Becoming the Villain's Discarded Wife
Chapter 152: The City Lord of Xin City

Chapter 152: Chapter 152: The City Lord of Xin City

When Wang Jingzhi awoke, he saw a young girl covered in dust by his side. He tried to speak, but no sound came out.

Shen Miaomiao was mending clothes in the carriage and noticed Wang Jingzhi awakening, she hurriedly moved closer.

"Are you okay?"

Seeing that he didn’t respond, the girl remembered something and handed him a flask of warm water.

After drinking some warm water, Wang Jingzhi felt his throat slightly relieved. He coughed for a while before he asked mystified: "Who are you?"

"Shen Miaomiao." The young girl was not angry even though she knew she must look dust-covered and grimy.

"Miaomiao?"

Wang Jingzhi was taken aback. Why was Miaomiao here and how could she have saved him?

"Yes, but how did you end up unconscious in the forest, Brother Wang?"

Feeding him more water, Shen Miaomiao asked her question with curiosity.

Hearing her question, Wang Jingzhi’s face darkened, he pursed his lips and remained silent.

Seeing his unwillingness to answer, Shen Miaomiao decided not to pry further, and proceeded to feed him water before resuming her mending.

The jacket Sister Nanzhi had sewn was not very sturdy. She needed to add another layer of stitches to make sure that the rabbit fur inside wouldn’t fall out and be seen by others, which would be unfavorable.

Outside the vehicle, Shen Zhiyu was making a fire. The little boy, experiencing such a heavy snowfall for the first time, reached out curiously and grabbed a fistful.

"Mom, this snow is so cold!" The child showed the snowball in his hand to Nanzhi, then looked at the "people" lying in the distance and asked.

"Mom, why are those people sleeping in the snow? They aren’t even dressed properly, aren’t they cold?"

The curiosity in Zhiyu’s voice left Nanzhi speechless.

Even she had been startled upon seeing the bodies for the first time. Now that Zhiyu asked about it, should she tell him the truth?

Little Xiaohe, who was on the side, interjected: "They all froze to death last night."

Xiaohe’s voice held a touch of gloom at the sight of the unattended, frostbitten bodies.

Listening to Xiaohe’s words, Zhiyu was startled. Looking at the frozen faces of the bodies, with a twisted smile plastered on many of them, he asked in a small voice, "Then, why did they take off their clothes?"

Xiaohe remained silent, instead turning his gaze towards Nanzhi.

Signalling her to continue explaining.

"Zhiyu, pick up a handful of snow and rub it in your hand." Instead of replying directly, Nanzhi wanted the youngster to understand on his own.

Zhiyu obediently nodded his head, grabbed a handful of snow from behind him and rubbed it. He stared at Nanzhi in surprise, "Mom, the snow is getting warm!"

Taking his small hand and placing it in her bosom to warm it, Nanzhi explained: "This is because your hand is frostbitten, which makes it feel hot."

"Did they take off their clothes because their bodies went numb from the cold?"

"Yes."

The young boy nodded and snuggled closer to his mother.

Embracing Zhiyu, Nanzhi lightly patted his back.

"I wonder how Wang Jingzhi is doing, how did he end up here." Looking at Xiaohe as she spoke, wasn’t he supposed to be some kind of wild survival expert? Shouldn’t he know something?

Xiaohe felt a chill under her gaze, but thinking back to the scene when Wang Jingzhi was changing clothes, he chose to keep his mouth shut as if he hadn’t seen a thing.

As long as he could not decipher her true intentions, there was no problem.

He was quite adept at playing dumb.

Inside the carriage, Wang Jingzhi hesitated for a long time before asking because Shen Miaomiao was ignoring him, "Are you, are you with Aunt Guihua?"

"I got separated from my mom wasn’t with Aunt Guihua. I am now following Sister Nanzhi." Shen Miaomiao shrugged and forced a smile.

Seeing her look dejected, Wang Jingzhi realised he said something wrong and awkwardly closed his mouth.

He wondered who changed his clothes.

The thought of his body possibly being seen by another man made him feel nauseous, so he forced himself to close his eyes and rest.

A severe snowstorm had claimed the lives of more than 1,400 people. The area outside the city gates of Xin City was littered with frozen bodies.

When Shen Wenchen arrived at the gates of Xin City, he was completely covered in frost. His originally handsome face was now so frostbitten that it was barely recognisable, startling the city gatekeepers.

It was only after he showed his token that the city guards hurriedly made way for him.

Even though Zhui Yue was a military horse, it was visibly exhausted and only after a swish of its tail did it carry Shen Wenchen through the city gates.

The city gates were wide open. The refugees who used to eagerly try to enter the city had now mostly become frozen statues, and the few who had survived were absent-minded, carrying bags on their backs as they left.

Outside the city was a wasteland of death and desolation, but the city inside was still bustling.

Separated by a city gate lay two starkly different worlds, causing Shen Wenchen’s cold eyes to darken further.

Upon learning of the arrival of a visitor, the city lord immediately put down his tea cup, and with his entourage and guards, went to meet Shen Wenchen.

"I didn’t know the sir was coming, my apologies for the lack of a proper welcome."

The city lord was a man in his mid-thirties, his big bellied appearance clearly that of a wealthy landlord.

His face was covered in sweat just from his brief journey. The sweat that dripped onto his fur cloak clumped the white fox fur together, and coupled with his fawning expression, Shen Wenchen’s brow furrowed, immediately losing his appetite.

He sternly put down his chopsticks and said: "I am merely passing through, city lord, there is no need to be so courteous."

Despite Shen Wenchen’s clear rejection, the city lord continued grinning and said, "Oh sir, you are too modest. If you wouldn’t mind, could you accompany me to the Residence, so I may honour your visit?"

After finishing his proposal, he cast a shrewd glance at Shen Wenchen.

As long as this man agreed, there would be no trouble.

If he refused, things could become complicated.

Such were his thoughts as a flash of malicious intent crossed his small eyes.

If this man was truly here to investigate him, he would either have to join forces after receiving a bribe, or be disposed of, to avoid leaving trouble behind

"I appreciate your kind offer, city lord, but I am just passing through. I just need to rest for a bit before I leave."

Shen Wenchen didn’t say much else, nor did he care to look at the city lord. He needed to apply some medicine to his wound and Zhui Yue needed to replenish its strength.

Seeing him refuse to receive his ’gift’, the city lord’s face showed a hint of displeasure. However, due to the token, he could do nothing but continue his display of politeness before leaving with his entourage.

The owner of the noodle stand was an old man; seeing the city lord leave, he quickly came over to advise, "Young man, once you’ve finished your noodles, you better leave as quickly as possible to avoid any trouble!"

Shen Wenchen, who had just picked up his chopsticks to eat, heard the woman’s words. He put down his chopsticks and asked, "Ma’am, what do you mean by that?"

"This city lord is not a good person, I can only see that you must have a high status. How can you deal with him on your own? Finish these noodles and go immediately, it doesn’t matter where you go as long as you leave this city!"

After finishing speaking, the old woman pulled her husband to the side to clean up, afraid that others would notice that they had given Shen Wenchen a warning.

After all the ruckus, the noodles in the bowl had gone sticky. Shen Wenchen finished them in a few bites, left a silver tael, and led Zhui Yue towards the medicine shop.