No matter how difficult the road, it must be traveled.

  Wen Chaoshen knew he had no way out.

  Braving the vast wind and snow, he left a trail of indistinct footprints as he pressed forward, eventually reaching a small, whitewashed wooden house at Qingtian Pass, located to the east of the southern outskirts of the county city.

  The windows of the wooden house were sealed with animal hides, blocking any faint light from the oil mp inside. Regardless of whether the people inside were asleep or not, Wen Chaoshen knocked forcefully on the door, the dull sound quickly swallowed by the wind and snow.

  Thud— Thud, thud—

  After several knocks, the frost-covered door of the wooden house finally opened.

  With a creak, a dark, wrinkled face appeared behind the door—it was Hunter Zhang. He shot Wen Chaoshen a cold gnce and scolded: "What time is it? You don't sleep, so others can't either?"

  Before Wen Chaoshen could respond, Hunter Zhang tossed him a piece of dark blue cloth.

  Inside was a key.

  "Tha—"

  Wen Chaoshen only managed to utter the first sylble before the wooden door smmed shut again.

  ***

  Without hesitation, he turned and headed into the distant darkness...

  After a few steps, the Old Woman, lying on the bed in the dimly lit room, spoke:

  "Old Zhang, why are you so harsh? That boy doesn't seem like a bad person. He's been pitiful for three years now, and I've never seen him steal or rob anyone... Besides, that treehouse is just sitting empty, it's not causing any trouble."

  Hunter Zhang added some firewood to the stone stove, ignoring the Old Woman, and cursed energetically:

  "Damn this snow, it falls just like that. The mountain will be sealed tomorrow, and I probably won't be able to hunt. I'll have to take a pickaxe and break the ice on the stone river to see if I can catch a couple of fish for soup..."

  The Old Woman, familiar with her husband's temperament, continued: "I know you're upset, times are tough. But Chaoshen said a while back that his three-year agreement with the County Lord is about to end. Once he becomes a citizen of Qi Kingdom and gets registered with the officials, they'll allocate him some nd. He'll be able to support himself and might even help us with some small tasks..."

  Old Zhang suddenly turned his head to look at the Old Woman on the bed, speaking urgently: "Three-year agreement? What a joke!

  What kind of person is that Magistrate Liu Jinshi? A three-year agreement?

  Besides that fool outside, only you would believe it!

  Without money, would he let refugees into the county?

  Ridiculous! I spit on it!"

  He spat into the fire pit, his tone ominously heavy:

  "Just wait and see, that Silly Boy outside won't survive this winter."

  "If I were ten years younger, I might have been able to lend him a hand, but now..."

  The Old Woman listened to Hunter Zhang's sharp words in silence for a long time before asking: "How about we move back to the county city and temporarily lend him this house for the winter?"

  Hunter Zhang didn't reply. The firelight illuminated his aged face, shadows rolling in the creases. Seeing that face, the Old Woman suddenly hesitated, unable to speak further, and closed her cloudy eyes with a sigh.

  They had chosen to live out here because their previous home was too far from the mountains where Hunter Zhang hunted.

  In their younger days, Hunter Zhang was strong and could walk dozens of miles without breaking a sweat. But now, both over sixty, and with her illness affecting her mobility, they had no choice but to build a house in Qingtian, reducing the daily trek by at least twenty miles, making it easier for hunting and taking care of her.

  The winter roads were extremely difficult, especially this year with snow worse than in previous years. Moving back to the county would almost be a death sentence for her husband.

  For the past two years, her leg pain had worsened, making it hard to walk far, let alone work. They lived on the edge, thanks to Hunter Zhang's care. She understood the gravity of their situation but couldn't help thinking of their son who went off to war years ago, sighing into her pillow.

  ***

  Meanwhile, Wen Chaoshen had finally reached the treehouse. His hands were almost completely numb, but fortunately, Hunter Zhang had left a wooden dder here. If it had been just a rope like before, he might not have made it up.

  Using all his strength, he reached the door of the treehouse, carefully fished out the key, opened the door, and rolled inside, locking the door behind him.

  Instantly, the wind and snow were shut out, and Wen Chaoshen felt alive again.

  After fumbling in the dark room for a while, he suddenly froze, disbelieving, as he felt around the corner again, finally confirming that it was indeed a quilt.

  Though old and with a few holes, to Wen Chaoshen, it was a lifesaver.

  Having known Hunter Zhang for three years, despite his cold demeanor, Wen Chaoshen never expected this rough old man to remember to leave a quilt for him in the treehouse.

  He didn't dare take off his clothes but removed the dry grass inside them and wrapped the quilt around himself.

  Feeling his stiff body gradually warm up, Wen Chaoshen muttered to himself, somewhat smugly:

  "Damn heavens, damn heavens... Didn't expect it, did you? I'm not dead, I'm alive. In a few days, on the third day of next month, I'll be a true citizen of Qi Kingdom.

  With nd and a pce to live, life will get better..."

  As he spoke, his once low spirits couldn't help but turn excited.

  A smile, unseen for some time, reappeared on his face.

  But soon, the smile faded as Wen Chaoshen seemed to remember something, a sharpness fshing in his eyes, only to vanish silently with time.

  ***

  Late at night, the weary Wen Chaoshen finally drifted off to sleep.

  In the wilderness, there was no rooster crowing. The next morning, it was the morning light seeping through the door crack that woke him.

  Startled awake, Wen Chaoshen ignored his discomfort, stretched his limbs, opened the door slightly, squinting to adjust to the light outside, then returned to the room, stuffing the dry grass back into his deerskin clothes, hid the key in the treehouse, and left.

  Normally, only Hunter Zhang came to the treehouse, so there was no need to lock the door or carry the key.

  If the key were lost outside, it would be a bigger hassle for him.

  Though Qi Kingdom was in the south of the four kingdoms, its summers were hot and winters cold. Once the winter snow fell, it wouldn't stop easily, growing colder each day until spring.

  After leaving the treehouse, Wen Chaoshen had to busy himself with making a living for the day. It wasn't snowing during the day, so he had to make the most of the time.

  But first, he needed to visit the abandoned temple to check if the strange woman he found in the mountains was still alive.