After receiving the mission, Ren Qing immediately got up and left Sanxiang City.
He had no intention of going deep into the mountains and forests. Even though everything around him had been explored, it did not mean that there were no hidden dangers.
Ren Qing searched for clues along the official road leading to Annan Town, and specially put on the coir raincoat and hat worn by people traveling in the world.
The Da Miao knife that had not been used for a long time was also pinned behind his back.
Before leaving, he carefully asked Secretary Zhao. Annan Town was located near southern Xinjiang, and more than 20 students participated in each imperial examination.
And with the protection of officers and soldiers, even the jailer will pay attention secretly.
With such a large number of people, the wild beasts did not dare to approach them at all, so they had to determine the dangerous official road in advance so that no accidents would occur.
But it happened that the students from Annan had not arrived at Sanxiang City for two days.
When I asked the jailer, he just said that he suddenly disappeared mysteriously without any warning.
Unconsciously, the sky became dark.
Ren Qing noticed that most of the official roads were marked by carriages and horses, and there were no footprints of large numbers of passers-by at all.
According to distance estimates, he is now fifty miles away from Sanxiang City.
Although it only took less than half an hour, with the strength of an ordinary person's feet, the fifty-mile journey would take at least a whole day without eating or drinking.
It can be seen from this that the Annan students probably did not follow the official path. If they did not enter the jungle, nothing would be unexpected.
Ren Qing recorded the situation. The more useful the information is, the more blood crystals will be obtained.
Just as he was about to return to Sanxiang City, he felt a faint flicker of light in the distance, which was emitted by a torch.
Ren Qing subconsciously narrowed his eyes, looking through the dark night, the two figures gradually moved forward.
His expression looked a little surprised.
The figures are an old and young couple.
The old man looks to be in his seventies or eighties, but his actual age should be around fifty. He is wearing thin clothes and his face is full of grooves.
The five-year-old boy next to him was slightly different. It was obviously a hot day, but he was wearing a thick cotton coat.
His whole body was wrapped tightly, and his clothes were almost soaked with sweat.
The boy's forehead also had a deep purple mark the size of a fingernail, as if it had been forcibly pressed.
Ren Qing felt that his grandfather and grandson were dressed like a tribe from southern Xinjiang. That group of Miao people lived in the south of Xiangxiang and had little contact with the outside world.
He tapped his feet lightly on the ground and jumped to a branch not far away.
"Master Wo, I'm hot..."
The boy couldn't help but gasped, but his physical strength was far beyond that of his age, and he was no longer exhausted after the journey.
"Wogu, we will arrive at Sanxiang City soon. We will be able to rest then."
Grandpa Wo's tone was a little dull. After he finished speaking, he came back to his senses and touched Wo Gu's head.
But it can be seen from the old man's feet that he may have worn out blisters due to walking for a long time, and the footprints are slightly stained with blood.
Wogu nodded, wiped the sweat from his face and continued walking along the official road.
Seeing this, Ren Qing was not in a hurry to show up.
He planned to find the right time. The two of them looked more and more weird, and they might have clues about the students from Annan Town.
The grandfather and grandson walked another dozen miles, and soon began to feel sleepy, and the old man's walking became even more staggering.
If it wasn't for the fact that they couldn't go on their way, the two of them still didn't intend to stop, and they didn't know what was supporting their will.
It happened that there was a ruined temple not far away that had been abandoned for a long time, so the grandfather and grandson chose to stay one night and rush to Sanxiang City tomorrow.
The ruined temple originally enshrined the city god, but most of the statue was already broken.
Grandpa Wo lit the bonfire with a torch, and then opened all the windows for ventilation, otherwise it would be easy for people to suffocate to death.
Wogu fell asleep in a daze next to him, even then he didn't take off his coat.
Compared with the abnormalities in the old man, the grandson is indeed slightly normal.
Seeing this, Ren Qing walked directly to the ruined temple. Damiao Dao was imprisoned in his belly, and he even changed into scholar's clothes.
Grandpa Wo noticed footsteps approaching, and his eyes suddenly became alert.
His right hand was subconsciously placed on the back of his waist. There was a hatchet hidden there, which would be difficult to detect unless he took it out.
"Old man, I'm sorry, I'm a scholar going to Sanxiang City. I got separated from the team, so I can only sleep in the open."
As Ren Qing spoke, he quietly used the ability of the Mirror Man.
The purpose is naturally to test the other party, and you can also try to make your own image as harmless as possible.
Grandpa Wo looked at Ren Qing up and down for a moment, then nodded.
He picked up his grandson's sleeping body and specifically made room for Ren Qing, but he was still a few meters away, showing that he was still wary.
Ren Qing sat down by the campfire. In this short period of time, the injuries on the old man's feet recovered at a speed visible to the naked eye.
However, the hair on his head is a little more silvery, as if his longevity is passing by.
Ren Qing took out the dry food from his arms and wanted to hand it to Grandpa Wo, but the latter refused, but his expression softened significantly.
It was a long night, and it was impossible to sleep with a stranger around. The two began to chat without saying a word.
Ren Qing glanced at Wogu with his peripheral vision. The little boy's face turned pale and became more and more lifeless, as if he was about to die.
"Is your grandson okay?"
Grandpa Wo quickly checked on Wo Gu and was shocked to find that his condition had worsened.
He took out a water bag made of cow stomach from his arms, then lifted Wogu up and fed him a little, and the latter gradually regained his strength.
Ren Qing's expression was strange.
Although the light was dim, he noticed that the water bag was filled with yellow-brown thick oil.
There is a strange fragrance.
Ren Qing had cooked and stewed it before, and he quickly realized that the fat should be mixed with various spices and cooked together.
But he feels that adding spices is more like masking the original taste.
"I took your grandson to Sanxiang City for treatment, right?"
Grandpa Wo's eyes were blank for a moment, as if he was trying to remember something, but he just shook his head and did not answer.
After a while, he deliberately changed the topic and asked: "Isn't this young brother from Sanxiang City?"
"I'm from Annan Town."
As soon as Ren Qing said these words, he could clearly see the shock on Master Wo's face. Although he quickly covered it up, he couldn't escape his heavy eyes.
Grandpa Wo pretended to express some calm words of comfort, and then gradually alienated Ren Qing on the grounds of taking care of his grandson.
Ren Qing was a little confused. There was something weird about the grandfather and grandson in everything.
Moreover, he came into contact with Grandpa Xiawo, who was indeed just an ordinary person, but various signs indicated that he might be related to the Annan students.
Wo Gu woke up in a daze and muttered to himself: "Master Wo, I dreamed of them again..."
Grandpa Wo said calmly: "Go to sleep, we'll be in the city tomorrow."
Wogu fell asleep again.
Ren Qing pretended to rest and thought to himself: "I want to see what is in the dream."