Chapter 130: Falling into a Predicament

Chapter 130: Chapter 130: Falling into a Predicament

"If I had told them, would they have stopped eating it?" Ling Qianjun asked with a cold sneer as he looked up at Luo.

They wouldn’t have. In fact, if he had warned them that eating too much fat would give them severe diarrhea, they would have blamed him instead.

The government officers froze at his words. They could easily imagine the scene. Indeed, what would the prisoners have thought if Ling Qianjun had told everyone not to eat the fatty meat, or to eat less of it? They probably would have cursed him. Even the government officers themselves would have suspected he had some ulterior motive. Realizing the crux of the matter, the officers had nothing left to say.

However, so many exiled prisoners having diarrhea at once would likely delay tomorrow’s journey. Left with no other choice, the government officers bypassed the afflicted prisoners and ventured into the woods on the other side to look for medicinal herbs to treat diarrhea. They needed to boil a few pots tonight and make sure all the prisoners drank it. In the past, while escorting exiles, there were always people who foraged randomly on the mountains and ate the wrong things, resulting in upset stomachs. Therefore, these government officers were familiar with basic medicinal herbs.

By the time they returned from gathering herbs, the afflicted prisoners still hadn’t come back. The original resting spot, however, was no longer habitable—approaching it meant being assaulted by a pungent stench. The government officers and the Ling family quickly searched for a new place to rest. They made sure it was upwind and a good distance away, where the foul smell could never reach them.

Once settled, the officers began boiling the medicine, while the Ling family planned to wash up and go to sleep. As for the other prisoners’ belongings, they could move them themselves when they got back from their ordeal; no one else wanted to endure the stench of that area.

When the prisoners finally returned, the Ling family took the initiative to get up and help the government officers distribute the boiled medicine. They also explained the cause of their diarrhea. Hearing this, most people understood the situation, and few blamed the Ling family.

Of course, a few stubborn individuals felt the Ling family should have warned them earlier. Since everyone else had gotten sick while the Ling family remained perfectly fine, these people harbored resentment. However, they only dared to glare surreptitiously at the Ling family’s backs and curse in private; no one had the courage to say anything to their faces. After all, they were all terrified of Ling Qianjun. 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

The Ling family naturally paid no attention to those few individuals; they had a clear conscience. After handing out the medicine, they went back to sleep. Having tossed and turned for half the night, it was getting quite late, and they still had to travel the next day.

Exhausted and dehydrated, the other prisoners soon fell into a deep slumber as well.

The next day.

The government officers were somewhat considerate. They woke the prisoners an hour later than usual, giving them ample time to rest so their legs wouldn’t tremble while walking.

Starting today, everyone felt the weather growing increasingly hotter. The sun hung high in the sky, scorching the earth. The further they went, the sparser the vegetation became, and the rivers grew shallower.

The government officers silently cursed the dreadful weather. Taking the opportunity, Ling Qianjun spoke to them about storing water. Since the water buckets were empty anyway, it wouldn’t hurt to fill them up every day. The officers agreed.

Along the way, Ling Qianjun also instructed his family to stock up on water and forage for wild fruits with high moisture content to carry with them. Seeing this, the rest of the prisoners followed suit, beginning to hoard water and gather wild fruits. They felt uneasy, sensing something incredibly strange about the weather.

Several days later.

They continued their journey forward. After walking for nearly a whole day, they still hadn’t seen a single trace of human habitation, nor had they encountered any rain.

The worst part was that they hadn’t seen a single forest or patch of grass along the way. As far as the eye could see, it was all barren wasteland. Let alone rivers, they hadn’t even spotted a small ditch.

The government officers didn’t allow the prisoners to stop until the sky turned completely dark and the road could no longer be seen.