The screening of refugees was also quite fast. Li Hua returned to his tent, picked up the bowl of ginseng soup, and slowly drank it. The warm water flowed through his lungs, dispelling some of the chill, but while he regained some consciousness, he also felt a pain in his heart as if it were being cut by a knife.

He had tried every possible method and searched every possible place. He had also sent people to several temples, but the heavy snow had blocked the mountains, and no pilgrims stayed overnight at the temples.

There wasn't a single footprint on the long stone steps. The sky and earth were vast, and Gan Qiongying was like a tiny snowflake, submerged in the pure white expanse.

An overwhelming sense of panic and fear washed over Li Hua; he felt that he would never find her again.

Tears fell from her eyes without her noticing, splashing into the ginseng soup. Sweetie wanted to step forward but didn't dare, opening her mouth but swallowing her words back down.

She dared not mention Princess Duanrong again, and could only silently stir the charcoal fire a few times to make the tent warmer, hoping to warm her mistress.

At this moment, only a small portion of the slowly advancing refugee caravan remained. Sanjiu diligently searched each group, but found no trace of Princess Duanrong or the Emperor.

Finally, it was the monk Dingzhen's turn. He remained remarkably calm. Dingzhen followed behind the refugees, and although he was at the very back of the group, he was the backbone of this massive group.

He was like a sheepdog in a monk's robe, and every move he made touched the hearts of the refugees, because they knew that only this monk could lead them to another way of life.

The warm cotton-padded clothes they wore were given to them by this monk. They also had hot rice porridge at the temple gate in the morning before they started their journey.

The refugees walking ahead kept turning back, an unusual behavior that made Li Hua, who was sitting in the tent drinking porridge, glance at them slightly.

Then he saw Dingzhen. Lihua suddenly stood up from the fire, and the ginseng soup he had just taken two sips of rolled onto the ground.

He walked out quickly, his steps unsteady due to his frozen legs.

Li Hua walked up to Ding Zhen and stared at him with eyes like two flames.

At that time... at that time they went to Qingshan Temple together to pray for marriage. Li Hua heard from "Caihong" and "Queqing" that Gan Qiongying had spoken with this monk.

And she even brought back a string of Buddhist prayer beads...

Li Hua looked at Ding Zhen's hand, and his pupils suddenly contracted, because he saw that the Buddhist beads Ding Zhen was holding were exactly the same as the ones Gan Qiongying had given him.

Li Hua suddenly went mad, running quickly among the refugees in search of something.

All the teams stopped immediately because of his unusual behavior, as his army had already blocked the refugees ahead.

Li Hua found several pairs of refugees with similar builds to Gan Qiongying and Gan Lin, but upon closer inspection, none of them were them…

In less than a quarter of an hour, his heart went through life and death several times, and his expression changed from anticipation to deathly pale.

"Amitabha." Dingzhen softly chanted the Buddha's name to calm the refugees down. Then, like a pine tree in the snow, he stood proudly and waited for Li Hua to finish his inspection.

Li Hua carefully examined each person, supporting them on the shoulder. He could even tell whether someone was Gan Qiongying just by looking at their eyes, without needing to consider their figure or appearance.

But no.

This isn't it, that isn't it, none of them are it!

Gan Qiongying did not mingle with these refugees... Li Hua couldn't help but wonder if she had already left the capital far away and might have taken a path he didn't know, to a place he would never find.

How could that be? If she really had run away that night, she would have been found by Li Hua long ago, because the troops Li Hua sent out these days had even searched remote mountain forests.

She vanished as if into thin air. Li Hua's biggest regret now is that she taught her the art of disguise.

He couldn't imagine her passing by him with someone else's face, and him not even knowing it...

Li Hua's loss of control was brief; he quickly returned to Ding Zhen's side.

He did not make things difficult for the monk who was helping the refugees find a way to survive. He simply extended his stiff hand and said to him, "Master, could you... give me your prayer beads?"

“I can add 50,000 taels of silver for the master so that these refugees can be settled as soon as possible.”

Dingzhen originally kept his eyes straight ahead, but what he lacked most right now was money. Although he didn't have many people with him at this time, there were definitely many people joining their group along the way.

The plague that preceded winter, along with the breach of the dam in Zhangzhou, left too many people homeless and forced them to wander around looking for a way to survive.

Upon hearing Li Hua's words, Ding Zhen almost immediately took off the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand and readily handed them to Li Hua.

Even because Li Hua's hands were too cold to move properly, she personally put the gauze on Li Hua and wrapped it several times to make sure it was secure.

With hands clasped in prayer: "Amitabha, well said, well said."

“The good deeds you have sown will surely bring good results. Fortune turns and blessings come in their time. You only need to be patient and wait. When the good deeds are plentiful in the future, remember to keep your original intentions.”

These words were shrouded in mystery, referring to cause and effect and reincarnation. Li Hua didn't take them to heart at all, and even San Jiu, who was standing next to him, curled his lip in disapproval.

This monk looks so young, and he's unreliable. He was so aloof and profound before, but when he heard that his master wanted to donate money, he immediately turned on a fawning face.

I've seen plenty of people like this in the past three years.

And to keep his master true to himself, doesn't that mean he should donate money to the temple every year?

However, with the Buddhist prayer beads in Li Hua's hand, San Jiu readily took out the silver notes.

Dingzhen quickly took it, rolled it up, and stuffed it into his sleeve. He didn't look like a high monk at all; instead, he looked like a greedy ghost...

Will this money really be used for the refugees?

Sanjiu expressed doubt.

Li Hua had no doubt. He saw the warm clothes on these refugees and had touched them earlier; they were all made of high-quality cotton. Moreover, they all seemed to be in good spirits, not shivering in the cold weather, which meant they must be well-fed.

The monk was indeed doing a good deed, and that's why Li Hua donated money for the string of Buddhist beads.

With the prayer beads in hand, Li Hua let them pass.