The northern wind was as sharp as knives, and the cold snow could break one's soul.
The bustling streets were quickly emptied by the first heavy snow of winter. Occasionally, there were still a few pedestrians hurriedly passing by.
The small vendors on both sides of the street were listlessly shrinking their heads and putting their hands in their sleeves to keep warm.
The business of the wineries and teahouses suddenly became better because of the sudden heavy snow. Endless cheers could be heard from afar.
Clatter clatter...
A red horse carriage slowly drove over.
Inside the carriage, a warm feeling was continuously emitted from a small stove, warming the entire carriage as warm as spring.
Shen Lian yawned and saw that outside the shaking carriage, there were a few children kneading snowballs and having a snowball fight. Their cheerful laughter came one after another, and he could not help but to grin.
"Sigh, I can't go back."
Shen Lian thought of something and sighed deeply.
Seven days ago, he was a socialist successor who worked seven to nine in a private enterprise to buy a house and a car. After drinking a bottle of 52% white wine with his leader, he woke up in this world.
This place was very similar to ancient times, but it was not any dynasty or region that he knew of. The climate and environment were also different. Winter and summer were especially long, while spring and autumn were abnormally short. Not to mention the different customs and habits.
The horse carriage slowly came to a stop.
Shen Lian got off the horse carriage and looked up at the ancient temple in front of him.
A rectangular plaque was placed above his head, and three large words were written in a flamboyant style: Hanyue Temple.
"Young Master Shen, you're here! Please come in! Young Master Wang and the others have been waiting for you for a long time! "A servant greeted him with a smile.
Shen Lian nodded and shook his thick velvet coat inlaid with gold and jade. He had the air of a rich young master. He unfolded his paper fan, and the surface of the fan was painted with spring trees and autumn frost, continuous mountains and rivers. There was also an inscription that added the finishing touch, showing off his elegant demeanor.
He followed the servant into the ancient temple with ease.
This place had been abandoned for many years, but after Wang Fugui spent money to renovate it, it became a place of pleasure. Every two to three days, he would hold a poetry gathering to meet friends.
In the main hall where incense wood was burning, the flames danced. It was warm and comfortable, making people forget that it was winter outside.
A beautiful young woman in a green dress was playing the zither in the middle of the room. The sound of the zither was quiet and lofty.
Eight tables were placed neatly on both sides of the room, and the people sitting there were all well-dressed young masters. They were quietly listening to the sound of the zither in the empty valley, and looking at the woman playing the zither with different gazes. Most of them were admirers, and many of them were drooling.
Shen Lian sauntered in. Looking at the woman playing the zither, he was stunned.
Fatty Wang Fugui had a wretched smile on his face. When he suddenly saw Shen Lian, he hurriedly waved at him.
Shen Lian walked to his side and sat down. He asked in a low voice, "Who is this beautiful lady?"
Wang Fugui chuckled, "The new courtesan of the Drunken Flower House, Li Chengcheng. I spent a thousand taels to invite her."
Shen Lian smiled and said nothing, but his heart was filled with emotions.
All the young masters present were born in the wealthiest families in Snow Ridge City. Shen Lian's Shen family and Wang Fugui's Wang family were among the wealthiest families in Snow Ridge City. Their wealth was an understatement.
With such a rich family background, these young masters could spend a lot of money without a second of regret.
"Extravagant clothes and jade food, noble status, and the ability to invite courtesans to perform at any time. This kind of life is too decadent."
Shen Lian drank a mouthful of wine as if he was dreaming. This kind of luxurious life was exactly what he had pursued in his previous life.
When the song ended, Li Chengcheng immediately received a round of applause.
Shen Lian also applauded. At this time, he suddenly noticed a person who was quietly drinking wine and looking straight ahead, as if everything around him had nothing to do with him.
"Who is the person sitting next to Zhu Yu?"
Shen Lian asked Wang Fugui.
"This person is not simple. He is not the same kind of person as us," Wang Fugui replied mysteriously.
"How is he not simple?"
"Do you still remember the tragedy two months ago? The time when the Zhu family was almost killed. "
Shen Lian carefully searched his mind and suddenly remembered.
The Zhu family was an escort company. Two months ago, they received a big order. Zhu Yu's father was personally escorting the goods. On the way, they encountered a terrifying robber who killed people like flies. The escort company suffered heavy casualties and even lost the goods. They suffered a huge loss!
The Zhu family was almost destroyed because of this.
"Of course I remember this. What's wrong?" Shen Lian looked at Wang Fugui suspiciously.
"You only know one thing and don't know the other." Wang Fugui suddenly became serious. "Actually, that terrifying robber was not a human. He was... a monster!"
Shen Lian's heart trembled, and his face changed!
Ever since he came to this world, he often heard some strange things. He didn't know if it was true or not, but this time, he seemed to have encountered a real one!
"Are there really monsters in this world?!"
Shen Lian still couldn't believe it.
"That monster was three meters tall. He had a green face and fangs. He tore a living person with his bare hands, ate raw meat, and drank human blood. It was a terrifying scene," Wang Fugui said seriously.
Shen Lian was skeptical. He deliberately sneered and said, "Liar, keep making up stories. It would be strange if I believed you."
"F * ck, I'm a dog if I lie to you." Wang Fugui pointed at the stranger as if he had been wronged. "After the Zhu family got into trouble, they invited him to kill the monster and retrieve the goods. Only then did they get through the crisis. Zhu Yu told me this personally. "
Shen Lian's eyes flashed. "Who is this person? He can actually kill a monster?"
"Zhu Yu refused to say. He doesn't seem to know. He only knows that this person is called Lin Xiuping." Wang Fugui was also curious.
At this time, someone suggested that everyone take turns to compose a poem. If they couldn't come up with a poem, they would have to drink as punishment.
Wang Fugui was the first. He straightforwardly punished himself with three cups of wine. After a round of composing, many people came up with poems. Finally, it was Shen Lian's turn.
He pondered for a moment and said loudly, "Green Ant New Fermented Wine, Red Clay Small Stove. Late Snow Wishes, Can I have a cup of wine? "
This poem was very suitable for the occasion. Everyone fell silent. After carefully tasting it, they all praised it. So wet, so wet...
Even Lin Xiuping, who ignored everything, turned to look at Shen Lian and applauded.
Next, it was time for the second round of composing poems.
Everyone basically couldn't come up with anything. They mainly drank to liven things up. Eating, drinking, and playing, this was what they were doing.
"F * ck, why are there mosquitoes in this cold weather?" Shen Lian suddenly heard Wang Fugui complain. He turned to look and saw a bloody dot on his palm. It was a mosquito that had been slapped to death.
Where did the mosquitoes come from in this cold and snowy winter? Shen Lian was also puzzled. All of a sudden! A mournful scream was heard!
The manservant that welcomed him ran in from outside. Strangely, he was shrouded in a black cloud.
"Buzz buzz buzz..."
The black cloud emitted a strong buzzing sound like a mosquito flapping its wings.
Chu Xiaofei looked over and couldn't help but narrow his eyes.
That black cloud was full of mosquitoes!
Countless mosquitoes had gathered into a cloud and were madly biting the manservant.
The pitiful manservant fell to the ground and rolled non-stop, screaming in pain.
In a flash, he stopped moving and the black cloud dispersed, revealing a skinny skeleton that had been sucked dry!
Everyone's hair stood on end and they gasped!
The top courtesan, Li Chengcheng, blacked out and fainted on the ground.
Shen Lian's scalp was also numb. He had never seen a group of mosquitoes that could suck a person dry. It was too horrifying!
"Not good! Something happened to the Zhu family! "Lin Xiuping suddenly shouted and pulled Zhu Yu outside.
Everyone didn't know if it would be dangerous to continue staying here, so they hurriedly followed Lin Xiuping out.
Lin Xiuping ran to the entrance of the ancient temple and suddenly stopped. He raised his head and looked in a certain direction.
Shen Lian focused his gaze and saw a huge black cloud hovering at a low altitude in the distant sky. Faint thunder-like buzzing noises could be heard faintly.
"Gulp... My goodness, that black cloud can't be full of mosquitoes, right?" Wang Fugui was terrified. He swallowed his saliva and exclaimed.
"It's too strange. There must be a demon behind it!"
"Look, that direction seems to be the Zhu family."
"I heard that the Zhu family had provoked a demon. Something big is happening now."
"Eh, where's Zhu Yu?"
While everyone was stretching their necks to look at the black cloud, Lin Xiuping and Zhu Yu had already run far away. They were heading in the direction of the Zhu family.
"Let's go and take a look." Someone suggested.
"Let's go and take a look!"
The more people there were, the less scared they were when they were together. They chased after Lin Xiuping and Zhu Yu in the snow.
However, when Shen Lian and the others arrived at the entrance of the Zhu family's mansion, they found that the government troops had already arrived.
Moreover, even the county magistrate and the family heads of the four major families were here. They looked at the black cloud hovering above their heads with a solemn expression.
Shen Lian saw his father, Shen Wanquan, at a glance.
The next thing he saw was a hellish scene. The government troops carried out one corpse after another from the Zhu family's mansion and placed them in the open space in front of the door. They were covered with white cloth.
Shen Lian clearly saw that the corpses were all skin and bones that had been sucked dry. They died in the same way as the manservants.
In the Zhu family's mansion, there were usually many guards, servants, and odd-job workers. There were more than a hundred people, men, women, old, and young. None of them were spared. They were all wiped out!
In the huge Zhu family, only Zhu Yu was still alive.
The world was dead silent. Indescribable fear lingered in everyone's heart.
Shen Lian walked in front of his father.
"Father..."
"Let's go home first. We'll talk later." Shen Wanquan waved his hand and sighed heavily.
Shen Lian looked up at the sky. The black cloud was gradually dispersing. The snow was even more chaotic. The sparkling snowflakes had a trace of demonic dark red.
"Demon, demon..."
He muttered. He suddenly realized that this world was not as safe as he thought. On the contrary, it was very dangerous. Even the dangers were unpredictable. His good days could be gone just like that.
Even a powerful clan like the Zhu Clan, with many outstanding martial arts escorts guarding them, could be wiped out just like that.
Shen Lian took a deep breath and returned home.
Shen Wanquan only came back when the sky was dark. He looked exhausted.
When he saw Shen Lian waiting for him, Shen Wanquan hesitated for a moment and said in a deep voice, "There was a malignant plague in the Zhu family. The entire family died. This matter will be handled by the county magistrate. Don't meddle in other people's business. Do you understand?"
Shen Lian was speechless, "Malignant plague? Father... "He was interrupted by Shen Wanquan.