Zhang Yanzhi nestled her head into the warm fur of the Qiongqi, sleeping soundly, and emitting gentle breaths like a kitten, while Li Fan lifted his gaze to the crescent moon, using his wings to shield her from the deep purple moonlight.
He had intended to find a village to set down Sa Rilang, but after flying for an entire day and encountering seven or eight tribal camps, he had not seen a single living person.
There were some who had been devoured by demons, some slaughtered by horse bandits, and entire villages and tribes either frozen or starved to death. According to Zhang Yanzhi, such sights were common in the Northlands.
Kan Country in the northern lands was already impoverished. The grasslands could not support that many people. Even without the vassal armies raiding for provisions, without banding together to pillage the south, they would not survive the winter. And this year's winter was particularly harsh.