Transmigrated Into an Ancient Famine Novel as a Scumbag Alpha (ABO, GL) - Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Jiang Jinhuang suspected Ye Qing was hinting at something, but since Ye Qing didn’t say it outright, she couldn’t either. She gave Ye Qing a faint glance before looking away.

Seeing Jiang Jinhuang was fine, Ye Qing got up to prepare lunch. Just then, voices and footsteps came from outside, sounding like more than one person.

Jiang Jinhuang heard it too. Despite her weak state, she hurried to Jiang Jinyang’s side, pulling her sister into her arms protectively.

Ye Qing warily drew a steel knife from the cart. She stood still in the cave, alert. If the people were just passing by, she’d leave them be. But if they had bad intentions, she’d have to act.

Soon, noisy voices came from outside.

“Where’s the water? We’ve walked so far, I’m exhausted. I can’t go on.”

“We have to keep looking, or we’ll die of thirst by tonight.”

“There’s nothing but mountains ahead. No way there’s water.”

“Hey, look! There’s a cave, and there are footprints on the ground.”

“Yeah, judging by the size, they’re probably a Kunze’s footprints.”

The group outside fell silent, exchanging glances before heading toward Ye Qing’s cave.

Ye Qing sensed trouble as soon as they stopped talking. She stood in the center of the cave with her long knife, shielding Jiang Jinhuang and Jiang Jinyang behind her.

After a few breaths, two figures appeared at the cave entrance—two well-dressed men, though their robes were dirty. They looked about thirty or forty, their faces grimy, eyeing the cave slyly.

“Well, well, two little ladies hiding in this cave, and the Qianyuan’s quite pretty. That’s rare,” the thin-faced man said in a mocking tone.

“Yeah, and they’ve got a little kid with them,” the limping man added.

Ye Qing glared at them coldly, “I don’t care where you’re from. Get out now.”

“Oooh, the little lady’s got a temper. Don’t you know some Qianyuan like to toy with other Qianyuan? With your looks, you’d fetch at least a hundred taels in the city. That Kunze behind you isn’t bad either—probably a hundred or more. How about it? Come with us. Being sold in the city beats starving here,” the thin-faced man continued.

Ye Qing scoffed, “The north is full of disaster. Even city folks have fled. You wouldn’t sell anyone even if you tried.”

“You’re wrong there,” the thin-faced man smirked. “We’re from Huai City, buying people. Those fleeing you mentioned? They’re poor. Huai City’s much richer than Linzhou City. Plenty of wealthy folks stayed, and the city guards are still there. You poor folks just don’t get it.”

The thin-faced man acted like he knew it all, clearly looking down on Ye Qing and the others.

Ye Qing found it amusing. These two didn’t seem much better off than her group, but she could get information from them. “If Huai City’s so great, why not flee there instead of going south?”

The thin-faced man laughed loudly, mocking, “I said you’re a bumpkin, and you don’t believe me. Fleeing’s by imperial decree. Wherever you’re from, the court assigns where you settle in the south. You can’t just pick a place. You think Huai City’s people will open their gates for you? What a joke.”

Ye Qing paused. She hadn’t known that. She thought fleeing was just about finding a place to settle, not that the court dictated destinations.

But she didn’t show weakness. “So what? You’re out here now. Can you get back into Huai City?”

“Of course. We’ve got connections. We’re out here to buy more people,” the thin-faced man said smugly.

The limping man chimed in, “Yeah, why suffer heading south? Come with us to Huai City for a good life. Don’t you get it?”

Having learned what she needed, Ye Qing pointed her knife at them, saying coldly, “It doesn’t matter if I get it. My knife does. Get out now, or don’t blame me for using it.”

“Use it? Who’re you scaring?” the limping man sneered, unconvinced.

Ye Qing didn’t waste words. She kicked out, sending the limping man crashing into the thin-faced man, both tumbling to the ground.

“You, you—I’m warning you, Huai City’s not far. There are guards. If you touch us, you’ll lose your head…” the thin-faced man started.

Ye Qing kicked his jaw, dislocating it. He couldn’t speak anymore.

She glanced back, “Jinhuang, cover Yangyang’s eyes.”

“Okay,” Jiang Jinhuang replied, already prepared, covering the little one’s eyes.

Ye Qing didn’t hesitate, swinging her knife at the thin-faced man.

The limping man, seeing Ye Qing actually attack, froze in fear. He scrambled back, pleading, “Spare me, lady! I’ll leave! I won’t do it again!”

“Too late,” Ye Qing said, not listening. She finished him with one swing. People like this caused trouble if spared, and they were lackeys hunting for the powerful—deserving death.

Hearing the commotion, three more men rushed in. Seeing their companions’ bodies, they panicked. Mere traffickers, they’d never seen someone kill so decisively. They tried to scatter and flee.

Ye Qing gave them no chance. She charged forward with her knife, kicking the man in front of her to the ground. Turning swiftly, she slashed him. The blade gleamed coldly, and he was dead before he could scream.

She chased the other two. First, she caught a short, one-eyed man. He kept looking back as he ran, and when he saw Ye Qing closing in, his legs gave out from fear, barely able to stand.

Ye Qing snorted coldly, her steps quick and ghostly as she moved behind him. Her knife sliced his throat without hesitation.

After dealing with the second man, the last one had fled far. Ye Qing pursued quickly.

The man seemed to have a destination, running into a grove. Ye Qing followed. She’d eaten breakfast and, though she’d used some scent, had more strength than these weary travelers.

Unable to shake her, the man, frustrated, ran south. Ye Qing kept up.

Then she saw him untying a group of people—men and women, Kunze and Qianyuan, all young. Ye Qing counted roughly twenty or so.

She paused, considering checking it out. She hated leaving loose ends, but there were too many people, and she felt uneasy. Plus, she couldn’t stay away long—she worried about Jiang Jinhuang and Yangyang.

The bound refugees, confused, watched the man untie them.

As he did, he shouted, “See that female Qianyuan? She killed several of us. I’m all that’s left. Without me, you can’t get into Huai City. You’ll starve here. Protect me, and I’ll take you to the city.”

The refugees stirred at his words. Though scared of Ye Qing with her knife, they shielded the man behind them.

Ye Qing, holding her knife, frowned at them, “Move aside. He’s letting you go. Why stay?”

A thin male Kunze, unable to hold back, shouted at Ye Qing, “Go? Go where? With him, we might survive in Huai City. Going back means death.”

“They’re traffickers. They’ll sell you in Huai City,” Ye Qing said, stopping short.

The male Kunze laughed, “We know what they do. So what? We can get a few pounds of grain for our families. Following them to the city just means selling our bodies. Better than starving.”

“Yeah, I haven’t eaten a full meal in days. If I die, I’d rather die full. Mind your own business,” another said.

“Exactly, stay out of it. We chose this. What’s the point of a body without a life? Stop acting like a saint.”

“If you kill him, you kill us all. We’re counting on him to get us to the city.”

“Please, don’t kill him,” another pleaded.

Some were angry, some cried, and others knelt, begging Ye Qing.

She stood frozen, a wave of helplessness washing over her.

But she quickly understood. Many refugees were eating bark and roots. Everyone struggled. People like her group, eating proper meals, were rare. These people were desperate, with no other options.

Ye Qing couldn’t control how others lived or help them. Everyone made their own choices, however desperate.

After thinking, Ye Qing nodded at the crowd.

“I won’t meddle in your affairs, but don’t come to where I’m staying, or I won’t be polite,” she said, giving the escaped trafficker a deep look before leaving with her knife.

The trafficker collapsed, terrified, clutching his chest to calm himself.