Not long after Shen Qingwan and her group left, chaos erupted outside Linzhou City.

Refugees rioted, breaking through the city gates and flooding into Linzhou.

Once inside, they began looting, leaving destruction in their wake.

Anyone who resisted was immediately attacked by the mob. In no time, Linzhou City was in complete turmoil.

The magistrate of Linzhou led his soldiers to suppress the riot, but the city’s limited military force struggled to contain the refugees.

The situation spiraled out of control as more and more people poured into the city.

It wasn’t until a day later, when reinforcements of 5,000 elite soldiers arrived, that the refugees were finally driven out of Linzhou.

Killing all of them was impossible, and imprisoning them was unrealistic.

Moreover, punishing a large crowd collectively would be impractical, so expulsion was the only option.

The discovery of the plague came only after the refugees were expelled.

Corpses littered the outskirts of the city, already beginning to rot and emit a foul stench.

When workers were sent to clear the bodies, they noticed something was terribly wrong.

Many of the refugees who had looted food and valuables had already left.

The ones who remained near the city gates were too weak to move, barely clinging to life.

Their bodies showed increasing signs of festering sores, and more and more people around them were getting infected.

The constant coughing among them made it clear—something was terribly wrong.

Inside the Linzhou City government office, when his subordinate reported the news, Zhou Donghai jumped to his feet in shock.

“What did you say? Say that again?”

The subordinate’s voice trembled. “Sir, there may be an outbreak of plague outside the city. The doctors have already examined the situation and strongly suspect it to be a plague. And judging by the symptoms, it has likely been spreading for some time.”

Zhou Donghai collapsed back into his chair, drenched in cold sweat. “It’s over. It’s all over. Linzhou City… is finished.”

“Sir, the refugees are now heading toward Licheng. Should we notify the authorities there?” The situation was too severe to cover up.

Controlling the spread of the plague was the priority.

If the refugees reached Suzhou, the consequences would be unimaginable.

After recovering from his initial panic, Zhou Donghai quickly formulated a plan.

Reporting the outbreak was inevitable, but if he directly reported it to the court, he would undoubtedly be implicated.

However, if he first informed the Third Prince and let him decide how to handle it, he might be able to avoid punishment.

After all, the refugees were heading straight for Suzhou—the military base of the feared and powerful Northern Battle King, Beichen Yuan. Beichen Yuan was the Third Prince’s biggest political rival.

If a plague broke out in Suzhou, Beichen Yuan would surely be affected. Even if he didn’t contract the disease himself, his forces would be thrown into chaos.

If this epidemic could be used to eliminate Beichen Yuan, then perhaps this plague was not entirely a bad thing.

As he weighed his options, Zhou Donghai wrote a secret letter and sent it via carrier pigeon to the Third Prince, hoping for a swift response.

This year’s natural disasters had devastated Youzhou, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee.

The total number of displaced people could easily exceed a million.

Yet, in order to eliminate one man, they were willing to gamble with the lives of so many. It was sheer madness.

…

Meanwhile, Shen Qingwan and her group were nearing Licheng, completely unaware of the sinister plan unfolding behind them.

Suddenly, a panicked voice rang out from their group.

“Village Chief! This is bad! A huge group of refugees is catching up to us!”

The villagers of Dahe Village were marching forward when they heard the alarm.

The village chief immediately instructed everyone to keep moving while he went to assess the situation.

Shen Qingwan handed the reins of the mule cart to Old Man Lu and followed the village chief to see for herself.

She had heard the warning and feared that these refugees might be the same violent mob from Linzhou City.

If that were the case, their presence could spell disaster.

Not only could the refugees turn violent, but some among them might also be carrying the plague.

She had to confirm the situation.

The summer heat was relentless, and among the travelers on the road, only the people from Dahe Village had cloths covering their mouths and noses, making them stand out.

At the very back of their group was Li Chuang and his family.

Since he had several strong, unmarried sons, they were positioned there to help those who lagged behind and to keep an eye on their surroundings.

It was Li Chuang’s eldest son, Li Dawang, who first noticed the approaching crowd and immediately alerted his father.

Seeing the mob’s aggressive approach, Li Chuang ran ahead to inform the village chief.

When Shen Qingwan and the village chief reached the rear of the group, they saw a large group of people advancing at an alarming speed.

Most of them were young and strong—an indication that they had banded together with a purpose.

The question was: Would they attack other refugees along the way?

“Hey! You up ahead—stop right there!”

The approaching men shouted loudly before they even reached the Dahe Village group.

Their aggressive tone made their intentions clear—they were trouble.

Shen Qingwan stopped in her tracks.

There was no escaping this confrontation.

Their group included the elderly, women, and children—they couldn’t outrun these men.

Fleeing would only make them vulnerable.

“Everyone, arm yourselves! Prepare to fight!”

Her voice rang through the group, and the villagers immediately responded.

The men drew their weapons, while the elderly and children moved to the rear.

The women, armed with makeshift weapons, stood in front to shield them.

At the very front, Dahe Village’s strongest men formed a protective barrier.

Having faced similar situations along the way, the villagers had developed a sense of unity and preparedness.

The moment Shen Qingwan gave the order, they were ready.

She turned her gaze toward the approaching mob, while behind her stood the fearless villagers, their weapons in hand.

The mob had superior numbers, but they were a loosely formed group.

If a fight broke out, many of them might try to take advantage of the chaos rather than actually engage in battle.

The leader of the mob, a rugged-looking man with a square face and fierce expression, hesitated when he saw the villagers’ disciplined stance.

His gaze landed on the wolf pelts hanging from their carts, and he swallowed hard.

These people had hunted wolves?

His bravado wavered. He had only recently taken control of his group—he wasn’t ready to risk his life against a village of battle-hardened hunters.

“Uh… what are you all doing? I… I just wanted to ask for directions.”

His imposing demeanor quickly crumbled.

Shen Qingwan’s sharp gaze bore into him, making him feel like prey under a hawk’s scrutiny.

“If you’re looking for directions, I’m afraid you’ve come to the wrong people.”

Though her face was partially covered, her eyes and aura were intimidating enough.

Realizing he had picked the wrong target, the man forced a laugh. “Well, since you don’t know, I won’t waste your time. I’ll just ask someone else.”

With that, he quickly signaled his group to move along.

Shen Qingwan motioned for the villagers to part and let them pass.

What could have been a deadly battle was resolved without bloodshed.

The villagers remained frozen for a moment, only snapping out of it after the mob had moved far ahead. Then, a wave of relief washed over them.

“They’re ahead of us now,” someone murmured.

Shen Qingwan watched the mob disappear into the distance, her expression unreadable.

The village chief could see her worry, but there was nothing they could do—the mob was simply too fast.