Soon, tens of thousands of refugees formed several long lines. Henry Clark queued up with his parents, and after about the time it takes to burn two sticks of incense, he successfully received a bowl of porridge.

The porridge was no longer hot. Henry Clark picked up the bowl and gulped it down in a few big mouthfuls.

The porridge was made from coarse rice and was very watery. To be honest, it was nowhere near as good as the white porridge on Earth, but at this moment, Henry Clark found it incredibly delicious.

These days, they survived on some dried food his parents had stored, plus wild vegetables and grass seeds. It was so unpalatable it couldn't get any worse, and he was constipated every day, needing all his strength just to relieve himself.

“Father, Mother, you should eat.”

Henry Clark saw that William Clark and Olivia Smith were holding their bowls but hadn’t eaten yet, so he called out to them.

“Yan’er, Mother’s not hungry. You can have my bowl of porridge too.”

Olivia Smith handed her bowl to Henry Clark.

“Yes, we’re not hungry yet. Yan’er, you’re still recovering from a serious illness and you’re growing. You need to eat more.”

William Clark added.

Although Henry Clark had been single in his previous life, he was an adult after all, so he understood the heartfelt care of parents.

“Father, Mother, I’m full. You should eat quickly. We still need to arrange our lodging later.”

Henry Clark said with a smile.

To say that Henry Clark had any real feelings for the two elders right after transmigrating would be a lie, but over the past half month, whatever food there was, they always saved it for him first. If there was danger, they shielded him, standing like a wall to keep harm away. If not for their careful care, with his body still weak from illness, he would have died on the road long ago.

People have feelings. After half a month together, Henry Clark had come to accept William Clark and Olivia Smith, treating them as his own parents.

The couple wanted to say more, but Henry Clark insisted he was full. Unable to persuade him, the two elders finally picked up their bowls and finished every last drop of porridge, even licking the bowl clean.

“How dare you! You’ve already received porridge and still try to sneak in for more. Did you think you could fool my eyes? Courting death!”

A loud shout rang out like thunder.

A cavalryman rode forward, his spear flashing like lightning as he thrust it through a middle-aged man, lifting him high overhead.

The middle-aged man struggled and twitched like a fish pierced through, his eyes full of despair.

Buzz!

The cavalryman gave a forceful shake, and the spear vibrated with terrifying power, tearing the man’s body apart. His organs and flesh scattered all over the ground.

Seeing this, even though Henry Clark had seen countless dead people along the way, he almost vomited up the porridge he had just eaten.

Many had starved to death during the exodus, but this was the first time he had witnessed such bloodshed.

“Amazing, is that martial arts? Just the force from vibrating the spear was enough to shatter an adult’s body. What kind of power is that?”

Forcing himself to endure the discomfort, Henry Clark stared at the cavalryman, his mind in turmoil.

The visual impact was overwhelming. The cheap special effects in movies and TV dramas from his previous life couldn’t compare at all.

From the memories of this body, he knew that this world had martial arts. Martial artists could kill tigers barehanded as a matter of course, but he had never seen it with his own eyes.

This was his first time witnessing a martial arts expert in action.

“Father of my child, why did you have to kill him? He just wanted to get another bowl of porridge for our child. Wuwuwu, now that you’re gone, how are the two of us supposed to survive?”

At this moment, a thin woman threw herself to the ground, wailing in grief.

“Cry one more time, and I’ll send you and your child to join him.”

The same cavalryman who had acted before shouted coldly, murderous intent radiating from him like a beast ready to devour.

The thin woman dared not cry any more, only hugging her child and trembling all over.

The other refugees were silent with fear. Those who had thought about sneaking in for a second bowl of porridge immediately gave up the idea.

The porridge distribution continued. After it was done and the bowls were collected, officers came to register each household one by one.

The registration was simple: just a few questions about name, age, place of origin, and any skills.

Those who could smelt, forge, or make medicine were given special arrangements.

From the memories of his predecessor, Henry Clark knew that the place he was in was called the Great Chu Dynasty.

But the imperial court was weak, only able to govern a few provinces. The rest of the territory was in chaos, with warlords fighting, noble clans ruling themselves, raising private armies, and making their own laws. Each noble clan was like an independent small country.

The noble families stood high above, while ordinary people were treated like livestock, their lives and deaths at the whim of their rulers.

The great clans fought constantly, seizing resources, so weapons and medicine were scarce and highly valued. Those with such skills were naturally in demand.

“William Clark, David Clark, John Clark, Emily Foster, James Foster...”

“You fifty households, come with me. We’ll arrange for you to settle in Kaoshan Village.”

An officer called out loudly. Those named gathered their families and moved toward him.

...

Kaoshan Village, named for its location at the foot of Woniu Mountain, was a little over ten li from Changfeng City.

An officer and two cavalrymen led the way, with more than fifty households following. After half an hour, the mountain village could be seen in the distance.

On the way, Henry Clark had a question in his mind.

Kaoshan Village seemed to be an old village, and such villages were usually already full. How were they going to ‘fit’ fifty more households in?