145: Life is full of different situations, nothing more than this

Chen Huaiyang gripped Zhang Da's collar and yanked him up fiercely. Zhang Da was like a tattered cloth doll, unable to even struggle, only letting out a low 'hmm'.

He was too exhausted to even think, completely oblivious to whether Chen Huaiyang was venting his anger or trying to make an example of him to establish authority.

Or perhaps both, it didn't matter.

He was still alive.

The others inside the protective barrier were no better off, each slumped on the ground.

There were no heart-wrenching cries or shouts of relief after surviving a disaster, only heavy, ragged breaths rising and falling, starkly clear in the deadly silence.

Compared to the people in other parts of Xu Province, Zhang Da and his companions were already considered lucky.

* * *

On the official road in Xu Province, heading towards Cang Province and the Old Capital.

A vast crowd followed behind a group of government soldiers, running day and night without rest.

"Mother! Mother, wake up!"

The boy's heart-wrenching cry pierced the night sky.

The old woman in his arms had half her body turned a bluish-gray, her fingers curled like withered branches.

She was clearly on her last breath.

A Martial Artist, fleeing on horseback nearby, abruptly reined in his steed.

"If you don't want to die, throw her away! Black Mist infiltration is incurable!"

The boy acted as if he hadn't heard, hugging the old woman even tighter.

The Martial Artist glanced at them indifferently, his gaze like he was looking at two dead people, then whipped his horse and rode away.

Behind him, the cries of refugees and the shouts of government soldiers merged into a single cacophony.

"Officer! Please, help look at my child!"

A disheveled woman lunged towards the cavalry, the three-year-old child in her arms motionless, his face already turning blue.

"Officer, if you're willing to save my child, this humble woman will do anything."

The leading officer, without looking back, swung his horsewhip, which 'smacked' across the woman's face.

"Get lost! Don't block the way!"

"I'm kneeling for you! My child is only three years old!"

The woman's forehead hit the gravel road, blood streaming down.

"Three years old?"

The officer suddenly sneered, grabbing the child's collar from behind, "Keeping him is just a burden! The little brat runs slow, and even if he turns into a monster, he'll be useless!"

"It's already benevolent of the Lord to take you all to escape; how dare you even think of other things?"

"No—!"

Amidst the woman's piercing scream, the child was thrown towards the black mist surging from behind.

Next to the woman, a middle-aged man suddenly pushed his wife towards the pursuing black mist.

"My dear wife, I'm sorry..."

"Zhang Erlang, you... you'll die a terrible death!"

The woman's eyes widened in disbelief, and the next second she was swallowed by the mist.

An old man fleeing nearby cursed loudly upon seeing this.

"Beast! That's your wedded wife!"

Zhang Erlang panted as he ran: "Old man, don't meddle in others' business, or I'll kill you too..."

As Zhang Erlang spoke, he suddenly stumbled and fell to the ground, and from his fallen position, he just happened to see the old man's leg, which he hadn't had time to pull back... Such is life, in all its forms.

Ahead on the official road, inside the Prefect's carriage.

Zhao Mingde, the Prefect of Xu Province, lifted the brocade curtain, his brows tightly furrowed: "Why is it still so noisy behind us?"

His aide, Qian Youlu, smirked as he offered hot tea.

"Don't be annoyed, Lord. It's just some commoners wailing. Our escape is more important."

"Didn't the 800-li urgent dispatch you sent to Chancellor Liu already depart this morning?"

"Hmph."

Zhao Mingde took a sip of tea, "I hope that messenger doesn't end up like the last useless one, swallowed by the black mist halfway."

Aide Qian lowered his voice: "This time, we're using the assassins you've cultivated; they're absolutely reliable. Even if they turn into monsters, they'll crawl to the Prime Minister's Residence."

The carriage suddenly jolted, and the cries of children came from outside. Zhao Mingde impatiently knocked on the window.

"What's going on?!"

The coachman replied tremblingly: "Reporting, Lord, a little brat is blocking the middle of the road..."

"Run him over!"

Zhao Mingde roared, "If you delay this official's escape, your entire family will be fed to the black mist!"

After speaking, Zhao Mingde closed the curtain.

The guards next to the carriage, unable to bear it, finally kicked the child in front of the carriage to the side of the road and took a hard flatbread from his bosom, throwing it at the child.

"Scram, scram, scram, you blind thing. This is the Prefect's carriage; it's not for a beggar like you to block."

The little beggar tightly hugged the flatbread to his chest, then stumbled and staggered to follow the procession.

Inside the carriage, Zhao Mingde and Qian Youlu did not notice the guard's actions.

Aide Qian pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat.

"Lord, I have something to say, but I don't know if I should... If all those commoners behind us die, and the imperial court investigates..."

"Idiot!"

Zhao Mingde shot him a chilling glare.

"Once the black mist crosses the Wei River, the entire Southern Four Provinces will be finished! Who will be able to investigate clearly then?"

"This official has already made all the arrangements. This is a thousand-year-old ganoderma lucidum prepared for Chancellor Liu. When the time comes, I will say that this official personally went to the front lines to supervise the battle..."

"Without fear of hardship, I finally saved these thousands of commoners."

Aide Qian's eyes lit up.

"Brilliant! Truly brilliant! Then... what about my share...?"

Zhao Mingde kicked him: "First, deal with those wailing people behind us! It's unlucky just to hear them!"

"Understood."

Aide Qian, having received the confirmation, gave a few instructions to the guards outside the carriage.

Before long, the cries from the back of the procession grew fainter and fainter.

* * *

Meanwhile, deep within the Divine Temple in Qing Province.

Just as Li Shun and his group entered Qing Province from Xu Province, the System noticed it, feeling only disdain at the time.

Among this group, one was even a human emperor, yet he couldn't even manage such a small matter as relocating the capital, bringing only a small number of people and making such a mess of it.

As for why these people were so disheveled, there was no need to think too much; they must have encountered demons, of course.

What a minor issue.

The Host had only asked it to help monitor the internal situation of Qing Province; these people were being chased by demons outside Qing Province and were not its concern.

Two days later, more people entered Qing Province from the direction of Xu Province.

They were even more disheveled than Li Shun's group.

Out of curiosity, the System merely scanned these few individuals.

This scan revealed something extraordinary.

[Ding! Abnormal energy fluctuations detected!]

The System's mechanical voice suddenly blared in Lin Chuping's secluded stone chamber, blood-red data streams frantically flickering across the light screen.

[Warning! The refugee tide from Xu Province's direction highly matches the energy fluctuations of the Yan Province Black Mist!]

[Analyzing...]

[Conclusion: This exodus is not accidental; the Yan Province Black Mist has spread to Xu Province!]