binnovel Chapter 148 The River Scattered with Floating Corpses
Chapter 148 The River Scattered with Floating Corpses
After dealing with the small fry, the group became more cautious for the rest of the journey. Everyone made sure to recognize the people in front and behind them, and even if they temporarily left the group, they would return to their original positions when they rejoined.
I thought the fog would dissipate by noon, but the sun had somehow hidden itself away, and the surrounding area remained a vast expanse of white.
Such strange weather made everyone rouse themselves and carefully observe their surroundings, fearing that wild beasts such as jackals, tigers, and leopards might suddenly emerge from the thick fog.
The group tried their best to determine their location to avoid going astray, making their journey quite difficult.
At noon, Du Zhong and Meng Bochang did not dare to let everyone rest anymore, but only had someone bring out the dry food they carried with them to eat a few bites.
Fortunately, by evening, the thick fog gradually dissipated, leaving only a thin layer of mist, and they did not encounter any large or ferocious beasts.
As darkness fell, they reached a riverbank and were finally able to rest. The journey, filled with anxiety and fear, was utterly exhausting.
Meng Fuqing stepped out of the carriage and noticed that the temperature seemed to have dropped a bit. She bent down to untie the ropes binding the white wolf.
The white wolf, who loved freedom by nature, had clearly suffered a lot of torment along the way. When she reached out her hand, he opened his mouth and 'huffed' as if he wanted to take a bite out of her.
Meng Fuqing smacked it on the head without hesitation, and the white wolf immediately tucked its tail between its legs and dared not be presumptuous again.
"Ahhhhh!!"
A terrified scream from not far away startled the busy crowd. The sound came from the riverbank, and everyone looked towards the river.
A villager stumbled back, carrying an empty bucket in one hand and an extinguished torch in the other. His eyes were wide open and his face was deathly pale, as if he had encountered something extremely terrifying.
"There's a body in the river! There's a body in the river!!"
The presence of a corpse in the river means the water is not clean, but having seen corpses all the way here, one shouldn't be so alarmed.
As everyone wondered what was going on, they saw the man swallow hard and add, "So many corpses!"
Then several more people ran back from the riverbank, some even vomiting as they ran, looking quite disheveled.
After vomiting, the man spoke, saying that while fetching water in the dark, he accidentally bumped into a rotting corpse. At first, he didn't realize it was a body and even reached out to grab it, only to tear off a piece of rotten flesh.
Everyone's faces turned grim, and many people took torches and headed towards the river to check the situation.
Meng Fuqing led the white wolf to the riverbank. Before them was a river that wasn't very wide. In winter, the river was calm, but the temperature had dropped, and the ice that had melted during the day was beginning to freeze again, causing the corpse to float motionless on the surface of the river.
Some of the corpses were swollen and deformed, looking horribly gruesome, while others looked as if they had just died and, due to the low temperature, lay on the riverbed as if asleep.
The sight before them sent chills down everyone's spines. They couldn't help but wonder, just how many people had died for them to witness such a scene of floating corpses deep in the mountains?
Meng Fuqing looked upstream along the river and found that there was a reason why there were so many floating corpses in the area.
With her eyesight, she could see that the terrain upstream was higher, while the section of the riverbed in front of them was lower, and the river level seemed to have dropped considerably due to the drought, which was why many of the floating corpses had gathered there.
It's likely that only a heavy rain or snowfall could wash these floating corpses downstream. This, on the contrary...
Someone asked tremblingly, "Is this water undrinkable?"
"Didn't they say we might get infected with the disease? We still have some water at home, so we can just eat dry food if necessary."
"Even if it were drinkable, I couldn't bring myself to drink it! Isn't that just corpse fluid?"
……
The group of people returned to their lodgings while talking.
Perhaps the scene in the river was too shocking, and for a moment the atmosphere became somewhat gloomy.
Someone asked Meng Bochang if he wanted to stay overnight by the river.
Even if they were used to seeing corpses, it didn't mean they could sleep peacefully not far from the river of corpses.
Having already traveled all day, the leaders wanted everyone to get a good night's sleep, so they moved to a different location.
Exhaustion and fear created a heavy atmosphere at their new home.
Du Zhong and Meng Bochang were discussing matters when they summoned Meng Fuqing and Xie Jin.
Du Zhong and Meng Bochang, one unable to read maps and the other with failing eyesight, always needed to be consulted by both of them whenever matters were discussed.
The four of them sat around a small fire. Xie Jin, looking tired, took out a map from his pocket and handed it to Meng Fuqing.
He said lazily, "Thank you for your trouble, Miss Meng."
Meng Fuqing took the map and, amidst the hushed conversation of Du Zhong and Meng Bochang, carefully examined it by the firelight.
Today they have not deviated too much from their original route, and at their current pace, they will be able to leave the forest in just two more days.
She spoke with Meng Bochang, and both Meng Bochang and Du Zhong were greatly relieved.
"Once we cross the river, the road will be smooth!" Du Zhong said in a relaxed tone.
Meng Fuqing didn't know much about the Cangxia Plain, but judging from the map, it was located in the center of the Great Yan Dynasty. Like the Central Plains in her time, it was flat and was also a strategic location that military strategists fought over.
Strategic locations are always prone to disasters, and given their team's unlucky streak of encountering natural calamities wherever they go, she wasn't optimistic about the future.
However, what was needed at this time was to boost morale, so she did not say these things.
Soon everyone learned that there were only two days left to leave the forest. This news gave everyone a boost of confidence, and the tense atmosphere eased slightly.
Meng Bochang and Du Zhong still had matters to discuss, so Meng Fuqing and Xie Jin went back first.
"Has your poison flared up again?" Meng Fuqing asked.
She felt that Xie Jin was full of energy and spirit only when he was killing people; otherwise, he looked like he was about to close his eyes at any moment.
Xie Jin really wanted to turn around and look at Meng Fuqing, but under the watchful eyes of everyone, he had to restrain himself.
"The poison gas you inhaled before escaping yesterday is still affecting you. Don't you feel uncomfortable at all?"
Meng Fuqing hadn't expected that Xie Jin would be poisoned with another kind of poison before the existing one was even cured. A rare pang of guilt rose in her heart, but she still answered Xie Jin's question first: "I'm probably a bit stronger than you. Didn't your antidote work?"
Xie Jin: ...
He always felt that Meng Fuqing cared about him, but what she said made him suspicious.
He stopped and looked at Meng Fuqing, smiling, "Thank you for your concern, Miss Meng. Doctor Zheng has already examined me, and I'll be fine."
Upon hearing this, Meng Fuqing felt a pang of guilt, which quickly subsided. He simply said, "I still have plenty of water at home. If Young Master Xie needs any, he can just pay for it."
After remaining silent for quite some time, Cui Miao'er saw the two talking and pretended to pass by to hear what they were saying.
But as soon as he got closer, he heard Meng Fuqing say this, and all his previous doubts vanished in an instant.
Even water has to be paid for; it's a real shame Meng Fuqing isn't a shrewd businessman!
Xie Jin's brow twitched slightly; water that could be bought with money was certainly not ordinary water.
His smile widened. "Thank you, Miss Meng."
After a quick dinner, everyone went to bed.
The next morning, the familiar thick fog returned. This time, the group didn't complain much. They silently packed their things, took the rope, and continued south.
Despite such strict precautions, an accident still occurred.
A woman ran from the back to the front of the caravan, blocking Du Zhong's carriage. Her face was full of anxiety as she called out, "Master, my husband took the children to relieve themselves, but they haven't returned yet. Could you please wait for them?"