25: Chapter 25 After a bout of wailing, the person I'd been waiting for finally arrived!

The Li Clan Members were not good at acting.

However, this wasn't a big problem.

They didn't really need to act much anyway.

Aside from the fact that they hadn't actually been killed by the Demon Rats swarm, they just had to tell the truth about everything else.

The ones going to the county seat this time were still the brothers Li Feipeng and Flying Fish, along with several other young, able-bodied men.

Only young, able-bodied men could realistically survive an attack from a Demon Rats swarm.

But if they were all young men, it would easily arouse suspicion and caution in others.

Once inside Xinan County, it might be difficult to carry out their plan.

Originally, Zhang Qianlü had planned to teach these fellows how to strike up a conversation with people.

He wanted them to tell the local Common People about their identities, how they were clearing land outside the city, and how they had somehow offended some unknown deity, leading to the beast attack from start to finish.

Only by doing so could they attract the attention of the people in the Li Residence.

Otherwise, they couldn't just go and knock on the door of the Li Residence, saying they had bought grain there before and asking if they could buy more or, better yet, borrow a place to stay, right?

Even a fool would know something was wrong then.

As it turned out, before Zhang Qianlü could even speak, the Old Clan Leader waved his hand and declared that there was no need for him to teach them that.

"Striking up a conversation with people?"

"Is there even a need to strike up a conversation?"

"If several grown men like you proactively try to talk to others, who would dare respond?"

"What if they think you're bandits scouting the area or have some other ulterior motive?"

"In this kind of situation, it's best to let others come and ask you first."

And so, the scene at the city gate unfolded.

Li Feipeng couldn't force himself to cry, so he just covered his face and squatted in a corner.

His younger brother, Flying Fish, was different; the fellow sat down against a wheel of the handcart and wailed loudly.

He didn't even need any external aids to produce tears.

Just thinking about the feeling of not having enough to eat and being hungry made the tears flow instantly.

Then there was the Clan Chief's grandson, Li Fusun, who cried even louder than him, sounding like a braying donkey.

Not only was he crying, but he was also shouting as he wept, yelling, "Grandpa, you died such a miserable death!"

In any case, the Li family wasn't superstitious about such things.

Everyone has to die eventually.

They just treated it as practicing in advance.

As a result, he got so carried away with his crying—likely imagining the scene of his grandfather actually dying—that tears and snot streamed down his face.

This worked perfectly.

Two young men, one around eighteen or nineteen and the other thirteen or fourteen, were crying so miserably that even a passing dog would have to take a second look.

Several other Li Clan Members were also squatting against the base of the wall, their faces filled with grief.

They had to look grieved.

If they didn't think of something sad, they were afraid they might burst out laughing the next second.

Coupled with their ragged clothes, messy stubble, and dark, thin frames, they didn't look like bad people at all.

Commoners could recognize their own kind.

They could sense the familiar aura of someone like themselves.

Seeing them like this, without the men needing to say a word, people already came forward to ask what had happened to them.

Even the soldiers guarding the city couldn't help but take a few steps closer, wanting to hear more clearly.

Since they were all able-bodied young men, the soldiers didn't dare to drive them away without cause.

Then, Flying Fish began his performance.

He even pulled back the straw mat on the cart to show everyone.

On the cart, besides a person whose life or death was uncertain, were Wolf Skins, a Rat King Skin, and over a dozen other Demon Rats skins.

"More than half our clan is dead; only a few of us are left," Li Feipeng said, wiping away tears. "When I think about the future, I just don't know what to do."

This was also an explanation to the surrounding crowd as to why they were crying here.

One reason was mourning the deaths of their kinsmen.

The other was mourning for themselves, not knowing where they could settle down.

They were refugees from afar and had no relatives in this local area.

They couldn't seek out family or friends, had no money on them, and didn't even have identification documents.

Even if they entered the city, they didn't know if they could find a place to stay.

The items on the cart were their only reliance.

In essence, this was a signal to the people around them, hoping to see if any knowledgeable person present could point them toward a way to survive.

It was just like when commoners could no longer make a living and went out to beg.

Upon reaching someone's door, they wouldn't say auspicious words; they would just hold out a coarse ceramic bowl, or simply cup their hands and show an empty cloth bag—the principle was the same.

No matter where someone was from or if they spoke the same language, they would understand.

Sure enough, the onlookers in Xinan County who had gathered to watch the commotion understood more or less after seeing this.

No wonder these men were crying here.

So that was what they meant.

Someone saw that the Wolf Skins on the cart looked good, so they walked over, felt them, and nodded.

The surrounding Common People saw this and knew the pelts must be of good quality.

Pelts were valuable.

Those who understood realized that this was likely the purpose of the men making a scene at the city gate.

If you shouted and yelled, not only would no one dare come forward, but you might even be driven away by the soldiers.

But if you cried, it was a display of weakness.

Pitying the poor and weak is also a part of complex human nature.

Even if one didn't have such a kind heart, watching the spectacle was fine too.

The point was to gather people together.

Those who intended to buy wouldn't dare to drive the price down too much in front of so many eyes.

Especially if they lived in this city; driving the price down ruthlessly at a time like this would bring shame upon their own family.

There weren't many in a single county who could afford Wolf Skins anyway.

Families with any sense of dignity wouldn't do such a thing.

Another reason was to spread the news that there were Wolf Skins for sale.

This would attract the wealthy households in the city to send people to buy them.

It must be said that the things these men had brought were quite eye-catching.

The Wolf Skins were one thing, but why were these Rat Skins so large?

"This is a Rat King Skin."

Li Fusun sniffled. "Uncles, grandfathers, aunts, you don't know—this Rat King was bigger than a calf! It had already become a demon!"

"Don't talk nonsense, child," someone immediately said. "If it really were a rat that had become a demon, would you still be alive? I say you're lying. Lying will give you a stomach ache. Tell the truth—this isn't a Rat Skin, is it?"

"It is the skin of a rat demon!" Li Fusun shouted angrily, his voice turning gruff. "If it didn't grow that big, could it have crushed our clansmen to death? My Second Uncle Li knows martial arts!"

As he spoke, he pointed to the person lying on the handcart.

Looking at such a person, one couldn't really tell much.

"Then how did you kill it?" someone asked.

"We didn't kill it. When we went back, we only saw a gust of clear wind blow past," Li Fusun said. "Look at this rat demon's flesh and blood; it's all gone. Just that one gust of wind blew past, and it became like this."

"If only that wind had come sooner, if only..."

"Dog Kid, shut up!" Li Feipeng snapped. "Don't talk nonsense!"

Now the watching Common People understood.

Some powerful existence must have saved these people.

No wonder they didn't even have any injuries on them.

"You child, you should listen to the adults," someone remarked.

Although they didn't know if the one who summoned the wind was good or bad, if it was possible not to offend them, one must absolutely not do so.

Just then...

One of the soldiers guarding the city came over.

He said to them, "You few, the County Magistrate is kind-hearted. Pull your handcart to the yamen, deliver the pelts, and there will naturally be a place for you."

Li Feipeng and the others looked at each other, appearing somewhat hesitant.

This hesitation was completely understandable to the surrounding people.

Otherwise, these people would have entered the city directly instead of crying outside the city gate.

Then, some kind-hearted person leaned in and whispered in support of the County Magistrate, saying that although their magistrate was young and looked like a playboy, he was indeed a good official.

"What are you still standing there for? Move it!" the soldier urged.

Seeing this, Li Feipeng and the others had no choice but to slowly stand up.

"Eh? It really is you!"

At that moment, a man who looked like a manager for a wealthy household walked over. "Brother Feipeng, what happened to you all?"

Flying Fish immediately lowered his head, a flash of joy in his eyes.

After all that wailing, the person they were waiting for had finally arrived!