Yong'an Calendar, Year 547, December 25th.

  In Kuhai County, at the southern border of Qi Kingdom, the setting sun cast its st gnce over this wild nd before sinking into a deep slumber. Night descended, and in the wind, snowfkes like salt scattered across the sky, covering the mountain and forest branches with a yer of white hair, draping the ndscape in a silver cloak, vast and boundless.

  Before long, a thick yer had accumuted.

  Later, the snow turned into rge, swirling fkes, carried away by the chaotic wind, taking the faint starlight to unknown distances.

  On the path leading further south from the county city, towards the little river and deep into the dense forest, a figure gradually appeared. He trudged forward, dragging something behind him, leaving a long trail in the snow as he headed towards the county city.

  He was a young man with a resolute expression and clear features, though his skin was sallow. He appeared to be around eighteen or nineteen years old, wrapped in a deerskin coat stuffed with tattered cloth and dry grass.

  Despite his bulky appearance, the thick clothing was clearly inadequate against the overwhelming wind and snow.

  In fact, the young man's lips were already turning blue from the cold. If someone were to look closely, they would notice his body trembling uncontrolbly, and the exposed parts of his skin beginning to crack.

  What he was dragging was a woman on the brink of death, pced on a small wooden cart.

  The woman was covered in wounds from bdes and weapons, her bloodstains arming to behold. Her thin clothing offered no protection against the severe cold. It was already the deep winter season in Qi Kingdom, with rivers frozen over. A normal person dressed like this wouldn't survive more than a quarter of an hour in this raging snowstorm.

  Yet, despite being covered in snow, the woman's chest still faintly rose and fell, and there was a breath between her nostrils.

  The young man dragged the woman, stopping and starting, pausing every half a mile to rub his hands, jump in pce, clear the snow off himself, and check if the woman was still alive.

  When he stopped for the third time, crouching beside the woman and carefully observing her chest, the severely injured woman suddenly opened her eyes, her indifferent gaze shifting to him.

  The young man felt her gaze but remained unperturbed, speaking expressionlessly:

  "You better not think I'm taking advantage of you, or I'll leave you here... We met by chance, and saving you in this storm is a great favor. If you suspect me of ill intentions, I'll let you be buried in this cold snow for three months."

  The woman remained silent, saying nothing.

  The young man showed her his frostbitten, stiff hands, his voice trembling slightly:

  "My hands can't feel your breath anymore.

  If you don't speak and keep your eyes closed, I can only watch your chest to see if you're dead.

  There's at least five more miles to go. Once the snow seals the mountain, the road is truly difficult. I don't want to drag a corpse back."

  After a long silence, the woman weakly spoke, her voice hoarse like a dead person's:

  "Where are we going?"

  The young man was surprised that she could still speak, but time was running out. He hurriedly pulled the cart through the snowstorm, saying as he walked:

  "To the abandoned temple a mile outside the county city.

  Though it's freezing there too, with walls and tiles letting in the wind, at least the snow can't get in... Last month, I begged Hunter Zhang for a long time, and he agreed to let me use the treehouse outside the county city to survive the winter. Though his words were harsh, he saved my life. Otherwise, with this year's heavy snow in Qi Kingdom, I'd freeze to death in the abandoned temple after burning all the firewood. I'll drop you at the temple and then go get the key from him..."

  He paused, his tone leaving no room for argument:

  "I can't take you to the treehouse. I don't have the strength to drag you up there in this snowstorm. You'll have to stay in the temple. I'll check on you in the morning. If you survive, you survive. If not, I'll find a pce to bury you. That's the best I can do."

  The woman fell silent again, only speaking weakly when she saw the outline of the small temple in the distance: "What's your name?"

  The young man hesitated before mumbling: "Wen Chaoshen."

  The woman asked again: "Where's your home?"

  Wen Chaoshen, panting and struggling to drag her, replied: "I'm not from Qi Kingdom. I'm a refugee, with no identity here. Most of the time, I can't enter the county city and live in the abandoned temple outside.

  Where would I have a home?"

  The woman stared at Wen Chaoshen's back, her eyes narrowing, sometimes dazed, sometimes clear, until she finally closed her eyes and said no more.

  After dragging the woman to the abandoned temple, both were covered in snow, resembling snowmen.

  The temple was just as Wen Chaoshen had described, able to block the snow but not the wind.

  The snowstorm raged, the wind cutting like knives, and a whole night of this could indeed be deadly.

  Wen Chaoshen dragged the woman off the cart and pced her behind a half-colpsed statue in the temple, where the wind was slightly less fierce. Seeing her fall into a deep sleep, he fetched some dry grass from a corner of the temple, ignoring the dust and dirt, and spread it over her.

  "That's all there is. Good luck."

  With that, he gnced at the exposed brick gaps in the wall, hesitated for a moment, then turned and left.

  Outside, it was pitch bck, the snowstorm at its peak, the cold seemingly able to penetrate the endless darkness of the night and pierce one's bones. Wen Chaoshen gritted his teeth, ignoring the cracked wounds on his hands, and plunged into the storm.

  ***

  Having traversed this world for three years, he had nothing, not even the identity of a Qi Kingdom citizen, beled a refugee and expelled from the county city. Whenever the county was guarded, refugees like him couldn't enter, only allowed into the city once a month on the third day to apply for Qi Kingdom citizenship from the constables.

  But Kuhai County was a small border city, and according to Qi Kingdom w, the quota for accepting foreigners each year was limited. Most were people from other countries, who would slip some silver or valuables, and the County Lord would turn a blind eye and grant them entry.

  However, Wen Chaoshen was a refugee, having crossed over with nothing, not a penny to his name, not even a piece of bread or a grain of rice to offer as a bribe.

  The outcome was predictable.

  He was excluded from the county, unable to set foot inside.

  Later, Wen Chaoshen went to the county city every month to appeal, hoping to obtain Qi Kingdom citizenship from the County Lord, but each time he returned empty-handed.

  Eventually, the County Lord, tired of his persistence, id out the terms.

  —Ten taels of silver.

  If Wen Chaoshen could come up with ten taels of silver, he would grant him Qi Kingdom citizenship and arrange a residence in Kuhai County, allowing him to live like other citizens, working from sunrise to sunset.

  Otherwise, Wen Chaoshen would live as a refugee for three years, and if he survived, it would be considered fate, and he would be granted Qi Kingdom citizenship.

  Ten taels of silver was out of the question. Even in a small county like Kuhai, unless one came from a well-off family, they couldn't even produce five taels.

  For three years, just surviving had been incredibly difficult.

  Three years ago, during a harsh winter snowstorm, it was an Old Bck Dog from the county that led a nearly frozen Wen Chaoshen to the temple hidden among the wild grass and branches, sharing half a bowl of leftover food, allowing Wen Chaoshen to barely survive that night.

  The owner of the Old Bck Dog had gone into the mountains years ago to find medicine for his bedridden mother and never returned after reportedly encountering a Beast.

  Since then, the Big Bck Dog went to the outskirts of the county every day, waiting on a familiar hill for a familiar person, undeterred by wind or snow.

  The abandoned temple y on the path the Big Bck Dog frequently traveled.

  Counting the days, the three-year period was up. On the third day of next month, he could finally obtain Qi Kingdom citizenship from the magistrate of Kuhai County, escaping this life of daily struggle for survival.

  The most crucial thing now... was to survive this terrifying, early-arriving snowstorm!