Armed with a machete and a gun, armed with a system, they fled the famine.

Yang Sanlang and the others dared not slacken their efforts in the slightest. Only when the others had completely disappeared into the darkness on the other side did they breathe a slight sigh of relief.

"They have a problem."

Zhao Yan glanced at Yang Sanlang and said to him.

She used affirmative sentences.

A cold glint flashed in Yang Sanlang's dark eyes as he gazed into the distance and said in a deep voice, "They have killed people."

Having served in the army in the north for many years and fought countless battles against the barbarians, he could tell at a glance that the man leading the charge had blood on his hands.

Even worse, they have eaten human flesh.

However, he didn't dare to say it aloud because it could easily frighten Yun Chen and the other children.

Although the man tried his best to appear pitiful and miserable, Yang Sanlang did not see any real distress in the man's eyes.

He was just putting on a show of his misery for them.

Needless to say, the acting of those two teenagers was even worse, riddled with flaws.

Presumably, Yan'er came to this conclusion because she saw these things.

Yuan Gang stood to one side, sword in hand, his brow furrowed.

"What do we do now? Should we leave this place immediately?"

Traveling in the dark is not advisable.

Yang Sanlang paused for a moment, then turned to look at Zhao Yan.

"Yan'er, what do you think?"

Zhao Yan slightly raised her eyes, met Yang Sanlang's gaze, and calmly said, "Leaving now would probably be more dangerous. Let's stay here tonight."

"I'll keep watch tonight, you all go and rest."

Only by maintaining a good mental state can you defeat your opponent decisively when danger strikes.

The night is fraught with danger; if they travel at this time, they will only fall into the enemy's trap.

Staying and observing the situation is the safest course of action.

Upon hearing this, Yang Sanlang's dark eyes suddenly lit up.

His wife is smart.

At this point, we really must not lose our composure.

He smiled, his dark eyes sparkling as he looked at Zhao Yan.

"Okay, we'll stay here tonight."

"I'll keep watch tonight, you and Uncle Yuan can go and rest."

A real man is one who can endure hardship and persevere.

Zhao Yan has learned her lesson; when someone is eager to show off, she naturally can't stop them.

She nodded to the man. "Okay, call me if you hear anything."

Yang Sanlang's smile deepened. "Alright."

Then she turned to Yuan Gang and said gently, "Uncle Yuan, you and Uncle Yuan should rest early after you finish eating. I'll call you if I need anything."

Yuan Gang moved his lips, but in the end he only gave a faint "hmm".

Forget it.

He's not young anymore, so he should rest as much as possible.

Anyway, if there is a real enemy attack, he certainly won't stand idly by.

With the crisis temporarily averted, Zhao Yan invited everyone over for dinner.

Zhao Yunchen and the others climbed out of the carriage and surrounded Zhao Yan, asking her all sorts of questions.

Tian Xiu'e patted her chest and said, "Yan'er, I was really scared to death just now. The way that boy looked over here was terrifying, like, like the eyes of a hungry wolf."

Isn't that just like a hungry wolf?

They viewed themselves as prey to be slaughtered.

Zhao Yan's lips curled slightly, her eyes cold and icy.

"That's why I'm not selling them grain; they're testing us."

Zhao Yunchen seemed thoughtful, but more than that, he was puzzled.

"Auntie, can they really deduce all this information just from a glance? I see their clothes are covered in patches and they're very thin; maybe they really have been starving for a long time?"

Zhao Yunjie and Yuan Tianbao innocently said, "Yes, Auntie, those two older brothers look about the same age as our eldest brother, but their wrists aren't even as thick as mine. They look so pitiful."

"Mmm, they're so pitiful."

Only Zhao Yunqi remained silent, staring intently at Zhao Yan with his large eyes.

What a silly kid who's never experienced hardship.

Zhao Yan wanted to teach them, so she found a rock to sit on and started explaining the details to Zhao Yunchen and the others, counting on her fingers.

“You were hiding in the carriage, so you couldn’t see very clearly. Let me tell you what happened.”

"First of all, it's pitch black now, and those three people suddenly appeared on the other side. Isn't that inherently eerie?"

"Secondly, they are very measured in their words and actions. If someone were truly starving and saw us cooking dinner, wouldn't they rush over and grab the food first, and then start arguing about other things?"

"Third, your Aunt Tian was sitting on the edge of the carriage just now, so she could see better than you. She just said that one of the boys had eyes like a hungry wolf. Tell me, what kind of self-control did he have to resist the urge to snatch the food? We were all old, weak, women and children. If he had come up and forcibly snatched it, he might have succeeded. So why did he refrain from doing so?"

Zhao Yunjie was completely baffled.

"Why, Auntie?"

"Because they are only here to test our strength, we cannot act rashly," Zhao Yan explained.

Just like them, they shouldn't act rashly before they know the other party's strength.

Now we'll see what happens in the middle of the night.

If those people are determined to rob us, they will definitely make their move tonight.

Because they are leaving this place early tomorrow morning and heading to Wei County.

"The words come from their mouths, and their actions are their own. Just because they say it doesn't mean we should believe them."

Zhao Yan's gentle gaze swept over Zhao Yunchen and the others, emphasizing: "Such situations may happen frequently in the future. When you encounter problems again, don't act rashly. You must think things through carefully."

The children then realized what had happened, and their pity for the boy vanished completely.

Did they see them as prey and want to steal their food?

That beast! May he never return!

Yuan Yutang stroked his beard and nodded from the side.

“Yan’er is right. Those who have survived until now are not simple people. You little ones should stay in the carriage tonight and get through the night first.”

Judging from their accents, Yuan Yutang determined that they were refugees from the south.

Having traveled north through Qingzhou to reach this place, these people are not to be underestimated.

"Alright, everyone go eat, and go to bed early after you finish eating."

After explaining everything, Zhao Yan clapped her hands and dismissed everyone.

……

On the other side of the hillside.

The villagers of Hejia Village waited anxiously in the darkness, scratching their heads in frustration.

They were all uneducated men from the village; few of them were literate, and none of them had ever attended school.

Only He Wenchang was exceptionally intelligent from a young age, and his family sent him to school.

He took the preliminary examination for the imperial examination at the age of twelve. Although he failed the preliminary examination, he was still young. Passing the county and prefectural examinations showed that he had real talent.

After years of dedicated study, he originally planned to take the preliminary examination this year, hoping to become a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examination) and then a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination).

Unfortunately, he was very unlucky. His hometown was hit by a once-in-a-century flood, and his entire family died. He was the only one left and fled north with the villagers of Hejia Village.

Some people were so anxious they were about to jump up and down, whispering to the others, "What's wrong with He Wenchang? Why hasn't he sent the signal yet? Is he planning to secretly pocket all that good stuff?"

The people around him tugged at his sleeve, signaling him to stop talking.

The man seemed to have discovered something extraordinary, and his emotions grew increasingly agitated. He was about to urge everyone to grab the good stuff when his gaze shifted, but he was suddenly silenced by a fierce look.