Chapter 214

The officers were now less than two zhang from the edge of the cave; hearing the fairy say this, they hastily retreated.

"Fairy, we've already withdrawn; how should we respond?" the Supervisor Officer asked, holding a walkie-talkie.

Ning Jinli told him, this cave is extremely deep, the structure below is complex and fragile, likely to collapse again, so from now on no one may approach this area; she will send anyone she finds directly back to the camp, and the Supervisor Officer's task is to immediately notify the camp side to have the doctors prepare.

Of the fifteen, three civilians had relatively light injuries, but the other twelve soldiers, having used their bodies to shield the civilians during the fall, suffered massive impact and severe injuries.

"Yes yes yes! This humble subordinate understands!"

The Supervisor Officer promptly agreed.

He knew the Jinli Fairy possessed an ability to instantly transfer people and objects.

Now that the fairy's safety is confirmed and the missing personnel have been found, he simply needed to prepare according to the fairy's request.

Afterwards, he ordered someone to spread the news, while leading thousands of soldiers and civilians back to the camp.

When this group returned to the camp, the three civilians' wounds had been bandaged, and the twelve severely injured soldiers, having been rescued in time, were out of mortal danger.

If it weren't for Ning Jinli's decisive choice to go down and search herself, and then after finding them, on one hand having the commanders order the camp medics to prepare in advance, and on the other hand opening a Time-Space Gate in the earth cave to link with the camp, directly sending the wounded over for immediate treatment, the seriously wounded soldiers would surely have died.

Ning Jinli looked back on the entire process and felt a lingering fear.

If at that time I hadn't lent a hand to that old village chief, by now probably several thousand lives would have been lost on Hu Xian Po.

After a brief thought, she decided to properly thank the old village chief.

Thus she dispatched a thousand Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army from the camp, packed more food, clothing and bedding plus several military portable tents, personally leading the Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army to deliver these supplies.

The earlier large parcels of supplies could help the villagers get through winter, and these are enough for them to lack nothing in food and clothing throughout the whole winter.

Once Ning Jinli had everything ready, she led the troops out, following the route provided by the old village chief, heading for the small mountain village.

Meanwhile.

At this moment, the old village chief and his party returned to the village.

In the heavy snowfall, several people had their cheeks flushed red from the cold, were exhausted and panting, their eyes full of the light of excited joy.

"Folks! We're back!" a villager shouted loudly.

At that moment, two barefoot boys aged seven or eight ran out.

The old village chief frowned, "Where have those men left to guard the village gone? Actually letting the children come to meet us! Quick, take out the shoes and clothes from the parcels!"

"Village Chief Grandfather!"

"Wuu wuu wuu! Village Chief Grandfather, you've finally come back!"

The two children cried as they flung themselves before the several people.

While the old village chief helped them put on clothes and shoes, he asked, "What's wrong with you? Why are you crying? Where are the adults?"

With tears streaming down their chapped faces, the children sobbed uncontrollably, their speech somewhat garbled, but the general meaning was that a group of soldier-lords had come to the village, looted belongings, and beaten people.

Several people's faces changed dramatically; the old village chief's vision went black and he almost fainted.

"Where is everyone now?" the old village chief asked, forcing himself to stay calm, "Are the looters… still in the village?"

The child told him that all the villagers had been driven by those soldier-lords to the Ancestral Hall, and the looters had left about the time it takes to burn an incense stick ago.

The old village chief slightly relaxed, then hurriedly led the few people with him toward the Ancestral Hall.

This village was already impoverished; even the Ancestral Hall looked dilapidated, with holes and cracks all over the walls, and cold wind whistled in.

Over a hundred villagers from the whole village were crowded together, and in the cold air there floated a faint smell of blood.

The old village chief suddenly noticed that many people had no clothing at all, relying only on huddling in the corners with piles of dry grass to keep warm, each shivering from the cold.

Those who still had clothing had only a single thin garment that barely covered them.

Moreover, some of the able-bodied men who had been left behind in the village lay naked on the ground, covered in blood, already without breath…

"What… what on earth… what happened!"

The old village chief staggered, almost falling.

The villagers beside him hurriedly helped him up, looking at the tragic scene before them, each filled with grief and indignation.

Afterwards, through the villagers' descriptions, the old village chief and his companions finally learned the exact details.

It turned out that not long after they left the village,

several dozen soldiers of the Wasteland Nation's Zhenhuang Pass stormed the village, dragging all the villagers out of their homes and driving them to the Ancestral Hall, then looted the village completely.

They not only took the villagers' already meager food stores, but also slaughtered the two old yellow oxen that the villagers relied on for farming, set up a pot on the spot to cook part of the meat, eating while continuing to scavenge.

Any clothing or bedding that could provide even a little warmth was not spared; they even stripped most of the villagers of what they were wearing.

The dozen or so able-bodied men left behind in the village, having risen in resistance, were beaten to death by these people.

Finally, this band of soldier-lords, like bandits, having eaten their fill and drunk their fill, departed with all the looted food and supplies…

"Why… why did they come to rob us!" the old village chief, grief-stricken, fell to his knees and wailed bitterly.

The villagers, weeping, told him that those soldier-lords had said, the troops of the Great Wilderness at Zhenhuang Pass needed to survive the winter; this year's grain and supplies were insufficient, and the Royal City had not sent provisions as usual, so they had no choice but to scavenge everywhere.

The old village chief wiped his tears, recalling in his mind the Jinli Fairy he had met and those Daxuan soldiers—all likewise Huaxia people—and realizing how great the difference between the two countries actually was.

This Wasteland Nation deserves to perish!

"Village chief… what… what should we do?" a villager asked.

The old village chief came to his senses, "Thank goodness for the things the Fairy sent—quick, quickly take them out and distribute them to everyone! Use the clothing and bedding as well!"

Several people hurriedly opened the parcels.

First they gave everyone some dried meat and chocolate, then gave clothing and shoes to the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled, spread the bedding directly on the Ancestral Hall floor, and surrounded it with piles of dry grass.

While everyone was busy, Niu San secretly began to scheme.

He had originally thought perhaps he could go to Zhenhuang Pass to borrow grain, or even take women from the village to exchange for food; although the old village chief had scolded and stopped him, he still retained that idea in his heart.

Zhenhuang Pass is one of several frontier garrisons set up by the Wasteland Nation along the entire Xuanhuang Mountain Range, and the most important of them.

But now it appears that even the soldier-lords of Zhenhuang Pass have come out to seize the people's grain, so the notion of borrowing grain or exchanging women for food must be completely abandoned.

"Village chief, where did you get this dried meat and these strange sweets?" the villagers asked in surprise while eating.

A villager who was with the Old Village Chief blurted out, "We encountered the Xuan— in the mountains."

"Don't talk nonsense!" the Old Village Chief immediately interrupted, then said to the curious villagers, "You're all frightened; rest a while first."

Someone asked, "Village Chief, can we make it through this winter...?"

The Old Village Chief soothed gently, "Don't worry, don't be afraid; we few brought back food and clothing for everyone, so we'll definitely get through."

In the corner, Niu San sneered coldly.

Getting through would be a miracle!

Originally the village still had some grain, and with whatever supplies the Jinli Fairy sent, it was barely enough for over a hundred villagers to last until next spring.

But now?

All we have left is what we brought back; how could it possibly feed the whole village that long? It wouldn't even last a month!

It seems the Village Chief might plan to wait until we really can't hold out, then go ask for help at the Xuan Guo camp.

But that's just a foolish daydream.

If we had asked for more when the Fairy was delivering supplies at the start, maybe they would have agreed; asking again now definitely won't get anything.

The Village Chief, this stubborn old fool who won't adapt, insists on clinging to that laughable so-called morality, and even shamelessly cursed him out; now it's fine—the old thing has dragged the whole village to die together.

"Everyone…… after eating and resting, we……" the Old Village Chief, eyes red, looked at the eleven corpses on the ground and choked up, "Let's bury them properly and pay our respects; it's a pity they didn't even get half a bite to eat."

For a moment, everyone in the Ancestral Hall wept without cease.

Niu San, while everyone was immersed in grief, secretly took some food from the bundle and slipped it into his bosom, then tiptoed out the back door.

He didn't want to stay there and wait to die.

Moreover, he had come up with an excellent plan that would not only let him survive but also let him rise above others and live comfortably.

The sky grew dark.

Niu San braved the increasingly fierce wind and snow, left the village and headed toward Zhenhuang Pass; after going more than ten li, he saw a detachment of the Zhenhuang Army.

From the tattered supplies tied to the horses of that Zhenhuang Army detachment, and the chunks of frozen fresh beef, it was clear these were the very people who had raided his village.

"Military Sir! Military Sir!"

Niu San was overjoyed, summoned all his strength, and shouted while quickening his pace.

Gradually, he drew closer to the unit.

At last, someone in the unit heard the shouting.

"Who the hell is shouting?" the Sergeant leading the unit turned his head upon hearing it.

The fifty or so people following behind also stopped their steps.

"Military Sir… Military Sir!" Niu San ran up to them, face flushed with excitement, panting heavily, "At last… at last I've caught up with you!"

Swish!

The Sergeant drew his blade and placed it against Niu San's neck.

The icy, bone‑chilling sensation made him shudder.

"Military Sir, spare my life! Spare my life!" he fell to his knees in the snow, kowtowing, "I mean no harm; I've come to join you, Military Sir!"

The crowd instantly burst into jeering laughter.

The Sergeant slapped Niu San's face with the blade and sneered, "What are you, that you think you're fit to follow me?"

"Military Sir, look!" Niu San's reddened hands began to rummage in his bosom.

But his hands were numb from the cold, so he couldn't pull anything out right away.

The Sergeant's face hardened with suspicion; he kicked Niu San away, shouting, "What are you trying to do? Looking to die?!"

Niu San hurriedly explained, "No… I have something… I want to present it!"

"You think I'm a fool?" the Sergeant snarled, "I can tell you're from that village just now; you came trailing us to get revenge by assassinating me, right?"

Having said that, he thrust a knife straight at Niu San's chest.

In desperation, Niu San exploded with lightning‑fast reflexes, rolled on the ground, and barely avoided the blade's tip.

The tip sliced his clothing.

Just then, what he had concealed in his bosom spilled out.

"Huh? Jerky?"

The Sergeant poked a piece up with the blade tip and held it to his nose to sniff.

Even in the cold air, the tempting aroma was unusually rich, whetting his appetite.

He instinctively opened his mouth to eat.

"Don't! Careful, it might be poisoned!" a subordinate nearby warned quickly.

The Sergeant came to his senses, eyes flashing with malice, "Nice, you almost got me with your trick—you really went all out, making such fine jerky to plot against me!"

"Military Sir, you've misunderstood!" Niu San hastily snatched a piece of jerky from the ground, wolfing it down while chewing, "I—I'm eating it to show you! No poison!"

Seeing him eat it with such relish, the Sergeant couldn't help swallowing his saliva, then glanced at the palm‑sized piece of jerky on his blade tip.

Although they had just slaughtered an ox and boiled meat while raiding a village, this jerky was glossy, oily, and richly meaty—far beyond ordinary fare.

"And this!" Niu San, gnawing on jerky, pulled out a piece of chocolate.

"Huh? What is this?" The Sergeant's curiosity was piqued by the bright, glossy item.

Niu San tore open the plastic wrapper, took a bite of the chocolate, and said, "This is a top‑grade sweet called chocolate; Military Sir, try it—you'll surely be shocked by its flavor!"

The Sergeant hesitated three times, then told a nearby subordinate, "You, go taste it."

"Huh? Me?" the subordinate blinked, confused.

The Sergeant's face darkened, "What, you won't even obey my orders?"

The subordinate had no choice but to steel himself, took the chocolate from Niu San's hand, and first gave it a sniff.

A fragrance sweet and unfamiliar rushed into his nostrils.

He steeled himself and shoved the whole piece of chocolate into his mouth.

As the chocolate was chewed and melted, an even richer, cloyingly sweet flavor filled his mouth.

His eyes widened gradually, and he exclaimed, "This is truly top‑grade sweet food! In my whole life I've never tasted such a delicacy! Even if it were poisonous, dying would be worth it!"

The others exchanged glances, thinking it was too exaggerated, yet his reaction didn't look fake.

Niu San emphasized again, "Military lord, I guarantee with my life that this… these are absolutely not poisonous!"

The Sergeant still harbored doubts, and also gave the dried meat speared on his knife tip to his subordinate.

The subordinate, without a word, dug in and ate heartily, his face excited and mouth glistening with oil, like a starving ghost reborn.

"Mmm… the dried meat is delicious too!"

"Fragrant! So fragrant!"

After finishing one piece of chocolate and this piece of dried meat, he snatched the remaining half‑piece of dried meat from Niu San's hand and devoured it in a couple of bites.

The Sergeant and the others were all stunned by his behavior.

"Any more?" he asked Niu San, still wanting more.

Niu San fumbled in his pocket and said, "Only one piece of dried meat is left."

"Give it to me!" he shouted, snatched it, and bit off more than half in one gulp.

"You damn bastard, leave some for me!" the Sergeant, unable to hold back, kicked him over, quickly seized the remaining half‑piece of dried meat, and shoved it into his own mouth without hesitation.

The others gathered around, swallowing their saliva and gazing at him eagerly, all asking whether it was really that delicious.

And the Sergeant's reaction was just like his subordinate's.

"Damn! I never expected it to be this good!" the Sergeant grabbed Niu San by the collar, "Tell me! Where did you get this? Is there any more?"

Niu San secretly let out a breath, squeezed out a fawning smile, and said, "Military lord, please don't rush—I'm the one who brought these for you, and there's plenty more! But… hehe… I don't know if you could agree to one small condition of mine."