The Refugees

The constant slurping and splashing filled the air. Niu San, squatting among the crowd, hoisted a large bowl to his lips and noisily sucked down the porridge inside.

It was a thin millet and sorghum porridge, mixed with wild vegetables, leafy radish tops, sweet potatoes, and potatoes.

But even so, Niu San was eating and crying at the same time. It was just so good. In his whole life, he had never eaten anything this good.

Stretching his tongue out to lick the bowl completely clean, Niu San rose from the huddled group of people and crept timidly toward the porridge station.

Though he was gaunt to the point of being unrecognizable, his naturally large frame immediately drew the attention of the nearby village militia.

“Hey! Stop right there!” Several militiamen from Oxheart Village leveled their spears at Niu San, their voices harsh.

They had to be harsh. The truth was, they were scared too. Where the hell had this bunch of refugees suddenly come from?

“M-Mister Officer, I heard it was two bowls per person? Could I get another one?” Niu San craned his neck, putting on a fawning expression.

When a large ladle of coarse grain porridge was dumped into his bowl, Niu San immediately nodded and bowed, retreating back into the crowd to enjoy his meal.

He had once been a squad leader in the army, a man of some standing. But now, as long as he had food to eat, he’d get down on his knees and crawl through someone’s crotch if he had to.

After licking his bowl clean a second time, the quick-witted Niu San stole a glance at the village beside him.

Unlike the crumbling ruins he had seen before, this village was brimming with life, without a single sign of the calamity that had struck.

It was truly bizarre. He knew that when that heavenly disaster came down, fewer than one in ten people in the entire Great Qi had survived. No one could have escaped it. “Could there be some hidden master protecting this place?”

Just then, he noticed a rip suddenly appearing in the air above a distant field. A young Daoist in a red robe emerged from it, confirming Niu San’s guess.

He watched from afar as the Daoist glanced in their direction, then walked into the village behind a fenced enclosure, speaking with some strange-looking man whose face was mottled black and white.

Not long after, Niu San saw that strange man, hands clasped behind his back and strutting with an air of authority, walk up to the crowd. He casually pointed a finger at a few people, “You, you, you, and you—step out!”

These four were among the slightly sturdier ones in the group of refugees, Niu San included.

“Listen up! My Senior Brother Li is kind and benevolent! A true good man! He can’t stand to see people suffer, which is why he’s giving you this porridge.”

“But with over a hundred of you milling about like this, how are we supposed to manage it? From now on, you four are the heads of these people.”

“Keep your folk in line, alright? Go take a dump or a piss in the woods! And no committing any crimes. If anyone steps out of line, you pick them out, and tomorrow’s porridge ration gets cut in half!”

“Yes, yes, yes.”

Watching the four of them bow and scrape before him, Gouwa wore a look of smug satisfaction. This feeling was really something.

Seeing them disappear back into the crowd, Gouwa turned to Li Huowang beside him and said, “Senior Brother Li, I mean, this is a good thing and all, and we’ve got no shortage of grain, but with more and more people showing up, are we gonna be able to handle it?”

Li Huowang stared at the refugees, his voice low. “There won’t be more and more. There aren’t many people left alive in the Great Qi.”

He had just gone to check the Great Qi. Within a radius of a few dozen li, this was probably all that was left.

Just then, the sound of hooves rang out. Li Huowang saw Chun Xiaoman riding back with a few militiamen.

Reining in her horse with her single arm, Chun Xiaoman dismounted and said to Li Huowang, “Senior Brother Li, you guessed right. It’s not just us. Other villages, even the county town, have some refugees showing up too.”

“Any of them wearing white headbands?” Li Huowang asked.

“Some, but not many. Found about three or five in total.”

Hearing this, Li Huowang’s heart sank. The appearance of these Great Qi folk wasn’t a coincidence. Gao Zhijian had once been the emperor of the Great Qi, and now he had connected with the Dragon Vein of the Great Liang.

Whether or not the Great Qi was that erased piece of history, the fact was that the people of the Great Qi were now steadily arriving in the Great Liang.

Zhuge Yuan’s plan from back then had worked. The people of the Great Qi had indeed been saved, just in a rather peculiar way.

What mattered more now was that it seemed more than just the people of the Great Qi had crossed over with them. He needed to inform Gao Zhijian as soon as possible.

“Hmm.” Li Huowang nodded, then fell into thought for a moment before pulling a sealed envelope from his bosom. “Take this to the Capital for me. Deliver a message to Gao Zhijian and the Supervisory Heavenly Office.”

“Understood.” Chun Xiaoman took the letter, mounted her horse, and immediately galloped down the road.

Li Huowang let out a long breath. For now, the only good news was that with fewer than one in ten of the Great Qi’s population remaining, the followers of the Yuer Shen had also suffered massive losses. Otherwise, if they had come to the Great Liang, it would have been a catastrophe for the land.

But even with so many dead, the surviving disciples of the Dharma Cult among the Great Qi were still a hidden threat.

“Senior Brother Li, are you thinking about how to handle these people?” Bai Lingmiao’s gentle voice came from beside him as she walked over.

Li Huowang slowly crossed his arms, staring at the refugees in the distance. “Yeah. There aren’t many of them, but these are people driven mad by hunger. And the ones who survived all have their own tricks up their sleeves.”

“If we don’t keep a tight grip on them, whether they turn to crime or get absorbed by the Great Liang’s Dharma Cult, this peace we’ve just settled into might be thrown back into chaos.”

Bai Lingmiao chewed on her fingernail for a moment before speaking. “Senior Brother Li, how about this. I have some say in the White Lotus Society. I could have my people spread the word and try to take as many of these people in as White Lotus followers. What do you think?”

Li Huowang looked at her with a hint of surprise. “The White Lotus Society? Is that your own idea, or is it the high-ranking members of the White Lotus Society who think this way?”

“Senior Brother Li, why would you say that? As the Saintess, my status within the White Lotus Society is the highest now.”

Looking at Bai Lingmiao’s face, Li Huowang felt it was time to have a proper talk with her about the White Lotus Society.

But for now, letting the White Lotus Society absorb these refugees wasn’t a bad idea. Compared to the Dharma Cult, which was trying to summon the Yuer Shen, the White Lotus Society at least seemed far more benevolent.

“Alright. Tell your people to move fast. I bet the Dharma Cult has already started trying to snatch these starving refugees up for themselves.”

“Mm-hmm!” Bai Lingmiao nodded lightly, then lightly pushed off the ground and walked out of the village.

She returned shortly after. Seeing that Li Huowang wasn’t at the village entrance, she headed toward the Bai family compound.

As she stepped into the courtyard, Bai Lingmiao saw Li Huowang sitting on a bench, waiting for her.

“Sit down. Let’s talk.” Li Huowang gently patted the spot beside him.

Bai Lingmiao sat on the bench and rested her head gently on Li Huowang’s shoulder.

“Tell me honestly. When it comes to the White Lotus Society, is there something you’ve been keeping from me?”