Martial Arts: I Have a Wilderness World-Chapter 47: Sudden Change at Shuikou

Chen Kaishan’s bizarre question baffled Cheng Zongyang. "What are you talking about?" he asked, confused.

Chen Kaishan asked calmly, "The Snake Gall. Any pearls, or something of the sort?"

Hearing this, Cheng Zongyang understood what he meant.

’Does he think this giant python became a spirit and formed some kind of Inner Core?’

’Isn’t he overthinking this?’

’As for the Snake Gall... are you kidding me? How could there possibly *be* any of that good stuff left?’

He couldn’t help but shake his head and play dumb. "There was nothing. Besides, the Snake Gall burst just like the rest of its Internal Organs. And what’s this about a pearl?

Chen Kaishan didn’t bother explaining further. Seeing that Cheng Zongyang didn’t look like he was lying, he just shook his head and turned to leave.

Chen Kaishan’s actions left Cheng Zongyang a little puzzled. ’Could there really be some kind of pearl?’

But he had already searched through all the giant python’s Internal Organs, even crushing its brain to check inside.

’Forget a pearl, there wasn’t even a gallstone!’

’Speaking of which, a cow’s gallstone is called a cow bezoar, and stones from horses and dogs are called horse and dog treasures. So what about a snake? A snake treasure? A snake bezoar?’

’Then again, can pythons even get kidney stones or gallstones?’

Shaking off his rambling thoughts, he didn’t dwell on it and turned to leave.

He didn’t linger in the County Town. After getting things in order at his new home, he took out his Firewood Knife and Bow and Arrow, then headed directly west, leaving the County Town.

「Meanwhile, in Shuikou Village!」

Shuikou Village was in utter chaos. Villagers ran everywhere, shouting that hordes of refugees had already looted Dongtou Village and were now heading for Shuikou!

Every face was a mask of panic and terror...

In the western part of the village.

"Quick! Hanchang! Forget everything else! Just grab the things we prepared last night!"

"Wife! Get the children!"

Zhou Hansong’s family was in a state of utter panic.

He never imagined the refugees would come so suddenly!

He threw some important items onto a two-wheeled handcart, helped his parents sit on it, and roared at the people still inside the house!

The two youngest children were so scared they were wailing, but the adults had no time for them.

Zhou Hanchang yelled to his eldest nephew, Zhou Zhenyuan, and his eldest son, Zhou Zhendong:

"You two, stop moving things! Get your younger brothers and sisters onto the other cart! Quickly!"

Zhou Hanchang’s eldest son, Zhou Zhendong, didn’t say a word upon hearing his father. He immediately sprang into action!

"Cousin! Quick! Zhennan! Take Xiaomei!"

Zhou Zhendong shouted to his cousin and his second younger brother, tossed aside the unimportant things in his hands, and snatched up his wailing six-year-old brother, Zhou Zhenhua.

"Got it!" his second younger brother, Zhou Zhennan, shouted back. Without hesitating, he grabbed his trembling and bewildered sister, Zhou Xiaomei, and ran outside!

"Zhenli, Zhenqi, keep up!"

Beside them, Zhou Zhenyuan didn’t delay either. He also scooped up his terrified five-year-old sister, Zhou Xiaoxiao, and headed outside, not forgetting to shout for the others to follow.

At the doorway, the two elderly parents, who had trouble moving, watched the scene outside. They glanced back at their two sons and daughters-in-law hauling things out of the house, their eyes filled with sorrow and frantic anxiety.

Unable to help at such a critical moment, all they could do was watch in anguish and wipe away their tears.

Soon, the two brothers, Zhou Hanchang and Zhou Hansong, grabbed the last of the important items, shut the door, and hurried to the front of their carts.

They each had a handcart, with Firewood Knives and kitchen cleavers placed on top, ready to be used at a moment’s notice.

"If anyone tries to stop us, don’t hesitate!" Zhou Hansong said quickly to his younger brother, Zhou Hanchang, looking at the chaotic mess of villagers nearby and deciding he couldn’t afford to care about them.

"I know. Let’s go!" Zhou Hanchang said, his expression grim.

"Let’s go!" Hanging the hemp rope over his shoulder, Zhou Hansong tensed his arms, gripped the cart’s handles, and slowly lifted. He leaned forward, straining to pull the handcart.

Behind him, Zhou Hanchang did the same.

But as their wives and eldest sons began pushing from behind, the two handcarts started moving quickly. The burden on the two brothers, Zhou Hansong and Zhou Hanchang, eased, and they picked up speed.

A short while later, the two handcarts reached the eastern exit of the village.

On the bumpy dirt road, other villagers were also fleeing in panic, pulling two-wheeled or single-wheeled handcarts without regard for where they were going.

"You damn woman, I told you not to load so much, the cart tipped over! Do you want to die here?!"

"You murderous bastards! Husband, wake up!"

"Get out of the way! Don’t block the road! Block my way again and I’ll slaughter you!"

"Dad! Mom! Wake up... SOB SOB SOB..."

"In-law! Quick, help carry some..."

"..."

On the dirt road, dust filled the sky. The road, once over twenty feet wide, was now completely blocked up ahead! The people in the back were so frantic they started screaming curses!

"Run! The refugees are in the village!!"

Someone in the distance let out a roar so strained it was almost a hoarse, distorted shriek.

At this, the people stuck on the village road turned pale with fright.

They went mad, shoving their carts forward as if to ram a path through.

Shoving, hitting, cursing, brawling...

The already chaotic dirt road erupted into a full-blown riot!

Gone was their former harmony, gone was the camaraderie of close neighbors...

All that remained was the desire to live, and a seething hatred for those blocking their way!

Further back, Zhou Hansong’s large family also heard the shout.

"Brother, that’s the village chief’s voice!" Zhou Hanchang said, his face tense as he recognized the speaker.

Zhou Hansong looked at the chaos ahead, then at the many carts blocking their retreat from behind. He gritted his teeth and made a decisive command to his family:

"Take all the money and jewelry, leave the rest! We’re leaving the grain too! Hanchang, you carry Mother. I’ll carry Father! You two, take the children and follow! Zhenyuan, Zhendong, look after the little ones!"

"Alright!" The two eldest sons nodded, their faces tense and serious. They immediately got the youngest children onto their backs and tried to soothe them.

"We’re... we’re leaving all this?" the old woman asked, her voice trembling.

"We’re leaving it. If we delay any longer, we’ll all die here!"

The old man decisively agreed with his son’s decision. If they hesitated at a time like this, the entire family would die in the village.

’It wouldn’t matter if the two of them died, but they couldn’t drag the children down with them!’

’Besides, he knew his sons’ characters. They would never abandon their parents.’

’That’s why he never once uttered the nonsense of telling them to leave him and his wife behind. It would have been pointless and only wasted precious time!’

Zhou Hanchang gritted his teeth, suppressed the reluctance in his heart, and quickly hoisted his mother onto his back.

With that, no one else hesitated. They all moved quickly.

Pale and terrified, Mrs. Xu and Mrs. Ye of the Zhou Family immediately grabbed the two important bundles from the carts and followed their husbands with the children, their nerves stretched to the breaking point.

At the northern entrance of the village, a vast cloud of dust was pressing southward.

Countless villagers could only flee south!

Toward River Pool and Golden Bridge...

「At the gates of the County Town.」

Looking outside, Cheng Zongyang saw clouds of dust and refugees, nearly naked in their rags, lying or sitting near the city walls. Crude wooden shelters had been erected in many places.

Among the crowd, pairs of eyes stared into the city, filled with numbness, resentment, hope, and resignation...

Cheng Zongyang stopped and watched for a moment, then sighed softly. After pulling out a black strip of cloth to cover his nose and mouth, he left the city.

’He knew this situation wouldn’t last long. There would be an outcome soon enough.’

’But that outcome would likely be a tragedy he didn’t even want to imagine!’

Outside the city, many of the refugees were staring at anyone who came out. Some seemed to be observing, some plotting, and others were just idle onlookers.

Naturally, Cheng Zongyang was one of those being watched. However, he carried only a Firewood Knife and a Bow and Arrow, with no food or other supplies, which made people neither dare nor want to target him.

The risk wasn’t proportional to the reward; no one was foolish enough to waste their energy and take such a chance.

However, as Cheng Zongyang passed a nearby earthen ditch, he noticed several bodies dumped inside.

Flies buzzed around them, and a foul stench was already rising!

The sight made Cheng Zongyang’s brow twitch.

’In this weather, at this distance...’

He turned and glanced at the throngs of refugees outside the County Town.

Finally, he just shook his head.

’Once it starts to spread... they can only pray for themselves.’

’The next time I come here, I’ll probably be an Entry Grade Martial Artist!’

On the road, there were still many refugees heading toward the County Town.

"Just how many people have fled in this direction," Cheng Zongyang muttered, his expression grim as he walked along the edge of the main road.