lt;xian mu qi yuangt

The southern regions 。In that year, the world was in turmoil. The Jade Stream Kingdom in the south and the Gold Stone Kingdom in the north clashed in a massive war. With hundreds of thousands of troops on both sides, the two countries were engulfed in flames of war. The people suffered greatly, unable to live in peace. At this time, the country was plagued by torrential rain, and the southern state of Jade Stream experienced a severe drought. Crops failed, leading to widespread famine. Bandits emerged, preying on desperate villagers. Driven by hunger and fear for their lives, people fled their homes and embarked on perilous journeys as refugees. 。On a road leading out of Yuxi's Guohuai County, a group of refugees marched toward Huai County. The procession stretched for seven or eight miles and numbered in the thousands. 。> Twelve-year-old Xiao Lin was walking among the refugees. He supported his weak father, Xiao Shan, with one hand and held his younger sister, Xiao Zhi, with the other. His dark face was full of bewilderment and loneliness. He licked his cracked lips and untied a gourd from his waist. 。,Looking at his father's haggard, pale face and his sister's frail frame, Xiao Lin was filled with remorse. If someone offered him a steamed bun right now, he would agree to any condition. 。Suddenly, urgent neighing sounds came from the front, and under a rolling cloud of smoke, a troop of horsemen was galloping towards them. 。Xiao Lin was startled, his small face filled with terror. He had long heard the adults say that on this road to Huai County, there were many bandits. These bandits killed without blinking an eye, robbing money and people. If they didn't comply, they would be killed. Along the way, he had even seen piles of bones left by the roadside, gnawed by wild beasts in the mountains. 。If one truly encounters bandits, there is no way out alive. Xiao Lin sighed in his heart. 。Xiao Lin stared with wide eyes, fixing his gaze on the dust ahead until he saw the large "Jade" character emblazoned on the mouth of the person and horses emerging from the haze. Only then did he let out a sigh of relief. 。"Is army " 。Xiao Lin mumbled to himself, “Although the army often does things that harm the people, they are much better than bandits. They won't kill people at random, but...” He still quietly pushed his sister behind their father. 。,Xiao Shi, due to having learned blacksmithing from his father since childhood, grew up strong and sturdy. He was half a head taller than Xiao Lin, and although he was only thirteen years old, he looked about the same as a fifteen or sixteen-year-old youth.。