Wang Qi followed the refugees' procession numbly, too starved to utter a single word, the fiery sensation in his stomach causing him considerable discomfort.
The long line of refugees headed toward the Capital city where, in their simple minds, they believed that the Emperor's residence would never lack food, thinking that once they arrived there they would survive.
It was this belief that had sustained them under the shadow of death until now.
Wang Qi looked around, desperately searching for anything edible, but along the way, everything that could be eaten had long since been consumed, including tree bark and wild vegetables, devoured entirely by the starving refugees.
The intense hunger even caused him to hallucinate; he thought he saw his honest parents, who had lived blameless lives, waving at him from not far away.
