evil tycoon

"Uncle Li, you stay at the shop. Ming and I will go out and check on the situation."

"OK."

Li Mengshan is indeed not suited to appearing in public.

Old Gu had previously instructed that if there were indeed refugees, one could go out and take a look, perhaps there would be some unexpected gains.

In addition, Han Ping'an also wanted to understand the true situation outside.

"Take some money and medicine for your injuries."

"The biggest shortage of food for ordinary refugees outside is food. We'll buy some more on the way out later."

"Ming-ge is very thoughtful."

Han Ping'an exclaimed in admiration.

The medicine can be given to those martial artists, since they are likely to be injured while fleeing from disaster.

As for food, it doesn't need to be anything fancy for ordinary people.

  

The two quickly left the shop.

Before leaving the city, I bought some easy-to-carry dried meat and pastries, which were not conspicuous in my bag.

As soon as we arrived at the city gate, we saw a large crowd gathered around, looking around and discussing the situation.

"Is it true that Dingkang County has been captured?"

"Who knows, but with so many refugees, it's probably not an exaggeration."

"Dingkang County isn't far from our Jing County, but so much time has passed in between, what if..."

"Damn it, the Crimson Dragon Army is a bunch of trash."

"No, I need to go back and pack my things."

……

Han Ping'an and Gu Ming exchanged a glance, both with solemn expressions.

Once the refugees arrived, the news couldn't be kept secret any longer.

Once the news spreads, chaos is inevitable.

Although Han Ping'an had never experienced such a turbulent situation, he could imagine it based on his memories from both lifetimes.

That was absolutely a scene of utter chaos, where human life was treated like dirt.

"Ming-ge, how do you think the imperial court will respond?"

Han Ping'an had no idea what to do about this.

As the two walked outside, Gu Ming said in a low voice, "I'm afraid it won't be good. The information that the monkey mentioned earlier isn't unfounded."

"The fact that these refugees are not allowed into the city is already a sign. At most, the powerful families will pay for them food and other useful or valuable items, and they might be recruited by some of these wealthy and powerful families."

Those ordinary people, you can imagine.

Han Ping'an sighed silently.

Once outside the city, a large open space to the north was crowded with people, and there were some simple tents set up temporarily nearby. Some servants, who appeared to be from a prominent family, were distributing porridge.

Some government officials were also maintaining order.

"Several hundred people."

Gu Ming glanced at the scene briefly and said in a low voice, "I reckon more people will be arriving one after another."

"Let's go take a look first."

"Um."

Han Ping'an followed, and as they drew closer, he could see clearly.

Many refugees were ragged, emaciated, and some couldn't even stand up. Some were with children, and the faces of the elderly, women, and children were filled with numbness, despair, fear, anxiety, and longing for the food in front of them.

"You all get in line right now. If anyone dares to mess around, don't blame me for being ruthless."

"Furthermore, no one is allowed to enter the city; anyone who trespasses will be killed without mercy."

……

Han Ping'an and his companion did not approach the tent, but instead walked towards the back.

Besides the people who gathered here to queue for food, there were also a few scattered people standing on the open ground behind, watching.

Some of them, though they looked travel-worn, were dressed in fine clothes and accompanied by burly guards, clearly indicating they came from wealthy families.

Look there.

Gu Ming suddenly pointed.

Han Ping'an turned around and looked in that direction.

Beside a tent, several figures stood out conspicuously.

The person surrounded in the center was a young girl with an extraordinary air about her.

"Ming-ge, who's that?"

"The fourth young lady of the Lu family." Gu Ming grinned. "Those people following her are probably not simple either. I didn't expect someone of that status to show up."

"If it gets stuck outside, then things will get interesting."

The fourth young lady of the Lu family is undoubtedly of a much higher status than the daughter of the third master of the Lu family and Lu Bing.

"If another one dies, the Lu family will go crazy." Han Ping'an slowly withdrew his gaze.

The purpose of a young lady of such status leading people out of the city to investigate these refugees is self-evident.

This is probably confirmed news.

Perhaps it also carries some unknown motives.

"This way, just asking around."

Gu Ming quickly identified his target.

The two young men, who were alone together, looked to be only about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old.

The two men frowned and whispered to each other from time to time.

There was no sign of fatigue or hunger on his face.

He looks like a martial artist.

Upon seeing Han Ping'an and Gu Ming approaching, the two young men immediately became wary.

Upon getting closer, Han Ping'an could already sense the invisible presence of the two.

Musha.

But only at the Blood Refining level.

Gu Ming clasped his hands in a respectful greeting, a gentle smile on his face: "My name is Gu Ming. My family runs a general store in Jing County. I heard about the situation outside, so I came out to take a look."

"If you find anything rare, I guarantee you'll get a fair price."

A general store?

The two young men looked at each other in bewilderment.

But he quickly understood Gu Ming's intention.

One of them frowned slightly and hesitated, saying, "Brother Gu, we've been traveling a long and arduous journey, and we don't have much on us."

"It's alright."

Gu Ming wasn't disappointed. He took out two pieces of dried meat from his package and handed them over: "If you two don't mind, please have some to tide you over."

Although he was a martial artist, he was only at the Blood Refining stage, and his journey was not easy.

The young man hesitated for a moment, but ultimately couldn't resist taking it.

"Thank you, Brother Gu."

"To be honest, Brother Gu, Dingkang County has fallen, and the Red Dragon Army has suffered heavy losses and is retreating all the way. My brother and I came from Yangshan County, and when we left, it was already in complete chaos. The Red Dragon Army retreated to Yangshan and looted the city extensively. Some large clans were even suppressed... This delay lasted for about ten days, and now the situation is probably only getting worse."

The other person ate the dried meat while watching Gu Ming speak.

Yangshan County is one of the two counties located between Jing County and Dingkang County.

Upon hearing this, Han Ping'an's expression changed.

It's worse than I imagined.

The Crimson Dragon Army retreated into the city and actually looted it extensively.

How is this any different from bandits?

Recalling the disdain that Lao Gu and Li Mengshan had shown when they mentioned the Crimson Dragon Army, he suddenly realized what was going on.

"Brother Gu, my brother and I still have some money on us. Would you be so kind as to help us enter the city?" The young man, who seemed like an elder brother, finished eating the dried meat, glanced at Jing County in the distance, and lowered his voice.

Want to enter the city?

Han Ping'an's eyes flashed, but he remained silent.

Gu Ming is very experienced in this area.

Gu Ming turned around and sighed, "The government offices forbid entry into the city, and with those powerful clans nearby, there's nothing I can do."

"However, since you two are martial artists, you might have a chance if you take a look at those powerful clans later."

The two looked disappointed, nodded slightly, but said nothing more.

Gu Ming and Han Ping'an then headed to the next location.

In a short time, I came into contact with several groups of people.

Surprisingly, there was actually some gain.

Two herbs at the bone-refining level, and a piece of fine soil worth tens of taels.

In addition, several doses of wound medicine were sold.

Just these things alone make this trip worthwhile.

Moreover, the information they gathered was almost identical to what the two young men had initially told them.

The situation is not good.

Although the rebel army incited by the Abbasid Cult was of mixed quality and in complete chaos, it was still quite astonishing.

"What are you two doing? Who gave you permission to contact these outsiders?"

A sharp shout suddenly rang out.

Han Ping'an and Gu Ming turned around and saw several figures walking quickly towards them.

There were government officials and servants from the Lu family, all with unfriendly expressions.

The sudden commotion also drew the attention of the Lu family's fourth daughter and her entourage, who had already stepped out of the tent.

"They're being quite nosy."

Gu Ming cursed under his breath, quickly took out some medicine from his bag, waved it, and said, "Hey, I'm selling medicine. My name is Gu Ming. Is Officer Liu here? I know him."

"Selling wound medicine?"

The bailiffs and Lu family servants looked at each other, their expressions turning strange.

That's really impressive.

They've even started selling medicine here.

"Officer Liu."

A constable shouted into the distance, and a figure emerged.

Gu Ming immediately waved: "Brother Liu, it's me."

"The Ming Dynasty?"

Officer Liu glanced at him, smiled, and waved his hand, saying, "I'm a bit busy here. I'll come find you later."

"it is good."

Upon seeing this, the officials immediately softened their expressions and warned, "It's strictly forbidden from above. Don't bring anyone in. Be careful, there might be wicked people hiding inside, or even demons."

"Understood, thank you for reminding me."

Gu Ming bowed respectfully, gave Han Ping'an a wink, and the two quickly walked away.

Watching from afar as the Lu family servants interacted with the martial artists who had fled from other places, Han Ping'an frowned and said, "The government's concerns are not without merit, but what are these people from the Lu family doing?"

Gu Ming said quietly, "These martial artists fled here because they had nowhere else to go. Now that chaos is about to break out, these people are all people who can risk their lives to help us."

"Look, other powerful families have arrived too, the Chen family, the Fan family... Whether they can enter the city or not is not something these powerful families can decide with just a word."

Gu Ming let out a sneer.

Han Pingan suddenly looked towards the slope not far away.

There are two people sitting.

An old man and a girl, the girl with one eye covered by a blindfold.

"What's wrong?"

Gu Ming followed the gaze and looked on with a puzzled expression.

The other person seemed to notice that someone was watching them and looked up.

Eyes facing each other.

Han Ping'an's eyes flashed, and he said in a low voice, "It doesn't feel simple."

Gu Ming was taken aback, then laughed and said, "He can't be any less simple than you. Let's go take a look."

Han Ping'an is even stronger than Li Mengshan, so with him by his side, Gu Ming is really not worried.