Chapter 166, exclusively published on Jinjiang: Burn them!
"This is it."
Lu Xuan led Huo Tiankuo and a dozen Huo family soldiers to the hillside they had mentioned yesterday.
Two sides of the hillside are steep cliffs that can shield it from wind and snow, while the other two sides are low hills covered with many cedar trees. Despite the temperature being freezing cold, it is surprisingly still lush and green, with white and green overlapping, exuding a tranquil vitality.
Huo Tiankuo noticed the squirrel's figure flashing among the branches of the cedar tree and sighed to himself that this was truly a wonderful place.
Huo Tiankuo couldn't help but wonder if the accommodations in Yunlu Village were even better than here, since they were willing to give up such a good place to them.
Having determined that the steep hillside was a good place to land, Huo Tiankuo was completely relieved.
After expressing his gratitude to Lu Xuan again, he took his personal guards, who had recovered much of their energy after two hot meals, on a hunting trip.
The Huo family army doesn't have alloy crossbows or superpowers, but they are all battle-hardened soldiers. When they were in the Northwest, they often hunted wolves in their spare time, and killing a few wild boars or stags was no problem for them.
A single soldier may not be particularly outstanding, but the combat effectiveness displayed by multiple people working together in coordination is truly impressive.
The group worked on the mountain until sunset before setting off with a large catch of prey.
...
Back at the temporary camp, the refugees were overjoyed to see the mountains of prey piled up.
After eating and sleeping well, the disaster victims, whose complexions had improved considerably, actively helped process the frozen game. They also heard from Huo Jiajun that they would be able to settle down at the new camp on the mountain in a couple of days. The disaster victims, who had been lifeless yesterday, visibly regained their vitality.
Huo Jiajun borrowed an iron pot and cabbage from Yunlu Village to make a stew of cabbage and meat. Their staple food was a thin porridge made from the little grain their team had left.
To be honest, the stewed meat didn't taste very good because it contained too many different kinds of meat, the wild boar was quite gamey, and the Huo family army didn't have enough seasonings. At least Lu Xuan and the others couldn't stomach it.
However, most of the disaster victims who followed Huo's army ate with relish and did not find the food offensive at all.
People who have gone hungry or even faced starvation countless times wouldn't be picky about taste; having meat to eat is already a great blessing.
After eating this meal of meat, they can endure it even if they don't eat anything else for the next two or three days and can only eat snow!
Viewers exclaimed: "People at the bottom of society can really persevere as long as they are given even the slightest hope of survival."
When you encounter disaster victims like these, who are just trying to survive, you feel guilty if you don't lend a hand.
[As long as these disaster victims don't have bad intentions, the streamer definitely wouldn't mind helping them, and might even be able to find a way to achieve a win-win situation.]
While most of the disaster victims were enjoying hot stewed meat and enthusiastically discussing how to actively build the new camp and work together with Huo's army to overcome the difficulties, a small undercurrent was brewing unnoticed.
...
Seven or eight middle-aged men, who were noticeably more well-off than the other disaster victims, gathered in a corner of the disaster victims' tent.
These people were not using tattered quilts or smelly hides as cushions, but rather well-tanned deer and tiger skins. Their clothes were also noticeably thicker and warmer, and the fabrics were beyond what ordinary disaster victims could afford.
Other disaster victims consciously kept their distance from them.
The group ate the heavily fishy-smelling stewed meat with disgust, while whispering among themselves.
"I don't know where these people from Yunlu Village came from, but they've been providing large amounts of supplies to unrelated disaster victims for two days in a row."
"Warm and airtight tents, charcoal, so many large iron pots, and fresh, crisp cabbages... These are things that ordinary disaster victims could not possibly provide."
"They say they're from a village in the north, but I don't think so. In a winter when even strong, energetic young men can't survive, it's strange that the women are all so delicate and healthy."
"There are so many strange things about them. Those fever-reducing medicines that can be taken down, and the carriages that run incredibly fast without horses—they're all very weird!"
They had always lived a life of luxury and had never seen such rare and unusual things before.
The middle-aged man, who looked the most shrewd among them, narrowed his eyes.
"Try to find a few people who seem easy to talk to and get some information out of them. The fact that they are willing to give up so many supplies without showing any sign of distress can only prove that their wealth is greater than expected."
He noticed that the people of Yunlu Village would always go back to their tents to cook or fetch medicine, but when they set up the tents, he didn’t see them carrying supplies inside. How could they take out a continuous supply of food from inside after just one trip?
"I suspect they're hiding some secret. If only we could uncover it..."
The younger members of the family said, "Second Uncle, if they really have a secret, they probably won't tell you easily, right? What if we can't find out?"
The shrewd middle-aged man, Uncle Wei, cursed, "If the soft approach doesn't work, then the hard one! Do I need to teach you that?"
The younger generation hesitated, saying, "Those people look strong and muscular; they might be difficult to deal with."
"Moreover, the Huo family army and General Huo should not stand idly by."
Uncle Wei snorted, "There's less than half of today's prey left. General Huo will definitely lead men to hunt again tomorrow. Let's get things done as soon as possible while he's away."
"Haven't he always wanted more people to survive? Once we receive a large amount of supplies and distribute some to the disaster victims, what can he say then?"
"If we can't deal with them because they're strong and healthy, don't they have a lot of female relatives?"
The younger generation suddenly realized.
Uncle Wei squinted and said, "As long as we get those people's supplies, we can completely get rid of our current state of hunger and cold. Don't you miss the old days?"
The Wei family, who had long been fed up with the miserable life of going hungry and having no hope, perked up and immediately suppressed their hesitation.
Uncle Wei said, "Find out the results as soon as possible, and take action immediately!"
Everyone patted their chests and assured them, "We understand! Just you wait and see!"
·
The third day after the two groups met.
The snow was heavier than yesterday, but this did not dampen the high spirits of Huo's army.
To ensure the safety of the new camp, Huo Tiankuo led his men to the new camp early in the morning to prepare to clear out wild animals that might pose a threat to the disaster victims.
Knowing the location meant there was no need to use sleds anymore, and the number of people was no longer limited, so Huo Tiankuo took most of his personal guards with him.
The hunting team from Yunlu Village was also very enthusiastic, with half of them going to help.
Those who remained at the temporary camp were not idle either.
With fewer soldiers and insufficient defenses, Zhang Chengming and others patrolled the area with the rest of the Huo family army to prevent starving wild animals from attacking people.
Many of the survivors who had regained their strength braved the snow and dispersed within their patrol area to search for something to eat. Others collected clean snow and melted it over charcoal braziers to boil water and warm themselves.
Miao Jinfeng and the other women gathered in the makeshift kitchen shed, simmering ginger soup and chatting.
Aunt Chen rubbed her shoulders and sighed, "She's really spoiled. She's only been away from home for two days, and she's already waking up in bed at night. I didn't sleep well at all yesterday."
Aunt Zhang also sighed, "A tent can't be as soundproof as a house. At night, you can always hear the wind howling and wolves howling. It feels like we've gone back to when we first came to the mountains during the hottest season."
Even if you know there's no danger, who can sleep peacefully listening to wolves howling?
Furthermore, it is especially inconvenient to go to the toilet at night.
Having gotten used to the indoor bathroom in the safe house, going out to relieve myself in the dead of winter is just too freezing!
Miao Jinfeng glanced in the direction of the wounded soldiers' tents. "I just went to check on them. The patients' conditions are almost stable. They should be transferred by tomorrow or the day after at the latest, and we can go back and get some rest."
"That's good. I don't realize it when I'm not out, but once I'm out, I always think about home."
"Who can argue with that?"
As they were talking, dozens of disaster victims came from ahead.
They assumed they were there to collect ginger soup, and were about to speak with smiles when they noticed something was off about the people's expressions; their gazes seemed hostile.
Miao Jinfeng paused, her expression hesitant.
Wei Xiang, who had been deliberately left behind, immediately stood in front of the crowd, looked at the newcomers warily, and asked, "What do you want?"
She looked around and found that there wasn't a single member of the Huo family army around. There were only some disaster victims who had been deliberately called over by these people or who had noticed something was wrong and came to check the situation.
The leader of the younger members of the Wei family looked at them with a mixture of excitement, fear, and wariness in his eyes. He pointed at their noses and shouted angrily, "Monsters! Show your true forms now!"
Wei Xiang: "?"
Miao Jinfeng and the others: "?" What the hell is this nonsense?
Some of the quick-thinking women realized that these people had ill intentions and quietly pressed the button on their personal communication devices.
Aunt Chen said unhappily, "Who are you calling a monster?"
Wei San sneered, "Still trying to play dumb? Too late! We've already discovered your secret!"
The women still looked completely bewildered.
A secret? Which secret?
They have so many secrets, who knows what this guy is referring to.
Wei San shouted, "Do you dare tell me how you got here yesterday? Did you really think that because you arrived early, no one saw you flying over in those weird iron lumps?!"
They had to ask many people yesterday before they finally found a witness who went out to use the outhouse before dawn.
"That iron lump, big enough to hold dozens of people, is nowhere to be found in the camp. You must have used sorcery to hide it! And your people have been secretly using sorcery behind our backs, creating sorcery winds and sorcery fires, which have all been seen by others!"
To prove he wasn't lying, Wei San brought several witnesses with him.
The few disaster victims who witnessed the young and strong men of Yunlu Village using 'magic' and casually disappearing the 'iron lump' stood up, looking at Miao Jinfeng with some fear in their eyes.
"I, I did see it."
"That man named Zhang Chengming can create wind out of thin air with a wave of his hand."
"And then there's Li Tuo, whose palms can emit fire!"
Recalling the scenes they witnessed, the disaster victims looked apprehensive, partly out of fear of the villagers of Yunlu Village, and partly out of fear that they would be silenced if they knew too much.
Wei San continued, "The carriage you had General Huo ride in yesterday could move without oxen or horses, you must have used some kind of sorcery! And your supplies, you didn't seem to bring anything when you came, yet you always managed to pull out piles of food from the tents. Where did the food come from?"
The expressions of the other disaster victims also changed upon hearing this.
They hadn't noticed these details before, but thinking about it now, something did seem off.
The disaster victims began to whisper among themselves, their expressions uncertain.
"Could these people really be monsters?"
"But would monsters give us supplies? What would they want?"
Taking advantage of the situation, the Wei family said, "Of course they want to eat us to achieve immortality! Don't you know that monsters eat people?"
"What!?"
The refugees, who had indeed encountered cannibalism during their escape, were in uproar and began to look at the women of Yunlu Village with suspicion.
Miao Jinfeng and the others were so angry they laughed.
Is it that chicken, duck, fish, and meat aren't flavorful enough, or that beef, lamb, and pork aren't nutritious enough?
Why would they need to eat the meat of their own kind, which is said to be sour?
"Who said human flesh is immortal? You're really good at making yourself look good."
"If human flesh really has such amazing effects, wouldn't everyone be able to live forever?"
"Since we have so many supplies, we certainly don't lack food. Why would we need to eat people like ourselves?"
The disaster victims thought it made sense.
Wei San replied, "The monsters' diets are naturally different from ours! You're willing to give up supplies, perhaps because you captured, killed, and ate other disaster victims before robbing them. You don't feel bad about using things that aren't yours."
Another member of the Wei family said, "Who knows if some kind of sorcery has been used in the food to try and control us!"
Wei San said, "That's right! If it weren't for demonic magic, how could you control demonic winds and fires!"
Wu Yinyin said irritably, "How do you know that's not magic? Summoning wind and rain is a divine ability. Don't you understand such a simple principle?"
Wei San sneered, "Do you think you can claim to be immortals descended from heaven? How could there be so many immortals? You're clearly demons! These mere evil spirits dare to impersonate immortals; their intentions are despicable!"
The refugees around Wei Sanchong urged, "We've survived this long with great difficulty, we can't let these rebellious monsters bewitch us! To prevent them from harming people, quick, come with us and catch them! Burn them alive!"
The skeptical disaster victims were startled.
Burn them, burn them to death?
Are you really going to burn perfectly healthy people alive without even knowing if it's true? That's not a good idea.
Someone frowned, unable to bear it any longer, and said, "Young Master Wei, it's best not to act impulsively."
"Exactly, you're the one who said it, who knows if it's true or not."
"In any case, let's wait for the general to return before making a decision."
They ate several meals from others, and then they still wanted to arrest and burn them. What kind of people are they?
"We can't wait any longer!" Wei San said anxiously. "Who knows if they'll take advantage of the general's absence to launch an attack? If we don't act now, it'll be too late once their men return!"
The disaster victims are wondering, who exactly is behind this trouble?
Apart from a small number of wavering individuals and those who were frightened by witnessing the 'magic,' most of the disaster victims hesitated and were unwilling to join forces with the Wei family.
However, the Wei family members were all full of fighting spirit, and several young and strong men rolled up their sleeves and were ready to charge forward.
Seeing this, Miao Jinfeng and the others were not intimidated at all. On the contrary, they all looked stern and even eager to try.
If you want to take action, then take action. Do you really think they'll be afraid?
Why did these women dare to stay in an unfamiliar camp with only a small number of young men?
Naturally, it's because we have enough confidence!
The women's hands had already reached for their personal spatial rings; they were ready to take out their alloy crossbows and teach these people a lesson if they dared to get too close.
Wei Xiang then turned his palm over, unleashing a surge of supernatural power.
Li Tuo wasn't the only one who knew how to use fire.
Just as a conflict between the two sides was about to erupt, several angry shouts suddenly rang out.
"stop!"
"Let's see who dares to touch them!"
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Author's Note: Special thanks to 'wie1219' for throwing 3 landmines.
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