The night, sinking like water, is like a huge black curtain falling from the sky, covering everything.

In this world, there is only darkness.

The air, the silence was terrible, the wilderness was everywhere, the dense forest was cloudy, and the weeds were everywhere.

"Grass and trees" is the grass and trees swaying, colliding.

......

It was very windy

It's also cold

The bitter chill mixed with the bitter wind whistled by, sweeping over the mountains, over the canyons, over the woods, and blowing back and forth.

Above the heavenly dome, an incomparably huge cloud hovered and did not disperse for a long time.

In October

severe winter

Snow and ice cover the mountains

During the night, the temperature plummeted, and the ground soon formed a fine layer of hoarfrost.

Then the cold air fell on the trees, forming strings of beautiful ice crystals.

"Jingle Bell"

"Jingle Bell"

"Jingle Bell"

An old tree with a withered crooked neck makes a pleasant ringtone.

......

A difficult night.

......

Outside the Heavenly Snow City, a winding river flowed quietly, and the firelight on the city's head reflected on the river, sparkling, like a piece of white jade, without flaws.

The Qingshui River, originating from the ice field in the depths of the Tianxue Mountain, has never dried up for thousands of years.

A river of clear water has raised countless people.

The clear water of the river disappeared silently at the end of the plain.

"Whew"

"Whew"

The sound of the wind echoed, like a ghost crying wolf, unusually terrifying.

Thirty miles downstream, there was a huge cluster of firelight, swaying in the cold wind.

There is also a dilapidated temple, which enshrines the statue of the self-respecting god, which is the god of the Qingshui River, the temple has been abandoned for a long time, the walls have long been gone, only some tiles exist on the top, which can barely shelter from the wind and rain.

Qingshui River Temple

......

Built a hundred years ago, the decaying pillars fell to the ground, the statues of the gods were dim and in disrepair, the bluestone slabs on the ground were nowhere to be found, and there were holes and filth everywhere.

Twenty or thirty ragged men huddled together to keep warm with the help of a burning bonfire.

Section after section of wood was thrown into the fire, making a "crackling" sound and sparks flying.

They talked in twos and threes, or stared blankly at the fire, their expressions numb.

"Damn, the territory in the north of the city was occupied by Zhang Mazi, and today a group of people chased me and almost killed me. ”

"Hmph, Zhang Mazi, bastard. ”

"I don't have a way to live. ”

A group of people were cursing, Zhang Mazi in their mouth was a ruffian in Tianxue City, doing all kinds of evil, domineering, several beggars had been beaten to death by him, and the one who spoke just now was a white-haired old man with yellow face and thin muscles, if he hadn't run fast today, he might have died.

......

"Alas, there is no way, people know martial arts, we can't beat it, so let's go to the north of the city less in the future and change places. ”

"That's the way it can be. ”

......

They are beggars, and they are also the lowest-ranking people in Heavenly Snow City, and they live by begging on weekdays.

There are people from other places, some from other places, some from the famine, some from the down-and-out, dragons and snakes, everyone has it.

If you meet a kind person, you can get three or five copper coins, and you can have a full meal.

If you can't get it, you can only tighten your belt, and you can suffer one day at a time.

I really can't stand it, I starve to death, just find a place to bury it.

Life and death are up to oneself.

......

The Qingshui River Temple is where they live, begging during the day and coming here at night to light a bonfire to dispel the cold and wild beasts.

......

"Old man Zhang, how is the child you picked up today?"

"Stained, icy and snowy, who is so enduring, beating a seven or eight-year-old child half to death. ”

"Could it be that you have provoked the enemy? ”

"Well, it's possible. ”

Old man Zhang is a rickety old man in his fifties and sixties, wearing thin linen clothes and a layer of rough calluses on his hands, and the whole person is aging like a crumbling old tree, which will be blown down by the wind at any time.

The old man didn't say a word, just sat quietly on the straw in the corner. Beside him, lay a young man, his young face twisted together, his body covered with rare mottled blood, as if he was enduring great pain.

"Old man Zhang, there is also a steamed bun here, you can feed it to this child. A middle-aged beggar said, and then carefully pulled out a gray stone-like object from his bosom.

Old man Zhang took the steamed buns, pinched them vigorously into pieces, mixed them into a paste-like thing with clean water, and then pinched open the young man's mouth and fed them slowly.

The old man's eyes flashed with hope, and he put down the bowl and put the boy's head down again.

A few beggars came over with a pile of dry straw and put it on the boy's body.

"If this kid can't survive tonight, I'm afraid it's gone. A beggar lamented.

There is only so much they can do, and as for asking for a doctor, catching medicine is out of reach for them.

If you are sick, you will suffer, and if you can't stand it, you will die, this is the life of a beggar.

"Alas, it's so hot, even if you survive, your brain will be burned. Another beggar said.

......

The old man Zhang in the corner heard it word for word, and a trace of helplessness flashed on his wrinkled face.

Old man Zhang turned his head, glanced at the young man's delicate face and frowning brows, and sighed lightly, as if he had made some decision.

"You take care of him, I'll go find some medicine and come back. He said to the beggar by the fire, and without looking back, he left the temple and plunged into the snowstorm.

"Hey, old man Zhang, you're crazy, there's a beast out there. ”

"Come back soon"

A group of beggars shouted loudly, but there were still people outside.

Outside the city, the most dangerous thing is not the cold, but the wild beasts, especially in winter, when food is scarce, many large beasts of prey will roam around, and ordinary people will encounter them with only a dead end.

The bonfires in the river temple can drive away wild beasts, but outside the temple, no one dares to guarantee that they will not be encountered.

......

The beggars didn't dare to go out, so they could only wait for Old Man Zhang to come back.

......

The wind grew more and more violent

The snow is getting heavier and heavier

Thick snow soon accumulated outside the temple, and a biting chill lingered around the temple, and hexagonal snowflakes fell through the gaps in the roof.

"Quick, turn up the fire, and don't let that kid get cold. ”

A large pile of wood was thrown into the fire, and the flames surged again, and the surging heat spread out, keeping the cold out.

......

In the middle of the night, Old Man Zhang came back, covered in snowflakes, and holding an unknown green grass in his hand.

Three leaves

Emerald as jade

Palm-sized

The roots are a foot long

The old man trembled all over, his lips turned purple, and his arms twitched.

If he waits for a moment, he will freeze to death.

"Give the grass to the child. He trembled and finished speaking, and then he made himself into the corner, hunched up, and put his hands around his legs.

......

As the night passed, a ray of light appeared on the horizon, and then the black curtain that shrouded the earth was torn, and the white light scattered in all directions, breaking through the snow and illuminating every corner.

......

The night will pass away

Dawn came

The cold air between heaven and earth was paused, and then the wind and snow began to lighten.

There was silence

Only the faint sound of breathing echoed, the bonfire had been extinguished, and the little spark that was still radiating its last heat.

When a ray of sunlight shines into the ruined temple.

The sleeping boy let out a sigh.