Chapter 79: Chapter 71: On the Road
The journey south was unexpectedly easy.
The villagers of Yangjiabao didn’t have much luggage. After all, they had already discarded everything they could during their two previous escapes. Now, as everyone headed south together, it could be said they were traveling light—though their load was indeed a bit too light. After days of hiding and the dust along the way, these people who once lived comfortably in Yangjiabao had become no different from refugees.
This inevitably gave Du Chengfeng mixed feelings.
Back when he first arrived in this world, he was a refugee with no footing, and now, he was once again a refugee.
Fortunately, this time, he wasn’t the only refugee; everyone from Yangjiabao had left their homes and taken up this promising occupation.
"Good? Can this really be considered good?"
Beside Du Chengfeng, Li the carpenter, who was driving a cart, had a bit of a toothache.
Having been on the road for days without much work, Li, who was used to carving, felt uncomfortable.
"Even if we reach Yanzhou, we refugees..."
"At least for now, it’s a good thing."
Du Chengfeng shrugged.
"You saw it too. We’ve been out of Jizhen for some time. Has anyone tried to rob us?"
Indeed, Yanzhou was peaceful, but only in comparison to Jizhen. To say there were no highway robbers would be impossible—yet along the way, the Yangjiabao group had not been robbed even once, nor had anyone tried to extort them.
Ultimately, it was because the people of Yangjiabao looked so much like refugees, appearing too poor to be worth robbing.
Even stray dogs on the roadside shook their heads at the sight of them.
"As for our future, there’s no need to worry... We’ve been through the toughest times. What else is there to fear?"
It made sense, as the people of Yangjiabao were indeed at rock bottom right now. As long as they survived, any path they took would be upward.
But Du Chengfeng had been through this once before, so he appeared calm and collected. However, among the people of Yangjiabao, besides those refugees who were already outsiders, most locals were experiencing poverty for the first time, understandably causing some anxiety.
It was at this time that the elderly Yang Xuan was carried out by several clansmen.
Along with several chests filled with cash.
"Here in Yanzhou, we people from the north of Jizhen are outsiders and need some money and grain to establish ourselves."
Saying this, Yang Xuan clasped his hands together in respect toward the villagers.
"We are all villagers, let’s not be strangers. We’ve all come out from the north of Jizhen together, so we must support each other and get through difficult times together."
Seeing this old man act in such a way, Du Chengfeng couldn’t help but glance over.
Although Yang Xuan’s character was somewhat weak and even a bit pedantic, he seemed out of place in the strongly martial culture of Jizhen. Even the well-known Yang family of Jizhen was reduced to just a village under his management. But now, outside of Jizhen, this old man showed unexpected resilience.
And that gentle demeanor turned out to be the glue that held the Yangjiabao villagers together.
This was evident from the journey. They had left Jizhen several days ago, yet none of the villagers from Yangjiabao had fallen behind—even though they could have already gone their separate ways, seeking friends or relatives. They were willing to stay with the group and continue toward the unknown Yanzhou.
Of course, fear of robbery was a factor, but more so was the trust among the villagers and in Yang Xuan, the old man.
They all believed that their fellow villagers would never betray them.
Just as they trusted Du Chengfeng’s sword.
With Du Chengfeng leading the way, they could even sleep more soundly.
Moreover, they had a shared secret.
"Let me be clear, you all need to keep what happened in the north of Jizhen a secret for me."
This was what Du Chengfeng had told the villagers of Yangjiabao before setting out.
The reason, of course, was to avoid trouble. After all, after his battle with He Xiqing, the entire north of Jizhen was almost devoid of life — although, technically, most people had fled, at least the visual impression was that Jizhen had become a lifeless wasteland.
In other words, if someone wanted to lay the blame, since He Xiqing was already dead, as the other party involved, would he be held responsible?
Though Du Chengfeng didn’t believe the imperial court of the Great Chen would be so absurd, he wasn’t entirely sure, especially recalling the fool Wang Gaoceng sent by the court to Jizhen.
Thus, it was better to avoid trouble. Besides the villagers of Yangjiabao, no one else knew the truth of that battle. The only one who recognized him, Commander Liu, had been killed by He Xiqing. As for the others, they didn’t even know his name.
Those who fled from Jizhen at most knew that Yangjiabao had a grinding Master Craftsman named Du Chengfeng, but as for what this Master Craftsman had done or what he looked like, they knew nothing.
"So, for the sake of everyone living a peaceful life, please don’t mention me, just pretend I don’t exist."
Faced with Du Chengfeng’s request, the villagers of Yangjiabao naturally agreed. After all, this warrior had saved their lives and property several times. Erecting a shrine for him in their village would have been more than deserved. Simply helping keep a secret was truly a minor favor.
Having faced danger together and sharing a common secret, with money in hand, the morale of the villagers of Yangjiabao soared to unprecedented heights. Even the young and strong men, who were almost dead from exhaustion, began picking up wooden spears and actively guarding the convoy.
Although Du Chengfeng didn’t think anyone would rob them, the willingness of these young men to take on tasks was always a good thing.
But who could have guessed that their young men actually caught some bandits?
"Kneel! Everyone kneel!"
The young men swung their sticks, striking the bandits on the back of their knees, and the five or six bandits immediately knelt on the ground.
But when Du Chengfeng saw these bandits, he couldn’t help but laugh.
One reason was that these bandits were so poor. Initially, Du Chengfeng thought with the ragged clothes of the Yangjiabao villagers, they were already quite shabby. Yet, these bandits didn’t even have decent clothes, just some grass tied around their waists as a modesty covering.
As for the second reason...
It was naturally because he recognized someone among these bandits.
"It’s you again?"
Seeing the hunter who had robbed him twice appearing before him once more, Du Chengfeng couldn’t help but marvel at how small the world was.
"Didn’t I send you to the commander’s office to eat the state’s rice? Why are you robbing again?"
"It’s you?"
The hunter also recognized Du Chengfeng and immediately jumped up from the ground.
"You have the nerve to say that!"
It turned out this hunter, after being taken by soldiers from the Jizhen commander’s office, was sent to the mines. While meals were provided, the work was ceaseless day and night—even with the excuse of preparing for war. But this hunter was already weak and could not withstand being worked like a beast of burden.
Thus, after the fall of Jizhen City, amid the chaos in Jizhen, the hunter and several other miners escaped and made their way to Yanzhou.
Continuing to engage in the cost-free business of highway robbery.
"Sigh... Robbing like this is no solution."
Sitting on his horse, Du Chengfeng couldn’t help but shake his head repeatedly.
Having dealt with these familiar faces a few times, his kind heart couldn’t bear to see this.
So, upon arriving outside Yanzhou City, Du Chengfeng handed these tightly bound bandits over to the guards at the city gate.
"Although they look like bandits, they have reformed and are willing to contribute to Yanzhou’s future."
Saying this, Du Chengfeng handed the rope to the armored guards.
"Just give them a bite to eat. All they lack to become good people is a job."
"Oh? Just so happens the academy’s construction site is short of hands, thank you, warrior."
One of the guards clasped his hands in thanks to Du Chengfeng and then left with the bandits.
But just as Du Chengfeng was about to enter, several other guards stopped him.
"Register before entering the city. Where are you from, what are you doing here... and your bag, the things in your saddlebag, take them out. We saw those weapons, they need to be registered too."
"...Huh?"
Du Chengfeng was speechless.
On the first day of arriving in Yanzhou City, Du Chengfeng already felt the differences compared to Jizhen.
First, there was security screening here.
Secondly, unlike in Jizhen, doing good deeds here didn’t earn you money.
