her hand. They ignited the bones on the ground instantly.Then she swiftly muttered incantations, drawing the soul trapped within the bones out.The extracted souls had a moment of confusion, then they..."Second and Third Brother, you two go to the disaster area first to gather some intel. Don't separate, stick together."

Lao Zhang immediately ordered, "We shouldn't rush into the crowd of refugees without knowing anything. If we get scattered, there won't be anywhere for us to cry."

"Yes, Father!"

After descending, each tucked a dagger into their bosom and walked into the crowd of refugees. These daggers were still seized from those strong men.

The rest of the people, led by the ripples, had moved away from those indifferent disaster victims. Many eyes were already fixed on them with envious gazes, but when they saw that they had more men and were carrying weapons like axes and knives, no one dared to cause trouble.

The ripples tightened his brow, that was during the day. These people could still endure it. But once night fell, those starving men would surely reach for them because they didn't look hungry at all.

"Grandpa, we have to leave before tonight, or else we won't be able to make it out."

The ripples jumped off the board, and in a low voice, he spoke to Old Zhang.

"Well, I see that. Some people are looking at us with the wrong eyes."

Old Zhang isn't stupid, he's been gone for over half a month, but he can still tell the looks in people's eyes.

"Wait until your second and third uncles get word back before we talk."

The ripples nodded, then walked over to let Hui Niang tie Huzi to her chest, preventing anyone from snatching the child. Several aunts followed suit, tying the youngest children to their chests as well, especially Liu Shi, who tied him with great care and attention.

Half an hour later, Zhang Jun and Zhang Cheng emerged from the gathering of refugees, drenched in sweat, and made their way this way.

How is it going

Zhang Laotou opened his mouth and asked, the rest of the people focused their eyes on the two of them.

"Father, this Haoyun County is now under a semi-lockdown. It's only possible to leave, not enter. Only one corner gate is open, and those who can enter and exit are wealthy residents of the city, as well as rich families fleeing from Liangzhou in the south. They pay with silver or grain, paying several times more than usual, just to get into the city."

Zhang Jun wiped the sweat from his forehead and spoke first.

"As common folk like us, with a pass, the fee is collected per head. Ten taels of silver for an adult, and five taels for a half-grown boy like Feng Liang."

Then Zhang Cheng continued.

"Tsk, why don't they just rob it!"

Zhang Shi clenched his fists and roared angrily.

"In this situation, we can't even fill our stomachs, who could possibly come up with so much silver!"

Song Dachuan also said in a deep voice.

So there were people stationed at the gate who collected children. If they saw a good-looking child, they would use the child to offset the entry fee and let those commoners in.

Just as we reached the small gate, we saw a family enter after selling their twin sons. However, they were penniless. Even if they entered the city, what could they do

Zhang Jun shook his head and sighed.

"We have silver, or else we'll suffer misfortune by avoiding it. Let's go into the city first and then talk."

Zhang Zhong lowered his voice and said.

"Uncle, I'm afraid it won't work. These city guards are colluding with the human traffickers. If they don't want silver, they will force us to leave our younger siblings behind."

What fantasies could one possibly have about a person like that

"This"

Both of them were speechless after hearing the ripples' words. After all, this could really happen. They had raised their children well. Although they had been fleeing for a long time, at least they could guarantee that they would have enough to eat. Even though two-thirds of their food supply had been consumed, the children still looked energetic. They were just afraid of being targeted by human traffickers.

What then

"First, we need to retreat and leave this area where disaster victims are gathered. There's a higher chance of chaos in crowded places. Our priority is to ensure our own safety first, then we can figure out what to do next."

Ripple, looking at the sun that was already beginning to set in the west, said directly.

"Come on, let's go back. I saw a patch of trees earlier. Let's head deep into the woods and hide there for tonight. We can talk later."

Lao Zhang had been paying attention to the surrounding environment all along and made a decision right away.

Everyone remained silent, pulling the cart around and leaving. Even so, several groups of people followed them, tailing their every move as if trying to find out where they were headed.

Ripples pretended not to know, causing everyone to speed up their pace. They walked six miles back and stopped in a barren forest.

"Grandpa, uncles, Father, you all go in first. I'll follow right behind."

The ripples let others go first; she had to deal with those tails.

"Ripple, be careful. If you can't handle it, just run away. Don't get yourself involved."

Lao Zhang immediately instructed, and Song Dachuan also stared intently at the ripples, waiting for her reply.

"Okay, don't worry!"

Having finished speaking, Lian'i turned and ran back the way they came. They ran straight into a group of people. Before the other side could react, Lian'i's stick came down, knocking out seven or eight people in just a few moves.

Then she waited for a while, but no one came to surrender. She picked them up one by one and threw them onto the earthen embankment beside the dirt road. Finally, she clapped her hands and was about to return.

She hadn't taken two steps when she heard the sound of horses' hooves, and then saw a carriage appear at the end of the dirt road. The carriage raced towards her, kicking up a cloud of dust. She stepped aside to let it pass; she didn't want to be kicked by a horse.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way! The horse was startled! Make way!"

Hearing the coachman's exclamation, Lian'er only then realized that the two horses pulling the carriage were not right. Their eyes were bloodshot, as if stimulated by something, and they snorted as they rushed forward.

The ripples didn't intend to pay attention, and had already turned and jumped towards the field path. In her ears, she heard the sound of the millstone, which hadn't surfaced in a long time:

"The ripples, the people in the carriage are the ministers responsible for this disaster relief. You need to find a way to save them, otherwise, this disaster in the southern part of Liangzhou will spread to the north even Huizhou, and many people will die."

The ripples knew, her mission was nearing its end, and she was pulling this stunt again.

She immediately stopped what she was doing, turned around and ran towards the carriage, scaring the driver so badly that he could barely speak.

"Get out of the way! You want to die!!!"

Then, in the terrified gaze of the other, Ripples leaped onto the horse's back, grabbed the reins, and forcibly stopped the two horses.

Because the force of the ripple was too great, both horses were lifted off the ground by their reins. The carriage formed a thirty-degree incline with the ground, and there were sounds of "dong" and "ouch" from inside, indicating that the people inside had been bumped.

"Cease and desist, or I'll beat you!"

Li ripples coldly addressed the two maddened steeds.

It seemed to sense the ripples of powerful aura emanating from him. The two horses lowered their front hooves and, as expected, stopped running. However, their hooves still stamped back and forth on the ground, showing their agitated mood.

Then the ripples loosened their reins and turned to shout at the people in the carriage:

"Are the people inside okay If they're alright, give a response!"

No problem!

After three breaths, a voice came from within.

The coachman had jumped down from his perch, opened the carriage door, and helped the people inside out.arge, and finally, the village head spoke up, and then the Wen family calmed down.Su Wu's words were a little dry, but he still clearly explained the situation with the Wen siblings.When ripples heard...