Chang Le stayed behind. He would go into the mountains with Old Gu Six and the others to find water and hunt. Chang Le was skilled in martial arts, although not as good as Old Gu Six, but he was still considered outstanding among his peers.
Chang Le wanted to take Old Gu Six as his master, but Old Gu Six refused him. His intuition told him not to establish this karmic tie, as it would be of no benefit to him.
"My meager skills are hardly enough to teach others without leading them astray. In the snowy mountains, there is a Master Yan Fu. If you can become his disciple, you will undoubtedly make tremendous progress in both literary and martial pursuits," Old Gu Six said.
As the weather grew cooler, Chang Le wore Old Gu Six's clothes, instantly transforming from a noble young master into a child wearing an adult's oversized garments. The 1.7-meter-tall youth donning a 1.86-meter-tall grown man's attire had an air of performing grand theater. However, Chang Le naturally exuded an aura of nobility and refinement, a profound bearing and elegance ingrained in his bones that no clothing could conceal.
No one found his attire particularly amusing. Seeing that the oversized clothes hindered Chang Le's movements, Chang'an took a pair of scissors and trimmed the excess length.
Chang'an seemed somewhat concerned. With the impending cold disaster, she wondered if their cotton clothes and quilts would be sufficient for so many people.
Chang Le sat by the fire, fidgeting with the kindling. He had heard of Master Yan Fu before, and perhaps in the past, he might have had the confidence to approach him. But now, with his disfigured appearance, he feared Master Yan Fu might not even agree to meet him.
As if sensing his thoughts, Chang'an said, "People revere and fear him, treating him like a deity to be worshipped. I believe Master Yan Fu is not the type to judge based on appearances. Otherwise, he would not have earned such a fine reputation. Perhaps this could be a turning point, an opportunity arising from adversity. Even if it fails, it's no big deal—you'll merely remain where you are and can seek another path."
Chang'an then recalled a line from the movie "The Big Fish and Begonia" and shared it with him: "In this brief life, we will eventually lose everything. You might as well be bold—love someone, climb a mountain, chase a dream."
Chang Le seemed to catch a glimpse of his grandmother's kindness in Chang'an's eyes, but he shook his head, realizing he must have been mistaken.
His anxious heart settled, and he thought, "Yes, my life is already like this, so what is there to worry about?"
From that day on, the carefree Chang Le embarked on a grand journey, taking a renowned master, conquering the realm, and becoming an emperor for the ages.
Of course, that's a story for another time. For now, he still relied on Chang'an and her daughter for survival. Chang'an once again broached the subject of him leaving, but he wished to travel with them a little longer.
He gave Old Gu Six the jade crown from his head as payment for provisions, as it was the only valuable item he had left.
Still unable to shake him off.
The snowy mountains were in the northernmost region, and Chang'an and her group did not plan to venture that far. They intended to travel, stopping occasionally, and settling wherever they found a suitable place.
The cold wave struck unexpectedly, plunging them into a true overnight winter. Fortunately, they had accumulated a decent supply of food along the way, or they might have frozen or starved to death.
"Dad, let's head into the mountains, toward higher ground. This snow will only intensify," Chang'an had to shout for Old Gu Six to hear her over the howling wind and snow.
The wind was too strong, and even the mules could barely move forward. Old Gu Six led from the front, pulling them along, while Chang'an wanted to dismount and assist, but the wind nearly blew her away, scaring Old Gu Six so much that he refused to let her get off the carriage.
At the rear of the procession, Chang Le helped Little Ya's Dad and others push the carts. The powerful wind significantly impeded their progress.
This part of the mountain forest seemed relatively flat and at a higher elevation, but would they be able to find a cave?
The cold disaster would last half a year, forcing them to stay in the mountains for that duration. They had to find a place that could withstand the wind and snow to settle in.
Once inside the mountain, the wind wasn't as intense as in the open areas, but the trees still swayed and rustled ominously. Chang'an worried they might break and fall on them.
Moving the carts and mules through the dense forest was challenging, slowing everyone's pace considerably. Still, it was better than being out in the open, where the wind threatened to blow them away.
The group headed toward the higher elevations of the mountain forest, keeping an eye out for any suitable caves along the way.
Unfortunately, they didn't spot even a rabbit hole, let alone a cave.
Upon reaching the midpoint of the higher ground, Chang'an told Old Gu Six, "Dad, since we can't find a cave, let's settle down here. This area is relatively flat, and the surrounding trees can provide some shelter from the wind."
"Alright, if there's no cave, we'll build houses," he said, surveying the area and deeming it suitable.
"Or should we just dig our own caves?" Building wooden houses would require cutting down trees, and log cabins wouldn't offer much insulation against the cold. Digging their own caves might be warmer.
Old Gu Six considered it and agreed it could work. He announced to everyone, "We'll stop and settle here. First, set up shelters, then each of you can choose a spot and dig your own cave."
Someone asked, "Won't the caves we dig collapse?"
"If you're worried about cave-ins, you can always cut down trees and build simple huts," Old Gu Six replied. It was up to personal preference.
Everyone agreed, deciding to build small wooden huts if they felt the caves were unsafe. No one was forcing them to dig caves.
First, they constructed shelters to block the wind and snow. With the cover of the carriage, Chang'an was able to discreetly retrieve items from her dimensional space while everyone else was preoccupied.
She took out a waterproof tarpaulin, enough food for three people for half a year, and some extra rations. She couldn't just bring out the exact amount needed, or else, after six months, when everyone realized her family had finished all their food while others still had supplies left, how would she explain it?
They might accuse her of sorcery and demand, "Since you can conjure food, you should do so for the sake of the people and ensure no one goes hungry. You must be a kind and generous person."
Such moral blackmail was nonsensical and infuriating to even consider.
As the weather grew colder, she would gradually retrieve the cotton clothes, quilts, shoes, and other necessities from her dimensional space.
Old Gu Six and Chang Le were setting up the shelter, while Chang'an slowly brought out supplies from her space.
It was fortunate they had previously robbed two cartloads of supplies from the mountain bandits, or else none of these dozens of people would have survived.
Even with cotton clothes and quilts, everyone shivered from the cold. Once the shelter was erected, they quickly gathered dry kindling and started a fire to keep warm.
The men went out to clear areas for building houses—those constructing huts went to chop down trees, while those digging caves searched for suitable locations and cleared the surrounding trees and undergrowth.
The place that Old Gu Six found was just opposite where they were now pitching their tents, an area with a lot of weeds and no big trees.
Chang'an picked up some branches and drew a simple diagram on the ground, "The kitchen will be in the middle, with a room dug out on each side, and we'll need to dig a small window in each room."
Following Chang'an's instructions, the two men, one big and one small, started working. They found digging a cave dwelling was easier than chopping down trees to build a house.
Working alongside them to dig cave dwellings were the two Yang Poxiao brothers, as well as Little Ya's Dad and Mu. The others all planned to build wooden houses.
Doctor Jin also intended to dig a cave dwelling, but his wife disagreed, fearing a cave-in, so he had no choice but to follow her wishes and build a wooden house.
The digging of Chang'an's family's cave dwelling went quickly. Old Gu Six and Chang Le were both martial artists with strength, and they dug out the 10-square-meter kitchen area in just one day.
Then they started on the rooms. Chang'an's room was relatively small, around 10 square meters, while the other room for Old Gu Six and Chang Le to share was dug larger since they didn't plan to sleep in the same bed.
While the people here were busy making their winter shelters, most of the disaster victims who had headed to Lingnan were unprepared, and many had already frozen to death.
It wasn't even the coldest time yet, but people had already started freezing to death. One could only imagine what it would be like during the coldest period.
