My Antique Mirror Is A Portal To Another World - Chapter 409

Chapter 409: Leaving Xiquan City
Turning to the leader, Wen Yirui instructed, “Go and find a few sets of tattered clothes. We will disguise ourselves as refugees, blend in with the crowd, and leave the city today.”

Hearing this, the leader and the bodyguards clasped their fists and said in unison, “Yes, Second Young Master.”

With that, the captain left with a few bodyguards to find the tattered clothes, while the rest stayed behind with Wen Yirui in their hiding place.

A few hours later, the leader and his team returned to the dilapidated courtyard. After making sure no one had seen them, they quickly walked to the back door and knocked rhythmically three times.

Before long, a low, muffled voice came from behind the closed door.

“Drinking wine under the moonlight, what is your greatest wish?”

Hearing this, the leader calmly replied, “To eat meat buns in the morning.”

After he answered, the door creaked open.

Seeing that it was the leader and his team, the man stepped back and opened the door wider. “Captain.”

The leader nodded at him, quickly stepped inside, and asked, “Where is the Second Young Master?”

“Second Young Master is waiting for you in the main hall,” the man answered, then closed the door after everyone entered.

Receiving the answer, the leader and the others quickly went to the main hall.

As soon as he stepped into the main hall, Wen Yirui asked, “Have you found the clothes?”

The leader signaled to his subordinates with his eyes, then clasped his fists and respectfully replied, “Answering Second Young Master, we managed to get some clean, tattered clothes as you instructed. For convenience, we also got a wooden cart. If you get too tired later, you can ride in the cart.”

Hearing this, Wen Yirui was pleased by the leader’s thoughtfulness.

Looking at the tattered clothes placed on top of the round table, Wen Yirui’s eyes flickered with disgust, but he still picked the best one from the pile.

After making his choice, he stood up and returned to his room to change.

Seeing this, the leader also picked a set of tattered clothes and said, “Distribute the clothes and get ready to leave.”

“Yes, Captain.”

With that, the leader and the others hurriedly changed their clothes on the spot.

By the time Wen Yirui returned to the main hall, the leader and his subordinates were already busy loading their belongings onto the old wooden cart, leaving just enough space for Wen Yirui to sit in the corner.

Wen Yirui noticed that the leader had also disguised their belongings by putting them into old, dirty sacks and wooden crates, then covering them with dried branches.

Hearing approaching footsteps, the leader turned around and saw Wen Yirui approaching. Clasping his fists, he said, “Second Young Master, we are ready to leave now.”

Receiving a bamboo hat from one of the bodyguards, Wen Yirui put it on and ordered, “Good. Let’s leave now.”

At his order, the leader and the others quickly smeared their faces with dirt and mud.

Opening the door, the leader said, “Let’s go.”

After leaving the dilapidated courtyard, they smoothly blended in with the refugees lined up to leave Xiquan City.

Although the queue was long, the process moved quickly. Soon, it was their turn.

The soldier responsible for checking the refugees’ identities stopped them and said, “Please show me your household registration.”

The leader had already learned that they needed a household registration to leave the city, so he had prepared a fake one in advance.

Putting on a humble expression, the leader took out the old household registration and handed it to the soldier.

The soldier examined it for a while, then handed it back. “You may go now.”

“Thank you, Sir.” Taking the registration, the leader smiled gratefully. Turning to his subordinates, he said, “Brothers, let’s go.”

Just when the leader thought they had managed to leave the city smoothly, the soldier suddenly stopped them. “Wait.”

The moment the soldier spoke, the leader’s heart sank. He glanced at his subordinates, signaling them to be ready for a fight, then turned to the soldier and asked with a forced smile, “Sir, do you need anything else?”

The soldier pointed to Wen Yirui, who was pretending to sleep in the cart, and asked, “Who is that? What happened to him?”

Following the soldier’s gaze, the leader showed a helpless expression and replied sadly, “Sir, that man is my younger cousin.”

“He lost his entire family when they fled from war and famine to find me and my brothers. He starved for a long time and became very weak, so we had no choice but to let him rest in the cart.”

Hearing this, the soldier nodded in understanding. He walked back to a nearby stall and soon returned with a small bag and a water pouch in his hand.

Handing the bag and the water pouch to the leader, the soldier said, “General Mo instructed us to give food and water to the injured, sick, elderly, women, and children. Since your younger cousin is sick, you can take this.”

The leader was stunned when he heard that.

Seeing that the leader was just staring at him in a daze, the soldier extended the bag once more and said, “Take it.”

Then he stepped aside and said, “Alright. You may go now.”

Hearing this, the leader came back to his senses and said, “Thank you, Sir.”

After they left the city, the leader couldn’t help but turn back to look at the soldiers. Seeing them handing out bags of food and a water pouch to each refugee who met the requirements, his expression turned complicated.

Noticing that the leader had stopped walking, Wen Yirui opened his eyes and asked with a hint of displeasure in his voice, “What are you doing? Still not hurry up and leave?”

Snapping out of his thoughts, the leader shook his head and quickly caught up with the group.

As they walked farther from Xiquan City, the sky gradually changed color. Before long, the sun disappeared into the western horizon, and the world slowly sank into darkness.