Martial Arts: I Have a Wilderness World-Chapter 84 - 83: Inciting the Refugees
After Mrs. Chen of the Cheng Family left, Cheng Zongyang took a casual stroll around the Government Office, finally spotting the cobblestone in the northwest corner of the County Magistrate’s Office, at roughly the eleven o’clock position.
Cheng Zongyang glanced at the wall, memorized the location, and left without breaking stride.
Along the way, Cheng Zongyang counted the money he had on him.
After accounting for purchases like oil, salt, Medicinal Materials, books, and ink, he still had more than five hundred and ten silver left over.
He was saving this money to buy Martial Arts techniques.
The Cultivation Technique used by the family didn’t need to be replaced. The Body Refining Skill, paired with medicinal baths, was a surefire way to quickly train up Martial Artists.
Only his Martial Arts needed diversification!
With that, he headed in the direction of the Weapon Shop.
On the wide streets, only a few scattered pedestrians kept to the shade of the eaves to avoid the scorching sun.
On the streets, some government officials were also lazily strolling about on patrol.
「Meanwhile, outside the west gate of the County Town.」
Among the crowd of refugees, two shabbily dressed middle-aged men in a corner by the city wall had easily taken down the scar-faced man and his gang.
The leader of the two was a middle-aged man with a black strip of cloth tied across his face. It was unclear if it was to cover his mouth and nose or simply for concealment. He pinned the scar-faced man’s head down with his right foot, his eyes filled with disgust as he spoke in a low, chilling tone:
"Now, are you ready to listen?"
Terror showed in the scar-faced man’s eyes, though it was tinged with a hint of madness. He stammered repeatedly:
"Yes, yes! Whatever you say, sir!"
The other man beside him, his face concealed by a blue strip of cloth, warily scanned their surroundings.
When he saw the bones scattered on the ground—bones that were clearly not from animals—and then looked at the twenty or thirty men groaning and wailing in pain, an intense killing intent erupted in his eyes.
The middle-aged man in the black mask leaned down and said in a low voice to the scar-faced man:
"Don’t you know there’s a plague outside the city now? The plague and the water shortage will doom you all!
Never mind those people doling out a bowl of porridge and some water every day.
The County Town is the only place with medicine! With water! With food! With meat! Otherwise, the only thing waiting for you out here is death.
Your only chance of survival is to get into the city. Do you understand what I’m saying?"
The scar-faced man’s crazed smile suddenly froze. He said quickly, "A plague...? How can there be a plague!!"
Even a man like him now felt a deep sense of dread!
At that moment, a memory surfaced—at the age of seven, he was dragged from his home by the village chief! A plague had broken out in his village. His parents caught it and died horribly in their home. He was tough and managed to pull through, relying on folk remedies and herbs.
Ever since, the plague had become his personal nightmare.
The middle-aged man saw the scar-faced man trembling all over and sneered, "So you see, your life-saving medicine is in the city! Charge in, and you’ll have a chance to live!"
Hesitation and struggle filled the scar-faced man’s eyes. "There are so many soldiers at the gate. We... we can’t beat them. Others have tried before, and they all died! Without a Martial Artist like you, sir, we can’t get in... No one dares to storm the city!"
The man snorted coldly and ground the tip of his right boot into the other’s face. As the man howled in pain, he said in an icy tone:
"The things you’ve been eating... you can’t even be called human anymore! So, would you rather I torture you to the point you’re begging for death, only to then catch the plague and die in agony, or would you rather kill the men at the gate who are keeping you out?!
They’re just waiting for you all to get the plague so they can swoop in and claim the credit! Are you really content to be used and die so miserably? To have your bodies thrown into that stinking ditch over there?"
The man’s words were the straw that broke the camel’s back. The hesitation and struggle in the scar-faced man’s eyes transformed into grim resolve and wild madness; his fear was gone!
Satisfied with this change in expression, the middle-aged man lifted his foot and took two steps back.
"Go. Tell everyone what you now know! You are their hope!"
Ignoring the dirt and grit on his face, a savage look spread across the scar-faced man’s crazed features. Grinning widely, drool trickling from the corner of his mouth, he remained kneeling on the ground and suddenly burst into wild laughter.
"That’s right! Why should we be the ones to die out here?! Why should we be forced from our homes?! Why won’t they let us in?! If we have to die, then let’s all die together! HAHAHA..."
Seeing this, the two middle-aged men left.
Now, they would see how this long-sown disaster would unfold.
The man in the blue cloth mask glanced at the scar-faced man, who had already begun to incite the other refugees, and asked calmly:
"Lewei, do you think this plan will work?"
The man in the black cloth replied in an indifferent tone:
"According to our spies in the county, they’re letting the refugees surround the city. They aren’t driving them away, just watching and doing nothing, waiting for a plague to break out so they can deal with it. Isn’t it all just a ploy to gain merit for providing a cure?
Lü Pin, you must understand. The Zheng Family wants their subordinate, the Chang Family, to use this opportunity to gain a foothold in the imperial court. It not only benefits the Zheng Family but also increases the Chang Family’s influence in the Commandery City. Do they really think our Zhu Family is invisible?
Our grain shipments have been hijacked twice. If our Lord’s men weren’t all tied up elsewhere, when would the Chang Family have gotten the chance to act so arrogantly!"
At this, Zhu Lewei scoffed, "This time, Chang Younian will be lucky if he isn’t removed from his post!"
"What about the An and Miao Families?" Lü Pin frowned. "Even if they make it through this, the other Noble Families won’t be in any state to help, will they? And even if the refugees are suppressed, the County Town will probably be destroyed. The plague... it’s out of control!"
Zhu Lewei stopped and looked toward the County Town, his tone flat as he said, "Perhaps, in a little while, a memorial will appear on the Sovereign’s desk. Do you know what it will say?"
Lü Pin fell silent for a long moment before replying:
"A two-year drought has left the people destitute. County Magistrate Chang Younian imposed arbitrary taxes, plunging his subjects into ever-deeper suffering. He then ignored the burgeoning refugee population, allowing them to destroy fields and villages. Countless villagers were left homeless and bereaved, with nine out of every ten homes abandoned. These people became refugees who then surrounded the County Town. Lacking food and water, they resorted to eating tree bark and wild grasses; some even traded their children to be eaten. The County Magistrate, seeking glory for providing a cure, deliberately allowed the plague to spread before taking action. This ultimately caused the refugees to storm the County Town, which was nearly destroyed in the ensuing chaos."
"HAHAHA..." Zhu Lewei laughed heartily, looking up at the sky. "You truly live up to your reputation as the great talent our Lord values so much, he sent me to invite you personally."
But Lü Pin couldn’t bring himself to laugh, sighing,
"One can weather a natural disaster, but a man-made one is far harder to endure."
Inside the city, Cheng Zongyang made his way to the Weapon Shop and saw Chen Kaishan, who was in the middle of tidying up.
"Master Chen, closing up shop so early?"
Cheng Zongyang smiled cheerfully and approached Chen Kaishan with an easy familiarity.
Chen Kaishan glanced at Cheng Zongyang and said flatly, "You seem to be in a good... hmm?"
Suddenly, his hands froze. His eyes, sharp as a hawk’s, locked onto Cheng Zongyang’s temples. His tone turned grave. "You’ve become a Martial Artist?"
Cheng Zongyang was surprised.
He had no idea Chen Kaishan was a Martial Artist. He hadn’t sensed the aura of a Martial Artist from him at all. The man’s temples looked just like any ordinary person’s.
"You can tell?" Cheng Zongyang asked.
Chen Kaishan’s expression softened. He resumed his work and spoke slowly,
"Looks like you were hiding things from me that day. The Python Gall wasn’t broken after all, was it? Or did you find something else inside that python?"
Cheng Zongyang shrugged.
"There really wasn’t anything. I’ve been training for a while now..."
"Stop feeding me that crap," Chen Kaishan interrupted with a huff. "You really think I can’t tell?"
With that, he went inside, brought out two pieces of Armor, and tossed them to Cheng Zongyang. He waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, if there’s nothing else, you should leave the County Town. I’m leaving, too. This place... it’s not safe to stay here any longer."
Cheng Zongyang quickly caught the Armor, stunned. "Master Chen, you’re a Martial Artist? But why don’t you have..."
"That’s not for you to know. Our business is concluded."
’Why do those words sound so strange?’
’It sounds like something a woman would say when she’s angry at a man who cheated on her...’
Cheng Zongyang startled himself and quickly shook the thought from his mind.
’That’s terrifying.’
Seeing that Chen Kaishan couldn’t be bothered with him anymore, Cheng Zongyang shrugged and left with the items, despite the many questions he still wanted to ask.
