Chapter 20: A Plain and Unremarkable Scholar

Wen Gu, the scholar, seemed unable to bear watching any longer and broke the silence, his voice gentle yet clear:

"The Smoke-Scented Ball the Daoist Priest used just now is for smoking out evil things."

He paused, then added, "Evil things also dislike the smell of alcohol."

So, aside from being choked by the thick smoke at the beginning, you, who were neither irritated by the Smoke-Scented Ball nor stopped chugging alcohol, are probably... perhaps... extremely likely to be a normal person.

It was as if he were telling him plainly—

Big brother, I knew you weren't possessed the moment I saw you chugging that alcohol.

Either you were scaring yourself, or you were deceived by someone!

The young man, who had been frozen there, felt intense emotions churning in his heart at this moment; the ecstasy of survival and the fury of being deceived seemed ready to erupt.

His eyes were full of ruthlessness, and the veins on the hand holding the wine pot bulged.

A voice of resentment squeezed through his teeth:

"I am going to skin them alive!!"

Crack!

The wine pot was snapped apart by one hand.

Wen Gu glanced at the other's calloused hand. It was almost unscathed.

His combat strength is not bad at all!

It looks like it is much higher than that of Liu Liehu.

At the same time, the young man, who had been sitting casually on the ground, jumped up as if scorched by fire, stripped off his clothes, and rushed toward the guest room.

His leg seemed to have been injured, as he stumbled once.

Afterward, a sound of rummaging through cabinets came from the guest room.

The four of them: "..."

A moment later.

The person inside came out.

He had changed into clothes from the guest room's wardrobe, and from head to toe, except for his eyes, even his mouth and nose were covered by a cloth.

After tidying up, he used a long stick to poke the discarded old clothes and boots into a distant corner.

These had been stained with filthy blood; it was only by the grace of his ancestors that he hadn't been possessed!

Seeing the other's series of movements, Tietou remained bewildered, but Xiao Liu finally reacted.

Huh? This person thought he was possessed?

How could he be so silly!

Wen Gu, however, understood.

Information was not circulating; Xiao Liu had already accepted much knowledge regarding the Evil Plague, but in other places, survivors might not necessarily know these things.

Furthermore, it was very likely that the malice of human nature was mixed in here. Those caught in it find it difficult to see clearly for a time.

At this moment, the other man walked over.

His entire mental state was completely different from before; his negative emotions were suppressed, and he became more spirited.

He cupped his hands: "I am Zhou Shan, a lowly County Lieutenant of this Tang County."

Liu Liehu could not help but mutter: "A lowly... County Lieutenant..."

That is an important subordinate of the County Magistrate, someone who can lead troops to suppress bandits!

How majestic!

In the eyes of their Ge Village people, a County Lieutenant is a figure one can only look up to. If one could become a County Lieutenant, their family's ancestral grave would surely be emitting blue smoke!

They wouldn't even dare to dream of it!

Zhou Shan was also observing the four of them at this time.

One could tell what Xiao Liu was thinking just by looking at that shocked face. And there was that big fellow next to him with a dazed and somewhat simple look; there was no need to pay much attention to those two.

He looked at Wen Gu and Qingyi Daozhang.

These two were the main ones. At a glance, they had unusual status and must have seen the world.

The Daoist Priest's reaction was indeed quite cold. In the past, a County Lieutenant really wouldn't have reached his circle of interest.

As for Wen Gu, he replied politely at this time:

"I am Wen Gu, a plain and unremarkable scholar in these chaotic times."

Qingyi Daozhang: "..." He had the urge to roll his eyes again!

Wen Gu briefly introduced his cousin, the Daoist Priest, and Xiao Liu, telling this County Lieutenant Zhou that they were heading north to join relatives and were passing through here to stay for the night.

Wen Gu looked at the red bruise on County Lieutenant Zhou's forehead and said apologetically: "Just now..."

County Lieutenant Zhou raised a hand to interrupt: "A small matter. I should be the one thanking you for the reminder!"

The ruthlessness in County Lieutenant Zhou's eyes had already been suppressed, replaced by anxiety and sorrow.

He glanced outside the post station.

The sky outside was already dark by now; nowadays, it gets dark very quickly, and if they went out now, they wouldn't be able to go very far at all.

No matter how urgent, they could only leave tomorrow.

He borrowed fire from Wen Gu and the others.

He was more familiar with the layout of the post station and the remaining supplies, and he informed Wen Gu of them.

When the chaotic times began, the important supplies at each post station had already been searched once by the wealthy families passing through, mainly the fodder for draft animals and human food. As for the coarse clothing and the heavy jars of turbid wine, the wealthy families in a hurry to escape didn't care for such things.

Therefore, it was very difficult to find food in the post station, but a few pieces of coarse cloth could still be found.

The Kitchen of the post station was small and somewhat messy, so the four of them took firewood directly to the main hall, set up a fire, and boiled water to cook.

Zhou Shan maintained a distance from them that made both sides feel at ease.

Wen Gu whispered to his three teammates to discuss, and shared a bowl of soup with Zhou Shan.

Zhou Shan was very surprised.

He had relied on the murky wine here and a few scattered pieces of stale dried flatbread found in the post station to hold out for three days. He was truly very hungry.

Originally, he had been thinking about how to trade for some food with Wen Gu and the others; if it were truly impossible, he would have to resort to some base methods when necessary.

He was also helpless; the world was difficult now, and he had family waiting. He needed food to recover his strength as quickly as possible so he could rush back tomorrow. He did not know if his family was safe after all these days had passed.

He had not expected that Wen Gu, this scholar, still retained a shred of benevolence and would take the initiative to share a bowl of food with him.

In the current chaotic world, food was precious, and no one was willing to share their own rations.

Had he, himself, encountered a good person?

Having just experienced betrayal by a companion, his vigilance had not yet faded.

Seeing that it was indeed soup ladled from the same pot, Wen Gu and the others also began to eat.

Zhou Shan took it, pulled down the face cloth covering his mouth and nose, and not minding the heat, blew on it slightly before drinking it down impatiently.

The replenishment of food truly allowed his weak body to recover faster; he cupped his hands in a salute and said solemnly, "Many thanks!"

The food was real; he was moved inside, and feeling ashamed for his earlier base thoughts, he said with a serious expression, "I have no way to repay this kindness, if there is any need..."

Wen Gu immediately said, "There is one right now!"

Zhou Shan: "..."

Beside them, Qingyi Daozhang almost laughed out loud.

Was the food given out by this Gou Shusheng so easy to accept?

You could never guess what kind of devious schemes were hidden beneath his plain and unremarkable exterior!

Though he complained internally, the Daoist Priest still maintained the demeanor of an expert on the surface—indifferent and cold, his eyelids slightly lowered, as if he cared about nothing around him.

Zhou Shan was only stunned for a moment, then said, "Please speak."

Wen Gu handed over the Notebook and Charcoal Pencil: "County Lieutenant Zhou, you have a deeper understanding of this county. We need to pass through this county to head north, but we do not know the road conditions, how the Villages and Towns are distributed, which places need to be avoided, or if they can accommodate a donkey cart..."

Wen Gu stated his requirements one by one; in reality, it was to have this County Lieutenant draw a simple map. Even if his drawing skills were poor, he could describe it orally in as much detail as possible, and then Wen Gu would draw it himself.

This way, he could both confirm Zhou Shan's identity and obtain the information he wanted.

If the other party's identity was true, then the information they possessed must be relatively current.

Fleeing in such a chaotic world, information was extremely important.

Zhou Shan did not think too much at this moment. Wen Gu's requests were very reasonable, and being able to repay the kindness now made him feel more at ease.

Under the filter of gratitude, he felt that this scholar, while possessing a benevolent heart, also carried a certain straightforward frankness.

Something came up, updating half a chapter first.