Lin Yinan and Yun Mo put in a lot of effort to kill the bear, and the village chief specially divided the best meat between their two families.
After dividing the bear meat, everyone decided to continue their journey without lingering.
Although Linjia Village lost a lot of food and supplies, it was still able to fill its stomachs because it received a lot of wolf and bear meat, plus wild vegetables picked along the way.
They were ten days' journey from the city.
The official road was unsafe; no one knew if they would encounter Hu cavalry again, so everyone chose to travel through the mountains and forests.
The mountains and forests were difficult to traverse, overgrown with weeds and dense with trees, leaving no path. If it weren't for Yun Qi, one of Yun Mo's subordinates, being skilled at tracking and determining directions, they would have long been lost in the vast mountains.
Therefore, they traveled even slower along the way.
Deep in the mountains and forests, where snakes, insects, and rodents abound, and where food is scarce, the people of Linjia Village frantically gather anything edible they can find.
Lin Yiheng even organized the men in the village to go hunting when they stopped to rest.
Any leftover prey would be roasted over a fire to make it easier to store, since firewood was never in short supply in the mountains.
Gradually, apart from the village chief's family, Lin Yinan and Yun Mo's family's status in the villagers' hearts rose sharply.
By the time they left the mountains and reached the town, more than half a month had passed.
It's mid-October now.
Once again, I walked onto the bare official road. There wasn't a single refugee in sight, and the fields along the roadside were trampled and barren, as if locusts had swarmed through.
The city walls of Yicheng stood tall and imposing, with soldiers patrolling them from time to time. The city gates were tightly closed, and only a few refugees lingered outside.
"Huh, why aren't there any refugees outside Yicheng?" Lin Shuo asked, puzzled.
Lin Yiheng said, "Sword City fell half a month ago, and we don't know when the Hu people will attack. It's right for the people not to linger in the city."
Lin Yizhang said, "Dad, look, there isn't even a single blade of grass left in the field."
"A wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall," Su Kunliang remarked.
As the group walked and discussed, Lin Yinan frowned when she saw the cracked fields.
The soldiers patrolling the city wall quickly spotted them; the group was dressed in tattered clothes, and the soldiers immediately ran to report to their superiors.
Before the group even got close, they heard soldiers on the city wall shout, "Who goes there?"
The village chief stepped forward, saluted the soldier, and explained his purpose.
The soldiers were surprised, knowing that the Hu people would soon attack and that the refugees had long since fled. Where did these people come from?
Pingcheng was massacred by the Hu people a month ago.
The soldier leader pointed to the notice board below the city wall, "A notice was issued in the city half a month ago, stating that refugees are not allowed to enter or leave the city. You must leave immediately and not linger here. Anyone who disobeys will be killed!"
After listening to the soldier leader's words, Lin Yiheng and Su Yunzhi, along with several other students studying in Jiancheng, consciously went to the notice board to look at the notice that had turned yellow and faded.
The inscription reads: "Sword City has fallen. The government has received information that the Hu people are gathering a large army and will soon launch an attack on the city. In order to protect the city, the court has appointed the Southern Route General to lead 100,000 soldiers to take over the city."
The group looked at the notice repeatedly, and a servant-looking man stared at Su Yunzhi.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he exclaimed with delight, "Young master, I've finally waited for you!"
Su Yunzhi was startled. When she saw who it was, she asked, "Su Gui, what are you doing here?"
Instead of answering, Su Gui asked, "It's a long story. Where are the master and mistress?"
"Where are they? I'll take you there." Su Yunzhi pulled him away.
Su Gui hurriedly said, "Young Master, wait a moment, Su Yuan, Ji Xiang, and Ru Yi are over there."
A moment later, four people, two men and two women, ran towards Su Yunzhi carrying bundles.
The four of them walked up to Su Kunliang and Zhu Jinhui, knelt down and kowtowed.
"How are the old man and the others?" Su Kunliang asked anxiously.
Su Gui: "Reporting to Master, the Old Master and the others left Yicheng half a month ago. He specifically ordered us to wait for you here, Fourth Master."
Did my father leave any message for me?
"The old master left you a letter."
As Su Gui spoke, he took out a crumpled letter from his pocket and handed it to him.
Su Kunliang unfolded the letter, read it twice, and his brows furrowed into a deep knot.
"Father, what did Grandfather say in his letter?" Su Yunzhi asked, noticing his father's strange expression.
Su Kunliang handed him the letter, which Su Yunzhi opened and read.
"Cangwu Prefecture!?"
"Cangwu County is in the south, thousands of miles away from us," Su Yunjin said after reading the letter.
Thinking of the little food left in the house, Su Yunyan asked, "Father, how can we possibly reach Cangwu County with just these few people?"
Su Gui said at the right moment, "The old master left some grain for the fourth master at the manor in the suburbs. He told me to wait for the fourth master to arrive, then go to the manor to get the grain before setting off. The jade buckle on the fourth master's body is the key to the storeroom."
Su Yunru exclaimed, "That's wonderful!"
She's been eating wild vegetables every day for a while now, and she really doesn't want to eat them anymore.
After pondering for a moment, Su Kunliang said, "I'll go and tell the people of Linjia Village and the Yun family."
The villagers of Linjia Village were in an uproar when they heard the announcement. Hearing that war was about to break out, they couldn't wait to leave.
When Yun Mo heard that the Southern Route General was leading 100,000 soldiers to guard Yicheng, he couldn't help but sneer.
"The Great Yan Dynasty is doomed!"
Yun Er and Yun Wu looked very worried. "Master!"
"I'm fine," Yun Mo said calmly.
A guard came to report, "Third Young Master, Master Su requests your presence, saying he has something to discuss."
A moment later, Lin Shuo and Lin Yiheng returned.
"What did Master Su say?" asked Old Mrs. Zhao.
Lin Shuo leaned closer to her and whispered, "The Su family has stored grain at their estate in the suburbs. Master Su wants us to go with them so we can rest at the estate tonight."
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