The Northern Song Dynasty returned south, seeking the truth of the Dao.

Wang Zhenhuan watched Lin Qingyan and the short, plump woman busily starting a fire at the entrance of the cave. The old woman and the young woman, the fat woman and the thin woman, were surprisingly harmonious and warm at that moment.

He lay down on his side, leaning against the straw and bedding on the stone bed, squinting his eyes and enjoying this moment of tranquility, even though there was a pungent, musty smell among the bedding.

But for some reason, the scent brought him a sense of peace. So what is life? A chaotic world, unbearable to look back upon. Only this affection and the person before him remained, as steadfast as the morning light.

Although I encountered several large fires and smelled many fireworks along the way south, I have never been as excited as I am today.

Although there wasn't much millet, and most of it still had its husks on, it still smelled very fragrant when cooked in the pot. Even lying in bed, Wang Zhenhuan could smell the aroma of the millet wafting through the air.

The aroma was so enticing that he could no longer lie in bed. Having not eaten for several days, the two duck eggs and a few dried apricots were hardly enough to satisfy his exhaustion.

After waiting for half an hour, Lin Qingyan found several bowls among the bottles and jars. She ladled a few bowls of rice soup from the pot, took them into the cave, and placed them on the stone table beside it.

The rice water was cloudy, with some millet husks floating on top. The millet, due to its age and being buried underground, was mostly damp. After cooking, it was almost completely mushy.

Even so, the aroma made him impatient. He sat down at the stone table and couldn't help but lower his head to take a small sip; the scalding hot rice soup made his tongue go numb.

He opened his mouth wide, blowing hard, and finally managed to swallow the rice porridge. He then squinted his eyes, enjoying the warm feeling of the rice porridge in his stomach. Seeing him like this, Lin Qingyan couldn't help but reach out and pat him.

"It's hot, drink slowly. Nobody's going to take it from you, why are you in such a hurry!" She rolled her eyes at him and then sat down next to him.

Wang Zhenhuan chuckled upon hearing Lin Qingyan's words. Then he turned and waved to the woman at the cave entrance, gesturing for her to come and sit down for a meal. The woman nodded.

After wiping his hands on his clothes, he entered the cave and sat down next to Lin Qingyan. Looking at the woman's simple and honest appearance, Wang Zhenhuan's heart stirred, and he spoke softly to her.

"Madam, I've known you for so long, yet I've never met your family. I suppose you, like us, are all alone after the war?"

The woman nodded upon hearing his words, her eyes reddening as if she had recalled something sad. Seeing this, Lin Qingyan quickly stepped forward and gently patted her back, then glared at Wang Zhenhuan.

Wang Zhenhuan chuckled awkwardly and continued, "Qingyan and I have discussed it before, and we plan to set off south this afternoon. I wonder if Madam would be willing to come with us? That way, we can look after each other on the road."

The short, plump woman seemed somewhat bewildered upon hearing Wang Zhenhuan's words. Her eyes held a mixture of longing and reluctance. Lin Qingyan also offered words of comfort from the side.

"Madam, you are kind-hearted, and we really can't bear to leave you here alone. Now that Fengfu City has fallen, and winter is coming soon, how will you live here all by yourself?"

Hearing Lin Qingyan's words, the woman looked up at her, then turned to look at Wang Zhenhuan. Wang Zhenhuan smiled and nodded at her. The woman wiped her eyes and silently nodded in agreement.

"That's wonderful! From now on, Zhen Huan and I won't have to rely on each other anymore. Madam, do you have a name? We can't keep calling you Madam all the time, can we?" Lin Qingyan said happily, hugging the woman.

To everyone's surprise, the woman blushed and shook her head upon hearing her words. Wang Zhen was just about to speak when suddenly a throbbing pain shot through his temple and the center of his forehead. He quickly covered his forehead.

Seeing that Lin Qingyan and the woman were talking with their heads down and didn't notice anything amiss with him, he casually got up and said to Lin Qingyan, "Is your fire still burning? I smell smoke outside."

"No way? I put out the fire when I came in. I'll go check." Lin Qingyan said, getting up, but Wang Zhenhuan waved his hand and said to her.

"I'll go, I can go out and relieve myself."

"Yes, you're feeling weak, don't go too far."

Wang Zhenhuan turned and walked towards the cave entrance. His words earlier weren't unfounded. Just as he was experiencing a headache, he seemed to smell a wisp of smoke, which is why he blurted it out.

After leaving the cave and pushing aside the bushes, he made sure he couldn't be seen from inside the cave before crouching on the ground, clutching his head in pain. Waves of pain washed over his forehead.

The smoky, acrid smell became even stronger as he stepped out. Looking up, he saw a pile of smoldering embers in an open space not far away.

The flames had been extinguished, leaving only some blackened charcoal. Lin Qingyan was right; she had indeed put out the fire. But where was this smoke coming from?

Wang Zhenhuan covered his forehead, enduring the pain as he looked around. Although he didn't know why his forehead was suddenly hurting, he had experienced the incident at the farm.

He figured out one thing: whenever he was in danger, his forehead would ache. The feeling was indescribable, like a warning sign.

Earlier, when he ran from the backyard to the front door after setting fire to the house, the pain in his forehead was almost exploding. It was at that moment that he paused for a moment as he left his hiding place, thus avoiding being discovered by the returning Jurchens.

This feeling was less of a warning and more of an awakening instinct. He had heard in his past life that animals have the ability to sense in advance when they encounter large-scale natural disasters.

Could it be that he, too, had unintentionally awakened this ability? This ability is good, but it's just too painful. He even wondered if he would be tormented to death if he kept encountering danger.

Since it wasn't the fire where they had cooked, there must be some other danger approaching. With that thought, Wang Zhen found a thick, sturdy tree and climbed up its trunk.

As everyone knows, smoke rises. So by the time he reached the treetops, the smell of smoke was already quite strong and somewhat choking. He parted the slightly yellowing branches and looked down the mountain.

The sight before him sent a chill down his spine, making him feel as if he had been plunged into an ice cellar. He knew the Jurchens were cruel and bloodthirsty, but he never imagined they would be so utterly shameless! At the foot of the mountain, a raging fire was burning fiercely.

A row of golden figures stood not far away, holding torches, watching helplessly as the fire grew larger! He suddenly understood why the golden scouts had returned without capturing him last night.

It turns out they were planning to set the mountain on fire!