fire, intending to save them for tomorrow. He glanced at the refugees in the house who only knew how to eat and didn't care about the bigger picture, sighed, and found an open space to sleep.

With this bunch of idiots, I don't know when we'll ever achieve anything great.

Snowflakes were falling softly on the rooftop.

Ye Wenxue gestured with her chin towards the bald man, who then took out the sleeping powder that Su Jiu had secretly given him and slowly blew it into the room.

The refugees hadn't bathed for countless days, and they hadn't left their homes to eat or relieve themselves; the thatched huts were filled with a pungent odor.

Yuan Cheng dozed off for a while, and by the time he belatedly smelled the sleeping gas, his mind was already a complete mess.

He forced himself to sit up, instinctively raising his hand to cover his nose. Before he could even call for a few of his trusted men, he turned and crawled out of the house.

Just as his hand was about to touch the door, it was kicked open, and Ye Wenxue and the bald man walked in.

Ye Wenxue glanced at Yuan Cheng and instructed the bald man, "Check each person to see if they've fainted. Don't let them get ambushed halfway through their work."

The bald man scratched his head: "Didn't you promise your Dazhuang you wouldn't do anything rash?"

Ye Wenxue smiled with narrowed eyes: "I didn't do anything rash, it was you who blew the sleeping gas."

The bald man watched helplessly as Ye Wenxue subdued the leader of the refugees in a few moves and dragged him outside: "..."

He worked tirelessly, turning over each of the refugees one by one. If they weren't unconscious, he would slap them until they were knocked out, and if they were, he would check their bodies for any human flesh.

The sleeping pills given by Su Jiu were far more effective than those bought from the store; almost everyone in the thatched hut was knocked unconscious.

The bald man endured the stench and climbed over the refugees one by one. When he reached the corner of the wall, a wooden hairpin came flying at him and almost pierced his neck.

The bald man swiftly subdued the man, pinning his hands down and pressing his knee against his neck. He looked down with lingering fear, meeting a pair of eyes filled with hatred and malice.

Outside, Ye Wenxue carried Yuan Cheng to the charcoal kiln, tied him up with hemp rope, and forcibly woke him up.

Yuan Cheng, still somewhat dazed, glanced at the person opposite him and saw that it was a pretty woman. He subconsciously became more vigilant.

Women who are in a good position in chaotic times either depend on certain people to survive, or they are ruthless and merciless, killing without blinking an eye and intimidating others with force.

Ye Wenxue sized up Yuan Cheng, whose expression remained unchanged, and suddenly asked:

"Your name is Yuan Cheng? Which Yuan, which Cheng?"

Yuan Cheng didn't understand why she asked that, and gave a gentle smile: "Yuan, meaning 'beginning,' is the 'Yuan' of first place, and 'Cheng' of success and fame. Miss, are you...?"

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