The relentless sandstorm made it impossible to open one's eyes. Atop the high towers of Shentian Pass, military flags fluttered and whistled. The general guarding the city watched the criminals lingering outside the city gate, attempting to approach, his brow furrowed.
With narrowed eyes, he gave the cold order: "Shoot!"
Outside Shentian Pass is a barren, cold, and deserted wasteland. Most of the prisoners who can come here have committed serious crimes or offended nobles and were exiled here to fend for themselves. Even if they are shot on the spot, it will not cause any trouble.
The arrows mixed with the strong wind came, and the thirty or so criminals under the city wall wailed and cried, and ran around everywhere.
A pitch-black arrow hurtled toward Ye Nuan's face. Her pupils shrank sharply, and she was violently pushed forward, sprawling into the scorched earth. The woman beside her angrily cursed, "These bastards will die a horrible death sooner or later!"
The woman had a long face, sunken eye sockets, and looked extremely thin, but her eyes were filled with anger. She was protecting a crying child under her.
As soon as Ye Nuan raised her head, the woman pressed it down tightly: "A Nuan, don't look up!" The hand pressing on her forehead was scratched by the arrow, and warm blood flowed down along her eyebrows and stained her beautiful nose.
Ye Nuan was lying in the pit, feeling a little dazed.
She's traveled through a book!
Ye Nuan is an orphan. When she was eight years old, she accidentally obtained a spiritual spring. With the help of the spiritual spring, she became successful all the time. She started a farm and built a winery. She finally made a name for herself in the world and could lie in the sun, drink wine, and read some books. In the blink of an eye, she was in the book she had just read.
A vicious female supporting character in the vulgar novel "The Tyrant's Little Wife".
Because of poisoning the heroine, the original body was ordered by the tyrant to have its face disfigured and exiled to the wilderness, accompanied by her sickly mother and six-year-old brother. As for why her mother and brother were exiled together, it has to do with her original father, Ye Ling.
Ye Ling was originally a poor scholar. After passing the imperial examination, he proposed to marry Su Ya, the spoiled daughter of Duke Rong, and swore to the heavens that they would be together for the rest of their lives.
After Duke Rong's death, the Rong family fell into decline, and he climbed from a small, seventh-rank Hanlin Academy editor to a fifth-rank Hanlin Academy academician. Cai Yan had married a wife and had a daughter in his hometown, who was his beloved, the cinnabar mole. Ye Nuan's mother, Su Ya, went from being a legitimate wife to a mistress who destroyed other people's families.
She is aggressive and intolerant.
He instigated Ye Nuan to harm Li and her daughter Ye Yuru.
After the incident, he put justice above his own family and even abandoned his six-year-old legitimate son, and took the initiative to request that the mother and son be exiled together.
He didn't want to be Chen Shimei, but in the end he became a heartless man!
While reading the book, Ye Nuan couldn't help but complain about Ye Daxueshi: Since he was married, he still had the nerve to ask for the daughter of the Duke of Rong. Since he despised Su Ya so much, he still had children with her, and had two children in his lifetime!
In modern times, it would be considered marriage fraud and the person would go to jail!
In the end it was the original owner's mother's fault, you bitch!
After going through countless hardships, the group finally reached the place of exile outside the Great Wall. The original owner looked at the withered and yellowed leaves on the ground in despair, and finally fainted. When Ye Nuan woke up and understood the situation, arrows began to rain down on him.
Ye Nuan wanted to die whenever she thought of her farm and winery. She was simply too bored to read that cheesy novel, and she couldn't help but complain about the vicious female supporting character who shared her name!
The arrows continued to fly for a short while, then quickly stopped. With more than half of them dead or wounded, these criminals no longer expected the high-ranking military commander to show mercy. They dragged themselves covered in dust toward the scorched, dry red rock.
The dust choked Su, who coughed violently. She removed Ye Nuan's hand, lifted the dusty boy from the ground, and said, "Nuan, let's go." With a determined gaze, she looked out at the boundless wasteland and said through gritted teeth, "The three of us, mother and son, will never die here and let that damned Ye Ling get his way!"
Su had been ill when she gave birth to her youngest son, and she had caught a cold during her exile, leaving her even weaker. The five-year-old child hung on her, seemingly bending her waist. The child was still crying, his eyes like grapes, and he was terrified. When he touched Ye Nuan, he whimpered, "Sister..."
Looks pitiful and cute.
Ye Nuan subconsciously felt warm in her heart, reached out to take him, and followed the woman to the end of the team.
The little boy lay on her shoulder and watched Shen Tianguan walking away, tears falling down his face again, crying, "Sister, Xiaohu wants to go home." He wiped his little face with his hands while crying, and accidentally rubbed off the coarse cloth that Ye Nuan used to wrap her head.
The woman turned her head, her lips cracked, her eyes filled with both heartache and anger: "You useless thing, the Ye Mansion is no longer our home, don't even think about it anymore." Her eyes turned and met Xia Nuan's exposed left cheek.
The girl had dark, bright eyes and a beautiful face. She was once the most delicate beauty in Zhongdu. But now the right half of her face was covered with scars. She had been tortured along the way and her skin had become sallow and she was extremely thin.
Her heart ached. She pulled a rough cloth over her daughter's face, which was covered with scars, and reached out to take the child: "Let me hold her."
Her hand was still dripping with blood. Ye Nuan shook her head and hugged Ye Xiaohu tighter: "Mom, bandage your hand."
Su is straightforward and has a bad temper. Although she has been spoiled since childhood, she doesn't care about this injury at all.
"It's okay, it will scab over soon." Ye Nuan casually blew the dust off the back of his hand. He couldn't bear it anymore, so he hugged Ye Xiaohu with one hand and took out a handkerchief from his arms and handed it to him.
The handkerchief was embroidered with golden auspicious clouds, and it was obvious that it belonged to the palace. Su was surprised and coughed again while covering her lips. This handkerchief belonged to that person. Isn't it Ah Nuan's most precious thing?
Ye Nuan knew what she was thinking. She pursed her lips and pretended to be open-minded. "Mom, I won't think about that anymore. None of those people in Zhongdu are good. From now on, I will protect you and your brother."
Isn't it just about reclaiming the land? She was familiar with this matter. When she caught a glimpse of the crescent-shaped birthmark on her wrist, her eyes brightened instantly.
Her spiritual spring also came through!
very nice!
Twenty or so people supported each other as they walked forward, the scattered dry grass on the wasteland swaying in the wind. Ye Nuan held the child in her arms, concentrating on exploring the spiritual spring.
The next moment she was completely stunned.
The spiritual spring in the sea of consciousness has dried up, without even a drop of water!
What is going on?
Oh my god, what the wasteland lacks most is water. What can we do without a spiritual spring?
When she first obtained the spiritual spring, the water in the spring was inexhaustible, and there was a large area of land around it. The crops watered with the spiritual spring water could germinate and grow quickly, more than three times the speed of ordinary crops. Even crops that were about to die could be revived in an instant.
I have never encountered a situation where the spiritual spring has dried up.
She was distracted, and it seemed as if weeds were growing wildly in her heart.
Ye Nuan frowned, looking thoughtful. Now that he had the spiritual spring in his hands, there must be a way to reopen it. Now he could only take it one step at a time.
A strong wind blew, sweeping the sand on the ground. Ye Nuan pressed Ye Xiaohu's head against her shoulder and followed the thin Su closely.
After walking aimlessly for several miles, everyone collapsed on the ground exhausted. The sun was scorching, and Ye Nuan licked the corners of her dry, chapped lips. Looking up, the wasteland seemed endless, driving her mad.
In the middle of the team, there was a thin, dark old man who was cursing and swearing.
"Is this a place for people? The government wants us dead, so we should just turn back."
When we arrived, we heard that the desert was bitterly cold, the land was barren, and there were many horse bandits. It was so hot in the summer and so cold in the winter that the people inside the pass couldn't endure it at all!
The young man at the front of the team, sitting and drinking water, shouted in a hoarse voice, "Didn't you see the scene just now? Are you going to be shot to death when you get back?"
As soon as he said this, everyone fell silent.
If you move forward, you may still survive, but if you go back, you will definitely die!
Su took off the water bag from her waist and shook it twice. It was obvious that there was not much water left. With a serious expression, she handed the water to Ye Nuan: "A Nuan, you and Xiao Hu drink first."
Ye Nuan licked her lips as she took the water. She was startled as she weighed it in her hand. The water was almost gone. Dehydration in the wilderness was life-threatening. If they couldn't find a water source quickly before the water ran out, they were likely to fight among themselves.
She untied the lid of the kettle and, even though her throat was dry and about to smoke, she only dared to take a sip. She handed the water bag to Ye Xiaohu's lips. Ye Xiaohu was also sensible. Seeing his sister take a sip, he followed suit.
Looking at the warm little face, Ye Nuan said with concern: "Xiao Hu, drink more." Children are not like adults. They cannot endure such a hot sun without drinking water.
Ye Xiaohu's full name is Ye Jin. Because he is cute and has two small canine teeth when he smiles, Su gave him the nickname - Xiaohu.
Normally he is always called Xiaohu Xiaohu, but his real name is rarely mentioned.
"Sister, I'm not thirsty anymore." His eyes, like Xia Nuan's, were dark, as if washed by rain, clear and bright. As he spoke, his two little canine teeth pointed out, looking very cute and adorable.
Ye Nuan was in a much better mood and teased him deliberately: "Then Xiaohu, don't cry anymore. The sun is so hot, and if you cry too much, you will become a raisin."
He had seen raisins before. They were flat, sweet, and quite delicious.
Ye Xiaohu couldn't help but chuckle with a sour taste in his mouth.
Ye Nuan touched his head and looked at the group of people who were drinking water. Many of them were shaking their kettles with serious expressions, and it was obvious that there was not much water left.
Su was tying the water bag, so she leaned over and whispered her concerns. Su looked around, her delicate body emitting sharp hostility as she said viciously, "How dare they!"
As they set out again, Su Shi couldn't help but feel a little worried. If there was a shortage of water, these people would really dare to rob it!
The sun was setting, the ground still scorching hot, and the howling of wolves could be heard in the distance. The group didn't dare to move any further, so they found a pile of red rocks, stacked on top of each other, to rest. The rock pile offered three shelters from the wind, and a fire should be enough to protect them from the wild beasts of the wilderness and the night's cold.
There was a lot of dead grass and dry shrubs in the wasteland, but they were all exiles and no one had a tinder with them.
Twenty or so people formed into eight groups, each collecting firewood. When it came time to start a fire, they were all stunned. Everyone looked at each other, and then they saw a little girl, who had been lagging behind the group, squatting on the ground, holding a long piece of wood as thick as her wrist, and spinning it rapidly, sparks flying everywhere.
Her movements were quick and decisive, like that of a farm girl who was used to working.
She lit the straw she had picked up, and the little tiger beside her clapped his hands with joy. He picked up the dead branches at his feet and threw them in. The flames crackled and splashed, illuminating the dark night sky.
Everyone looked at the little girl in surprise.
The little girl had been wearing a coarse headscarf, but her hands that were exposed were delicate and clean, and her eyes were as clean and bright as black grapes. It was obvious that she came from a wealthy family. How could she think of this way to make a fire?
Even Su was a little curious.
Ye Nuan looked up at Su and explained with a chuckle, "I read in a book that this is called drilling wood to make fire."
Thinking back to the time when my daughter liked to read miscellaneous books, I often scolded her for it. Now it comes in handy.
Ye Nuan spread the dry grass he had picked up against the rocks, then opened the package on his back, took out the dry food inside and handed it to Su.
"Mom, eat something first."
Her movements were so quick, as if she had done it countless times. Seeing that Su was still looking at her, Ye Nuan pretended not to know and smiled at her again: "Mom, eat!"
Su thought her daughter had grown up, so she took the rations, broke them into pieces, and handed them to her son, her eyes welling up. Ye Xiaohu didn't care. He held the rations by the fire, his mouth puffing up, his eyes narrowed with happiness, like a cute hamster.
The others looked at each other, eager to make something. The young man who had spoken earlier walked over to Ye Nuan and asked, "Miss, can you lend me a fire?"
The man was not very tall, rather dark and strong, with a square face, but he was honest and simple.
"Okay." Ye Nuan looked up.
The man met her dark eyes, his face flushed, and he hurriedly took the fire and returned to his pile of dry grass. The others hurried over to borrow fire, and Ye Nuan was not stingy with these small favors and agreed to them one by one.
After eating some dry food and drinking some water, everyone gradually dressed and rested. Su Shi left her two children inside while she slept outside with her bag.
The temperature difference between day and night in the wilderness was so great that even with a fire, everyone would be freezing in the second half of the night, not to mention the howling wind and the howling wolves.
Snap!
The sound of dead branches breaking was heard, and Ye Nuan was suddenly awakened from her sleep. In the dim light of the fire, a dark shadow was hunched over and pulling the package from under Su's body.
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