novelraw Chapter 324 - 316: Countrymen Who Don’t Know Each Other
Chapter 324 - 316: Countrymen Who Don’t Know Each Other
"Dad, we’re all still alive, aren’t we? Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and we’ll have our day in the sun."
"Second brother is right. As long as we’re alive, there’s hope. The Feng Family will not end here," Feng Yuzhen also urged.
Although the two brothers knew that the glory of the Feng Family was no longer what it used to be, their status as official slaves would mean that for the next three generations, they couldn’t even live as ordinary civilians.
Not to mention any prospects for an official career.
Feng Yuxin was deeply saddened. Even if dynasties changed, their status couldn’t be erased. Even if a wise ruler ascended the throne and pardoned the world, it wouldn’t include them.
The greatest possibility would be if Dad or Big Brother could advance their medical skills and conquer a supposedly incurable disease, thus offering the family a chance for a comeback.
Such a hope was indeed slim.
Dad had studied medicine his whole life, encountered countless complex cases, yet never achieved his desire. With the current conditions, further advancing medical studies was even less likely.
What Feng Yuxin didn’t expect was how quickly the opportunity came.
And to his disbelief, there was a fourth path for the Feng Family to tread.
His thoughts were interrupted as the noisy crowd suddenly quieted, quickening their pace.
Han Yi, fearing snow wolves might attract more of their kind, urged the group to hurry, staying behind to cover the rear.
It didn’t matter whether these people had intentionally or unintentionally attracted the snow wolves; the priority was to solve the problem now that it had happened.
"Everyone, pick up the pace, keep up!" Qi Fei shouted.
The wolf pack would arrive soon, and the losses would cost the boss money.
The Dark Pavilion assassins helping with the escort acted as guards, snapping their long whips on the snow, making a loud crack as snowflakes scattered. Combined with the assassins’ natural killing aura, the crowd was frightened into hurrying forward.
"If you don’t want to die, hurry up."
The slave group was mostly composed of people with no strength to even truss a chicken, with only a few having some martial arts skills, but when facing the wolf pack, they were merely fodder.
Although the group was in disarray, fortunately, they had eaten two steamed buns that morning, barely stabilizing themselves while quickening their steps, fearing that a second’s delay would earn them a lash.
Chu Qianyun and his party were allowed to follow at the back of the group. Ignoring their injuries, they quickly helped each other, jogging to keep up.
They felt incredibly grateful, thinking that encountering this group had saved them from certain doom.
With hearts full of gratitude, they naturally wanted to express their thanks and took the opportunity to inquire about their current position and the route to Yuan Yang City.
Thus, Chu Qianyun jogged to the front of the group.
He found the leader, Qi Fei, and, despite being out of breath from the heavy steps, clasped his hands in greeting while continuing forward.
"Many thanks to this brave gentleman for your assistance. I am deeply grateful."
Qi Fei glanced at the newcomer, noticing a face weathered by exposure yet with a decent foundation, seemingly not much older than himself, and moreover, those were his family members.
Thinking that a whole family fleeing must have faced some trouble and noting the resemblance of the man’s accent to their hometown, though the man’s voice was deliberately lowered, Qi Fei was still uncertain.
So he probed, "Sir, you don’t seem to be from Luoyang City, right?"
Chu Qianyun dared not reveal his identity and could only vaguely answer, "Brave sir, you are perceptive. I am Chu Qianyun, fleeing here from outside the county."
"My surname is Qi, with a single given name, Fei. Brother Chu, just call me by my name. I’m here on business for my master. May I ask where Brother Chu is headed? This frozen landscape is not a good time to be traveling."
Qi Fei tentatively reminded him.
Chu Qianyun smiled bitterly, "Brother Qi, you’re right. Without strength, walking alone in this weather is courting death."
Qi Fei was surprised, seeing the other man’s self-deprecating manner. He understood well how dangerous it was outside.
Yet they still ventured out, suggesting some hidden reason.
The other then spoke, "As outsiders without backing or martial force, we couldn’t resist the local tyrants’ bullying. Not wanting to send my young niece into the wolfs’ den, we had no choice but to flee."
With just these few words, Qi Fei immediately understood their reason for needing to escape.
In peaceful times, living without strength or backing meant keeping a low profile. Not to mention during these chaotic times with disasters and unrest. On their journey, Qi Fei had seen many powerless people fleeing, forced to surrender to fate if robbed, shamed, or killed outside.
Especially for women, the harm was even greater.
Such bullies of the local gentry who harass women were particularly detestable to the boss and intolerable. Thinking of this, Qi Fei couldn’t help but feel a touch of sympathy and compassion for the newcomer.
"It’s not easy to survive these days, Brother Chu. Think of it this way, you still have family to protect who depend on you."
Chu Qianyun nodded, then remembered the question of where to go, precisely wanting to ask the other party as well.
"Brother Qi, do you know how to get to Yuan Yang City? While being chased by snow wolves, we lost our way and hope you can guide us."
"Brother Chu, you don’t intend to go to Yuan Yang City, do you?" Qi Fei was quite surprised.
Perhaps the other party didn’t know the current state of Yuan Yang City?
Seeing the disbelief in the other’s eyes, Chu Qianyun felt uncertain and asked, "Is there anything inappropriate about going to Yuan Yang City?"
Meanwhile, as they conversed, Han Yi at the rear encountered the pursuing snow wolves.
At this time, two snow wolves stood on separate mountain tops, glaring at Han Yi with menacing eyes.
They bared their sharp fangs to intimidate the human before them, but alas, this person wasn’t to be trifled with and did not fall for their threat.
Han Yi relaxed, seeing only two snow wolves came; he could barely manage them.
Thus, in the midst of the wind and snow, he confronted the snow wolves for a long time. As they could not contain themselves and tried to make a move, he used his formidable aura to intimidate them, gathered all his inner strength, and smashed a large tree beside him with his left palm.
Then he brandished his sword in both hands, cutting down another tree trunk with a horizontal slash, and the large tree fell with a crash.
This demonstration, like striking the mountain to shake the tiger, deterred the snow wolves, and they stood facing each other, with neither side giving ground, resulting in a long standoff.
Eventually, the snow wolves retreated unwillingly.
Half an hour later, Han Yi returned safely.
Qi Fei let out a big sigh of relief.
At the same time, Chu Qianyun also learned from Qi Fei about the dire situation in Yuan Yang City, even worse than Luoyang City.
Qi Fei then invited Chu Qianyun and his party to work in Taoyuan Village. Without thoroughly understanding their background, Qi Fei couldn’t directly take outsiders to the Underground City under construction, so Taoyuan Village was a great option.
Even though Chu Qianyun was disappointed that Yuan Yang City was not a viable option, he was pleasantly surprised to learn of another village that could accept them and was naturally keen on the idea.
After all, Yuan Yang City was where Luo Yuan intended to go. He originally thought that even if Luo Yuan wasn’t an aristocratic family’s young master, he was at least from a well-off family in the city.
In that case, considering they risked their lives escorting several children, it would have been enough to find a place in Yuan Yang City where they could settle down without further harassment. Yet, the truth emerged unexpectedly, catching them off guard.