Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

"I'm so hungry, so very hungry."

"Phew... We've finally arrived at Sword Tower City."

"Great! I heard that Sword Tower City will provide relief to disaster victims. We have a way to survive."

"Halt! The city lord has ordered that refugees are not allowed to enter the city or block trade routes; otherwise, they will be killed without exception."

Outside Sword Tower City, thousands of refugees have gathered.

Dozens of red-armored axemen stood guard at the city gate, wielding their heavy axes.

With one swing of the axe, the man was chopped in two.

In the blink of an eye, dozens of refugees were killed or wounded, and the refugees scattered in all directions.

In the chaos, hundreds more people were trampled to death or injured.

However, faced with such a tragic situation...

The red-armored axemen remained unmoved.

They coldly and ruthlessly dragged the corpses of the displaced people who were blocking the official road to the roadside and the wilderness.

It's like dragging a bunch of dead dogs.

"Alas, those in power really don't treat refugees like human beings."

Zhou Qingfeng stood not far away, not in a hurry to enter the city, thus avoiding a disaster.

However, seeing this scene made my heart sink.

He has been in the physical body for a month now, following the refugees fleeing famine to Sword Tower City.

They encountered zombies, vengeful ghosts, and snake demons on the way.

Of the original force of 20,000 to 30,000, only 5,000 made it to Sword Tower City on foot.

If it weren't for my ability to avoid misfortune and seek good fortune, I probably would have died on the way.

Now that the refugees have barely escaped to Sword Tower City, it's impossible for them to turn back easily.

On the one hand, the only way out was to enter the city.

It's not just about having enough to eat and wear, but also about safety.

Once you enter the city, your safety is at least basically guaranteed.

There's no need to worry about being eaten by monsters or demons in the wild.

On the other hand, they learned from the refugees that there were cultivators in Sword Tower City.

These cultivators all possess terrifying power comparable to demons and monsters.

I must find a way to acquire this power in order to gain a foothold.

"Brother Qingfeng, you're amazing, you were right again."

"Brother Qingfeng, if you hadn't stopped us, we would probably have been either hacked to death or trampled to death."

"Qingfeng, we can't get into the city right now. You're resourceful, can you give your uncle some advice?"

Zhou Qingfeng looked at the two men and one woman beside him and gestured for them to calm down: "Don't rush, let me think about it."

These three people are all friends I've known and supported throughout my life, through thick and thin.

It was also because of their help.

Only then can one safely navigate the perilous situation of being lost, helpless, and starving at the beginning of the journey.

Among the three.

The older man, whom we call Uncle, was originally a wealthy landowner in Yumi City.

In his heyday, he had hundreds of servants and a large number of wives, concubines, and children.

Unfortunately, after a famine, only his daughter Shui'er and servant Chang Gui remained by his side.

Seeing that Zhou Qingfeng couldn't come up with a solution, the old man had no choice but to take Changgui and Shui'er to dig up wild vegetables, tree bark, and grass roots to stockpile as food, so as not to starve to death due to food shortages.

Thousands of other disaster victims were also digging with them.

These disaster victims were like locusts.

Wherever it passes, not a blade of grass grows.

In just one or two hours, a large area outside the city had become barren.

Night fell quickly, and Sword Tower City was sealed off.

The city walls, hundreds of feet high, were covered with torches, and guards stood everywhere, watching the thousands of refugees camped outside the city as if they were watching a group of thieves.

"Brother Qingfeng, have something to eat. You haven't eaten all day." Shui'er's face was covered in filth. The little girl, who was only ten years old, was dirty and smelled terrible. Because of this, she was spared the covetousness of many of the disaster victims.

"Thank you, Shui'er." Zhou Qingfeng smiled slightly, took the vegetable soup, and drank it down mouthful after mouthful while suppressing his nausea. The taste was really hard to describe, and he didn't vomit on the spot because he had gotten used to it after a month.

At that moment, a delicious aroma of meat wafted from somewhere into the disaster relief camp.

The rich aroma of the meat is so enticing that it makes your mouth water and you can't help but swallow.

However, now we don't even have pig bran to eat, so where would we get meat?

Zhou Qingfeng and his uncle exchanged glances.

They all knew what kind of meat was cooking in the pot that smelled so good.

More than a hundred people died during the day.

Cannibalism happens almost every day.

They were used to it and just kept their heads down, eating their vegetable soup.

After finishing his vegetable soup, Zhou Qingfeng warmed his hands by the fire: "Uncle, I guess things will take a turn for the better in two or three days at the latest. Don't be discouraged, we're not at our wits' end yet."

Upon hearing this, the old man's spirits lifted: "Qingfeng, are you serious?"

"Well, maybe." Zhou Qingfeng didn't elaborate.

Since my thoughts are still just guesses and not certain, I don't want to say anything rashly.

Judging from the fact that the Red-Armored Axe Soldiers mercilessly slaughtered the refugees trying to enter the city during the day.

The Lord of Sword Tower must be a decisive and ruthless person.

Fortunately, they did not exterminate all the victims.

This move is likely just an attempt to make an example of someone, deter disaster victims, and maintain stability.

From this perspective, the Lord of Sword Tower City wouldn't leave thousands of disaster victims outside the city unattended. However, providing relief to the disaster victims would take time, and how to provide relief was a major issue that couldn't be decided on a whim.

That night, Uncle, Shui'er, and Changgui all went to sleep with hope in their hearts.

Even if Zhou Qingfeng only said that there might be a turning point in two or three days.

This is like giving them a shot in the arm.

At dawn, the gates of Sword Tower City opened wide, with dozens of red-armored axemen guarding the gates.

Large groups of grain carts were transported to the outskirts of the city.

The refugees' eyes were bloodshot with hunger when they saw the grain carts, but when they saw the red-armored axemen standing in the sunlight, they were reminded of the fear of being slaughtered the day before, and no one dared to reach out and grab the grain.

Soon, three simple sheds were set up outside the city.

The disaster victims thought that relief food was about to be distributed, so they rushed over to line up.

The old man said excitedly, "Xiaofeng, the turning point you mentioned has arrived."

Zhou Qingfeng felt a little relieved, thinking that his guess was indeed correct. So he nodded slightly and said, "The turning point came sooner than expected. Come on, Uncle, let's go see what's going on."

The four of them looked after each other and rushed into the crowd of disaster victims.

I waited in line for a while.

I saw many elderly disaster victims carrying grain, crying and wiping away tears as they walked back.

Zhou Qingfeng reacted quickly, grabbing one of them to ask for details.

Only then did they learn that the city lord's mansion of Sword Tower City had brought its two major cultivation families, the Corpse-Driving Ma family and the Ghost-Controlling Mao family, to take advantage of the chaos.

They claimed that the gentlemen were kind-hearted and couldn't bear to see people suffer, so they brought food to help the disaster victims.

In reality, it forced disaster victims to sell their children in exchange for expensive labor with very little food.

These elderly disaster victims were selected for various reasons, including disability, illness, and old age.

Even selling herself was unsuccessful.

They could only eke out a living in the wild by selling the food rations meant for their relatives.

"They're ruthless, sucking the marrow from the bones." Zhou Qingfeng clenched his fist, a chill running down his spine.

The city lord's mansion took the lead in buying people into slavery.

This is hardly relief for disaster victims; it's clearly a carnival for those in power.

Shui'er lowered her head and tugged at her father's clothes: "Father, sell me, I don't want to go hungry anymore."

The old man's heart bled as he listened, and he sighed, "Alas, Shui'er, you've suffered so much. I've lived a life of wealth and honor for half my life, but I never imagined I'd end up like this. Life is truly unpredictable..."

The old man paused here, unable to continue.

As a former tycoon of Yumi City.

He treated other disaster victims the same way.

It's just that the identities have been switched.

It was his turn.

Seeing this, Changgui comforted him, "Uncle, no matter what happens, I will take care of you and Shui'er. If you have to sell yourselves, let's sell ourselves into a family as servants, so we can look after each other."

Upon hearing this, the old man patted Changgui on the shoulder with emotion: "Gui'er, all these years your old man has not been in vain in his kindness to you."

After saying that, the old man looked at Zhou Qingfeng and said, "We've decided to sell ourselves together to make a living. Qingfeng, what about you?"

Zhou Qingfeng frowned slightly: "I need to think about it some more."