The sky was gloomy and moonless.
When the wind rose, beasts often appeared.
The hardest time was the end of winter; the knee-deep snow wouldn't melt, and the air howled with piercing cold.
Beneath the snow-covered hillside, a faint glow of firelight flickered in the crevices. On closer inspection, it was a small cave covered in snow.
In this cave, no more than a few hundred meters in size, dozens of people in thick coats huddled around a fire for warmth.
They were slender, with gentle and distinct features, and their thick limbs looked exceptionally strong. Despite the cold winter, they were still managing to survive.
Though night had fallen, the freezing weather drove those around the fire to huddle together for warmth. For this group seeking refuge in the cave, winter was always the most difficult time. This winter, they had already lost several members of their tribe; hunger and cold gnawed at their flesh and bones, stirring the desires hidden in their hearts.
In a corner of the fire, a mother was softly sobbing as she held her deceased child. Motherly love transcends race; it surpasses wisdom and exists in the hearts of countless creatures.
But sadly, his body was already cold. Thankfully, it was winter, and his corpse hadn't started to decay yet, allowing his mother to look at him a few more times.
The wind grew increasingly wild, stirring the earth and snapping withered branches and leaves. The already dark night seemed even deeper, and inky clouds gathered above this land, forming a strange inverted pyramid shape.
A moment later, lightning seemed to descend from the clouds, coiling like electric snakes, densely surrounding the ends of the dark clouds.
"Boom!!" A deafening sound echoed across the land, and the lightning tore through the silence of the night, illuminating the world with the light reflected off the white snow.
In the wake of the thunderous roar, countless electric snakes intertwined in the clouds, tearing the sky apart. The fury of the thunder was relentless, resembling a scene from the end of the world.
Soft snow fell with the sound of thunder, and the people, frightened by the lightning, cowered, covering their ears and burying their heads between their knees, afraid to say anything. To them, thunder was the supreme being, a kind of supreme authority, and anyone who dared to challenge it would perish beneath its wrath.
The leader in the corner remained unmoved. She held her child's body and stared at the fire, her eyes lacking their former luster. Behind her, a little girl seemed afraid of the thunder, clinging tightly to her back and lowering her head. She appeared to be a child without parents. Although people at this time didn't have much concept of blood relations, and many children only knew their mother and not their father, adults would always take care of these young lives in some way.
The thunder gradually faded, and the cave fell silent again. The fire crackled as it burned the damp firewood, and smoke filled the cave.
Some had already fallen asleep leaning against their knees, while others huddled together on the straw, embracing each other.
"There are people in the cave."
Suddenly, a voice came from outside the cave.
Everyone in the cave woke up in alarm, looking fearfully toward the entrance. They quickly grabbed their weapons and warily watched as the cave entrance was slowly being dug open.
"Hello."
Jiang Wen stood at the cave entrance, looking at the dozens of people inside. Judging from their clothing and appearance, they should be Nanqi people.
"You, who are you?"
The leader raised her head and looked at Jiang Wen, asking in confusion.
"I am an envoy from Taicang, here on a mission to Nanqi."
Jiang Wen took out a gold token from his chest, something unique to Taicang. Several Nanqi people looked at it, nodded to each other, and let Jiang Wen in.
Jiang Wen looked at the child in the leader's arms and, sensing that he still had some breath left, curiously asked about it.
After learning about the child's situation, Jiang Wen had Xiu Qi bring a few pills and fed them to the child.
"Perhaps this can help you."
Jiang Wen said softly.
He led Xiu Qi and Xue to a corner, settled in, and closed his eyes to rest.
The sky was faintly bright, the wind had stopped, and light penetrated through the snow, casting into the cave. Snores rose and fell, and dozens of people lay sprawled on the straw.
The little girl was probably too tired. She leaned on the leader's leg with her eyes closed, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly, as if she was having an unpleasant dream. Her lips twitched a few times, and she sniffled softly.
A hand slipped from the leader's body and rested on her face, scratching the little girl's cheek. Lacking regular cleaning, although the little face was quite pretty, it was covered in dirt. She waved away the annoying thing, but soon felt something on her face again.
Opening her sleepy eyes, she looked at the hand in front of her in confusion. It was a child's hand, with several scars from frostbite due to the cold. Perhaps it wasn't as pretty as her own hand, although her hand was also badly frostbitten. But that wasn't the most important thing; what mattered was the owner of this hand, the child who had been dead for a long time.
She didn't have much of an impression of death. Perhaps they were just tired from playing and were resting with their eyes closed. When they had slept enough, they would wake up. That's what she thought, and that's what she believed. But many people fell asleep and never woke up again, and she kept waiting for them, but she could never get them back.
Later, the person who had grown up with her also fell asleep. He was the leader's child. The leader told her not to disturb him, but she didn't understand why the leader looked so sad.
The little girl climbed up and approached the tinted face. Although the lips were a little pale, they felt warm to the touch. She pinched it, soft and warm, unlike yesterday, which was so cold and stiff.
He woke up, he wasn't sleeping anymore, the leader must be very happy. The little girl quietly watched until a pair of dazed eyes slowly opened on that face. The pupils moved stiffly, eventually focusing on the little girl's face. A look of surprise appeared in the dull eyes, and finally, he opened his mouth and choked out a word.
"Ah?"
People took up weapons and broke open the snow blocking the cave entrance. There was no trace of yesterday's sad atmosphere; everyone seemed very happy.
The leader added a few pieces of dry wood to the fire, and the smile on her face lingered for a long time. In front of her, the child she had lost was shivering, approaching the fire and reaching out his hands for warmth. He looked around at his surroundings, extremely curious about this unfamiliar place.
When she woke up and found the child in her arms looking at her with his eyes open, she felt a sense of rebirth after being extremely sad. She hugged her child tightly, afraid that he would close his eyes again without her noticing. She touched him and pinched him, until finally she dared to believe that her child had really come back to life.
Perhaps she had used too much force, and when she heard the other party's weak plea, she woke up as if from a dream and let go of the child.
Regaining her usual leader's aura, she looked at the rising sun outside and walked to Jiang Wen's side, kneeling on the ground and prostrating herself in worship. It was said that this was the most supreme etiquette of the Nanqi people.
Walking out of the cave, looking at the vast expanse of white snow, people couldn't help but beat their chests and roar, expressing their joy at being alive.
