Chapter 35 - 36: Waiting for a Miracle

Chapter 35: Chapter 36: Waiting for a Miracle

Jin Qianqian, however, was starting to panic. More and more people had been trailing their group these past few days. ’It’s not that I blame them for being selfish,’ she thought. ’I only have so much water on hand. I can only help so many.’

Ancient Wen Heng thought about human nature and grew vigilant. "Let’s wait," he said. "Our group is always the one to find water. Everyone’s getting suspicious."

When it came to these other refugees, Ancient Wen Heng cared most about Jin Qianqian. He couldn’t put her in danger just to help them.

"But no one has any water left."

Jin Qianqian had barely finished speaking when Ancient Wen Heng gently tapped her forehead. Seeing her clutch it with an aggrieved pout, he immediately felt a pang of regret. "Did that hurt? I’m sorry, my fault."

"Qianqian," Ancient Wen Heng said, his tone turning serious again. "Think about it. If we hadn’t shown up, how much longer could these people have lasted?"

"But we’ve already helped them so much, what’s one more time?" ’Are we supposed to just watch them collapse? We’re at the very last leg of the journey.’

Ancient Wen Heng spoke just loud enough for the two of them to hear. "Pay attention to the looks from those people outside. They’re like searchlights, stopping just short of gluing themselves to our sides to stare."

"We’ll wait and see. Unless we have a foolproof plan, neither of us is to make a move this time."

Jin Qianqian’s head snapped up. She noticed several people not far away, squatting in a loose group, their gazes frequently darting in their direction.

"When did this start?" Jin Qianqian was stunned.

"Just in the last few days. I’m sure that no matter who finds water this time, those people will just steal it."

"How could they do that?"

"And why not? This water has no owner to begin with. It’s finders keepers. Weren’t we doing the exact same thing before?"

Jin Qianqian’s hands trembled. "Then... have we been discovered before? Could someone already know?"

Ancient Wen Heng quickly grasped her hands, reassuring her. "No. If anyone had really found out, do you think we’d still be sitting here this peacefully?"

"Then should we tell everyone else?" Jin Qianqian thought about the number of people around them. At a time like this, she didn’t dare gamble on human nature.

"Many people have probably noticed. When they go out looking for water these days, everyone tries to stick together." Ancient Wen Heng thought of the plastic buckets piled on the carts up ahead and felt a headache coming on. Everyone treated those things like treasure, guarding them carefully along the way.

It was a difficult topic to broach. Staring at those ticking time bombs every day made Ancient Wen Heng’s heart pound with fear sometimes. He spent the whole journey secretly scheming, trying to find a chance to get those anachronistic plastic buckets back into Qianqian’s space.

***

Not far from them, another group of people had also gathered together.

"How come the miracle hasn’t appeared yet?" Li Chuntong, who had been waiting this whole time, was growing agitated.

More importantly, the water they had stolen along the way was also about to run out.

"It should be soon, right? We’ve followed them this entire way. Every time their group hits rock bottom, some life-saving water miraculously appears out of thin air," Lan Yongnan said confidently from his seat beside Li Chuntong.

"Then keep staring. The second we get word, we move. Don’t let those people waste all that water."

Lan Yongnan looked smug. "When I get back, I’ll just go nag that little fool. The moment he hears we’re out of water, he’ll be more eager to find some than we are."

"..."

Li Chuntong spit in the direction Lan Yongnan departed, then ordered his men to continue the watch.

***

"Make way, make way!" The sound of galloping hooves was accompanied by shouts. "Urgent report from the border! All travelers, clear the road immediately!"

Before Jin Qianqian could react, Ancient Wen Heng yanked her to the side of the road and pulled her into his arms for protection.

Everyone stared blankly at the few fast horses galloping away.

"Those are border scouts. Riding in such a hurry... don’t tell me war has broken out, has it?" Gu Dashishi had served in the military before, so he naturally recognized them.

"Scouts?" Ancient Wen Heng’s heart leaped into his throat. ’Our luck can’t be this bad, can it? Fleeing a drought, and now a war on top of it? How is anyone supposed to survive this?’

"Dad, are we really going to war?" Gu Yuanjin licked his dry lips. He had three sons, but none of them had started their own families yet. If there was a draft, he would have to be the one to go.

Gu Dashishi trembled. ’If I’d known, I wouldn’t have split up the family so early. How many men will our household have to send?’

Li Cuicui took a deep breath. "Don’t forget where we are. We’ve left our homes. The entire village of Bainiao is fleeing. How are they supposed to draft us?"

Ancient Wen Heng was not as optimistic as she was. ’If things get desperate enough,’ he thought, ’these refugees will be the first ones conscripted. They won’t care about your household registration. They’ll just round everyone up and march them off to the battlefield.’

"The village chief says everyone needs to pick up the pace! Don’t dawdle here and cause a scene." Seeing the rear of the column lagging, the village chief had to send someone back with the message.

"It’s just one scout. Look at you all, getting so worked up.

"Instead of wasting time here on pointless speculation, you should be checking how much water you have left in your canteens. How much longer can you last?"

Seeing that everyone was still chattering, Gu Shulin had to lay down the law. "Hurry up and follow! If you fall behind, the group up front won’t wait for you."

Everyone was still looking forward to finding water when it was time to rest, only hoping that the miracle could appear again this time.

Ancient Wen Heng, "..."

Jin Qianqian, "..."

They walked until after midnight, and the number of people on the roadside only grew. Gu Sanbu had no choice but to have everyone stop to rest and send a few men to gather information.

"The Prefecture City is right ahead. The main road goes straight through it, but the city gates are sealed tight. Everyone’s being held up outside the walls." The scouts returned quickly with the news.

Tens of thousands of refugees had already gathered outside. Even from their current position, they were still several miles from the Prefecture City.

"What about the smaller paths?" This wasn’t the first time they’d run into this; they would just have to find a way around.

"There are side paths, but the locals have them blocked. They’ve sealed off the roads completely. There’s no way through."

Gu Sanbu immediately seized on the key point. "You’re saying the locals here haven’t fled?"

"Seems like it! In any case, no one in, no one out. It’s been blocked up for a long time. Some people couldn’t hold on any longer and were buried right on the spot." As he spoke, the scout’s eyes grew red, terrified this would be their fate as well.

Jin Qianqian tugged on Ancient Wen Heng, "There’s a water source in there."

Ancient Wen Heng squeezed her hand. "That’s what I’m afraid of. In a minute, give me the binoculars. I’m going to find some high ground to get a better look."

Jin Qianqian squeezed his hand back. "I’m going with you. It’s too dangerous for you to go alone."