Chapter 388 – The Earthquake in Dongqing (Part Twenty)
Jiang Pengji had stored a thousand stones of grain in this “granary,” but with only thirty men brought by Xu Ke, there was no way to transport it all at once.
He simply took a portion of the grain, filling half of the cart, while the other half held herbs from the medicine store and other items Jiang Pengji specifically instructed to bring. Xu Ke poked at the several large bags of strange items; with his knowledge, he couldn’t identify the material at first glance.
However, judging by the feel just now, those big bags should contain some powdered substance.
“Looks like lime…” a servant muttered beside him, “But I’ve never seen such bags before.”
The servant naturally hadn’t seen these bags because they were industrial paper bags. Jiang Pengji, considering that cremation would be obstructed, had to handle corpses with burial. Since that was the case, she had to make proper preparations to prevent land pollution, carefully considering even the burial sites.
After rummaging through the makeshift market, there were hardly any items for disinfection available, so she could only exchange for a few bags of lime as an emergency measure.
According to her understanding, lime already existed in this era, and households occasionally used it for damp-proofing and repelling insects; it was also scattered at the bottom of graves during burial… The only unusual thing was the industrial paper bags used for holding the lime.
However, that was easily solved since the Liu Residence’s paper workshop had a mature paper-making technology.
In the paper-making industry, the Liu Residence was the authority, and right or wrong was entirely up to her.
More importantly, Xu Ke wouldn’t fuss over such trivial matters.
Lime?
Xu Ke furrowed his brow, not doubting anything.
For safety’s sake, the group quietly retraced their steps in the dark, pushing the cart back along the original path. The damage caused by the earthquake had only just begun, and the court hadn’t taken any rescue action yet; the surviving common people were struggling for survival. In such a situation, it wasn’t strange for them to turn into a mob, resorting to arson, murder, and robbery.
However, as they tried to avoid trouble, luck was against them. Distantly, flickering flames waved, appearing extremely frightening in the night.
“Will-o’-the-wisp — that’s a ghost shadow—”
“Ghost shadow?”
At first glance, many thought those lights and shadows were ghosts, and they immediately screamed, panic spreading among the crowd.
Xu Ke’s expression darkened at the sight, and he hissed softly, “Everyone, quiet down! Look closely, they are all people, not ghosts!”
His serious voice carried an oppressive force, silencing the servants, even daring them not to breathe.
Xu Ke softened his tone a little, reiterating, “One should not talk of strange forces and ghosts; there’s no need to be afraid, they are all people.”
Everyone was too tense, swallowing hard at their throats.
The night was already hot, and the rising tension made beads of sweat appear on foreheads and palms.
Xu Ke, calm and collected, lowered his voice, “Don’t make a sound, crouch down to hide…”
The distant flames were inching closer, the originally pea-sized flickers slowly expanding.
Observing the direction those people were heading, they seemed to be preparing to enter the city.
The capital’s city walls appeared imposing and thick, yet after hundreds of years of wind and rain, the inner structure was far more fragile than the exterior suggested. With the earth shifting, the walls had crumbled in many places, and the soldiers guarding the gates had vanished without a trace. The once-mighty gates appeared to be on the verge of collapsing into several pieces.
Some surviving common people were hastily gathering their belongings and sneaking out through the city gate.
At this moment, common people were too busy fleeing for their lives to actively attempt to enter the city.
Xu Ke furrowed his brow, speculating whether this group of people was sent by the court for disaster relief.
If so, the residents of the capital would have hope.
Half a stick of incense later, Xu Ke dismissed the thoughts in his mind.
That group of “ghost shadows” was numerous, and with the night so dark, he couldn’t figure out their exact numbers.
Listening closely, their footsteps were heavy and steady, with no one talking between them, only the sounds of footsteps and the dull noise of cart wheels rolling.
Xu Ke had long instructed people to push several carts to the shadows, and they were now cautiously lying low in the dark, where, given the dim moonlight, they typically wouldn’t be discovered. However, just because he had a strong psychological constitution didn’t mean his teammates also had hearts forged from steel.
“Do not speak of strange forces,” they said, but humans are inherently afraid of the unknown.
When they encountered phenomena they could not explain, they often liked to attribute those phenomena to ghosts or gods, their imaginations running wild.
That group of people passed by a nearby small path, with both parties’ distance becoming extremely close. Seeing this, Xu Ke’s countenance turned gravely serious, and the others were even more tightly wound; one servant trembled so badly that he lost control, producing a warm, foul odor.
Xu Ke shot him a glance but said nothing; however, fate was against him, and a teammate had dropped the ball.
Just when that strange team had almost walked halfway past, one servant in the rear suddenly leaped up with a ghastly expression on his face, crying out in pain, waving his right arm about, and faintly visible was a long object thrashing in the air — upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a snake.
“Snake—there’s a snake—”
The man’s shout startled others, and chaos erupted in the group as many hidden servants jumped up, swiftly retreating from the person bitten by the snake, inadvertently alarming the mysterious group.
“Who’s there—”
Xu Ke’s heart sank, his teeth clenched in frustration — what terrible luck!
The very scenario he least wanted to see unfolded; the unknown group surrounded them with their weapons drawn.
Flames licked at the air, occasionally producing explosive sounds, and Xu Ke found himself pressed against the sharp blades of others, his life now at their mercy.
He took a deep breath, suppressing those distracting thoughts, keeping his back straight, his blood-stained robe highlighting his unyielding spirit.
“These people are suspicious; capture them all—”
Someone said, and the group of armed individuals moved forward, ready to lay hands on them.
“Wait!” In the standoff, Xu Ke showed no fear of threats, raising his hand to stop them, his expression calm as he spoke, “The earth has shaken, causing the capital to be ravaged; barely one in ten survives. I am tasked with delivering grain and medicine, tied to the lives of many common people. A moment’s delay cannot be afforded. I hope the brave warriors can show some leniency. Earlier, when I spotted your movements, to prevent misunderstandings, I chose to avoid you. If you are still skeptical, I am willing to accompany you. However, we may have an injured grain transport worker bitten by a snake; I wonder if you could rescue him?”
The group exchanged looks, unsure of how to deal with them.
They were already weary after traveling on the roads at night; in their moment of relaxation, they hadn’t noticed a nearby group lying in ambush at such a close distance.
If these people bore ill intentions, they would undoubtedly be caught off guard.
This shabby scholar before them seemed to be leading the way; facing dozens of sharp blades without batting an eye, he wasn’t intimidated. Instead, he confidently hoped they would help save someone, which was indeed curious.
