At Liangzhou's city gates, many people fled for their lives, and many others lost their lives.
The authorities were not able to do anything. It was impossible to stop the crowd, so they let people leave. Surprisingly, after the first wave of people left, Liangzhou City became considerably calmer.
Some left this place, but others chose to stay. More than half the population chose to stay behind. Overall, Liangzhou Prefecture became noticeably more subdued.
After returning from the city gates that day, Chi Nanwei didn’t eat a single meal the entire day. Ye Beizhi understood that the events of that day had weighed heavily on her mind, so he didn’t push her.
Instead, he went out and bought her favorite snacks. Apart from Rao Shuang, who still seemed worried, everyone else carried on as if nothing had happened, living their lives as usual.
Three days had passed since that day. With the innkeeper, the staff, and the cook all gone, they had to take care of meals and other necessities themselves.
So on the fourth day, Baili Gucheng stepped onto the street to buy some ingredients. The group would go hungry otherwise.
In truth, he hadn’t planned on going out. He didn't want to go anywhere besides staying by Yang Lu’s side. However, Chi Nanwei persuaded him to go, saying it wasn’t good to stay indoors all day, and Ye Beizhi eventually ushered him out.
The streets had long since lost their usual bustle and prosperity. Piles of abandoned belongings were scattered along the roadside. When the wind blew, fallen leaves and loose rubbish skipped through the streets far away, accentuating the desolate atmosphere of the city.
Baili Gucheng looked around and headed toward a market he remembered visiting.
Upon reaching the market, he realized that without the usual crowded stalls and vendors, the place was surprisingly large, its emptiness enough to drive one mad.
The market was deserted, leaving behind only piles of trash and a lingering stench.
Or perhaps not entirely deserted, Baili Gucheng spotted a man in a corner, intently chopping pig bones.
The man appeared to be a butcher.
Baili Gucheng walked over and stood at the butcher’s stall. He pointed at the meat on the cutting board and asked, "How much for the meat?"
The butcher didn’t stop what he was doing. He glanced briefly at Baili Gucheng, then cut a chunk of meat from a hanging carcass and tossed it in front of him.
Baili Gucheng looked at the meat on the table, then back at the butcher. "How much?"
"No charge," the butcher replied gruffly, not even raising his head.
Baili Gucheng frowned and said, "I have a lot of people. This isn’t enough."
The butcher stopped what he was doing and raised his head, glaring at Baili Gucheng as if trying to discern whether he was lying.
It was then that Baili Gucheng noticed the butcher had only one eye. The other half of his face was covered in dense scars. The empty and sunken eye socket made him appear quite intimidating.
"Name your price," Baili Gucheng said, "I’ll pay it."
"I’m afraid you can’t afford it," the butcher replied with a grin. As he smiled, the scars on his face seemed to squirm, making him even more intimidating. He continued, "In this empty city, someone would still buy it even if I sold it for a hundred taels of gold. How much can you offer?"
Despite his harsh words, the butcher took down a large piece of meat that weighed roughly five jin from an iron hook, and tossed it in front of Baili Gucheng. He said, "Take it. If the Northern Qiang army comes, you’ll only be able to eat this in your next life."
The butcher took out a hemp rope, tied up the meat, and handed it to Baili Gucheng.
Baili Gucheng accepted it and, after a brief silence, said, "Thank you."
The butcher waved him off and resumed chopping the pig bones. The rhythmic thudding echoed throughout the market.
Baili Gucheng, carrying the meat, was about to leave but couldn’t help turning back. He raised his voice and asked, "Why aren’t you leaving?"
The butcher’s hands paused briefly before resuming. Without looking up, his gruff voice replied, "Why leave? Heh, I have no wife, no parents, and definitely no son. Just me, all alone. What reason is there to leave?" After saying this, the butcher shook his head, letting out a sigh that revealed a difficult life, and spoke no further.
Baili Gucheng left, still somewhat dazed. It wasn’t until he came back to his senses that he remembered he still needed to buy rice.
When the inn’s previous occupants left, they had taken almost all the food with them.
He passed several grain stores, all of which were closed, and began to doubt if he could find rice at all that day.
Just when Baili Gucheng was about to give up, he finally saw a shop that was still open. However, it wasn’t a grain store. It was an oil shop.
From a distance, Baili Gucheng noticed an elderly couple sitting at the shop entrance.
The elderly couple sat on wicker chairs at the entrance, the old woman seemingly napping with her head resting on the old man’s shoulder.
Baili Gucheng walked over quietly. When the old man noticed him, he said softly, "I... I’d like to buy some rice."
The old man didn’t respond at first. He patted the old woman on his shoulder, and when she opened her eyes, he pointed at Baili Gucheng and said, "This young man wants to buy something!" His voice was rather loud.
The old woman rubbed her ears, as if startled by the old man’s volume, and casually asked him, "What does he want to buy?"
The old man turned to Baili Gucheng and hollered, "Young man. What are you buying?"
Baili Gucheng quickly repeated, "I’m buying rice."
"What are you buying?" The old man tilted his head, cupping his ear toward Baili Gucheng.
The old woman patted the old man’s shoulder reproachfully and said into his ear, "He’s buying rice!" Then she muttered under her breath, "He's deaf..."
By now, Baili Gucheng had realized that the old man was hard of hearing.
The old woman smiled apologetically at Baili Gucheng. "Sorry, young man. You see, we only sell oil here..."
"We don’t sell rice!" The old man shouted belatedly. "Do you want oil instead?"
Baili Gucheng smiled awkwardly. "Th-thank you, but no, I just need rice."
"What did you say?" The old man tilted his head again and cupped his ear. "Speak louder!"
The old woman leaned in and explained into his ear, "He doesn’t want oil! Just rice!"
Baili Gucheng nodded to them and was about to leave.
"Young man, wait a moment!" Seeing Baili Gucheng about to leave, the old man quickly shouted to stop him. Then he turned to the old woman and said, "We still have plenty of rice at home, and the two of us can’t finish it all. I’ll get some for him!" With that, he stood up and walked into the house.
Baili Gucheng was taken aback. "I... I couldn't..."
"What? Not enough?" the old man said loudly. "No problem! We still have plenty!"
The old woman glanced at the old man’s retreating figure, then turned to Baili Gucheng and said, "He can’t hear well. Don’t bother shouting."
Baili Gucheng nodded and clasped his hands in thanks. "Thank you very much."
The old woman waved it off and asked, "Young man, why are you still here? Why haven’t you left the city?"
Baili Gucheng’s expression dimmed briefly. He replied, "There are always reasons, right? Aren’t you two staying too? Why haven’t you left?"
The old woman chuckled softly and looked toward the inner room. "At our age, where can we go? His hearing is poor, and my legs don’t work well. Even if we run, where could we run to? Better to stay and enjoy a couple more peaceful days here."
As she spoke, the old man came out of the house carrying a cloth bag that looked heavy. He handed it to Baili Gucheng and said, "Take it!"
Baili Gucheng took the bag and clasped his hands toward the old man in thanks.
The old man patted Baili Gucheng on the shoulder. "This will last you half a month. Take it and hurry out of here!"
Baili Gucheng said nothing more, simply nodded to the old man, and turned to leave.
On his way back, Baili Gucheng felt a bit dazed. He thought to himself, Surely the people of the North Watching Pass had the chance to escape too. Did they all have their own reasons for staying?