Chapter 23: Knowing You Are Not Doing Well, I Can Finally Be At Ease

After a bout of autumn rain, Wen Gu and the others waited another day; only when the road had dried somewhat did they set off again.

The coarse cloth used to build the temporary rain shelter had been left outside to weather the wind and rain, and was covered in leaves, weeds, and mud spots; not knowing if it had been tainted by Evil Qi, they would not be taking it back.

The current situation was special, and if they wanted to use it again, it would need to be carefully washed and dried. But they did not have that much time and energy to spend on it.

Besides, they still had supplies stockpiled on their carts, so they were not lacking this bit of cloth.

Even so, Xiao Liu, who came from an ordinary farming family, still couldn't help but feel it was a pity.

Such a large piece of cloth!

If it were before, how many things could have been made by taking it back!

Reluctance was one thing, but he knew what the right choice was. At the same time, a worry arose:

The grain would gradually be eaten up, and the cloth would become tattered with use; in many cases, these were one-time things—once eaten or used, they were gone.

Once these items were all used up, what should they do?

During their journey north, they could continuously collect things along the way, but what about later?

The world was in chaos; would there still be people farming and weaving?

When they reached Beidi and settled down later, what would they do if there was no food to eat and no cloth to use?

Especially food!

Because this worry was always in his heart, every time they reached a resting point, Xiao Liu would focus on searching for things to eat.

Only by stockpiling more could he feel at ease.

Setting off again, the group had grown to eight people.

One donkey cart, one mule cart.

Because they were carrying quite a lot of supplies, apart from the three children who stayed in the carts, the other five took turns resting.

They would only go to the carts to rest when they were tired from walking.

County Lieutenant Zhou himself had a strong constitution, but he was injured and had not yet fully recovered, so he spent more time resting in the cart.

The other person who spent more time in the cart was Wen Gu. He was also recognized as the physically frail one in this small team, and no one had any objections.

If it weren't for Wen Gu taking the initiative to say he wanted to walk more to build up his strength, even if he stayed in the donkey cart longer, no one would have said anything about him.

He was a scholar, after all; it was normal.

Only Qingyi Daozhang would secretly curl his lip.

He didn't actually care whether Wen Gu walked or rode; what he cared about was the others' attitude toward Wen Gu, which was essentially an acknowledgment and compromise regarding the importance of his status.

In the hearts of these people, Wen Gu's importance was greater than that of him, a Daoist Priest.

Qingyi Daozhang held back his anger in his heart: wait until they reached Beidi...

Wen Gu actually guessed a little bit about Qingyi Daozhang's state of mind.

The Daoist Priest was a pure person; he was heading north for fame and fortune!

That was great—he had talent and ambition!

Such a person worked exceptionally well!

Wen Gu looked at the map in his Notebook and asked Zhou Shan:

"Does the County Lieutenant know where one might find armor? A blacksmith would also do."

Speaking of armor, Zhou Shan was also troubled.

Armor was mainly manufactured and distributed by the authorities, and allocated uniformly.

There had been no war in their region for many years, and the imperial court kept strict control over Iron Armor; in the past, those in the county office who could be equipped with armor could be counted on one hand.

This equipment had been used for many years, and there were no new ones to replace it. As the world fell into chaos, the wear and tear became even more severe; they had to patch it up themselves, and what they wore now had become a patchwork style.

The craftsmanship was poor, and it looked unsightly.

County Lieutenant Zhou said bitterly: "I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you; in this backwater of ours... wait!"

He suddenly thought of a place.

"There is a small Town to the northwest of our Tang County, surrounded by mountains on three sides and facing a river on one; the riverbank there is wide, and there is a natural ferry crossing where passing ships often stop for supplies."

Trade was active, the people coming and going were complex, and there were quite a few affairs; in the past, County Lieutenant Zhou often led men there. Hmm, the hospitality from the wealthy families there was also quite good.

"Actually, the place isn't large, but its location is advantageous, and the people in the Town are relatively wealthy. Several warehouses were even built near the ferry."

Wen Gu understood as soon as he heard it; that small Town was a river transport supply station.

He asked: "Since it's by the river and the townspeople frequently come into contact with the river water, is the possibility of them being tainted by Evil Qi also higher?"

County Lieutenant Zhou, however, said: "The possibility of those who stayed there being tainted by Evil Qi is higher, but before things became chaotic here, news had already come from the ferry side that the world was about to fall into chaos, and the wealthy families in the Town had already fled by boat."

"The reason I know is because at that time, water bandits were looting grain from the grain shops in the Town, and someone reported it to the authorities. It's just that the County Town was also in chaos at the time, so they couldn't attend to that side."

Wen Gu understood what he meant: "So that small Town, due to its geographical location, could block a large number of external evil entities, and the residents of the Town fled in large numbers, so the place is almost empty?"

County Lieutenant Zhou nodded: "I don't know how many people are left there, but according to the last news I received, there certainly aren't many."

If he were just traveling and looking for a place to rest, he wouldn't suggest going there.

But since Wen Gu asked about armor, he thought of the warehouses in that Town.

His status as a County Lieutenant let him know that merchants transporting goods by water often passed through there, secretly carrying some contraband. Iron Armor and weapons were among them; the quantity wouldn't be large, but given the current special situation, if they needed them, they could take the risk and go take a look.

However, the final decision still rested with Wen Gu.

Wen Gu already had a decision in his heart, but he still followed the process, analyzing it with several team members; after everyone had no objections, he said: "Then let's go and explore!"

Xiao Liu wanted to go and see if he could find a better Arrow, and the Daoist Priest wanted to see if there were any usable materials for pills.

Wen Gu took out his Notebook, turned to a blank page, and had County Lieutenant Zhou describe the route and the situation in the Town, while he drew the layout of the Town and the ferry.

They temporarily changed their route to head toward the ferry Town.

At this moment, Matuan, circling in the sky, let out a warning cry.

It was just a normal warning, indicating that evil entities had appeared ahead, but not many.

Xiao Liu nocked an Arrow, watching as a figure faintly appeared ahead.

As they drew closer, just as Xiao Liu was about to loose the Arrow, County Lieutenant Zhou suddenly said, "Wait!"

Xiao Liu was puzzled.

County Lieutenant Zhou's voice turned heavy: "This one used to be my 'good' brother; I will see him off on his final journey."

He drew his blade and walked quickly toward that figure.

As the distance closed, the other party's form became clearer.

This "good brother" was the third child in his family; his family's circumstances were poor, and with four other brothers, he was stuck in the middle, unloved by his father and mother, and easily overlooked.

It was Zhou Shan who had helped him secure a job, giving him a sense of dignity.

Now, things remained, but people had changed.

The freshly sharpened blade was just right.

County Lieutenant Zhou looked at the mottled markings on the other party's arm.

This "good brother" had not been a monster for long, which meant that just a few days ago, he had still been a normal, living person.

Yet now, he was already a monster that fed on raw flesh and blood.

The scent of food mixed with the smell of alcohol; at first, the evil creature opposite was somewhat hesitant, but as they drew closer and it smelled the scent of a living person more clearly, its pace quickened, and the sound that had been like a beast's low growl turned shrill.

The sharp blade flashed with a cold, gleaming white light as it swung, like the frost of late autumn, carrying an aura of slaughter.

The beast's howling abruptly vanished.

Body and head were separated.

The body slowly collapsed.

Not far away, Wen Gu watched this, forming a clearer judgment of this grassroots military officer.

His background was ordinary, lacking the foundation of those aristocratic military families, and his movement techniques and skills were mostly honed through practice.

Having also lived through a year of chaotic times, he was clearly experienced in slaying evil creatures, and his blade work was precise and decisive.

When he struck that blow just now, Zhou Shan had not been splattered by the viscous blood of the alienated creature. He was completely clean.

However, County Lieutenant Zhou did not return immediately, but instead stood beside the corpse.

He saw another external wound on its body.

Although Zhou Shan was not a Coroner, having served as this County Lieutenant, he had handled many cases; he could tell that this inconspicuous wound on his "good brother" had been left within the last two days. It was at close range, not made with much force, and stained with filthy blood.

Someone had done this deliberately, wanting this person to die!

"Heh."

Zhou Shan gave a mocking laugh.

That group of his "good" brothers truly had talent; when things weren't chaotic, it was really hard to tell who was human and who was a ghost.

He looked at the corpse on the ground once more.

"The dignity I gave you before, I am now taking back with my own hands."

Zhou Shan's voice was cold and stern.

"Knowing that you are not doing well, I can finally be at ease."

After thinking about it, he felt it still wasn't enough to be at ease.

After knifing this "good" brother, Zhou Shan ran back and asked the Daoist Priest: "Is there any way to send him to the Eighteen Levels of Hell, so he may never be reincarnated?"

I want to ensure you don't even have the chance to be reincarnated as livestock!

A short chapter, consider it half a chapter; I'll see if I can update again tomorrow morning.