He started by killing his abusive father, and from then on, he embarked on the road to wealth.

Chapter 131 A Place Where People Can Eat

Ever since being "disciplined" by Ling Jiu, Meng Linlang no longer wanted to get close to Xie Jin.

Without hesitation, she shook her head to show her loyalty: "No, I came to find you as soon as I remembered about Yan He!"

"Understood." After a pause, Meng Fuqing said, "Don't tell him for now."

Meng Linlang breathed a sigh of relief and nodded repeatedly.

After the person left, Meng Fuqing was unsure whether to tell Xie Jin about it.

On second thought, perhaps Xie Jin had obtained more information from Meng Linlang than she had, so she decided to observe Yan He, Xie Jin, and Shen Lianxing for the time being.

Let's see what sparks they can create.

After packing up the carriages and luggage that evening, the women wove straw hats, with cloths hanging around the hats to expose the eyes and cover the necks, so the departure time the next day was a little later.

Before leaving, Meng Bochang glanced at the sky and, after confirming that the weather was fine and it wouldn't snow, he felt relieved.

He then instructed everyone to tighten their trouser legs and cuffs and wear woven straw hats to prevent insects from crawling into their bodies before the convoy slowly began to move.

Meng Fuqing received quite a few horses from the horses she had previously seized from Qingzhou. She harnessed two horses to each of her two carriages and laid thick quilts in the carriages so that she could rest on them even if the ride was bumpy.

She entrusted the task of driving to Niu Er and his brothers, who were more skilled at driving. She was not entirely at ease letting Shan Qiyu and Meng Ranran drive.

As for the donkey, it became a mount, which the children of Niu Er's family took turns riding.

The group followed a path made by their predecessors into the vast forest. Since arriving here, they had not encountered any refugees outside the forest, but instead saw people after entering it.

The man was dressed in fur clothing and carried a bow and arrow, looking every bit the hunter.

He watched the strangely dressed caravan warily. When they passed him and headed into the woods, he hesitated for a moment, then raised his hand to stop Meng Fuqing, who was riding by.

"Are you refugees? Are you heading into the woods?"

"Yes, we can't go inside?" Meng Fuqing asked, pulling on the reins.

The hunter hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "It's best not to go. There's a place there that eats people! My father was a hunter, and he died there, his body never seen again."

Places where people can be eaten? Wetlands, quicksand, swamps?

A thought flashed through her mind, and Meng Fuqing's eyes crinkled into a smile. "Uncle, do you live nearby?"

The hunter nodded. “My family has made a living by hunting for generations. If I hadn’t been unable to find my father’s remains, I wouldn’t have entered this forest. If I happen to encounter someone who wants to go in, I can warn them so they don’t end up like my father.”

Since the other party had provided him with information, Meng Fuqing briefly described the situation outside.

"This place is far from human habitation. I suppose the old man is unaware of the rampant plague outside? Let's just leave it at that. If we encounter another refugee old man in the future, we should stay as far away from him as possible."

After saying that, she kicked the horse's belly and walked forward.

The hunter, who had been standing there with a drastic change in expression, hurriedly left the forest.

"I never expected you to be so kind," Yan He couldn't help but say after overhearing their conversation.

Meng Fuqing glanced at her thoughtfully, "Not worth it."

Yan He didn't have time to get angry at her words. She only felt uneasy under her scheming gaze. She rode her horse alongside Meng Fuqing.

He planned to keep an eye on Meng Fuqing to see what evil intentions she harbored.

Meng Fuqing was unaware of Yan He's ulterior motives; he simply rushed to the front of the caravan and informed Du Zhong of the information he had just obtained from the hunter.

"A place where people can be eaten? What kind of place is that?" Du Zhong didn't quite understand.

Hearing the two talking, Xie Jin rode forward and said, "There is a lot of wind and sand at the border. When marching, we may encounter quicksand. Once people get stuck, they will not be able to get out easily and will soon be buried by the sand. As for this forest, we should be careful of the swamp."

Meng Fuqing nodded, "Especially since there are many fallen leaves in the forest, covering the swamp, it can be quite deceptive."

"Mu Feng has extensive military experience and is very familiar with this type of terrain, so Miss Meng can rest assured."

At some point, Xie Jin had pushed Yan He, who had been following him around like a shadow, to the back, and now he was walking side by side with Meng Fuqing.

“Young Master Xie truly has a wealth of talented people under his command,” Meng Fuqing said.

To be honest, Yan He is quite talented, but now she's in his shoes.

Xie Jin glanced at her sideways and said, "Miss Meng will have one in the future too."

Yan He knew Xie Jin was doing this on purpose, but there was nothing she could do. She could only roll her eyes at the backs of the two of them.

Du Zhong didn't notice the subtle movements between the three of them at all. He said to himself with a serious expression, "If that's the case, then what that person said is true. The swamp is indeed a place that can devour people. That's why Miss Meng didn't let us approach the deep water pits with softer soil."

Meng Fuqing nodded: "That's right, it's better to be careful."

The forest floor was difficult to traverse, and the paths were too narrow for carriages and horses to pass through. People had to take turns clearing away weeds and bushes in front of the road to make it passable.

Sometimes the ground is covered with fallen leaves and is very soft. This is where the advantage of two horses pulling the cart becomes apparent, as it can pass smoothly without having to exert too much effort to move forward.

Despite their extensive preparations, they covered less than half the distance they had covered in a single day and were utterly exhausted.

The only thing that could excite people was the occasional glimpse of wild animals flashing through the woods.

Qi Liang led a few men with good aim, riding at the front. Their eyes scanned the forest, and they would shoot an arrow at any movement in the bushes or grass.

When you go to check if you've found anything, retrieve the arrows and reuse them. Occasionally, you might just stumble upon a few wild animals by sheer luck.

As dusk fell, the light in the forest became dim enough, and Mu Feng, the outpost leader, led his men to a clearing near a water source.

When the convoy arrived, Du Zhong loudly told everyone to stop and rest. Qi Liang took out two pheasants from the convoy and gave them to Meng Fuqing, who accepted them without hesitation.

Seeing this, Yan He couldn't help but show a strange expression and asked curiously, "Why did he give it to you?"

She had inquired with the bandits and learned that the man named Qi Liang was the newly found son of Chief Du.

Meng Fuqing succinctly replied, "Just like you, one of my men."

In one sentence, Yan He gained a new understanding of Meng Fuqing's position in the team.

The place to stay was very close to a water source, and the stream was crystal clear, with small fish occasionally swimming by.

Remembering that there were still quite a few fish piled up in the space, Meng Fuqing followed the stream towards higher ground.

After walking less than 500 meters, we came to a place with a significant drop in elevation and found a pond with many fallen leaves.

With bushes providing cover, Meng Fuqing crouched down and used vines to break through the ice to examine the bottom of the pool. He found that there were indeed fish inside, but none of them were very big.

She took out a few fish from her spatial storage and put them in a bucket. She filled another bucket with water and then carried both buckets back home.

Seeing that she had brought back fish, many people also wanted to catch some to enjoy.

The pond was nearby, and the surrounding soil was quite hard. After giving some instructions, Meng Fuqing returned to his resting place.

With chicken and fish, the dinner was still plentiful.

Just as the food was about to be prepared, a terrified scream suddenly came from the pond.