In the morning, the dense clouds still did not disperse, and after the wind and rain stopped, the mist quietly spread between the mountains and plains.

Everywhere was gray, and heaven and earth slept in a dead silence.

Jiangnan is wet in winter, and the water vapor on the bluestone is always dry. Dew dripped from the tips of the branches and leaves of the plants and trees, and the cold in the water penetrated the skin like a thin snake.

After a night of running and dodging, her legs were so weak that they didn't look like her own. Regardless of the cold and wetness of the stone, she raised her hand to signal that no one had to help her clean it up, and sat down after wiping it indiscriminately.

Seeing that she was thin and shrunk slightly, Li Dui asked, "Do you want to make a fire?" ”

Ruyi had a faint pain in her abdomen, and she vaguely felt that it was probably Kwai Shui who was coming. But he shook his head and said, "No." They don't have time to gather wood and make a fire. What's more, after the rain and snow at night, there is no dry firewood in the forest at all. If the smoke rises to attract the attention of nearby thieves, it will be troublesome.

She only unburdened herself, took out the pot and distributed it to everyone.

The pot was wrapped under the cotton coat, but fortunately it had not yet returned. It's just cold and hard as a stone, and it's a little hard to swallow. She took a few bites and swallowed.

After she left Miyagi the night before, she originally thought that she would have to hide in Taicheng for a while before she could find the opportunity to secretly disguise herself to go out of the city. Unexpectedly, the fire spread in Miyagi, and the rebels had to transfer troops from outside to extinguish it. Immediately, it seemed that there were people in the north of the city who took the opportunity to make trouble, and all the garrisons stationed in the east, west, and south of the city were alarmed. The rebels were busy mobilizing troops and searching for them, but they did not stop overnight.

They made a quick decision, used many ambushes and internal responses in advance, and absconded out of the city while the chaos was taking advantage of the chaos.

After a night of dodging and fleeing, they finally smuggled across the Qinhuai River - went to the rudder to get some things, and then went straight to Shizigang.

After eating, Ruyi stayed here to continue to rest, while Li Dui took people nearby to look for the mark left by He Manruo.

The forest is cold, and the cold hurts. Ruyi took out the cotton clothes from the baggage and carried them around behind a large rock deep in the forest. The person who guarded for her turned his head slightly, and then stopped caring - a girl was fleeing alone with these big men, and there were always many inconsistencies, and the caravan people had experience.

Ruyi walked around behind the stone and made sure that there was no one around, so he unbuttoned his clothes and looked at it.

Since the siege of Taicheng, she has not been stable for a day, and her menstrual period has long been disordered. It's just that once you start fleeing, this disease becomes convenient.

She made sure that it was okay, and quickly put on the cotton clothes. The cotton garment was cut a little wider, and she just wrapped it around her waist a little more, and then tied the belt a little tighter, and the abdominal pain and hunger eased a little.

Even though there was no subordinate to serve and help, she still kept her clothes very neat. It's just that his clothes are covered with dust stains, and his appearance is very down.

She didn't care, either. When he saw a stream of water in front of him, he went and washed his hands and face. Seeing that her hair was unkempt in the reflection, she clumsily but carefully brushed her hair up.

Then he raised his hand and patted his cheek, forcing himself to pull himself together and make a smile at the reflection in the water.

The stream reflects the gray sky and the deep green forest, and the underwater reef is covered with moss and trickles.

She looked at the smile in the water, but what she saw was the separated and dead family members in the troubled times, the mountains of corpses stacked in the city, and the palace castle in the fire and the Changganli above the ruins.

Suddenly, a red muntjac jumped down from the opposite mountain rock to drink, and their eyes met on the surface of the stream, and the red muntjac couldn't help but be startled. But he didn't run away immediately, but only looked at her vigilantly, as if he wasn't sure if she was in danger.

Ruyi suddenly remembered the two people who killed themselves by cutting their throats in front of her on the day Gu Jinglou entered the city, and their blood splashed on her face, and the touch made her flinch - although she was in danger at that time, she actually had no sense of killing.

She couldn't help but hold down the short knife on her waist, wondering, if it was changed to this moment, would she be able to kill with her own hands?

In a trance, the red muntjac jumped back a few steps, and then quickly turned around and fled into the depths of the mountain forest.

Ruyi looked at the empty mountains and forests, and thought blankly--I see.

The red muntjac must have felt the murderous aura on her body before she fled.

After all her ordeal, her heart was filled with anger and hatred. Beneath this smiling countenance may be lurking a tyrannical and vicious Nakshatra. She must be ready.

Li Dui brought back the horses - He Manduo had left some things for them after receiving the news he had sent earlier, and knowing that they were also going to break out of the city.

He harnessed his horse and said, "Go to Niushou Mountain—they will break through from Niushou Mountain at the end of the day and go in the direction of Cihu." Let's hurry up, and we might catch up with them by noon. After setting it up, he asked Ruyi again, "Do you know how to ride a horse?" ”

Ruyi said, "Yes." She rolled over and pulled the reins around the horse before she confirmed, "Yes." ”

- She did learn to ride a horse, but she probably didn't ride it more than one hand. Fortunately, she has been practicing martial arts since she was a child, and her movements are coordinated and balanced, and after getting on the horse, her body quickly remembers the keys.

Before leaving, Li Dui looked at the sky and said, "It looks like there will be a spring flood this year." When the spring flood starts, the river fish is fat -- but unfortunately I can't taste it this year. ”

The Yangtze River, including many of its tributaries, rarely sees spring floods. Most of the flood season on the Yangtze River comes in early summer between April and May every year, when the plum rainy season arrives. But this year's early spring was unusually wet and rainy, and if the upper reaches were the same, the river would have risen around the next few days.

But Ruyi does not regret the river fish that are getting fatter and fatter with the rising spring water.

She just thought, maybe it was because of the rain after the beginning of spring that Li Hu came up with the idea of irrigating the city with water - there are still sandbags thrown by Li Hu in many rivers around Jiankang that have not been cleaned up. In the event of a spring flood and the temporary embankment made of sand and soil is washed away, Jinling may have to suffer another flood.

However, if this is the case, it should be Li Hu himself who feels the headache this time.

She only said, "When the fish is fat, you can kill it back." ”

Then he grabbed the horse's belly and shouted, "Drive!" The horse galloped away.

At that time, Niushou Mountain.

The sky was early in the morning, and the white mist shrouded the two mountains of Niushou and General.

Due to the rain and snow the night before, the roads in the valley were muddy and difficult to navigate. The bluestone on both sides is □□, and the new soil is turned out. The shade of the ancient trees is shrouded in mist, and the depth cannot be explored.

The horses traveled very slowly, but there was no sign of battle along the way. There was silence all around, and there was only a sudden drop in the price on the trees.

There were no beast calls, and no birdsong.

It was deep into the valley, and Li Dui drove his horse to her side and said, "There is an ambush." ”

Ruyi only said, "Keep going...... If there's any movement, be ready to drive your horse forward at any time. ”

There were only four or five of them, and if it was a bandit raid, it would be fine, and if it really encountered an ambush by the rebels, it was obvious that they could not be defeated. It is impossible to run away on such a difficult road - neither to stop nor to retreat, so you can only pretend to move forward as if nothing happened.

Li Dui really did not object.

The sound of horses' hooves echoed between the hollows, not slow or hurried. Ruyi tensed his mind and kept thinking about the movement on the mountain.

Suddenly, a cry of surprise came from the rocks, "Is it a young master?" ”

Ruyi raised his head violently - the person who stood up from behind the stone was indeed He Manrud.

She subconsciously searched around, and saw someone poking out from the top to look, and quickly disappeared into the forest again.

Obviously, she was separated by mountains and rocks, and she only glanced at it in the white mist, but at that moment she did recognize it, it was Erlang. Ruyi quickly turned over and dismounted, looking for the path forward, she was stepping on the mountain rock and was suffering from the loose soil under her feet and could not borrow strength, and when she saw that she was about to fall down, a hand was stretched out from above-Erlang had run down from the height, and was leaning down from the stone to pull her.

His physique was obviously still not strong enough, and he had gasped slightly after running, but his eyes were as bright and joyful as washed water, and the corners of his lips were raised high.

The two hands were clasped tightly together.

The moment they confirmed that they were really reunited, tears welled up, but the smile couldn't help but brighten.