Chapter 2
Escape
‘Mother? Are you sure?’
Bai Wutong’s entire face was frozen.
‘He’s not really a complete idiot, is he?’
Bai Wutong rolled her eyes and took the opportunity to ask, “When did you see those two people?”
The man blinked in thought. “When they were talking.”
Bai Wutong heaved a sigh of relief. He probably hadn’t seen her conjure up the axe. Bai Wutong planned to slip away before the anesthetic wore off on his lower body.
As soon as she lifted her foot, Bai Wutong remembered something. She took out an apple and a few biscuits from her bag and placed them on the ground. When she met with his delighted gaze, she said, “You eat first. I’m going out for a walk. I’ll be back soon.”
The fool picked up a biscuit and nodded obediently. “Tianbao will wait for Mother to return.”
“…” Tianbao?
What a ‘dignified’ name!
Bai Wutong suppressed an inexplicable sense of amusement. She picked up her backpack and walked away from the man’s gaze without looking back.
Bai Wutong walked in the direction where Fourth Brother and Old Li had come from for more than half an hour before she finally saw a dirt road.
When she came out of the forest, she saw many commoners who were accompanied by their huge families. They were all heading in one direction.
Most of them were emaciated and had worried faces. They looked like they hadn’t eaten enough.
Bai Wutong was dressed in gorgeous satin. Even without any accessories, her jade-like appearance was still especially eye-catching.
Sensing the people around her secretly sizing her up and even harboring ill intentions, Bai Wutong suddenly realized that the outfit she thought was low-key was actually not low-key enough.
Bai Wutong mixed into the crowd and asked a kind-looking old lady, “Madam, where are you going?”
The old lady gave her a surprised look. “You are escaping the country alone?” she asked in surprise.
Escape?
Bai Wutong raised her eyebrows and quickly reacted to it. “No, my mother and brother are waiting for me in the woods. They asked me to find out how long it will take to reach the next city.”
The old lady nodded to show her understanding. ‘I knew it. How could such a pretty girl be on her way alone?’
“We’re still thirty miles from Lin’an. If we walk fast, we’ll be there before dark.”
Bai Wutong asked calmly, “There are so many people. Can we all enter?”
Even if she had not personally experienced a refugee escape, Bai Wutong had seen many cruel scenes of a refugee escape in books.
In order to prevent refugees from entering the city and causing trouble, they could only linger in front of the city gate and wait for the officials to provide them with porridge.
The old lady shook her head. “Let’s take it one step at a time. We’ll only starve to death if we go back.”
Bai Wutong beat around the bush a little more and finally sorted out her thoughts.
She was in the Yan Kingdom. Not only was there a severe famine, but there was also a muddle-headed, cruel, and licentious emperor. Two months ago, the king of another family used the slogan of enforcing justice on behalf of the heavens and took the opportunity to start a war. He occupied more than ten cities in the Yan Kingdom and established the Ling Kingdom.
The commoners were terrified and uneasy. They also heard that the commoners who became Ling Kingdom could be properly settled and did not have to worry about food and drinks.
The citizens of the Yan Kingdom were starving and had to pay heavy taxes and serve in the military, forcing people into a corner. In contrast, more and more people were looking for hope to seek refuge in Ling Kingdom.
Lin’an City was the only way from Yan Kingdom to Ling Kingdom.
However, even if the Yan Kingdom had lost more than a dozen cities, it would still take them a few months to travel from Lin’an City to Ling Kingdom’s current territory.
The people of the Yan Kingdom had already lost their faith. It was only a matter of time before their country was destroyed. It was best for her to head to Ling Kingdom and settle down.
The food in the RV could only last a month. She had to go to Lin’an to replenish her supplies.
Bai Wutong bade farewell to the kind old lady and quickly returned to the forest. She found a hidden place to hide.
Bai Wutong’s grandmother was a tailor in the village and Bai Wutong had inherited her good skills. She found a few old clothes from the RV and quickly made them with the mini sewing machine. She put on the refugee clothes that looked tattered but were actually very comfortable and convenient for moving.
She took out her makeup tools again and smeared over her face for a while.
After a while, a hideous person with dark skin, a face full of black spots, a blind eye, and yellowed teeth emerged from the woods by the road.
The men around her looked and glanced away in disgust.
No wonder she dared to travel alone. No one would want such an ugly woman even if she were given to a ghost.
Bai Wutong carefully paid attention to their expressions and realized that they were all taking the initiative to stay far away from her, afraid that they would have anything to do with her.
Bai Wutong was secretly delighted. It was not in vain that she had spent so much effort to find a usable white contact lens from the RV.
‘It saves too much trouble.’
Her current body was really too weak. She had walked for more than four hours for 30 miles.
The moment she saw the city of Lin’an, she felt the blisters on her feet burn.
Fortunately, Lin’an City did not stop the refugees from entering the city.
Bai Wutong wanted to exchange for some silver, so she found a pawnshop. When the shopkeeper saw her, he waved his hand to signal the staff to chase her out.
Bai Wutong took out a golden hairpin and placed it in front of the shopkeeper. “This is my family heirloom. I want to exchange it for silver pieces.”
Not only was the golden hairpin of Bai Wutong exquisitely made, but it was also decorated with rare rubies.
The style was so novel. How could it be a family heirloom of a countryside woman?
‘It must have been stolen!’
The shopkeeper rolled his eyes and smiled sinisterly. He said to a few tall and burly shop assistants, “How dare you steal my golden hairpin? Capture her and throw her out!”
Bai Wutong did not expect that a legitimate pawnshop could do such a thing in broad daylight. The moment her heart sank, she grabbed the shopkeeper and pressed the sharp golden hairpin against his throat.
“If you want to cheat me of my family heirloom, go to hell with me.”
Fourth Brother and Old Li were not the only people who wanted to rob and kill her. However, they were all dead.
Fortunately, she had put in the effort to disguise herself. After killing them, she was not afraid of being found by the officials.
Bai Wutong’s ruthless gaze stunned the shop assistants.
The shopkeeper forced himself to calm down. He narrowed his eyes and threatened, “The magistrate is all my people. Even if you take the silver, you won’t be able to leave Lin’an City. If you know what’s good for you, let go of me. I can still consider letting you off.”
Bai Wutong did not waste her breath on him. With a little force, the golden hairpin pressed into the shopkeeper’s throat.
The pain made the shopkeeper panic immediately. He hurriedly said in a trembling voice, “Spare me, heroine. Don’t, don’t stab me anymore. I’ll get someone to prepare money for you now.”
Bai Wutong said solemnly, “I know how much silver this should be exchanged for! Don’t play tricks. If there’s a missing silver piece, I’ll cut off one of your fingers.”
The shopkeeper nodded in agreement, but gave the shop assistant a knowing look.
Bai Wutong glanced around.
The moment she lowered her eyes, she stomped on the shopkeeper.
Immediately after, a sharp dagger was pulled from her waist. With a whoosh, it was nailed to the ear of the shop assistant who wanted to run out and call for help. It even cut off a strand of his hair.
The shop assistant turned his head and saw the sharp dagger on the back of the door. He remembered that he had almost lost his life just now. His legs went limp and the smell of urine immediately came from his crotch.
Everyone in the pawnshop was stunned.