The food wasn't served until the moon was high in the sky: braised pheasant and twice-cooked pork. The three, who were already starving, ate so much that they didn't even have time to talk.

Eating and sleeping well has become a habit. No matter what kind of primitive tribe or savage people they are, no matter what big thing happens, it can't affect their eating. If conditions permit, they will even make soup.

The next day, at the crack of dawn, Yan Zheng got up early to pack his things. He wanted to be as light as possible when he went out today, so he carried his weapons in his hands and only put some water and food in his backpack.

In Jiang Xi's words, it's convenient to escape in case of an emergency.

Yan Jing'an even took out the stone arrow he had recently developed and handed it to Yan Zheng.

He deliberately sharpened the two sides of these stone arrowheads into a blade shape. Once hit by the arrow, the arrow shaft would tear a gash in the prey's body, causing it to bleed profusely and be difficult to heal.

"My skills are so good, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone like me even with a lantern."

Yan Zheng tested the bow and arrow's strength and praised him generously: "I'll give you a big credit rating, you'll get extra food when you get back."

Hearing this made Yan Jing'an feel relieved; the team really couldn't function without him.

The sky was half-clear when she went out, with a bit of a northerly wind. Jiang Xi pulled her rabbit fur hat down a bit and tied her scarf tighter, leaving only her eyes showing.

Yan Zheng thought she was cute, so he straightened the rabbit tail on her hat a little more.

As she was leaving, Yan Zheng handed her a machete, the one she usually used to cut vines. It was very handy for chopping, blocking, and stabbing.

It was still quite a distance to walk there. The three of them walked at the bottom of the cliff, so small that they could hardly see each other. When they reached the mouth of the canyon, Yan Zheng signaled to stop. It was too quiet, and he felt a little uneasy.

Yan Zheng said in a low voice, "I'll go check ahead first. You guys wait here. If anything seems amiss, retreat."

Then he looked at Yan Jing'an and asked, "Did you remember?"

His gaze was piercing, and Yan Jing'an knew what he meant—he was asking Yan Jing'an to protect Jiang Xi. Understanding this, Yan Jing'an said he understood.

Yan Zheng drew his sword, walked around the skeleton in the corner, and cautiously moved forward. The cliffs on both sides were more than twenty meters high, and he carefully watched for any movement on either side.

As the canyon meandered and rounded a depression, the sight before him made his pupils shrink.

There was a person standing in the shadow of the mountain wall.

Yan Zheng stared at the spot, and only when he got closer could he see clearly that it was a wooden frame with a set of armor and a helmet hanging on it, covered in snow.

It wasn't traditional leather armor; it looked like some kind of hard shell material, arranged like scales. The entire armor was grayish-brown, with some loose threads hanging together, jingling and clanging.

I don't know what kind of wood the wooden frame is made of, but it has withstood years of wind and rain and has stood here for so long.

Yan Zheng walked a few dozen meters further and, after confirming that there was no danger, turned back and called for the two to follow.

Jiang Xi stopped in front of the armor.

Yan Zheng asked, "What can you tell?"

Jiang Xi shook her head: "Besides knowing that it is a Ming Dynasty scale armor, we can't see anything else."

She brushed away the snow from the shoulders and neck of the armor and said, "It looks like it's two or three hundred years old, and the scales are showing signs of decay. This isn't metal; it's probably scales from some kind of shell or animal. This type of armor was most commonly used in the Ming Dynasty."

Yan Zheng's eyes were wary: "It looks like we've found the right place. If we go any further in, we might be in their territory."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xi tightened her grip on the sword, her frozen hand becoming increasingly numb.

Yan Zheng led the way, Jiang Xi was in the middle, and Yan Jing'an brought up the rear. They walked for another two hundred meters.

The road twisted and turned twice before the exit of the canyon came into view, and gray tree shadows could be seen even in the white mountains.

Once outside, the view suddenly opened up. The location was high up, with towering mountains surrounding the valley in layers. In the distance, a long, silvery-white river could be seen flowing through the valley.

Yan Jing'an was the first to notice something. "Look there."

Jiang Xi followed the gaze and saw several ruins on the mountain ridge to their left, a few dozen meters away, hidden in the snowy landscape and concealed by the surrounding pine trees. For a moment, it was hard to distinguish between the natural and the man-made.

Yan Zheng tightened the quiver on his back: "Same as always, I'll go first, you guys cover the rear."

There were quite a few trees on the mountain. When they got closer, Jiang Xi and Yan Jing'an hid behind the trees, while Yan Zheng crouched down and walked to a spot under a collapsed wall.

After confirming that there was no movement, he used the wall for support and flipped himself into the yard.

Looking around, he saw that it was indeed an abandoned village, and his heart eased a little.

The village wasn't very big; there were only four or five houses in the distance. The walls were made of stone and mud, and some were already broken or collapsed.

Several courtyards still have cedar trees planted in them. They haven't been pruned and have grown to the height of three or four stories. There are also some stone tables and benches under the trees, which gives you an idea of ​​how lively and bustling this place used to be.

Yan Zheng waded through the overgrown weeds in the yard and walked to the main house. The wooden door was rotten and broken. He gently pushed it with his sword, and with a crash, the entire door and frame fell apart.

The snow on the eaves also fell down.

The rising dust hit him in the face, and Yan Zheng covered his mouth and nose.

Seeing that nothing was amiss, Jiang Xi and Yan Jing'an followed.

Jiang Xi arrived at the door and looked around. Having not stepped into human civilization for a long time, she was still a little excited to see this: "This must be where they live."

Then she asked curiously, "At the beginning, there were thirty or forty people in the painting. This room couldn't possibly accommodate them all."

Yan Jing'an had a different opinion.

"Perhaps not everyone has a house to live in. Most people probably still live in caves, and only a very small number of managers can live in houses."

That makes some sense.

Yan Zheng entered the room, which was simply furnished with only a bed, a table, and a handmade wooden frame. However, many years had passed, and the wood was badly damaged by insects, covered with a thick layer of dust.

Jiang Xi was interested in the two wooden boxes on the shelf.

The box was only the size of a shoebox, and it was locked. Jiang Xi swept away the dust and found it was a camphor wood box with the words "prosperity and wealth" printed on it. This kind of box was sturdy, durable, and not easy to rot. It was most commonly used for storing and collecting things during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Judging from the craftsmanship, it must have been brought in from outside the mountains. The iron lock on it was already rusty. Jiang Xi used a machete to pry it open, and the whole lock fell to the ground.

She covered her nose and looked up at the contents of the box: a few moldy, tattered pieces of paper. She used a knife to rummage through them and found several copper coins underneath. Jiang Xi picked them up and examined them closely; the words "Wanli Tongbao" were printed on them.

Hearing the commotion, Yan Zheng also picked up a coin to examine it, saying, "I'm afraid the owner still hopes to return someday."

It's clear how much the owner cherishes it.

Jiang Xi put the copper coin back: "Now it's really a treasure."

The flowers won't run out, and I can't take them out with me.