burn snow

After six years, Jiang Baizhou set foot on this land for the second time.

Last visit was an accident.

That year he came suddenly and left in a hurry, so he didn't have a good understanding of the scenery of this place. Looking back, his memory is mostly vague.This time, he made the necessary preparations for his stay in the next three months.

He made up a false identity——

"Are you from Luodu?"

At dusk, a dilapidated carriage was driving on a small road in the countryside.

The horse is a skinny old horse, and the coachman is an old man with a face full of dimples. The old man looks around all the way while driving, showing a trace of timidity in his caution.

There were four people in the car: his daughter, grandson, granddaughter, and a stranger who was traveling with them.

The stranger was a young man who claimed to be from Luodu, his surname was Jiang, and his last name was Bairi.

A few days ago, the torrential rain in Luodu that lasted for half a month finally ended. The acid rain that poured into the sky destroyed the few houses in the city, and the people of Luodu were forced to flee. .

The coachman's family happened to come out from Yangcheng to join their relatives in Buxingyi. On the way, they met Jiang Baizhou who was traveling with him. Seeing him traveling alone, they kindly gave him a ride.

Jiang Baizhou has long hair and white clothes. He is dressed plainly but not shabby, and his expression is very calm. He doesn't look like a refugee fleeing for refuge, but like a young man visiting relatives and friends in his leisure time.

The coachman's daughter hugged the child, looked at him carefully, and said, "The flood is raging, Luodu is indeed uninhabitable. I heard that the beams of many houses were collapsed by the acid rain. It is lucky that people can escape alive. You... ..."

Her eyes fell on Jiang Baizhou, and her voice paused involuntarily.

The life of the coachman's family is not rich, and they can afford a carriage, but because when the old man is strong, he often travels between the three cities to do some business such as hauling goods to support his family.

When traveling outside, you will meet more people. The coachman's daughter often goes out with her father, she is by no means an ordinary woman without knowledge.

However, among all kinds of men she has met, there is no one like Jiang Baizhou who makes people dare not look directly at him.

He wasn't scary, and his expression was even gentle.

But he was so good-looking that it was hard to describe what kind of good-looking he was.

Beautiful features?Special temperament?Yes, but that's not all. He is so good-looking that people are in a trance. This kind of trance that is broadcast to others indiscriminately almost covers his original appearance, adding a layer of mist to his body, not like ordinary people.

The coachman's daughter lowered her head, thinking: This passerby who happened to meet doesn't look like an ordinary person.

She had the vigilance and self-preservation instincts of a small animal, so she didn't say much, she just chatted in a low voice and said, "When you go to Buixing Town, do you go to seek refuge with relatives and friends?"

There were two rows of seats in the carriage. She sat on one side with the child, and Jiang Bairi sat on the other side. There was a window beside him, and the curtains on the window trembled slightly with the bumps of the carriage, letting in a few rays of the setting sun.

The real sun cannot be seen under the black mist.

The mist hanging high in the sky is like a filter, filtering sunlight, moonlight, starlight, and even the original blue of the sky into the same dull gray.

Only when the weather is very good can you see different colors in this gray.

Jiang Baizhou looked thoughtfully at the twilight and the withered grass outside the window.

Hearing this question, he turned around and answered, "No, I'm alone, with no relatives or friends."

The coachman's daughter was slightly taken aback: "Then when you arrive in Buian Xing Town, where do you live? There are a lot of refugees recently, I heard that there is some turmoil in the city, I'm afraid it will be difficult..."

For some reason, as soon as Jiang Baizhou opened his mouth, she couldn't help but care about him.

Maybe a good-looking and gentle man is hard to make people feel guarded.Fortunately, the other party didn't pay attention to the change in her face, and only said softly: "Let me see the situation, since it's here, it's fine, it's nothing."

He is open-minded.

At this time, the sky was getting darker.

The carriage drove in the dark into a wild and uneven forest. The road became narrower and narrower, but the surroundings became quieter and quieter for some reason.

Except for the light sound of the wheels grinding on the withered grass, there is only the sound of human breathing.

The old man reined in the reins and brought the carriage to a stop.

He opened the curtain of the car, gave a soft "shush" to the people inside, and said, "There seems to be movement in front."

"What's the matter?" Jiang Baizhou was new here and didn't know the local customs, but seeing the old man's face flustered, the two children listened to his words, covered their mouths obediently, and hid in their mother's arms.

— they all seem to be terrified and skilled.

Jiang Baizhou was even more puzzled, but he did as the Romans did, and kept silent.

He listened quietly to the voice in the dark.

The sound of the wind, the snapping of dead branches, the sound of distant footsteps—

Just now when the old coachman invited Jiang Bai to go with him, he said to him, "The night road is uneven, and there are so many people to be brave", so he took him for a ride, and said, "You have to pay the toll when entering the city during the day, otherwise how can you take the risk of traveling at night?"

Jiang Baizhou didn't quite understand it before, but now he understands it a little bit.

Several people in the car held their breath together, and after a while, the sound of footsteps in the distance disappeared.

The old coachman didn't dare to light the lamp, got out of the car and looked around quietly to make sure that there was nothing wrong with the surroundings, then he started off again and continued towards Buixing Town.

Through a cloth curtain, the old man whispered: "In this world, walking outside, you can't be careless! It's okay to meet 'Fire Lord', they are a little rude, but they are not embarrassing. If you happen to meet The men of Shangfeiguang Palace—oh, I have to peel off a layer of skin for you!"

Jiang Baizhou didn't know what "Fire Master" and "Flying Light Palace" were, and he didn't know what they understood, so he couldn't ask.

The old man's daughter said in a low voice, "Father, be more careful and keep your words to a minimum."

The old man sighed and remained silent.

Jiang Baizhou was curious and didn't know how to inquire, when the old man suddenly said: "My lord, you just said that you are alone, and you don't know who to go to when you go to Buixing Town?"

"Exactly." Jiang Baizhou nodded and asked, "Does the old man have connections?"

The old coachman said: "I'm an old man, I don't have any connections, but if you have the courage, you might as well go to Huanghuo to try."

Jiang Baizhou's expression moved slightly: "'Huanghuo'?"

The old man's daughter became anxious for some reason, and glanced at Jiang Baizhou: "Father—"

Her father is a real person, and he has a chivalrous heart. Regardless of his daughter's alarmed warning, he said to Jiang Baizhou: "Young master, don't you know much about Huanghuo? Feiguang Temple spreads that they are bad people, which is deliberate smearing." Don't be afraid. As far as I know, Wildfire has been established for more than ten years, and has never done a single bad thing that harms justice. On the contrary, they help people everywhere. , was suppressed by the Feiguang Temple, charged with many trumped-up charges, and became the so-called 'dark organization', which is feared by people."

The old coachman shook his head and sighed, "The world is like this, black is not black, white is not white, we ordinary people are caught in the middle, in order to make a living, how can we dare to say what is black? What is white? The men of Huanghuo understand our difficulty, Regardless, Feiguang Palace is going to strictly investigate. They catch Lord Huo everywhere, and put up notices, claiming: Anyone who dares to collude with Huanghuo will be severely punished! They take the initiative to report on Lord Huo and assist Feiguang Palace to capture him There will be great rewards for those who do.”

Jiang Baizhou said: "Is someone going to report?"

The old coachman snorted: "Why not? People can do anything for money."

Jiang Baizhou was considered half-way outsider, and he seemed to understand all of this: "You said that Huanghuo doesn't care about your own safety, and helps others everywhere? Why? What kind of organization are they?"

The old coachman paused. He didn't know if he didn't understand, or it was inconvenient to explain clearly. He just said to Jiang Baizhou: "If you are worried about making a living, the wildfire is a way out. At least it won't let you starve. They don't set a limit on their income. No matter men, women, young or old, it is enough to have hands, feet and guts. But the pros and cons of it, after the old man said these, the young master should also understand."

Jiang Baizhou nodded: "Thank you, old man."

The old coachman said: "If you are interested, I will introduce a guide to you."

"Father!" the coachman's daughter couldn't bear it anymore, and shouted, "Didn't you promise me that you would never get involved in the wildfire again? You are not the Lord of Fire, so what are you doing with them!"

"You girl, you know what a fart!" The old coachman whipped his whip violently, and the old horse ran up with a neighing sound, and the violent bumps blocked the mother's mouth. The son who was walking, his face was pale, and he didn't make a sound for a long time.

The night was deeper.

Jiang Baizhou lifted the curtain of the car and looked out, but he couldn't see anything clearly.

The old coachman had to light a lantern.

It was an oil lamp, a thin wick trapped in a translucent windshield cage, lighting up a bright flame, illuminating the path ahead.

I don't know how long they traveled, it may have been a few hours, they passed through several pieces of wild forest, and they have not yet arrived at Buried Star Town.

Jiang Baizhou didn't know his way, and he didn't even know what Buixing Town looked like.

The mother and two children in the carriage had already started to doze off, and Jiang Baizhou also felt a little sleepy, but he still listened to the wind and stayed vigilant with the old coachman.

In a blink of an eye, I came to a deserted forest again.

For some reason, the trees here are all dead, and he hasn't seen a single living plant along the way, which is a bit strange.

Jiang Baizhou thought to himself, could it be that there is a problem with the water and soil here?

Look at the black mist overhead...

I'm afraid it does.

No wonder the people he met on the way all looked poor. The land does not support people, so what do the people live on?

At this time, the old coachman stopped his horse suddenly and blew out the lamp.

No need to remind this time, several people in the car heard the sound not far ahead.

——The sound of fighting!

The voice rang out suddenly, and it was obviously not there just now. It seemed that the two groups who had been in ambush for a long time had just started, and they were bumped into by them, so that it was too late to avoid it.

The old coachman was taken aback, and sweat broke out from his temples: "This, this... really bad luck!"

There is no need to guess such a big movement, how can the little thief make a fuss?There must be another conflict between Feiguang Palace and Wildfire——

The old coachman was a little anxious, Jiang Baizhou listened intently for a moment, and said: "It seems to be unilateral suppression, it should be fought very quickly, don't panic, we will go on our way after they finish."

The old coachman was taken aback: "How do you know?"

Jiang Baizhou didn't answer, but said after a while: "Listen, it's over."

"..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of fighting stopped.

The painful panting and indistinct shouts of the wounded were heard in the wind.

The old coachman was terrified and prayed that they would not be discovered.

However, contrary to expectations, the carriage was too close to the battlefield, and the victorious side was very keenly aware of the third force present - if they could be called "forces".

"Who's over there?" An indifferent male voice pierced through the cold wind like an arrow.

The owner of the voice led a group of men close to the carriage. Their footsteps were orderly and menacing. The old coachman's back was soaked, and his sweat was quickly dried by the cold wind in early winter, making him shiver all over.

The team walked up to the carriage, led by a very young man in black.

The old coachman recognized him at a glance, he was from Feiguang Temple, judging from the black clothes embroidered with gold thread, he was still a big shot.

The "big man" glanced at the carriage, and said indifferently, "How many people are inside? Come down."