For others, whatever they thought of by day will come to their dreams by night. However, no matter how joyful things were before going to bed, Chang Geng had no good dreams waiting for him after his eyes closed. His eyebrows had crumpled up, his face looked pale under the snowy moon outside, his fingers tightened unconsciously, grasping a corner of Gu Yun's clothes like a life-saving straw.

The Bone of Impurity was a kind of poison that greatly wore down the mind. While awake, it could be suppressed by will, but after falling asleep, it would bite back twice as hard. Gu Yun, who was always not sleeping enough, shivered after only envisioning it for a bit.

He tried to pull the corner of his clothes out but to no avail. Chang Geng, however, seemed to be shocked by the movement and held it tighter, there was even an indescribable and vague hint of brutality flashing across his expression.

The barracks was a crucial location, Gu Yun could not afford to tear his sleeves and go out to discuss the military situation with his men. He sighed and stretched his arms to unravel the pouch on Chang Geng's coat. Using the bowl on the side, he poured out a bit of tranquilizer, compressed it, then burned it.

The strong scent spread all around the tent, Gu Yun put the bowl next to the pillow and bent over to place a gentle kiss on Chang Geng's forehead. Chang Geng had probably woken up but had not completely regained consciousness. In the haze, he seemed to know who was beside him. The painful look on his face decreased slightly and he finally released his hand.

Gu Yun gave him a worried look and went out under the cover of the dark.

That year's New Year's Eve was incredibly desolated, the lonely sound of firecrackers echoed from inside the gate. The cold wind swept through, and the red paper scraps flew like butterflies in the wind, but there was no sight of children lighting firecrackers anywhere.

Even in the capital city, half of the Qi Yuan Tower had collapsed, and the Red Kite that the wealthy high-ranking nobles and officials scrambled for was now nowhere to be seen.

A large group of refugees had crossed the river to come here, a number were frozen to death, the others starved to death. Exchanging the children for food was something that easily happened from time to time.