The gray fog surged quietly, emerging from the boundless wilderness, originating from unnamed deep soil, as if Heavenly God had pressed the "extremely slow" button on an apocalyptic flood...

Slowly, it crept forward from all directions, first engulfing the grasslands of the north.

That grassland was the paradise of Barbarians and Demon Beasts, labeled by the prosperous Dashang Dynasty of Central Earth as a barbarous land without civilization.

Demon Beasts, by nature, loved expanses and enjoyed foraging on the rich grasslands; they did not care for the towns with their pavilions and towers. Thus, in previous years... Barbarians would simply take advantage of the autumn harvest to raid the grasslands and then return.

But now, all the beasts were stampeding!

The Barbarian People were fleeing!

Behind them were no fearsome enemies, only the gray fog.

What lay within the fog, no one knew... It was just that the Demon Beasts began to flee instinctively, with many Barbarians also madly heading south.

Rather than face this gray fog, they preferred to attack the Six Towns located in the northern territory.

Simply because they truly did not know.

They only knew that once they entered the fog, they could disappear at any moment.

How did they disappear?

They did not know.

Were they alive or dead?

They did not know.

Even the strongest warriors who went to investigate never returned.

Not only did they not return, but not even a bit of news came back.

Mysterious, unknown horror forced the Barbarians to migrate quickly.

Even though they actually preferred the grasslands, at this time they had no choice but to head south.

The north was no longer suitable for their survival!

Windstorms, sturdy grass...

A giant man, clad in a colorful tiger skin and riding a two-headed black giant wolf, was leading his tribe of just over ten thousand southwards...

But this giant man's tribe was but a small group, knowing very little about the Dashang Dynasty in the south.

The decision reached by the tribe was to first raid the grasslands, capture a few people from Central Earth to serve as guides, and then see what to do next.

The Barbarians were always quick-tempered, relying on instinct in fights, indifferent to strategy or tactics. Amongst themselves, they were unyielding to each other, unable to unite, each acting independently. Even their migration south was every man for himself.

The giant man glanced sideward at the distant gray sky behind him, his heart fluttering as he considered where to capture people.

Perhaps many other Barbarians were troubled by the same issue.

Suddenly, a raucous barking sound came from afar.

The giant man grew solemn.

Central Plains people?

Had the Central Plains people come to ambush them?

His eyes turned blood-red.

Kill first, capture later!

...

...

"Spare my life, great hero, spare my life."

On the grassland, a skinny youth with dark skin was pleading.

Another gaunt-looking, big teenage boy, his expression icy cold and filled with violent resentment, said, "Second brother, do you think begging him will spare us?"

"Ha, naughty brats, don't put on such a reluctant face." The sword-bearing hero stared coldly at them, "Uncle Wang welcomed you, and what did you do? You molested women in the village and committed foul deeds in the dead of night. Who deserves to die if not you?"

The gaunt bi Scene played with insane laughter: "Deserve to die? Deserve to die?

Us taking advantage of women means we are wicked. The men don't decry it because the girls consented.

If we tire of them and kill them, it's because they're greedy and unsatisfied with what little they get, they deserve their fate.

In this world, how many force the good into prostitution, how many wield power to oppress the people?

Cloaked in an official robe, they become lawless;

With blood-stained gold and silver in their pockets, they are unkindly rich.

Shielding their eyes, they claim there's no evil in the world, turning the blame on those who speak of it.

Snort, snort, ha ha ha ha ha...

You?

Just a fame-seeker.

You dare not uphold true justice, yet you tracked us for miles to kill us, unarmed, insecure people.

Let me ask you, you said Uncle Wang welcomed us.

Is Uncle Wang's daughter beautiful?

Did my brother and I molest her?

No!

We'd rather flee far to woo other women than touch Uncle Wang's daughter!

This is called repaying kindness."

Hearing this sophistry, the sword-bearing hero became furiously enraged, well aware this clever-tongued scoundrel had read books and chose no further words, drawing his sword resoundingly.

The skinny youth trembled in fright.

However, the bigger boy fiercely braced himself, grew vicious, and charged forward with all his might, nudging the hero back a few steps.

"Second brother, run!"

The skinny youth, already scared soulless, heard the command to "run," hastily got up, wildly flailed his arms, and fled crazily into the distance.

The swordsman sent his long sword flying towards the slender youth's vest, piercing through it. Yet perhaps due to the strong wind or the long distance, it only cut through his arm without hitting any vital parts.

The youth screamed and ran even faster.

The swordsman casually punched a big boy in the stomach, sending him flying with blood spewing from his mouth.

The swordsman then chased after the youth first.

The two of them, one chasing and the other running, rapidly closed the distance between them.

Just then, the ground suddenly began to tremble.

The Wolf Mounts, a terrifying tide of steel and flesh by the Barbarians, were approaching from afar.

The leading giant pulled out a huge curved blade, his eyes bloodthirsty. As he neared the delirious youth, he sliced him in two with one swing. After crossing past the weapon-wielding swordsman, he slashed horizontally with his blade.

The swordsman swung his sword to block.

Crack!

The sword broke!

The swordsman's head flew up, and blood gushed from the severed neck, splattering everywhere.

The giant leader then realized that it might not have been an ambush... after all, there were too few of them.

He looked left and right, glanced back at his tribesmen, and appeared somewhat embarrassed. Then, he suddenly jumped down from the twin-headed giant wolf, ran to the front, and grabbed the big boy who was vomiting blood on the ground. Speaking in the Barbarian language he asked, "Who are you? Why are you here?"

The big boy still looked dazed.

In his eyes, his brother was split in two.

His eyes reddened.

But soon, he came to his senses.

Suddenly, he opened his mouth and, although it was raw, he spoke clearly in Barbarian language, "Ding Sigu, a villager from nearby, being chased by a murderer."

The Barbarian leader was delighted to hear the boy speak his language. He scooped up the big boy and exclaimed, "Excellent!"

Then, turning his head, he asked, "Were both of them murderers?"

Ding Sigu replied, "One was, another was also fleeing for his life."

The Barbarian leader asked, "Do you know him?"

Ding Sigu stared at his brother Ding Siyan, who had been chopped in two.

Last winter, he had brought bandits into the village, and seeing his elder brother killed brutally, he couldn't believe it. After interrogating the villagers who were heading to The place where those dishonest lovers were punished, he learned... it was Blind Song who had killed his brother!

Lately, Tang River Village had experienced a ghost disaster; due to his wit, he managed to escape frantically with his brother and eventually made it to the vicinity of Six Towns, where due to his young age and ability to evoke pity, he was taken in by a local, Uncle Wang.

But, a dog can't stop eating shit, and before long, he and his brother Ding Siyan had covetously targeted a girl in the town, assaulting her stealthily in the night, which... unfortunately hit a snag, and they had been chased all the way here.

During that time, he and his brother relied on each other for survival.

As numerous thoughts flashed through Ding Sigu's mind, he regained his composure, looked at his brother split in two, shook his head, and with a calm demeanor said, "Not well."

He then looked at the Barbarian leader with tearful eyes and said, "My lord, I wish to follow you."

The Barbarian leader then asked, "Then why are you crying?"

Unable to stop his tears, Ding Sigu laughed and said, "To see the lord, I am excited."

The Barbarian leader roared with laughter and then turned around, "We found an interesting boy! He... can become our guide!"

The people of the Barbarian tribe also bellowed along.

Weeping, Ding Sigu suddenly wiped his tears fiercely, raised his voice, and, imitating the Barbarians, began to howl with them.

...

...

Howling~~~

Howling~~~~

The howls of wolves, echoing one after another.

Miss An slightly pulled back the carriage curtain, glanced through the slow mountain woods and the gloomy mist, her eyes behind the white gauze deep in thought.

Half of the valley's grain was supposed to have been sold, but only two carts had been sold, because many of the border villages had fled, and some... seemed to be in a situation similar to Tang River Village.

She had sent men to watch Tang River Village, not just waiting for Guan Xi, but also to observe.

She had even personally visited the scene.

Therefore, An Chenyu knew a lot about the characteristics and manifestations of the ghost disaster.

This trader was also choosing heavenly timing, geographical convenience, and human harmony.

Choosing to trade when there are no disasters, that's heavenly timing.

Choosing places where transportation is convenient, that's geographical convenience.

Understanding the needs, purchasing capabilities, providing what is needed, and supplying goods appropriately, that's human harmony.

As times change, An Chenyu was always understanding the new era.

She fixed her gaze on the gray mist rising from the distant woods and suddenly said, "Uncle Wang, the road ahead does not turn right anymore."

Wang Tianchuan rode over, puzzled, "Miss, if we don't turn right, where can we sell our grain?"

An Chenyu said, "Turn left, go through Northern Water County, and head home."

Upon hearing this, everyone accompanying her was stunned.

Wang Tianma from the Wang family said, "Miss, this... this... we haven't sold all our goods yet, how can we return?"

Pointing at the distant fog, An Chenyu said, "That fog is the same as the fog that rose from Tang River Village. Chaos is starting here; it's not suitable for trade now. Let's head home quickly."

Although many in the caravan were skeptical, thinking it was just some fog and nothing to worry about, Miss An's authority was evident, and they still followed her orders, preparing to return ahead of schedule.

The oxen cart jingled along...

Miss An, with a contemplative expression on her beautiful face.

It seemed she had considered many people and many things before she finally picked a piece in the dim carriage, and in a voice no one could hear, whispered faintly, "Song, don't disappoint me."

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