From Hoarding to Time-Travel: My Supplies Saved Him

Chapter 503: Chapter 504: Gone Mad

Stung by his beloved’s criticism, Ancient Wen Heng naturally refused to admit he was old. "Now you’re just exaggerating. I may be a father of two, but I’m only twenty-five. How can you be so quick to write me off as old?"

Jin Qianqian said, "You’ve grown a full beard. Who can even tell what you really look like?

Either way, you can’t keep the beard. You have to wait at least a few more years."

Ancient Wen Heng leaned his face close to hers. "Is it because you think your husband’s face is just too handsome to be hidden?"

Jin Qianqian shoved him away in mock disgust. "I’m worried our two children are too young to remember things clearly. They might grow up not knowing what their own father looks like.

If you’re going to hide your face, you should at least wait until they have a clear memory of it.

Otherwise, what if they grow up and don’t even recognize their own father?"

Ancient Wen Heng replied, "...How about you draw a few more sketches of me for them? They can’t possibly forget then, can they?"

Jin Qianqian reached out and gave his beard a tug. Seeing him grin and rub his chin, she said, "You know what, maybe you should keep it. It’s fun to pull on it every now and then."

Seeing her hand reaching for it again, Ancient Wen Heng quickly raised his hands in surrender. "I’ll shave it! I’ll go shave it right now."

Only then did Jin Qianqian let him off. "Wouldn’t it have been easier to just say that from the start?

You were so busy before you didn’t even have time to eat a meal with us, but now you have time to banter with me?"

"The work is finally done, for now. I came back to rest for a bit. I’ll handle everything else tomorrow."

Ancient Wen Heng felt that if this busy period meant he could rest for a long time afterward, he was more than willing.

"You sent them all to the wastelands?" This piqued Jin Qianqian’s interest. "Are they behaving?"

"Heh, so what if they’re not? After skipping a few meals, you need strength even to think about rebelling." Ancient Wen Heng was biased and felt not a shred of sympathy for these people.

Jin Qianqian asked, "Is that a good idea?"

Ancient Wen Heng was surprised. "You pity them?"

"What are you thinking?" Jin Qianqian shot him a cold glance. "I’m afraid they’ll die too soon and won’t be able to repay their debt."

Ancient Wen Heng feigned patting his chest. "You gave me a scare. I thought you were about to plead their case."

Jin Qianqian gave his beard another vicious tug. "Even if certain future events haven’t happened yet, that doesn’t mean they won’t.

Whether we can change anything or not, weakening their power is something I’m more than happy to do."

Ancient Wen Heng knew his wife well. Though kind-hearted, she could hold her own when it came to matters of right and wrong.

The two had even discussed in private that if they ever had the power, they would nip this great hidden danger in the bud.

"Don’t worry! These people have already been registered as slaves. They’ll spend the rest of their lives developing this land."

Jin Qianqian frowned. "Slaves?"

"What? Is that a problem?"

Jin Qianqian immediately shook her head. "No, not a problem. It’s just that I thought of something."

"What is it?"

"Slaves can marry and have children, right? We’re here to watch them now, so nothing major can go wrong. But what about in the future?" Jin Qianqian couldn’t bear the thought of their descendants blending in with the populace down the line.

Ancient Wen Heng rubbed his forehead and fell into deep thought. "You have a point. We need to find a solution."

Jin Qianqian knew that when it came to handling these matters, Ancient Wen Heng was more decisive than she was.

Now that this oversight had been identified, he would surely fix it soon.

Indeed, after enjoying a night of familial bliss at home, Ancient Wen Heng went straight to Zhou Shixiong first thing the next morning. The two of them were cooped up in the study, discussing matters for the better part of the day.

Out on the wasteland, one of the bandits finally collapsed onto a pile of dirt.

A guard simply grabbed him by the leg and dragged him under the shade of a nearby tree.

After a full day of hard labor, just as the men were preparing to finish, they saw a doctor slowly approaching with a medical case on his back.

They all knew the doctor had been summoned by the guards, for the sole purpose of keeping them alive so they could continue their forced labor.

Tian Er and the others glanced over before turning away. He looked at the man on the ground with contempt; the kid had always been strong and hadn’t been sick once in all the years he’d followed him.

In their minds, the kid was probably just faking an illness to get out of work.

It wasn’t like no one had tried it before. In the end, the doctor always exposed them, and they’d get a brutal beating for their trouble.

’Hopefully, the kid gets lucky today and doesn’t get beaten half to death.’

Suddenly, the doctor cried out in alarm, quickly telling the nearby guard to get away while anxiously covering his own nose and mouth.

"Doctor Fan, what’s going on?" a supervising soldier asked hurriedly.

"Plague! It’s the plague!" Doctor Fan’s face was pale. "Quickly, send someone to inform the Great General! This area must be quarantined!"

The soldier froze. "...Doctor Fan, what did you say?"

"You fool! I said there’s a plague here! No one here can escape!"

Doctor Fan, perhaps angered by the soldier’s slow reaction, raised his voice, and now everyone heard him.

No matter how slow-witted Tian Er and the others were, they knew what the word "plague" meant.

A chill ran down their spines. Their first instinct was to turn and run, but in this desolate place, where could they possibly run to?

They hadn’t even made it past the first checkpoint before they were blocked by armed men and forced back.

Filled with terror, they couldn’t think straight and began clamoring frantically in their native tongues.

How could the soldiers stationed here possibly let them leave?

One of them lashed out with an iron-tipped whip at the man leading the charge, and the fear buried deep in the bandits’ hearts was finally unleashed.

Faced with the whips that tore at their flesh, they dared not make another sound.

"Get back, all of you! If you dare cause any more trouble, his fate will be your fate."

Tian Er cried out, "But someone has the plague! People will die!"

The soldier’s face was grim. "So what? Until we receive an order from the Great General, no one is leaving this place."

"Don’t you value your own lives?" Mountain Leader asked, his expression complex as he looked at the soldiers who remained firmly at their posts.

"We only follow orders. Now, I am ordering you to go back immediately." The soldier swept his gaze over their leaders. ’Looks like these people still need to be properly disciplined. They still don’t understand their situation.’

"You’re insane! You’re all insane!" Tian Er suddenly felt the man must not have heard him clearly. "That’s the plague! People die from it! Don’t you understand?"

"Still daring to spread rumors," the soldier said as he raised his whip and brought it down across Tian Er’s face. ’As long as I don’t break his arms or legs, a ruined face is no big deal.’

Tian Er felt a sharp, stinging pain on his face and instantly clutched his head, writhing on the ground.