Chapter 49 – Cannon-Fodder Old Woman Fleeing Famine (Part 19)

Sure enough, on the very night Wang Daya and her group left, a major riot broke out outside Anyang City.

It all started when a man who had once worked in a security escort agency raised his arm and shouted to rally the crowd. Many desperate commoners joined the chaos, venting days of anxiety, fear, and resentment—all of it directed squarely at the soldiers guarding Anyang's city gates.

The outcome was predictable. These scattered civilians were no match for the well-trained city guards of Anyang.

In the end, thousands of refugees were injured, and hundreds lost their lives in the chaos. The ringleader of the riot was also shot dead on the spot.

Of course, the city guards suffered casualties as well.This was a brutal crackdown with no winners.

The aftermath only deepened the hostility between the refugees and the soldiers. Tensions soared, and mutual hatred simmered beneath the surface.

In response, Anyang's top official issued a new decree:No outsiders were allowed within a one-li radius of the city. Any violators would be shot by archers on sight.

The officers enforcing this order were helpless. Though many felt uneasy about it, they were just minor functionaries with no power to disobey—all they could do was carry out orders.

On the surface, the chaos appeared to have been subdued, but a dangerous undercurrent was already surging—the crisis wasn't over.

You see, many of the bodies outside the city had no families to claim them, and they were left to rot in the open.Some soldiers had initially tried to collect and bury the corpses, knowing that post-battle sanitation was essential.

But after one soldier was killed by a grieving family member seeking revenge, no one dared go near the bodies again.

As a result, more refugees who couldn't get medical help also began to die, and although many were buried, a large number of corpses remained unclaimed, carelessly piled by the roadside.

Most ordinary people in this world had no idea how diseases spread.They didn't understand that uncremated bodies could accelerate the outbreak of cholera.

Fortunately, some were sharp enough to recognize the danger and left the area quickly.

As for those who remained, most had run out of food and water, or had already realized they were infected and could only wait for death outside the city gates.

This cholera outbreak, triggered by drought, even affected the Tartar invaders.As nomadic tribes, they paid little attention to hygiene or food safety, and many of their warriors and horses became infected.

That gave the fleeing refugees a much-needed break, as they no longer had to worry about being pursued by the Tartars—the enemy now had their own problems to deal with.

That night, the Lin family still kept up their routine: two people took turns on night watch, no one dared to relax.

Given the tense situation, everyone slept fully clothed with weapons in hand, ready to defend themselves at any moment.

Wang Daya herself was utterly exhausted.This world was relentless—war, drought, plague—one disaster after another.

The original owner of this body wasn't young, and years of hardship had left her physically depleted.If it weren't for Wang Daya's mental ability enhancing her body a little, she would've collapsed long ago.

Some in the group were also unwell, but given the times, they had no choice but to endure.

At dawn, something was clearly wrong: Madam Wang and Lin Chun'ya were both running fevers and starting to lose coherence.

When Wang Daya heard the news, her heart skipped a beat.She had feared illness would hit their group, but as the leader, she knew she had to stay calm.

She immediately went to the two, secretly took out antipyretics and antibiotics from her pack, dissolved them in water, and forced the medicine down their throats.

There was little else she could do now—it was up to fate.Still, Wang Daya made a silent vow:If she ever got the chance, she would study medicine and master it.If she had those skills now, she wouldn't feel so helpless.

Before she had acted, Madam Wang's eldest son had been wracked with worry. He feared that if his mother became a burden, the others would abandon her or drive them away.

It wasn't until he saw Wang Daya giving her water that his heart finally settled.To outsiders, it looked like she was merely giving the sick a drink of water—

But in times like this, even a sip of water could mean the difference between life and death.

Because of this crisis, the group couldn't continue their journey that day.After discussing with the others, Wang Daya decided to rest in the mountains for a day and prepare more rations for the road ahead.

No one objected.After all, every decision Wang Daya had made so far had proven sound—they were used to following her lead.

That said, not everyone was happy.Some quietly resented how these two sick people had delayed the group, and were especially wary that they might have caught the plague.

They didn't voice their thoughts out loud—Wang Daya's authority was too strong—but they kept their distance from the two patients.

Wang Daya saw all of this clearly but didn't find it unreasonable.After all, in a world like this, "every man for himself" was just the harsh reality.

Another reason she agreed to rest was because they had been on the road for over half a month nonstop.Her body needed a break too.

Her system had already informed her that as long as she didn't actively seek death, she would only die of old age.In other words, this plague wouldn't claim her life.

Of course, the others didn't know that.They just thought Wang Daya was skilled, brave, and compassionate, willing to risk herself to care for the sick.

She didn't bother to explain.No matter the outcome, this move earned her goodwill. And she wasn't foolish enough to reject the benefits of a good reputation.

Especially since Madam Wang held noble status.If Wang Daya guessed correctly, this cholera outbreak would last a long time.Even if they eventually reached Tianfu Prefecture, they might not be allowed in without Madam Wang's influence.

That was why Wang Daya had taken such good care of Madam Wang along the way.She was planning for the long-term, casting a wide net to catch a big fish.

Author's Note:

When the female lead is kind to others,it's not without reason—there are always benefits involved.

So when you see her being nice,don't rush to criticize.Thank you, my dear readers, for continuing with the story! 💖