C38

Soon after, he saw smoke rising from the bottom of a mountain in the distance. He was immediately overjoyed and headed towards the direction of the smoke rising. His pace was extremely fast, and in less than half an hour, he saw a village located at the foot of a mountain.

Yu Lianzhou had not eaten for many hours already, so she wanted to enter the village and ask the villagers for food to fill her stomach, not wanting to enter the village. Several villagers were slightly startled when they saw him, and one of them, a hunchbacked old woman who was leaning on a walking stick, waved at Yu Lianzhou and said, "Child, come over here."

Hearing the shout, Yu Lianzhou stopped and looked around. Then, she looked at the old woman, pointed at herself, and said uncertainly, "Old man, you were calling me just now?"

When the old woman heard this, she nodded in acknowledgement. Yu Lianzhou strode forward to the old man and greeted him with a smile, "I wonder what business do you have with me?"

"Kid, you're already like this, and your speech is even more refined. You must be a scholar, right?" The old woman said as she reached out to touch Yu Lianzhou's head. Seeing this, Yu Lianzhou hurriedly bent down so that the old man could reach her. He was only sixteen years old, but due to years of cultivation and recuperation, he was not a small person. Although he was not completely tall, he was not someone who could reach her head easily.

"You must have fled to a foreign land … alas … I heard that the world isn't peaceful right now, and many people have been displaced. A few days ago, a few foreigners fled to our village." After the old woman finished speaking, she took a few dry leaves off Yu Lianzhou's head.

After Yu Lianzhou heard what the elder said, she looked at the damaged and withered leaf in her hand, then looked down at herself. When she saw herself dressed, she smiled bitterly in her heart, but at the same time, her heart warmed.

"Good child, wait a moment."

The old woman finished tidying up the filth on Yu Lianzhou's head, and then she walked into the house on her walking stick. Yu Lianzhou heard the sound of someone rummaging through boxes coming from the house. He stood outside quietly waiting, and soon saw the old man carrying two bags on the left.

The old man placed the walking stick in front of the door, then handed the package to Yu Lianzhou with both hands and said, "There's a package on top. My son changed it without wearing anything, just that it's a bit old, don't mind it."

Yu Lianzhou hurriedly took the two bags and said gratefully, "I don't mind it, thank you very much, old man."

"Here's some dry rations in a package. If you're hungry on the way, have some …"

Just as the old man was about to say something, a loud, ancient voice suddenly called out, "Old woman, did you give something to someone else …"

When the old woman in front of the door heard her wife's voice, she was so frightened that her expression changed. She hurriedly pushed Yu Lianzhou and said anxiously, "Good child, hurry up and leave. Be careful on the road."

The old woman then turned around and shouted towards the room, "What are you shouting for? You just woke up and you're already shouting."

After the old man finished speaking, he quickly picked up the walking stick that was placed in front of the door and waved to Yu Lianzhou. Then he slowly walked back into the room and shut the door tightly with a 'bang'.

Yu Lianzhou stood at the door and listened to the sounds in the room. She was afraid that the old lady would be punished by her husband.

"Hey old grandma, who was that person outside the house just now?" An old male voice rang out.

"There aren't many people. They're just foreigners fleeing." The old woman said amiably.

"Did you give the things in the house to those people again?" A voice questioned.

"Just some unused clothes."

"You … forget it, I'll eat." The voice was filled with helplessness.

Afterwards, the sound of dishes being cooked came from the house, as well as the soft voices of the two old men. When Yu Lianzhou heard this, a smile appeared on her face, and she looked at the package in her hands before walking out of the village.

….

On the village path, a figure walked over from afar. Although this person was wearing a worn-out shirt, his face was clean, his hair was neatly combed, and he carried an old bag on his back. This person was Yu Lianzhou heading north.

When he finally broke free from his confinement and asked others where he was, he was greatly shocked. He did not expect that he had fled so far away that time, only then did he find the right direction and head towards the Suzhou region. As for the clothes the old man had given him that day, he did not put them on, but carried them on his back until the end of the journey.

On the way, Yu Lianzhou dressed like a beggar and experienced a different life. On that night, Yu Lianzhou saw a broken temple in front of them with flickering lights, and walked in, discovering a few beggars in tattered clothing staying together. Yu Lianzhou did not mind, and smiled at these beggars, before finding a corner to sit down.

"Bro, which division?" Yu Lianzhou was sizing up the crowd when she heard a young beggar ask her this.

"I …" Yu Lianzhou was just about to reply when he heard many footsteps outside the broken temple. He raised his head to look at the temple door.

"Bro, what are you looking at?" The beggar who asked Yu Lianzhou earlier saw that Yu Lianzhou did not answer his question and instead turned to look outside the temple. He was confused, so he followed Yu Lianzhou to the temple door and found that there was no one outside.

He lowered his head, picked up a few dried branches, and added some firewood to the fire in front of him. The doubt in the heart of the beggar beside him grew even stronger, and just as he was about to ask again, Yu Lianzhou said in a low voice, "Don't talk, someone's coming."

When the young beggar heard Yu Lianzhou's words, he was slightly stunned. Someone had come? Just as he was about to speak, he heard an old beggar in the temple loudly say, "Who is it, hiding his head and showing his tail, still not coming out."

Hearing this, all the beggars in the temple stood up and came behind the old beggar, holding their weapons, staring fixedly at the temple door. Yu Lianzhou also stood up and looked outside the temple door in fear of attracting trouble, the young beggar stood beside Yu Lianzhou and looked at her with eyes full of surprise. Then, he shook his head and turned his gaze towards the temple door.

At this moment, a burst of loud laughter came from outside the temple.

"Hahaha … I didn't expect that you people from the Dirt Faction could actually find a place to sleep."

The leader was around twenty years old, with a bamboo pole in his left hand and his right hand behind his back. Although he was dressed in patched clothes, his entire body was clean, giving off an aura of superiority. The one who spoke just now was this person.

Behind him were two, three, and five beggars. Judging from their walking posture, they all had excellent skills and must have good skills, especially that white-haired old beggar whom Yu Lianzhou could not even see through at all.