In the cold winter, everything is in a bleak state.

Zhang Jiao walked along the way and saw a gloomy look. It was hard to see people within ten miles. Many of the huts scattered in the mountains were abandoned and were crushed and piled up by heavy snow.

Occasionally, he passed by the villages where there were people, all the gates were closed, and there were people guarding them in front of the village.

After seeing him as an outsider from afar, several scoundrels immediately jumped out and stared at him with sticks and forks until he left the territory of their village.

In addition, the most common thing Zhang Jiao encountered was the bandits turned into by refugees.

They were either alone or in groups of three or five lies on the side of the road. Once a small number of pedestrians passed by, they would take the wooden sticks that were sharpened and burned with fire, scaring them in a scattered manner, trying to grab some things.

Eat, drink, wear, and even a strap-on rope...

As long as it can be used, they will grab it.

Zhang Jiao silently observed everything in front of him, looking at the end of the dynasty that had fallen into the collapse of the world, looking for what he wanted.

......

On this day, as evening approached, the sky was already dimming.

After turning a mountain bend, a broken county town appeared in Zhang Jiao's eyes.

He soon came to the front of the county gate, and countless thin cracks broke out in front of the city less than two meters, and a broken spot appeared on the right section.

Zhang Jiao looked at the three big characters Huayin County that were almost unseen on the county gate, and slowly walked in.

The gate of the county town was half open, and no one was guarding it behind it. There was only a pride railing next to the gate, covered with newly glued hemp paper.

Zhang Jiao took a look and found that the picture on the hemp paper was not the imagined robbers or murderers, but rather young and immature boys. The biggest one looked only twelve or twelve years old.

After watching for a while, Zhang Jiao walked into the city.

The roads in the small town are not much better than the muddy dirt roads outside the door. They are filled with potholes and snow water that has just melted.

When a pedestrian steps up, countless mud and water will splash.

The doors on both sides of the road were tightly closed, and only a few small shops with rice and cloth shops that read had one door open.

The road was empty and there was almost no figure.

The entire county town is no different from a dead city, and there is no trace of vitality.

Zhang Jiao looked around to see if he could find a place where he could eat, but after walking for a while, he couldn't find a place where he could eat.

Just as he was looking around, a man with a hunched back and curled up half of his body came over under the eaves next to him.

He put his hands in his ragged black sleeves, revealing a mouthful of front teeth that were missing most of them. He looked at Zhang Jiao's white hair and said with some trembling.

"Master Dao, are you looking for people or places in Huayin County? The young Lai San may be able to help you a little."

He licked his mouth, his hunched back became more and more curved.

Zhang Jiao looked at him, took out five copper plates from the bag around his waist and threw them into his arms, and said softly, "Take me a place to eat and rest."

Lai San immediately caught five copper plates, without even feeling cold, and stuffed them directly into the rotten clothes on his chest and patted them.

"No problem, come with me and keep all your food and accommodation beautiful."

As he said that, he walked in front of him and led Zhang Jiao to a small courtyard and began to knock on the door.

"Sister Qiaoer, Sister Qiaoer, are you here?"

After a while, a sound of walking came from the yard. As the sound of the crunching door bolt opened, a woman in a dark blue cloth shirt walked out and cursed.

"Lai San, what are you calling out tonight?"

Lai San quickly stepped forward, staring at her high bulging clothes involuntarily, and said with a drooling sound, "Sister Qiao, aren't I bringing you someone?"

After saying that, he stretched his neck to the side, and the woman named Qiaojie immediately saw Zhang Jiao next to him.

She was first surprised when she looked at Zhang Jiao's white hair, and then when she saw his smooth and pale face, her eyes were immediately delighted.

The previous savage energy disappeared immediately, "It's true that I didn't see you, Taoist priest, hurry up, please come in."

As she said that, she was going to recruit people.

But Lai San next to him immediately walked over with his face licked his face, rubbing his index finger and thumb constantly, "Sister Qiao, do you think of me?"

Qiaojie glared at him viciously, took out a penny from her purse and threw it over.

"Go away, go away."

Lai San picked up the copper coins on the ground and immediately said with a smile, "Master Dao, then you can rest!"

As he said that, he turned around and walked out, colliding with a thin figure.

"Did you see my family?"

The figure grabbed Lai San's arm without thinking it was dirty, and gestured with his hands and feet, "He is so tall, he is strong..."

"Yunniang!!"

Lai San interrupted her and said loudly, "Yunniang, I really don't see your roots. Go back quickly. It's cold, you're not in good health, go back quickly."

After saying that, he raised his hand, pulled out the caught arm, and walked out quickly.

Only the thin figure was left standing there, muttering to himself.

"Gen'er, Gen'er, where are you?"

Suddenly, she happened to see the new face at Qiaojie's door, and rushed over like a devil, grabbing his clothes and begging.

"Master Taoist, Master Taoist, have you seen my roots? He is so tall, strong, and worn..."

Qiaojie next to her sighed and pulled Yunniang's hands off, "Yunniang, how could Taoist priest know? We have almost searched Huayin County, and it is no longer here."

Yunniang seemed to have never heard what she said, just looked at Zhang Jiao begging and kept saying, "Master Taoist, have you ever seen Gen'er?"

Zhang Jiao looked at her eyes, slowly turned his head, and said softly, "Sorry, I haven't seen it all the way."

The glory in Yunniang's eyes suddenly dimmed and happy. Qiaojie next to her immediately pulled Zhang Jiao into the yard and inserted the door bolt with her backhand.

Just as she was about to speak, a desperate cry suddenly came from outside the house.

"Gen'er, my Gen'er."

Zhang Jiao immediately stopped and asked Qiaojie beside him, "Did her child be pasted on the notice at the city gate?"

Qiaojie nodded and sighed and said, "There are several families in the city who have lost their children these days. We have searched for a long time but haven't found them. The head of the county said that it may have been abducted, otherwise we could not have lost so many children at once."

She said as she led him into the house and lit the oil lamp on the square table beside the kang.

He smiled and said to Zhang Jiao, "I won't talk about this anymore. Taoist priest, should you rest first? Or I will warm your body first."

As she said that, she came over and stretched out her hands towards Zhang Jiao.

Zhang Jiao waved his hand quickly, arranged a row of copper coins, put them on the small table and pushed them in front of Qiaojie.

"Give me some food first. Are you enough of this?"

Sister Qiao looked at the less than a hundred coins in front of her, and her face suddenly flushed. She murmured, "Enough, enough. I'll prepare it for you now, so I'll keep you good food, drink and fun tonight."

After saying that, Qiaojie quickly pulled the copper coins on the table into her purse, then smiled at Zhang Jiao and walked out.

"Master, then you wait first, I'll be back soon."

Zhang Jiao sat by the kang, and the fire as big as bean seedlings flashed in front of him, and heart-wrenching crying sounds kept coming from his ears.

"Gen'er, Gen'er. Where are you? Mom can't find you!!"

"God, please give me the root back!"

The sounds of crying like cuckoos crying blood kept echoing in Zhang Jiao's ears, and Yunniang's instantly desperate and dim eyes kept appearing in front of him.

Zhang Jiao sat there, his figure in the faint firelight, and his reflection became more and more evil.

In the alley outside the courtyard, Yunniang stumbled on the road, constantly shouting to the empty alleys on both sides, "Gen'er, Gen'er..."

A gust of cold wind suddenly blew past her, blew up a few of her black hairs and drifted into the distance.

Under the sign at the city gate, Zhang Jiao's evil figure floated slowly.

He looked up at the portrait on the signboard, and the hairs mixed with their fingertips broke one by one and turned into ashes.

"The twelve relative hexagrams are bright, and the first six stars of the horse are good or bad."

An arm that was not as human as a human was stretched out from his left armpit, and his slender fingers pinched Xiao Liuren's palm-breaking formula. In conjunction with the blood-colored hexagrams that were constantly changing in his eyes, scenes continued to replay in front of him.

"Hmm? Still alive!"

“On here.”

The figure under the sign disappeared instantly, and a gray mist shot straight towards the southeast.

In a deserted village a hundred miles southeast.

Fat Tou Tuo and Slender Tou Tuo are both staying by the fire without doing anything.

While tearing off a piece of roasted rabbit meat and putting wine, he vented dissatisfiedly.

"Skinny, you said, when will we wait? When will the flag entourage come? I'm almost crazy when I look at these 'Daozi's' every day. Even if you ask me to send it to the main hall in person, it's better than waiting here."

The thin man next to him was drinking wine. After hearing his words, he said disdainfully, "You still want to send it to the headquarters? Don't you check how much you weigh?"
To be continued...