The snow had stopped for five or six days without showing any sign of melting, and the temperature seemed to have dropped a few degrees colder.
Many people saw that the snow had stopped for so many days without falling again, and they were getting restless, wanting to set off early and arrive at the place they intended to settle down soon.
Most of these people wanted to go to The Capital, thinking that being at the feet of the emperor, it wouldn't be too bad, and they were already very close to The Capital, just a couple of months' walk away.
But they didn't know that The Capital was now a place where everyone feared for their own safety. The emperor was licentious and tyrannical, the whole Capital was shrouded in gloom and despair, with the ruler not ruling, and the subjects not following.
The emperor of a nation acted like a bandit, plundering people's wealth and seizing their wives and daughters. Loyal ministers were either exiled or had their entire families executed.
Who would still care about how the disaster victims were doing?
Yu San's house was crammed with people, all those who had followed him from the beginning. They too had heard that other disaster victims were heading to The Capital, not the northern lands.
They felt that Old Gu Six was leading them to the northern lands with ill intentions, so they approached Yu San to discuss parting ways and no longer traveling with Old Gu Six.
Yu San looked at their disdainful faces with a deep, solemn gaze and asked softly, "Have you made your decision? No regrets?"
Didn't they know their own worth? What was there for Old Gu Six to remember them for?
Ill intentions? He saw them as the ones with ill intentions.
"We've made our decision, no regrets," came the clamorous voices from inside the house.
Yu San raised his hand to quiet them down, and when everyone fell silent, he continued, "Then let's part ways here. I wish you a smooth journey."
"Yu San, what do you mean? You're not coming with us?" A short, middle-aged man looked at him displeasedly, his tone slightly confrontational.
Everyone stared at Yu San with bright, expectant eyes, waiting for his answer.
True to their expectations, Yu San said calmly, "Yes, I won't be leaving so soon, nor will I go to The Capital. Of course, I won't be following Old Gu Six to the northern lands either. I'll go wherever the road takes me."
They looked at him in disbelief, wondering if he had gone mad. Shouldn't they find a place to settle down early in such a famine year?
And what did he mean by going wherever the road takes him? How much food did he have to sustain himself going wherever he pleased?
Yu San didn't explain further or try to stop them. Seeing that he didn't want to say anything else, they all turned and left.
Their luggage was already prepared, ready to go at any time. With the thick snow on the ground, carts wouldn't work, so they divided their belongings into separate bundles, each family carrying their own.
After leaving Yu San's house, they went home, shouldered their bundles, gathered their families, and followed the other disaster victims, leaving the mountain.
Of those who had originally been with Yu San, only Doctor Ren remained, while Yang Poxiao and his brother Mu were Old Gu Six's staunch followers, so they didn't leave either.
Out of respect for the jade token and the two times Old Gu Six had helped him earn money, he went to remind the old master that it wasn't yet time to leave.
The old master was wise enough to heed the advice. He gathered the people who followed him and held a small meeting. Those who had originally intended to leave heard Older Tong say to wait a little longer before leaving, so they thought they might as well wait a couple more days.
With the elm bark, wild boar meat, and wild chickens they had supplemented, eating sparingly, they could last for over a month.
They didn't mind waiting a few more days here.
Listening to advice and eating their fill could save their lives.
Surprisingly, even Grandma Sun's family didn't leave. According to what she told her son and daughter-in-law, her eyelids had been twitching badly, and she felt uneasy, so she wanted to wait a couple more days or until the snow melted before leaving.
Those who wanted to leave had left. Little Ya's Mother angrily ranted at Yu San at home, "Why aren't we leaving? Are you still hoping to follow Old Gu Six?"
"Yu San, I'm telling you, if you're still stubbornly clinging to him, you'll end up harming me and Little Ya. Do you really expect that black-hearted man to treat you well?"
"Enough, if you want to go with them, then go now. Stop farting around here," Yu San snapped at her. If not for Little Ya's sake, he really would have struck a woman.
After venting his anger at her, Yu San grabbed a chopping axe and rope and left. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to control himself if he stayed.
Little Ya followed her father out the door, not wanting to listen to her mother's ranting anymore, as hearing it too much would only confuse her.
The next day was still clear and sunny. Those who had left were struggling to walk on the snow, their eyes filled with longing for a better life in the future.
They didn't listen to Old Gu Six and Older Tong's advice, thinking that waiting until the snow melted would mean another five or six days of waiting. They might as well start walking slowly, arriving at The Capital a few days earlier.
On the third day, it started snowing at around 5 a.m. At first, it wasn't heavy, but by 7 a.m., a fierce wind had picked up. With their heavy luggage on their backs, they were blown down and couldn't get up.
Everyone worked together, helping each other up and holding hands as they continued forward.
By the end of the 7 a.m. hour, the snow was getting heavier and heavier, and the biting cold wind left them with nowhere to take shelter. Their cotton clothes didn't seem to provide much warmth, and today was exceptionally cold, at least twice as cold as the previous few months.
They started to regret not heeding the advice. They should have just waited a little longer. They didn't proceed further but turned back.
However, it was easier to go out than to return. They had already been blown off course by the wind, and they had set out during clear weather two days ago. Now, with heavy snow falling, the return journey was becoming increasingly difficult.
Chang'an couldn't understand why so many people refused to listen to advice and insisted on being willful.
Those who had left the day before yesterday were most likely not going to make it.
Those who hadn't left were thankful they didn't follow the crowd, or else they would have been buried somewhere by now.
This time, many more people had frozen to death. Qingfang Village was almost wiped out. The Yang Clan, due to the village chief's decision not to leave the mountain cave, only had about ten young people left, who were barely saved by the efforts of their clansmen.
The snow stopped after more than twenty days, but the weather only grew colder day by day. Chang'an had three layers of quilts, while Old Gu Six and Chang Le added an extra down quilt.
Now they didn't care if they exposed themselves; the priority was not freezing to death.
Chang'an estimated the temperature to be around minus fifty or sixty degrees Celsius. Even those who took shelter in the mountain caves without sufficient winter supplies had frozen to death, including many elderly and weak children.
This temperature persisted until the end of the winter disaster. Outside, the sun was shining brightly, and the snow began to melt.
Thinking about the people who must have frozen to death outside, this temperature recovery and melting snow would also cause the corpses in the wilderness to rot, so a post-disaster plague would be unavoidable.
She seemed to have two boxes of Shuanghuanglian oral liquid bought before the apocalypse in her space. Whether they were useful or not remained to be seen, but for prevention purposes, she would drink one when leaving to ease her mind.
While waiting for the snow to melt, Old Gu Six and Chang Le went deep into the mountains to hunt every day. They didn't know how much longer they would have to travel, so it was better to prepare more food just in case.
Older Tong also led everyone to use silver coins to purchase the game hunted by Old Gu Six. When it was time to set off, everyone would look after themselves, as they had no ability to hunt in the mountains, so it was better to use silver coins to buy food now.
It was unknown whether they could enter the next town, so it was better to be prepared.
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