Chapter 8

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The young girl's understanding demeanor deeply moved Liu Jun. They say that poor people's children grow up fast, and this little girl, despite her hunger making her eyes shine, did not immediately eat the snacks Liu Jun gave her. Instead, she carefully packed them to take home for her family.

"Is your family also nearby?" Liu Jun asked.

The little girl nodded timidly, perhaps because it was her first time encountering such a kind person.

"Go and call your family. I'll treat all of you to some snacks."

The little girl still seemed a bit skeptical, but the old man beside her said, "You've met a kind person. Go and call your family." The little girl finally nodded and ran off with the snacks.

"I heard that Zhang Xianzhong has rebelled again in Gu Cheng. That little girl's family must have fled from there," Liu Jun said. "In times of chaos, human lives are as fragile as grass. No wonder the ancients said it's better to be a dog in peace than a person in chaos."

"The sage said, 'When poor, one should cultivate oneself; when prosperous, one should benefit the world.' Young man, you are talented. In this chaotic era, shouldn't you serve the country and help the people?" The old man looked at Liu Jun.

"I am just a martial student. Although I have some strength and can read a few books, I have no way to serve the country."

"The provincial examination is coming soon. Why not participate? If you can pass and become a scholar, you might be granted an official position. Then, whether you serve in the army, defend against the Tartars outside the pass, or suppress the rebels inside, you can help the people and save the world. Isn't that a good thing?"

"Actually, the real problem in the world today, whether it's the Tartars outside the pass or the bandits inside, is just a surface issue. The real problem lies deeper. If we don't address the root cause, we will only treat the symptoms, not the disease." Yi Feng shook his head and sighed.

The old man was greatly surprised by this insightful comment from a young martial student. He now looked at the young man with new respect.

After a while, the little girl indeed brought back a group of people. There were over thirty men, women, and children, clearly more than one family. They were all dressed in rags, and some were even sick. It was clear they had fled in a hurry with their families.

"Waiter, bring a large pot of porridge and a pot of mutton soup!" Liu Jun guessed they hadn't eaten for a while and didn't dare to order steamed buns directly, fearing they might overeat and choke.

Soon, the porridge and mutton soup were served. The group of refugees, seeing such kind people actually giving them food, quickly gathered around, each holding a bowl to receive the porridge and soup. They then squatted down to eat.

The two large pots of porridge and one pot of mutton soup were quickly finished, and the people were finally full. The little girl's parents then brought her to Liu Jun and the old man, kneeling down and kowtowing.

"Thank you, sir and young master, for your kindness. We are deeply grateful and willing to repay you in our next life by working as oxen or horses."

"Please get up. Everyone has their moments of hardship. It's just a meal." Liu Jun helped them up. "Where are you from?"

"Xiangyang Nanzhang. The rebel Zhang, who was once pacified by the court, has rebelled again, burning, killing, and looting everywhere. We couldn't stay in our village, so we fled."

The old man asked, puzzled, "Zhang rebelled in Gu Cheng, which is west of Xiangyang, while Nanzhang is south of Xiangyang. With Xiangyang City in between, Zhang shouldn't have reached Nanzhang. Besides, if you were to flee, you should have gone to Xiangyang, Nanyang, or Chengtian. Why did you come all the way to Huangzhou Prefecture's Macheng?"

"When Zhang rebelled, many other bandits who were pacified by the court also responded. Bandits hiding in the mountains also started causing chaos. Now, Xiangyang, Yunyang, Nanyang, and Chengtian are all in turmoil. Although the major cities like Xiangyang and Nanyang are safe, we couldn't enter them. We had to come east, originally planning to seek refuge with relatives in Huainan. But yesterday, we encountered a group of bandits in Huang'an and fled in a hurry, losing all our belongings."

Liu Jun's expression changed. "The bandits have already reached Huang'an?" Huang'an is northwest of Macheng and was originally part of Macheng. During the Jiajing era, a part of Macheng, Huanggang, and Huangpi counties was split to form Huang'an County. If the bandits have already reached Huang'an, Macheng might not be spared either.

"How many are there?" The old man also became serious.

"About a thousand, coming from the west. They are probably already in Macheng County."

The old man immediately called a servant and whispered a few words. The servant nodded and left, probably to report to the county.

Before Liu Jun could digest the news, a group of people, riding horses and driving carts, appeared on the road, looking like merchants and travelers.

"Waiter, water, quick, bring water!" One man rode up to the teahouse, dismounted, and shouted breathlessly.

"Brother, what happened ahead?"

"The bandits are coming, run quickly."

"Bandits? How many, how far?"

"About a hundred, all on horseback. They are not far away, and they might be here soon. I advise you to run quickly."

The waiter brought water, and the man drank a few large gulps, then threw some money and ran without looking back.

Liu Jun was about to run too, but suddenly a cloud of dust appeared, and the sound of hooves could be heard from a distance. Running was probably too late. His large gray mule, no matter how fast, couldn't outrun the bandits' horses.

Fighting was out of the question. He didn't even have a sword, and the teahouse had dozens of just-fed refugees, the old man and his companions, and three servants. The refugees and the two old men had no fighting ability. The only ones who could fight were Liu Jun and the three servants, and maybe the teahouse waiters. But with over a hundred bandits, it would be like throwing eggs against a rock.

What to do, what to do?

Liu Jun looked at his bag on the table and suddenly had an idea.

"Sir, let's take cover first," the scholar whispered to the old man. The old man, however, remained calm and was still observing Liu Jun. He noticed that Liu Jun, despite the situation, did not show any panic and even seemed to have a plan.

He waved his hand. "No rush, let's see what this young man has to say."

Liu Jun turned to the old man. "Sir, if I'm not mistaken, the servant who just left must have gone to report the bandit situation to the county?"

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