Tianjin, starting with unorthodox methods to achieve immortality

Three days later, at the Linhe County Wharf.

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and the air was always filled with the distinctive fishy smell of the dock.

Chen Mo, carrying two worn-out rattan trunks and a bulging blue cloth bundle, walked onto the dock pier with the flow of people disembarking.

The sight before him made him pause almost imperceptibly.

On the open ground of the dock, at the foot of the warehouse walls, beside the muddy roads... wherever there was room to squeeze in, there was a dense crowd of people.

Most of them were dressed in rags, unkempt, and had empty or fearful eyes.

Strands of makeshift shelters made of tattered mats, rags, and tree branches stretched out, the weak cries of children and the pushing and cursing over the limited space and food blending into a buzzing sea of ​​suffering.

They were refugees who fled from the south.

The sheer number of them far exceeded what was expected, practically turning the dock into a giant refugee camp.

The foul and gloomy atmosphere in the air was even more intense than the gloomy atmosphere I had sensed at the inn on the outskirts of Jinshi.

Chen Mo frowned, his face still showing the pallor unique to those who had cultivated the "Taiyin Chongxing Chapter," and his figure appeared thin under the loose old robe.

He carried his luggage and walked towards the dock along the dirt road, which was narrowed by crowds and debris.

Just as I squeezed out of the most crowded area of ​​the dockyard and reached the entrance of a relatively quiet alley, several shadows emerged from behind the crooked crates, blocking my way.

They were four men, dressed in tattered clothes and with fierce expressions.

The group of people were all quite young, but their eyes didn't show the numbness often seen in disaster victims; instead, they were filled with hostility.

The leader was a young man with a square face and a buzz cut. He had a large frame but deep-set eyes, indicating that he had also been hungry for some time.

He stared at Chen Mo's pale face and the luggage in his hands, and licked his chapped lips.

"Young master," the crew-cut youth said sinisterly, forcing a twisted smile, "please have mercy and give us some food? We brothers have been starving for days."

As they spoke, the other three had already spread out in a half-circle, subtly blocking his escape route.

Chen Mo stopped and calmly swept his gaze over the four people.

Besides the filth of refugees, they also carried the roguish air of street thugs, clearly not honest farmers fleeing famine, but more like hoodlums who had always mingled in the lower classes.

"No." Chen Mo's voice was low and emotionless. "I advise you not to make a mistake for yourselves."

The crew-cut youth's face darkened, and his feigned friendliness vanished instantly: "Kid, you're asking for it! This area is a mess. We were just helping you with your luggage because you're weak; we were looking out for you!"

As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed the rattan box on Chen Mo's arm.

His movements appeared casual, but they actually carried a fierce edge. His knuckles were large, indicating that he had some ruthless fighting experience.

The other three men also approached with sinister smiles.

Chen Mo didn't move.

He only casually took a half-step to the side just as the dirty hand was about to touch the handle of the wicker box.

The young man with the buzz cut missed his grab, causing him to lean forward.

Just when the old forces had been exhausted and the new forces had not yet emerged.

Chen Mo raised his leg and precisely kicked the side of the opponent's knee as he lunged forward.

"Snap!"

A sickening cracking sound rang out.

"ah!!!"

The young man with the buzz cut let out a piercing scream, fell forward to the ground, and curled up, clutching his twisted and deformed right leg.

His pale face was instantly covered in cold sweat, and he was in so much pain that he didn't even have the strength to roll around.

The other three abruptly stopped their charge, their sinister smiles freezing on their faces. They stared in disbelief at their leader, who was lying on the ground screaming in agony, and then at Chen Mo, who was still carrying his luggage.

Chen Mo didn't even glance at them a second time. He carried his suitcase and calmly walked past the short-haired youth who had fallen to the ground.

The three men were completely stunned by his indifference towards them and the swift kick he had just delivered. They stood frozen in place, watching him walk away without daring to move.

As they stepped out of the alley and merged into the larger crowd, the suppressed groans of the short-haired youth and the panicked whispers of his companions behind them were quickly drowned out by the noisy background noise of the street.

Chen Mo's expression remained unchanged as he continued walking, but he overheard the conversation of two men who appeared to be local laborers by the roadside, their voices filled with resentment:

"These people from the south, they're all sorts of monsters and demons! Damn it, the county magistrate is a coward too; with just one sentence from above, all these mouths are shut up in our Linhe County!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Didn't you hear the notice posted at the city gate a couple of days ago? The United Government has issued a strict order that all refugees from the south must be settled in the surrounding counties near Linhe, and are strictly prohibited from continuing north into Jinshi!"

"They said it was to avoid offending the esteemed gentlemen of Jinshi and ruining the city's reputation!"

"Decent? Bah! With so many mouths to feed, Linhe County can't even feed itself, how are we going to provide for them? Sooner or later, there will be big trouble..."

"Sigh, who can argue with that... I heard that yesterday in the west of the city, someone was beaten to death over a bowl of porridge..."

The conversation gradually faded into the distance.

Chen Mo did not stop walking, but his eyes flickered slightly.

No wonder there are so many refugees in Linhe County.

Otherwise, since this place is only about 50 kilometers away from Jinshi, even if people were fleeing, they should be trying to squeeze into a big city like Jinshi.

It seems things aren't going smoothly in Linhe County. I wonder how high the rice price has risen...

With something on his mind, Chen Mo quickened his pace and arrived at the entrance of Funeral Street in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

At this moment, the eaves of the houses on both sides of the funeral street were crowded with emaciated refugees, some sitting and some lying down. Liu Shoucai, the owner of the Fushou Coffin, was arguing with several refugees sitting on the steps of his house.

"Get out! This is business territory, not a charity! If you stay any longer, I'll throw a bucket of coffin-cleaning water all over you, you hear me?!"

Liu Shoucai spoke with great enthusiasm, waving his arms, his face flushed with excitement.

An elderly refugee man on the steps cried out, "Please, shopkeeper, have mercy! Let us hide under the eaves from the sun; we won't take up any of your space..."

"No way! That's bad luck!" Liu Shoucai said decisively.

Just then, he caught a glimpse of Chen Mo carrying his luggage out of the corner of his eye, and his voice stopped abruptly.

He immediately abandoned the refugees on the steps, rushed across the street, and came to Chen Mo. "Little Chen? Oh, you're finally back!"

"You're back just in time! I have something important to tell you right away!"

"Your father is back!" Liu Shouchai spoke quickly, his eyes gleaming. "And he didn't just come back alone; he brought two other people with him!"

He paused, seemingly observing Chen Mo's reaction, "He was accompanied by a lady and a little girl who looked about seven or eight years old!"

"Oh, I already knew that."

Chen Mo glanced at him curiously. Why was this guy so excited about Chen Dachuan's return?

"Aren't you curious about that woman's identity?"

His voice carried an irrepressible gossip.

"Could it be Manager Liu's ex-wife?"