100: Chapter 100 Exchanging Children for Food

This thought flashed through Chen Fan's mind and was immediately extinguished by him.

Intervene?

How could he?

The Emperor was obsessed with Alchemy and ignored state affairs. Treacherous officials held power in court, and the treasury was empty. The so-called disaster relief funds and grains likely wouldn't even leave the Imperial City before being scraped clean of any substance.

Although he was now a Rank Six Martial Artist and a top expert in the Jianghu, what could he do against this overwhelming tide sweeping through a whole province?

One man, one sword, to assassinate General Tiangong?

Even if he succeeded, there would still be General Digong and General Rengong.

They could not all be killed.

As long as the world didn't change, as long as the common people still lived in misery, these flags of rebellion would be raised one after another.

This was no longer a matter of the Jianghu; it was a matter of the world.

He, a mere swordsman, could not manage it.

"Master Luo, this is not a place to stay for long. We should leave quickly,"

Qing Luo said softly, her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed; clearly, the oppressive atmosphere made her very uncomfortable.

Hong Shao also set aside her usual charm, revealing a rare gravity.

"Little sister is right. With the Yellow Robe Army making such a stir, the city is bound to be in chaos. It's better for us to leave the city early."

Chen Fan put down his wine cup and tossed down a silver ingot.

"Let's go."

The three rose to leave. Behind them, the discussions of the Jianghu travelers at several tables continued.

"Sigh, these times..."

"Who says otherwise..."

...

As night fell, the inns in the city also carried an air of desolation.

Chen Fan asked for a superior room, and the two sisters naturally followed him inside.

The candlelight flickered, casting the shadows of the three onto the wall.

The room was very quiet, with only the sound of the wind outside and the occasional footsteps of patrolling soldiers.

"Master Luo."

It was Hong Shao who broke the silence first.

She walked up to Chen Fan, her Soul-captivating eyes shimmering in the candlelight.

"You promised us."

Qing Luo also plucked up her courage, standing beside her sister and softly echoing her.

"Yes, you said... when night came, you would let us see. How long has this been delayed?"

Chen Fan sat at the table, his fingers unconsciously tapping the surface.

He certainly remembered.

In Luo Hengsheng's memories, this mask was a symbol of his identity and a barrier isolating him from the world. Aside from that long-dead Old Monk, no one else had seen his true face.

But he wasn't Luo Hengsheng.

He was Chen Fan.

To him, this mask was merely a prop.

Looking at the two pairs of expectant, beautiful eyes, he slowly raised his hand and reached for the jade mask on his face.

A cold sensation came through.

His movements were very slow. As the mask was removed bit by bit, the two sisters subconsciously held their breath.

Finally, that pale and eerie mask was completely taken off, revealing the face behind it.

It wasn't as handsome and dashing as imagined, nor were there any hideous scars.

It was a very ordinary face, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. The features weren't particularly outstanding, but they were well-defined, and together, they radiated a weathered determination.

Not exactly handsome, but very enduring.

Especially those eyes, as calm as a deep, bottomless ancient well, as if nothing in the world could stir even the slightest ripple within them.

"So... this is what you look like," Hong Shao murmured, staring at him blankly.

Qing Luo let out a sigh of relief, a beautiful blush rising on her cheeks as she whispered.

"It's much better than wearing the mask."

Hong Shao snapped back to her senses with a giggle, returning to her enchantress-like self.

She leaned in, her breath like orchids.

"Master Luo, since the mask is off, then tonight..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was self-evident.

Chen Fan didn't respond, just looked at her calmly.

Seeing Hong Shao's face turn red, she spat playfully.

"To... today isn't the right day. I'll go back with my sister first."

With that, she grabbed her sister's hand and fled the room.

Chen Fan watched the pair of sisters scurry away in embarrassment and couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.

This pair of sisters seemed to be quite inexperienced in matters of the heart.

Bold with their words, but when they actually faced him, they turned timid.

But it didn't matter; the road ahead was long.

...

The next day, before dawn, the three set off and left the provincial capital of Shu Province.

Hong Shao's face was still flushed, seemingly still thinking about last night.

The further east they went, the more shocking the sights on the official road became.

Displaced refugees formed gray torrents.

They were emaciated, poorly clothed, and their eyes were numb, like the walking dead.

By the roadside, corpses of those who had died were visible everywhere, left uncollected and emitting a rotting stench.

Occasionally, the sound of a baby crying would ring out, but it seemed so weak that it was quickly swallowed by the deathly silence.

Chen Fan saw a child, skin and bones from hunger, frantically gnawing on the bark of a roadside tree. His mother lay beside him, her body already cold.

He also saw an old man who, while walking, suddenly collapsed and could never get up again. The people around him simply walked around him numbly and continued forward.

This was no longer the human world.

It was purgatory.

Hong Shao and Qing Luo had long since fallen silent. Their faces were pale, and they followed closely behind Chen Fan, not daring to look at the tragic scenes.

Chen Fan's heart also sank bit by bit.

He could give that child gnawing on bark a piece of dry food, and he could give that fallen old man a silver ingot.

But he couldn't save everyone along the way.

His bit of kindness was laughably insignificant in the face of this natural and man-made disaster sweeping through a province.

After traveling another few dozen miles, a desolate woodland appeared ahead.

A burnt smell of roasted meat drifted over with the wind.

Chen Fan's movements paused.

He pulled on the reins and looked toward the woodland.

Deep in the woods, a bonfire was burning.

Several families, over a dozen people, were sitting around the bonfire, each with an expressionless face.

Something was propped over the bonfire.

It wasn't a wild animal.

It was the small body of a child.

A woman was facing away from the bonfire, her body twitching violently as she suppressed her sobs.

Beside her, another man held a lifeless infant of similar size in his arms and handed it to the person next to him.

Exchanging children to eat!

An indescribable chill and rage exploded, rushing straight to the top of Chen Fan's head.

He flipped off his horse.

"Master Luo!"

Qing Luo cried out in surprise, trying to pull him back.

But Chen Fan's figure had already turned into an afterimage, rushing toward the woodland.

He didn't even draw his sword.

From a distance of over ten yards, he flicked his finger.

Swish!

A sound of breaking air rang out.

Beside the bonfire, a man who was holding a knife and preparing to dismember the infant's corpse felt his wrist go numb. He let out a scream, and the sharp knife flew from his hand, pinning itself into a tree far away.

This sudden turn of events startled all the refugees.

They looked up in terror and saw the figure approaching step by step, wearing a pale mask.

An aura emanated from that figure that made their very Souls tremble.

"A... a monster!"

A refugee shrieked and scrambled backward.

The others also retreated, their faces filled with fear.

Chen Fan ignored them.

He walked to the bonfire, kicked over the pile of flames, and kicked the charred corpse of the child into the mud.

After doing all this, he turned around and looked at the shivering refugees with eyes devoid of emotion.

However, the fear lasted only for a moment.

An old man with white hair and a white beard stood up tremblingly from the crowd.

He looked at Chen Fan, and in his clouded eyes, there was no fear, only a deathly despair.

With a thud, he knelt on the ground.

"I beg you, Great Hero... give us a way to live."

He behind him, all the refugees followed suit and knelt.

They didn't beg for mercy or offer excuses; they just knelt there, looking at Chen Fan numbly.

Chen Fan looked at them, saying nothing.

Seeing that he didn't speak, the old man smiled miserably, his voice hoarse.

"Great Hero, we know this is a sin. We are not human; we are beasts."

"But if we don't do this, all of us will starve to death..."

"We exchange and eat, it's better than... watching our own children starve to death in our arms..."

As he spoke, he slammed his forehead heavily onto the ground.

"Great Hero, you are a good person, you have great skill."

"If you want to kill, then kill us old things who deserve to die."

"Give us a quick end."