The silver wolves, who were a source of concern for Chang'an, had wandered quite far this time and encountered a severely injured person.
The silver wolf approached to inspect and found it was a two-legged creature like Old Gu Six, so it thought about bringing it back. Its mate came forward and gave it a fierce beating, followed by a scolding.
The silver wolf whimpered twice, looking towards its brother-in-law, who was gazing lovingly at his mate and had no time to deal with it.
Under its mate's forceful suppression, it had no choice but to bring back the hunt from the mountain.
The injured man was thus abandoned by the two wolf couples, lying in the snow with his face frozen to a bluish-purple hue.
Just as Old Gu Six was preparing to go out and look for them, the silver wolf and its family returned carrying their hunt.
Upon seeing Old Gu Six, it howled twice. This time, Old Gu Six communicated back, thinking it wanted help with the prey.
Old Gu Six took the pheasants and rabbits off the silver wolf's back, went into the courtyard, and skillfully helped them slaughter the chicken and butcher the rabbits, then very adeptly pocketed one rabbit for himself.
While they were living peacefully, the small fishing village was thrown into turmoil as a group of refugees swarmed in, looting indiscriminately.
Although Wan Ke was skilled in combat, he couldn't protect the entire village. He told his family to take important belongings and hide in the mountains, while he ran towards the village.
The people in this village were very kind. When his family first came to settle here, they weren't ostracized but received a lot of help.
He would protect as many as he could. He first ran to Old Uncle Fang's house, arriving just in time to see refugees trying to break down his courtyard door.
Without a word, Wan Ke went forward and struck each of them with his knife. The wounds weren't severe, but could be fatal if left untreated.
Seeing that this household had a formidable defender, the intruders quickly gave up, supporting their injured comrades as they stumbled away.
He knocked on the courtyard door, "Uncle Fang, it's me, Wan Ke. Please open the door."
The three generations huddled trembling in the room heard Wan Ke's voice and immediately ran out.
"Young Wan, why are you here alone? Where's your mother and the others?" Old Uncle Fang opened the courtyard door, pulled Wan Ke inside, then hurriedly closed it, his face etched with deep worry.
Wan Ke reassured him, "Don't worry, Uncle Fang. My mother and the others have gone into the mountains. Quickly, take the two children. I'll escort you to my place, from there you can go up the mountain and reunite with my mother and brothers."
The two children, one eight years old and the other only six, were very sensible. Hearing they needed to hide in the mountains, they immediately ran back to pack their things.
Then they helped their grandfather pack. They didn't take too much, only enough for three to five days, thinking they could return once the refugees left.
The food in the house was hidden, with only Old Uncle Fang knowing where to find it. Even if intruders broke in, they wouldn't be able to find anything to eat.
They were afraid the refugees might harm people if they couldn't find food, but now that Wan Ke was here, they felt relieved.
After escorting the three generations to the foot of the mountain, Wan Ke returned to the village. By this time, some villagers' homes had already been raided.
The village was ablaze, and the cries of villagers echoed throughout the area.
Unable to find much food, the refugees had captured some children, some of whom were killed on the spot, and many young women were also taken.
Seeing this scene, Wan Ke's eyes turned red with anger. He charged at the refugees with his knife, each strike lethal.
The starving refugees unleashed unprecedented explosive power. Even a master can be overwhelmed by chaos, and no matter how skilled Wan Ke was, he couldn't overcome being surrounded by three or four hundred people.
Just as he was about to be defeated, the villagers suddenly found the courage to fight back, joining the battle with various farm tools in hand.
In the end, with a tally of injuring a thousand enemies at the cost of eight hundred of their own, the villagers of the small fishing village narrowly won, temporarily driving back the refugees.
The Village Head decided to relocate the village to the mountains. The villagers had no time for grief; those who had passed couldn't be brought back, but the living had to continue on.
The Village Head raised a torch high, shouting hoarsely, "Everyone, quickly pack up! We're leaving this place immediately, into the mountains~"
Families who had lost loved ones, fearing that the starving refugees might return to dig up graves, didn't bury their dead immediately. Instead, they carried the bodies of their relatives with them into the mountains.
In one night, the small fishing village was emptied of its inhabitants. When the refugees regrouped and returned to the village in greater numbers, they found only devastation.
The villagers who had entered the mountains didn't stop at the outer reaches but continued deep into the forest, overcoming any difficulties they encountered by working together.
Of course, they didn't dare venture too deep. After crossing three mountain ranges, they stopped at a place with a water source.
The villagers helped each other, and within a month, this uninhabited deep mountain area had been transformed into a well-organized small village.
After settling his family, Wan Ke thought about Old Gu Six, who should also be living in a seaside village, and worried if they might be in trouble.
He told his family he was leaving, then set out with dry provisions and his broadsword on his back to find Old Gu Six.
Meanwhile, the father and daughter duo he was worried about were eating well, sleeping well, and enjoying themselves, often tricking the silver wolf family into going hunting while they relaxed at home.
Those refugees also thought that since there was a village by the sea, shouldn't there be others elsewhere?
However, after searching for two days, they found nothing, not even a passable road.
The traces of Old Gu Six's passage had long been erased by nature. If they had been just a bit more patient and continued searching, they might have found people.
Unfortunately, they all gave up halfway. With no villages to plunder for resources, the refugees turned their attention to the town.
However, the town wasn't as easy to conquer as the small fishing village. The town had more people, and when the town chief learned about refugees raiding villages, he arranged for tight security. The townspeople were also unprecedentedly united.
It was no longer the time when one family's good food could affect a neighbor's grandson's appetite and demand compensation.
As for Wan Ke, he had originally intended to find Old Gu Six and his daughter, but who would have thought he'd stumble upon a severely injured, nearly frozen person in the mountains?
This rescue delayed him for seven or eight days. He figured that if Old Gu Six and his daughter were in danger, they would have long since perished, so going to find them now would be pointless.
Then, remembering the fact that he probably couldn't beat Old Gu Six in a fight anyway, he felt slightly more at ease.
He first brought the rescued person back to the village. After ensuring they were okay, he set out again with dry provisions.
Old Gu Six's home was hard to find. He got lost in the mountains, and when he finally reached the seaside, he searched along the coastline for days but found nothing, as if it had vanished.
Three days after Wan Ke left, the man he had rescued was found by his subordinates.
"This subordinate arrived late. Please punish me, Master."
The man's face was pale, his breath weak. He waved his hand dismissively and said softly, "It's fine. You're forgiven. These mountains are all connected; it's impressive that you managed to find me at all."
After a pause, he continued, "Have you found out what happened?"
The subordinate, still kneeling on one knee, looked up at his unfortunate master.
On the subordinate's face, which rarely showed any emotion, the man saw an expression that was difficult to describe.
