Chapter 22: Can We Travel Together?

Leaving the post station, they walked for a day along the route Wen Gu had mapped out, then were forced to stop.

It was going to rain.

Qingyi Daozhang could read the weather and predicted a rainstorm was coming; they would either have to quicken their pace to reach the next stop or stay where they were and wait for the rain to pass before choosing a time to set off again.

Although Xiao Liu was not as precise as the Daoist Priest, he had often gone into the mountains to hunt in the past and had experience in observing celestial phenomena, so he could provide a rough judgment.

In this small team of theirs, whenever they faced a choice about whether to move or stop, it was Wen Gu who made the decision.

This time was no exception; Xiao Liu reached the same prediction as the Daoist Priest based on the sky, then looked to Wen Gu first.

And Wen Gu, looking at the map in his hands, said, "Then let's wait for this rain to pass."

They were currently inside a tea house at the foot of a mountain.

It was just a simple two-story wooden building; there had been some wooden shed stalls around it in the past, but they were all derelict now, leaving only this tea house standing relatively firm.

Wen Gu looked out the window at the hillside.

According to County Lieutenant Zhou, this place was once a scenic spot.

The mountain was not very tall, and a long time ago, a famous person from out of town had come here to plant a field of crabapple flowers; every year when the flowers bloomed, the scholars and literati of the county would gather to climb the mountain and admire the flowers, and wealthy families nearby also loved to host banquets there.

Standing here, one could see the pavilions on the mountain.

Looking at it this way, the foot of the mountain was merely a midway service point, and there should have been more well-equipped buildings on the mountain. It was a pity that, given the current situation, it was not convenient to go and see them.

Wen Gu thought to himself that after the chaotic times ended, if there was a chance, he must come here to check in.

Perhaps the mountain still preserved inscriptions from visiting literati, or stone tablets with carvings and the like.

Thinking this, Wen Gu made a note in another Notebook.

The tea house was much smaller than the post station and had been left untended for a long time; the second floor was even more dilapidated, so when the rain came, the second floor would certainly be uninhabitable.

They searched for some firewood nearby and piled it in a corner first, to avoid not being able to find dry wood when the rain started.

They moved the tea stove used for boiling tea into the room where the rain could not reach.

Previously, they had used stream water flowing down from the mountain not far away, and they used the tea stove and teapot here to boil a few pots of water for cleaning and drinking.

This time, the donkey could not be brought indoors, so they used some coarse cloth, bamboo poles, hemp rope, and stones found in the tea house to set up a temporary rain shelter in the wind-sheltered area right against the tea house.

The wind outside began to pick up, and the withered leaves remaining on the branches were torn away.

The doors and windows of the tea house were all closed, and Wen Gu and the others could hear the howling wind outside and the withered branches and leaves being blown against the building.

The sky grew dark, and the pattering rain began to fall.

Matuan rested upstairs; the second floor was not suitable for people to stay in, but it was appropriate for a falcon to rest, and it could also keep watch over the surroundings from a high vantage point.

At this moment, two cries suddenly came from the second floor, alerting them that someone of unknown identity was approaching.

It was not a monster, but a person.

It was just that with Matuan's intelligence, it could not convey accurate information.

Being able to provide an early warning was already very good.

After preparing for defense, it wasn't long before the sound of hooves clattering on the road could be heard outside.

They looked outside through the cracks in the wooden walls of the tea house.

A mule cart was approaching rapidly.

The person driving the cart was wearing a straw raincoat, a Bamboo Hat on their head, and was holding a large saber in their hand.

"Eh? That saber looks somewhat familiar!" said Xiao Liu.

Qingyi Daozhang raised an eyebrow and glanced at Wen Gu.

Sure enough, this Gou Shusheng did not look surprised at all, and the corners of his mouth were even curled up.

This saber had only been seen a day ago. Its owner was that County Lieutenant surnamed Zhou.

However, soon, the curled corners of Wen Gu's mouth flattened again; he was looking at the carriage of the mule cart.

It seemed a bit too light.

Previously at the post station, hearing County Lieutenant Zhou speak of his family affairs, there should have been at least three adults among the survivors, plus children, and the necessary supplies...

There was no way it could weigh so little.

No other people were seen behind the mule cart, and Matuan upstairs did not issue another warning.

While pondering, Wen Gu said to Tietou, "Open the door."

By this time, the mule cart had already driven to the entrance of the tea house.

County Lieutenant Zhou, who was driving, jumped off the cart, his Bamboo Hat slightly raised, revealing his gloomy eyes.

He held the saber in his hand, looking vigilantly at the donkey cart under the cloth shelter in front.

The donkey cart was the familiar donkey cart, but that did not necessarily mean the people inside were the same.

At this moment, the door of the tea house opened.

Seeing Wen Gu and the others, County Lieutenant Zhou was visibly relieved.

"We meet again."

"Come inside and take shelter from the rain first," Wen Gu said in a gentle tone.

County Lieutenant Zhou did not delay either, saying, "Many thanks!"

However, he did not enter the house immediately, but instead led the mule cart under the eaves, opened the door of the carriage, and held up an oil-paper umbrella to block the wind and rain before saying to the people inside, "Hurry and come inside."

A smell of alcohol wafted out as he moved.

Clearly, he had used the smell of alcohol to avoid evil creatures along the way.

At this time, one large person and two small ones emerged from the mule cart.

Three children.

The older one looked to be twelve or thirteen, and the two younger ones were only about five or six years old. They were all extremely thin, their eyes filled with deep fear, as if they had suffered a great shock.

Apart from these three children, there was no one else.

County Lieutenant Zhou led the mule cart to the temporary rain shelter, adjusted it slightly, and reinforced it. Throughout this process, he kept an eye on the three children inside the house.

Once he finished dealing with things outside, he took off his coir raincoat and threw it outside before entering the house.

Having traveled here, the coir raincoat was stained with quite a bit of rainwater and mud.

Last time they met at the post station, he had heard Wen Gu mention the points to watch out for, and combined with the experience he had summarized himself, just in case, this coir raincoat could no longer be worn.

County Lieutenant Zhou introduced them to Wen Gu and the others, saying that the older of the three children was his nephew-in-law, his wife's nephew.

The two younger ones were his own son and daughter.

After that, there was nothing else; his eyes were filled with bloodshot veins, as if he were suppressing heavy emotions, and he had not rested at all.

Wen Gu did not ask further, only saying, "Come quickly, drink some hot water to warm your body."

He took out the coarse ceramic cups he had rummaged for in the teahouse and poured hot water into them.

Wen Gu said, "I already scalded them with hot water earlier."

County Lieutenant Zhou thanked him and took them to give to the three children.

Drinking the hot water, County Lieutenant Zhou's tightly wound nerves finally relaxed slightly.

He had rushed home immediately after leaving the post station, thinking he had to bring some food back, so he stopped by a Village he passed on the way.

He did not see any villagers, but instead saw mountain bandits who had swarmed there.

He killed the mountain bandits and seized their mule cart and supplies.

But by the time he returned home, the only ones alive were the three children hiding in the Cellar.

Afterward, he took the three children, had them wipe their bodies with wine to get the scent of alcohol on them, and drove the mule cart back to the post station, wanting to load a few more jars of wine.

It was also at the post station that he saw the written reminders and drawings Wen Gu had left behind.

The hesitation he originally felt in his heart finally became firm.

He did not stay long at the post station, relying on his familiarity with the local terrain and the cart tracks and movement traces left on the ground to drive and catch up.

Until now, they finally met at the teahouse.

After a bowl of hot water eased his mood, County Lieutenant Zhou simply told Wen Gu and the others that his home had suffered a disaster and only these three children remained.

It was a very brief two sentences, every word carrying hatred.

After a pause, he looked serious and said to Wen Gu, "I also want to take them north to seek refuge; I wonder... may I travel with you all?"

Although he had just been betrayed by a sworn brother and was unwilling to trust others again, in times like these, could he protect the three juniors all by himself?

They were the last of his kin in this world.

He had been thinking that if he had one more person with profound knowledge by his side, or someone like the Daoist Priest who possessed secret methods, his relatives left at home would not have been driven to a dead end.

Now that only he and the three children remained, relying only on themselves and huddled in their own small place, they could not survive this catastrophe.

The mule cart was loaded with several jars of wine; they could use cloth dipped in wine to wipe their bodies every day to ward off evil, but the wine would eventually run out.

Food would eventually run out, and firewood would eventually burn out.

He had to find a way to survive for himself and for these last three relatives.

He certainly knew that, while reading the books of sages, some scholars had devious minds and were sinister and vicious, but there were also those who harbored benevolence and righteousness.

If he had to make a choice, this scholar before him, whom he had only met once, this person who could leave written and pictorial hints for those who followed at the post station, was more worthy of trust.

And there was that smoking rattan ball that had taken a hit, and that Daoist Priest; he must also possess secret methods.

Moreover, from the conversation at the post station earlier, he knew that Wen Gu, this scholar, not only had extensive knowledge but also had connections in Beidi.

After analyzing the pros and cons, he finally made this decision. He was only worried that Wen Gu and the others would consider the three children a burden.

He stared at Wen Gu.

Fortunately, as soon as Wen Gu heard this, he immediately said, "Of course you can, there is strength in numbers! We have gained four more helpers!"

Four helpers...

County Lieutenant Zhou pondered these four words in his heart.

I am afraid that anyone else would not consider them four helpers.

Only this overly benevolent scholar would think so.

County Lieutenant Zhou looked at the Daoist Priest to the side again.

The Daoist Priest showed no reaction; it was impossible to tell if he approved or disapproved.

As for the other two, Tietou looked indifferent, and Xiao Liu, who carried a bow, had just couldn't help but take an extra look at the three children, but did not raise any objection.

County Lieutenant Zhou looked at Wen Gu again.

Wen Gu nodded slightly, signaling County Lieutenant Zhou to be at ease.

County Lieutenant Zhou cupped his hands and said nothing more.

He couldn't help but think: the person in charge of this refugee group is actually this weak scholar, Wen Gu!

But, is he perhaps too benevolent?

How exactly did he survive?

Luck?

Or is there a path to survival within the books?

Or perhaps, this person is still hiding another side unknown to others?

Regardless, he was joining this refugee group with his kin; if they encountered wicked villains, and if this scholar truly could not bear to kill, then he would resolve the problems in the shadows.

In this world, some people are just like evil spirits and must be thoroughly eradicated!

Qingyi Daozhang glanced in that direction and shook his head imperceptibly.

Sigh, Gou Shusheng!

Hypocritical!

Truly hypocritical!

I wonder how many more people will fall into the trap of Gou Shusheng in the future.

At this moment, Wen Gu was once again concerned about the injuries of County Lieutenant Zhou.

"It's nothing, four or five days have already passed, it's much better," said County Lieutenant Zhou.

Although the other party said so, Wen Gu still had the Daoist Priest set aside two pills, and signaled to the Daoist Priest: they are our own people now, so we can afford to be generous!

The Daoist Priest poured two pills out of the medicine bottle; Wen Gu said these were medicinal pills refined by the Daoist Priest from herbs and plants, which were somewhat useful for treating internal injuries, and he did not urge County Lieutenant Zhou to take them immediately.

The other party had just joined, so he still had a bit of wariness.

No rush; once they spent more time together, they would naturally become familiar.

As for the three children County Lieutenant Zhou brought, the older one could actually count as half a laborer; even if he ate a lot, County Lieutenant Zhou had joined with supplies! They were all in the mule cart!

And the two young children were indeed a burden in the eyes of some people in these chaotic times.

But, if there were no burdens, why would someone join your team?

Although this place was poor and remote, he was, after all, a County Lieutenant of a county, had combat strength, and was familiar with the local area; he could have found other survivors and raised a team of his own.

When it comes to bringing children, some see a burden, while others see a weakness.

It is good to have things one cares about!

If there is no one left to care about, no one knows what he might become when he goes mad.

The rain stopped by midnight, and the next day was cloudy; the ground was still very wet, so they had to wait another day before setting off.

During his free time, County Lieutenant Zhou chatted with Xiao Liu and also learned from Xiao Liu what Wen Gu had said at the post station that day.

The doubts he harbored in his heart regarding Wen Gu faded even more.

His decision had not been wrong!!

County Lieutenant Zhou did not say much about his own affairs to Wen Gu and the others, but whenever the children were resting, he would take out a whetstone and sharpen his blade.

He would always recall in his mind—

Returning home, opening the door, and seeing those figures hanging from the rafters.

The purple-brown Evil Spots on those dangling arms, and the several suicide notes left on the table nearby.

Because they did not see him return, the others who had gone out never returned either.

In such situations, it is generally assumed they cannot come back.

So the adults hiding in the Cellar went out together to find firewood and food.

The little food they found was all left for the three children, because the adults who went out had all been afflicted by the evil.

County Lieutenant Zhou could not sleep at all at night; as soon as he closed his eyes, that tragic scene he saw when he pushed open the door would surface.

He could not help but think over and over again, if those "good" brothers had brought the food back in time, at least one or two more could have been saved...

When leaving home, County Lieutenant Zhou had specifically brought a whetstone from his house.

Now that he had time, it was the perfect moment to sharpen his blade.

He stared at the blade, watching it become sharp.

Shhh—

Shhh—

Sound after sound, his gaze was chilling.

At a farmstead on the border between Tang County and another county.

The original residents were no longer there; currently staying here was a small team temporarily sheltering from the rain.

A young man in his twenties was lying on a crude wooden bed, his face flushed with a sickly red.

He had caught a cold.

"Third Young Master, drink your medicine."

A young woman brought over a bowl of medicinal decoction.

The young man drank the medicine in the bowl.

This was something they had managed to find with great difficulty in the previous Town. Medicinal herbs were precious, and they were reluctant to use them at this time, so the medicinal taste was quite weak.

Being sick, he could not help but think of many past events, and also thought of County Lieutenant Zhou whom they had abandoned.

In the past, they had acknowledged County Lieutenant Zhou as their big brother; this big brother was indeed loyal and very capable.

Nowadays, abandoning their big brother was also forced by survival.

County Lieutenant Zhou had been injured at the time, his mobility was hindered, and their retreat required someone to cover the rear.

Moreover, they had privately discussed the plan to leave the Town; since things had already developed to this situation, they would just go with the flow.

They had hesitated, too. County Lieutenant Zhou's combat strength could indeed provide an extra layer of protection for everyone, but their big brother had burdens at home.

He just cared too much about his wife and children!

Big brother, it's a chaotic world!

If they're gone, you can just find someone and have more!

This County Lieutenant big brother still always held onto those old-fashioned ideas, always talking about doing one's duty and managing this and that.

The county government office was already empty!

Who could control you?!

With us few together, we are the bosses of this territory! Once we find supplies and a secure place, we can occupy the land and become kings!

Why always restrain everyone, not letting them do this or that.

Look, wasn't the once majestic and awe-inspiring big brother abandoned by his brothers now?

After they abandoned County Lieutenant Zhou, they didn't go back either. The Town was already very dangerous, and there was no food.

And they still had to worry about County Lieutenant big brother.

If the eldest brother cannot return, then there is no need to worry; if he can return, he will surely go on a killing spree, and they will have even more reason to flee.

This County Lieutenant brother of yours is truly good when he is good to you, but when he starts taking action, he is truly merciless!

A person capable of being a County Lieutenant, when their heart hardens, will not listen to your pleas for mercy at all.

The sick youth thought this, and suddenly his heart skipped a beat.

If this group of brothers could abandon their injured eldest brother, then what about him, the sick one?

At this moment, another brother entered the doorway, saw his worry, and comforted him:

"Rest easy, the precious medicinal herbs we found are all being kept for you. We were going to rest here anyway; it's raining outside, and we don't plan to leave for these two days."

In this season, it rarely rains continuously here. This rain came a bit suddenly, but looking at the weather, it should clear up for several days after the rain.

The rain will stop today, but we have to wait for the road to dry a bit before we can set off.

The youth on the sickbed heard this and felt it made sense. They would have to wait another day or two regardless.

Thus, he closed his eyes in relief. When sick, one must sleep more; wake up after a sleep and one will be better.

He did not see the young woman holding the medicine bowl and the youth at the door exchange a silent look.

When the person on the sickbed opened his eyes again, he did not feel better; instead, he felt even weaker.

His throat was very dry, and his whole body was powerless. He wanted to call out, but for a long while, he could not make a sound.

At this moment, he felt that something was wrong.

The surroundings were too quiet; his wife, who should have been guarding the bedside, was nowhere to be seen, and those good brothers did not seem to be nearby either.

He turned his head to look at the floor.

The wild fruit picked from the mountains—the peels were still left there.

Just judging by the degree of dryness of the peels, nearly two days might have already passed!

At this moment, he only felt his brain go numb.

A bad feeling.

Suddenly, under the impact of intense emotion, he felt his vision go black.

After recovering a little, he looked into the room again.

The bundles were all gone.

His face was full of disbelief; he wanted to walk out to confirm, but unfortunately, he had no strength and rolled off the bed.

He crawled over bit by bit, crawled to the nearest window, used all his strength to hold onto a chair, stood up, opened the window, and looked outside.

The Wooden Board Cart was also gone, the courtyard outside was empty, and not even a single grain of rice was left behind.

He gave a hoarse, miserable laugh.

So they really did come together... "Good" brothers!!!

His body was too weak; he couldn't even make a sound when laughing.

Those people indeed stayed for two days because of the rain, but at the same time, that "precious" medicine also made him sleep for two days, giving them enough time to reach a unanimous decision to leave after the rain stopped.

Even if some were originally on his side, others betrayed him, and then, forced by the situation, they followed the trend and abandoned him, the sick patient.

Retribution!

His eyes were dull, staring numbly at the outside.

I don't know how much time passed; the noon sun had tilted somewhat.

But the temperature at this time, because of the sunshine in the morning and at noon, had already risen to a warm temperature.

A figure nimbly vaulted over the courtyard wall and looked into the room.

Under the youth's terrified gaze, the evil thing outside broke through the door and entered.

The youth's face showed terror; he scrambled from the window to the corner of the wall, hugging his head, not daring to look, his whole body trembling.

The evil thing that broke in let out a roar like a wild beast in the mountains, and its claws, with mutated nails, scratched a mark into the wooden wall.

Then, as if unwilling, it backed away, sniffing the scent remaining in the room, and ran out following the scent.

In the dilapidated farmhouse, it became quiet again.

The youth huddled in the corner of the wall had just revealed a smile of survival, but suddenly stiffened, his face turning pale.

When an evil thing is right before your eyes but does not treat you as prey, the most likely situation is—

You have already been afflicted by evil, and it has already reached a certain degree.

Sleeping for two days, not eating a single grain of rice, also suffering from a cold, weak and powerless, he had rolled off the bed and taken a long while to crawl to the window.

Yet just now, he had inexplicably gained strength and quickly ran from the window to the corner of the wall.

Why?

Because he is turning into a monster!

The exposed hands already had large, obvious Evil Spots, yet he could not see any abnormality on his hands at all.

In the moments when he still had self-awareness, according to his past decisions, he would have committed suicide to avoid falling into the Eighteen Levels of Hell after death. But at this moment, a sense of cowardice suddenly arose.

Cowardice, hatred, and an increasingly intense—

This state of recovery, where his whole body began to have strength, is truly too good.

Hunger, bloodthirst.

The expression on his face was despairing, crazy, hesitant, and twisted.

Time passed bit by bit, and the tangled, contradictory expressions on his face, full of rich human emotions, were gradually replaced by calm and indifference.

His heart rate was decreasing at a unique amplitude, his pupils were dilating and contracting with this amplitude, and the area covered by the Evil Spots became larger.

I don't know how much time passed; a beast-like grunting sound came from his throat.

Tsk, how many chapters are owed now?