Hua Duxiu didn't say why he had to go up the mountain, but his attitude was very resolute and seemed to think of something.

Shen Lijia has always trusted his brother-in-law unconditionally, Lu Ziye is a person who has no idea, only Ding Qiqi flashed a pair of big eyes and asked, "Clever ghost, have you noticed something again?"

Hua Duxiu said: "I just think that if I don't go this time and go back to the mountain in a few months, I may miss something important, and this miss may be irreparable." ”

Ding Qiqi said: "Isn't it just to see the scenery, what's the matter, the snow mountain can still melt, and the white jade valley can still disappear?"

The White Jade Valley is the valley where the White Jade King is located at the foot of the Yujing Mountain.

Hua Duxiu smiled slightly: "I'm not a fairy, how do I know, let's go, it's still far away from the snow mountain, let's go in and have a look." ”

Everyone immediately got up, packed their luggage, and under the leadership of Hua Duxiu, they bypassed the rotting animal carcasses scattered on the grassland far away, and continued south.

After walking for two hours, not only Hua Duxiu became more and more suspicious, but even Shen Lijia and others also saw that something was wrong.

Because of these animal carcasses abandoned in the wild, the scattering is faintly and deliberately averaged.

Almost every mile or two is a decomposing corpse, especially when you look at it from a high vantage point.

To say that this animal died of natural causes and fell here, this is too clever, right?

Shen Lijia said: "There is a problem here, don't ask me why I know, I just know." ”

Lu Ziye said: "Then what to do, if this plague is artificially created, then ...... Then Senior Brother Hua's judgment is probably right?"

Ding Qiqi was a little flustered: "Can't these cattle and sheep be infected with the plague and die? The grassland is so big, do they have to die together?"

Hua Duxiu said: "Anything is possible, but it also depends on a probability. Qiqi, don't worry, whether it's man-made or natural, we may be able to know if we go further. ”

Ding Qiqi said nervously: "Then what if there is nothing in the White Dragon Snow Mountain?"

Hua Duxiu said: "If you throw a circle of livestock around the White Dragon Snow Mountain, you have to throw tens of thousands of heads, right? ”

"If there is nothing going on inside the White Dragon Snow Mountain, then there must be someone outside who will be unlucky. ”

Ding Qiqi's little face changed: "Then, what should I do?"

Hua Duxiu said: "Hurry up and find out what's going on, the easiest way is to go to the White Dragon Snow Mountain first!"

After walking more than twenty miles, it was dark, and the carcasses of livestock scattered on the grassland gradually decreased, and they found a large town.

Shen Lijia asked, "Brother-in-law, can we enter the city?"

Hua Duxiu said: "Let's go over and have a look first, be careful." ”

There were many samurai patrolling back and forth on horseback on the outskirts of the town, and Hua Duxiu and the four of them avoided the samurai and quietly entered the city.

There was a faint smell of rancid smell wafting through the city, and there were very few pedestrians on the streets, and occasionally samurai wearing light armor and heavy masks walked by, and the whole city seemed lifeless.

Shen Lijia whispered, "Brother-in-law, won't all the people in this city die?"

Hua Duxiu also frowned deeply: "Could it really be that there was a plague?"

Ding Qiqi said: "No!"

Everyone looked at Ding Qiqi, and Ding Qiqi said: "I can feel that there are people in every house on the street, and the people here just don't go out, and it's definitely not dead." ”

Lu Ziye nodded: "Senior Sister Ding is right, there are not many people here, but they don't go out." ”

Shen Lijia rubbed his stomach: "It doesn't matter if you can't go out or not, the shops on the key streets are not open, how can we eat?

Hua Duxiu said: "Take a look, maybe there is an inn that is open." ”

The four of them avoided the patrolling samurai and walked around the town a few times, finally finding an inn that was open.

Hua Duxiu's target was too big, so he sent Shen Lijia to investigate.

Shen Lijia is familiar with this kind of thing, he walked into the inn generously and looked left and right. The two shopkeepers in the inn were dozing off, and the shopkeeper was listlessly dialing the abacus, and there was no time, and there were only two tables of more than a dozen tables on the first floor that were eating.

The only two people at the table also looked depressed, and they didn't know if it was because the food was not delicious or because they had a bad appetite.

Shen Lijia suddenly roared: "Shop!"

With a roar, the shopkeeper and the shopkeeper almost jumped up in fright, and one of the two tables of people eating fell to the ground with chopsticks.

The shopkeeper was surprised: "Guest, guest officer, what happened?"

Shen Lijia put on a grinning expression and said: "It's nothing, I see that you are all about to fall asleep, and if it is cold again, I will call you, so as not to sleep too much now and not be able to sleep at night." ”

The shopkeeper rolled his eyes and said angrily, "Is there something wrong with you?"

Shen Lijia said: "I want to stay in the hotel, do you have a guest room?"

The shopkeeper was stunned for a moment: "Where did the guest officer come from? Isn't the outside of the city blocked?"

Shen Lijia said: "I'm a local, I've stayed at home enough, let's sleep in a different place, what's the matter, can't I?"

The shopkeeper smiled: "Listening to your accent, you're not a local." Okay, why not, the guest room is more than half empty. Zhang San, go and call Captain Liu, and say that there are guests staying in the hotel and they want to register. ”

A bored shopkeeper agreed, stood up and was about to go outside.

Shen Lijia hurriedly stopped him and asked, "Shopkeeper, what's the situation, I'll just change places to sleep, why do you still need to register? Who are you looking for to register for me, those military masters on the street?"

The shopkeeper said, "Yes, the government has ordered that any traveler staying in the hotel must be registered separately to prevent the spread of the plague caused by the movement of people." ”

Shen Lijia spread his hands: "Do you think I look like I'm infected with the plague?"

The shopkeeper said: "Little brother, you are alive and well, and you are more energetic than me, so you are naturally not like it." ”

Shen Lijia said: "Then can I not register? I will sleep for one night and leave, mainly because I have enough sleep in the bed at home, and I just need to sleep in another place, okay?"

The shopkeeper apologized: "I'm sorry, guest officer, even if my daughter-in-law wants to live in the hotel, I will also ask Captain Liu to register, the military order is like a mountain, I don't dare to disobey." ”

Shen Lijia said speechlessly: "Forget it, I don't live in the store anymore, can you fry a few vegetables for me and cut a few catties of cooked beef?"

The shopkeeper said, "There is no beef, all the cattle have been killed, and only chicken and duck are left." ”

Shen Lijia waved his hand: "Then stew two chickens, fry a few more ingredients for me, make a pot of porridge, I will call a few friends to come over and eat together, the family really doesn't want to start the fire." ”

The shopkeeper said with a smile: "Suddenly blocked, every family distributes food on demand, there is no meat and water, and it is really unbearable to look at the figure of the guest officer." ”

Shen Lijia said: "Isn't it, if I don't eat meat for a day, I won't be tired." ”

The shopkeeper said, "How many people are you going to call?"

Shen Lijia said: "Plus the four of me, what's the matter, you have to register for dinner?"

The shopkeeper coughed lightly and said, "Guest officer, I don't know if you are a citizen of this town or not?" The government notice stipulates that in order to prevent cross-infection, no more than three people can gather together in public places. The four of you will definitely report when you come to eat with me. ”

Shen Lijia was a little angry: "Then you just don't know each other when the four of us just happen to eat at the same table, it's always okay, right?"

The shopkeeper looked depressed: "I want to, but you said ......"

The shopkeeper looked at the other two tables of guests, one table of three people and one table of four people, all of whom looked at Shen Lijia with sympathetic eyes.

Shen Lijia sighed and asked, "Shopkeeper, they came to eat with you and also registered?"

The shopkeeper said: "These are the tourists staying in the hotel, and they have already been filed." ”

Shen Lijia was stunned: "At this time, there are still tourists who come to stay in the hotel, how did they come in?"

The shopkeeper said: "The lockdown came so suddenly a few days ago that they didn't have time to go outside and locked it down, so they had to stay here and wait for the epidemic to pass and the lockdown was lifted." ”

Shen Lijia said: "Damn, that's unlucky enough." ”

"Then let's do it, the chicken is stewed as usual, the vegetables are fried as usual, and I will pack them all back to my own house to eat, this will always work, right?"

The shopkeeper said, "Yes, yes!"

Shen Lijia took out a silver ingot from his waist and threw it to the shopkeeper: "The amount is larger, I'll come and get it later!"

The shopkeeper turned the silver ingot and said happily: "Deler, don't worry, guest officer, I promise to let you eat well!"

Shen Lijia waved his hand and left the inn, returning to the place where Hua Duxiu and the others were hiding on the street corner.

Hua Duxiu asked, "How is it, can I stay in the hotel?"

Shen Lijia told the truth about the situation, Hua Duxiu sighed silently, and said, "That's troublesome, it's not good for us to sleep on the streets on such a cold day, right?"

Shen Lijia said with a hideous expression: "Simple, let's pretend to be bandits, and then invade the people's homes and have a dove to occupy the magpie's nest!"

"Anyway, the doors and windows are closed, and there are no relatives and friends in the neighborhood, so let's just sleep all night, and we won't alarm the government." ”

Ding Qiqi became interested: "Can you still do this? Then I want to be a bandit leader, you are all my little brother!"

Hua Duxiu shook his head: "Don't make trouble, the limelight is so tight now, let's make less trouble." ”

Shen Lijia said: "How can this be called causing trouble? It's a big deal that when we leave tomorrow, we will give people a lump sum of money for lodging, and we won't live with them in vain." ”

Ding Qiqi said: "Then you are still not a bandit, how can there be a bandit who pours money?"

Shen Lijia scratched his head, not knowing how to pick it up.

Hua Duxiu said, "When your meal is ready, let's go to the ruined temple at the back of the town for one night." Be careful, if we are discovered by the government samurai, we will be arrested. ”