Where Immortals Once Walked

Taking in refugees was never Panlong City’s obligation.

That shut his wife right up. With no home to return to, what standing did they have to argue?

He Lingchuan lowered his voice. “That man’s no saint. His mule’s a bit old, yes, but it could definitely still carry two skinny elders just fine.”

The old couple had been thin as reeds. Together, they could not have weighed more than a hundred and seventy or eighty jin.

His wife blinked. “Then he...?”

She stole a glance, and sure enough, though the mule had a slight limp, it moved with steady, solid steps.

“He just couldn’t bear to part with his things,” He Lingchuan explained. “The cavalry officer saw it too, which is why he told him to throw them away and put his father on the mule. But without his property, it’d be hard for him to get a foothold in a new place. Two aged parents who can’t work or earn would just be two more mouths to feed.”

“He refused, so of course the officer wouldn’t force him. That old woman who had gone up the hill of her own accord had read her son’s mind. Either her heart was already broken, or she just couldn’t let her husband go.”

Liu Sanjiu and his wife exchanged a long, wordless look.

Some things should not be examined too closely—pick them apart, and all you will see is filth.

They walked on for another quarter of an hour before cavalry rode up from the rear, shouting, “Faster! Everyone move faster! The enemy’s on us!”

Even the thunder overhead did not carry the same punch as that cry. The group erupted into screams and wails, and the pace quickened before the eye.

Fall behind now, and they would immediately be left to die.

Hurrying on a rainy night was no easy feat. He Lingchuan saw people stumbling, falling, then scrambling to their feet again. The elderly and weak who fell were often trampled under in the rush, never to rise again.

He shut his eyes briefly.

He knew this was all just a phantom or an illusion, that history had long since scattered to the winds. But having come here, having seen it with his own eyes, his chest felt heavy, as if a boulder sat upon it.

On this plain, human life seemed no different from the grass beneath their feet or the chickens in their coops.

Just then, the group slowed sharply. A commotion had broken out ahead.

The people in the rear pressed forward, jamming the way.

With his sharp ears, He Lingchuan could hear shouts and curses from the front.

This was simply how crowds of people were. The more urgent and chaotic the situation, the easier it was for something to go wrong.

From where he stood, he could see nothing but the backs of heads. He dropped what he was carrying and scrambled up a half-dead Euphrates poplar.

In weather like this, standing tall was asking to be struck by lightning, but he was willing to take the risk.

The next two bolts hit far away, and in their glare, he finally saw what was going on. Dozens of wagons and carts were bunched up along the riverbank ahead.

They were piled high with large chests. There were clearly some wealthy households among the refugees. Those that had passed the slope were gone, but seven or eight wagons had bogged down, their loads perhaps too heavy, or the mud too deep. No matter how the drivers lashed the horses, the animals only screamed and thrashed; the wheels sank fast into place.

Behind them, another two or three dozen wagons and carts queued up.

The road here was pinched between a cliff on one side and the river on the other, no more than wide enough for three wagons and carriages abreast, and this stretch was uphill.

Everyone behind was stuck.

Those traveling light could still clamber over the wagons, but who fled without baggage? The ones herding cattle, leading carts, or hauling their entire livelihoods had no way through.

With pursuers closing in, the refugees were frantic, and they did not bother with politeness. They charged forward to haul at the stalled wagons.

But then, shouts rang out from within the tangle of carts, and twenty-some armed escorts burst forth, weapons in one hand and shoving with the other. “Back! All of you back! Do you want to die?!”

Curses flew on both sides, and the shouting match began.

Of course, in the current situation, hurling insults was not going to solve anything. Instead, it only poured oil on the fire.

So, after only a few dozen breaths, the refugees made the first move. Someone scooped up a handful of mud and flung it at the armed escorts. The escorts retaliated instantly, and in moments, the two sides were brawling in the muck.

By He Lingchuan’s count, in less than half a cup of tea, at least a dozen people had been injured. Not a single wagon had been moved. In fairness, the escorts were merely doing their jobs. They were nothing if not dedicated.

The commotion quickly drew the attention of the Gale Army. He Lingchuan’s “old acquaintance” arrived again, this time with more than a dozen men in tow.

One glance was all it took to grasp the situation, and he did not waste any time before shouting, “Whose wagons are these? Step forward!”

A portly man in fine silk waddled out from the convoy. “Sir, may I know your surname?”

“Xiao.”

“Sir Xiao, I’m the steward of Commandery Administrator Sun’s household! These are all goods belonging to the Sun Mansion. Please, help us push them up the slope...”

The cavalry officer waved a hand. “Move them now. Clear the way.”

The steward paled. “Sir, these are valuable supplies! Provisions Commandery Administrator Sun is sending to Panlong City’s stores. This was agreed upon long ago between both sides! For example, there’s armor and weapons your forces can use!”

By this time, the Panlong Wasteland had long been mired in drawn-out warfare. Military supplies and grain were the lifeblood of any city. The cavalry officer’s eyes turned sharp. “Open the crates. I’ll see for myself.”

The men of the convoy obeyed, some faster than others. The first boxes cracked open revealed exactly what the steward claimed—rows of gleaming weapons, suits of armor, and medicinal supplies, all clearly meant for military use.

The steward said loudly, “See, sir? I wasn’t lying.”

The cavalry officer gestured, and his riders moved in to open the rest.

From his perch in the tree, He Lingchuan could see everything in one sweep. Out of the dozens of crates, only about ten actually contained military goods. The rest were packed with valuables—gold, silver, and jewels, fine jewelry, silks, antiques, and even ornate furniture. Anything you could imagine was there.

A lightning flash lit the sky, glinting off a trove of gold, including what appeared to be... a small, solid gold chamber pot.

The steward wiped at his brow, though it was impossible to say whether it was rain or sweat.

For a heartbeat, the crowd fell silent. Then, the curses rolled in like a tide.

The cavalry officer’s face stayed blank. “Unload the horses and use them to haul the military supplies. Push everything else aside.”

The steward panicked, lunging forward to grab his arm. “You can’t! If you throw away Commandery Administrator Sun’s belongings, you’ll have no way to answer the commander!”

The cavalry officer shook him off. A gold ingot went flying into the mud. “Move it! What are you standing there for? The sooner the road’s clear, the sooner we move!”

This was a military order, but were the onlookers willing to follow them?

Well, of course they were.

They surged forward, helping the Gale Army shove the Sun Mansion’s private cargo out of the way and unhitch the horses to transfer them to the wagons carrying actual supplies.

And, naturally, some of the refugees seized the opportunity to snatch small valuables and hide them away. The Sun Family’s retainers spotted the thieves and jumped in to wrestle the stolen goods back, turning the scene into even more chaos.

That was when a man in his thirties came charging up from the rear, bellowing, “Who dares touch my Sun Family’s property?!”

He jabbed a finger at the cavalry officer and roared, “You’ve got guts! My father, Commandery Administrator Sun, and Commander Zhong have supported each other for ten years! They’re as close as brothers. Now that Wei City has fallen, you soldiers dare kick us when we’re down and plunder my family’s possessions—”