Chapter 163: Gossip is Innate

Chapter 163: Chapter 163: Gossip is Innate

An eighty-year-old woman with a toothless grin stood sizing up the exiled prisoners. Beside her, a three-year-old boy held a skewer of candied haws, nibbling on it while tilting his head back to count the passing people.

This town, though bustling and noisy, was full of life and vitality. The people here were busy but knew how to enjoy life. Bystanders watched the exiled prisoners walk down the middle of the road, unable to resist murmuring to those next to them. Their reactions varied from curious and apprehensive to suspicious and uneasy.

In the crowd, an old man watched the prisoners with a flash of pity in his eyes. He recalled his own youth, having once been exiled due to a wrongful conviction. Knowing full well the hardships and suffering of the journey into exile, he couldn’t help but feel sorrow for these people. Meanwhile, a young man appeared rather excited. Having never seen so many criminals before, he was deeply curious about their crimes. He constantly questioned the people around him about the prisoners’ stories, as if listening to a thrilling adventure. In a corner of the crowd, however, a woman held tightly to her child, her eyes filled with fear. She worried that these criminals might pose a threat to her and her child, praying in her heart that they would leave as quickly as possible.

The exiled prisoners walked in silence. Their faces were expressionless, and they kept their heads down as they moved forward. They didn’t want to meet the gazes of the onlookers; regardless of the emotion in those eyes, the prisoners felt inferior and sensitive. They didn’t know what their future held, nor did they know if they would ever return to their hometowns alive. They could only silently endure the arrangement of fate, treading step by step into the unknown distance.

The bustling streets were soon behind them. Led by the government officers, the exiled prisoners entered a sparsely populated village road. Reaching this point, they finally relaxed a little.

They trudged along the village dirt road. Sweat soaked through their clothes and drenched their hair. Beads of sweat rolled down their foreheads all the way to their ankles. With the sun hanging high in the sky, beating down mercilessly with its blazing rays, they felt as if their heads were smoking from the heat. Searing heat rose from the ground, making it feel as though they were trapped inside a steamer. Lingnan was even hotter than the places they had previously passed through. By the time they arrived here, the soles of their shoes were completely worn through. Walking on the scorching road left the bottoms of their feet covered in painful blisters.

Despite the unbearable heat, they dared not stop. They held a firm goal in their hearts: they were just one step away from settling down, so they had to persevere! Even though they had been walking for so long and were already utterly exhausted, with every step bringing immense hardship, they still gritted their teeth and pushed on.

Even the trees by the roadside seemed drained by the sun, their leaves drooping listlessly. Occasionally, a faint breeze would blow past, bringing a fleeting moment of coolness before being quickly swallowed by the heatwave. The prisoners’ lips were cracked, and their throats were parched. But with no water to drink, they could only suffer the torment of thirst in silence and keep walking.

Finally, they spotted a village up ahead, and a glimmer of hope surged in their hearts. They quickened their pace and headed toward the settlement, hoping to find a shred of coolness and comfort there.

Watching the exiled prisoners maintain their quiet and orderly formation, the government officers couldn’t help but nod in silent approval. These prisoners had been very cooperative throughout the journey, causing no trouble, which made the officers’ jobs significantly easier.

"There’s a village up ahead. Let’s stop here and rest for a bit. We’ll find some water for the prisoners," the leading government officer shouted.

Everyone halted. The government officers then went into the village to look for a water source. Before long, they returned with some water.