Chapter 5: A Chaotic World
Upon hearing Yuan Zhao’s words, Old Zhao furrowed his brows and said,
“But your injury has only just healed, how can you do this kind of physical labor? Besides, with your small frame, can you even carry a full bucket of water?”
In fact, Yuan Zhao’s body was quite strong compared to other children her age. But as a young girl, she appeared rather frail.
Yuan Zhao smiled and said, “Grandpa, don’t worry. I’m mostly healed now. I may not look like it, but I’m pretty strong!”
Seeing how determined she was, Old Zhao hesitated for a moment before reluctantly nodding.
“Alright then. But don’t push yourself. If you can’t carry a full bucket, just fill it halfway.”
“Okay~” Yuan Zhao replied cheerfully. “Got it!”
Little Ah Qing raised her hand excitedly. “I’ll show big sister the way!”
“Alright, alright!” Old Zhao laughed. “Then I’ll leave big sister in your care, Ah Qing!”
“Don’t worry, Grandpa!” Ah Qing said proudly, happy to be of help.
Yuan Zhao then picked up a shoulder pole and two empty buckets, setting off toward the town’s well.
Ah Qing skipped ahead, humming a little tune as she led the way.
As Yuan Zhao walked, she observed the surroundings of the town and the people walking on the streets.
The houses in Tianmen Town were mostly like Old Zhao’s, made of earthen materials and built low to protect against wind and sand.
Of course, there were also a few buildings that clearly stood out—structures that obviously didn’t belong to ordinary families.
Along both sides of the street were teahouses, restaurants, wine shops—everything one might expect. The shouts of vendors rang out continuously.
The main street bustled with all kinds of people. Locals made up only a small portion; most were outsiders.
There were people on horseback, carts being driven, and even camels being led through the streets. Their varied clothing hinted at their diverse origins and backgrounds.
All in all, the town was small but extremely lively.
As Yuan Zhao and Ah Qing wove quickly through the crowd, Yuan Zhao carefully balanced the buckets to avoid bumping into anyone.
They hadn’t walked far when Yuan Zhao suddenly heard the urgent clatter of hooves and impatient yelling. Pedestrians on the road quickly cleared out of the way.
Just as she was about to ask Ah Qing what was going on, she saw Ah Qing quickly grab her sleeve and pull her aside, clearly a practiced move.
Clop clop clop…
As the sound of hooves drew near, Yuan Zhao saw a group of soldiers in armor charging through on horseback.
A peddler carrying goods didn’t manage to dodge in time and was viciously lashed across the back by the whip of the leading soldier.
The peddler tumbled to the ground, his goods scattering everywhere, some were immediately trampled and smashed by the horses behind.
A bloody whip mark appeared on the man’s back.
Instead of apologizing, the lead soldier glared at the peddler and barked,
“You blind fool! Trying to die?”
Then he galloped off.
The peddler dared not protest. All he could do was kneel on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly until the soldiers were gone.
The surrounding people weren’t surprised at all. They merely glanced over, then went back to minding their own business.
Yuan Zhao frowned deeply as she watched the scene unfold.
“Ah Qing, who were those people just now?”
Without hesitation, Ah Qing replied, “Those were soldiers of Liang. They came from Heishi City!”
Heishi City was a frontier city of the Liang kingdom, home to border troops. It was actually some distance from Tianmen Town.
Like the other onlookers, Ah Qing wasn’t at all surprised by what had happened to the peddler.
Yuan Zhao asked, “Does this kind of thing happen often?”
Ah Qing nodded. “Yes. Soldiers from both Liang and Xiao often come here. They’re all very fierce.”
Yuan Zhao’s brows furrowed even more tightly. She hadn’t expected the world to have fallen into such chaos—even soldiers, who were supposed to protect the people and the country, behaved like this.
Just then, Ah Qing’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
“Big sister, let’s hurry up! If we don’t, there’ll be a long line later!”
“Alright!” Yuan Zhao nodded. She took one last glance at the peddler, who was gathering his ruined goods with a sorrowful face, then quickened her steps to catch up with Ah Qing.
At the same time, she silently made up her mind: she would train hard. Otherwise, today’s peddler might be her tomorrow.
In this chaotic world, only strength could bring peace of mind.
After walking just a bit farther, Ah Qing suddenly stopped and pointed excitedly at a house not far ahead.
“Big sister, look! That’s Doctor Zhou’s clinic!”
Doctor Zhou was the old physician who had treated Yuan Zhao’s injuries.
Following Ah Qing’s pointing finger, Yuan Zhao saw a dilapidated clinic.
The building wasn’t much different from Old Zhao’s house. At the entrance stood a wooden pole with a tattered white cloth hanging from it. On the cloth were the words “Zhou’s Clinic.”
Judging by how worn the cloth was, it had clearly been there for many years.
People were going in and out of the clinic—likely there to seek treatment.
Yuan Zhao turned her gaze away and prepared to keep moving forward with Ah Qing.
Just then, however, screams erupted from the clinic, and people began to flee in panic. In moments, the place was empty.
Suddenly, a body was thrown out of the clinic like a rag doll, landing heavily on the ground.
Yuan Zhao looked closely—it was none other than old Doctor Zhou!
There was a huge hole in the doctor’s chest, as if someone had punched right through it. His blood-soaked clothes stained the ground beneath him.
The old man twitched a few times, then lay still—dead.
People on the street backed away in fear. Ah Qing also hid behind Yuan Zhao in terror.
Had Yuan Zhao not already witnessed over twenty corpses when she first arrived, she too might have been terrified.
Then, a man stormed out of the clinic, cursing loudly.
The bearded leader was filled with rage as he pointed at the doctor’s corpse and yelled,
“Shameless old quack! You dare to fool me with your useless skills?! My brother died because of you, so now you pay with your life!”
Behind him, several men were carrying a stretcher. A corpse lay on it, covered with a bloodstained white cloth.
As it turned out, this group had been ambushed by desert bandits on the road to Tianmen Town. One of them was gravely injured, so they came to Zhou’s Clinic for help.
But the man’s injuries were too severe. With his limited skills, Doctor Zhou had already made it clear that he couldn’t save him.
But the bearded man insisted, threatening that if the doctor didn’t try his hardest, he’d kill him on the spot.
With a blade at his throat, Doctor Zhou had no choice but to try.
Unfortunately, the wounded man died halfway through the treatment. Enraged and irrational, the bearded man lashed out and punched the doctor to death.
After a storm of curses, the group picked up their dead comrade and left, leaving the old doctor’s lifeless body behind.
At that moment, an elderly woman and a middle-aged man, both looking heartbroken, ran out of the clinic.
The middle-aged man also appeared seriously injured, with a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth.
They were none other than the family of the late Dr. Zhou.
The old woman collapsed over the doctor’s body, wailing in sorrow, while the man stood there with a face full of grief and rage.
People on the street gradually gathered around, pointing at the body and whispering among themselves, until the middle-aged man finally carried the doctor back into the clinic.
Yuan Zhao stood there in utter disbelief.
She hadn’t expected this world to be even more chaotic than she had imagined. A living, breathing person had vanished in the blink of an eye.
And it was someone she knew.
Just two days ago, Dr. Zhou had given her a follow-up check.
He had been such a kind and gentle old man, always tending to Yuan Zhao in great detail during each visit.
Ah Qing timidly peeked out from behind Yuan Zhao, staring blankly in the direction of the clinic. She asked dazedly, “Sister, is Grandpa Zhou… really dead?”
Yuan Zhao didn’t know how to respond, so she simply reached out and gently patted Ah Qing’s head.
In this chaotic world, even a child like Ah Qing had to face the harsh reality of death.
With heavy hearts, Yuan Zhao and Ah Qing continued walking toward the well.
Ah Qing, who had been humming a tune on the way there, now walked silently ahead, her head drooping like a sun-scorched blade of grass.
This wasn’t the first time Ah Qing had seen a dead person.
Tianmen Town was a place abandoned by both the Liang and Xiao kingdoms. There were no laws here. Human lives were worthless. Deaths were a common occurrence.
But this time was different—it was someone she knew. That made a big impact on Ah Qing.
When they arrived at the well, there was already a long line.
After waiting for a while, they finally filled two buckets to the brim. Yuan Zhao carried them back home.
Carrying a load of water was nothing for a martial artist like Yuan Zhao.
When the two girls returned, they saw a few more customers at the stall, while Old Zhao was busy working behind the stove with practiced ease.
Seeing the two return, a smile spread across Old Zhao’s face.
“You’re back?”
He quickly walked over to Yuan Zhao and gestured for her to put the buckets down, then picked them up and poured the water into the storage jar.
When he looked up again, he noticed both girls standing there with heavy expressions.
“What’s wrong with you two? Weren’t you all smiles just a while ago?”
“Grandpa…” At his words, Ah Qing ran up to Old Zhao and buried her face in his arms.
While patting Ah Qing gently on the back, Old Zhao looked at Yuan Zhao in confusion.
Yuan Zhao took a deep breath and said, “Dr. Zhou… was killed.”
Old Zhao was momentarily stunned, then let out a long sigh.
“Ah… such is fate.”
He had lived in Tianmen Town his whole life and had seen countless deaths among ordinary folks. A life full of vitality in the morning could be a cold corpse by afternoon.
Just like back then…
When Old Zhao was young, he had a childhood sweetheart. They were already planning to get married.
But one day, a group of Xiao soldiers came to the tavern in Tianmen Town to drink.
They saw that his fiancée was beautiful and forced her to accompany them. Old Zhao’s fiancée refused, and she was killed for it.
By the time Old Zhao returned, her body was already cold.
He had wanted revenge, but what could an ordinary man do against armed soldiers?
From then on, Old Zhao never married.
Ah Qing, like Yuan Zhao, wasn’t his biological granddaughter. She was someone he had picked up from the streets.
But unlike Yuan Zhao, who was older when taken in, Ah Qing had been just an infant swaddled in a blanket.
Ah Qing knew she had been adopted, after all, it was hard to hide such things. Old Zhao had no children, so how could he have a granddaughter?
But Yuan Zhao didn’t know.
“Let’s go pay our respects to the old man later,” Old Zhao said in a low voice after a long sigh.
He had a bit of friendship with Dr. Zhou—they had lived in the same town all their lives.
“Mm.” Yuan Zhao and Ah Qing both nodded in agreement.
“Alright, let’s get back to work,” Old Zhao said, forcing a smile.
“I’ll help!” Yuan Zhao offered immediately.
“Me too!” Ah Qing chimed in.
“Good!” Old Zhao replied with a pleased tone. He thought for a moment and said, “Yuan girl, help me knead the dough.”
As for Ah Qing, she didn’t need instructions. She ran off to clear the dishes the customers had left behind.
Yuan Zhao followed Old Zhao behind the stove.
The dough had already been set to rest. After demonstrating once, Old Zhao let Yuan Zhao try for herself.
Kneading dough wasn’t difficult for someone who practiced martial arts. Yuan Zhao quickly grasped the technique.
While kneading, a curious thought suddenly occurred to her: What if I used the “Heaven-Sweeping Hand” technique for this?
