Famine and exile: I brought the Spirit Spring to save the entire Marquis's mansion.

"No, uncles and aunts, this place really isn't suitable for people to live in," Lu Shishen said with difficulty.

Lu Yongshun said firmly, "We'll always find a way! If the water source is depleted, we can dig a well. We've built this home with our own hands; we can't leave!"

"If it weren't for a group of strangers coming in, the villagers wouldn't have made such a foolish mistake and provoked the wild beasts. In the past few years, wild beasts haven't dared to come here much!"

"What do you mean by taking over the territory of wild beasts? Why should the mountains and forests belong only to wild beasts? Once our village grows stronger, they will only flee far away!"

Hey!

So, in the end, it's all their fault again, huh?

They have quite the ambition; they want to dominate the entire forest!

Dreaming!

Sang Ning sneered: "You still want to expand the village? You're ignorant and stupid. You don't even know that the water sources are connected? You can't find any good water around here no matter how hard you dig."

“If you continue to drink this water, none of you will survive within two years!”

The villagers were horrified.

Lu Shishen hurriedly asked, "Miss Sang, do you know what's wrong with the water?"

"Don't you know it yourself? More and more villagers are getting sick, and it really is a problem with the water source."

"There's another point, the issue of offspring, which isn't as simple as you make it out to be."

"Then it's not just a water issue, it's also a problem of your consanguineous marriage."

"Close relatives, marriage."

Lu Shishen repeated, his face showing doubt: "Are you talking about the issue of people with the same surname not being allowed to marry? But we've already avoided that."

In fact, by this time, people in ancient times had already recognized the dangers of consanguineous marriage, especially those who practiced medicine.

Lu Shishen had read in his grandfather's notes that relatives with the same surname within three generations were not allowed to marry, and this was strictly prohibited by the government.

The villagers of Lujia Village are not uncivilized people; their ancestors were not so ignorant that they would not make such a mistake.

However, their understanding is still insufficient; they only know what it is, but not why it is.

"It's not just between people with the same surname; cousins ​​on both sides of the paternal aunt's side and other collateral blood relatives are also considered close relatives. Here, all the relationships are based on marriage, which is very complicated. Therefore, after marriage, the probability of the children getting sick is very high—deafness, muteness, deformities, intellectual disabilities..."

Nowadays, the government only restricts marriages to people with the same surname, and ordinary people don't understand the reason behind it, so collateral relatives still like to get even closer together.

"Why do children born to in-laws get sick?" a childish voice asked.

Sang Ning then noticed Jin Tang standing beside her.

Why did you come here?

"My fourth uncle sent me here because he was worried you would be bullied."

Sang Ning chuckled and patted his head: "Your fourth uncle is taking you for a walk!"

She looked in that direction.

The boy turned his face to the side, his perfectly intact side facing this way; he was truly handsome.

Jintang whispered, "No, Fourth Uncle is really worried about you. He said they are very united, and even the most reasonable person will eventually side with their own family."

Sang Ning nodded. "Okay, I've got it. I'll tell you why close relatives can't marry when I have time."

Having said all that needed to be said, Sang Ning was unwilling to stay any longer.

"Can we have someone take us out of the valley now?" she asked Lu Shishen.

Feng Dali immediately shouted, "Me, me, me, I'll take you!"

Sang Ning gave a final warning: "Whether you leave the mountain or not, this place is not a place to stay for long. You should find another water source and move away as soon as possible."

Lu Shishen gave a bitter smile: "How easy is that? To be honest, ever since the water started to have a strange smell, I went out to look for herbs and visited many places, but there was simply no place suitable for people to live in."

"We have to leave. Please, young lady and Brother Huo, help the hundred or so people of Lu Family Village!"

Lu Shishen spoke earnestly and made a firm decision, which he would never waver from.

This time, the old folks didn't say a word.

Two years. Not a single person survived.

These words startled them.

Only one person looked sorrowful: "But the village chief..."

“I remember now, that’s not what the village chief said,” another villager suddenly said.

Everyone looked at him in surprise.

The villager, with a serious expression, mimicked Lu Zhiming's tone, saying, "No! (Quickly) leave—no, no, don't stay!"

He merely changed the pause in the middle and altered the tone, yet the profound and rich language lost its flavor.

"Is that what the village chief said?" Lu Yongshun asked the others, his beard twitching.

The others who witnessed Lu Zhiming's death were stunned for a moment.

That seems to be the correct way to put it, right?

Yes! That's exactly what they said!

They all nodded, nodding emphatically.

The group of old guys, led by Lu Yongshun, were speechless.

"Then, let's go down the mountain!"

Passed unanimously.

Sanning: "..."

Why didn't that clever brother say so sooner?

It's a waste of everyone's breath.

“You will have to stay here for a while. Once my husband has settled in Liangzhou, he will send someone to meet you.”

This is what Huo Chang'an told Feng Dali and Lu Shishen back then.

Lu Shishen certainly knew.

As long as they agree, waiting won't hurt.

However... while defenses against wild animals can be strengthened, water sources...

Sang Ning spoke again: "Regarding the water source, I'll teach you a filtration method first. Don't be afraid of the trouble, just drink it for now."

Everyone's eyes lit up, and they thanked them repeatedly.

Actually, when I drank that water before, I didn't feel anything except nauseous.

But Sang Ning said he wouldn't live more than two years... so no one dared to drink a drop.

That would be great if we could filter it the same way as before!

Sang Ning sent someone to find something to filter the water.

Lu Yongshun silently approached Lu Shishen.

"Shi Shen, actually your parents weren't arrested because their identities were discovered."

"They were not familiar with the outside world and were swindled out of their money. During the argument, they were stabbed to death. By the time the officials arrived, they were already dead."

Lu Shishen was shocked; this was how things had happened!

"I'm sorry, Shi Shen. We and the village chief were indeed frightened by the people outside, which is why we came back and said this."

They've never been out of the world since they were little, they don't know anything, and they're naturally afraid of people. And then they encounter something like this when they finally go out.

I'm even more scared now.

That's why I've always kept the younger generation in check, preventing them from going out and taking risks.

After a brief moment of grief, Lu Shishen's eyes became even more resolute.

"So, Uncle Yongshun, we really should go out now. Sixty years have passed, and our ancestors have served their sentence for the mistakes they made. They should be released by now."

We cannot allow our descendants to become stupid, dull-witted pigs and dogs.