Shen Qingwan glanced at the family trailing at the back of the group.

Yang Zhiming’s family had quickened their pace out of fear of the rioters earlier, so now they were closely following behind the Dahe Village team.

When Yang Zhiming noticed Shen Qingwan looking over, he quickly smiled and nodded at her.

Shen Qingwan returned the gesture with a slight smile.

The reason she was showing them some goodwill was that, when she had asked the villagers to prepare for battle earlier, Yang Zhiming and his sons had also picked up weapons and stood at the front with them, looking as if they shared a common enemy.

Because of that, she decided to treat them with a bit more kindness.

Seeing that Shen Qingwan and the others hadn’t driven them away, Yang Zhiming let out a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, Shen Qingwan returned to the mule cart, and the group continued their journey.

Bai Yongan noticed that her expression remained tense and couldn’t help but ask, “Are you still worried about those rioters?”

Shen Qingwan nodded. “Second Master, I don’t think we can go to Licheng anymore. Those people are heading straight for Licheng, and if we go there, we might run into them. Do you plan to continue traveling with us to the next town, or will you stay in Licheng?”

Bai Yongan thought of how those people might be carrying the plague, and suddenly, he didn’t dare to enter Licheng either.

Fortunately, the Bai family had shops in various towns, so it wasn’t necessary for him to stay in Licheng.

The journey from Youzhou to Suzhou was essentially a trip from south to north, with Licheng being the city at the border between the two regions.

It was also the closest city to the capital.

Further north lay Yuzhou, and beyond Yuzhou was Suzhou. Yuzhou was already considered part of the northwest, and traveling from Yuzhou to the capital would be an even longer journey.

After thinking it over, Bai Yongan decided to leave before reaching Yuzhou.

Between Licheng and Yuzhou, there were a few small towns, and he planned to part ways with them before reaching Yuzhou.

With chaos spreading everywhere, he needed to return home as soon as possible to secure his family’s businesses.

“Not far before Licheng, there’s a place called Jixiang Town. Why don’t you take the villagers there to restock food and water? My family has a grain shop in Jixiang Town, so I’ll cover all the villagers’ food expenses,” Bai Yongan offered.

Shen Qingwan’s furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and she couldn’t help but pat Bai Yongan on the shoulder. “Second Master, you’re quite generous.”

“It’s the least I can do after all the care you’ve shown me on this journey,” Bai Yongan said sincerely.

This journey had been an unforgettable experience for him, and it had changed his perspective in many ways.

Compared to everything else, providing some food for the villagers was nothing to him.

Shen Qingwan shared her concerns and plan with the village leader.

After hearing her reasoning, the village leader agreed and decided to lead the villagers past Licheng and head directly to Jixiang Town instead.

However, the villagers, who had been expecting to stop at Licheng, were now getting anxious.

The scorching sun was unbearable, and many had already run out of water.

Their mouths were dry and cracked, and some men had stripped off their shirts, their backs sunburned red.

“Village Leader, weren’t we supposed to stop at Licheng? Why are we changing routes?”

Er Lengzi, frustrated, let go of the cart he was pushing, causing the mentally challenged woman sitting on it to tremble in fear. “Wuu… scared… scared…” she whimpered.

His daughter, Xiaocui, quickly stepped forward to comfort her mother.

Seeing his wife’s frightened expression, Er Lengzi grew even more irritable.

The village leader walked over to see what was going on.

Zhang Qiao’er’s family also stopped behind Er Lengzi’s cart.

Ever since the incident she had gone through, Zhang Qiao’er had become quieter.

Her father despised her for bringing shame to the family, so he forbade her from speaking too much.

Because of this, her personality had changed a lot.

However, her resentment toward Shen Qingwan had not diminished in the slightest.

For some reason, she just couldn’t stand seeing Shen Qingwan doing better than her.

This competitive feeling arose from nowhere, yet she couldn’t control it.

Especially now, watching Shen Qingwan always staying close to that older man, she became convinced that Shen Qingwan had become involved with him.

Otherwise, why would he keep following her and her family?

Just imagining that Shen Qingwan had been taken by an old man made Zhang Qiao’er feel an odd sense of satisfaction.

Bai Yongan, the supposed “old man,” remained silent.

“Er Lengzi, what are you making a fuss about?” The village leader frowned, his expression serious.

Er Lengzi stubbornly said, “Village Leader, we were supposed to stop at Licheng! My family hasn’t had water for a whole day. If we keep going, we won’t make it!”

His wife was mentally challenged, and he had been dragging her along the entire way.

If he let go, she wouldn’t walk on her own. His daughter, Xiaocui, was only twelve, and without water, she wouldn’t last much longer either.

The village leader glanced at the frail, dark-skinned Xiaocui and sighed.

“Do you know why we didn’t stop outside Linzhou City? It’s not just because of the rioters—it’s because of a contagious disease. The refugees outside Linzhou City have all been infected.

That’s why I told everyone to cover their mouths and noses after leaving Linzhou City—to avoid infection. The refugees are constantly moving, and no one knows whether the people passing by us are already sick.

That group of people we encountered earlier? They were from the mob outside Linzhou City, and they are now heading to Licheng. If we go there, we’ll either be mistaken for rioters by the authorities or we’ll catch the disease.

Since we know what’s coming, we have to avoid Licheng and head straight for Jixiang Town. Once we reach Jixiang Town, we can stop and rest.”

The village leader avoided using the word “plague” to prevent panic, only referring to it as an infectious disease.

Er Lengzi hesitated.

He knew he wasn’t the sharpest, so he decided to trust the village leader’s judgment.

“Are you sure there’s really a disease?” he asked hesitantly.

The village leader nodded seriously.

Terrified, Er Lengzi immediately put on the face covering he had previously refused to wear because of the heat. He even made sure his wife wore one too.

Zhang Qiao’er also quickly covered her mouth and nose, and even Yang Zhiming’s family, who had been following at the back, did the same.

Ever since Shen Qingwan and her people had driven away the rioters, Yang Zhiming had become even more convinced that following this village was the right decision.

So whatever Dahe Village did, they did too.

After convincing Er Lengzi, the village leader ran ahead to catch up with his mule cart.

The others also hurried to keep pace with the group.

The journey continued in near silence.

The scorching sun forced everyone to march forward like lifeless husks, their lips cracked and peeling, their exposed skin sunburned and blistered.

At the beginning of their escape, there were still occasional sounds of children crying.

But now, even the children were too weak from hunger and thirst to make a sound.