When An Shenshi, covered in blood, returned to the cavalry camp, the surrounding refugees scattered in terror. The one-eyed leader and the scholar in white, who had already heard the screams, both wore smiles of appreciation.
"Not bad."
An Shenshi saw the scholar, whose eyes were like those of a Tibetan fox, flickering with shrewd light as he sized him up: "Your performance was even better than we imagined."
"You flatter me, sir." An Shenshi bowed slightly. The one-eyed leader waved a hand, and two riders took An Shenshi away to change his clothes and clean himself up.
Not long after An Shenshi, now in new clothes, returned to the camp, the required number of children had been gathered, and the riders began calling out to prepare for departure.
The sun was sinking behind the mountains, and the light behind the thick, lead-colored snow clouds was dimming, leaving the world in a hazy, grayish-blue twilight.
An Shenshi stood at the edge of the refugee camp road, turning back to look. He saw an endless white Wilderness, towering, majestic mountain ranges, and a massive city that stretched from the foot of the mountains to the slopes, surrounded by a long river.
The scenery of the Northern Frontier was truly the most magnificent in all of Dachen, and Mingshan City, grand and imposing, lived up to its reputation as the greatest city in the North.
But now, the Frost Calamity and human misfortune reigned.
In An Shenshi’s eyes, the mountains shrouded in wind and snow seemed to come alive; their deep shadows looked like the bodies of demon gods, supporting the heavens and treading upon the earth, while the lights in the city became tens of thousands of indifferent eyes, overlooking the suffering of all living beings.
Looking down, parents who had sold their children were waiting on both sides of the road.
Some numb, others with tear-filled eyes, they gazed at their children, saying their final goodbyes.
An Shenshi's mother, who had recovered some strength after taking medicine and eating, was also there, waiting for her child.
"Jing'er."
There were no tears in her withered eye sockets. Across the road filled with flying frost, mother and son locked eyes.
"Stay alive," she rasped, her final instruction. At that moment, no matter how strong An Shenshi was, he could only force a smile: "Mother, you must stay alive, too."
"If I survive this, I will go south—Linjiang, Beirui, Broken Blade Mountain... Mother, stay alive and wait for me."
"Wait for me to return!"
An Shenshi boarded the carriage prepared by the riders, casting one last look at his mother.
The woman stood still, watching the back of the carriage as her lonely figure vanished into the heavy snow.
Inside the carriage.
Having parted from his mother, even An Shenshi, who possessed Innate Wisdom from Past Lives and a mind far sharper than his peers, felt a pang of sorrow.
But he took a deep breath, suppressing all his emotions, his gaze turning deep and dark.
His mother was a Martial Artist and had eaten a full meal. Even if she couldn’t sneak into Mingshan City, she would have no problem crossing the Huai River pass and heading south.
Broken Blade Mountain was still far away, but it was rich in resources and untouched by the Frost Calamity; she might even find some relatives there to gain a foothold.
*Wait, is there incense in this carriage? These people are that wealthy?*
True, they were even conducting free medical clinics for the refugees; they certainly wouldn't lack supplies.
His thoughts wandered, but as he pulled them back, An Shenshi realized there were eight people in his carriage—more spacious than he had imagined.
He scanned the group. They were all children around his age, boys and girls. He even spotted the girl who had been severely frostbitten and treated by the physician.
It seemed they were grouped by age.
The children had just been separated from their parents; they should have been crying, but now they all sat with heads hung low, faces averted, remaining silent.
After all, they were not ordinary children. They were survivors of the Northern Frontier’s Frost Calamity, refugees who had traversed mountains and wilderness with their parents.
The children who had cried incessantly were long dead, or even hunted and eaten.
It sounded cruel, but when it actually happened, what more could be said?
Recalling this, An Shenshi clenched his fists. Exchanging children for food was one thing, but some refugees would even poach and abduct others' children to cook and eat.
When a child who had been protected through the grueling journey was snatched away, even the strongest parents would break down. Their shrill curses and wails echoed in the wind and snow for a long time.
Back then, he had to take care of his mother. If he had been alone, with no ties, he would have drawn his blade and slaughtered those beasts—unfortunately, the vermin ran too fast, and he had only managed to kill one.
Pushing the memory aside, An Shenshi looked around. These children in the carriage had likely witnessed those scenes, too.
Having seen such things, even those who were once cheerful were now silent.
Even after leaving their parents, after the initial grief, their minds would quickly shift to the simplest mode: *Will I be able to eat my next meal?*
At least, they wouldn't be eaten.
Since that was the case, they might as well save their energy for the inspection by the "wealthy household" ahead.
Smelling the faint scent of wood in the carriage and listening to the wind outside, An Shenshi thought back to the design of the vehicle he had seen earlier.
It wasn't an ordinary wheeled cart, but a snow-sled-style covered wagon, capable of carrying far more people and supplies than a standard cart, especially suited for travel in snow.
The horses were also extraordinary, likely the "Northwest Frost Cavalry" that feared neither ice nor snow.
A carriage like this couldn't have been built in a short time. At the very least, it had been prepared well in advance. Had these mysterious people foreseen the Frost Calamity?
Was that why they were so well-prepared, waiting for Nature to weed out those with "insufficient destiny" before buying "Children of Calamity" like him who had survived the disaster?
As An Shenshi pondered, he felt sleepy.
Despite his excellent physical foundation and innate talent, he had been starving for a long time, and the rare full meal had caused his body to feel irresistibly drowsy as he digested it.
*Wait? This doesn't feel like normal sleepiness!* An Shenshi was suddenly alarmed. The scent of incense in the carriage seemed wrong. No matter how tired he was, he shouldn't be experiencing this uncontrollable fatigue that clouded his thoughts.
An Shenshi looked around the carriage again. Taking a closer look, he was stunned. No wonder the other children were silent—they had already fallen asleep. He was the one who had lasted the longest!
But even he could not control his eyelids, and he sank into a deep slumber.
Outside the carriage.
A rider looked back at the carriage and said, quite surprised: "Finally asleep. This kid—the Soul-Soothing Incense can put a normal person into a death-like sleep in two breaths, yet he held out for a full quarter-hour!"
"I finally understand why the masters above value this recruitment mission so much. The talent of this Child of Calamity is truly extraordinary!"
"Indeed."
Another rider interjected: "I thought these refugees were all junk, but it seems there really is some good material here!"
"Keep your voice down," the more experienced rider rebuked, shaking his head with a faint, mocking smile. "Those who can't get initiated might be our colleagues in the future, and those who do… heh."
The old rider clicked his tongue, saying meaningfully: "If those Martial Masters remember your casual disdain or arrogance in the future, do you know what your fate will be?"
There was no need for him to say more; that meaningful silence was terrifying enough.
"I-I know," the rider shuddered, suddenly snapped out of his excitement, and resumed his silence, devoid of any emotional bias.
"Keep it up," the old rider said softly. "Let's keep moving. Save your energy."
After that, the snowy night remained silent.
Over the next few days, except for stopping to camp and eat, An Shenshi and the other children continued their journey in their sleep.
Perhaps this was to prevent them from knowing how far they were being taken or where they were going—or perhaps it was simply for ease of management. After all, when traveling for long periods, it was better to keep the children asleep until the end than to look after them.
During this process, many different caravans converged from all directions. Some came and went, and the scholar in white departed midway.
But overall, the entire group was growing.
By the later stages, it had become a massive caravan of over twenty carriages.
An Shenshi had tried to determine his location, but even he could only confirm that he was moving southwest, having initially left the scope of the Northern Frontier's Frost Calamity and switched to normal-wheeled carriages.
However, he had no idea which region within Dachen he had reached.
"The forest back home was a cold-temperate coniferous forest, but what I saw last time was a temperate mountain coniferous forest."
An Shenshi wasn't sure. The vastness of Dachen was beyond his comprehension; after all, this was a world with destiny and the Martial Path, a world of great power and longevity. "Surely I haven't left the Northern Frontier entirely? Is this the border between the North and the Northwest?"
"Then again, terms like 'cold-temperate coniferous forest'... what was I in my past life?"
With such doubts, in a carriage where his sense of time and space was muddled, An Shenshi could only make rough estimates.
About ten days later, the mysterious caravan finally reached its destination.
An estate located deep in the old-growth forests.
White mist permeated the mountain ridges, and a tributary of a nameless river flowed along the side of the mountain road, shimmering with ripples.
As the mountain road extended, it became dilapidated, and for several days, no inhabited villages were seen.
Soon, the landscape, where human presence had been sparse, was replaced by dense vegetation and towering rock faces.
They were layered and barrier-like, forming a maze that covered the entire ridge. Small but verdant shrubs grew like dragon scales upon the steep cliffs, making these majestic Northwest mountains seem like parts of some colossal living creature.
The mountain road eventually had an end.
Deep within the dense forest, the passable road ceased abruptly, as if even the laborers who built it were helpless against this ancient jungle. Only narrow mountain paths, like blood vessels, extended into the woods as a final compromise.
At this point, all traces of humanity had almost vanished, leaving only the most primitive, wild scenery.
The carriages jolted along the rugged mountain path.
On the way, everyone had vaguely realized that the people who bought them were likely not servants of some wealthy household.
Normal high-ranking families wouldn't use such secretive methods to transport them, and even if they had a secret estate, it wouldn't be in such deep, remote mountains.
In Dachen, even a three-year-old knew: do not enter the mountains.
The mountains held spirits, demons, monsters, and ancient beasts. The mountains also held countless strange and treacherous places that could influence the geomantic flow and create all sorts of Divine Anomalies.
Within Dachen, the cleared mountains were fine; at most, there were some fledgling spirits. Dachen didn't discriminate against these spirits—as long as they obeyed the rules, respected humanity, and spoke human language, they were treated the same.
But in the border regions... there were too many monstrosities, too many evil spirits; too many people had stepped into them and never returned.
Knowing that they had entered the deep mountains, the smarter children grew pale and despondent, because they could never survive and leave this place on their own.
Whoever built an estate in such deep mountains, whether righteous or evil, was part of a secretive organization. They could never return to the world with normal identities again.
But no matter what the children thought, that was the reality.
They were already in the thick of it.
"Get down."
After a long, jolting ride, the carriage stopped, and the rider's voice rang out: "We're 'home'."
An Shenshi let out a long breath.
The moment had arrived. He calmed himself, ready to face his future "home."
An Shenshi glanced at the seven others in his carriage, still groggy, then turned and was the first to step out.
A mountain estate with a rigorous, formal layout came into view.
However, before An Shenshi could observe it in detail, he heard a familiar voice.
"Not bad."
Turning his head, An Shenshi saw the leader of his carriage group, the one-eyed Martial Artist, watching him.
He laughed hoarsely: "You are the one with the best quality among this batch of newcomers."