The snow has just cleared, and the sky and the earth are as vast as silver.
Under the warm sun, the hills of Xiaozhongnan become more enchanting, dispelling the chill of winter.
Yu Zhenzi, who had not been seen for a long time, appeared, looking at Yan Yun with a smile and kind eyes.
In order to avoid getting into trouble during the journey, Yan Yun put on the Qiang clothes inside out, dressed up like a refugee, and stood under the dripping eaves in front of the Taoist temple.
"Taoist Priest, Yan Yun will never forget the grace of survival. Let's say goodbye!" After Yan Yun finished speaking, he knelt down and saluted.
"It is my duty to treat illnesses and save lives. General, I am serious." Yu Zhenzi smiled lightly, raised his hand, and a force of void surged out, instantly pulling Yan Yun up from the ground.
Yan Yun had already speculated about Yu Zhenzi's magical powers. This time he tried it himself, and he was shocked.
Yan Yun stood still, his eyes focused on Li Zhen, and he was about to kneel down, but she was already in a hurry to avoid him.
"What are you doing?" Li Zhen's face turned red.
"Brother Yan, we can just wait for our peers to discuss friendship. What are you doing with this?" Ji Zhao said dissatisfied.
"That's right!" Qingchan and Yuantai agreed together.
"This time the general returns home, and it is difficult for me to retain him. Here is a kit containing three talismans, corresponding to the three functions of lightness, great strength, and speed. If there is a life-or-death situation, you can drop blood on the talisman to activate it. , to ensure that the general is safe, only one can be used at a time. If used overlappingly, the general may not be able to bear it." Yu Zhenzi said slowly, handing the bag to Yan Yun.
Yan Yun took it with both hands, hung it around his neck, bowed again and said, "Thank you, Taoist Master!"
The moment Yan Yun lowered his head, he didn't see the eyes of Li Zhen and the other four staring at the kit.
Yuzhenzi pinched his beard, as if he had something else to say, but he couldn't say it at the moment.
Yan Yun saw something strange in Yu Zhenzi's demeanor and quickly said, "If you have anything to say, Taoist Master, please speak frankly."
"Haha, it's actually nothing important. I just want to remind the general." The calm demeanor of Yuzhenzi actually showed a little twitching at this moment. Finally, he laughed and said, "Nothing else. As the saying goes, you can keep the green hills without worrying about running out of firewood. Burn, I hope the general will not act out of anger when he returns."
As soon as these words came out, Yu Zhenzi's four disciples seemed to have thought of something very funny. Their shoulders relaxed and they leaned forward and backward.
Qingchan pinched her nose and said with a smile: "Master, the original words you taught us were that when people who are cultivators of immortality walk in the world, their first priority should be to protect their lives. If they can't help it, they won't fight. If they can win, they will fight. If they can't, they will fight. Just run away if you win, run away for your life, there is no shame in it, but why do you become so polite when you get to Brother Yan?"
Yan Yun twitched the corner of his lips, then quickly put away his smile, bowed and said, "Taoist Master's advice, Yan Yun will take note of it."
"Master, can we see Brother Yan off?" Qingchan asked again, looking expectant.
"Okay, but don't go too far. Go and come back quickly!" Yuzhenzi was very polite, but normally, this was something Qingchan couldn't even ask for.
However, this also made Qing Chan and the other four disciples even more confused. Judging from the phenomenon, Master Yu Zhenzi has an extra affection for Yan Yun. Could it be that Master has plans to accept Yan Yun as a disciple? But Yan Yun comes from a prominent family, and after arriving in the royal city, he will be hereditary as a mighty general. How could he abandon the glory of his ancestors and choose to become a monk?
However, Yuzhenzi is a scholar of heaven and earth, so there may be something he can foresee.
Qing Chan and others guessed this, and couldn't help but admire their master even more.
The road down the mountain was very smooth, with the presence of Yuantai, a fierce man, who ran down the mountain with Yan Yun under his elbow.
After passing the mountain gate, Yuantai put Yan Yun on the ground, with a smile on his face, but said slowly: "It's still early, let's see Brother Yan off slowly."
Yan Yun finally understood. The four senior brothers and sisters were afraid that they might have been sick in the temple. They finally seized the opportunity to go out, so they had to live and experience it.
The route taken by the four people with Yan Yun was the same as Zhou Tong and others, going down the stream.
After a while, the stream became open and took on the appearance of a small river. The river surface was also covered with thick ice and was as smooth as a mirror.
Ji Zhao cut five moso bamboos from the shore, broke off all the branches, sharpened both ends, and threw them one by one on the ice.
"Do you want to compete?" Yuantai shouted.
"Let's compete, I'm afraid of you!" Qingchan refused.
"I'm giving you this knife. You might need it on the road." Ji Zhao handed the machete to Yan Yun.
This is an ordinary woodchopping knife. It can not only be used to chop wood and make a fire, but it can also be used to defend yourself against jackals and bandits.
Five bamboo poles turned into five sleds, carrying five people speeding towards Huangshuiguan.
Along the way, laughter continued, and big pits appeared one after another on the ice, which were caused by Yuantai stepping too hard.
In just two hours, the five of them had already reached the edge of the jungle. After seeing you for a thousand miles, they had to say goodbye. It was time to go our separate ways.
The previous laughter and laughter came to an abrupt end, and what Yan Yun had to face was a troubled world.
He stood on the bank of the river and watched the four people leave, feeling a sense of sadness and longing welling up in his heart.
The Qiang people have penetrated deep into the hinterland of Dayu. Has General Wuwei's Mansion far away in the royal city been implicated in the fall of Longtou Pass? Is his mother still in good health? Are his two nephews okay... All the thoughts and concerns make Yan Yun Returning like an arrow.
So, Yan Yun picked up his luggage with a bamboo pole and walked towards the vast wilderness covered by ice and snow.
The land in Huangshuiguan is fertile and suitable for farming. It was originally a prosperous place. However, due to the invasion of the Qiang people, traces of the past prosperity are hard to find and the people were displaced.
When the city was broken, the crops had not yet been harvested. Some of the good grain became fodder for the Qiang people's horses, some was directly burned by fire, and some lay in the fields and became moldy.
There were no people in the village, not even a dog. Not a single farmyard was intact, with broken bricks and tiles, ruins and walls everywhere, and everything was devastated.
Yan Yun felt heavy in his heart. The people of Dayu were the foundation of Dayu, and they had been protected by the Yan family for generations. He felt uncomfortable being displaced due to the war.
Along the way, Yan Yun chose a place close to the mountains, trying to avoid the villages where the Qiang people might be. When he was hungry, he would dig some sweet potato to satisfy his hunger, so as not to attract attention and get into trouble.
Traveling long distances without horses would be very tiring, and he had to take a detour, which made it difficult for him to eat vegetarian food. After three consecutive days of traveling, he felt that he could no longer walk, so he made a set of simple bows and arrows to shoot at the target. Game replenishes physical strength.
It's also strange that since he hunted the first hare, every time he found a dilapidated village to light a fire for barbecue, there would always be victims who were hiding somewhere and came to watch, and they were usually women, children or the elderly.
Yan Yun had no choice but to leave most of it to them and keep a few pieces for himself to barely cope with his hungry belly.
On the fifth day, the number of Qiang soldiers gradually increased, and they formed groups and raided everywhere.
Probably because they penetrated deep into the territory of Dayu, these Qiang soldiers did not go alone. At least they moved in groups of hundreds of people to prevent the soldiers and civilians hiding in the mountains from launching a surprise attack on them.
Common people's furniture, farm tools, and even common objects such as baskets, lamps, water spoons, and dustpans were all targeted by these Qiang soldiers, and the backs of the carriages were piled full.
There were also Qiang people who followed the Qiang soldiers with their cattle and sheep, using the unharvested crop fields as pastures to graze.
If Yan Yun had a better spear and a good war horse, he might not dare to launch a surprise attack on a Qiang team of hundreds of people, but now all he can rely on is a bamboo pole, a machete, and a knife holding a sharp weapon. The enemy's melee is tantamount to seeking death.
Yan Yun became more cautious and looked for a place with trees such as mounds and hills to spend the night next to the village. Although it was a little colder, it was safe.
On the seventh day, Yan Yun was not far from Fenglindu.
