The Mortal World

Before dawn, the moon was pale and the stars were sparse.

The moon had not yet set, but the sun was already hanging in the east, and half of the sky was turning a pale white.

The official road in the southern suburbs of Juntun County was packed with people.

Some carried grain on their backs, some dragged their children, and some held ancestral tablets, turning back to look at the north of the city every few steps.

The gray fog had thinned somewhat, but it was still there, like a man-eating wall pressing down on my hometown.

People were talking about the gray-clad man in the sky earlier, but then they stopped talking about it.

No matter how powerful the gods are, they have nothing to do with ordinary people like them.

It can't solve their rumbling stomachs, it can't solve their homelessness, and it can't solve their longing for their missing loved ones.

Master Lin was surrounded by people on the roadside, and the hem of his robe was being pulled askew.

The county magistrate also shouted from the front, telling the people not to rush or push, to go south for a few days and then return, and to trust the imperial court.

But news is always easy to leak.

Rumors began circulating in the ranks: "There are ten thousand ghosts in the fog; we can't go home." Others said, "The people of the Northern Third Battalion are all dead."

At first, no one cried; everyone was still unable to accept this sudden and devastating news.

After a moment, a woman's cry came from the back of the line, which went from soft to loud sobbing.

Sadness is contagious; once someone cries, others can't hold back their tears either, and the official road is filled with despondency.

Yan Li led the donkey through the crowd, trying to distract his father by talking to him.

But the old man is just old, not stupid.

Yan's father sat on the donkey's back, neither crying nor asking any questions.

He just looked down at his shoes, as if he had suddenly lost all hearing.

"Grandpa, don't panic. The young master has already taken action, everything will be alright..."

Zhaoyue squatted on the donkey's head, still wanting to continue persuading it.

Yan Li raised her hand to stop him: "Let my father have some peace and quiet."

"Croak..." Zhaoyue immediately shut up.

The flow of people is still moving south, but much slower than before.

After walking about a mile, someone suddenly stopped ahead. It was a man in his forties who had kept his head down the whole way, but now he suddenly raised his head and shouted, "My son is still in the city, I want to go back!"

Someone nearby yelled at him, "Are you out of your mind?"

The man didn't reply; he just turned and ran madly into the city.

As he took the lead, people in the group gradually stopped.

"I didn't take my family's memorial tablet."

"My husband is in Zhenbeiying. He said he's going home this year. What if I leave and he can't find me when he comes back?"

Some continued to flee south, while others gritted their teeth and walked back. People on both sides crowded the road, and the sound of footsteps grew increasingly chaotic.

Yan's father looked away from the shoes, his lips moving as he said, "Li'er, I also want to go back and take a look."

Yan Li's Adam's apple bobbed. He looked towards the thick fog to the north, knowing that if he turned back, he would most likely lose everything and might even lose his life.

But he also knew that if he didn't let the old man go back, the old man would sit by the door for the rest of his life, holding those shoes, and would never rest in peace until he died.

Yan Li took a deep breath, then nodded emphatically: "Let's go back."

"I'll go too," Zhaoyue said immediately.

Yan Li glanced at it: "You should follow the crowd. There's no need for you to take risks with us."

Zhaoyue patted the gray donkey's neck, stubbornly saying, "Look at this stubborn donkey, it won't move without me."

The gray donkey snorted, splashing snot all over Zhaoyue.

"Thanks."

Yan Li didn't try to persuade them anymore, and the two of them, the demon and the donkey, started walking back against the flow of people fleeing the disaster.

The county magistrate and his advisor Lin exchanged a glance. The former said helplessly, "If I take this small number of people to the neighboring county, I will only be impeached all the way to Chengtian Prefecture. It's better to go back with them. Even if we don't go into the city to make a show of it, we can still gain a good reputation."

So, eventually even the county magistrate followed them back.

The closer the crowd got to Juntun County, the heavier the chill became, and the sky was a thick gray-white.

Just as they were nearing the outskirts of the city, the fog suddenly trembled and then thinned out.

A gust of wind blew through the fog, revealing the broken city wall, the bluestone street, and the houses gradually becoming visible.

Someone stood there, stunned: "The fog has lifted?"

No one dared to answer.

The fog continued to dissipate, and the outline of the flagpole in the distance could now be seen.

"It's really gone! The fog has lifted!"

The sound was like a spark falling into dry grass.

The people rushed into the city like madmen, only to find that Juntun County was in a terrible state of disrepair once they entered.

The door panel lay overturned on the side of the street, the stall cart was overturned, and several rice bags were trampled open, with the white rice mixed into the muddy water and no one bothered to pick them up.

Some people rushed home, some called out names at the street corner, and some found a child's shoe and cried so hard they couldn't speak.

Yan Li helped her father walk towards the north gate, intending to visit Guifeng Camp.

Even if it's just a glance, even if what I get back is a military license plate that has no owner.

only...

Before they even reached the north gate, a large number of people poured in.

The man at the front had a tattered official robe, half of which was stained with blood, and he needed someone to help him walk. However, the patterns on the robe were still visible, indicating that he was a third-rank vice minister of the Ministry of War.

Zhang Shilang was followed by three people, including Wu Huaiyi.

Behind them were soldiers supporting each other. Their faces were pale and their mental state was not very good, but at least they were awake.

Master Lin and the county magistrate quickly went to greet him: "Minister Zhang, what brings you here..."

Zhang Shoujie raised his hand, his voice hoarse: "Don't ask too many questions yet. Gather people to appease the people and restore order."

After saying this, he swayed slightly.

The county magistrate turned pale and hurriedly ordered people to carry a stretcher and call for a doctor.

Meanwhile, on the other side, people had already rushed to the city gate, shouting as they ran.

"Are the men from Guifeng Camp present?"

"Does anyone in Zhenbeiying know Liu San?"

"Blackstone Camp! Have the people from Blackstone Camp come out yet? My son is at Blackstone Camp."

A woman recognized her husband, rushed over and slapped him, then hugged him and cried.

An elderly woman anxiously called out the child's childhood name, and a soldier responded with "Mother."

Some people searched once, but couldn't find the face in their hearts, so they started searching again from the beginning.

Yan's father stood on tiptoe to look into the crowd.

He looked at the sea of ​​heads again and again, then held the new shoes in his arms and slowly slid them down.

Yan Li sighed and reached out to pick up the new shoes from the ground.

Just then, a voice came from the crowd.

"Father! What brings you here?"

Yan's father froze, while Yan Li's eyes widened in disbelief.

Ahead, a young soldier squeezed out of the ranks.

Yan Ci had lost a lot of weight; her cheeks were sunken, her armor hung loosely on her body, and she walked with unsteady steps, but a smile remained on her face.

"Ci'er?"

The father of the swallow could not believe it.

Yan Ci rushed to him, knelt down, and hugged the old man's legs.

"Father, I'm sorry to have worried you."

The old man looked down at his child for a long time.

He didn't cry when he learned that all three battalions had died, but now that he saw his child was safe, the old man could no longer hold back his tears.

Yan's father's hand trembled as he placed his palm on Yan Ci's head.

"It's good that you're back."

He said it once, and then he said it again.

"It's good that you're back."

Yan Ci hugged his leg, burying her face in his old linen trousers. She made no sound, but her trouser legs were wet with a warm current.

Yan Li turned her back and wiped her eyes.

After a while, he squatted down in front of his younger brother.

The two brothers looked at each other.

Yan Li wanted to scold you, and also wanted to ask you why you only came back now, and whether you know how worried your father was.

But when the words reached his lips, he could only manage to squeeze out, "You've lost weight."

Yan Ci grinned widely, revealing a silly smile.

Yan Li asked, "What did you encounter in the fog?"

"It was like a dream, in which I became a soldier at the founding of the country and killed many enemies."

He paused, the tears in his eyes gone, replaced by pure excitement.

"elder brother!"

"I saw Yan Zu in my dream!"

"He led us in the charge, and large numbers of enemies were blown into the air as he went. It was a spectacular sight, but unfortunately we were too far away to see much of it."

Yan Ci's tone was full of regret as she said this, "The Vice Minister has granted us leave. I'll go to bed early tonight and try to dream about it to see if I can continue."

Yan Li was both amused and exasperated upon hearing this.

The father and his two sons had so much to say that they didn't care where they sat down, so they found a step and started chatting.

Zhaoyue watched from afar without disturbing them, but felt a lump in her throat.

It has no father.

No one has ever made shoes for it.

Back in the mountains, if my feet got muddy, I'd just let them get muddy; if they cracked from the cold, I'd just lick them. Now I realize that people have homes and that's what it's like...

Zhaoyue rubbed her nose and patted the old donkey's head beneath her: "We were in such a miserable state."

It paused, then seemed to remember something, and a small crack appeared on its lips: "No, you're worse off than me. I still have a young master to follow."

After Zhaoyue finished speaking, she jumped off the donkey and began searching for Shen Gui in the city.

Where is the young master?

Everyone's back now, so the young master must be alright, right?

Zhaoyue jumped high and looked around in the crowd.

It moved swiftly, and as it passed the county magistrate, it overheard the high-ranking official (a third-rank official) talking to him.

As Zhaoyue drew closer, she overheard conversations about "gray clothes" and "stepping into the air."

Its eyes lit up, and it squeezed its way over there.

"Excuse me, let me through."

Nobody makes it.

It had no choice but to squeeze through the gap in the stretcher, but just as it got halfway through, its feet suddenly slipped.

The noise in front of me instantly disappeared.

Then my vision blurred.

When I could finally see my surroundings clearly, I was already standing on the Gobi Desert.

The sandstorm rolled along the ground as the setting sun rose a deep red.

Ahead stood a figure in gray.

Zhao Yue was taken aback at first, then jumped up: "Young Master!"

It hops and skips:

"I knew you'd be alright!"

"Was it you who saved Juntun County?"

"Just now, many people said you were a deity, and some even said they wanted to set up a longevity tablet for you."

"Yan Ci is back, and the old man is crying uncontrollably..."

Zhaoyue spoke several sentences in one breath, and still not satisfied, she started muttering to herself, regardless of whether there was a response.

Shen Gui walked ahead, his chest burning hot.

The stone pendant glowed faintly beneath the robe, and the second crack was slowly closing!

After Zhaoyue finished reading a long passage, she smacked her lips and noticed that Shen Gui hadn't replied, so she asked:

"Young master, shall we return to the city?"

"I won't go back yet."

"Where do we go?"

"Go find a mouse hiding behind your back."