Chapter 00090: The Many Faces of Human Nature
# The Many Faces of Human Nature
Chapter 90
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 90: The Many Faces of Human Nature
Taking in refugees was not an obligation of Panlong City.
The wife choked back her words.
They were already homeless; what stance could they possibly have?
He Lingchuan whispered, "That man is no good. His mule may be old, but it can still carry two skinny old folks."
The elderly couple was indeed thin, their combined weight no more than a hundred and seventy or eighty pounds.
The wife was stunned.
"Then why...?"
She stole a glance and saw that the mule was slightly limping but still walking steadily.
"He's just unwilling to part with his possessions," He Lingchuan explained.
"The commander noticed this too, which is why he told the man to abandon his belongings and help his father onto the mule. But without money, it would be hard for him to settle in a new place. His parents are too old to work and earn a living, and they would just be two more mouths to feed."
"He refused, and of course, the commander didn't force him. The old woman chose to walk up the mountain herself, understanding her son's dilemma."
Either she was disheartened or couldn't bear to leave her husband behind.
Liu Sanjiu and his wife listened in silence.
Some things were better left unexamined; peeling back the layers only revealed filth.
After walking for another quarter of an hour, cavalrymen from behind shouted, "Move faster, everyone! The enemy is catching up!"
The thunder in the sky was nothing compared to the impact of these words.
The long line of refugees immediately erupted in screams and wails, and the pace visibly quickened.
Falling behind now truly meant certain death!
Traveling through the rainy night was no easy feat.
He Lingchuan saw many people stumbling and falling, only to struggle back to their feet.
The elderly and weak, however, once fallen, were trampled upon and never rose again.
He Lingchuan couldn't help but close his eyes.
Even though he knew this was all an illusion, a distant memory of history, having witnessed it firsthand left a heavy stone in his heart, weighing him down.
How different were the lives of these people on the plains from the grass beneath their feet or the chickens in their coops? They were at the mercy of others, easily discarded and devalued.
At that moment, the pace of the group suddenly slowed, and chaos erupted at the front.
Those behind pushed against those ahead, causing a blockage.
He Lingchuan, with his keen hearing, could hear the shouting and cursing from the front.
Such was the nature of crowds—the more urgent and chaotic the situation, the more prone to mistakes.
From where he stood, he could only see the backs of the heads in front.
He Lingchuan set his bundle down and quickly climbed a half-dead poplar tree nearby.
In such extreme weather, standing high up was risky, but he accepted the danger.
Fortunately, two bolts of lightning struck in the distance, illuminating the scene for him.
By the light, he saw dozens of carriages crowded by the riverbank.
The carriages were loaded with large chests, clearly belonging to wealthy families among the refugees.
Those who had already passed through were fine, but perhaps due to the heavy load or the muddy ground, seven or eight carriages were stuck, unable to climb the slope.
No matter how much the drivers whipped the horses, the carriages remained immobile in the mud.
Behind them, twenty or thirty more carriages waited in line.
The group had reached the river, with a cliff on one side and the river on the other.
The path in between was narrow, allowing only three carriages to pass side byside at most.
And it was a steep slope.
All those coming from behind were blocked.
Those like He Lingchuan, who carried nothing, could climb over the carriages.
But who would flee without their belongings? Those leading oxen or driving carts, burdened with all their possessions, had no way to escape.
With the enemy closing in, the refugees were desperate.
They didn't hesitate to grab and pull at the carriages.
Suddenly, about twenty guards emerged from the carriage formation, brandishing weapons and shoving the refugees back.
"Back off! Do you want to die?"
Both sides began to curse at each other.
Of course, in such a situation, cursing only added fuel to the fire.
Within moments, the refugees took the first swing, hurling mud at the guards.
The guards retaliated, and chaos ensued.
He Lingchuan counted at least a dozen injured in the span of half a cup of tea.
Not a single carriage had been moved.
One had to admit, these guards were quite dedicated.
The commotion quickly caught the attention of the Dafeng Army.
He Lingchuan's old acquaintance arrived again, this time with a dozen subordinates in tow.
The situation was clear at a glance.
The commander didn't waste time listening to either side.
"Whose carriages are these? Step forward!"
A fat man in fine robes emerged from the carriage formation.
"Sir, may I know your name?"
"Xiao."
"Officer Xiao, I am the steward of Governor Sun! These are Governor Sun's belongings. Please help us push them up..."
The commander waved his hand.
"Move them aside and make way!"
The fat man panicked.
"Sir, these are valuable supplies, including military equipment and weapons for Panlong City. This was agreed upon by both sides!"
The Panlong Wasteland had long been in a state of protracted warfare, and military supplies and food were the lifelines of the city.
The commander took this seriously and ordered, "Open the chests for inspection!"
The merchants complied, some faster than others.
The first chests opened revealed gleaming weapons, armor, medicine, and other military supplies.
The fat man exclaimed, "Sir, I wasn't lying, was I?"
The commander gestured, and the cavalrymen moved forward to open the remaining chests.
From his vantage point, He Lingchuan could see that out of the dozens of chests, only about ten contained military supplies.
The rest were filled with valuables—gold, silver, jewelry, precious ornaments, clothing, antiques, and small household items.
There was nothing you couldn't find here.
Just then, a flash of lightning illuminated a chest of golden items, including a small golden chamber pot...
The fat man wiped his forehead, whether it was sweat or rainwater, no one could tell.
The crowd fell silent for a moment before erupting in curses.
The commander ordered expressionlessly, "Unhitch the horses and pull the military supplies up! Push the rest aside!"
The fat man was frantic.
He grabbed the commander's hand.
"You can't do this! If Governor Sun's belongings are lost, you won't be able to explain it to the commander-in-chief!"
The commander shook him off, and a gold ingot flew out.
"Push them aside! What are you waiting for? The sooner we clear the path, the sooner we can move!"
This was a military order.
Were they willing to comply?
The onlookers: Of course!
They swarmed forward, helping the Dafeng Army push aside Governor Sun's private goods and unhitching the horses to add them to the carriages carrying military supplies.
In the process, some civilians grabbed Governor Sun's valuables and hid them.
The Sun family servants rushed to catch the thieves, adding to the chaos.
Just then, a man in his thirties charged forward, shouting, "Who dares touch my Sun family's belongings!"
He pointed at the commander and cursed, "You have some nerve! My father, Governor Sun, and Commander Zhong have supported each other for ten years, sharing a bond of loyalty! Now that Weicheng has fallen, you soldiers dare to kick us while we're down and steal our family's wealth..."
(Chapter End)