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

Wang Zhenhuan ate some dry rations and lay down on the pile of straw. Looking at the spiderwebs on the eaves above his head, he unknowingly fell asleep. When he woke up again, it was already late at night.

He added some firewood to the fire, got up, and went outside. He realized that it had been raining heavily outside. Standing under the eaves, he looked into the dark distance and listened to the pitter-patter of the rain.

Only then did he suddenly realize that he was not a person returning home, but merely a fleeting passerby. Longing, like a sudden chill, arrived unexpectedly that night.

However, it wasn't just the rainy night that was hard to endure, but also his lonely heart. This was the first night without Lin Qingyan, and he thought he would sleep soundly until dawn, but he overestimated himself.

Although Wang Zhen really hated being alone, he had to admit that now, perhaps all he had left was loneliness. He didn't say anything, turned around and went back into the house, without closing the door.

A cool autumn breeze, carrying a hint of moisture, blew in from outside, making him a little more awake. He lay back down, placing his hands behind his head. He waited silently for dawn.

Just past the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), the light rain stopped. Although it wasn't sunrise yet, Wang Zhenhuan packed his bags and set off on his continued journey south. He was beginning to fear being alone.

By sunrise at dawn, he had reached the territory of Yunzhou. Although from a distance across the official road, Yunzhou did not appear to have been attacked by the Jin people, the city gates were already under martial law.

Wang Zhen really didn't plan to enter the city. He feared that while entering would be easy, getting out would be difficult. If the Jurchens attacked, he would be trapped inside. Then he wouldn't be able to leave even if he wanted to. After all, this place wasn't far from Fengfu.

As dawn broke, Wang Zhenhuan saw many people like himself hurrying along the official road, carrying bundles. These people looked exhausted and covered in dust, indicating that news of the Jurchens' southward advance had already spread.

Wang Zhenhuan looked down and examined himself. The long journey and the many things he had encountered over the past few days had left him in tattered clothes, covered in dust, making him look like a beggar.

He chuckled self-deprecatingly, shook his head, and continued along the official road. A beggar it is, at least he won't attract attention this way; it's fine. After last night, he seemed to have matured considerably.

Although he was still traveling on foot, he hadn't felt the journey was long when Lin Qingyan was around. But now, even though he was still moving forward step by step, it felt unusually slow.

Because it was an official road, villages could be seen from time to time along the way. However, most of the villages were deserted. Some were even reduced to ruins, a scene of desolation.

The southward migration of the Jurchens was only one of the reasons. Even more serious was the continuous famine, coupled with frequent raids by mountain bandits. Few of these remote villages survived.

Before, when we were nearing Yunzhou City, there were quite a few pedestrians on the road. But by noon, we hadn't seen a single peddler or laborer, except for a few Song Dynasty soldiers riding swiftly on horseback.

Wang Zhenhuan didn't stop to rest. After taking out some dry rations and eating a few bites, he continued south along the official road until evening. There he encountered a group of refugees who appeared to be fleeing from war.

Why are they called refugees? Because these people were all ragged and emaciated. They walked slowly, supporting each other as they went. This scene reminded Wang Zhen of the villagers who had been slaughtered in his village.

He stood aside and watched the refugees for a while, and realized that they must be a family. There was an elderly couple and a boy about his age, who was holding a young child in his arms.

The elderly couple looked quite old, but judging from the boy's address, they were his parents. Their advanced age was undoubtedly due to overwork and the lack of food during their escape.

All four of them were emaciated and pale, especially the elderly couple, whose faces were withered and who were as thin as rakes. They were supposedly traveling, but in reality, they were moving very slowly, even their steps were unsteady and shaky.

Wang felt genuinely sorry for them and wanted to help, but he didn't know how to start. Seeing that it was getting late, he quickened his pace and found an excuse to talk to them.

During the conversation, it was learned that this family had indeed fled south. They were already poor, and the recent war and frequent government requisitions of grain had compounded their hardship, leaving them with no choice but to leave their home and head south.

No matter when, it is always the common people who suffer in war. When the government collects grain, it doesn't matter if you have surplus grain or not. If you can't pay the grain, you have to pay money or goods in lieu of payment. If you don't have money, you have to send people to the battlefield.

The war is now intense, and these civilians have not been trained. Being hastily sent into battle is practically a death sentence. Speaking of this painful topic, the old man wept uncontrollably.

Wang Zhenhuan felt a pang of sympathy. If there weren't no other options, who would willingly leave their home? As the saying goes, people are cheap when they leave their hometown, but things are expensive when they leave their hometown. For ordinary people in this era, home was practically everything.

As I spoke with the refugee, a dilapidated little building appeared by the roadside ahead. From a distance, it looked like an abandoned post station; no wonder the soldiers I'd seen earlier seemed to be in a hurry.

It turned out that the post station here had long been abandoned. If they didn't reach the next post station today, they would probably have to rest in the wilderness. With that in mind, Wang Huanzhen led the group to the small building.

Upon closer inspection, the building was indeed a post station. However, most of it had collapsed, the main building was almost crumbling, and only the east and west wing rooms still had roofs.

Wang Zhen looked around for a moment, then walked towards the east wing. Pushing open the door, he found the room filled with dust. Piles of dried straw covered the floor, and dried horse manure was everywhere.

It looked like a stable, he shook his head, and turned to walk towards the west wing. Fortunately, although the west wing was dilapidated, the earthen bed was still there. Wang Huanzhen beckoned the group inside.

Then he turned around and picked up some dried horse manure and straw, put them inside the house, and said to them, "You rest here for a while, I'll go out and find something to eat."

Having said that, he headed into the mountains. Actually, he had some dry rations in the bundle he was carrying. It wasn't that he didn't want to take them out, but there were too many people here, and the amount of rations was just a drop in the ocean.

So he decided to try his luck in the mountains before it got dark. Wang Zhenhuan took his curved knife and went into the mountains. Soon, he saw a huge, exposed tree root, and he was immediately overjoyed.

He drew his scimitar, preparing to dig it out, when suddenly a woman's voice sounded behind him. The voice said...

"The sun is setting, and night is approaching. Why is my younger brother lingering alone in the mountains?"