It was early April in the fourth year of Sheng Yuan Dynasty.
Beidi, Yunzhou.
He looked up and looked desolate.
The last time Lin Ji came to Yunzhou was only a few months ago. Although the war in Yunzhou was in full swing at that time, it had not yet affected the southern area.
But not long before and after this, when Lin Ji set foot on this northern land again, he suddenly discovered that barbarians could also be seen in the southern part of Yunzhou.
"Have all the barbarian monks arrived here?" Lin Ji sighed in his heart.
In the past, Yunzhou was not prosperous, but it was still relatively stable. But now, even the official road he was walking on to deliver grain, grass and ordnance to the north could no longer see many ruts.
"Even the official channels have been abandoned. The situation in Yunzhou has reached such a serious level... But I am in the south, and even in Beijing, I can't hear any news about Yunzhou."
"This is no longer the case that the court deliberately concealed, but that everyone chose to conceal it and chose not to talk about it."
Lin Ji shook his head slightly, understanding in his heart.
There are definitely not a few people who are waiting for the end of the Qin Dynasty and the disintegration of Kyushu.
Behind Lin Ji, Fang Qing followed step by step.
This girl was obviously just an ordinary person who had never practiced cultivation, but she walked with Lin Ji without even saying a word about fatigue.
Although Lin Ji deliberately slowed down his pace and stopped frequently.
But after the long journey, the girl followed closely without saying a word.
At first, Lin Ji thought she was very perseverant, but it wasn't until he asked out of curiosity not long ago that he realized that this girl was really not tired.
Lin Ji guessed that there must be something weird about this girl's body, but he couldn't find out what it was.
After asking to no avail, he stopped asking.
There are so many people with extraordinary talents, so there is no need to delve into them.
After a while of walking and stopping, a county town appeared in front of us.
It was only at this time that Lin Ji finally saw the common people coming and going on the official road that was already overgrown with weeds.
"Auntie, what's in front of you?" Lin Ji stopped a passing aunt and asked.
"It's Yutian County." The aunt paused and replied.
But then, her expression changed. After looking at Lin Ji, she quickly said: "Why are you still going north? Don't go, all the men in the county have been captured."
"how?"
"It's not the Zhenbei Army. They can't defeat the barbarians. They want us common people to go up and take our lives! Now even the children aged 12 or 13 have been captured, and there are no boys left in the county... If you go, you will be suppressed.
If the people from the Northern Army saw it, they would definitely arrest him."
After the words fell, the aunt winked at Lin Ji a few more times, and then left quickly.
Lin Ji saw that the basket carried by the aunt was mostly filled with wild vegetables and mushrooms.
In the past, Yunzhou was not said to be barren, but it never forced the people into such a situation.
"The chaos in Kyushu." Lin Ji didn't know what to say.
Because he knows very well that this kind of thing is not limited to Yunzhou, but now all the nine states in the world may have their own troubles.
After moving forward for a moment, Lin Ji and Fang Qing finally entered Yutian County.
As the aunt said before, every house in the county has its doors closed, and only three or two women and children in a hurry can be seen passing by on the road.
There are no men.
"I wanted to rest here for a night and leave tomorrow." Lin Ji felt a little regretful.
He didn't care, it was just that the journey was dusty, and Fang Qing behind him was already covered in filth.
Lin Ji could use spiritual energy to cleanse her body, but he couldn't do it for a girl, and no matter what, it was not as comfortable as a hot bath.
"Grandpa Lin, there's an inn ahead that's still open." Fang Qing said, pointing not far ahead.
Lin Ji had just seen it, so he took Fang Qing and took two quick steps and quickly arrived at the inn.
There were five or six tables in the inn, and business was surprisingly good.
Seeing a new customer coming to the door, the shopkeeper hurriedly greeted him.
"Are you two staying at the hotel?"
"Well, I want two upper rooms, some hot water, and a table of good wine and food."
After finishing his words, Lin Ji took out some silver and was about to hand it over when the shopkeeper shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, sir, our store only accepts Yuan Jing now."
"Only Yuan Jing? Are your food and drinks made of gold? No, anything made from gold is not worth a Yuan Jing."
Even if the Yuan Jing is not used, it can be used as a spiritual stone for cultivation.
Who would use this thing as a silver coin?
This is not Tianjing City, nor is it Taiyifang.
Why?
The shopkeeper, Mr. Que, was there, as if he couldn't hear the sarcasm in Lin Ji's words.
"In this special period, if you don't want to, just go three hundred miles north to Mocheng where you can find a better inn."
Lin Ji was too lazy to argue, so he took out a Yuan Jing and handed it over.
After taking the Yuan Jing, the shopkeeper had a smile on his face and called Lin Ji and Fang Qing upstairs.
After resting for a while upstairs, the waiter said that the food was ready, so Lin Ji went downstairs on his own.
When Fang Qing, who was taking a bath, finished, she would come down naturally without Lin Ji calling her.
In the corner of the first floor of the inn, Lin Ji only tasted a few bites of the food on the table, but found it tasted like nothing, so he just drank.
After a while, Fang Qing changed into a man's gown after taking a bath. Shi Shiran went downstairs and found Lin Ji.
"Why are you dressing like a man again?"
"When a girl is traveling outside, she can avoid a lot of trouble by dressing up as a man. This is what I saw in the novel." Fang Qing replied.
These words brought back some memories of Lin Ji.
"I will introduce someone to you when I have the opportunity in the future. The two of you should have something in common."
The same thing happened to Zhong Xiaoyan when she first met her in Qingyang County.
After reading two folk martial arts novels, I asked a woman to disguise herself as a man and perform chivalrous acts.
Compared to Lin Ji, Fang Qing's taste is naturally not that finicky, and this table of food is enough to satisfy her cravings.
At the same time, three people suddenly walked in outside the inn.
These three people have similar faces with only slight differences, and their bodies are also about the same.
As soon as they appeared, the innkeeper rushed out to greet them.
"Three adults, are you still following the old rules?"
"Old rules."
"Please take a seat. I will instruct the kitchen to prepare some lambs for you that were slaughtered in the morning."
"Go ahead."
The shopkeeper ran away in a hurry, and the three people sat down on the table in the middle.
The waiter served the wine with great discernment, then carefully stepped aside and waited.
Lin Ji in the corner raised his eyebrows slightly when he saw this scene.
"Why are they?"
Fang Qing stopped talking in the middle of her busy schedule, looked back, and lost interest.
"Do you recognize it?"
"We've had some dealings with each other before." Lin Ji prevaricates casually.
At this moment, several more people came in from outside, making the inn lobby, which was not spacious, even more noisy.