Yanshi was located right in the center of the Divine Continent. It had always been a hotly contested area by military strategists, so wars had frequently broken out there. However, precisely because of this, it was a blessed land. No matter how many wars occurred, the place could regain its former vitality within a few years.
Song Xumo was well - read. From ancient books, he discovered the miraculous nature of this place. No matter how dynasties changed or names were altered, the good fortune of this place remained untouched. It was truly remarkable.
At the city gate of Yanshi, there were quite a few officers and soldiers gathered. It seemed that they were Rong Jiangyu's men. Just by looking at their faces, one could tell that they didn't look like the people from the Central Plains.
They all had bushy beards and long braids on their heads. The appearance of these Qiang tribe warriors was rather discomforting to look at.
There were already few people on the street. When they saw these warriors, they were bound to be scared away.
Song Xumo carried a pole with loads on both ends. He lowered his eyebrows and glanced at them.
He noticed that these men only patrolled the area outside the city, and the scope was not very large.
However, he had to get around them to reach the other side of the palace wall, where the little - known dog hole was located.
How could he avoid arousing their suspicion? This had become a difficult problem for him.
After much thought, he figured that if he could cause a commotion, it might divert their attention.
Song Xumo stroked his chin, thinking about how to create a commotion that could disrupt everyone's sight.
"That's it!"
An idea flashed through his mind. He immediately pretended to be blind, and somehow there was a branch in his hand as a walking stick.
One hand on his shoulder carried the pole with loads, and the other hand used the stick to probe the way ahead.
He quietly rolled his eyes and saw a man pulling a carriage coming towards him. There were many fresh meats on the carriage. Presumably, it was the food for these officers and soldiers.
He summoned his courage. At first, he walked normally, but then somehow he veered off the path and walked straight towards their carriage.
The owner of the carriage held his head high and didn't take Song Xumo seriously at all. Seeing that they were about to collide, he didn't even try to dodge and just rammed into him.
"Hey! You old thing! Are you blind?"
This was exactly what Song Xumo wanted to hear. Wasn't he a blind man now?
He was knocked to the ground. All the things on his pole scattered all over the place, and he lay on the ground unable to get up.
"Sir, I can't see clearly. Please spare my life."
He covered his arms and legs, grimacing as he spoke. He looked really hurt.
But actually, Song Xumo wasn't really hit by the carriage. Just as they were about to collide, he deliberately leaned to the side, just avoiding the impact without being noticed.
From the front, it looked like he had been hit.
"Get out of the way quickly! What's a blind man doing out here? You might as well get yourself killed!"
This man seemed to be in a really bad mood. The words he said were extremely harsh, so much so that even the people around him couldn't stand it.
"Forget it. Let's go quickly. They're waiting for us."
The man was relentless and didn't listen to the advice at all. "What's wrong with being hungry for a while? Why don't you get up quickly! Can't you see that you're blocking my way! If you don't move, I'll drive right over you!"
The "blind man" heard this and covered his leg, unable to speak due to the pretended pain.
"Sir, I think my leg is broken. It doesn't work anymore."
If Tang Youyou could see Song Xumo lying on the ground like this, she would surely be shocked, thought Zhui Feng.
This man looked like a gentle scholar, but he was actually such a good actor.
"Get out of here quickly!"
The man spat on the ground with a look of disgust and raised his whip to hit the horse.
"This is a public street. Don't you know where you are?"
The man beside him quickly stopped his raised whip. If the whip hit the horse, the horse would surely trample over the man in front of them.
"Who cares! It's just one life."
Human lives seemed to be worthless in his mouth. This made Zhui Feng, who was hiding in the dark, extremely indignant.
Song Xumo groped for his pole and baskets. When he felt that all the things inside were broken, he quickly crawled towards the carriage.
"Sir, you officers don't have to worry about food and clothing, but my whole family depends on me. If these things are broken, we'll have nothing to eat or drink. You're going to starve us to death!"
Song Xumo cried bitterly, tears streaming down his face.
"My poor mother! In order to support me, a blind man, she's still working for others even though she's over seventy. My mentally - handicapped wife can't do any work, and my little son is not even five years old... Now not only can I not see, but my leg is also going to be useless. How can our family survive?"
"That's right. Is there any justice?"
The small vendors nearby empathized with his words. With the continuous wars, their lives were already very difficult. Encountering such unreasonable people made them even more indignant.
"I can't feel my leg anymore, sir. You can't just leave me alone. It doesn't matter if I die, but I'm worried about my mother, my wife, and my little son. Sir, please have mercy and help me!"
People around began to murmur. These people, relying on their power and influence, wouldn't even spare a small farmer?
One person even felt that something was off about them these days and concluded that they must have encountered some big problem.
Not only were there fewer people on the street, but some of the people they had seen before had disappeared.
Something big must have happened, but they kept their mouths shut and refused to reveal anything.
"That's right. These traitors treat us common people like this. Even if they become emperors, they'll only be tyrants!"
As soon as these words were spoken, all the people on - site felt a deep resonance.
Some officers and soldiers who were standing far away saw that the commotion here not only didn't stop but was getting bigger. If the King saw this, it would be a big deal. At that time, either these people or they, the little minions, would die.
"What are you doing! If you have nothing to do, just leave quickly!"
Seeing that his plan was working, Song Xumo's facial expressions became even more vivid. He pretended to be aggrieved.
"These people just won't let us common people go. It was clearly their fault for not looking at the road, but they had to blame it on a blind man like me. If I could see, wouldn't I want to look?"
As Song Xumo spoke, he burst into tears again, looking like he had suffered a great injustice.
He glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw that the officers and soldiers who had been guarding his way had gathered around to watch this good show.