My domineering ex-husband is living off his wife in ancient times.

Chapter 78 The world is about to descend into chaos

"Dr. Zhu, what are you doing here?" Cheng Ruoan was extremely surprised.

The doctor Zhu, who had been practicing bone-breaking techniques at Kang'an Hall in Huilan City for generations, actually appeared in Songshan County of Taiming Prefecture in the north!

He was still wearing a faded cyan robe, carrying a medicine box on his back. He was thin, with a round face, and looked much more haggard than when he was in Huilan City.

Doctor Zhu was also taken aback when he saw Cheng Ruoan. "Madam Cheng, you... so your husband's family is based in Songshan County?"

"Yes, Sijia Village, Songshan County." Cheng Ruoan asked curiously, "Dr. Zhu, what brings you here...?"

Doctor Zhu glanced at the teahouse next door and cupped his hands in invitation: "If Madam Cheng has some free time, shall we have some tea and chat?"

Cheng Ruoan was tired from her journey, and her face still looked a little tired. In addition, she was dressed in a woman's bun, so anyone could tell at a glance that she was a married woman. Therefore, sitting in the teahouse with Doctor Zhu, who was nearly fifty years old, to have tea and chat would not be criticized or have a bad influence.

"Dr. Zhu, didn't you say that your Kang'an Hall is an ancestral business that you would never move from? You came to Songshan County, is this for sightseeing?"

As he spoke, Cheng Ruoan glanced at the medicine box he had placed on the table.

Dr. Zhu sighed, "No one has the good fortune to travel around like that, I'm just..."

He looked around and lowered his voice, saying, "I've been conscripted by the imperial court and am being sent to the northern border to serve as a military doctor."

This was pretty much what Cheng Ruoan had guessed, but it was still strange: "Your family's ancestral home is Bachuan Prefecture, right? Even if you were to be conscripted into the army, you would be sent to the Southwest Camp. How did you end up being assigned to this northern region?"

Doctor Zhu made sure no one around could hear him before lowering his voice again and said, "Not only me, but there is another colleague in Bachuan Prefecture whose ancestors were also military doctors in the Southwest Camp. He was also brought to the North by the imperial court."

You know about the plague in Bachuan Prefecture, right?

Cheng Ruoan nodded.

"I heard that there have been frequent disturbances on the southwestern border. It seems that the higher-ups think that since the southwest is already in a mess, they might as well transfer manpower and resources from the southwest to guard this northern border."

Cheng Ruoan picked up her teacup and took a sip. "I see. When did you set off for the North, Doctor Zhu? Do you know the current situation in Bachuan Prefecture?"

"I set off with the imperial army a month ago. The forced march almost broke my old bones!"

Cheng Ruoan smiled and said, "It's good that you arrived safely."

"When I set off, the area outside Huilan City was like a living hell. The plague was spreading everywhere, and people were dying everywhere. It was a terrible sight..."

Afterwards, Doctor Zhu told Cheng Ruoan in detail about what he had seen and heard along the way, but most of it was what he had heard in the army.

Cheng Ruoan learned that from the day they left Hulu Village, many high-ranking officials, wealthy men and nobles in Bachuan Prefecture also fled Bachuan Prefecture with their families and possessions.

Within a few days, all the cities in Bachuan Prefecture began to close their gates, preventing anyone from entering or leaving.

The plague was rampant, and some people in the city were infected. But once it was discovered, the doctor would give them two doses of medicine, which had been used to treat previous plagues, and if there was no effect, they would all be thrown out of the city.

"Were the disasters all in the villages and towns outside the city?"

"Of course. But some villages are unharmed, only..."

"Just what?"

"Madam Cheng may not know, but there is a village called Hulu Village within the jurisdiction of Huilan City. That place is right next to the official road, but very few people there have been infected with the plague."

When I left Bachuan Prefecture, I passed through their village and saw the people guarding the crossroads, each with a wood-chopping knife and wearing something called a mask. There were also many bloodstains around the crossroads, accumulated over several days. It was said that someone had broken into the village and they had all been chopped down.

What I'm trying to say is that the world in Bachuan Prefecture is in chaos, and only ruthless villages like Hulu Village can survive.

In times of chaos, only the ruthless can survive.

Even when Cheng Ruoan returned to the county government office to wait for Si Shaoheng, Zhu's words were still echoing in his mind.

Si Shaoheng came out of the yamen with a contract in his hand and saw Cheng Ruoan staring blankly at the pine tree by the roadside with a worried expression.

"My wife, let's go back."

He walked over, but instead of patting her on the shoulder, he whispered a reminder.

Cheng Ruoan gave a muffled "hmm" and went with him to fetch the carriage, then drove back to Sijia Village.

But before leaving the city, the two of them bought a lot of things and put them on the carriage.

There is an official road connecting Songshan County to Sijia Village. The journey is short, but by horse-drawn carriage, it takes less than 45 minutes to reach the village entrance.

Si Shaoheng was driving the carriage when Cheng Ruoan lifted the curtain and sat down behind him.

She told Si Shaoheng about what she had heard from Doctor Zhu about Bachuan Prefecture, and then sighed, "Every day, you and I check the changes in reputation points in the space, and we know that our elder brother and Xia Shi are still alive. But before, we weren't sure if they were still in Hulu Village. Now it seems that they definitely are."

Nowhere else has villagers as fierce as the people of Hulu Village; they probably wouldn't survive there.

"Don't worry, if they're in Hulu Village, then Village Chief Wang and Boss Qian will definitely take care of them out of respect for us," Si Shaoheng said.

Cheng Ruoan pursed her lips: "I'm not worried about that."

She even hoped that Xia Shi would not be well taken care of and would die from some natural disaster or man-made calamity.

Si Dalang was honest, kind, and hardworking, and he was always "helping others," so much so that Cheng Ruoan could see his reputation points on his space every day: +5, +5, +5...

But the Xia family is truly despicable.

I don't know what Cheng Ruoan did in Calabash Village, but his spatial dimension keeps dropping to -3, -5, -3, -3 every day...

Cheng Ruoan sighed: "I am worried about the country and its people."

Si Shaoheng: ...

If he hadn't been driving, he would have loved to turn around and give her a dirty look.

Cheng Ruoan explained to him, "The world in Bachuan Prefecture is in chaos. Isn't that a sign that the world in the Great Xia Dynasty is about to fall into chaos? We fled all the way from the southwest to the northeast, but you see, the northeast isn't that safe either, is it?"

"Leaving aside the war, just look at Sijia Village. Someone caused an accident at the village entrance with a donkey cart and fled the scene. The village elders blatantly seized the property of their clansmen... Sijia Village is not an ordinary small village. It is a village so close to the county seat and directly managed by the county magistrate. Even it shows signs of chaos... Si Shaoheng, do you really think we can survive well in the Great Xia Dynasty?"

Cheng Ruoan had always thought that she would try her best to upgrade the space to a level that would allow her to bring many people into the space. Even if it was the end of the world, she could at least protect her important family members and hide in the space together until the end of time.

But in reality, what's the point of having such a powerful cheat code?

When the world descends into chaos, the power of this cheat code is like a pie in the sky that your boss promises you in the workplace!

In times of chaos, one must be ruthless to survive.

But if you're ruthless, you won't accumulate reputation points...

Si Shaoheng said gently, "This medicine requisition is an opportunity. We can completely resolve the household registration issue and then have the government allocate a secluded village for us to settle down in."

So don't overthink it, live in the present, the path is right in front of you.