The first ray of morning light from the horizon passed through the dense forest, dispersing the light mist and illuminating Yin Shang's face covered with blood.
Everyone had already dispersed in the pursuit, but Yin Shang and Jiang Yixue were still running away. The sound of galloping horse hooves could still be heard faintly from behind.
Jiang Yixue looked at the surrounding scenery, gritted her teeth and said: "The front is approaching Peishui, there is no way, you can leave me to them."
Peishui is a large river that flows through the Lingzi, Dongpei, Xurong, and Dingsi kingdoms. If you go towards the border between Dongpei and Xurong countries, you will inevitably pass through this river.
There is a bridge here, but it's obviously not ahead.
Yin Shang said nothing, still looking ahead and concentrating on riding his horse.
Jiang Yixue reached out and grabbed the corner of her robe, with a hint of crying in her voice, and said, "I can't watch you fall into despair for someone like me. Yin Shang, don't go any further and hand me over!"
Yin Shang tried his best to look back, but Zhan Lubo and others were already chasing him closer and closer.
She didn't see any panic, she just tightened her arms around his waist and said, "I promised to protect you, and I will definitely do it."
Hearing this, the tears in Jiang Yixue's eyes instantly fell down, she cried and shook her head, saying, "I'm sorry..."
She didn't speak any more, she just rode hard and passed through the dense forest in a blink of an eye. Sure enough, she saw a river of about a hundred feet lying in front of her.
The two immediately got off their horses and ran towards the river.
Peishui was not in the flood season and was calm and calm, but it was the twelfth month of winter and the river was as cold as ice. Yin Shang touched a handful of the river water, turned to Jiang Yixue and said, "Take off your cloak and robe."
After saying that, he also reached out to untie his own cloak and put it on the horse along with his.
Seeing that he was hesitant to speak, Yin Shang said directly: "Don't say anything useless, I want you, and no one can stop me."
She stretched out her hand and pulled Jiang Yixue to the shore and whispered: "Hold my hand tightly and don't let go."
His eyes were red, but his eyes became firm. He nodded vigorously and said, "Okay."
After saying that, Yin Shang stood there and waited for the opportunity. As soon as he could hear the sound of horse hooves, he hit the horse's back hard. The horses around him neighed under the force and ran away quickly carrying their clothes.
Yin Shang immediately tightened his hand and said: "Jump!" As the words fell, the two of them moved together and jumped into the cold and biting river water.
After a few breaths, Zhan Lubo and Shen Yuexi came to the shore.
The ripples in the water were still there, and the horses in the distance were still running away. The color of their clothes was vaguely visible. Shen Yuexi immediately said: "Jumped into the river?"
Time waits for no one, Zhan Lubo frowned and thought for a while, then said: "Chase the horse first!"
Shen Yuexi asked Ji: "What if I jump into the river?"
Zhan Lubo said: "Maybe it's just to confuse us. The river is so cold, and you may not survive if you go down. Chase the horse first!"
Upon hearing this, the soldiers immediately set off and chased the horses again.
…
Peishui is not particularly wide, so it is not difficult to swim to the other side. However, the water is too biting and you will feel numb with coldness all over your body as soon as you enter the water.
Yin Shang has been practicing martial arts for many years, but he can still hold on. Jiang Yixue's face has turned pale, and his lips are almost bloodless.
"Can I still leave?"
Hearing her concerned voice, Jiang Yixue nodded with all her strength and said, "Okay, don't worry about me, let's go quickly."
Yin Shang frowned and looked around, then took Jiang Yixue's hand and stepped into the dense forest together.
Taking shelter in the water is just the simplest first step. What you have to face after landing is the real problem.
How to protect yourself in the deep mountains and forests, how to get horses and get back on the road, how to avoid Zhan Lubo's pursuit that may turn back at any time...
Yin Shang looked calm and thought carefully while walking.
Naturally, this is not a dead end yet, and she will not let herself reach a dead end.
Now, she still has weapons, money, fire, and the prince's jade order with her. The most important things are still with her. She wants to protect herself and be able to do so with ease.
The most important thing is how to return to Qihui safely.
When Zhan Lubo realized that something was wrong with the horses, he would naturally react immediately and they would enter the water. The river water was biting in winter. They would either go into the water to escape and then go ashore again, or else they would go to the other side. They would never be able to go far. He had enough manpower. There were horses again and it was only a matter of time before they were found.
...Otherwise we have no choice but to enter the city.
This is still on the border between Xurong and Dongpei. Even if there are Zhuangzi or villages outside the city, there is no guarantee that Shen Yuexi has not sent people to track down the two.
Dongpei...
King Jiang Mingwu of Dongpei has never written a letter or sent anything to Jiang Yixue in so many years. The envoys from Dongpei who pay tribute every year occasionally come to take a look, but they only take a look out of courtesy following envoys from other countries. They never Sent something or brought a message.
...Maybe you can try it.
Just as he was thinking about it, Jiang Yixue suddenly stopped beside him, pointed at a place with his hand, and said, "Yin Shang, look at that."
Yin Shang looked around and saw a large cave with grass and trees at the entrance.
"Let's go." The two held hands and walked in that direction together.
The cave was very deep, with cluttered grass and trees, and it was dark in the depths. It was unknown where it led. Through the light from the entrance of the cave, the undulating edges and corners of the rock wall could be vaguely seen.
Yin Shang was afraid that there were hibernating beasts inside, so he didn't dare to go deeper. He just stayed at the entrance of the cave and gathered some branches and leaves from left and right to make a pile of firewood.
She took out a tightly wrapped oilcloth bag from her arms, which was tightly tied with deer spine silk. Inside was a roll of silver notes and a fire certificate.
In addition, the dagger at her waist and the jade order of the Crown Prince on the inner layer of her clothes are also things that never leave her body.
After lighting the fire, the two of them quickly felt a hint of warmth. Yin Shang reached out and touched Jiang Yixue's pale face, frowning and asked, "How is it?"
He shook his head, his voice a little weak, and said, "It's okay."
Yin Shang hugged him whole and said, "You are too weak."
Although life was better after coming to Dingzhou, he suffered too much in Dongpei when he was young and his body was always weak.
Jiang Yixue's long eyelashes trembled and asked, "Am I too useless?"
Yin Shang lowered his head and glanced at him. He was pale, with black hair and snow-skinned skin. His cyan eyes glowed with a cold and clear blue under the sky. He looked at her with a broken and attached look, which made me feel particularly pity for him.
She smiled, lowered her head and kissed his bloodless lips, and said, "No, I'm here."
"Yes." Seeing her eyes looking at him intently, Jiang Yixue felt a softness in her heart. She stood up slightly and took the initiative to press a kiss on the corner of her lips.
…
With the bonfire and the warm sun outside, the two of them dried their clothes before dusk, rearranged their clothes, and quickly left the cave.
Fortunately, I only took off my cloak and robe when I got into the water. My winter clothes were thick, and I still had several pieces underneath, which could still withstand the severe cold.
The two of them walked along the mountains towards Dong Pei's territory.
…
Dingzhou belongs to the fourteenth country, and the defense between the countries is not strict. After all, they both belong to Dingzhou. If there is a conflict between the two countries, it stands to reason that Dingzhou will come forward to resolve the purge.
However, in recent years, there have been heavy taxes during the fixed weeks, and the fourteen countries also need to implement their tax laws. Not only that, but each country also has to pay tribute silver. If the royal family cannot come up with it, it will have to pay it to the people in the end. , In some countries, taxes and corvee are becoming more and more heavy, and people cannot survive, so they will escape from the city and live outside the city. Once people gather, they will form villages or villages, relying on farming, orchards, and hunting to survive.
In the beginning, when this kind of stronghold became stronger, the government would send people to encircle and suppress it, and forcibly escort the people into the city, where they would be fined for three years. As pledges, the tribute silver of various countries was once again increased, and private taxes increased year after year. In order to avoid harsh government and corvee labor, such villages and villages sprung up like mushrooms after a rain. They could not be encircled and suppressed all at once, becoming a chronic disease that was difficult to solve.
Like Qi Hui, with his mother's efforts to mediate, the people can barely live and work in peace and contentment. There are few such villages outside the city. However, neighboring countries such as Dongpei, Xurong, and Yuezhi, who were Dingzhou, were influenced by Dingzhou. It will be extremely large, and such villages are not uncommon.
What Yin Shang expected was right. After climbing over the top of the mountain, he found a village at the foot of the mountain not far away. At a rough glance, there were about forty or fifty households, all of which were very simple houses, crowded together.
Yin Shang did not approach rashly. He stood there and thought for a while, reached out and tore off a piece of his robe, carefully covered Jiang Yixue's face, and warned: "Be careful, cover it up."
He nodded obediently and stretched out his hands to tidy up, revealing only a pair of beautiful cyan eyes.
Yin Shang took his hand and carefully moved towards the village.
It was winter, and it was approaching dusk. There were not many people in the village. As Yin Shang got closer, he saw clearly a simple wooden sign placed at the door, with the words "Lotus Village" crookedly engraved on it.
Yin Shang did not take the initiative to go in, but stood at the door, looking around hesitantly.
Soon, a house near the entrance of the village opened the door, and an old woman with gray hair walked out on crutches, tremblingly approaching them, her cloudy eyes narrowed, and asked: "Who is it?"
Before she could speak, another little boy about five or six years old came out of the room and looked at them warily.
Yin Shang bit his lower lip, looked at her timidly, and said, "Mother-in-law, may I ask where this is?"
The old woman nodded her crutch and said, "This is Lianshan Mountain outside Hanzhou City in Dongpei. Where did you two come from?"
Fear appeared in Yin Shang's eyes, and he said: "We came from Dingzhou...are we actually in Dongpei?"
Seeing that the two of them were covered in dust and dust, the old woman thought they were people who had escaped from the city. She softened her tone and asked, "What's going on with you two? Where are you going?"
Yin Shangdao: "We, my sister and my brother, were originally from Dingzhou and Huzhou. Our parents were both small businessmen. My father passed away a few years ago... A few days ago, my stepfather took advantage of my mother not being at home and actually wanted to sell our two brothers and sisters." The land of dust... We ran out with all our lives. We wanted to go to Xuzhou to find my mother... but who knew..."
Hearing this, the old woman's face immediately showed a trace of pity and said: "Poor child, you are going to Xuzhou, but you have already gone the other way, and you are now in Dongpei." She looked at Jiang Yixue, who was covering her face. Ask: "What happened to this child?"
Yin Shang said: "The two of us are from Peishui. The river water is cold in winter and my brother has a fever. We wanted to ask for directions, but we were afraid that we would get sick of you, so we covered him up."
The old woman sighed and said, "What a good boy. Come in and have a bowl of hot tea before you go. Going into the water in winter will be bad for your health."
After saying that, she tremblingly walked in front of her on crutches. The child turned his head and looked at them for a few times, still looking wary.
Yin Shang responded gratefully, took Jiang Yixue's hand and followed the old woman.
The short hut was surrounded by some wooden piles and stones of different thicknesses. It could barely be regarded as a yard. When you pushed open the rickety low door and stepped in, you could see a small piece of turned earth in the corner. It was winter, there was nothing planted on it, and there was a wooden barrel filled with water next to it.
The yard is not big, and I walked to the door of the house in just two steps. The house was called a house, but in fact it was just a straw hut. There was air leakage from top to bottom, left and right. The house was dark and without lights. You could vaguely see the inside through the skylight outside. Furnishings - a low wooden bed with some weeds and a thin roll of dirty quilt leaking cotton. There is no table inside. Several large stones are set against the corner, with a pot on top and a pot on the side. There were several broken bowls on it.
Nothing else.
Yin Shang has never seen such a scene.
She was stunned for a moment, until the mother-in-law tremblingly scooped out a bowl of water from the pot in the corner, handed it to her, and said, "Don't dislike it, just take a sip."
Yin Shang quickly took it and said, "I don't mind it." After she finished speaking, she realized that her throat was a little hoarse, as if she was choking on something.
Jiang Yixue also reached out to take the water that the child handed him, and said softly: "Thank you very much."
The weather was cold. It was said to be hot water, but in fact it was already lukewarm. She put the broken bowl to her lips and poured it down her throat.
After finishing the drink, Yin Shang put down the bowl, brushed his hair with a somewhat unnatural movement, handed the bowl back to the old woman, and asked, "Are you two the only ones at home?"
The mother-in-law put away the bowl and said in a calm voice: "I am the only one, the children and my wife are all dead."
Yin Shang paused, looked at the child, and said, "This is it?"
The mother-in-law touched the child's hair and said, "His parents are also dead. I thought he was pitiful, so I asked him to be my companion."
Yin Shang gritted his teeth and was silent for a while.
After a long time, the mother-in-law said: "There are still some pickles at home. The people in the village kindly gave them to us. If you don't mind, how about eating some together?"
Yin Shang nodded first and said, "I don't mind." After saying that, he shook his head and said, "What will you eat tomorrow if you eat for us?"
The old woman's turbid eyes moved, and she looked at the darkening sky outside the door, and said: "I am also half dead. It doesn't matter. This child is still young, and the people in the village will always pity him."
Yin looked at the child and asked softly: "How old are you?"
He hid behind his mother-in-law, with a sallow complexion and a thin, wary eye. After a long time, he said in a thin voice: "Eight years old."
Eight years old.
Eight years old.
She thought she was only five or six years old at first.
Her throat seemed to be blocked by a handful of straw, and she couldn't say anything.
After a pause, she looked at the sky outside and said to Jiang Yixue, "Wait for me here while I go to the mountain to find some food."
Jiang Yixue nodded and said, "Be careful."
When the mother-in-law heard this, she frowned and said, "It's cold on the mountain. It's hard for the young adults in the village to hunt. You're a kid. What are you going to do? Come back quickly!"
"It's okay," Jiang Yixue reached out to help her and said, "Don't worry."
Yin Shang was already far away in a few moments, and she couldn't catch up with her crutches. She tapped the ground heavily and said, "Oh! You didn't even try to persuade your sister! It's getting dark now, so it's even harder to prey!"
Jiang Yixue supported her and repeated: "You really don't have to worry, it's cold outside, just go inside."
