Chapter Nineteen: The Bright Garment

"So, Brother Wang, you were once a squad leader! My respects, truly!"

Zhao Mu immediately cupped his hands toward Wang Wu, saying with admiration, "I, too, once thought of enlisting in the army back in the day, but circumstances intervened, and it never came to pass."

"Oh?" Wang Wu was momentarily taken aback. "I took you for a man of letters, Brother Mu. I never imagined you possessed the spirit to trade the brush for the sword."

Zhao Mu smiled, offering no explanation. The enlistment he spoke of was not in this world, but in his previous life. Back then, he had harbored a deep desire to join the military and serve his country. However, shortly before the recruitment began, he had suffered an accidental injury that prevented him from passing the physical examination. Later, other matters had caused further delays. Although he never officially enlisted, he had taught himself bayonet techniques and military combat drills online, a way to keep his dream alive. This was precisely why he had been able to dispatch two bandits with his bayonet skills earlier.

"Brother Wang, do you have any idea where we are, and how much further it is to Taiping County?" Zhao Mu looked toward the horizon, eager to find a place to settle down. Although he had only been transported to this world for half a month, he felt as though he had been drifting in exile for an eternity.

Wang Wu pondered for a moment. "I have been through these parts before. If my memory serves me right, we should still be over a hundred miles from Taiping County."

Zhao Mu breathed a slight sigh of relief. A hundred miles sounded far, but he had traveled much more than that over the past few days. Even at a pace of thirty or forty miles a day, he had already covered five or six hundred miles. If they kept up a good pace, they could reach Taiping County by the day after tomorrow at the latest.

"And you, Brother Mu," Wang Wu asked, looking at him intently, "what kind of living do you plan to make in Taiping County? Or do you have someone there you can rely on?"

Zhao Mu gave a wry smile and shook his head. "I am only going to Taiping County to find a way to keep from starving. What kind of living could I have?" He then turned to Huang Wan. "And you, Miss Huang?"

Huang Wan also shook her head. "There is no one I can turn to."

The atmosphere grew heavy. Wang Wu clenched his fists and muttered, "Damn this wretched world!"

Zhao Mu looked up but said nothing in agreement. Deep down, however, he missed his former world dearly. In that world, as long as a man had two hands, he would never starve to death. But here, human life was as worthless as blades of grass.

Wang Wu was silent for a while before saying, "Why don't you join me when we reach Taiping County?"

Zhao Mu paused, then shook his head. "Would that be appropriate?"

Wang Wu gritted his teeth. "The man I am going to seek is a comrade with whom I have shared life-and-death bonds. I heard that he has become a gate captain in Taiping County. Even if we impose on him for a month or two, it should be manageable."

A gate captain was a low-ranking officer responsible for guarding the city gates. Though it was a menial position, it was still far better than being a common gate guard. As Wang Wu said, as long as they didn't overstay their welcome, it shouldn't be a major problem.

"In that case, very well," Zhao Mu said, cupping his hands. "But I will only trouble him for a day or two at most. Once I find work, I will leave immediately."

Wang Wu opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he remained silent. In truth, seeking out his comrade was a last resort. Given his character, he would have felt embarrassed even if he were only bringing his own family to seek help. Bringing two outsiders like Zhao Mu and Huang Wan made him feel even more uneasy. But Zhao Mu had saved his family's lives, and he would have felt restless if he did nothing to repay them.

Huang Wan, seemingly lost in her own thoughts, sat to the side without a word. As dusk fell, the group tidied up the room to rest. Without formalities, they simply slept in their clothes, separating by gender. Having a roof over their heads to keep out the wind and rain was far better than sleeping in the wilderness.

The next morning, Zhao Mu called Wang Wu to go fishing with him. Since they had another hundred miles to go, they needed to ensure they had food for the journey. After sharing a meal of fish soup, the group set off again. Although they encountered several unscrupulous characters along the way, Wang Wu and his son, Wang Hu, dealt with them easily.

As they neared Taiping County, Zhao Mu finally saw signs of human activity. Many of these people were refugees—after all, Zhao Mu was not the only one clever enough to flee to other regions. But more were the local residents of Taiping County. Compared to the refugees, these locals were not faring much better. Many wore expressions of numbness and wariness. While the wealthy and powerful within Taiping County lived in comfort, they lived in constant fear as winter approached. The northern barbarians, lacking food for the winter, would conduct their so-called "autumn hunts" or raids every year. The targets of these raids were the very people living near the border. These border residents, often called "border folk," had suffered the most throughout the history of every dynasty.

Yet, none of the dynasties allowed these border residents to migrate freely. Thus, generation after generation, they were left to endure the plundering of the barbarians.

After two days of trekking, Zhao Mu’s group finally arrived at Taiping County. A crowd of refugees had gathered outside the gates, though the number—around a few thousand—was small compared to the tens of thousands at Haozhou. However, Haozhou was a major city, while Taiping was, despite its local prosperity, only a small county town. The city gates were open, but the refugees were forbidden from entering.

As Zhao Mu’s group arrived, the refugees looked up at them. Some tried to beg for food, but Zhao Mu sternly turned them away. Just as they were about to enter the city, a group of men in fine silk, riding spirited horses, charged out from within.

Seeing them, the refugees swarmed forward, begging for scraps of silver or food. However, the leader of the group simply raised his horsewhip and began driving them away.

"Get lost!"

"You're ruining the young master's mood! I'll have you all punished!"

"Get out of the way!"

Fearing the lash, the refugees scattered in panic. Some who were too slow were struck by the whip, collapsing to the ground in agony. Zhao Mu watched as those hit by the whip suffered deep, bloody lacerations. In a time of such extreme food scarcity, such an injury was enough to kill a person. Yet, the young men on their horses didn't even glance back as they rode off. The surrounding refugees were furious, but none dared speak; they could only shrink away in terror.

"What do you think that lot looks like?"

"Like what?"

"Like the dogs I keep at home!"

"Haha! You're right! They're not even worth as much as dogs!"

Hearing these unbridled remarks, Zhao Mu’s fists tightened.