Chief Armaments Master of the Ming Dynasty

Everyone immediately became alert.

In the grass ahead, three corpses lay sprawled.

Judging from their clothing, they were dressed as ordinary mountain people. There were two men and one woman, all of whom were already stiff, with traces of pain remaining on their faces.

Beside the body lay several empty, deflated cloth bags and a broken hoe.

There were no obvious external injuries, but the lips were bluish-purple, and there were suspicious stains around the mouth and nose.

"He died of poisoning." Old Geng squatted down, examined the body carefully, and sniffed the air, his face grave.

Lin Fan felt a chill run down his spine.

He examined the scattered pockets, which were empty, but in the woman's tightly clenched hand, he found a small clump of dark brown, granular material.

He carefully picked up a little bit, smelled it, and found it had a faint musty and earthy smell.

It's moldy grains, or... food contaminated by some kind of poison.

These people likely died here after accidentally ingesting something poisonous.

"Bury them... bury them." Tian Ergou's voice trembled as he turned his face away.

He recalled how, when he was starving back in his hometown, he had dug up grass roots and gnawed on tree bark, and he was filled with dread.

"I'm too tired to dig a hole," Shuanzhu said hoarsely. "Let's cover it with some stones so the wild animals don't ruin it."

The group silently began to cover the body with stones and withered branches.

After all this was done, the atmosphere became even more somber.

Death, in a more silent and despairing way, reveals its existence.

As night fell, they dared not camp near the corpses, so they walked another mile or so and found a relatively sheltered ravine to rest.

There was no food, only a little boiled stream water with an earthy smell.

Hunger scorched my stomach and also my will.

"Brother Lin, if we keep searching like this, we'll starve to death in this ravine before we even find General Li," Han Jinhu said weakly, leaning against a rock.

He stroked the iron hammer in his arms, his eyes somewhat unfocused. "If I had known... I should have stayed with King Wang. At least..."

"If we had stayed there, who knows where the bones would have been taken by wild dogs." Old Geng interrupted him, his voice hoarse. "What kind of people are Liu Sanba and Hu Laowai? Wang Ziyong is in dire straits himself. Brother Lin brought us out, which is a way to survive. We're hungry, but we're not so resentful."

Shuanzhu didn't speak, but silently sharpened the knife in his hand.

Having come from a military background, he seemed to have a greater tolerance for hunger and death, but his tightly pursed lips and sunken eye sockets also revealed extreme exhaustion.

Tian Ergou huddled by the fire, hugging his knees, and whispered:

"Master Lin, do you think... Li Zicheng and his men will really take us in? We have nothing, all we know is..."

He glanced at Lin Fan, too embarrassed to mention "skills," feeling that he was of little use except for running errands and almost holding others back.

Lin Fan added a thin twig to the fire, and the firelight danced on his thin face.

"Whether they'll take us in or not, we'll find out when we get there. But we're able-bodied and strong. Brother Han is a blacksmith, Lao Geng and Brother Shuanzhu are veterans who've fought in battles, and Er Gou, you're clever and can learn. In this world, as long as you're willing to work hard and use your brain, you'll always find a way to make a living. If Li Zicheng is truly destined for greatness, he won't just take in those who can fight; he'll also take in those who can make weapons, heal wounds, and get things done."

His words brought a faint warmth to everyone's hearts.

Yes, they are not a burden; they each have their own uses.

"Go to sleep, take turns keeping watch. Tomorrow... we need to figure out how to get some food." Lin Fan ended the conversation and handed over the guard duty to Lao Geng and Shuanzhu's first shift.

In the middle of the night, Lin Fan was awakened by an extremely faint rustling sound.

It wasn't the wind.

He immediately opened his eyes and reached for the short spear beside him.

Shuanzhu, who was on night watch, was crouching low, looking warily into the darkness beyond the ravine. Old Geng had also woken up and gripped his knife tightly.

"There's movement, like people, not many, in the woods over there." Shuanzhu lowered his voice and pointed to a dark pine forest on the left.

Lin Fan signaled everyone to be quiet, then quietly crept to the edge of the ravine and peered out from behind the rocks.

By the faint starlight, several dark figures could be vaguely seen moving around at the edge of the woods, their movements very light, as if they were digging or burying something.

There were about three or four people.

Were they bandits? Or other refugees?

Or perhaps... an outpost on the periphery of the target they've been searching for?

"I'll feel my way over and take a look," Lin Fan whispered.

"Too dangerous, I'll go," Old Geng said. "My legs aren't what they used to be, but I haven't lost my skills in stealth and reconnaissance."

Lin Fan thought for a moment and nodded: "Be careful, don't expose yourself, come back as soon as you see who they are."

Old Geng disappeared into the darkness silently, like a raccoon dog.

Shuanzhu and Han Jinhu gripped their weapons tightly and stood guard beside Lin Fan.

Tian Ergou also woke up, his eyes wide with anxiety.

Time passed slowly, and each breath seemed exceptionally long.

Just as Lin Fan began to worry, Old Geng reappeared by the rocks, his expression somewhat strange.

"They weren't bandits, nor were they ordinary refugees." Old Geng took a breath. "They were a few teenagers, the oldest looking no more than sixteen or seventeen, the youngest probably only twelve or thirteen. They were dressed in tattered clothes, digging a hole by the edge of the woods, and it seemed... they were digging for something. I saw them take out a few dark, taro-like or tuberous things from the hole and stuff them into their clothes. Judging from their movements, it didn't seem like they were doing this for the first time."

"A child? In this deep mountain forest?" Han Jinhu was taken aback.

"They're probably from a nearby mountain village. They couldn't survive there anymore and came out to find food," Shuanzhu guessed.

Lin Fan's heart stirred.

These teenagers, working in groups at night, are familiar with the mountains and forests, digging up the tubers of specific plants... This is unlike ordinary hungry people who blindly forage for food.

"Which direction did they go?" Lin Fan asked.

"Head north, into the depths of the forest," Old Geng said.

"Let's go, follow them, keep a distance, and don't alert them," Lin Fan decided.

Hunger and intuition told him that this might be an opportunity.

The five men packed up their remaining belongings, led their mules, and, under the cover of night, followed the blurry figures of the boys from afar.

The boys were clearly very familiar with the mountain paths, walking through the darkness as if on flat ground, and soon led Lin Fan and his companions into a more secluded and rugged canyon path.

After walking for about half an hour, a faint light appeared ahead, along with the faint sound of human voices.

The boys quickened their pace and ran towards the firelight.

Lin Fan signaled everyone to stop, and they hid behind a huge rock, cautiously peeking out.

At the end of the canyon, there was a gentle slope backed by a steep mountain wall. Dozens of simple huts and thatched huts were built on the slope, and several bonfires were burning in the center. There were about a hundred people, including men, women, and children, but mostly young and middle-aged men.

Some people were roasting something around the fire, while others were cleaning weapons and tidying up saddles.

Although their clothes were equally tattered, their spirit was clearly different from that of Wang Ziyong's bandits who lived in constant fear. Their actions carried a kind of wild and fierceness and... a strange discipline.

Most notably, a flag was hanging on a tall wooden pole in the center of the camp.

The colors were indistinct in the darkness, but one could vaguely make out a large character written on it.

It's neither "King" nor "High".

The outline of the characters, illuminated by the flickering firelight, resembled the posture of a person bursting into the doorway.

闯。

Lin Fan's heart pounded heavily in his chest.

found it.

Han Jinhu, Lao Geng, Shuanzhu, and Tian Ergou also saw the flag.

Several people held their breath, their eyes blazing with barely suppressed excitement and...deep awe.

But just then, a series of urgent barks came from the woods to the side!

Several dark shadows barked wildly as they charged toward the large rock where Lin Fan and his companions were hiding!

It's the camp's dog! We've been spotted!

"Who goes there?!" A loud shout came from the camp, and several men wielding spears immediately pounced on them like cheetahs!

The footsteps were hurried, and the blade reflected the cold moonlight.

The nascent hope was instantly replaced by a chilling crisis.