101-110

Chapter 101

"We couldn't go to Luozhou, and we could sell our goods in Yongzhou and go back, but the drought in Yongzhou was severe, and we couldn't sell our goods there, so we took a detour to Luozhou."

"Severe drought in Yongzhou?" Lin Zhen frowned when he heard the news. Yongzhou is not far from Luozhou, and it forms a three-state situation with Bingzhou.

This autumn, Gu Lin will take part in the provincial examination. If he passes the examination, he will go to Kyoto to take part in the joint examination and the palace examination. Yongzhou is the most convenient way. If he takes a detour, the time spent on the road will be more than half.

Moreover, the distance between Yongzhou and Luozhou is such that if the drought lasts for a long time, there will definitely be refugees flocking here. At that time, life here may not be so peaceful.

However, Lin Zhen just thought about it for a while. Whether it was the drought or the handling of refugees, it was the business of the officials in the Kyoto court. As an ordinary citizen, he could not worry about it. He turned to ask about the interesting things that Ah Er had experienced while traveling on the business road.

Ah Er and his friends traveled around all year round, and what they said casually made Lin Zhen feel interesting.

Ah Er said cheerfully, "Boss Lin, do you want to go on the business?"

Lin Zhen smiled and said, "Maybe. The kids at home are not big yet. We'll think about it when they grow up."

"Hahahahaha, it's not that I look down on Boss Lin. You're a boy. You can't stand the hardship of going on the business. Although we make a lot of money on one trip, we have to be careful of robbers on the road. We have to sleep in the open air. If we're not careful, we'll have to fight with people with sticks."

"No one will take care of anyone at that time. It's good enough to save our lives." If it weren't for the fact that their life there was really difficult, Ah Er and his group wouldn't go on the business.

Lin Zhen naturally knew how hard it was to do this business in this era. There were no fast means of transportation, only cattle, horses, mules, and very few waterways. It would take several times or even dozens of times longer to get to a place that could be reached in a few hours or dozens of hours in modern times, not to mention the harsh external environment.

If he did it, he would set up a business, gather goods from all over the world into the business, pay himself a good net profit, and then go on the business road himself, just like in his previous life.

Although he didn't think there was anything wrong with his current life of earning a few hundred taels of silver a month, he was a person who liked to go out and do whatever he wanted.

Moreover, the rule that businessmen's children could not take the imperial examinations was really restrictive. The shops selling milk tea and small cakes basically had to close after half a month of operation.

Anyway, they wouldn't starve to death, so there was nothing they could do.

Lin Zhen led Ah Er to the store, settled the money and sent him out.

Gu Lin, who was following him and was taciturn, suddenly asked: "Uncle Lin, do you want to go somewhere else in the future?"

Lin Zhen didn't mean to hide it from him when he spoke just now. He said that he wanted to wait until the children grew up, and he wanted to go out and run around. Gu Lin just listened to it, and only he knew what he felt in his heart.

Lin Zhen walked into the counter and said: "I do have this idea. I will get moldy if I stay in one place for decades."

"Then..." Gu Lin wanted to say, what about me, and then he sneered in his heart and understood Lin Zhen's thoughts.

In his eyes, he had achieved some fame at that time, married a wife, had his own children, and lived a harmonious and happy life with his family. He could do whatever he wanted and liked without any restrictions.

If Gu Lin didn't have that thought, it would be as he thought, but something went wrong in the middle.

And this mistake was not tolerated by the world. Whether it was him or Lin Zhen, they would be crushed to pieces.

So Gu Lin tossed and turned, carving himself on the boundary of Lin Zhen's child, which was the best result.

But when he heard that Lin Zhen wanted to keep him and go to his own world, he felt like he was back in his childhood when Ma and Zhou Tao tied his hands and feet and threw him into the room. It was so dark and cold. There was no warm hands holding him, and no hot body to hold him.

Gu Lin looked at Lin Zhen deeply and turned back to the backyard.

Lin Zhen felt that the child seemed to have something to say, but seeing that he didn't want to say it, he didn't ask and asked the waiter to do his work.

Luozhou has a lot of rain in spring. In the past few years, every household had to scoop water outside at this time, but this year the rain is thin. The increasingly hot sun shines from morning to night, and the cloudless sky is blue.

On weekdays, everyone would be happy with such good weather, but as the temperature rises and the price of ice rises, they finally start to complain.

Lin Zhen just brought up a bucket full of sour plum soup, and the customer couldn't help but said, "Give me two bowls of sour plum soup. Why is it so hot in this damn weather!" "

Yesterday afternoon, there was thunder and lightning. I thought it would rain, but it was just a sound and no action."

"That's right. The water in the city is getting more and more expensive."

"..."

Now everyone's topic is the weather in the capital city. Talking about it makes people angry. Lin Zhen's beverage store is also doing very well.

He and the waiter sold more than a dozen cups of sour plum soup and closed the store. If they continue to sell, the profit this month will definitely exceed.

The waiter wiped the sweat from his forehead and said to Lin Zhen, "Boss Lin, we only have two buckets of water left today. I'm afraid we have to go earlier tomorrow. There are many people in the city who need water now, and we will miss it if we are late."

Lin Zhen nodded to show that he understood, and asked the waiter to go to the backyard to get the sour plum soup and two cups of iced milk tea that he had left for him. He looked at the scorching sun outside, feeling a little uneasy. He always felt that there was less rain this year and more sunny days.

It is now May, and there are only three months left before the provincial examination. The homework at Huaishan Academy has become very heavy. Sometimes Gu Lin doesn't even come back for lunch, and he will come back later in the afternoon.

Lin Zhen closed the window, blocking the sunlight from shining into the shop, and returned to the backyard.

Lin Xiaoyao was fanning himself with a cattail leaf fan because of the heat. When he saw him come in, he took the cattail leaf fan and gave it to him.

Lin Zhen sat down next to him and frowned, saying, "There is too little rain this year."

"That's right, but the biggest rainy season in the city hasn't come yet. It looked like it was going to rain yesterday. It should be about the same in ten days or half a month."

Lin Zhen was not so optimistic. The city was prosperous, and there was a big river running through it, as well as several small water systems. So even though people in the city complained, they were comparing this year's situation with previous years.

But outside the city, what about the farmers who made a living from the fields?

Lin Zhen couldn't help but think of what the traveling merchant named A'er said two months ago, that there was a severe drought in Yongzhou.

It was spring at that time, and they could find the severe drought in Yongzhou, which meant that there were signs of the severe drought in Yongzhou last year, but the drought had not eased after a few months, and the situation in Yongzhou was really not optimistic.

Living in modern times, Lin Zhen has never really experienced what drought is like, but he has heard of related film and television works and words, nine out of ten houses are empty, and there are starving people everywhere.

When people don't have a grain of food in their stomachs, they can do things that they can never think of at other times.

Lin Zhen couldn't sit still any longer, and said to Lin Xiaoyao, "Xiaoyao, I think the situation this year is a little strange. You should get up and go back to Liyu Village tomorrow, and ask Dad and Father not to sell the food at home. It's better to buy some food quietly and dig a cellar to store it."

Thinking that the city was also going to be drought-stricken, it was impossible for Lin Zhen to do nothing.

Lin Xiaoyao didn't expect Lin Zhen to let him go back, and said, "Third brother, are you saying there will be a drought?"

"This is just my guess, but a merchant who passed by Yongzhou told me that Yongzhou had a serious drought in the spring. Based on this, Yongzhou was probably hit by a drought last year, and not only did it not get better, it got even worse."

"The city is not far from Yongzhou, so it's hard to guarantee that it will be affected here."

Since following Lin Zhen, Lin Xiaoyao has never seen him do anything unreliable, and knows that he would not do this if he had not noticed something.

Although Lin Xiaoyao has never experienced drought, he knows the feeling of not having enough food since childhood, and he no longer thinks about it: "Okay, I will rush back tomorrow."

"Third brother..."

Lin Xiaoyao looked at Lin Zhen: "After I leave, please help me take care of Chen Niangzi and Zhong Yan. They don't know many people in the city. If something happens, I'm afraid they can't handle it."

Lin Xiaoyao likes Zhong Yan, so he naturally knows Zhong Yan very well. He is a scholar who is extremely smart in studying, but he is weak and not as strong as himself.

He is worried that if something happens in the city, Zhong Yan and Chen Niangzi will get into trouble.

"No problem. If the situation is not good, I will bring them here. I won't leave them alone."

"It's a long way from the city to our village. You must be careful. Don't show off your wealth. It's better to dress yourself roughly."

"If there is nothing else, I will write to ask you to come back."

"Okay."

The two brothers have been together for many years. They are reluctant to separate at first, but someone has to do the work.

At night, Lin Zhen told Gu Lin why he wanted Lin Xiaoyao to go back and why he went back. Now he is fourteen and almost fifteen years old. It is also a training to put some things on his shoulders.

The next day, Lin Xiaoyao ate breakfast and went out with a bundle. Lin Zhen sewed silver coins in the corners of his belt and clothes to take back to buy more food.

In fact, he also wanted to go back, but the provincial examination would be in three months, and he must accompany Gu Lin.

In a blink of an eye, another two months passed.

Gu Lin pushed a cart and Lin Zhen followed him. This was a cart they pushed specially to fetch water. There were very few people selling water in the city three or five days ago.

But the family couldn't get water,

so the two could only find a wheelbarrow and carry a few buckets to fetch water. There were many people like them beside the riverbed that had dried up, men, women, young and old, crowded together.

Lin Zhen licked his dry lips, frowning tightly, and felt a sense of fear as he looked at the riverbed that was about to be exposed.

His previous worries came true. In the rainiest season, it still didn't rain in the city. The residents in the city went from sitting and waiting at the beginning to becoming more and more irritable, and recently, the city often saw the figures of government officials catching people who were causing trouble everywhere.

Chapter 102

There were four buckets on the cart, each filled with water, but because the river was about to dry up, the water was scooped up with a ladle, which made it look turbid.

Even with such turbid water, people rushed to scoop it into their buckets, fearing that if they were a step slower, it would be gone.

Lin Zhen retracted his gaze and held the other side of the cart: "Let's go, there are too many people here, and if we are not careful, we will get involved in other people's disputes."

The two pushed the cart back to the city. Along the way, they met people who were going out to fetch water or coming back from fetching water like them, and there were also some carriages and people rushing out. The current situation in the city is really a bit bad. Those who have a way to go have all gone to find their own way to go. For example, in Bingzhou, it is said that there were several heavy rains in the spring, so there is no shortage of water.

"What did the people in your academy say? Has this year's provincial examination been cancelled?"

Gu Lin was wearing a short brown robe that was convenient for work, with a bow and a pot of arrows on his back. He shook his head: "Master Ren didn't give me an exact answer, but Uncle Lin, no matter whether the provincial examination is held or not, we must leave the city as soon as possible." If there is

no exam this year, we will have to wait until three years later. What's more, it is unknown how long this drought will last. According to the household registration system that requires students to return to their hometowns to take the exam, Gu Lin can only take the provincial examination in the city and is not eligible to take the exam in other places.

Lin Zhen sighed: "It's the only way. We'll take the water back and ask Zhong Yan to take us home. Zhong Yan is a weak scholar, it's dangerous to go anywhere, so it's safer to go with us." "

And Wang Qin and Huang Yuwen, they only have servants around them, it's better for them to go with us."

"Well, you stay at home after you go back, I'll take them with you."

Suddenly, just as the two finished talking about what happened, four or five people appeared in front of them, each holding a kitchen knife or a dagger in their hands, blocking their way back: "Leave your water and valuables behind, otherwise I'll make you die--"

"clang!" A flying arrow brushed the ear of the shouting man and pierced the wall behind him, and a strand of broken hair fluttered and fell on the man's shoulder.

"Next time, he will aim at your throat." Gu Lin took out a new arrow from the quiver and pulled the bow into a full moon.

The man holding a kitchen knife and preparing to rob the two little fat sheep didn't see when Gu Lin took the bow off his shoulder, nor did he see when he pulled the bow and arrow.

He knew that he had run into a tough guy.

"Let's go!" He looked at the water in the cart unwillingly and turned to leave.

Several minions led by him were also frightened by Gu Lin's extremely fast arrow. They were the lowest-level gangsters in the city. When the city was not in chaos, they relied on cheating and deceiving to make a little money. They just took advantage of the panic in the city and wanted to take advantage of the chaos to make some benefits, but they didn't want to give their lives here.

Looking at the backs of these people who quickly disappeared in the street, Lin Zhen was grateful countless times that his kid worked so hard to learn archery, otherwise today would not be a good day.

He glanced at the bleak streets and the trees on the roadside. It was not autumn yet, but the leaves were already yellow. He pushed the cart back with Gu Lin who had put away his bow and arrow.

The two shops had closed a month ago. Lin Zhen was afraid of any accidents, so he added a bigger and stronger lock on them. He locked it whenever he went out, and reinforced the inside. He also pushed the unused cabinets at home over here. After entering, he turned the cabinets over and pressed them against the ground. Without seven or eight people pushing hard from the outside, it would be impossible to push them open. After carrying

the water in and putting it away, Lin Zhen said to Gu Lin, "You go find Chen Niangzi, Zhong Yan and the others. I'll make cakes with all the food at home, so it will be more convenient on the way."

"After I go out, you block the door, and don't open it for anyone who knocks." Gu Lin put a firewood chopping knife at home behind his waist, put on a bow and arrow, and looked at him and said.

Lin Zhen nodded: "Don't worry, but you, when you walk outside, you must avoid people. Although you are good at archery, two fists cannot beat four hands, so don't be careless."

"I know, Uncle Lin."

Gu Lin walked out of the store and saw that this Sitong Street, which was bustling with people a few months ago, was now closed by every household. Occasionally, there were two strong men, and they were in a hurry and looked sad.

Gu Lin stepped on the dead leaves on the ground and a dark stain on the ground that he didn't know what it was, and walked towards the place where Chen Niangzi and Zhong Yan lived. The mother and son didn't have much money, so they lived a little away from the busy streets, in a small alley in the west of the city.

He bypassed several small groups that were obviously malicious along the way and knocked on the doors of Zhong Yan and Chen Niangzi's homes.

For a long time, there was no sound inside, and even the slight sound that was originally coming from the alley next to him disappeared.

Gu Lin said, "Madam Chen, I'm Gu Lin."

Madam Chen, who was silent behind the door, and Zhong Yan, who looked heavy-hearted, heard the voice coming from behind the door, and their tense bodies suddenly relaxed. Zhong Yan asked Madam Chen to sit down and went to open the door himself: "Brother Gu."

Gu Lin saluted and walked in: "Madam Chen, Brother Zhong, the situation in the capital city is getting worse. Uncle Lin asked me to pick you up and take you to our store to discuss leaving the city as soon as possible."

Madam Chen was scared by what happened recently. When she heard that Lin Zhen, a reliable person, was leaving the city, she wanted to leave now.

Zhong Yan looked at Gu Lin: "The provincial examination will be held in another month. You gave up this exam."

Gu Lin: "Life is the most important. It will only take three years." He would never let Lin Zhen fall into danger because of him. He could take the imperial examination many times, but Lin Zhen could not be hurt.

Zhong Yan was going to go to Kyoto to take the imperial examination with the students next year, but now it seems impossible. He said, "In this case, my mother and I will pack up and leave with you right away."

Zhong Yan and Chen Niangzi rented a house, and they had added a lot of things in the past two years, such as tables, chairs, benches, bottles and jars. Under normal circumstances, they would never be willing to throw them away, but now they just took a look at them, put Zhong Yan's writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone, a pile of books, half a bag of food and the little money in his purse, and followed Gu Lin with two backpacks on their backs.

Several families quietly looked behind the door, and they were relieved to see Gu Lin and his friends leave, and immediately closed the door tightly.

Gu Lin took them to pick up Wang Qin and Huang Yuwen. The two were about the same age as Gu Lin, with no family around them but only servants, and they could not wait for the letters from Anyuan Town, so they had been wasting time here.

When Gu Lin came to the door, the two were so excited that their faces turned red, and they packed up their things without saying a word and followed him.

It was hard to find acquaintances in a foreign land. This feeling was not felt in peacetime, but when they were isolated and helpless, Wang Qin and Huang Yuwen were almost overjoyed.

Lin Zhen, who was taking out flour from the house to make fried flour, heard a knock on the door. After confirming that it was Gu Lin outside, he quickly moved the cabinet against the door. Seeing Zhong Yan, Chen Niangzi, Wang Qin and Huang Yuwen behind him, the stone in his heart finally fell to the ground: "That's good, I have company on the way back."

"Brother Zhen, if not, I really don't know what to do." Chen Niangzi walked over with tears in her eyes and grabbed Lin Zhen's hand. Since the chaos in the capital city, she and Zhong Yan have been staying at home, and they have not stepped out except to buy food and fetch water.

The night before yesterday, they heard noises coming from the neighbor's house. When they and the people around them got up to see, they found that all seven members of the family were dead. The woman who was about the same age as Chen Niangzi and used to chat together, the aunt who had made lace and her daughter-in-law, and an unmarried girl were lying naked on the ground with cloth stuffed in their mouths and intestines flowing out of their stomachs. The other men died earlier than them and their bodies were stiff.

If the evildoers hadn't deliberately made noises, they would still be unaware.

Mrs. Chen was terrified. She was the only one in the family with Zhong Yan. If anything happened, she would be at the mercy of others and would have no chance to resist.

Although Wang Qin and Huang Yuwen had not encountered any bad things and had no shortage of food and drink, they had been spoiled young men since childhood and had never seen such a scene.

Lin Zhen patted Madam Chen's hand to comfort her, looked at the people in the yard and said, "It looks like it won't rain for a while, and there will be more chaos in the city. We should leave the city and return to Anyuan Town the day after tomorrow at the latest, or tomorrow at the earliest."

"There is still a lot to do before we leave. We need to make the food that is not easy to carry and cannot be stored for a long time into cooked food with a long shelf life to use as dry food on the road. And for the ten of us, I don't know how long it will take to walk back. Let's see if we can find someone who sells livestock and buy two cows or mules so that we can take more things on the road." It takes half a month to get from the provincial capital to Anyuan Town, and that's assuming there are no other unexpected situations and everything goes well. Lin Zhen is a little unsure, but compared to waiting in the provincial capital for the situation to get worse and worse, returning to Anyuan Town is a better decision.

Wang Qin raised his hand: "Uncle Lin, I bought a horse before, and it is still tied in the stable in the backyard."

Huang Yuwen also said: "My servant bought a mule to pull the carriage to take me to school."

"Why didn't you bring it here just now?" Lin Zhen quickly knelt down to the two masters. What is the most important thing for a long journey? Food, water and leg strength, otherwise how much can they carry?

Wang Qin scratched his head: "When I came out, I only remembered to pack the valuables, and didn't take care of other things."

"..." Lin Zhen said to Gu Lin, "Take Wang Qin and the two servants around Huang Yuwen to bring the horse and mule, and by the way, see if there is any food and salt in their house, bring them all."

"Okay."

Then Lin Zhen said to the remaining six people: "Let's make food that can be preserved from today."

The flour was fried, cooled, and then put into the bag made of cotton cloth by Chen Niangzi, which was ten pounds per bag. Lin Zhen specially added chopped nuts and sugar in it. It is high in calories. When eating, just rinse it with hot water, which can replenish physical strength in a short time.

There are also smoked meat jerky, homemade dried noodles fried into simple instant noodles without seasoning packets, as well as steamed cakes, rice cakes...

Chapter 103

Since Lin Zhen asked Lin Xiaoyao to go back, he would buy more food every time. In the past month, he bought more. In addition to the rice, wheat flour, and sorghum brought by Chen Niangzi, Wang Qin, and Huang Yuwen, the total amount was more than 1,000 kilograms. It

was too conspicuous to put so much food in bags, so he could only work overtime with a group of people to process it again, turning the food into semi-finished products and putting them in jars, buckets, and quilts without cores.

However, he was not stupid enough to finish it all. He had to save some to deal with other people who escaped from the city. If they met them on the road, they would not expose these processed rations, just like real refugees, and cook some grains.

The next night, everything was finally packed. Lin Zhen looked at the store he had run for five years and sighed. The world is unpredictable. A few months ago, he thought he would accompany Gu Lin here to finish the provincial examination, and then go to Kyoto smoothly. Now he has to go back to Anyuan Town, and he doesn't know what will happen along the way.

He looked at the people in the yard who had been busy for two days and one night like him, and said, "Have a good sleep, we will leave tomorrow morning."

However, in the middle of the night, Lin Zhen suddenly heard some strange sounds. Before he could open his eyes, his body was suddenly pulled out of the quilt: "Uncle Lin, wake up, there are refugee soldiers entering the city! We have to leave immediately!"

Refugee army!!!

Lin Zhen woke up from all his sleepiness, and he turned over in an instant: "Refugee army?! Why are there refugee soldiers suddenly? It was fine when we went to get water." If it were just refugees, Lin Zhen would not be so panicked. After all, they were still civilians who just wanted to have food to eat and survive. But with the word "army", it means that there are people leading them, and their hands are stained with blood. The yamen runners in the city can't intimidate these people at all.

"Those people broke through the city gate and went to the east of the city. We have no choice but to leave the city now." Gu Lin's face was very cold. After calling Lin Zhen, he went to wake up the others, and then harnessed the carriage to the horses and mules.

Chen Niangzi, Wang Qin, Huang Yuwen and others who were half asleep and woke up were all very solemn and a little flustered when they heard that there were refugee soldiers entering the city. Zhong Yan was the calmest among them. He had changed his robe yesterday and put on a gray short brown with two patches. He walked over to hitch the carriage with Gu Lin.

Seeing the two of them like this, the others finally found the backbone and tied the ropes in a hurry.

"Okay, we can go." Zhong Yan fastened the leather buckle under the belly of the mule and stood up. Chen Niangzi was old and in poor health due to years of hard work, so Lin Zhen asked her to sit on the lighter naked carriage, and the others walked first.

Gu Lin suddenly walked in front of Lin Zhen and wiped his hand with the ash on his face: "Uncle Lin, you will walk beside me later."

Looking at his hand, everyone thought that this was done very well. Lin Zhen's face was really too eye-catching, just like a candle light in the dark, everyone would look over.

Lin Zhen looked at his hand and licked his lips.

"Okay." "Let's go." Gu Lin didn't carry the bow on his back, but took it in his hand, with the wood-chopping knife on his waist.

As soon as the carriage and mule cart came out of the side door, Lin Zhen's ears were filled with all kinds of noisy sounds. The flames on the east side of the city were soaring into the sky, illuminating this side red. The streets that were once prosperous and peaceful were full of people rushing to the city gate. Men and women, young and old, were like frightened locusts, running around in this narrow street.

Lin Zhen walked close to the carriage, and Gu Lin walked outside him.

Everyone was busy escaping, and no one cared about anyone else. When Lin Zhen and his men were driving the two carriages to the city gate, they found that the people in front suddenly ran back, scaring the horses and mules. Fortunately, Wang Qin and Huang Yuwen's two servants held the ropes tightly to stabilize them.

Gu Lin jumped on the carriage and looked forward. He saw a small group of refugee soldiers, about a hundred people, rushing in from the city gate, waving their knives at the people fleeing out of the city, children, old people, and adults, whoever they touched fell down.

They were specially left here by the refugee soldiers to prevent the people from the prefectural city from leaving the city.

Seeing more and more people retreating and hiding in the city, Gu Lin felt cold in his heart: "They only have a hundred people, and we have hundreds of people. They wait for the refugee soldiers in front to slaughter the rich families in the east of the city, and then turn around to deal with us, thinking that they can save their lives!"

"The men who can hold weapons stand in the front and take up the weapons they can use. The old people, children, girls, and brothers stand in the back and find the right gap to injure as many as possible."

The guards of such a big prefectural city were unexpectedly delayed. Gu Lin didn't know what happened inside, and he didn't have time to think about it. As he said, this group of refugee soldiers was extremely vicious. Just looking at the posture of going straight to the rich east of the city to burn and kill people as soon as they entered the city, they would definitely kill them without hesitation.

Gu Lin said as he jumped off the carriage, tightly grasped Lin Zhen's hand, pushed through the crowd and went to the front. "Puff!" A meteor-like arrow flew in the firelight and hit the frontmost refugee soldier, then the second, and the third.

When the distance was close, he pulled out the hatchet from his waist and chopped it down fiercely. Half of the neck was hanging down with flesh and skin. The blood spurted out and instantly dyed his clothes and half of his face red.

Those refugees who were scared by the refugee soldiers and could only retreat saw Gu Lin kill four or five refugee soldiers in a row, and they had the idea that the refugee soldiers were also human beings and would die.

Although they were afraid, they were more afraid that as Gu Lin said, they would all die if they were trapped here. They immediately picked up the things around them that could be used, such as sticks, kitchen knives, and forks, and ran to Gu Lin.

Wang Qin, Huang Yuwen, Zhong Yan and others standing beside the carriage were shocked by the way Gu Lin stood in the front. Wang Qin used to be a frequent visitor to fights, but those were all street fights. Everyone knew who his parents were, so they didn't dare to kill him, and they didn't even dare to touch his face. It was completely different from the situation at this moment.

His hands were shaking, but he held the long sword he bought for decoration firmly in his hand. He suddenly drew out the long sword and rushed forward: "Gu Shuanzi, you used this strength to hit me back then!"

He rushed forward quickly, holding a long sword with a cold light in his hand, which looked quite real. These refugee soldiers were evolved from refugees in the famine land. Seeing his posture, they were a little stunned. Wang Qin subconsciously stabbed the sword in, and bright red blood rushed to him. The strange wet feeling and strong smell of blood made Wang Qin's throat surge, and he took two steps back. Seeing

this, the refugee soldiers who surged up immediately rushed towards him, and were pierced through the chest by a hatchet, and fell to the ground.

Gu Lin looked at Wang Qin: "Wang Qin, take out your sword."

Another seven or eight refugee soldiers came over here. Gu Lin only had a hatchet in his hand. With his other hand, he quickly pulled out the arrows from the quiver and stabbed them into the eyes of the refugee soldier who was about to attack him. The hatchet chopped into the neck of the refugee soldier closest to him.

Wang Qin, who was standing in front of him, stepped on the chest of the refugee soldier who was killed by him by mistake and pulled out his sword: "You are a lunatic!"

"Everyone in the damn academy says you are a genius, but you are obviously a lunatic." The academy has swordsmanship classes, and Wang Qin and his friends have learned them. He followed Gu Lin with a sword.

Huang Yuwen and Zhong Yan also copied different things. Although they could not hurt people very badly, they could still interfere.

Finally, the fire in the east of the city burned more and more fiercely. When it spread to this side, more than a hundred refugee soldiers were suppressed by hundreds of fleeing citizens of the city holding all kinds of things. Gu Lin quickly took back the arrows he had shot and returned to Lin Zhen: "Let's go."

Before everyone had time to say anything, they immediately drove the horse and mule carts out of the city gate. Some of the fleeing people had family members who died in the previous fight, but they didn't even have time to collect the bodies of their relatives. They cried and left with the remaining old and young.

In the dark night, Lin Zhen and his group walked without stopping. The servants beside Wang Qin and Huang Yuwen walked in front with torches in their hands. They were specially called by the two families to serve the two. They were very familiar with the road between the prefectural city and Anyuan Town. First, walk along this road, then turn onto the official road and walk back to Anyuan Town.

Lin Zhen was afraid. When Gu Lin grabbed his hand and rushed to the front, he couldn't make a sound in his throat. Gu Lin was only fourteen years old. How could he...

Gu Lin still walked on the outside. He said, "Uncle Lin, your clothes are dirty."

Lin Zhen looked at his front. He had just taken advantage of the chaos to kill two refugee soldiers and injured several others. He did it with several people.

His body was too weak and he didn't know martial arts. He was useless when encountering such a thing. Gu Lin didn't know how upset he was just now. He couldn't help him at all, but let a child rush to the front.

"When we are farther away from the city, find a place to rest. You need to change your clothes too..." With a torch in front, Lin Zhen could see that his clothes were soaked with blood and stuck to his body. The smell of blood was so strong that it seemed as if he had crawled out of a jar full of blood. Chen Niangzi and the others looked at him with some fear in their eyes.

It was not fear of being scared, but something else.

Everyone understood that if Gu Lin had not led the refugees to kill the refugee army at the city gate, they would have had no chance of escaping.

After they escaped, they turned around and took a look. The flames had illuminated the sky above the city red. The entire city had become a sea of ​​fire. How many people who stayed there could survive, and how would they survive?

The flame of the torch was torn long by the wind and almost extinguished. After traveling all night, a faint white appeared on the horizon. Everyone in the group was a little exhausted. Gu Lin looked around and said, "Rest here, eat something, identify the road, and then continue on the road." As soon as

he spoke, no one said anything bad. The servants driving the carriage stopped the carriage and tied the reins.

Lin Zhen only saw that the blood on Gu Lin's face and neck had dried up, and it was like a dark red scar left on his skin, which looked a little scary.

He took a little water to soak the handkerchief, held his shoulder with one hand and said, "There is little water now, and I don't know when I can find water. I will wipe it for you."

Gu Lin blinked, took two steps back and leaned against the tree, then simply sat down and leaned against the tree trunk, supporting himself with one leg. Lin Zhen knelt on one knee between his legs, holding his face and wiping the dried blood on his face.

Chapter 104

The blood scabs formed by the dried blood were not easy to wipe off. Lin Zhen first covered them with a wet handkerchief, and then wiped them off bit by bit after they softened. After a while, the whole handkerchief turned red.

Washing a handkerchief would waste more water, so Lin Zhen simply changed to another one and cleaned the blood scabs on Gu Lin's face and neck: "You go change your clothes, I will go with them to see if there are any rivers or streams nearby. We don't have much water, so any water we can bring is good."

"Okay, don't go far."

"I know." I don't know if it was because of what happened last night, but Lin Zhen felt that Gu Lin seemed to have deviated from the child he thought he was.

He stood up, called Wang Qin and the two servants who served him, and walked into the woods with a kitchen knife.

After months of drought, the lush trees had already withered and turned yellow. There was no green at all. Lin Zhen split open the vines that blocked his way and asked the two servants who served Wang Qin, "What are your names?"

The two servants did not expect Lin Zhen to ask them, and hurriedly said, "We were all bought by the wife of the Wang Mansion. We took the surname of our master. My name

is Wang Youcai and his is Wang Youli." "Youcai Youli, nice names."

"It is our honor to receive a compliment from Boss Lin."

"Have you received any letters from Mr. Wang and Mrs. Wang recently? When was the last one?" The drought definitely affected more than just the capital. Anyuan Town was only half a month away from the capital, so it was impossible for it to be unscathed. The reason why Lin Zhen wanted to go back there was, first, because their homes were there, and second, considering that many villages around Liyu Village had used composting methods, and grain production had increased a lot. With the accumulation of the past few years, even if the drought was severe, it would not be to the point of exchanging children for food.

But these were all his judgments. No one knew what the situation was like before arriving in Anyuan Town, so they could only infer from other places.

The servant named Wang Youcai said, "A month and a half ago, I received the last letter from my wife who asked the caravan to bring it over. Along with the letter, there was also silver and clothes made by hand for the young master."

Lin Zhen asked Wang Qin, "Wang Qin, did the letter from Madam Wang tell you about the drought?"

Wang Qin shook his head, "No, my mother just asked me to study hard in the city and go back after the New Year."

Lin Zhen's heart sank when he heard this. It was not a good thing to stay in the city and not go back for the time being. Perhaps there was a sign of chaos in Anyuan Town. Madam Wang thought that the city was much safer than the town because the prefect and the soldiers were there, so she asked Wang Qin to stay here. Wang Qin

seemed to have sensed something and looked at Lin Zhen in a panic, "Uncle Lin, our town will not be like the city, where the refugee army will..."

"I don't know, but there are too many towns like our Anyuan Town and they are too scattered. It is not as noticeable as the city, so the refugee army should not go there specifically." But if they accidentally wandered there, it might not be the case.

For a while, the atmosphere was low.

Lin Zhen, who had walked some distance, looked around the forest and still saw no green, not even a small animal. He knew that his search for water was in vain: "Let's go back. Even if there is water in a farther place, we can't go any further. We can't be too far away from the team, lest something unexpected happens and they won't be able to support us in time."

The four of them returned along the marked route. When the others knew that they hadn't found a water source, their hearts sank.

They didn't lack food for the time being, but they didn't bring much water, at most enough for five or six days. With only food and no water, they would die of thirst.

Lin Zhen walked to Gu Lin, who had changed his clothes, took the cake from his hand, and after eating, the group continued on their way.

The sun in the sky was emitting heat all the time, drying up the last bit of life in the trees, leaving the animals without any strength, and the land under their feet was torn into strips.

Lin Zhen was wearing a bamboo hat, and his face, which had been soaked with soot from the bottom of the pot, was covered in sweat, leaving streaks of sweat and revealing his fair complexion. He was so thirsty, but he didn't dare to lick his lips, as that would only make them drier. He could only swallow the almost non-existent saliva in his mouth again and again to moisten his dry throat.

This was the third day since they left the city. During these three days, every time they stopped to eat and fill their stomachs, they had to go out to look for water, but they never found one. The original rivers and streams had dried up, and the stones at the bottom of the river were scorching hot. There were rotten animals with maggots everywhere, and groups of green-headed flies lingered on the rotten meat.

They didn't have much water with them, and no one dared to drink more unless they couldn't hold on any longer.

Suddenly, Wang Youcai, the driver, said, "Gu Xiucai, Boss Lin, there are people ahead."

Gu Lin and Lin Zhen looked ahead, and sure enough, there was a team of more than 30 refugees on the road they had to pass. They seemed to be tired and were resting there.

This was not the first group of refugees that Lin Zhen and his team had encountered, but they had the largest number of people. Before the city was burned and killed by the refugee army, everyone still had some hope in the government. The people who came out were scattered groups of families, seven or eight people in a group of four or five. It was unclear whether the group of more than 30 people like this was from the same village or several families.

Lin Zhen glanced at Gu Lin and said, "We just need to go our own way and don't get involved with these people. Be alert."

Seeing that there were more people on the other side than them, and in such a desolate mountain, the others naturally did not dare to relax their vigilance. They walked beside the carriages and mule carts, holding their hands.

When they got closer, Lin Zhen saw the situation of these more than 30 people. There were men, old people and children. They were all dressed like farmers, similar to the group they had encountered before. They might have escaped from the villages around the city.

Seeing them approaching, a man in the team said in a friendly tone: "Which village did you escape from? Sit down and rest for a while."

Lin Zhen waved his hand: "Now there are people escaping everywhere. It's meaningless to escape from anywhere. We just rested in front, so we won't rest anymore."

The man looked worried: "That's right. We were living a good life, but suddenly we lost our house and land."

"Where are you going? Do you have a place to go?"

The man was very talkative. He took over as soon as Lin Zhen finished speaking. And from his thick fingers and dark skin color, it can be seen that he is a pair of hands that have been working all year round. Lin Zhen

couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief. As long as there is no accident, it is better than anything else. He just wants to return to Liyu Village safely and don't want to have other branches: "Take it one step at a time. If it rains today, maybe we will go back to our previous village."

"We'll leave first. We're in a hurry to get on the road." His mouth was so dry that he didn't even have a drop of saliva. It was hard to speak. Lin Zhen ended the topic and continued to move forward.

His eyes under the bamboo hat casually swept over these people, and suddenly, he saw an extremely familiar face, no, not someone he knew before, but this person looked very similar to someone he knew.

The woman with disheveled hair and sallow complexion was sitting in the innermost position of the thirty-odd people, holding a crying baby in her arms, and her face was exactly the same as Aunt Ma from Liyu Village!

Lin Zhen remembered that Aunt Ma had said that she and Carpenter Ma had only one daughter, but she married to the capital city. Because of the long journey, she only went back once or twice a year. Did

she also escape?

Was the family she married among these people?

Lin Zhen looked at her a few more times, and his eyes accidentally met Aunt Ma's daughter, and soon passed by her.

After safely missing those people, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but Lin Zhen's mind kept flashing the appearance of the group just now. There were more than thirty people, and adult men accounted for two-thirds. There were only two or three elderly people at least, and there were seven or eight women and children.

There was also Aunt Ma's daughter, who was sitting in the innermost part holding a baby in her arms. It was obviously the safest place, but she looked very scared. Her hair was disheveled, and her clothes were...

Lin Zhen paused, his voice a little hoarse: "There was something wrong with that group of people just now."

Lin Zhen told everyone his speculation. Chen Niangzi, the only woman in the team, turned pale, and the others were also a little flustered. Their eyes could not help but fall on Gu Lin.

It has been more than half a year since the drought. This year's spring plowing can be said to be a failure. They have been eating expensive rice in the city for many days, but what about the villages around the city? These people are more susceptible to the weather than the city dwellers who do not farm. They fled earlier than them, with more people and worse conditions.

Laws and regulations are almost nonexistent on this road of escaping famine.

"Those people didn't attack on the spot. They must have seen that there are more men than old and weak people in our team, and they were afraid that something might happen if they started fighting. They will definitely follow us and take action after it gets dark and we fall asleep," Lin Zhen saw that some people turned their heads to look behind them, and hurriedly said, "Don't look for them there, just pretend that nothing happened and continue on our way."

Zhong Yan said, "As long as we don't stop and it's not dark, these people won't attack for the time being."

"Yes, we have to find a place to defend and stop." Those people seemed to be just farmers who didn't know martial arts because they relied on their numbers. With Gu Lin and them, it would not be difficult for them to leave.

However, this was based on the fact that they already knew that the other party was not a good person. If they slept peacefully at night, they would definitely be caught in one fell swoop.

Others were in the dark, and they were in the light. This feeling of having a knife hanging over their heads was really terrible. Wang Qin, Huang Yuwen and their four servants all looked solemn. If it weren't for Lin Zhen, Gu Lin and others in the team, I'm afraid they would have run away long ago.

Soon, when it was getting dark, Lin Zhen and his mule cart and horse carriage stopped.

Lin Zhen looked at the two small hills in front of him, sandwiching the narrow section of the road in the middle, and said, "Stop here. Xiao Yan, take Miss Chen to the back and hide her somewhere. The others put the useful things in their hands in the most convenient place."

Chapter 105

Before they set out, they took everything they could use. Gu Lin held a bow and arrow in his hand, and a hatchet on his waist. Wang Qin held a long sword that he had used to pretend before, but had killed several refugees at the city gate. The others held kitchen knives, sticks, and other things. Lin Zhen had a clear understanding of his own martial arts value, so he grabbed a wooden fork with a handle that was more than two meters long.

They parked the mule cart and carriage on the flat ground behind the hill and hid behind the hill.

"Whoosh whoosh--"

The wind blew up the weeds and leaves, making it difficult for people to open their eyes.

Lin Zhen and his friends stared at the road they were heading for. Suddenly, two small figures flashed quietly from the bushes, followed by the team of more than 30 people that Lin Zhen and his friends had seen this afternoon. These people were holding miscellaneous things in their hands and looked towards where they parked their car.

"Brother, I saw with my own eyes that they parked the carriage in front, as if they were going to spend the night here." The person who had been following Lin Zhen and his friends all the way pointed to the hill and said to the tall man who greeted Lin Zhen this afternoon.

The other person who was following said, "One of them is carrying a bow and arrow. He might be a martial artist. We'll need to get a few more people to hold him back when the fight starts." The

tall man smiled grimly, "Don't be afraid. We've killed martial artists before. They all have two heads on one shoulder. We can crush him to death with just people." He glanced at the sky that was about to get dark and said, "It's going to be dark soon. Let's rush over in the dark. We'll get two people at the back to light torches so as not to hurt our brothers."

"Yes."

The group of people headed by the tall man were from villages around the city. When the drought became more and more serious, he and other people in the village fled the famine. However, his family didn't have many fields to begin with, and they ran out of food in a few days. As time went by, they set their sights on the villagers who were traveling with them. The first time he stole food from a family in the village, he was discovered and killed several people in that family. He tasted the sweetness of killing after scaring others so that they dared not resist him.

He killed all the villagers who didn't listen to him, robbed their food, and then let others follow him to wait for people who wanted to leave from this official road. In half a month, he had robbed and killed several waves of people. All the men and the elderly were killed, and the young women and boys were left.

The tall man felt that the drought came at a great time, otherwise he would still be the hungry and cold farmer, how could he eat and drink like he does now, and sleep with the women and boys who looked down on him every night. The tall man

spit in his hand, rubbed the butcher knife in his hand to warm it up, and touched it with his hands. The shadows were protected by the dark sky, like ghosts.

Lin Zhen stood behind the mound a few steps away from Gu Lin, staring at the people who were getting closer and closer to them. Suddenly, the tall man who was leading the charge stepped on a branch, which made a clear breaking sound. At this time, he was only about ten meters away from Gu Lin, who was in the front.

"Do it!" Gu Lin shouted coldly, and rushed forward with the slightly curled hatchet, aiming directly at the tall man's head. Seeing that the cystic creature that he thought was unprepared was actually ambushing them here, the tall man quickly lowered his body and pushed the minion behind him forward. The minion screamed and fell to the ground, breathing out more than breathing in.

Wang Qin, Huang Yuwen and their four servants also rushed forward with the things in their hands, standing on the same line with Gu Lin. Zhong Yanze and Lin Zhen, who were powerless, stood together. One of them held a long-handled wooden fork, and the other held a wooden stick. They stood behind Gu Lin and his men, looking for the right opportunity to stab those who wanted to sneak attack Gu Lin and his men.

More than 20 farmers who gathered together were no match for the refugee army, and were quickly dealt with by Gu Lin and Wang Qin.

Lin Zhen looked at the bodies on the ground and the bandits who were wailing and screaming with their hands over their bleeding wounds. He shook his numb wrists and walked up to the bandit who was least injured with a fork in his hand: "Where are the women and children you held hostage? Tell the truth."

These people followed the tall man and swallowed up seven or eight groups of refugees. Before they caught up with him, they had never thought that they would be in this situation. They were so scared that they said tremblingly: "In... in the woods behind, there are two people guarding."

"Please spare my life, I have no choice. If I don't follow Er Laizi, he will kill me, and I don't want to do that." As he spoke, the bandit's legs trembled and he was so scared that he peed.

Lin Zhen turned around and said to Gu Lin: "Let's go and see those women and children. As for him..."

The hatchet in Gu Lin's hand suddenly pierced into the bandit's chest, killing him.

Lin Zhen did not comment. If they were not so many and had Gu Lin, who knew a little bit of fighting, they would have also become one of the dead souls in the hands of this gang. Letting these troublemakers continue to rob others would be a real bad thing.

After telling Wang Qin and the others, Lin Zhen and Gu Lin sneaked into the forest that the bandits mentioned. As soon as they entered, they saw the fire that the bandits had started. Eight or nine girls and boys and a few children were sitting by the fire. The two bandits who stayed to guard them were sitting on the rocks, talking and laughing while eating biscuits and drinking water.

This distance was just right for using a bow and arrow. Gu Lin took the lives of the two men neatly. The bodies that fell to the ground scared the girls and boys so much that they screamed. If their hands and feet were not tied, they would have run away long ago.

Lin Zhen and Gu Lin walked over and looked at them who were tied together: "Were you all captured by those people?"

"We have already dealt with that gang. Now I will ask some questions and you answer them. Later I will untie your ropes with him and let you go."

They passed by on the road today. These girls and boys have seen them and knew that Er Laizi had set his sights on them. But now these two people said that Er Laizi had actually fallen into their hands. Er Laizi had brought so many people with him, but he still failed.

The woman holding the child, who looked exactly like Aunt Ma, suddenly looked at Lin Zhen: "You didn't lie to us, will you really let us go later?"

"Really," facing her, Lin Zhen's tone softened unconsciously. Aunt Ma treated him very well, and it was fate that he met Aunt Ma's daughter here. "We were just passing by here. If they hadn't come up to us, we would have been fine."

In fact, Lin Zhen felt unsure in his heart. He clearly noticed that something was wrong with this group of people, and Aunt Ma's daughter was still in this group. He would most likely plan carefully to make this group of people end up with the same ending. Although he was not a good person, he could not pretend not to see it when he could protect himself, just like he did to Gu Lin that day.

Aunt Ma's daughter looked at Lin Zhen anxiously, her hand holding the child trembling: "Okay, ask, I will tell you everything I know."

"How long has this group of people been here? Do they have other accomplices?"

"I was passing by here with my family eight days ago and was robbed by them. From their usual chats, I know that they were originally from a village on the edge of the city and have only been here for half a month," Aunt Ma's daughter said in a dry voice, "The leader is called Er Laizi, they are all from the same village, and there are no other accomplices." She

passed by here with her family eight days ago, but looking at her current appearance, the other people in the family are probably in danger. They were killed by Er Laizi and his gang. She was able to survive only because she was a girl, and she didn't know how much effort she had to put in to save the child in her hand.

Lin Zhen was silent for a moment: "Then do you know where there is a water source nearby?"

Since Er Laizi and his gang dared to occupy this place and rob the refugees passing by, there must be water nearby, otherwise they would die of thirst.

They didn't have much water left, so they had to find some water to replenish it so that they could go on the rest of the way.

Aunt Ma's daughter nodded, "I know, we usually cook for them. There is a cave on the mountain not far from here, and there is some water in the cave."

After hearing about the water, Lin Zhen was very satisfied with the trip. He squatted down and untied the ropes on Aunt Ma's feet: "I have already gotten the answers to all the questions I wanted to ask. According to our previous agreement, I will untie the ropes on your feet now and let you go."

"But it's already very late now. You should stay with us for one night. When it gets light tomorrow, go to the place where these bandits store food and take as much as you can before leaving."

These women and the brothers' families were killed by Er Laizi and others. They were physically and mentally devastated. Although Lin Zhen said that he would let them go before, many of them didn't take it seriously. It was just that they fell from the hands of one group of thieves to the hands of another group of thieves. It was no different.

It was not until this moment that they really felt that they had escaped and were finally saved. More than a dozen people looked at each other, tears suddenly flowed from their eyes, and they cried with clenched teeth.

Lin Zhen: "..."

Lin Zhen and Gu Lin walked in front and led them back to the two hills. Wang Qin and the others had already carried the bodies of Er Laizi and others far away. Such a strong smell of blood might attract wolves and tigers.

They also lit a fire in the place where the carriage and mule cart blocked them. A pottery jar filled with water was placed next to the fire, ready to heat it up and stir-fry flour to eat.

Seeing that Lin Zhen and Gu Lin brought back so many people, they all asked: "These people..."

Don't they be the relatives of Er Laizi and others who died.

Lin Zhen whispered to them about the situation of these women and boys, and everyone suddenly felt uncomfortable. The others were all boys, and it was inconvenient to contact them. Chen Niangzi took the initiative to contact them and told them where to sleep at night.

After a day's journey and a fight with others, Lin Zhen's bones were about to fall apart. He sat on the ground leaning against a stone, looking at the sky without any clouds and shining stars, and was in a trance.

Suddenly, Gu Lin, who was also tired all day, came over, stretched out his hand to take off his shoes, and untied his socks.

"It's okay." Lin Zhen said.

"I'll change the bandage for you." Gu Lin held a wet towel in his hand, sat on the ground holding his feet, and wiped away the yellow and bloody sticky liquid squeezed out of the ruptured blisters.

Chapter 106

To be honest, Lin Zhen hated his feet now, they were too dirty.

He walked every day, his feet were sweaty, and there was no condition to change and wash them. The smell was so offensive. Lin Zhen knew how serious his kid's obsession with cleanliness was.

He moved his feet: "How can you hold them? Aren't you afraid that your hands will smell?"

Not to mention, the sour smell had already drifted to his nose. Lin Zhen leaned against the stone and laughed, thinking that he was so mean and made things difficult for the child.

Gu Lin held his feet and looked at his smiling face, which was smeared with soot and white flesh because of sweat. His thin lips curved a little: "It's Uncle Lin's smell. There's nothing wrong with Uncle Lin."

He moved the handkerchief in his hand very gently, and it was only a little painful when he wiped the broken blisters, but Lin Zhen hadn't walked so much for several years. His bones were sore, and his toes and instep were a little swollen. He shuddered.

Gu Lin raised his eyes to look at him, took out the ointment from the small medicine box, and used his fingers to rub it on his broken blisters.

His fingers were very long, without much flesh, and had a particularly strong sense of bone and sharpness. He spread the white ointment on his feet, just like grinding ink.

Lin Zhen looked at his handsome profile under the firelight, and suddenly reached out to touch his nose: "Your wife will be blessed in the future."

"..."

Gu Lin applied the ointment again: "What do you mean by blessed?"

Lin Zhen supported her hands behind her back and smiled: "Because her husband can study, is not bad in martial arts, has a good-looking face, and is very careful in taking care of people."

Compared with most men nowadays who treat their daughters and sons as appendages and do not have much ability themselves, Gu Lin, who was raised by him, is indeed a good candidate for marriage and life.

Oh, and, in his previous life, he was a pure man. Although he accepted that he was a brother in this life, he still considered himself to be half a man. Lin Zhen added that a man's nose is closely related to his nose!

Just like he had a tall and straight nose before, and never lost in the dormitory, Gu Lin's nose is really beautiful.

The bridge of the nose is straight, the curve is neat and clean, and there is no extra burden.

Unlike his current nose, it is beautiful, but it has shrunk several times! ! !

Gu Lin listened to him talking about his good here and there, silently applied medicine to his feet, and then did not put on socks and shoes, and said: "Just sleep like this tonight, let your feet relax and breathe, tomorrow Uncle Lin and Aunt Chen will take a carriage."

"There are too many mosquitoes. If you don't wear socks, your feet will definitely be full of mosquito bites tomorrow." Lin Zhen is a bit of a mosquito. When a group of people sit together, he is definitely the one who gets bitten the most. Moreover, he likes to kick things when he sleeps at night, and covering him with something doesn't work.

Gu Lin put the medicine back into the medicine box, and stood up with the medicine box: "It's okay, I'll sleep next to you at night and cover your feet."

"Okay." His feet were finally comfortable for a while, and Lin Zhen had no reason to refuse.

There were dead branches everywhere in the wild, and the fire was burning very big. The flames were blown to one side and the other by the wind. The water in the pottery pot next to the fire was heated. Mrs. Chen led people to put fried flour in the bamboo cup and add hot water. The flour was fried, and there was sugar, nut crumbs, and sugar in it. It was fragrant and sweet and delicious.

And it was high in sugar, which could quickly replenish physical energy.

Lin Zhen's feet were inconvenient to move after applying the medicine, so Gu Lin brought it over, along with a pancake as thick as a thumb.

"Tomorrow is the fourth day. According to Wang Youcai, we will be able to return to Anyuan Town in about twelve or thirteen years." Lin Zhen waited for the fried flour to cool down a little. He ate a mouthful of fried flour and a mouthful of pancake happily. "Tomorrow, we will fill all the empty bamboo tubes with water. Add a few buckets, and we should be able to hold out for another five or six days."

"Well, where are those girls and boys?" Gu Lin was also holding a cup of fried flour. He was in the period of growing up and had no shortage of food, so he got two pancakes. I don't know how he did it. He ate so politely, but half of the pancake in his hand was gone in a few bites. When he looked again, it was gone.

Lin Zhen tore the unbitten side of the pancake and gave it to him: "We are going to Anyuan Town. If we are going the same way, it's okay to take them with you. Anyway, the robbers should have robbed a lot of food. They can bring their own rations, but some people must have their own destinations. We can only go our separate ways. It depends on their own choices."

This is the best solution that Lin Zhen can think of. He must go back to Anyuan Town, and it is impossible to send these people back to where they want to go. Taking them with him is already the best thing he can do.

Leaning on the stone, covered with clothes, Lin Zhen felt sleepy. He glanced at Gu Lin who was leaning against the stone and slowly closed his eyes.

When his breathing became long, Gu Lin stretched out his hand to press the clothes covering his feet and stretched his legs to press them.

The next day, Lin Zhen, whose feet felt much better, followed the group of women and men who were robbed by Er Laizi and came to the not-so-high mountain with a cave. He saw a narrow entrance that could only accommodate one person and appeared there alone. Dried moss was vaguely visible on the hot stones at the entrance of the cave.

Lin Zhen specifically asked Wang Qin, Zhong Yan and others to bring all the things that could fetch water. He was the first to go in with his head down. Several skinny rabbits that were running out of the cave were scared and ran around.

Lin Zhen looked at his feet and saw footprints of other animals on the ground. It seemed that there was indeed water here. It was not only the water source for Er Laizi and others to survive, but also a place where small animals nearby often drank water. Er Laizi also put the stolen food here. There were a lot of bags of food of different sizes, which were the life-saving food for the families who were robbed.

Moreover, this cave was small at the entrance, but very wide inside, with an overall descending slope.

He bent down and said to the people outside the cave: "Come in, light two torches, and take all the water containers."

Wang Qin didn't expect that the cave entrance looked so small but was so big inside. After lighting the torch, he looked up and looked around: "If they hadn't blocked us last night, they would have come back here at night."

"Yes, if there were no passers-by, Er Laizi and his friends would eat and sleep here. There is water here, and there are rabbits and mountain mice that come to drink water. They also catch these small things to eat." Aunt Ma held the child and pointed to the descending slope, "There is a pool of water. Be careful when you go down to get water. It's a bit steep."

Lin Zhen personally stood by the side with a torch and took a look. Sure enough, there was a three-meter-wide, not very deep pool of water under the slope. People who went down had to be careful, otherwise they would fall in if they made a mistake.

They brought a total of four buckets and a dozen bamboo cups. Wang Qin volunteered: "I'll go down first to scoop, and someone else will go down when I'm tired." The slope was steep, and no one could bear it if they kept bending over.

Lin Zhen nodded: "Well, let's go after we fill up the water."

A group of people took turns to fill up the buckets and bamboo cups quickly. The girls and boys also took out sheepskin water bags and other things to fill up the water. The water in the pool soon emptied, revealing the cracks in the rocks at the bottom of the pool with thin streams of water. After two days, the water was full again.

Lin Zhen took the people to take out the water, and asked the girls and boys to take what food they could. They also filled up a lot, and said: "Everyone, our family is in Anyuan Town. If you have a road, you can follow us. If you don't have a road, I have no other way, so let's say goodbye here."

When the girls and boys who were rescued by him and Gu Lin heard that they were going to Anyuan Town, except for Aunt Ma's daughter, everyone else showed hesitation.

They came from different villages and were going to different places. They originally followed their families on the road. Now their families have died tragically and they have lost their innocence. Going alone is tantamount to throwing away their lives.

But is it good to go to a strange place?

They have no relatives and are drifting around. They don't know what kind of situation they will end up in.

Aunt Ma came out with her child in her arms: "My mother's home is in a small village in Anyuan Town. I will go with you. Don't worry, I will take care of myself and won't hold you back."

Having lost her husband and other two children, Ma Min's only thought now is to take her children to see her last relatives in this world, her biological parents.

She seldom went home all year round after getting married. She didn't fulfill her filial duty as a daughter, and she didn't want to die here.

Another boy and girl stood up: "We don't know where to go, so we will follow you. If we pass by a safer place, we will stay."

The others finally chose to go to their relatives. Although the road was a bit difficult, they were familiar with them after all. Although Lin Zhen and Gu Lin saved them, they still didn't dare to entrust all their trust, fearing that they would become victims if they encountered an accident on the way.

Lin Zhen did not force them, and said goodbye to them here, and told them that it would be best for them to dress up as men, get themselves a little dirty, and hide the food and property on their bodies.

Looking at the backs of these people dispersing, Lin Zhen turned around and said to everyone: "Let's go, we have to hurry, and try to get back to Anyuan Town as soon as possible."

The people here are all from Anyuan Town, and they have relatives in the town, so they are naturally eager to go home. After hearing what he said, they even had energy to go down the mountain.

Ma Min had a bag of food tied with vines on her back, water bags hanging on both shoulders, and a well-fed and sleeping child in her arms. She was shaky when she went down the mountain.

Lin Zhen took off the water bag full of water on his shoulder and put it on his own shoulder, then held the child in his arms: "I am also from Liyu Village. Aunt Ma took good care of me. If Aunt Ma and Uncle Ma knew you were on the way back, they would definitely be very happy."

Ma Min did not expect Lin Zhen to mention Liyu Village and Aunt Ma and Uncle Ma. The expression on her face was very shocked: "I, how come I have never seen you before?"

"My face is painted black and I haven't washed my face for three or four days. It would be strange if you recognized me," Lin Zhen took the initiative to introduce his family. "I am the brother of the Lin family in the village, Lin Zhen. This is my son, Gu Lin. They are from the town and have been friends with us for many years."

Chapter 107

Lin Zhen?

Ma Min quickly found this name from her memory, but the Lin Zhen she knew was not the same as the Lin Zhen in front of her.

At that time, she had not yet married. Lin Zhen was very famous in Liyu Village. He was very good-looking, but his personality was the opposite of his good looks. He liked to be lazy and liked to eat and wear good things. When he met someone, he would first look at the material of the clothes they wore and whether they were made this year or last year.

When Ma Min's marriage was just decided, it happened that Lin Zhen and the young master of the Qian family in the town had a scandal. The whole village was talking about this matter.

Lin Zhen at that time was nothing like the person in front of her.

Ma Min couldn't help staring at Lin Zhen for several times, and soon saw his original appearance from under the ash at the bottom of the pot, "Is it really Brother Zhen?!"

"Why did you come to the capital?"

"Your son..."

Lin Zhen is only twenty-five this year, how could he have such a big child.

Lin Zhen said, "I came to the city to do business, but I didn't expect to encounter disasters. By the way, you should put the food on your back on the cart later and hurry on your way."

With two more girls, a boy, and a child who couldn't even walk, the group of fourteen people quickly left the place.

Lin Zhen's feet hurt, so he sat in the carriage with his child in his arms, while the weak Chen sat in the mule cart. Both carriages were full, and at a glance, they were all filled with bedding, pottery jars and other things. Two days

later, Lin Zhen and his team met more and more refugees. All of them were pale and thin, and they mechanically stepped on the road like puppets. The corpses on the roadside gradually became more and more conspicuous from the occasional ones at the beginning. Sometimes people fell down while walking and never stood up again. The families of the dead also dug a pit with a wooden face and pushed the bodies into it. Those without family members could only fall there.

Lin Zhen was cold all over. It was the first time he saw such a direct disaster. People's lives were not worth a penny at this time. For a bite of food and a sip of water, they could fight to the point of bloodshed.

Looking at the corpse that had been rotting for several days blocking the road, Lin Zhen pulled the cloth hanging around his neck to his nose and moved the corpse to the side with a few people.

Those who were also on the road did not pay any attention to what they did, but many people looked at their horses and mules.

That was meat, meat that could fill their stomachs.

If Lin Zhen and his group were not strong young men, they would have been eaten long ago.

"Gu Lin, let's rest here."

Lin Zhen looked at the dying forest that finally appeared, and got off the carriage holding the crying child. The child was very well-behaved. He never cried unless he was hungry or had poop. He always bit his little hand and looked at Lin Zhen, which made his depressed heart relax for a moment.

They had been walking for six days. They didn't know what the place they arrived was called. There were stones everywhere, and there was not even a place to shelter from the shade. If they missed this forest, they would have to be exposed to the sun for a whole day. Not to mention them, even the horses and mules couldn't stand it.

Gu Lin stopped walking after hearing that. He asked Wang Youcai and the others to tie up the horses and mules beside them. He then took out two bamboo tubes of water and poured them into jars to feed them. Then he pulled the dry hay that was so dry that it would turn into powder if kneaded. He

then took out the fried flour from the bag and ate it dry without washing it with water.

There were too many people fleeing on the road. It was already eye-catching enough for them to have two animals to serve as a means of transportation and food. If they took out other things, it would be like showing off gold to others.

They were not afraid of one or two, but ten, twenty, thirty, a hundred... they

would always be able to tear them apart.

Lin Zhen twisted the fried flour in the bamboo tube and stuffed it into his mouth. He used the remaining saliva to soak the dry fried flour and swallowed it while pounding his chest.

He waved to Wang Youcai: "We have been walking for six days. At our current speed, how many days will it take to get there?"

Wang Youcai's mouth was full of fried flour. After swallowing it, he said: "After this section of road, there is a village. After passing the village, it is the main river channel of our Anyuan Town Majin River. Follow this river for five days. When you see a fork, go left and you will arrive in about seven days."

Lin Zhen has also returned to Anyuan Town in recent years, but at that time there were two roads from Anyuan Town to the prefectural city. One was the abandoned and unusable road they were taking now, and the other was a newly built official road that was flatter.

They were originally going to take that road, but the day before yesterday they met someone running back from that road, saying that someone had encountered the refugee army in front. Naturally, they could not take risks, so they went back and took this road.

Many refugees chose this road like them, resulting in more and more people being met on the road. They dared not eat more water and food for fear of causing trouble.

Lin Zhen nodded. Wang Youcai was the one who knew the road best among them. He had taken them to many small roads in the past few days and avoided people several times.

He said to Wang Qin, who was sitting not far from him, "When we go back this time, give Wang Youcai's indenture contract to him. It's not easy for him to lead us."

He was just a slave, and Wang Youcai did a good job. Wang Qin immediately agreed, "Okay, I'll go to my mother to ask for his indenture contract after I go back, and take it to the government office to get rid of it."

Wang Youcai didn't expect that he would get his indenture contract back one day. People like them, once they become slaves, they will be slaves for life. Even if they get married and have children, their children will have the humble fate of serving others.

But now, he has the opportunity to make himself a poor citizen!

Wang Youcai immediately kowtowed to Lin Zhen and Wang Qin. When Wang Youcai

went to see the horses, Wang Qin sat next to Lin Zhen with a bamboo tube filled with fried flour: "Uncle Lin, why did you suddenly mention his indenture contract?"

He didn't regret it, but was just very curious about why Lin Zhen did it.

Lin Zhen licked his cracked lips and looked at the other refugees who were also resting in the forest: "If we took the original road, we would have walked through it and found the landmarks to find Anyuan Town. But now only he knows this road, and with his familiarity with the road, he can take us to a remote path if we encounter any situation. We need him."

"It's not worth it to trade a contract for a safe journey."

"So that's how it is." Wang Qin suddenly realized.

The forest was full of people, and there was almost no sound. No one had the energy to speak or do anything else. They just sat on the ground with their backs bent and their heads bowed deeply.

Lin Zhen's throat hurt from eating fried noodles, and he couldn't swallow it. Suddenly, he found that a child next to him was staring at the fried noodles in his hand. His hair was dry and yellow, his cheekbones were high, and his lips were cracked.

Just like Gu Lin when he was a child, skinny and bony.

He looked at the half-eaten fried noodles in his hand, looked at the child, sighed, and beckoned to the child.

The child immediately came over, rolling and crawling. If he hadn't considered that Lin Zhen was an adult and he was a child, he would have grabbed it directly.

Lin Zhen pulled his hand and asked him to hold it with both hands. He poured the fried flour with nuts and sugar into his hand: "Eat slowly, wet it with saliva and swallow it, otherwise it will be easy to choke."

Lin Zhen thought that this hungry child would eat up the fried flour in his hand immediately, but he just kept swallowing his saliva and stared at the fried flour in his hand.

After Lin Zhen finished pouring, he nodded to Lin Zhen, trotted to the other younger child, and put the fried flour to his mouth.

"..." Having seen so many people and things along the way, Lin Zhen still felt a sore throat when he saw this scene. He looked up at the blue sky and twisted the bamboo cup tightly.

Suddenly, just when Lin Zhen was about to let everyone take turns to watch and the rest of the people took a rest, the sound of horses neighing could be heard in this barren stone mountain.

Lin Zhen suddenly turned to the place where the sound came from, and saw a man who was 1.9 meters tall, with extremely broad shoulders and a big waist riding on a horse with mixed flowers, laughing wildly, and slashing the refugees on his right with the broad knife in his hand. Four or five refugees who had no time to dodge died tragically under the knife without even making a sound!

And the few people riding horses behind him, and hundreds of bandits running behind the horses.

Lin Zhen's eyes widened, and he pulled Wang Qin beside him: "Run!!!"

The refugees who were resting instantly swarmed like bees, fleeing everywhere, children were knocked to the ground, and the elderly were stepped on, and everyone's face was full of despair.

Lin Zhen was almost squeezed to the point of falling down. A hand held him tightly. Gu Lin said, "Run to the woods!"

Wang Qin, Huang Yuwen, Zhong Yan and others followed immediately. The dry branches and leaves were crushed, and the horizontal branches brushed against their faces and bodies. No one dared to look back.

"Ah!" Lin Zhen staggered and was held by Gu Lin's waist. Gu Lin looked at his feet and saw that his foot was pierced by a thumb-long thorn that fell from the tree trunk, and the tip of the thorn came out from the instep. Gu

Lin said to the others who followed, "Wang Youcai, take them and continue to run forward. Find a secret place to hide. If you are not sure it is safe, don't come back to get things."

"What about you guys!?" Zhong Yan ran out of breath.

Gu Lin said, "I'm definitely not as fast as you guys with Uncle Lin on my back, so you go first."

"Gu Lin--"

"Hurry up, no one can leave if we don't leave now." There were hundreds of people on the opposite side, and the leader seemed to be a martial artist. Even if he faced Gu Lin alone, he was not sure of winning, let alone Zhong Yan and the others. If he stayed here, he would only wait for death.

Zhong Yan gritted his teeth and glanced at Gu Lin: "Okay, we'll meet in Anyuan Town."

As soon as Zhong Yan and the others left, Gu Lin quickly tore off a piece of cloth to tie Lin Zhen's calf, then pulled out the long thorn and carried Lin Zhen on his back.

The difference between carrying a person on the back and running alone is too big. Lin Zhen listened to the voices getting closer and closer behind him, and said to Gu Lin: "They may not search the forest. Gu Lin, put me down and hide me. I know you can run away."

Chapter 108

"Unless I die."

Gu Lin's pace was slower than usual, and he carried Lin Zhen on his back as he passed through the forest quickly. Those ordinary bandits who were not riding horses could not catch up with him. All they could hear were the hooves of a few horses and the screams of those people hacking and killing refugees.

Lin Zhen pursed his lips and silently hugged his shoulders. His heart was sore and painful.

He had raised a child for so many years, but his shoulders were not broad enough, but he carried him on his back. If he had sympathy and responsibility for a child when he first brought Gu Lin back, after so many years of getting along, he had already regarded Gu Lin as a family member, as a part of his life, and a child he raised with his own hands.

He quickly said, "There are many refugees here, and those bandits can't chase them one by one. We just need to find a place to hide and wait until they don't find us."

"This forest is too small and too conspicuous here. We need to go to another place." There are stones everywhere here, stone roads and stone mountains, and a lonely piece of trees. Those people will definitely come in to take a look.

Gu Lin hummed, and turned to the left with Lin Zhen on his back, in the opposite direction of the horse's hoof sound, and soon rushed out of the forest.

There were other refugees on the barren mountain, running around in panic. Gu Lin took a quick look and ran to the crowded area on the hill with Lin Zhen on his back.

Suddenly, a bandit on horseback threw a lasso with a small iron ball tied to it, and with a grim smile, he entangled the feet of the refugee, and urged the horse to run forward desperately.

"Ahhhhhh!!!" The man whose feet were entangled was an old man in his fifties. He was dragged face down for several hundred meters before he lost his voice. The stones he dragged were covered with blood. The sharp stones cut his stomach and chest, and his internal organs were hooked out and pulled long.

"It's boring." The bandit who dragged the person to death didn't expect that he was so stinky that he hooked an old man who couldn't help it. He shook his hand and took back the rope, and swung the lasso to hook other people.

If Lin Zhen wasn't around, Gu Lin would have taken action, but no one was more important than Lin Zhen. Every time he delayed here, he would put Lin Zhen under the knife of others.

He turned around and ran quickly to a place he liked with Lin Zhen on his back. There were many hills there. Even if someone came to search after he got in, he could kill them by taking advantage of the terrain. As long as there weren't dozens or hundreds of people going in at the same time, he would be sure to take Lin Zhen away.

Suddenly, just as Gu Lin moved, the bandits on horseback with a tripwire noticed them among the many refugees, and swung the tripwire under Gu Lin's feet.

Gu Lin used his strength to kick out the iron ball that added weight to the tripwire with a "bang", and ran straight in without seeing him.

The bandit who did whatever he wanted among the refugees didn't expect that his attack would fail. He was stunned for a moment: "Interesting, it's really interesting!"

"Go!" He squeezed the horse's belly and rode the fast horse to chase behind Gu Lin. The lasso in his hand went straight to Gu Lin's neck. Gu Lin rolled to the side with Lin Zhen on his back, protecting Lin Zhen and putting him under him. "Uncle Lin, the stone forest on the left front, run there, I will find you."

Leaving Lin Zhen here will make it more difficult to escape when other bandits come. With him here to drag this person, Lin Zhen can run in more smoothly.

This moment was so short, but so long. Lin Zhen saw Gu Lin's dark eyes and the little self in his eyes.

He didn't even have time to say a word, and saw Gu Lin pull out the hatchet that had been rolled up several times and was unusable, and rushed towards the bandit on horseback in a few steps without a moment's hesitation.

Lin Zhen got up and ran to the stone forest that Gu Lin mentioned. He had already dragged Gu Lin down once, and he couldn't drag him down a second time.

Without me, he would be safe.

Lin Zhen stumbled forward without looking back. He was afraid that he would run back after seeing it. He was afraid of seeing Gu Lin injured and that his turning back would distract Gu Lin.

"Clang!" The hatchet and the tripwire on the iron ball knocked together, making a tooth-grinding sound and sparks. Gu Lin's eyes sank, and he grabbed the tripwire and jumped up. His thin figure was like a hawk with its wings spread. He quickly jumped from the end of the tripwire to the bandit, and the arrow in his other hand stabbed him hard.

"Damn it!" The bandit didn't expect that this childish boy would be so agile. He fell back to avoid the arrow that was aimed at his eyes, and with a shake of his hand, he took back the tripwire and was about to entangle Gu Lin.

Gu Lin's body tilted, shook off the tripwire, and kicked the horse under the bandit's butt hard. The horse neighed in pain and raised its front hoof. The bandit, who had not yet sat firmly, fell off the horse in a mess.

He stood up from the ground and stared at Gu Lin: "Very good, you are not young but you are very brave, I want to see how capable you are." As soon as he

finished speaking, the bandit swung the lasso in his hand at Gu Lin like a whip, with the sound of the wind. Gu Lin rushed forward with a vigorous step, dodged his lasso sideways, and chopped his face with the hatchet in his hand.

The bandit hurriedly retreated, but was greeted by Gu Lin's long legs, which kicked his head and made his nose tremble. Blood flowed out of his nose. Just as he shook his head to stabilize his body, an arrow flew out of nowhere and pierced his throat. The white tail feathers could be seen when he lowered his head.

From Gu Lin flying on the horse to force him down, to him being deceived by Gu Lin's close hatchet, kicked in the head, and finally killed by the arrow, it only took seven or eight minutes.

Gu Lin pulled out the arrows from his neck, which were one less each time he used them, rode on his horse, turned the horse around and was about to go to the stone forest.

Suddenly, a skinny, inhuman-looking corpse of a child of a few years old came crashing down. Gu Lin quickly stepped back to make way. The leader of the refugee army, who had killed several refugees as soon as he appeared, appeared on horseback.

He was 1.9 meters tall, with broad shoulders and a strong waist, and as big as a hill. The broadsword in his hand was dripping with blood. There was only a layer of short hair on his head, revealing a hideous scar on his scalp, which looked particularly terrifying.

He looked at the bandit who was already dead on the ground: "Did you kill him?"

They were originally a member of the refugee army, but were dispersed by the government soldiers. On the way back, they met this group of refugees and played with them. Unexpectedly, they lost one of their men here.

Seeing that Gu Lin did not answer him, the bandit leader of the refugee army pointed his knife at the refugees on the roadside whose legs were so weak that they could not run: "Tell me, did he kill my men?"

The refugees were so scared that they held their heads and trembled and could hardly speak, "Yes, he killed them."

"He killed them alone?" The bandit leader looked at the skinny Gu Lin and did not quite believe it.

"There were two of them, but he killed them alone. The other one ran over there."

The refugees pointed their fingers tremblingly in the direction of the stone forest. The bandit leader looked at Gu Lin, who was riding on the horse that was supposed to be theirs, and suddenly rode towards the stone forest.

Gu Lin's pupils shrank, and he urged the horse under his crotch: "Gee!!!"

Chapter 109

The leader of the refugee army rode in front, and Gu Lin rode behind. The distance between the two was four or five feet. The leader of the refugee army rode with a huge broadsword in his hand without stopping. He used the swift speed of his horse to cut through the refugees who had also taken refuge here, breaking limbs and bleeding profusely. No one survived.

"Wow." The four or five-year-old child held by the woman fell to the ground, and in panic he pulled the woman whose neck was cut off, crying non-stop.

Gu Lin's hand shook, and the trip rope confiscated from the bandits flew out quickly, wrapped around the child's waist, pulled him up from the ground, and dropped him on the hay next to him.

The huge broadsword missed, splashing countless sand and stones.

The bandit leader of the refugee army smiled grimly and immediately waved his knife at the others: "It's useless. Call out your accomplices. You are no match for me alone. I finally met two people who can make me liven up my muscles. Don't let them become useless all of a sudden."

The man spoke bluntly like thunder, shocking the refugees who were fleeing in all directions to run for their lives.

They have all seen how powerful this bandit leader is. In his eyes, there is no chance of survival.

Lin Zhen, who found an excellent hiding position, vaguely heard the voice and realized that the voice was some distance away from him. He pushed aside the naturally grown wild grass that just happened to completely cover the narrow stone crevices and looked at the place where the voice came from.

Because he was on a relatively high ground here and there was no obstruction in front of him, he could see the two people confronting each other below at a glance.

The tall bandit leader, as tall as a hill, held a huge broad knife and sat on a horse of the same size as him. Gu Lin, who was thin and as thin as a green bamboo, rode on another horse.

Lin Zhen's heart suddenly tightened. Although the boy was as tall as an adult and had worked hard on archery, he was still a fourteen-year-old boy after all. He could not catch up with the bandit leader in strength and practical experience, which was a great disadvantage.

Lin Zhen clenched his hands tightly on the weeds, and a feeling of uneasiness swept over his body.

Gu Lin pulled the reins with one hand and took back the tripwire mixed with copper wire with the other hand. He stopped the bandit from him and killed him. Not long after, Uncle Lin's foot was injured and he could not walk far. He might be hiding somewhere in the surrounding area.

Don't come out.

Uncle Lin.

Gu Lin said silently in his heart.

He looked at the bandit leader of the migrant army, who had already regarded him as a bird in a cage, and wanted to tease him and finally crush him to death, and suddenly rushed over on his horse: "Go!"

The tripwire with an iron ball at the end was instantly released, and the sound of air breaking went straight to the face of the bandit leader of the migrant army.

The bandit leader of the refugee army didn't even use his huge broadsword. He grabbed the iron ball with his bare hands, which was greatly enhanced by the speed. The iron ball instantly had a dent of fingerprints.

Gu Lin didn't even think that this attack could hurt him

. He stretched out his hand and pulled out three white tail feather arrows from his back, and fired all three arrows at the same time. "Interesting," the bandit leader of the refugee army swung the broadsword in his hand,

and the three white tail feather arrows pierced the broadsword, making a "clang clang" sound of metal colliding. His fierce eyes looked straight at Gu Lin who was rushing over, "It's my turn!" His strong horse, which was very suitable for his body shape, neighed and rushed towards the horse under Gu Lin. The huge broadsword slashed across with a "hum". Gu Lin lay tightly on the horse's neck, and his back clearly felt the broadsword brushing against his skin. Even if the blade was a hair's length lower, he would have no chance of survival.

Gu Lin held the horse's neck with one hand and took back the trip rope that was broken by the bandit leader of the refugee army with the other hand, and wrapped it around the foot of the horse under the bandit leader. Then he jumped off the horse, rolled under the horse's belly, and stabbed the bandit leader's thigh with the hatchet.

The bandit leader didn't expect him to be so flexible, and was stabbed in the thigh by the hatchet. He grabbed the hatchet and pulled Gu Lin out from under the horse's belly, and kicked Gu Lin on the shoulder.

Gu Lin groaned, gritted his teeth and wrapped the trip rope around his waist, and straddled his long legs from the side to the horse's back behind him. However, the bandit leader, who had suffered a loss once, knew that he was faster than ordinary people, and chopped the huge broadsword in his hand behind him.

Lin Zhen, who was on the small rocky hill, saw every move of the two clearly. His lips were tightly pursed, and the weeds were crushed by him. When he saw Gu Lin risking his own injury to fall off the horse with the tall bandit leader, his heart seemed to be grasped tightly, and he almost couldn't breathe.

The two people who fell off their horses were not far away. He knelt on one knee and stood up, his fingers clenching the handle of the hatchet one by one.

The tall bandit leader had thick skin and flesh, and he was not injured at all when he fell off his horse, but being able to force him off his horse was enough to kill this annoying and ignorant refugee countless times. He raised the broad knife in his hand with a grim smile and rushed forward like a tiger.

"Dang!" The tip of the hatchet was cut off the moment the huge broad knife collided with the hatchet. Gu Lin's heart went cold, and he exerted force on his feet instantly and turned over in an instant. The bandit leader did not give him a chance to dodge. His arm, which was thicker than his thigh, reached forward and grabbed his foot and smashed it to the ground.

"Bang--" Gu Lin was smashed to the ground, his chin and forehead were instantly cut, and blood spit out of his mouth.

"Boy, you want to run away when you meet me? You really don't take me seriously." The tall bandit leader mentioned Gu Lin, and his thigh, which was as thick as Gu Lin's waist, hit him hard in the stomach. Gu Lin rolled on the ground for several times, his face instantly turned pale as paper, and the blood in his mouth stained his collar red.

He knelt on one knee and stood up from the ground, grabbed the hatchet with the tip cut off, raised his hand to wipe the blood off his chin, and rushed forward with the knife.

The thin Gu Lin was much more flexible than the tall bandit leader, but the two hits just now affected his speed. He had to take two hits from the tall bandit leader in three or five times. Although the tall bandit leader did not receive a fatal attack, he was annoyed by this kid who seemed to be not afraid of death at all and would knock him even if he was hit by him.

Suddenly, the tall bandit leader was caught by Gu Lin's close-range opportunity, stepped on his leg and jumped up, and his bent knee suddenly hit his chin. With a click, the bandit leader screamed and threw Gu Lin, who had injured himself, to the ground with one punch.

He touched his broken chin and rushed forward with a roar.

Gu Lin, who was hit by his punch, couldn't hold back, and his nose and mouth were full of blood. Suddenly, he saw a pair of familiar eyes in the weeds only four or five meters away from him. Because the weeds were too dense, there was no difference between here and other places. If someone else came, they would not notice the difference between here and other places, but the feeling of his heart beating at that moment made Gu Lin discover it.

Gu Lin's lips moved quickly and silently.

Hide.

Close your eyes.

He didn't dare to pay too much attention there, for he was afraid that the bandit leader would find Lin Zhen hiding there. He stared at the bandit leader who was rushing towards him, grabbed the last available white tail feather arrow in the quiver, and rushed towards the bandit leader.

Lin Zhen was trembling in the cracks of the stone behind the weeds, and covered his mouth with his hands. He saw Gu Lin told him to hide and close his eyes, but he couldn't help but look.

He saw the boy he raised being hit again and again by the tall bandit leader, and rushing forward again and again. His body became more and more sluggish from being able to remain flexible at the beginning. He couldn't tell how many wounds had spilled blood, staining his clothes red, and the footprints under his feet were all bloody.

When the huge broadsword chopped towards Gu Lin's shoulder, Gu Lin held it up with both hands, but it still couldn't stop it from breaking his flesh, Lin Zhen couldn't stay here anymore. He picked up a stone bigger than his head and smashed it towards the tall bandit leader, begging God, at least to give Gu Lin a second to escape.

Just when he was about to completely get rid of the kid in front of him to relieve his hatred for being hurt by him, the tall bandit leader lowered his head to avoid the stone and sneered, waiting for him to kill this kid, and then kill the hiding mouse.

Gu Lin, who was under his knife, suddenly withdrew his hands that were resisting his broadsword. One hand wrapped around his neck and pulled forward, and the other hand reached behind his neck. The broadsword that had already cut into his shoulder was smoothly inserted. Large streams of blood flowed out from his shoulder, immediately dyeing half of Gu Lin's body red, dripping on the hot stones.

"Shhh..."

The sneer on the face of the tall bandit leader froze, and he looked at Gu Lin's hand that was stretched behind his neck.

Gu Lin held the broken blade of the hatchet and twisted it behind his neck, cutting off his meridians.

The tall bandit leader stared at him with gloomy eyes. He led these hundreds of people to dominate here, killing more than a thousand people, and never thought that he would die here.

Obviously, this kid was not his opponent in terms of martial arts, but he was as annoying as a fly, and he would sting him once every time he was hit...

The tall bandit leader slowly fell to the ground, and the blood flowing from the back of his neck spread on the ground.

Gu Lin knelt on both knees, his back bent, and swayed as he supported himself on the stone beside him, slowly changing to a kneeling position on one knee, then stood up little by little, and staggered towards the stone gap covered with weeds.

After throwing the stone, Lin Zhen saw Gu Lin suddenly withdraw his hands, allowing the broad knife to chop into his shoulders, and then the tall bandit leader fell to the ground dead.

He rushed out of the stone gap and ran towards Gu Lin.

"Uncle Lin..."

Gu Lin couldn't stand up straight, standing on the slope that was lower than Lin Zhen, looking up at him, with a barely perceptible smile of relief on his face that was stained with blood and could not be seen, but his eyes were still the same as before, dark, looking more mature and gloomy than other children.

Lin Zhen stretched out his trembling hands to help him, but Gu Lin suddenly fell down in front of him, and he only had time to touch his blood-soaked clothes, heavy, sticky, and with a strong smell of rust.

"Gu Shuanzi!"

"Gu Lin!"

Lin Zhen's face was full of tears, and he squatted down to hug Gu Lin.

But he soon discovered that Gu Lin had too many wounds on his body, and there was not a single intact spot. If he continued like this, the excessive blood loss would kill Gu Lin, but he had no medicine, he had nothing!

Lin Zhen felt cold all over, and suddenly, he ran like crazy to the tall bandit leader who was killed by Gu Lin, and with trembling hands, he felt in his clothes around his waist, and soon he found a few porcelain bottles. A

martial artist like the tall bandit leader, who was short of food and clothing at this time, would not fail to carry medicine that he could use for his injuries, and he found the right one.

Lin Zhen ran back to Gu Lin with a few porcelain bottles, not caring that he was still outside, and opened the lid of the porcelain bottle and smelled it. When he smelled the familiar smell of the hemostatic ointment used at home, he undressed Gu Lin and poured the powder on his most seriously injured shoulder first.

Chapter 110

There were only two small porcelain bottles of powder for stopping bleeding. Lin Zhen was worried that it would not be enough, but the wound on Gu Lin's shoulder was too big and too deep. The powder was washed away by the blood when poured on. Lin Zhen could only pour more on it. It was not until he used up half a bottle of powder that the bleeding momentum was stopped and the blood had time to coagulate.

He continued to use the remaining half bottle of powder to treat other wounds on Gu Lin's body. Then, without caring about his hands stained with Gu Lin's blood and his feet that were in unbearable pain, he grabbed a pile of grass from the side and covered the dead tall bandit leader. He didn't know if the refugee army would search here, but he wanted to try his best to prevent those people from discovering the abnormality here.

Gu Lin's wounds were too severe. He was no match for the refugee army alone.

After covering the tall bandit leader with grass and stripping off all the useful things on his body, Lin Zhen first cleared the sharp stones on the way to the cracks in the rocks where he was hiding, and then dragged Gu Lin.

The most serious injury on Gu Lin's body was his shoulder. He couldn't pull his shoulder, so he could only hold his waist and drag him up little by little. In addition, Gu Lin was taller than him, so he couldn't use any strength.

Small sand and stones rolled down the slope. Lin Zhen's face was covered with sweat. He grabbed Gu Lin's belt with both hands and sat on the ground to move up centimeter by centimeter. When he finally dragged Gu Lin into the gap between the stones, the sun in the sky had completely set and it was dark.

It has only been an afternoon since they were chased by the refugee army, but it seemed so long to Lin Zhen. At noon today, he asked Wang Youcai, who was beside Wang Qin, how long it would take to reach Anyuan Town, hoping to return to Liyu Village.

Now Gu Lin was lying beside him with wounds all over his body, and he was in a critical condition. And he didn't know where Zhong Yan, Wang Qin and the others were scattered.

Lin Zhen swallowed hard to soothe his dry throat. He fumbled in the dark and reached out to Gu Lin, but he was shocked to find that Gu Lin's palm was terribly hot. He hurriedly touched Gu Lin's forehead, and it seemed that he could burn his hand.

Lin Zhen withdrew his hand with a cold back. The situation he least wanted to face had appeared. In modern times, a few antipyretic pills could reduce the fever, but here there were only Chinese herbs that needed to be boiled, and at the moment he didn't even have Chinese herbs...

let alone light a fire to boil the herbs.

He fumbled and climbed out of the crevice where he was hiding. It was autumn now. Although the sun was still as strong during the day, it was no longer as hot and stuffy as it was half a month ago at night, but it was a little cool.

Lin Zhen looked at the objects whose outlines were barely visible under the moonlight, and cautiously groped his way down the stone mountain. He wanted to go to the place where he escaped today to see if he could find something useful. Otherwise, without water and food, and unable to reduce Gu Lin's fever, the two of them would be like the corpses they met on the road, exposed in the wilderness.

The wound on his foot was not treated, and it was covered up, and there were already signs of inflammation. Lin Zhen not only had to hide from the refugee army that might still stay here, but also had to beware of refugees fleeing famine. Among these refugees, there might be people like Er Laizi, who were submissive in front of the refugee army, but would become murderers without hesitation when facing others who were weaker than themselves.

As long as he could survive, the lives of others were worthless.

Lin Zhen grabbed the stone and walked down lightly. Perhaps the refugee army today was too scary. He didn't see any refugees. He only saw many corpses lying on the roadside. The hungry carnivores were gnawing at Lin Zhen. When they saw Lin Zhen, they just bared their teeth and couldn't wait to tear the meat from the corpses and swallow it into their stomachs. There

were too many corpses on the roadside. They didn't care about Lin Zhen, a living person.

Lin Zhen exhaled, stayed away from the carnivores, bent down and followed the path in his memory. In the moonlight, he slipped back to the woods where they rested today.

The corpses here were the most dense, adults, children, and the elderly, in different postures, and there was almost no place to step. Lin Zhen found the little boy who was staring at him eating fried flour in the place where he sat today. He gave him the last bit of fried flour in the bamboo tube, but he immediately took it back to his brother or sister.

The two of them fell together, and there was still the smell of fried flour on their hands.

Lin Zhen watched silently, walked around the two bodies, squatted down and found their carriage and mule cart. The horses and cows pulling the carriages were gone. It was unknown whether they were taken away by the refugee army or other refugees. The two carts also tilted to the ground.

Most of the things in the carts were gone, especially the food in the bags. There was no trace of them. However, the cups, bamboo cups, and other miscellaneous daily necessities were left.

Lin Zhen hurriedly dragged the quilt closest to him carefully. When he touched the things inside, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

When preparing to leave in the city that day, because there was too much food gathered together and it was too conspicuous to put it outside, he deliberately took out the quilt cores of the two cups and put the cloth bags filled with food inside. Those who took the food might not lack the cups that could not be eaten or drunk, but they did not take them away. There was also the bamboo cup, which contained the water they collected from the pond in the cave. Because it was convenient to carry, they put it last to drink. In the past few days, they drank from buckets. Finally, he

had something in his hands. Lin Zhen finally felt a little relieved.

The food in the quilt, the bamboo cups filled with water, Lin Zhen walked around the carriage and the mule cart. Suddenly, he showed the first truly comfortable expression of the day on his face. He knelt on the ground and took out the small medicine box stuck under the wheel.

Fortunately, the small medicine box he wanted to find the most was still there. Inside was a variety of household medicines that he often filled. He remembered clearly that he had put herbs that could reduce fever in it. He took it back and tried to boil it into a decoction, which would at least give Gu Lin a chance to survive.

Lin Zhen took the small medicine box, picked up the two bamboo cups, and took out the food hidden in the quilt. He divided it into two pockets on both sides, leaving a little less in the middle, and put it on his shoulder like a bag. He bent over as he came here, and found a pile of rocks that could cover his body. He slowly slid to the small hillside of the stone forest and climbed back into the cracks in the rocks where he was hiding.

"Huh--" Lin Zhen was limp all over, and he could hardly hold the things in his hands. He sat on the ground.

He looked like he had been fished out of the water, with sweat dripping down his chin onto his shirt, and his hands and feet were completely powerless.

But not knowing what tomorrow would be like, Lin Zhen still stood up with the help of a rock, preparing to bring up the remaining food and bamboo cups.

It was still about ten days from here to the town, and Gu Lin was so badly injured that they simply couldn't survive without food and water.

After running four times, Lin Zhen finally brought up everything he could use, then dug a hole in the ground that just fit the bottom of the jar, poured the antipyretic herbs and water into the jar, and boiled medicine for Gu Lin.

Lin Zhen was afraid that the fire would attract the migrant army or other refugees, so he dug the pit deeper and piled stones next to it. He didn't dare to make the fire bigger, just a small flame that could boil the water in the jar.

The tiny flame slowly licked the bottom of the jar, and the water inside slowly made a gurgling sound. After a while, the bitter smell of medicine emanated from the jar.

Lin Zhen poured water on the handkerchief wound, and saw that the fire in the fire pit was a little big. He quickly pulled the burning firewood out to ensure that the small flame could not be seen from outside. Only then did he feel relieved, took the wet handkerchief and squeezed into the stone peak, and put it on Gu Lin's hot forehead.

After the medicine was boiled, Lin Zhen spent a long time to feed the medicine, and then took off the handkerchief on Gu Lin's head, which was no longer cold, put it into the bamboo tube, dipped it in water and put it back on.

"——"

Lin Zhen suddenly woke up, and saw a skinny mouse running over his legs at a glance. He subconsciously glanced around and found that he didn't know when he fell asleep against the stone wall, and it was almost dawn, and white appeared on the horizon.

He glanced at the stone seam, Seeing Gu laying there, patting her chest, I don't know what I'm doing, but I have a dream out of my mind. Squeeze into the gravel to see Gudai, who drank the medicine last night.

The stone was so small that it was as small as its entrance, and the seven-meter Gu lay in it, and he could only go in and cling to the body.

Lin Zhen crouched his body, a hand on the stone wall, a hand to touch his forehead, compared to last night, at this time the temperature has dropped a lot, just a little hot hands.

Lin gave him a long breath. Fortunately, God had taken care of him and looked after him.

At that point last night, he didn't want to drink medicine. It's just like a robot that executes a command, To drink, and to give him a cool palate, And then there was the look of Gu Ling on his back, And he let himself down, and he said, "Unless I die."

And he fought with the tall bandits, silently saying to himself, "Hide, close your eyes."Then there is the process of his first fight with the tall bandits, again and again played back in the true mind of Lin.

He was relieved that his children were so good and distressed him.He thought of himself, even in the most critical times to protect his emotional mind like being soaked in hot water, so ironed, so satisfied.

Lin's tired face was smiling, touched his clean, unharmed cheek, squeezing out stones to pour the remaining medicine, Put two pieces of millet that were recovered last night on a charcoal fire that wasn't completely extinguished, Prepare to bake for their breakfast today.

Lin Zhen entered with the medicine, and found that Gu Yi had opened his eyes and was looking at the stone gap.The joy in his voice could not be concealed: "You are awake."