“Of course.”
Murong Yun patted Hua Le’s head. Though she didn’t understand why picking it was necessary, to her, it was nothing more than a lift of the hand.
With a light step and spiritual energy surging through her legs, she leapt to the top of the towering plum tree in an instant. Before plucking the blossoms, she took advantage of the height to glimpse most of Liaozhou City.
Most places were no different from this South Street, or even more dilapidated. In other alleys, she saw emaciated people scavenging for food.
Honestly, at first glance—if their movements hadn’t been somewhat fluid—she would’ve thought she’d stumbled into a zombie film set. It was downright scary.
She reached out and plucked the plum blossom from the highest branch, then turned and landed.
Before handing it to Hua Le, she infused a wisp of spiritual energy into the plum branch, so it would bloom a little longer.
“Thank you, Sister Lei.”
Hua Le carefully took it, and at last, a trace of happiness appeared at the corners of her brows.
“Mm-hmm, good girl. Hurry along now—the snow’s starting again.”
A cool snowflake landed on Murong Yun’s cheek—just as she was picking the plum blossom, the snow began to fall again.
Liaozhou City seemed to have no rules anymore, and there were certainly no street sweepers. The roads had long turned muddy and hard to walk, and now with snow falling again, it was even colder.
She and A'Xuan didn’t mind, but poor Hua Le—this little girl without spiritual energy—her lips were already turning pale from the cold.
“Mm!”
Hua Le obediently held the plum branch, walking between Murong Yun and A'Xuan. South Street wasn’t long—they soon reached the end. One more turn, and they’d be at the General’s Manor. Just thinking of seeing her mother soon made Hua Le’s steps a little lighter.
They were almost at the end—but trouble found them first.
In all her years, Murong Yun had never seen anything like this—under broad daylight, a man chasing a little girl with a kitchen knife.
His face twisted as he ran, shouting, “Good girl, let Daddy give you one chop—it'll only hurt once, then it’ll be over. We’re all going to die anyway, might as well go early.”
Wait—he’s actually her father?
“Sister Ling Zhi?”
Huale spotted the frail figure running ahead—and realized it was someone she knew.
“Sister Ling Zhi!” Hua Le called out again to the girl rushing toward them.
The little girl was frighteningly thin. Murong Yun saw how hard it was for her to run—her thighs even trembled. Luckily, the man chasing her was weak too, not as nimble as the girl, and so hadn’t managed to swing the cleaver just yet.
“Little Miss?”
Cao Lingzhi was the daughter of a merchant who lived next door to the General’s Manor. She was only three years older than Hua Le, and the two had been playmates since childhood.
It’s just that Hua Le’s status was noble, while merchants were lowly—so even with deep friendship, she could only address the other respectfully.
“Please, Little Miss—save me! My father… he means to kill me and eat my flesh!"
Seeing that Hua Le had two adults with her, Cao Lingzhi instantly felt reassured. Otherwise, with her father’s madness, she would’ve been killed sooner or later.
“Eat… flesh?
Hua Le blinked, staring at Sister Ling Zhi—usually so gentle and filial—now frighteningly thin, kneeling before her, face full of fear and panic.
She listened to the words coming from the other’s mouth, gripped the plum branch in her hand, and felt dazed—almost thinking she was dreaming.
Eat? But Sister Ling Zhi isn’t food!
Murong Yun’s brows knotted the moment the girl spoke. She watched as Cao’s father kept chasing, and just as he caught up and raised the cleaver to strike Lingzhi, a flash of spiritual energy burst from her hand and sent him flying.
“As expected, Liaozhou City has become a living hell.”
Beside them, A Xuan’s eyes behind the mask were heavy with solemnity. What he’d once read in military texts—he never thought it would truly happen.
Human nature—truly fragile. Once blinded by hunger, people will do anything.
But these words—he didn’t seem to have the right to say them… A'Xuan caught a snowflake falling before him, and in the depths of his eyes—where no one else could see—a faint red light flickered.
He kind of wanted to kill someone too.
Only now did Murong Yun realize why A Xuan had insisted on carrying so much food. This was the reason.
In Liaozhou City, cannibalism has already appeared—and they’re eating their own flesh and blood.
“Who are you people? She’s my daughter—I’ll do whatever I want! What right do you have to interfere?!”
His eyes red with hunger, chasing after his own daughter with a cleaver— Cao Father had long abandoned the bottom line of human nature. With blood rushing to his head, he didn’t even notice that he’d just been blasted away by spiritual energy.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t dare speak so boldly right now.
“Father, are you insane? Even if you kill me, how long will you and my brother last? Please, don’t do something so… inhuman.”
Cao Lingzhi had finally managed to dig up some wild roots and return home, having evaded the hungry eyes on the street—only to be greeted by her father’s cleaver.
Back then, Cao Father ran a small business, and the family lived well. He treated her kindly—though he favored sons, he still paid a high price to send her to private school. She’d always believed herself fortunate.
She never expected that a single war would reveal such a disgraceful side of her father.
Thinking of this, Cao Lingzhi was already in tears.
“No one survives without going mad. If I kill you, your brother gets to eat, and we might live a little longer. Maybe things will get better.”
“Be a good girl now—learn from that Sun family daughter and do your part as a filial child.”
Cao Father shook his head. The arrow had already left the bow—there was no turning back. His grip on the cleaver was steady now, his eyes cold and ruthless.
The Sun family girl… Cao Lingzhi’s lips trembled. She knew her. Word was, she’d be married come spring. But just days ago, her own family killed and ate her…
“Why? The general’s wife hands out porridge daily—why does Father still have to do this…”
“I’ve already stopped drinking the porridge—I gave it all to my brother. Why must Father still push me to death?!”
Cao Lingzhi scrambled to her feet, shrinking back from her father’s cleaver.
“Why ask so much? That porridge’s no better than water! Be a good girl—it’s time to show your filial piety. Come here."
Cao Father’s eyes were bloodshot, opened wide and terrifying.
Murong Yun dug at her ear, finding it hard to keep listening. He wanted to do something filthy, yet still tried to guilt others with morality and filial piety.
“Oh, how touching—your talk of filial piety’s killing me. Do us all a favor and shut up."
Just as Cao Father stepped forward with the cleaver, Murong Yun couldn’t hold back anymore—she rushed up and kicked the man flying again.
Just as Cao Father got up, covered in muddy snowwater, his face full of defiance, mixed with shock and fear.
“This food—for your daughter. Take it and get out of my sight!”
The bundle fell to the ground, coming slightly undone. Inside were Sister Mu’s sun-dried jerky and sweet potato slices—quite a generous amount.
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