Sixth year of Longwu, the Wei estate.

Chaos had suddenly erupted in the estate when a tiny figure darted down the halls and around the pillars, running at breakneck speed. Behind him, a housekeeper gave chase while shouting non-stop, “Slow down, slow down! Young master, little ancestor, please! It’ll be the death of me if you take a tumble!”

The boy was none other than Wei Yuan. He had just turned three this year, but he was unusually tall and sturdy. Children from mountain villages and farm households generally had a small build, so he was already taller than many seven- or eight-year-olds in town.

It was at this moment the aroma of delicious food wafted out of the main hall. Little Wei Yuan abruptly stopped in his tracks like a fish caught mid-air by a fishing line and changed direction.

In the main hall, Philanthropist Wei and his two wives were seated at the dining table. The food was ready. Two earthenware bowls were set on the table. One was a bowl of flatbreads and brown multigrain steamed buns, and the other a bowl of yellow multigrain porridge. The other four dishes were pickled peas, salted radish, stir-fried shredded radish, and a small plate of preserved pheasant.

This was the lunch at the home of Philanthropist Wei, a wealthy household in the county.

Little Wei Yuan had been famished for a while. He split open a steamed bun that was almost bigger than his own head and stuffed a couple slices of pheasant inside. Then, he devoured every last bit of the food in the blink of an eye. One steamed bun wasn’t enough for him, though, so he ate another two flatbreads and a bowl of porridge. It was only then that he was barely full.

After he finished lunch, little Wei Yuan jumped off his stool and saluted Philanthropist Wei and his two wives. Then, he vanished from the main hall like smoke.

Philanthropist Wei and his two wives did not really touch the food. It wasn’t until little Wei Yuan had finished his meal and left that they began eating. The Third Lady said, “Yuan’er grew up so fast. He’s only three, but he’s already got the appetite of an adult. He knows his etiquette as well, though it’s a shame that he doesn’t like to talk. If Fourth Sister was still around—”

The Second Lady hurriedly tugged at her sleeve. Realizing her mistake, the Third Lady fell silent.

Outside the main hall, little Wei Yuan paused briefly before resuming his run toward the front courtyard as if he hadn’t heard a thing. Along the way, the maids, servant girls and servants either steered clear of his path or saluted him. Meanwhile, those standing farther away from him were gossiping behind his back. How did he know? He could hear all of them!

“The young master sure grew up fast. His appetite is greater than an adult’s as well. It’s a shame that he lost his mom though.”

“Keep your voice down! Master specifically instructed us to keep this from him.”

“What’s the big deal? Who doesn’t know that the Fourth Lady ran off with another man not long after she gave birth to him? Sure, Master claimed she died and even dug a grave for her, but seriously, who does he think he’s fooling?”

Little Wei Yuan kept running. He soon put the back courtyard behind him and entered the front courtyard. This place was pretty chaotic as well. Laborers, kitchen staff, and servants were bustling about.

Little Wei Yuan stepped into a clearing in the front courtyard where stone weights, spears, and staffs were laid out. It was the household guards’ training ground. No sooner had he stepped into the clearing than he heard whispers again.

“The young master is certainly handsome, though he doesn’t quite resemble his father.”

“Say, do you think it’s possible that he’s the bastard child of the Fourth Lady and an outsider?”

“Keep your voice down!”

“What are you afraid of? There’s no one near us.”

Wei Yuan wanted nothing more than to block out the voices, but he could hear them crystal clear. The gossipers were two household guards standing over ten zhang away from him. They were speaking quietly as well. Under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible for anyone to overhear their conversation, yet somehow Wei Yuan heard every word as if they were talking right in front of him. In fact, almost every sound in the estate entered his ears loud and clear no matter where he stood.

So far as Wei Yuan remembered, he had suddenly become able to hear these voices as a little baby. Over time, he had come to understand most of what was said.

In the countryside, manners were crude, and language was vulgar. Naturally, the servants did not hold back when they privately gossiped about their master.

From the moment Wei Yuan understood the voices, he began speaking less and less. He understood what they were saying, but not why.

As usual, Wei Yuan went to the stone weights and lifted with the one that weighed ten catties.[1] It was his usual toy. However, he had just lifted it a few times when a familiar itchiness started creeping over his body. It was a terrible itchiness that gnawed at his bones; one that could only be alleviated somewhat when he was running or carrying a heavy weight. The featherlight stone weight in his hands could no longer provide the relief he sought.

So, little Wei Yuan put down the stone weight and walked over to a bigger one. This stone weight weighed a whopping fifty catties. It was also the heaviest among the stone weights the servants trained with.

Little Wei Yuan grabbed it with both hands and pulled. Immediately, the stone weight started leaving the ground.

It was at this moment that Wei Youchai’s shout came from the distance. “Put it down! Put it down now!”

Little Wei Yuan turned around and saw Philanthropist Wei jogging toward him and saying frantically, “What possessed you to lift such a big stone weight? What if you hurt yourself? I know you love playing with these stone weights, so I ordered someone to carve one just for you. Here.”

While saying this, Wei Youchai produced a tiny stone weight carved from white marble. It was delicate, exquisitely made, and weighed exactly one catty.

Little Wei Yuan had no choice but to accept the marble weight.

The item felt almost like nothing in his hand, but little Wei Yuan could feel his father’s love from it. So, as reluctant as he was, he ultimately stepped away from the big stone weight and pretended to play with the small marble weight.

While Wei Yuan was playing, Wei Youchai wiped his sweat for him. However, Wei Youchai himself was the one who had sweated more after the minor commotion.

Wei Youchai then narrowed his eyes and looked up at the sky. It was a clear sky with not a speck of cloud to be seen anywhere. Hanging high in the sky, the fiery sun cast its hot light ceaselessly toward the ground like liquid fire.

He left little Wei Yuan with his new toy and called the housekeeper to his side. He asked, “Today’s the start of summer, isn’t it?”

“Actually, summer started yesterday, Master.”

Philanthropist Wei frowned. “Already? How are the fields doing?”

The housekeeper reported with a bitter expression, “Now is the time the crops come to seed, but we’ve only had one rain in the past two months. There is simply no way for the crops to survive! The fields near the mountains are completely wiped out. The ones near Tong River are faring somewhat better, but drawing water from the river itself is a life-threatening task. Already, two villagers have worked themselves to death!”

“Get me a donkey. I will check out the situation at the village myself.”

Some time later, Philanthropist Wei, the housekeeper, and a servant began moving toward the valley entrance. The road between the Wei estate and the valley entrance was only eight li long. Once they left the valley entrance, they would arrive at Downriver Village, a village bordering Tong River that boasted the best farmlands in the entire county. If it still didn’t rain, then Downriver Village might well be the only village in the entire Ye County to yield a harvest.

The first thing they saw as soon as they crossed the threshold was blinding yellow.

The fields were yellow, the roads were yellow, the trees were yellow, the mountains were yellow, even the wind was yellow. The only green they could find as far as the eyes could see was the ancient tree behind the Wei estate. In fact, it would have died ages ago if the servants weren’t tending to it day and night. A single waterless night would have been enough for its bark to start peeling in earnest.

A gust of wind mixed with dry, yellow sand suddenly smacked Wei Youchai in the face. It took him several spits to finally clear all the dry soil that had flown into his mouth.

He wiped his face and jumped off his donkey. Then, he walked to the edge of the road and started digging into the farm soil with his bare hands. Everything he dug out was dry soil, and the crops growing on top of it were completely wilted.

It took Wei Youchai much effort to push himself off his knees and climb back to his feet. His housekeeper rushed over to support him. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

After taking a few heavy breaths, Wei Youchai asked, “How are the tenants doing?”

“Master, if the weather was only slightly warm two years ago, then last year’s rain was significantly worse. Harvest is poor, but the court imposed no tax relief. Not only have the households cleaned out their stored grains, they even borrowed some from us. This year looks like it’ll be a total crop failure, but our own reserves are dwindling fast. I’m afraid that people are going to die very soon....”

Wei Youchai’s face was grim. “If we don’t get that disaster relief soon, it will be too late. Have you heard anything back from the county?”

The housekeeper replied, “A few days ago, I went to the county yamen[2] and paid Clerk Zhao a visit. He hadn’t heard anything regarding disaster relief, but he had heard that several new taxes will be imposed this year. If I remember correctly, they’re a foot soldier tax, a barbarian subjugation tax, and an ox tax.”

Philanthropist Wei dug his ears. “Excuse me? Did you say ox tax?”

“That’s right. An ox tax.” The housekeeper nodded. He knew this for certain because he himself had asked Clerk Zhao if it was real.

Wei Youchai asked with a look of astonishment, “Have we ever had a single ox in our county?”

“Not in the past few decades, at least.”

It wasn’t just Ye County. Fengyuan Commandery had not possessed a single ox since a long, long time ago. These lands bordered the southern mountains, and the unique environment and atmosphere made it difficult for draft oxen to survive. Therefore, peasants usually used mules—an animal that looked like a donkey but was smaller in size[3]—to till the lands.

Forget the Fengyuan Commandery, less than one-third of the entire Ji State had oxen. This was completely different from the northern states where draft oxen were everywhere.

“If we don’t have oxen, then why the heck is there an ox tax?”

The housekeeper observed Philanthropist Wei’s expression for a second before answering softly, “Just because there are no oxen doesn’t mean that there can’t be an ox tax. That’s what Clerk Zhao told me.”

Wei Youchai said grimly, “Explain.”

“According to Clerk Zhao, the court recently appointed a great Confucian scholar from the north, celebrated for his literary prowess. Upon his arrival, he immediately initiated reforms and proposed a so-called tax-to-head ratio system—well, to put it simply, a head tax. For every fifty households, it is assumed that someone will own an ox. So, they should pay an ox tax. I heard that fishermen and boatmen are expected to pay an ox tax as well.”

Wei Youchai’s blood boiled so hot he could only laugh. “Demons and monsters! You said he could write? Can a man of letters truly be so depraved?”

The housekeeper was no less grumpy. “Maybe he is depraved precisely because he’s a man of letters!”

Wei Youchai cursed for a while longer before falling silent. Finally, he said, “Let us return.”

“We’re not going to Downriver Village?”

“No. Things are going to go south very soon. Head to the mountains and tell Old Six to return.”

Surprised, the housekeeper asked, “You want me to bring back Master Six?”

“It is a year of famine, and refugees are sure to prowl around. If he doesn’t come, then we will have to go away instead.”

The housekeeper blanched. Afraid to ask further questions, he guided the donkey back to the estate under the liquid fire that was sunlight.

Clerk Zhao’s intelligence soon proved to be terribly accurate. Not two days had passed when the imperial decree declaring that the court would be imposing new taxes reached the county. The Ye County received the imperial decree last because it was remote, whereas other places had received it a full fortnight earlier. Naturally, discontent boiled everywhere, and many who saw no way to survive in a proper manner began thinking of... other means.

Here in Yong Province, a good citizen who obediently starved to death did not exist.

One early morning, little Wei Yuan ran toward the training ground as soon as he finished breakfast as usual. However, he had just reached the edge of the clearing when a pair of big hands descended from above and lifted him into the air effortlessly.

The hands belonged to a burly man with a head as smooth as a marble and a fearsome face. His right cheek was marred by a long scar that was clearly inflicted by a blade. Holding Wei Yuan high up in the air, the big man put on a fierce expression and glared at him.

Little Wei Yuan looked left and right and discovered that he was much higher than when he was being held by someone else. He let out a whoop of joy when he noticed that he could see everyone’s heads from his elevation.

The baldie turned Wei Yuan’s little face toward him and asked curiously, “Aren’t you scared of me?”

Little Wei Yuan returned a puzzled look. “Why should I be scared of you?”

Although this was their first meeting, Wei Yuan could tell that the baldie was the third person besides Wei Youchai and the housekeeper who truly adored him. Therefore, no matter how hard the baldie tried to scare him, all he felt from him was fun and joy.

The baldie let out a boisterous laugh before declaring, “Good boy! Come, let’s go find your dad!”

And so the big man carried Wei Yuan in his arms and walked toward the corner tower. There, they found Wei Youchai testing out a hunting bow while dressed in a short-hemmed shirt. It was clear that he wasn’t fit, however. He barely drew the bow twice before he started panting heavily and was forced to put down the bow.

The baldie walked up to Wei Youchai and greeted him, “I’m back, Big Brother!”

Wei Youchai looked up at the burly man who was an entire head taller than him, then at his son sitting quietly in the man’s arms. A genuine smile spread across his tired face as he returned, “It’s good to have you back, Old Six!”

The baldie called Old Six reported, “I saw a ton of refugees on my way here. They’re all piling in from the northeast direction. The main group is just thirty li away, and I counted at least several thousand people in the group. They have leaders as well.”

“How are they faring?”

The baldie replied gravely, “I snuck in during the night and saw the leaders boiling a pot of meat soup. The smell was off... I’m afraid it was human flesh.”

Wei Youchai replied calmly, “I’m not surprised. Humans will eat anything when they’re starving.”

He spent a few moments thinking before restarting the conversation, “If they’re thirty li away, that means they’ll reach us the day after tomorrow at the latest. If several thousand people can pay our backwater a visit, that means the counties to the northeast are probably all dead.”

The baldie said, “I brought three useful brothers, ten sets of leather armor, and three strong bows with me this time. The refugees can’t move quickly. So long as we avoid the main group, it should not be difficult for us to punch our way through. So, are we running or defending?”

“Where refugees prowl, not a blade of grass is left behind.” This was not a jestful saying. A refugee’s hoe could plow the land as easily as it plowed a human’s insides. The Wei residence boasted several dozen people at most, whereas the refugees numbered several thousand. Everyone would be killed if they managed to break through. There would be no exceptions.

However, who would choose to leave their home behind and become a refugee unless they had no other choice?

Wei Youchai’s long, narrow eyes narrowed into slits. A long time later, he finally revealed his decision. “We defend!”

Old Six perked up and curled the corners of his lips into a vicious grin. “Got it!”

For the next two days, everyone in the estate gave their all to add another half a chi[4] to their walls and reinforce the weak spots. During this time, Wei Youchai took little Wei Yuan with him no matter where he went. Thus, little Wei Yuan saw it all. He watched the baldie pulling out leather armor and strong bows out of his leather sack, and the servants grabbing the weapons and putting on the leather armor.

On the morning of the third day, everyone, including little Wei Yuan, enjoyed a full meal.

Dawn had barely broken when thick clouds of dust began billowing up from the end of the main road, its shadowy mass concealing god-knew-how-many people. Some of the servants standing on the walls felt their legs tremble at the sight of it.

Wei Youchai had put on his combat gear a long time ago and was now making his way to the corner tower in a leisurely fashion. He was also carrying little Wei Yuan. Once he arrived, he ordered the men to prepare a grand preceptor armchair[5] and took a seat with Little Wei Yuan on his lap.

The housekeeper and Old Six were already standing by on the corner tower. They were both surprised when they saw Wei Youchai carrying Wei Yuan with him. The baldie asked, “Big brother, are you sure you want Wei Yuan up here? What if...”

Wei Youchai waved his hand dismissively. “It’ll be fine! Yuan’er became aware earlier than most kids and understands everything now. It’s better for him to get his first taste of blood sooner than later.”

The housekeeper sighed. “You shouldn’t be here either, Master!”

Wei Youchai chuckled. “Leave me be. If the refugees manage to break through, then it doesn’t matter where I hide, now does it? Yeah, I’m going to sit right here and see how these bastards break into my home and eat my flesh!”

As they spoke, the main group drew near. Their faces were gaunt and haggard, and their clothes were no better than rags. Malevolence and cruelty burned on their faces though. Some of them were carrying hoes, and some pitchforks. Most of them were covered in dark-colored stains. It was obvious that they were patches of dried blood.

There were women in the group as well, all of them mostly naked. Some young women were tied up with rope, with nary a piece of cloth to cover their shame.

The refugees’ eyes lit up with hunger the moment they saw the estate. A few people standing at the forefront wore outfits that betrayed them as locals. They were pointing at the estate and saying something they couldn’t hear.

The housekeeper had sharp eyes. He was able to identify those people and swore furiously, “That’s Hu Three! He would’ve died last year if we hadn’t shared our food with him, that ungrateful son of a bitch!”

His swearing couldn’t change a thing though. Meanwhile, the refugees lost their cool and started charging as soon as they saw the estate, distance be damned.

The refugees were screaming over one another, and from a distance all one could hear was a jumbled mess of words. However, Wei Yuan could hear every word loud and clear. Even when dozens of people were screaming at the same time, Wei Yuan could differentiate each line and make sense of them.

“There are women and food inside the estate! Kill them!”

“We’re starving to death here, but they are making merry?!”

“Kill the rich! Kill them all!!”

As the refugees charged toward them like locusts, Wei Yuan suddenly turned to Wei Youchai and asked, “Why do they want to kill us?”

Wei Youchai replied gently, “Keep watching. You’ll understand in a moment.”

It didn’t take long at all for the first group to reach the walls and start climbing. The Wei estate walls were only a zhang tall. The strong ones could reach the top in one powerful leap, and even the weak ones could barely scale it with others pushing them from below.

The Wei family servants began repelling the invaders. Not all of them were the brave kind, but the threat of death was enough to overcome their fear. Screaming, they raised their blades and hacked viciously at the hands and heads that poked atop the walls. Blood splattered everywhere, and fingers and hands flew in all directions.

But there were simply too many refugees. The ones at the back could not squeeze their way to the front, so they instead picked rocks from the ground and threw them toward the walls. A couple servants were struck instantly, and some even fell off the walls.

The ones who fell quickly gritted their teeth and climbed back up the walls, however, not even bothering to wipe the blood on their heads. Everyone knew that they would suffer a fate worse than death if the refugees managed to break through.

The Wei estate’s corner tower was three zhang tall, and the men Old Six had brought back were all there, busy shooting arrows at the refugees. It was obvious that they were familiar with the bow, because their shots were fast and ruthless.

The housekeeper wasn’t idle either. There were flags of various colors at his feet that he waved from time to time. He was both directing the servants and looking for targets. From time to time, he would cry out something like, “That tall guy wearing black over there is probably a leader! Shoot him!”

Under his guidance, the three bowmen took out seven or eight burly refugees in just the blink of an eye. However, everyone was gripped by bloodlust at this point. They kept charging the estate even if they had to step on their companions’ broken limbs or climb over their dead bodies.

Surprisingly, with just the housekeeper’s instructions and a few dozen bodies, the Wei estate just barely held against the refugees’ assault. The baldie was also patrolling back and forth and plugging holes wherever he saw them. Several times, he cut down refugees who had climbed up the walls and sent them back to the screaming masses.

Sitting on Wei Youchai’s lap, Wei Yuan watched it all in silence. He watched as a sharp arrow pierced through a human body and struck the ground in a shower of human blood. He watched as a trembling servant screamed at the top of his lungs while throwing rock after rock at the masses below. He watched as a refugee with an arrow in his stomach screamed in pain while clinging to a fellow companion’s pants with all his might. His companion thought him a nuisance and so silenced him forever with a sickle to the skull. Then, he continued charging toward the estate without looking back even once.

The stench of blood mixed with dust and soil wafted over again and again. A servant on the wall couldn’t help it and clung to a merlon, throwing up in earnest. However, a rock immediately struck him in the skull, and before he knew it, the refugees had already dragged him off the wall and tossed him on the ground. The next second, the refugees ripped and bit into him like rabid animals. His bloodcurdling screams would echo for some time.

On the corner tower, Wei Youchai continued to sit peacefully, as if he wasn’t looking at a terrible battle but at children fooling around with each other. Leaning against him, little Wei Yuan felt as if he were being supported by an immovable mountain.

The battle quickly drew out for as long as a meal would take. Every servant was panting heavily, and they were all injured here and there. Inevitably, irreparable holes began appearing in the defense line. A group of refugees finally surged up the walls and climbed up the corner tower. A chaotic battle immediately started!

A muscular refugee kicked the housekeeper away before charging Wei Youchai with a vicious grin on his face. Wei Youchai did not panic in the slightest though. He rose to his feet and drew his own blade. However, his leisurely life caused his movements to be sluggish; the man kicked him in the chest and put him on his back just as he raised his blade. The man then raised his wood-chopping knife and attempted to bring it down on Wei Youchai’s head!

Seeing this, little Wei Yuan’s mind turned blank. The next second, he grabbed a short spear from the floor and drove it into the refugee’s abdomen!

Before this, the refugee paid little Wei Yuan no attention whatsoever. After all, he was just a kid. However, the spear strike proved to be unusually heavy. Shocked and furious, he kicked little Wei Yuan away and pulled out the short spear with a grunt. Blood immediately jetted out of the wound and spilled all over little Wei Yuan.

The man collapsed to his knees; strength drained away from his body like water. At the same time, little Wei Yuan rushed over and grabbed the short spear. When he pulled, the strong refugee felt a strength that did not belong to a kid at all ripping the short spear out of his grasp. Then, little Wei Yuan stepped forward and thrust the spearhead right through his chest.

In pain, the refugee grabbed the spear with one hand while searching for his wood-chopping knife with the other. When he found it, he tried to take a swing at little Wei Yuan’s head.

Little Wei Yuan didn’t even look at the wood-chopping knife looming over his head though. He just gathered all of his strength and pushed the short spear bit by bit into the refugee’s heart.

Suddenly, the refugee saw Wei Yuan’s eyes. The young boy's pupils looked so unfathomably deep it was as if an entire world was hidden behind them. His little face was calm, as if he were carrying out a minor task, not taking a human life. Looking at little Wei Yuan’s face, the refugee could not help but feel a chill in his heart.

It was at this moment the refugee finally ran out of strength. The short spear sank deep into his heart with a squelch.

Meanwhile, the housekeeper and the rest of the servants finally managed to cut down every refugee who had climbed up the corner tower. Then, they tossed the bodies out one after another. The sight immediately caused the main group to panic, and their morale to take a dip.

Seeing that their spirits were down, the housekeeper immediately grabbed a red flag and tossed it toward the center of the group with all his might.

On the wall, Old Six’s eyes lit up at the sight of the red flag and let out a sinister laugh. “Finally! Brothers, follow me!”

He leaped off the wall and sent a couple refugees flying when he landed on the ground. Then, he charged straight toward the point where the red flag had landed. At the same time, five house servants wearing leather armor emerged from the estate. Incredibly, they hadn’t participated in the defense earlier; they had been saving their strength for this moment! They too leaped off the walls and raced after Old Six, cutting down anyone and everyone in their path.

The baldie let out an angry roar, and thick red light abruptly burst out of his body. From a distance, it looked like a torch of blood! When he swung his blade in front of him, three refugees were instantly cleaved in half. When he swung around him, seven or eight others immediately suffered the same fate!

From the moment the red light appeared, every move, every technique he unleashed carried extraordinary power. No one was a match for him and his squad of elites, and together, they cut down over a hundred refugees and reached the center of the main group in almost no time at all.

Finally, the refugees’ morale collapsed entirely. As the saying went, a defeated army was like an avalanche. The refugees scattered and disappeared into the distance in just the blink of an eye.

The housekeeper finally let out a sigh of relief and fell on his butt. He murmured, “Thank goodness they’re just a mob.”

As the thrill of the fight subsided, the housekeeper finally noticed that he was hurting like hell. It was because someone had landed a hit on his back.

Objectively speaking, the battle hadn’t taken long at all. However, several hundred bodies had piled up outside the Wei estate, not to mention those who were still alive. Many of them had lost an arm or a leg, and they could do nothing but scream on the ground until death claimed them.

Most of the servants had grown up in farm households. Naturally, they had never seen such a horrific scene before. Some of them were throwing up by the walls, and some were crying or laughing uncontrollably.

Wei Youchai climbed to his feet and slowly pulled little Wei Yuan onto his lap. He carefully inspected every bit of his body to see if he was hurt. When he confirmed that there were no wounds, and the blood covering his son belonged to his enemies, he finally let out a long, long sigh of relief.

His face was shockingly pale at this point, but he gave himself a pat on the chest and then started wiping away the bloodstains on little Wei Yuan’s face with his sleeve.

Little Wei Yuan lifted his little face and repeated his question, “Why do they want to kill us?”

Still carrying little Wei Yuan, Wei Youchai climbed to his feet and walked to the edge of the corner tower. He then pointed a finger to the northeast and said, “They are, or at least were, humans like us, but they are too hungry. They want to eat our food, but there isn’t enough to sate their hunger. That is why they want to eat us as well. Only by doing so can they survive. If one day we are so hungry that we cannot survive, if we have no choice but to leave our homes behind in search of food... then we will become just like them.”

He then pointed southwest and continued, “Down in that direction beyond these great mountains live many other... well, let’s just call them humans, who look nothing like us. They will eat us whether they’re hungry or not. In fact, they and those in the northeast will just eat us without fanfare.”

He then pointed to the north. “Far off in that direction lie many great cities, and the people dwelling in the heart of those cities eat human flesh as well. But they don’t consume it directly. Their ways are more refined. Don’t mistake that for a lack of appetite, though. In fact, they are the ones who eat more than any other.”

Little Wei Yuan’s expression showed that he understood the explanation, but not quite.

Wei Youchai gave him a smile and pointed one last time toward the sky. “Perhaps the view from up there is different, but from where we are currently standing... this is a man-eat-man world.”

Little Wei Yuan’s little brows scrunched together as he thought long and hard. “Why do they want to eat humans? It’s not like humans are tasty.”

Wei Youchai waved his hand in front of him and replied, “Because there’s only so much land. There isn’t enough to feed everyone. Whether they eat, kill, or starve to death, someone has to die no matter what. Things won’t settle down until enough people have died....”

1. The catty is an ancient unit of weight measurement, now standardized to 500g. ☜

2. The yamen is the local government office of a town. ☜

3. This is the explanation in the original, and it seems that in this novel, mules are actually much smaller than in real life, around the size of miniature mules/horses. In reality, mules are hybrids between a male donkey and a female horse, and they are usually larger than donkeys. ☜

4. A chi is a unit of length measurement now standardized to 33 cm, or approximately one foot. ☜

5. An armchair with a wide seat. ☜