Shen Qingwan arranged for Lu Wenguang to keep an eye on the family while she went along with the group.

Bai Yong’an, however, did not go with them—he was simply too exhausted.

Even though he had lost over ten pounds recently, he still appeared quite overweight, making it difficult for him to walk long distances.

Shen Qingwan and the others arrived at the village, expecting to encounter some villagers.

However, the village was eerily silent, with nothing in sight except for a faint, nauseating stench lingering in the air.

As they stepped further into the village, Shen Qingwan finally saw the source of the smell—decaying corpses scattered across the ground.

It was then that she realized the entire village had been massacred.

“Everyone, cover your noses and don’t go near the bodies,” Shen Qingwan warned, fearing that the corpses might carry infectious diseases.

“Sister-in-law,” Lu Dajiang said after scanning the surroundings, “it looks like the whole village is dead.”

Lu Dajiang, being a few years older than Lu Wenzhao, addressed Shen Qingwan as “sister-in-law,” whereas Lu Dahe, who was younger than Lu Wenzhao, called her “sister.”

“Let’s not waste time here. We need to check if there’s any water in the village wells. If there isn’t, we’ll leave immediately,” Shen Qingwan urged.

Decaying corpses were breeding grounds for disease, and she didn’t want them to linger in such a dangerous place for too long.

Lu Dajiang, also overwhelmed by the stench, quickly led the others to search for the wells in the village.

There were two wells in the village, but both were dry.

Worried that they wouldn’t find any water, Shen Qingwan decided to enter a nearby farmhouse.

In the kitchen, she spotted a large water vat.

Taking advantage of her spatial ability, she discreetly filled it with water.

“There’s water here!” she called out.

As soon as she finished filling the vat, she summoned the group over.

When they saw the large vat brimming with clean water, everyone was overjoyed.

“This is great! There’s enough to fill all our water pouches,” someone exclaimed.

With the village wells dried up, this water was a lifesaver.

Without it, the children and elderly in their group might not have made it much longer.

They worked together to transfer the water into their pouches as quickly as possible before hastily leaving the village.

As they traveled, the number of dead bodies along the road increased. Fresh graves and decomposing corpses littered the roadside.

Crows and wild animals had begun to descend from the mountains to feast on the dead, turning the area into a grim scene.

Upon reaching the Linzhou territory, the landscape became less mountainous, with vast forests visible in every direction.

However, due to the ongoing drought, the trees had withered and turned yellow.

By noon the next day, they finally arrived at Linzhou City.

Bai Yong’an had originally planned to part ways with them here—he was too exhausted to continue traveling.

Fortunately, the Bai family owned businesses in Linzhou, so he wouldn’t have to worry about his survival.

As the Dahe Village group approached the city gates, they saw a massive crowd of refugees gathered outside.

The village leader went to inquire about the situation and returned with grave news—Linzhou City was not allowing refugees to enter.

With no food or water, the desperate refugees refused to leave, forming a restless crowd outside the city. Many had already starved to death at the gates.

Their bodies, left unburied, had begun to rot, attracting swarms of insects, rats, and scavengers.

Some refugees lay on the ground, barely clinging to life, their breaths weak and shallow—it was clear they wouldn’t last much longer.

With no way into the city, the refugees grew increasingly agitated.

Stirred up by certain individuals with ulterior motives, they glared menacingly at the city gates, ready to riot.

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Shen Qingwan felt uneasy.

“Mother, that old lady has bugs all over her!”

Xiao Yu pointed at an elderly woman nearby.

Though still alive, her chest and arms were covered in festering wounds, writhing with maggots—a truly horrifying sight.

A chill ran down Shen Qingwan’s spine as she examined the wounds.

Looking around, she noticed that several other people had similar festering sores.

A realization hit her like a bolt of lightning.

Her scalp tingled.

Seeing her pale expression, Bai Yong’an tensed up as well. “Girl, did you notice something?”

Shen Qingwan nodded. “We need to leave immediately. Second Master, tell everyone not to get too close to the refugees. I’m going to find the village leader.”

She rushed over to the village leader and spoke urgently.

“Uncle, we need to leave now!”

Seeing her grave expression, the village leader assumed she had sensed something unusual as well. “Daughter-in-law, you’ve noticed it too?”

Shen Qingwan hesitated for a moment, unsure of what he meant.

The village leader lowered his voice. “Someone is inciting the refugees to riot. This place is about to erupt into chaos. We need to leave quickly.”

Only then did Shen Qingwan realize he was referring to the impending riot.

However, an even greater danger loomed—plague.

If her observations were correct, some of the refugees had already contracted a deadly disease.

This wasn’t just any illness—it was the kind of plague that could wipe out an entire city.

In this ancient era, where medical knowledge and treatments were severely lacking, a plague outbreak was essentially a death sentence.

Even though Shen Qingwan had knowledge of a remedy for the disease, she wasn’t a doctor, nor did she have access to the necessary herbs.

Without the proper medicine, her knowledge was useless.

Besides, as a mere refugee, no official would believe her if she claimed to have a cure—especially during such a volatile time.

Without hesitation, the village leader led the Dahe Village group away from the city gates.

As they hurried off, other refugees who had just arrived stopped them.

“Brother, why are you leaving so soon? Didn’t you just get here?”

An elderly man blocked the path, asking curiously.

Since the village elder himself was unsure of the exact reason, he glanced at Shen Qingwan for an answer.

Shen Qingwan spoke calmly, “Linzhou City isn’t allowing entry. Staying here is a waste of time, so we’re moving on.”

As she spoke, she noticed that among the old man’s group, two women were carrying infants.

After a brief hesitation, she added a warning.

“There’s a sickness spreading among the people at the city gates. It might be contagious. If you have children, it’s best to stay away. Once infected, it could be disastrous.”

The old man’s expression changed upon hearing this.

He quickly cupped his hands in gratitude.

“Thank you for the warning! If that’s the case, we won’t go either. Sons, let’s move!”

The old man called to his four sons, who immediately turned their cart around and followed the Dahe Village group.

They had managed to survive thus far thanks to their strong family unit.

If it weren’t for his sons, the infants in their arms might not have made it this far.

The eldest son hesitated. “Father, should I go check first, just to be sure?”

After all, they couldn’t just leave based on a stranger’s words.

The old man waved him off. “No need. That young lady has clear, honest eyes—she has no reason to deceive us. Let’s go. If we follow their group, we might have a better chance of staying safe.”