Chapter 447: Snow on the Mountain, Bright Candles in the South

Mingnan and He Yunfei looked at each other and asked curiously, "Why do you say that? Does Ancheng have any special rules?"

The soldier sighed in dismay, "Yes, Ancheng is surrounded by mountains and rivers. Although the scenery is beautiful, the hidden dangers are not small."

He pointed to the dense forest in the distance and said, "There are many monsters in the mountains and forests. Every June and July, there will be a beast tide. Those monsters are rampant. How can ordinary people be their opponents? They even eat children! Our Ancheng used to be much richer than it is now, but after the beast tide, half of the people were gone. Some moved away, and some... Alas, the whole family was wiped out."

When talking about the past, the soldiers around showed expressions of disgust and hatred on their faces.

"So we have no choice. The sun is about to set during this period, so we have to close the door and be on guard against monster attacks at all times."

He patted the heavy city gate and gave a bitter smile, "With this thing blocking the way, at least we can give everyone time to escape in advance. Every second we survive is a second."

Someone nearby also agreed, "So, apart from outsiders, who would choose this time to go in and out?"

Mingnan and the other two were silent.

She couldn't help but turn her head to look at the rolling mountains and asked, "Didn't you try to seek shelter from the nearby immortal sects? Generally, immortal sects won't refuse you, right?"

The soldier sneered, "There is no immortal sect here anymore. It has long been gone."

Mingnan wanted to ask something else, but He Yunfei pulled her away. She nodded to the soldiers and said, "Thank you all for your help. We will go in first."

The soldier waved his hands and said, "If you have nothing else, leave as soon as possible. If you are caught by a beast tide, you won't be able to leave even if you want to."

After saying this, they worked together to pull the city gate closed.

There was a loud, heavy thud as the city gate closed.

Like an ancient bell ringing in Mingnan's heart.

She couldn't help but look back again and whispered to He Yunfei, "Senior Sister, I haven't finished asking."

"I know what you want to ask." He Yunfei let go of her hand and said, "Are you wondering why the people are unwilling to move away even though they know it's dangerous here?"

Mingnan nodded vigorously, "Why?"

Yuan You sighed, "Junior sister grew up in the sect since she was young, and she doesn't know the sufferings of the world. We are the master's direct disciples, and there are people who are responsible for our food, clothing and daily expenses, so we don't have to worry about it. But the common people are different. They have to earn their own food, clothing, housing and transportation."

"Wherever the fields are, there they are."

He pointed to the taverns and guesthouses on both sides of the road and said, "Every brick, every tile, every blade of grass, every tree, is the result of their hard work, tying them firmly to this land. People can leave, but houses and fertile fields cannot. If they leave, they will have nothing. How can they survive?"

These words were like a wake-up call, leaving Mingnan stunned on the spot.

He Yunfei nodded: "Yes, and those who can leave must have left long ago. Those who stayed behind naturally can't leave, especially the elderly, the weak, women and children. They want to leave but they are powerless. Besides, there are always people who survive the beast tide. What if they are the ones?"

"There's an inn up ahead. I'll go ask if there's any vacancies." Yuan You took two quick steps and just in time saw the waiter coming out to pour water.

The waiter was only looking down at the road and didn't see Yuan You, and was almost splashed with water. Fortunately, Yuan You reacted quickly and dodged in time.

"Slow down."

Hearing this, the waiter raised his head suddenly, and seeing Yuan You dressed in an elegant manner, he hurriedly bowed and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't get it on you, did I?"

Yuan You waved his hands, "No problem, I just came to ask, do you have any vacancies in your inn?"

"Yes, yes..." The waiter looked him up and down, "Sir, are you alone?"

"And us."

He Yunfei and Mingnan walked over quickly.

The waiter's eyes suddenly lit up, and he forgot to say anything and just stared at the two of them.

He Yunfei frowned, raised his hands to protect Mingnan behind him, and asked coldly: "What are you looking at?"

"I'm sorry, I haven't seen guests as noble as you three for a long time. I was fascinated by you."

He picked up the basin, threw the towel and said with a smile: "There are exactly three upper rooms left. Please go in--"

This inn looks plain from the outside, but it is clean and elegant inside.

The waiter led them up to the second floor, called over someone, cleaned each room one by one, replaced the bedding and teapots with new ones, and added new tea, and asked them if they wanted to take a bath and eat.

If you are in the right mood, you can go without eating for ten days or half a month, but since you are here, it might as well try the local specialties.

So He Yunfei asked the waiter to bring the meal to his room, and the three of them ate together.

Mingnan didn't say a word during the meal. Yuan You and He Yunfei saw it but didn't say anything either.

After dinner, when the three of them were drinking tea together, He Yunfei asked Mingnan: "What are you thinking about? You haven't eaten much. In the past, you always complained that you couldn't eat enough. What's the point of cultivating immortals? Today, you can eat enough, but you don't want to eat?"

"Oh, I can't eat." Mingnan leaned on the table and fiddled with the empty teacup. "I think it's not a good idea for the people of Ancheng to continue like this. How about we tell Master to set up a large formation here to cover the entire Ancheng, so that we won't be afraid of the beast tide in the future."

"You're thinking very nicely." He Yunfei tapped her forehead with his fingers. "Do you know how much spiritual energy such a large formation consumes? Even if Master is at the Ascending Heaven Realm, he can't maintain it for too long. If it's a high-level monster, Master himself will have to spend a lot of effort to subdue it, let alone a mere formation?"

A trace of regret flashed across Mingnan's face, and he stopped talking.

Yuan You raised his eyebrows and said, "It is better to open up than to block. The highest level of defense is to take the initiative to attack."

Mingnan was stunned for a moment, then suddenly raised his head, "Brother, what you mean is that only by finding the source of the monster riot can we completely solve the problem of Ancheng?"

Yuan You nodded and looked at her encouragingly, "That's right."

Mingnan perked up instantly, but before she could say anything, Yuan You poured her a basin of cold water and said, "However, with your current level of cultivation, it is far from enough. Besides, I don't recommend that you interfere too much."

"Why?" Mingnan was puzzled.

"Because everyone has his own destiny."

He Yunfei said helplessly: "Have you forgotten all your usual classes?"

"The people of Ancheng are unwilling to leave. This is the cause. If they die in the mouth of monsters in the future, this is the result. Cause and effect are cyclical and have been predetermined. Outsiders should not interfere casually. Otherwise, whether it is a blessing or a curse, you will have to bear it all."

"Besides, do you know how many Ancheng there are in this world? You can help one, but can you help the whole world? Even if you can help, the consequences of so many things are beyond your ability to bear."

He Yunfei's words sounded a bit like a warning at the end.

Mingnan murmured: "Then are we just going to watch him die without helping him?"

"You can save them, but you have to do it within your ability."

He Yunfei touched her head and said, "We can stay and help with this beast tide, and don't think too much about the rest."