With the Blade

In fact, even without any disguise, Jiang Wenyuan and Shan Bing were indistinguishable from refugees.

The reason, of course, was the food shortage. They had failed to obtain supplies in Songzhou and were pursued by the people of Songzhou all the way. Already running low on provisions, their situation only worsened. Although they finally escaped from that hellish place of Songzhou, they lost their last food supply.

The food they ate now was only given to them because a team, whether rebels or soldiers, took pity on them and shared some of their rations.

Theoretically, they might have been able to buy something if the people of Songzhou returned the wealth they had lost before. Moreover, the prices here were frighteningly high, especially for daily food. Even if they had more money, how could they withstand such expenses?

"Becoming a refugee is actually a process."

After wandering outside the borders of Songzhou for a few days, Jiang Wenyuan and Shan Bing first experienced this reality for themselves.

No one starts as a refugee, and people don’t truly consider themselves refugees. They think they’ve just hit some temporary trouble, whether it’s losing money, losing family, or having their home occupied by bandits. Their suffering is real, but they believe that pain is always temporary.

Once they get through this difficult period, everything will improve once again.

Lost money can be earned back, a lost home can be rebuilt, and losing loved ones is more troublesome, but time will eventually heal all wounds.

"As long as we reach a certain place, we can have a home again."

Amidst the refugee crowd, Jiang Wenyuan and Shan Bing heard the surrounding refugees say this more than once.

As for what kind of place that might be, different refugees had different descriptions, but without exception, it was always the most beautiful place in their imagination. Unfortunately, this is merely imagination because in reality, they would never reach that dream place in their lifetime.

The reason is simple.

It’s only because they didn’t have enough to eat.

Just like Jiang Wenyuan and Shan Bing initially thought, they only needed to take extra money when traveling, assuming they could buy food and water along the way. This mindset wasn’t a problem for one or two people, but when a large group of refugees thought the same way...

Becoming a refugee is actually a process.

No one starts as a refugee, and no one truly regards themselves as one, and few would leave home empty-handed. At that time, they still had some basic funds or food, enough for the essentials of life. Of course, what they had may not be much, but as long as they endured hardships and patience until a new life began, it seemed sufficient, right?

Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough.

Once they left home and began their journey, they had no income source, and the little food they carried would eventually run out. Buying more along the way...this was impossible, especially now as grain was being collected everywhere. Prices soared to terrifying heights, so what could they do with the little money they had?

"The more refugees, the more expensive the grain; the more expensive the grain, the more people can’t afford it, and thus there are more refugees."

Jiang Wenyuan and Shan Bing vaguely realized that a bizarre and illogical cycle was repeating itself. Logically, the more expensive grain becomes, the more people should farm, fitting common sense, so why did the number of refugees increase instead?

"Because farming invites robbery."

This was the answer given by the refugees.

Not all refugees knew how to farm, only some of them were experienced farmers. Among them, many were town dwellers less skilled in farming—even those with no idea about it could be trained; it seemed they could forge a future by joining hands.

But that was merely a beautiful fantasy too.

The reality was, once there was a harvest, the bandits would come, selecting a few to kill to establish authority, then robbing all the harvest while the others were too terrified to move, leaving them with barely enough grain to feed chickens to continue planting.

Of course, for safety, they could choose to rely on fort commanders who had some force, but those local gentry were not much different from the bandits.

Ultimately, they were outsiders, refugees, and trying to establish themselves locally meant they would be exploited by various local forces.

At this point, they still held onto their visions, convinced that they could return to a normal life. They just had to persevere a bit longer, and everything would get better.

They just had to hold on a little longer.

They just had to hold on a little longer.

But eventually, people can’t endure anymore.

After all, people get hungry.

If being well-fed and satisfied could stabilize one’s mood and rejuvenate them, then conversely, lacking food and clothing would make them haggard and anxious—especially when what was once normal food becomes something they had to risk their lives to obtain, or couldn’t even secure despite risking their lives; this anxiety would be magnified infinitely.

The once beautiful visions gradually withered away, regardless of any grand goals already vanished, and finding the next meal, even the current one, became the greatest challenge.