Chapter 17: Half a Year
It was only when Daoist Jixin mentioned it that Qin Sang realized Old Wu was actually under forty years old.
Old Wu was from Jiaoming Commandery in the North. He originally had two sons and a daughter and made a living by farming. Despite their poverty, they managed to get by.
Last year, a series of disasters struck, and the northern regions were engulfed in turmoil. Rebel soldiers wreaked havoc, indiscriminately killing innocents.
Old Wu’s village was pillaged by these marauders. His wife and children were brutally killed, and he only managed to escape with his young daughter. Soon after, his daughter fell gravely ill and died on the road due to a lack of medical resources.
In the blink of an eye, his once-familial household of five was reduced to just Old Wu, who, dazed and confused, followed fellow villagers to the City of Three Witches. There, he worked as a boatman at the first dock and spent nights huddled under the eaves of households.
Seeing his plight, the Daoist took him in and offered him a place to stay on the mountain.
Who could have foreseen the northern situation would deteriorate to such a state? It was uncertain when this vast kingdom would ever stabilize.
Spring passed, and autumn arrived.
Every morning, fallen leaves would blanket the courtyard, blown by the mountain wind. Before he knew it, a whole year had passed since Qin Sang had come to this world. He wrapped himself in his clothes and headed towards Qingyang Hall to prepare the fire for boiling medicine.