Chapter 17
Entering the Mountain
Just as Lu Ze had said to Lin Suisui, Pei Qian was ruthless this time.
Previously, in the refugee camp, anyone who took the initiative to form a gang to snatch the property of others would be killed on the spot. As for those who participated, regardless of gender, they would be whipped 50 times!
As for people like Lu Ze and the others, who counterattacked and killed people because they resisted others’ plundering, they were all innocent.
Although the soldiers in Pei Qian’s hands didn’t interfere in the battle between these refugees these days, they knew everything that had happened. Therefore, they quickly dragged those who were about to be punished out of the crowd in batches.
In this weather and environment, it was actually more difficult to endure 50 whips than to be killed directly.
Moreover, Pei Qian didn’t give these injured refugees any time to rest. The next morning, he announced that they would continue on their way as planned. As for those who had been whipped, no matter how painful it was, they had no choice but to force themselves to move forward with the refugees.
Many people fainted halfway, but they didn’t receive any mercy. Instead, the soldiers became more ruthless and urged them by punching and kicking them. On the first day, two more people died on the journey.
After this battle, the remaining refugees in the refugee camp could be said to have been completely subdued. Now, not to mention seeing Pei Qian and the others, even when they heard Pei Qian’s name, many of them couldn’t help but shiver.
After they crossed the river, it was as if the world had changed. As they went further north, everyone saw lush greenery again. However, compared to the flatland previously, the road now was clearly more winding.
The rolling mountains stretched into the distance. It was difficult to find flat ground like before in their current camp. They could only camp on the hillside or in the mountains.
The current environment made many refugees feel much more relaxed. After all, if the environment along the way was harsh, how would they survive in the future?!
Although it was just autumn, it wasn’t difficult to find food in the forest. Therefore, after being silent for so many days, there was finally rare laughter in the refugee camp.
Lin Suisui was also very happy. She hadn’t only found wild vegetables that could be used to make soup, but also many herbs. There were even two types of herbs that could help Lu Ze eliminate poison.
Lu Ze also entered the mountain. When he came out, he not only carried two hares, but also took out a few yellow wild persimmons and handed them to Lin Suisui.
“You can’t eat it now, but you can in a few days!” Lu Ze seemed to be afraid that Lin Suisui didn’t know, so he didn’t forget to remind her before he left.
Lu Ze and Lin Suisui’s activities in the refugee camp were quickly reported to Pei Qian.
Qian He couldn’t understand why his prince cared so much about this ordinary refugee couple. Therefore, after replying this time, he couldn’t help but ask the question on his mind.
“Do you really think those two are very ordinary?!” Pei Qian seemed to be in a good mood today. When he heard Qian He’s question, he looked up from the various letters in front of him and glanced at him with a faint smile.
“Although those people seemed to have died from heavy punches, many details are often covered by these facts.
We can put the others aside, but don’t you find the puncture wound on one of them familiar?!”
“You’re talking about the injured and murdered ministers from the East Palace?” Previously, Qian He, who was the last to leave the East Palace, had also accompanied them. The other palace servants who had been killed were dispensable, but what left a deep impression on Qian He was the minister who had died in the Crown Prince’s bedchamber.
The golden hairpin that sank into his skull was clearly a fatal wound, but the wound on his neck was clearly identical to that of this refugee who had been killed…
“This is just my hypothesis. Perhaps it’s just a coincidence!” Pei Qian glanced at the dark night outside the tent. After a long time, he said, “They’re just curious!”
They were curious about how long the couple could last in such a difficult environment!
Qian He didn’t dare to ask further. He quietly left the tent and didn’t disturb Pei Qian anymore.
After the previous incident, almost half of the refugees in the refugee camp had been killed. The officials who were in charge of this were naturally anxious. However, seeing that Pei Qian still looked indifferent, they didn’t dare to go forward and say anything else. They could only think of ways to maintain the remaining number of people. At the very least, they couldn’t lose any more people.
The benefit of this worry was that Lu Ze, Lin Suisui, and the others had two days to rest.
Because they were not in a hurry to travel, many people planned to hurry up and find more food to bring along. Therefore, early the next morning, Lu Ze decided to enter the mountain early to try his luck.
However, just as he decided to set off this time, he was stopped by Lin Suisui, who was carrying a basket on her back.
“I want to go too.” Lin Suisui tugged at Lu Ze’s collar and refused to let go. There were very few herbs to be found in the periphery of the forest, but it was too dangerous to go deeper into the forest. No matter how bold she was, she didn’t dare to act rashly. Seeing that Lu Ze had plans to go deeper into the forest, she was unwilling to let go. She naturally had to follow him no matter what.
Lu Ze only hesitated for a moment and didn’t refuse. He only told her about the difficulties after entering the mountain. “It’s very dangerous inside and we still have to walk a long way. Think about it. If you’re tired, I won’t indulge you!”
“I know. Don’t worry, I won’t run around. I’ll listen to your arrangements, okay?!” Lin Suisui nodded. Anyway, no matter how difficult it was, she would put it aside for now as long as he agreed to bring her along.
Seeing her like this, Lu Ze didn’t persuade her anymore. He reached out and unloaded the basket on her back, then turned around and led the way.
Lin Suisui was stunned for a moment. Seeing that the man had already walked a few steps away, she didn’t have the time to think about anything else and quickly followed him, as if she was afraid that he would regret it if she was too slow.
Lu Ze had entered the forest yesterday evening, so he became familiar with the route at first. He brought Lin Suisui through the forest, but this area had been visited by the surrounding refugees. They even encountered many refugees searching along the way. They didn’t stop for long. After they passed through these people for another hour, the weeds under their feet finally began to become more lush, and the surrounding environment became more and more quiet. Only the mountain birds that were occasionally disturbed by their footsteps pulled their long tail feathers and flew across the mountain to cry uneasily.