Chapter 15: Let's Go, Daoist Priest

Far from Ge Village, the road conditions became unfamiliar and even harder to traverse.

The surroundings were desolate.

Fortunately, with the vegetation now withered, the weeds that had originally grown vigorously and invaded every piece of land were now flattened against the ground, revealing the country paths.

The wheelbarrow was very useful at this time, capable of carrying cargo across this narrow and uneven ground.

Without the help of the villagers, the person now responsible for pushing the cart was Wen Gu's cousin, Tietou.

The wheelbarrow was fitted with a support frame; if danger were encountered, Tietou could abandon the wheelbarrow and immediately engage in battle.

However, in Wen Gu's view, there were still too few people.

If there were enough manpower, everyone could take turns, with each person pushing for just a short stretch of the road.

Regarding transportation, Wen Gu still wanted to upgrade.

The roads traveled in the future might not all be these country paths; it would be good if there were a two-wheeled cart. It could also carry people, and pull more cargo.

He did not dare hope for a horse.

Ordinary villagers could not afford to keep horses.

In places that could afford them, when the world first fell into chaos, the horses had long since been snatched up by various large and small factions. Those that weren't snatched up might be attacked by evil entities while out in the open, becoming food.

Without a horse, an ox cart or a donkey cart would also do. Donkeys should be more common in villages and towns.

Even if many surrounding villages could not afford horses or oxen, there were still people who could afford donkeys and mules.

With lower feeding costs and a certain amount of endurance, some merchant caravans in remote areas used donkeys to transport goods.

Wen Gu noted this down on his to-do list, and kept an eye out along the way for where he might find a stray donkey.

Not long after, Wen Gu saw another ox skeleton.

Xiao Liu sighed: "When I came out half a year ago, I even saw water buffaloes soaking in the water, but at that time everyone was afraid to touch the muddy water, so we had to give up. Later, when my father and the others came out again, we never saw any living oxen."

Seeing those ox skeletons in the fields outside while burning the wasteland, one knew that many livestock could not escape disaster out there either.

Under the Evil Plague, poultry, livestock, birds, fish... these animals were all normal and did not appear to be possessed by evil.

Only humans were possessed by evil.

And after humans were possessed by evil and turned into evil entities, they would also attack those animals; those that flew in the sky or swam in the water were fine, as they were not easily preyed upon. But poultry and livestock suffered; in places where evil entities were active, not even a chicken would be left behind.

However, evil entities would sometimes miss things when preying, and Wen Gu and his group would look for them while traveling to see if they could pick up any leftovers.

Xiao Liu was experienced and knew which places had higher probabilities.

"There are eggs!"

Xiao Liu saw the target again; he observed the eggshells, picked them up to shake them slightly to feel them, and then carefully placed them into a linen bag. These were all their rations.

From leaving the village until now, they had picked up five eggs. In fact, they had discovered several nests along the way, but those had been left for too long and had all gone bad.

"These three should still be edible."

At a glance, they were eggs laid by a domestic chicken breed.

"I didn't see any chickens around; they might have already entered the belly of an evil entity or a wild beast," Xiao Liu said.

"That also means there might be evil entities or wild beasts nearby," Wen Gu said.

Half an hour later, they didn't encounter any evil entities, but they did see a weasel standing up in the grass.

Now that normal human activity had decreased, some wild beasts had become bolder.

That weasel stared at them for a good while, and only after they had walked closer did it jump into the grass and quickly disappear.

"That chicken might have been snatched by the weasel; perhaps it even took a few eggs from the nest," Xiao Liu said.

Perhaps as he said, or perhaps there were other possibilities.

The four of them continued forward, cautiously keeping an eye on their surroundings.

No one knew how many survivors were left in this vicinity. It was also possible there were none at all.

The paths they chose were all in areas with relatively open visibility, rather than wild forests or desolate paths with more trees.

If an evil entity or another large wild beast appeared, they would be able to see it immediately. Plus, there was still a lookout in the air.

The bleak autumn wind blew past, bringing bursts of chill, but it was soon replaced by the warmth brought by the sunlight.

Yet such warmth was a reminder to them to be even more vigilant.

"There is a village ahead; shall we rest there at noon?"

Xiao Liu had never been here before, but he roughly knew there was a village here.

The map Wen Gu drew also marked it, and according to their travel plan, they could arrive before noon.

Soon, they saw the familiar thatched huts and earthen walls. The villages in this area all had a similar style.

"My father and the others brought people to search the villages here last winter; there wasn't much left behind."

The once-lively village was now desolate.

One could see white bones scattered not far away, with tooth marks from wild beasts on them.

In front of one dilapidated thatched hut after another, plants grew wildly from within piles of white bones.

Xiao Liu had seen similar scenes several times, but every time he saw one, it shook his spirit.

Who could say this wouldn't be their own tomorrow?

They did not go house-to-house in the village to look closely; they roughly observed whether there was any danger, and then found a house on the outskirts.

The house was very empty; some wooden tables and stools had been moved away. Liu Liehu and the others had been here before and had transported those back to the village. Anything that couldn't be used was chopped up for firewood.

They burned some Medicinal Herb, found some dry wood fragments and withered grass, and lit a fire.

The chopsticks and bamboo tongs they carried with them were roasted over the fire to dispel evil.

Of course, it was enough to just lightly scorch them with fire; if roasted for too long, they would catch fire, as they were wooden after all.

The tools and weapons they had used were also scorched over the fire in this way to sterilize them.

Wen Gu took out the small bamboo tongs used specifically for picking up food, roasted them slightly over the fire, and then opened a small jar to pick out the Anti-Hunger Pills stored inside. This was convenient food prepared by the Daoist Priest for traveling.

It is indeed convenient.

During the rest time, the atmosphere was somewhat stifling.

Wen Gu observed that Xiao Liu was distracted, his hand still clutching a wooden plaque.

That was a pendant Lao Liu had made from oak, which he had placed around Xiao Liu's neck before he left home.

The "Zuo" in Xiao Liu's name is the same "Zuo" as in oak.

It makes sense; this young hunter is leaving his family for a long journey for the first time. He is too young, the current situation is special, the road ahead is uncertain, and coupled with the tragic state of this Village he just saw, he inevitably misses home.

He still does the work he is supposed to do well, but that spirit of his is far from what it was when he first left the village, and his nerves have been kept tight.

Wen Gu felt that it needed to be adjusted.

At times like this, words of comfort and encouragement are pale; after thinking for a moment, Wen Gu spoke up: "Have you heard the story of the weasel asking for a title?"

Xiao Liu Liehu's attention was immediately diverted, and he asked with extreme curiosity:

"A weasel asking for a title? Is it the kind that used to run into the village to steal chickens, the kind we saw on the road just now?"

Qingyi Daozhang did not show it on his face, but his ears were already pricked up. He wanted to hear how Gou Shusheng would spout nonsense.

Wen Gu: "I heard it during my Study Tour."

Qingyi Daozhang: "..." Here he goes again, here he goes again!

Wen Gu: "First, a disclaimer: it is all hearsay, made up and fictional, stuff from a Storybook."

Xiao Liu Liehu: "Mm-hmm!" I love listening to Storybooks!

Thus, Wen Gu briefly told the story of the "yellow-skinned weasel asking for a title" by asking a passerby if it looked like a human or a god, and also told a few versions passed down among the folk.

Xiao Liu immediately thought of the weasel that stood up on its hind legs that they had encountered on the road.

He stammered: "Then... which kind do we count as? Did it speak at the time? How should we answer if we meet it next time?"

Under strong self-psychological suggestion, Xiao Liu suddenly felt that the memory of that time was blurred, and he was unsure if he had heard it then.

He asked the Daoist Priest: "Is it true that weasels ask for titles?"

Qingyi Daozhang smiled inscrutably and remained silent.

Inner thoughts: I haven't heard of it either! I've learned something new!

Where exactly is this Gou Shusheng on his Study Tour? Can he share his route?

Wen Gu said: "It standing up was just observing alertly, not like what is made up in the Storybook."

Xiao Liu nodded: "Mm-hmm!"

As for what he was actually thinking inside, others could not guess.

Wen Gu decided that he should tell fewer stories of this type in the future.

During the idle chat, they did not relax their attention to the outside.

The wall and courtyard of this house were slightly higher than elsewhere, but still not safe enough.

"Has Matuan gone out to forage?" Wen Gu asked.

"Yes. It has been watching the whole way, and now it also needs to replenish its strength," Xiao Liu Liehu said. "Don't worry, I just set up a... in the courtyard wall."

Clatter!

A sound came from outside.

The few people in the room instantly went silent, on full alert.

Looking out through the crack in the window.

An evil creature with a high degree of alienation climbed over the courtyard wall, triggered the trap Xiao Liu had set, and made a sound to alert everyone in the room.

Xiao Liu aimed his bow at the dilapidated window. It was just that there was an obstruction; if he could not kill it in one blow, it would pose a great threat to the few of them.

Tietou guarded in front of Wen Gu, holding a Firewood Knife, his muscles tense all over.

Although he is not smart, he has been able to survive until now because whatever Wen Gu says, he can execute it thoroughly. It is all a conditioned reflex now, formed when they were traveling before.

And Wen Gu also picked up a Firewood Knife he had placed beside him, burning the blade over the flame.

At the same time, he observed the evil creature outside.

Being able to climb over the courtyard wall so easily, the degree to which the body of the one outside had been alienated was already very deep; its skin and fat were tougher, and its movements were more agile.

This place is not suitable for fighting; avoid it if possible.

Wen Gu looked at Qingyi Daozhang.

Go for it! Daoist Priest!

Qingyi Daozhang reacted quickly as well, holding a small incense burner in his palm, extending it under the window, and using his other hand to fan silently, fanning the smoke out.

The evil creature outside approached the window step by step, its pale eyeballs devoid of any luster, as if skin that had been drained of moisture was pressed tightly against its bones, purple-brown spots almost covering its entire face, its teeth incomplete and uneven, the teeth remaining in its mouth having become sharper due to heterogenization, hideous and terrifying.

It sniffed the scent in the air, and a low, gurgling sound came from its throat.

Gradually approaching the window.

It sniffed again, its keen sense of smell capturing the scent of food, but it was soon stimulated by the scent of the Medicinal Herb to growl low, shook its head, turned around, climbed over the wall, and ran away.

Not long after, some howling sounds rang out in the distance, as if two evil creatures were fighting.

Perhaps it was for food, perhaps it was for something else.

They are just like wild beasts, likely to fight for reasons like territory, food, and so on.

That evil creature went far away, and the people in the room no longer had the heart to chat, quickly finishing their lunch to recharge their energy.

A few cries came from the air; it was Matuan, who had been foraging, returning. It found a high point, rested there, and also kept watch over the surroundings.

The weather turned from sunny to cloudy.

The cloud layer blocked the sun, and the gusts of autumn wind brought more chill.

Wen Gu and the others came out of the Village and continued their journey.

Not long after walking, they encountered that evil creature from just before again.

However, the field of vision was wide and unobstructed at this moment, so Xiao Liu Liehu pierced the target's brain with one Arrow.

If one Arrow could be used, he would never waste a second one!

As for the Arrows shot out, he would recover them whenever possible, but Arrows like this one that struck an evil entity would not be brought back. He dared not take the risk.

Xiao Liu was worried.

Once the Iron arrowheads were used up, if he made arrows using something else as a substitute, the lethality would not be as strong. He did not know how many Arrows it would take to kill then.

Wen Gu was also worried.

The equipment and manpower could not keep up with the demand.