Chapter 348: Just a Fat Sheep!

However, none of them noticed a shadowy figure at the corner ahead—a man with a rat-like face was fixedly staring at Han Lei.

“Mr Feng, did you see? That little lady just gave away two gold ingots at once. She’s a fat sheep!”

A scruffy troublemaker whispered into the man’s ear.

The man referred to as Feng San licked his dry, cracked lips, his eyes gleaming with greed: “Go tell the brothers, tonight there’s a fat sheep to fleece.”

Feng San was notorious in Mianning County, infamous for being a hooligan and a rascal, constantly lingering around gambling dens and brothels, surrounded by a bunch of delinquents.

He lost money at the gambling den today and was in a foul mood, when he happened to stroll to the street corner and saw Han Lei hand gold ingots to the County Magistrate.

At this moment, Han Lei was busy arranging shelter for refugees on the empty grounds in the city.

She directed Da San and Da Si in distributing buns and clean water, while she herself checked the conditions of the elderly and children one by one.

“Miss, you should sit down and rest!” Da San came over, concern etched on his dark face, “We should be okay tonight, right? I have a feeling that County Magistrate doesn’t have good intentions.”

Han Lei took a sip of mineral water from her space, and said softly: “He took the money, he probably won’t trouble us. But…”

Her gaze swept across the dark street corners, “This city is likely not peaceful. The three of us will take turns keeping watch tonight, we must protect everyone well.”

Da Si came over, speaking gruffly, “Don’t worry, Miss, with us here, no one will dare touch a single hair of these villagers!”

Han Lei glanced at the disaster victims and beggars sprawled along the sides of the street, and couldn’t help but sigh.

The beggars from the Capital City totaled only a few hundred, but along the way, the refugees they had taken in were almost two thousand now.

Perhaps having lived a comfortable modern life, she had never seen so many homeless people! Arriving here, she couldn’t bear the suffering in the world.

So many people crowded onto various streets, sleeping on the ground, just watching made Han Lei feel immensely saddened.

As night gradually fell, the streets of Mianning County were lit with scattered lights.

The refugees curled up in groups of three or five, sharing the buns and mineral water Han Lei provided.

In these two days, they had become accustomed to seeing Han Lei take out food and water from the carriage. At first, there was amazement and conjecture as to how so much could fit into that small carriage.

But faced with hunger and exhaustion, those conjectures became insignificant. Everyone hoped that the food and water in that carriage would be inexhaustible.

Having traveled all day, everyone was utterly fatigued.

The children fell into a deep sleep in their mothers’ arms, occasionally murmuring uneasily in their dreams, and after a simplistic dinner, even the adults collapsed onto the ground into slumber.

Han Lei leaned against an old pagoda tree, gazing at the starry sky, lost in thought.

She recalled all her experiences of traversing to this unfamiliar world, the people devastated by natural disasters, and more, the uncultivated land of Canzhou waiting to be tamed…

Suddenly, she remembered the circular Jade Pendant hanging around her neck.

This was the only thing left that related to Zhao Zun with her now, she… missed Zhao Zun.

“Miss, you should go back to the carriage to rest, I’ll keep watch for the first half of the night.” Da San walked over, carrying a bundle of hay, speaking in a hushed voice.

Han Lei shook her head: “I’m not tired. You should go take care of those weaker ones at the east end, they need you more.”

While the two were quietly conversing, a few pairs of eyes were intently watching this temporary camp from the nearby alley.

Feng San licked the short knife in his hand, and grinned maliciously at the seven or eight troublemakers behind him: “Wait till the latter half of the night, then we’ll pay a visit to that wealthy lady.”

“All right, hehehe.”

“Great.”

A few of the troublemakers snickered darkly.

The night was ink-dark, thick as pitch.

The refugees lay scattered across the temporary camp, snoring intermittently. Occasionally, someone would turn over, and the rustling of clothes would quickly dissipate in the night wind.

The distant shadows cast by trees seemed like lurking beasts, spying on this weary camp.

Feng San crouched in the shadowy depth of an alley, roughly running his thumb over the back of the short knife.

The knife glinted in the moonlight, casting the reflection of a lurid scar on his face.

“Wait another half hour,” he whispered, a gloating laugh rumbling from his throat like sandpaper, “wait till that big guy walks further away, then we’ll go.”

Behind him, seven or eight troublemakers exchanged greedy glances.

One of them, skinny as a bamboo pole, rubbed his hands: “Brother San, how much silver note do you think that lady will have?”

“Rubbish!” Feng San spat, “Didn’t you see it during the day? She casually handed over two large gold ingots, this kind of fat sheep is a rare find in ten years!”

The moonlight gradually slanted westward, plunging the temporary camp into deeper silence.

Da San’s tall figure patrolled back and forth in the distance, scanning the surroundings vigilantly with an electric baton over his shoulder.

Feng San squinted, watching as Da San finally moved towards the other end of the camp, his figure obscured by the large trees.

“Now’s the time.” Feng San gestured, and the seven or eight shadows moved stealthily along the walls toward the carriage.

They trod lightly, skillfully avoiding the limbs of refugees sprawled all around, gradually nearing the carriage.

Upon reaching the carriage, one troublemaker stayed outside on lookout, while the others scattered around, with Feng San alone lifting the carriage curtain.

The carriage interior was pitch black, a faint jasmine scent mingled with a woman’s unique fragrance drifting intoxicatingly.

Feng San squinted, relying on the moonlight filtering through the curtain, he vaguely saw a figure lying sideway on the innermost couch. The sound of long, even breaths was particularly clear in the silent carriage.

Feng San’s lips curled into a sinister grin.

He hunched his back, like a cat ready to pounce on prey, cautiously moving forward.

His boots fell silently on the thick carpet of the carriage floor.

He raised the dagger in his hand gradually, aiming at the throat of the figure.