Chapter 1: The Chaotic Era

The post road is frequently traversed by merchants and horses, who, when hungry and thirsty, seek water. During the day, there is a tavern that comes from a nearby town, specifically selling tea, wine, and meat to the travelers passing by.

In the past six months, they have wandered through various rural towns in Zhuqi County. Due to insufficient food and attacks from wild dogs and wolves, three or four of them have already died on the road, leaving only Ye Qin and Cheng Daniu still alive

The old tree has already withered; whether its roots are edible remains unknown to anyone. However, one must try, as there are hardly any other edible grasses, roots, or tree barks nearby. A six-month drought has nearly scorched all the grasses and trees to death

Ye Qin glanced at the sky; the sun was about to set. This group of officials had eaten and drunk their fill, and he believed they would not linger in this desolate wilderness for long. Once they left, he might be able to find some items that had been overlooked.

Cheng Da Niu, sensing the dampness of the tree bark, opened his eyes in confusion and unexpectedly awakened from a semi-unconscious state. He barely chewed a bit of the tree bark, but lacked the strength to swallow it.

In the evening, when the sky is adorned with the afterglow of sunset

Cheng Da Niu, feeling hungry, became a bit confused and did not clearly see that those men were dressed as officials; he intended to crawl over to ask for some food

When he first came out from the countryside in search of food, he almost mistook these officials in their yamen uniforms for good people. However, after more than half a year of begging in the county town and several villages, having witnessed many evil deeds, he has grown extremely fearful of these officials and their ilk

Cheng Da Niu had eaten some tree bark, and finally caught his breath, regaining a bit of energy and becoming somewhat more alert

Ye Qin was so impoverished that he possessed only a tattered burlap cloth to cover his body, preferring to encounter bandits rather than officials.

If it were bandits, it would be somewhat better; without wealth, they would not kill indiscriminately. These officials are much more ruthless than bandits; if they take a dislike to someone, they will beat them to death, and if they kill someone, they will sever the head and count it as the head of a bandit to be sent to the county for credit.

Ye Qin took Da Niu to the shed where they stayed yesterday, which is located next to the post road on the barren slope to the east.

Daniu is one year younger than him

It is difficult for adults to survive, let alone for children. As the eldest in the family, at the age of eleven, he bid farewell to his parents and left home in search of food, aiming to alleviate the burden of rations on his parents, so that his younger siblings could have enough provisions to live. According to the customs of their village, once one bids farewell to their parents and leaves home, it signifies the beginning of an independent life, no longer relying on parents and clan.

The two individuals huddled together in a concealed spot beside the pavilion, making every effort to avoid attracting any attention from the officials.

The sun in the sky is scorching and blindingly bright. The sparse, withered branches of the old tree barely shield against the intense heat of the sun

This was largely thanks to Master Li's personal intervention; otherwise, this group of bandits would have long since vanished without a trace. It is of little concern if we toil and lose some books, but we must not allow that gang of bandits to escape, lest Master Li's efforts be in vain

In the early hours of yesterday, they were sleeping in a shelter in the wilderness. While the two were sound asleep, a hungry and crazed old wild dog broke in and bit Daniu's calf. Had it not been for Ye Qin waking up in time and driving the old wild dog away with stones and wooden sticks, Daniu would have almost lost his life. In any case, neither he nor Daniu could afford to die; otherwise, it would be even harder for him to survive alone in this world

For the past half month, Ye Qin and the other person have been staying there every night

The middle-aged officer gulped down a mouthful of wine, wiped the remnants of alcohol from his beard, and exclaimed: "What a damn misfortune, that group of bandits can really run. They fled from the city of Zhuqi County for several dozen miles, escaping to this godforsaken place, nearly exhausting us brothers. Brothers, eat more meat and drink, as we still need to travel in the dark tonight to catch that group of bandits as soon as possible"

In the year, a severe drought struck Zhuqi County in Pingzhou, leading to a surge in banditry.

He secretly sighed. Living a life of digging up tree roots, he did not know when it would come to an end

Ye Qin may not be considered as having established a career, but he can be regarded as having ventured out alone to explore the world

It is getting dark, and there are many anxious wild dogs and wolves in the desolate wilderness, making it unsafe. We must go to a place where people can reside

If one does not eat, one will die

Ye Qin endured the pain in his hands as he dug and pondered. He had already excavated about one foot deep, yet he had not yet unearthed any edible old tree roots.

On the other side of the old tree, there lay a famished peasant boy who had fainted in the muddy ground. He was Cheng Daniu, a child from the same village, with hair as messy as a straw nest and a tattered hemp cloth covering his body. Half-conscious, he mumbled some incoherent words.

Ye Qin was taken aback and quickly pulled him back, gripping Da Niu's arm tightly. Da Niu struggled with all his might, trying to say something. Ye Qin hurriedly covered his mouth again, desperately signaling with his eyes that he should not go over and seek death

After digging for a while, Ye Qin felt somewhat fatigued. He had not eaten anything all morning, and hunger gnawed at his stomach while thirst parched his throat, leaving his slender little hands almost powerless to continue digging.

Very well, as long as we capture that group of bandits and bring back the heads of the thieves to claim credit, Master Li will surely receive a generous reward. Our brothers will also benefit from this!

Although eating tree bark causes them some stomach pain, it is still better than starving to death. The two rested for half a day under the shade of the old tree roots, waiting for the sun to gradually set in the west and no longer be so scorching. Ye Qin supported the limping Da Niu as they walked eastward.

He was originally a child of a hunter from a small village deep in the mountains, hundreds of miles away. Years of war, banditry, and heavy taxation had already suffocated the rural villagers. At the beginning of this year, a severe drought began, leading to almost total crop failure, and the reduction of game in the forests further caused a significant loss of life among the population

Fortunately, there were also four or five other children aged between eight and ten from the same village who set out together to search for food, among whom Ye Qin was the oldest and most experienced, thus he led the group of children

Finally, an old root has been unearthed, still fresh and moist

The big cow was originally smaller than him, and after being injured, it struggled for a moment but could not break free. Lacking strength, it could only lie down in a daze to rest

However, to avoid encountering thieves, the tavern closes every night, leaving the cool shed empty. They can take refuge inside the shed to escape from wild dogs and wolves. Moreover, they can pick up a little leftover food discarded by guests from the ground to serve as their dinner

Ye Qin hurriedly chewed the bark into pieces and stuffed it into his mouth

A chaotic era

Ah, Ye Qin excitedly struck the old root with a blunt stone, and after quite some time, he managed to dig out a small section. He bit off a small piece of the moist bark, climbed over to Cheng Da Niu's side, shook him awake, and fed him.

Surrounded by a group of men, a middle-aged officer, thin and sallow in appearance, exuded an air of authority, clearly serving as the leader among the officers.

Ye Qin knelt on the ground, his hands gripping a piece of rubble he had picked up from somewhere. At the base of a solitary, withered old tree, he exerted all his strength to dig, hoping to unearth the tree roots to eat. The rubble was neither sharp nor useful, yet the prolonged digging had already worn through the skin of his palms

Under the awning, the lively sounds of laughter and chatter from the men could be heard

Ye Qin glanced at Cheng Da Niu, licked his cracked lips, and gritted his teeth to continue digging.

Ye Qin was enticed by the aroma of wine and meat wafting from the awning, feeling an intense craving. However, after a quick glance, he was startled and quickly turned his head away, not daring to look any longer. The lean and muscular men were all dressed in the uniforms of the county constabulary, belonging to the officials of Zhuqi County.

Leaning against this section of tree root allowed Ye Qin and Cheng Da Niu to survive for another half day

Ye Qin was hiding in a thicket of weeds on one side of the pavilion, about ten steps away from the officials sitting inside the pavilion, and every word they spoke reached his ears clearly.

Master Li is indeed the number one constable in our county, and he never misses his mark. This time, we are truly fortunate to have benefited from Master Li's assistance

Ye Qin supported Da Niu and arrived at one side of the cool shed, squatting down to rest on a patch of overgrown grass nearby. This cool shed is a simple bamboo house constructed from some bamboo, with an open-air entrance. Under the shed, there are more than ten sets of tea tables and chairs.

The owner of the tavern in the pavilion has not yet left; the old tavern keeper and a young waiter are busy attending to more than ten men dressed in identical blue robes, each wielding a knife. This group of men is making a ruckus in the pavilion, clinking cups and exchanging bowls, drinking and eating heartily, creating a lively atmosphere

The officials all vied to curry favor with the middle-aged officer