Flower Creek Village

"Gentlemen, I missed the post station in my journey. Could you please do me the favor and let me rest here for the night?"

Fang Zelin stepped forward, but didn't get too close.

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to the crowd, while glancing around at everyone present.

It looks like there are three groups of people here.

The three bonfires clearly separated the three groups of people.

One group was clearly dressed as a gangster, and the other group looked like they came from a wealthy family, and there were many servants and martial arts masters around them.

In another group, people who looked like refugees were huddled together, making a fire to keep warm.

It's already late autumn, and the nights are a bit chilly.

Upon hearing this, the three groups of people sized Fang Zelin up and down, then looked into the distance.

Seeing no one else in the depths, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"This place isn't really our territory. If you want to rest here, that's fine, but there's no room left."

"There has been some unrest in many places lately, so we dare not share meals with others casually. If you don't mind, please find a place nearby to start a fire."

The group exchanged glances, and then a scholar stood up, cupped his hands in greeting to Fang Zelin.

Fang Zelin didn't mind at all, and immediately nodded upon hearing this, "Then I'll light a fire here at the door and rest for the night."

Upon hearing this, none of the others spoke.

Seeing this, Fang Zelin groped around outside and gathered some firewood. A moment later, accompanied by crackling sounds...

A Xiao Xiao campfire was then lit.

Seeing that Fang Zelin made no further move, many people withdrew their gazes.

"Brother, it's a bit dangerous for that scholar to be sitting alone by the door. We should invite him in."

The group further inside was clearly from a wealthy family.

At that moment, a woman wearing a veil looked at Fang Zelin at the door and said something with a hint of pity in her heart.

The area near the entrance is indeed far too dangerous.

Upon hearing this, the scholar who had just spoken glared fiercely at his younger sister.

"Don't be soft-hearted. Be careful in everything you do when you're traveling. This person looks like nothing more than a weak and frail scholar. How dare he travel alone in this world?"

Haven't you heard people say that encountering a handsome scholar or a beautiful woman in distress at night is an ominous sign?

Upon hearing this, the woman who had just spoken instinctively covered her mouth.

His eyes flickered, and he glanced again at Fang Zelin, who sat calmly by the door, a hint of surprise rising in his heart.

His elder brother was also a scholar, and he would never dare to walk alone on this dark road like the other person.

Now that I've seen it, it really is quite strange.

"If that's the case, why did you agree to let them sit here? What if they're a demon? Wouldn't that be dangerous?"

The woman's eyes were almost too afraid to look at Fang Zelin.

They were afraid the other party would notice and start targeting them.

The scholar standing nearby sighed upon hearing this, "If the other party truly has something to hide, what good will it do to drive them away? They can still hide around and secretly watch us."

"In that case, it would be better to agree to their request and let them light a fire here. We can use the firelight to keep an eye on them."

"If the other party is harmless and is near the door, we'll be safer at night if there's any danger."

Hearing these words, the younger sister glanced at her brother in astonishment.

She never expected that her brother would consider so many things in the blink of an eye.

But is there really something wrong with this scholar-like man?

Looking at the other person from afar, by the light of that small fire, I felt that he was handsome and had a friendly air about him.

His manners were so polite that it was impossible to tell that he was anything special.

"A handsome scholar? How can someone dressed like me be considered a scholar?"

Fang Zelin heard the conversation between the two people inside very clearly.

However, Fang Zelin did not intend to dwell on this matter.

As long as there's a place to step on either side, there's no need to worry about so much.

Moreover, the other party has their reasons for being worried.

It's never a bad thing to be careful when you're out and about.

However

Fang Zelin paused for a moment after thinking about this, then glanced at the refugees on the other side.

These refugees were all dressed in rags, barely clothed.

It's still autumn, so it's not too bad. But if winter comes, people wearing clothes like that would probably freeze to death on the streets.

Then there's the issue of getting food.

I had only just left the mountains this year when I saw the appearance of refugees; this is not a good omen.

I had heard about the current situation of the Great Jin when I talked to Zhang Weichu about it a few times before.

I've heard that the Great Jin is currently in turmoil.

Last year, when Yinghuo Star appeared, an official from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau advised the emperor to send all the princes to their fiefdoms to prevent the imperial star from becoming unstable.

On their way there, all the princes were assassinated.

In the end, they all remained in the capital due to injuries, and several major events subsequently occurred in the capital.

Many officials in the imperial court were executed.

Yinghuo Star caused quite a bit of trouble in the Great Jin, but this was mostly from the perspective of the court officials.

However, it later began to affect ordinary people as well.

Due to the great distance from the capital, the specific details are unknown.

However, judging from the situation, it's clear that the outlook is not optimistic.

For example, right now, it's late autumn, and after the autumn harvest, there are many displaced people.

Such a scene is hardly a good omen.

Fang Zelin withdrew his gaze and sighed inwardly; there was nothing he could do about this matter.

The scholar who had just spoken was not the only one wary of Fang Zelin; a group of other martial arts figures were also on high alert.

Even while he was resting at night, someone kept an eye on Fang Zelin.

Fang Zelin did notice it, but Fang Zelin didn't pay it any mind.

After Bearing the Heavens to keep an eye on things, he rested against a doorpost for the night.

As dawn broke, they encountered no demons, and the night passed peacefully.

Fang Zelin got up early and continued his journey along the official road.

When the sun was high in the sky, the group of scholars who had spent the night with Fang Zelin hurriedly passed by him in a carriage.

Along the way, you can often see refugees hurrying on their way, in twos and threes.

"Looking at the map, the place ahead should be called Flower Creek Village. Let's rest there for today."

On the way, Fang Zelin took out a map and looked at it. After seeing a village ahead, he immediately decided to stay there.

After a long day of travel, it's almost night again.

The road was quite quiet the whole time, with only a few homeless people we encountered.

When Fang Zelin arrived at Flower Creek Village, he saw a horse-drawn carriage in the distance and immediately frowned.

This carriage does look very familiar.

Sure enough, when Fang Zelin got closer, he saw the rich man's son with whom he had spent the night the previous night.