It wasn't until Lu Fan's figure turned and left with Li Yu and the others that the young man in camouflage suddenly came to his senses.
He blinked hard, almost thinking he was hallucinating, then grabbed the arm of the person next to him and pointed urgently at the city gate, asking:
"Look! Isn't that our city lord, Lu Fan, next to that important figure?"
"The city lord? Where is he? Let me see?" The listless companion next to him seemed to be pricked by a needle, and instantly raised his head.
When he finally saw Lu Fan's cold yet familiar profile, his eyes suddenly lit up with an alarming brightness, and his voice rose several decibels with excitement:
"It's him! It's City Lord Lu Fan!"
"It really is him! Good heavens, we're not dreaming!" Several other people around, also dressed in camouflage, recognized Lu Fan at the same time.
Their previously bitter faces instantly blossomed into wildly joyful smiles.
The young man just now unleashed astonishing strength, forcefully pushing through the crowd and rushing towards the city gate as if grasping at a lifeline.
Just as Li Yu, Lu Fan, and Xiao Zhan followed Chen Feng into the city gate—
"City Lord! — City Lord Lu Fan!! —"
The excited shouts, tinged with even grievance, came from the distant, still-shaken crowd of refugees, standing out clearly in the silent rain.
Lu Fan stopped in his tracks, his brows furrowing slightly, a rare look of astonishment flashing across his face.
He was forced to serve as the temporary city lord of Ningcheng for only a few days. How could anyone possibly know his identity?
Moreover, Ningcheng is far inland, very far from the eastern border, so it's impossible for him to spread his fame to such a distant place as quickly as Li Yu.
Lu Fan was puzzled and turned to look in the direction of the sound.
A young man in camouflage led several people and rushed out of the crowd towards him; his demeanor was clearly different from that of ordinary refugees.
Seeing that Lu Fan had actually stopped, the faces of the group were filled with unbelievable joy:
"City Lord Lu Fan! It really is you!"
"Great! The people of Qingcheng are saved!" The young man rushed forward and collapsed to the ground, his voice choked with sobs and incoherent.
This reaction surprised Lu Fan, but the faces of the young man and the others seemed vaguely familiar.
"Qingcheng?" Li Yu, who was standing to the side, suddenly realized what was going on.
So he's from Qingcheng. No wonder he knows Lu Fan. Now everything makes sense.
Lu Fan instantly recalled that these people in front of him were all former members of Qingcheng, no wonder they seemed familiar.
His gaze swept around, but he only saw a handful of people, which deepened his doubts.
With its rich heritage, large population, and ample reserves of resources, Qingcheng has no shortage of weapons.
Even if the city was flooded by heavy rain and forced to relocate, there shouldn't be so few people left.
The young man at the head of the group seemed to notice Lu Fan's confusion and quickly explained:
“Lord Lu Fan! We are the advance team sent by Qingcheng to scout ahead! Most of Qingcheng’s population is still here. Because we are carrying a lot of supplies and we need to ensure that the residents can keep up, the migration speed is relatively slow.”
The young man pointed southwards along the Great Wall:
"The main force of Qingcheng is currently stationed at a temporary camp thirty miles to the south, under another section of the Great Wall!"
The way the group looked at Lu Fan was filled with hope for a miraculous escape and unconditional reliance.
They were initially worried that Qingcheng, which had completely broken away from the direct control of Zhongzhou, would still have its passes recognized by the Zhongzhou border guards, and that they might face difficulties or even expulsion.
Seeing Lu Fan at this moment, they felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from their hearts, and they instantly felt at ease.
Another person behind the young man quickly added, his tone respectful:
"Lord of the City, after you left, Qingcheng has been reformed in full accordance with the new policies you left behind. The dictatorial system of one person dominating the city has been abolished, and a people's council has been established to jointly govern Qingcheng. It has already begun to show results and is developing rapidly!"
But his excited expression was quickly replaced by the bitterness of reality:
"It was only because the water level kept rising that Qingcheng, with its low-lying terrain, became untenable, forcing us to abandon Qingcheng and relocate the entire city. However, we had long been prepared for the relocation and had contingency plans to deal with various crises."
As he spoke, his eyes turned red as he looked at Lu Fan:
"Everyone was thinking that the first thing to do after entering Zhongzhou was to find the city lord and rebuild a safe haven together! We never expected to meet you here, city lord! It's truly a blessing from heaven!"
Upon hearing this, Li Yu turned to look at Lu Fan, her eyes filled with understanding and a touch of melancholy.
What a coincidence! The people of Qingcheng migrated to the border and actually ran into Lu Fan. What a coincidence!
Lu Fan fell silent after hearing this.
He left Qingcheng to pursue a wider world and to break through his own power; he had no intention of returning to serve as the city lord of Qingcheng.
But at this moment, hearing that Qingcheng was actually developing according to his original plan, and that it still wanted to find him in this time of crisis, he couldn't help but feel a complicated wave in his heart.
At any other time, even if Qingcheng successfully found him after their migration, he would have no place to settle the people of Qingcheng.
But things are different now; he is now the temporary city lord of Ningcheng. Because of the intense heat from the Yangshi earthquake, there aren't many people living in Ningcheng.
With this in mind, Lu Fan took a deep breath and quickly made a decision.
He looked at the prostrate youth and the few people from Qingcheng, and said in a deep voice:
"Get up. Go back to the camp immediately and tell everyone in Qingcheng to pack their things. Enter the border of Zhongzhou through this city gate. I will be waiting here to meet you."
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