Above the tranquil and deserted forest, a figure suddenly appeared out of thin air. The figure was covered in blood, and with a loud "thud," it crashed onto the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
Cheng Duo sat on the ground in a sorry state, clutching the withered leaves tightly in his hands, laughing maniacally, "Ha, hahaha…"
He was going to die, but it didn't matter. Before he died, he had risked his wretched life to inflict severe damage on his half-brother, who shared the same father but had a different mother. Thinking about the shocked expression on Cheng Zhao's face when he personally dug out his crystal nucleus, Cheng Duo felt it was worth it!
In the post-apocalyptic world, the abilities of the superhumans relied on the crystal nucleus within their Dantian. Without the crystal nucleus, Cheng Zhao, even if he barely managed to survive, would become useless. Wasn't it his father who despised his useless ability and couldn't wait to get rid of him once Cheng Zhao awakened? Now, that family of four had become ordinary people. He wondered how they would survive in the future.
Cheng Duo's fingers gradually tightened, turning white, as blood continued to flow from the wound on his head. His appearance of manic laughter was more like a wail than a laugh.
Cheng Duo didn't blame his father for kicking him out of the house, but he should never have, under the instigation of his kind stepmother and half-siblings, cruelly sold him to an underground research institute!
Wasn't he his father's biological son? And what about his half-siblings? Despite having different mothers, they were still connected by blood. Even after the outbreak of the zombie virus, he was the only one in the family who awakened extraordinary powers and, at the age of 16, took on the responsibility of supporting the whole family.
Cheng Duo felt it was necessary at the time: his father was getting old, and years of living comfortably had greatly weakened his physical strength. Moreover, his mentality couldn't adjust because he was too afraid to even step out of the city gates due to the fear of zombies. As for Cheng Zhao and Cheng Wei, they were still too young, with Cheng Zhao being only 13 years old at the time… What could he do? Was he just going to watch his family starve to death without doing anything?
Cheng Duo couldn't do that.
Unfortunately, the sacrifices he had made in the past decade hadn't earned him the gratitude of his family. Human greed is endless. When Cheng Zhao finally awakened his spatial abilities, Cheng Duo's mediocre power-based abilities became redundant.
In the apocalypse, zombies could level up, and the same applied to ability users. Initially, the spellcasters appeared weak, but by the time they reached the third level, they could easily crush a group of ordinary zombies. They even had some self-defense capabilities against zombies of the same level with their long-range attacks.
Only power-based ability users like them couldn't level up as fast as the zombies. Moreover, as the higher-level zombies became increasingly resistant, power-based ability users accustomed to close combat often couldn't break through their defenses, resulting in heavy casualties during each mission.
From being the main force in killing zombies in the early stages of the apocalypse to becoming expendable pawns for exploration, odd jobs, and even suicide missions in the later stages, power-based ability users found themselves in an awkward position. Additionally, due to the upgrade and tempering of ability users' physical condition, enhanced strength became a supplementary gift. As ordinary zombies disappeared in the later stages, power-based ability users fared slightly better than regular people.
If they were smart enough in the early stages of the apocalypse, and understood the need to quickly enhance their own power-based abilities, it would be fine. But someone like Cheng Duo, who hesitated to use crystal cores in order to support his large family, remained at the second level of power-based abilities even after ten years in the apocalypse. It was truly a chicken rib among chicken ribs.
The supplies he brought back became fewer and fewer. They probably had been despising him for a long time, right? Now, thinking about the seemingly comforting but actually provocative words from his stepmother and the envious glances from his younger siblings… It turns out he had deluded himself into thinking that they were a united and loving family. In reality, it was all wishful thinking!
As memories flooded back, Cheng Duo regretfully vomited a mouthful of blood. He lay on the ground, filled with self-abandonment, waiting for the chaotic surge of energy from devouring the crystal core to take him away, or perhaps… he wouldn't live long enough for that to happen.
Cheng Duo's ears twitched, catching the rustling sound carried by the wind. It was the sound of mutated beasts stepping on dry leaves. They must have smelled the scent of blood and come specifically to enjoy this feast.
Sure enough, soon there were four or five sets of footsteps belonging to beast-like creatures lingering nearby, accompanied by faint growls emanating from their throats. However, the anticipated attack never came.
Cheng Duo furrowed his brow. What's going on? Why are the mutated beasts so timid? And from the sound, their size doesn't seem to be that large either?
It's no wonder Cheng Duo was surprised. In the apocalypse, even mutated rats were as big as adult house cats, let alone other types of mutated beasts. Some animals that were already large in size before the apocalypse could grow to the height of a two-story building after mutation.
Moreover, mutated beasts were sensitive to the smell of blood. An ability user like Cheng Duo, heavily wounded and bleeding profusely, could instantly arouse their appetite.
Considering that he might suffer even more before his death, Cheng Duo finally opened his eyes. However, just before he opened his eyes, the wild beast on his left couldn't hold back any longer and launched the first attack—
Cheng Duo quickly raised his arm to block, but a pair of sharp teeth sank deeply into his arm, piercing his flesh with a sharp pain.
Yet, at that moment, he also saw clearly. The one biting him was a grey wolf. The other four that were lingering around were its companions, seeing the grey wolf succeed, they all pounced at Cheng Duo at once.
At this point, Cheng Duo didn't care whether he wanted to live or die. He fiercely punched the grey wolf's head. He had only intended to make a last-ditch counterattack, but unexpectedly, with just that one punch, the grey wolf fell silently to the ground.
Cheng Duo lowered his gaze and saw that its eyes were bulging, blood flowing from its mouth and nose. It was as dead as dead could be.
"Awuuu!" The grey wolf's companions were startled and quickly backed away. However, reluctant to give up their newfound food, they lingered nearby for a while before viciously surrounding Cheng Duo once again.
Cheng Duo bitterly smiled. It seemed that he couldn't escape his fate of being torn apart by the wolf pack. Who would have thought that after ten years in the apocalypse, there were still non-mutated wild wolves here?
He considered himself unlucky!
Just as Cheng Duo was about to collapse in exhaustion, a powerful tiger roar suddenly echoed from the nearby forest. The sound was majestic and resonated through the trees, exuding a strong sense of intimidation.
The wolf pack dared not fight anymore and fled with their tails between their legs.
Cheng Duo lay on the ground, his eyes blurred by the blood, gazing in the direction of the approaching footsteps. Soon, he slipped into unconsciousness…
Cheng Duo found himself back in that cold laboratory, with a lab coat figure approaching him step by step, holding a syringe and a surgical knife. He was powerless to resist, unable to even scream.
Cheng Duo panicked, but the more he panicked, the weaker his limbs became. He saw the surgical knife about to descend when he suddenly realized something was wrong. Didn't he escape?
Before he could make sense of it, the scene changed again. He found himself lying on an empty corridor, behind him the shrill alarms of the laboratory and the chaotic shouts of people, while ahead of him was the door leading to the outside world.
Without thinking, Cheng Duo desperately moved his limbs and crawled towards the door…
After what felt like an eternity, he vaguely felt someone approaching him. They cleaned his wounds and administered medication. The bitter taste of the medicine slid over his tongue, stimulating his sour stomach, bringing him a sense of reality.
He struggled to open his eyes and his fingers touched the fur coat worn by the person beside him…
"Ah!" The person was startled and quickly backed away.
Cheng Duo couldn't see the person clearly, and dizziness overwhelmed him. He fell back into a deep sleep. He slept in a daze, waking up each time either for a dressing change or to have a bitter medicine forced down his throat.
When he finally fully regained consciousness, it was already bright outside the cave. The chirping of birds came from a distance, along with the familiar smell of medicine wafting through the smoke… Everything was peacefully reminiscent of the time before the apocalypse.
Cheng Duo realized he was lying in a natural cave, and the medicinal scent was coming from the person sitting at the cave entrance. The person had their back to him, hands continuously rummaging on the ground.
"You, you're awake?"
The person noticed Cheng Duo waking up, hastily organized the things on the ground, stood up with their back to Cheng Duo, and said, "The medicine in the pottery jar is ready. Let it cool down and have it later. There are six more sets of medicine pouches in the cave, one in the morning and one at night, three cups of water boiled into one cup. I… I'm leaving."
After speaking, they picked up their belongings and ran without even looking back. Cheng Duo couldn't even see their face clearly because they were going against the light.
This time Cheng Duo was taken aback. In the apocalyptic world of the past decade, there was actually someone who had no desires or ambitions and purely wanted to help others?
Cheng Duo didn't believe it.
Sure enough, the footsteps quickly returned, and the person stood outside the cave without even showing their face. "Um… the silver coins I gave you in exchange for catching the medicine were obtained by killing that wolf. There's a little left, and you can freely take the food inside the cave."
It seemed like the person mustered up the courage to confess everything and quickly ran off again. Cheng Duo waited for a while, but this time he didn't return.
Cheng Duo lifted the animal fur blanket he had on him and sat up. It was apparent that this blanket was made from various scraps, and some fur showed signs of decay due to inadequate treatment. However, the person who sewed the fur had put great effort into it, gradually removing the rotten parts and stitching the remaining pieces together. Although the fur had varying shades, the stitches were fine, dense, and solid.
As Cheng Duo touched the blanket, he was filled with doubts. In the post-apocalyptic world, the most difficult things to obtain were undoubtedly zombie crystal cores, medicine, cigarettes, alcohol, and food. Everyday items like blankets were available in every household before the apocalypse, and there were even plenty of them in supermarkets that no one wanted. Was there a need for someone to sew fur by themselves?
Moreover, the person just mentioned that the silver coins exchanged for the wolf corpse were purely Chinese medicine, and this small cave had various miscellaneous items, but Cheng Duo didn't see a single modern manufactured product.
Could he have accidentally stumbled upon some hidden village?
Cheng Duo slowly moved outside the cave and saw a clay pot used for boiling medicine with a large piece missing, further confirming his suspicions.
In addition, there were scattered plant roots and stems on the ground, which the mysterious person had been organizing. These… were wild vegetables?
Suppressing his doubts, Cheng Duo drank the medicine. The thick medicinal juice tasted as bitter as his dreams. If it were before the apocalypse, Cheng Duo might have felt nauseous even after taking a sip. But compared to long-expired canned food in the post-apocalyptic world, this bowl of medicine was quite considerate.
After drinking the medicine, despite his various wounds still aching, Cheng Duo insisted on putting on his clothes and planned to go out and take a look.
Speaking of clothes, Cheng Duo noticed that the torn clothes from his injuries had also been patched up by the mysterious person. When he was recovering, he had taken off his tactical jacket and inner clothes and left them aside. The pants remained untouched, except for applying medicine to the torn areas and tying them with strips of cloth.
This set of clothes was the one Cheng Duo had stolen from someone's drying rack when he escaped from the laboratory in the base. Apart from what he was currently wearing, he could be considered penniless.
Cheng Duo found a wooden stick in the cave and held it in his hand, then limped out of the cave…
The entrance of the cave that the mysterious person found was well-concealed. It was located deep in a steep mountain hollow. If one didn't follow the hollow all the way through, the average person wouldn't be able to see the cave entrance.
Due to his injuries, Cheng Duo took some time to climb out of the mountain hollow. Then, following his usual habit, he walked along the mountain ridge, hoping to reach an open area and observe where exactly he was.
When he escaped, he ran without choosing a specific path and entered the woods. Eventually, he was pushed off a cliff, and he couldn't even remember the direction he had taken.
Espers had excellent eyesight. Cheng Duo stood atop a small slope and noticed several people tilling the land below. The ground was hard yellow clay, and most of the people didn't even use oxen; they relied solely on manpower, struggling to pull wooden plows forward.
T/N: Espers are people in apocalyptic time that gain superpowers.
What surprised Cheng Duo even more was their attire. Whether it was short jackets or outer skirts made of animal skins, they resembled ancient styles. Some people even had cloths or animal skins wrapped around their heads, revealing a bun on top. Not even the children playing in the fields had short hair.
Cheng Duo observed the mountain for a long time and it seemed that there were no zombies or mutant beasts here. Far in the distance, green vegetation alternated with yellow soil, and the distant mountains exuded a deep and mysterious atmosphere.
Cheng Duo started to doubt. Could there really be such a hidden place near Base C City? It seemed highly unlikely.
He didn't approach the villagers recklessly. He hobbled back along the mountain path he had come from, intending to wait for the mysterious person to return and inquire about the situation.
However, Cheng Duo soon realized he was overthinking. The reason the mysterious person had rambled on before leaving was that he had no intention of coming back.
Cheng Duo recalled the instructions he had received. He searched the cave and found a small amount of pine nuts, peanuts, chestnuts, and other dried fruits. The kernels were all small, as if they were collected locally from the forest. There was also a small bag of black beans and a small pottery jar… coarse flour? And some kind of biscuit that he didn't recognize, as hard as a rock.
Cheng Duo started by eating the dried fruits, then chose the coarse flour from the black beans and flour. But he quickly realized he had made the wrong choice. The reason the flour was coarse was that the person grinding it hadn't removed the husks from the wheat; they had directly ground the bran into the flour.
Fortunately, Cheng Duo had come from the post-apocalyptic world. He swallowed a bowl of dough dumpling soup with just salt, even though he accidentally burnt it because he didn't know how to use the pottery jar, but he drank it without changing his expression.
Three days had passed, and the medicine was already finished. Cheng Duo's injuries had also improved significantly. After all, he was an esper, and combined with the several days he spent in a coma, it wasn't surprising that his injuries had healed to this extent.
What concerned Cheng Duo was the crystal nucleus he had swallowed earlier. Apart from initially feeling disoriented, his body didn't seem to have any problems.
Cheng Duo didn't like having a sword hanging over his head, but there were no medical institutions here where he could get it checked. Even if there were, he didn't want to expose his abnormality. Fortunately, his life was also something he had obtained by chance, so if he couldn't figure it out, he simply wouldn't dwell on it.
In fact, he hadn't been idle during these three days. He had been establishing simple defenses around the cave and secretly observing the nearby villagers.
As time went by, Cheng Duo gradually had an unbelievable thought: he seemed to have… traveled through time.
Cheng Duo's mood was complex. Although he disliked zombies and the sunless post-apocalyptic world, that world was still the one he was familiar with. He knew how to survive there.
Furthermore, he had always persevered to stay alive with the obsession of being able to go back and see Cheng Zhao and the others' outcome. If they were living well, he wanted to take revenge with his own hands.
But given the current situation, revenge was no longer possible, and Cheng Duo didn't know what else he could do. In the past, he had fought hard against zombies to support his family, but now it seemed like he had lost his purpose. Being alive was merely an instinct.
If it were someone else, they would probably be delighted to showcase their skills in the new world. However, Cheng Duo was quite pessimistic. The past ten years, a whole decade, meant more to him than just a number! Every time he closed his eyes, he would dream of himself still trapped in the laboratory, helpless and despairing, being dissected by others…
Cheng Duo was aware that his thinking was problematic, but he didn't want to correct anything. Who would dare claim to have a sound mind after surviving in the apocalypse for ten years? Just bringing up one person randomly, their level of brutality would far exceed certain murderers in peacetime.
Fortunately, Cheng Duo didn't have any sadistic or violent thoughts; he was just pessimistic.
Before finishing the last few black beans, Cheng Duo learned how to hunt. He used a piece of broken iron left by the mysterious person in the cave to fashion a wooden spear, and with it, he hunted a wild chicken.
The tremendous force pierced through the chicken's wings, pinning it firmly to a tree. Watching the struggling chicken, Cheng Duo raised an eyebrow in slight surprise. He wasn't accustomed to using a spear; his most commonly used weapon for killing zombies in the past was an alloy machete. However, thanks to his enhanced hearing and powerful physical abilities as an esper, he gradually grasped the technique after a few attempts.
But now that he had caught his prey, how to eat it became a problem: firstly, Cheng Duo's culinary skills had never been developed; secondly, and most importantly, the salt left behind by the mysterious person had already been used up…
Eating the tasteless chicken soup and soaked biscuits, Cheng Duo began to consider going to live in the village. After all, humans are social animals. He couldn't possibly live in a cave forever and be a wild man for the rest of his life, even if he could exchange the meat for necessities from the villagers. But wouldn't he go insane from prolonged isolation from the outside world?
There were past news stories of people hiding in the deep mountains for a dozen or twenty years, their language skills regressing because they had no one to converse with. Cheng Duo didn't want to become like that.
However, he had no identity or wealth. It seemed that the only way to settle in the village was through hunting.
So, Cheng Duo spent three days and hunted five wild chickens and a scrawny wild goat, intending to go to the nearest village to inquire about the situation.
Cheng Duo had thought that he might be rejected by the villagers, but he never expected the situation to be this severe. As soon as those villagers caught sight of him from a distance, they would run away. Some even abandoned their farming tools, as if they had seen something deadly, sprinting away faster than rabbits.
Cheng Duo lowered his head and looked at himself. He did look a bit strange, and he had cut his hair short, but did the villagers really need to react that way?
As for what they were shouting and yelling, Cheng Duo couldn't make it out clearly due to their heavy accents.
However, seeing the villagers behave like this, he felt like turning back. But as he thought about how
hunting for food wasn't easy (in reality, he didn't want to eat tasteless and gamey food without salt), Cheng Duo gritted his teeth and continued walking towards the village.
When he reached halfway, a large yellow bull suddenly charged out of a field by the roadside. The bull had two horns on its head and crimson eyes. Upon seeing Cheng Duo standing in the middle of the road, covered in the scent of blood… The bull suddenly lowered its head, accelerated on its four hooves, and charged towards Cheng Duo.
Behind the bull, two men—one tall and one short—were chasing after it. The short teenager shouted at the sight, "Get out of the way, my big yellow is agitated!"
"What do you mean agitated? It's clearly gone mad!"
Cheng Duo had witnessed the madness of mutated beasts before, and the current bull was just like them. It had clearly locked onto Cheng Duo, and even if he tried to evade, it would relentlessly pursue him. Although the short teenager had good intentions in his reminder, his choice of words was harmful!
Cheng Duo quickly analyzed the situation in less than half a second. Then he decisively threw the prey in his hands behind him, freeing up his hands. He turned around and caught the heavy bull horns that were charging towards him. Due to the tremendous force of impact, the soil beneath his feet was pushed back half an inch—
The man and the bull confronted each other for a few moments. Just as the bull was about to turn and shake off this "abnormal" person, Cheng Duo suddenly shouted loudly. His arm muscles bulged, and with a great effort, he forcefully brought down the massive yellow bull, creating a thunderous noise.
"Moo—"
The teenager behind him, who had been screaming, suddenly fell silent at Cheng Duo's actions.
The villagers who had come to help were also shocked and stood in place, unsure of what to do. Cheng Duo stepped on the struggling bull under his foot and was about to call them over for assistance when a plump woman suddenly emerged from the crowd behind the onlookers. Upon seeing Cheng Duo ruthlessly trampling her own bull, the woman became furious. "My bull—"
"Who are you? How dare you beat my bull!"
Cheng Duo had encountered people like this, who didn't care about right or wrong and were just looking for trouble, a few years ago. But in the years after the apocalypse, everyone had learned to be sensible because those who weren't sensible had already been taught a lesson.
Being taught a lesson in the apocalypse was not a good thing because the tuition fee was often paid with one's life.
He didn't want to waste his time with this woman, so he grabbed her hands that were hitting him and pushed her back. Unexpectedly, the woman lost her balance and ended up sitting on the ground, then she started wailing and making a scene. "Murder! There's a murderer! This hooligan from an outside village stole my bull and even injured people. They're bullying our village in broad daylight—"
She wiped her eyes and scolded the tall young man who was there earlier. "Changsheng, you useless fool! Your own mother was beaten, and you just stood there like an idiot?"
The tall young man looked embarrassed. He had been hesitating before, but when he saw his two big and strong younger cousins rushing forward without a second thought, he had to grit his teeth and follow.
Actually, the tall young man misunderstood the situation. His two cousins arrived late and didn't see Cheng Duo single-handedly bringing down the several hundred pounds heavy yellow bull. They also noticed that the bull was exhaling heavily and had shallow breaths, so they thought Cheng Duo only stepped on it after it fell to the ground. That's why they charged forward without hesitation.
Cheng Duo was irritated by the woman's shrill voice, and his temples throbbed. People who had been in the apocalypse for a long time were highly sensitive to noise. Moreover, this woman was distorting the truth, and the three brothers were incited by her, ready to attack—
Cheng Duo sneered, lifted his foot, and kicked the first man who charged at him dozens of yards away.
He grabbed the other man by his collar, originally planning to bend his knee and break it. However, he suddenly realized that it wasn't the apocalypse anymore, and injuring someone would likely get him arrested. So, he changed his mind and threw the man away like tossing a sack. The same happened to the tall young man… effortlessly, the whole process took less than five seconds.
His other foot was still stepping on the bull, and he hadn't moved a single step throughout.
The village head, Third Uncle Li, who had come with a group of villagers to drive away the bandits, was dumbfounded. This thief was as strong as an ox… no, everyone glanced at the struggling bull under his foot and then heard the explanation from the villager who witnessed Cheng Duo bringing down the mad bull… This wasn't just as strong as an ox; this person had strength even greater than an ox! If the two ruffians who attacked Li Wang approached him together, could they really win?
Don't provoke the bandits, or the whole village will be massacred! Thinking of the miserable state of the Niu family in Niuji Village, Village Head Li felt a shiver run down his spine.
At a loss, the villagers surrounded Cheng Duo in the center. Suddenly, he accidentally caught sight of a familiar figure—a thin figure with lowered brows and eyes, who had helped him up after he kicked away the burly man. Wasn't it the same mysterious person who saved him?
Although Cheng Duo didn't see clearly at that moment, having heightened vision was a basic ability in the apocalypse, so he couldn't be mistaken.
The mysterious person seemed timid and became nervous when he noticed Cheng Duo staring at him, as if he had recognized him. His movements became stiff.
Cheng Duo observed the mysterious person's expression and realized that he didn't want to acknowledge him. He touched his nose and averted his gaze—after all, repaying kindness with enmity by hurting the person who saved him and their loved ones would make Cheng Duo, no matter how ferocious, feel a bit embarrassed.
However, his embarrassment disappeared the next moment because, after being helped up, the burly man not only showed no gratitude but also rudely pushed away his savior. "Get lost! Do you think I'm not embarrassed enough?"
Cheng Duo squinted his eyes and suddenly felt that he had kicked the man too lightly!
"Oh, Third Master Li, please help us!" Seeing Village head Li and the others, the woman who had been causing a scene seemed to have found her savior. She quickly got up from the ground, first pleaded with him, and then grabbed a black, thin, and short middle-aged man beside her. "Head of the family, say something too! Look at what that wretched man did to our family's Changsheng!"
The young man called Changsheng was supported by his own younger brother, rubbing his chest. His face turned red, but luckily, his dark complexion only showed a thin layer of redness. However, the embarrassment on his face couldn't be concealed.
Cheng Duo coldly snorted, "The wicked first cries foul! I haven't accused you of condoning the mad bull injuring people yet, and you've already accused me? If we talk about fighting, it was you who started it. I was just defending myself."
The woman, preoccupied with her own cow, hadn't noticed Cheng Duo's appearance at all and didn't know he could be so fierce. Now, when she was glared at by him, she was immediately frightened and didn't dare to say anything. She hurriedly hid behind the head of the family.
Village Head Li frowned and asked, "Changsheng, can you explain what happened?"
The rustic peasant named Changsheng was honest and truthfully explained the situation, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. He said, "I couldn't help but teach him a lesson when I saw him lay hands on my mother… But who would have thought that it didn't work, and instead, I was thrown out along with my second cousin… It's really embarrassing."
"Why didn't you say that earlier?" The burly man, supported by the mysterious person, looked at Cheng Duo with dissatisfaction.
"What a joke! You guys didn't intend to talk to me nicely either! If you're not satisfied, come over here, and we can fight again?" Cheng Duo realized that his plans to integrate into the village were likely to fail, so he decided to be as straightforward as possible.
However, he didn't know that he himself was tall and robust, with thick eyebrows and deep eyes, and his heavy killing intent, accumulated in the apocalypse, made him look as fierce as the King of Hell when he frowned.
The burly man, also known as Li Da, didn't say anything.
(T/N: Da is not his name. It signifies he must be eldest of his siblings and Er signifying second born)
Fight? How could they fight? The two brothers couldn't even beat him with just one hand!
In fact, Li Da and Li Er were accustomed to being bullies and tyrants in the village. In the past, if someone couldn't beat them, they could only accept their misfortune and pay compensation. But now, someone even more fierce had appeared, and with their nature of bullying the weak and fearing the strong, they were more cowardly than anyone else.
In fact, when they rushed out earlier, they didn't genuinely intend to help their uncle's wife, Wu Guihua, and their cousin, Li Changsheng. They just saw Cheng Duo alone and wanted to gain some benefits from him.
Li Da remained silent, and Li Er hid behind him. The village ruffians were frightened by the other party, while the other villagers were honest and hardworking farmers. Village head Li, unable to do anything, had to apologize to Cheng Duo in a friendly manner and asked, "I don't know what brings you to our village, sir?"
If he was here to demand money or food, they should gather some and give it to him as soon as possible. They really couldn't afford to provoke him!
Cheng Duo pondered for a moment and responded with a counter-question, "Why did they run when they saw me earlier?"
Upon hearing this, the villagers carrying farming tools such as hoes and shoulder poles looked at each other, and in the end, it was Village Head Li who answered on their behalf, hesitating for a moment. "Our Tenfang Mountain area is not very peaceful, so everyone gets scared when they see a stranger."
He paused and tentatively asked Cheng Duo, "By the way you're dressed, it seems like you've come back from beyond the borders?"
Although Cheng Duo spoke the same language as them, the intonation was quite different, and he also had short hair. The people from beyond the borders, due to the hot weather and their lack of emphasis on etiquette like the people from the Great Xia, often had their hair cut in strange and unusual styles. Some people who had spent a long time beyond the borders also imitated them, which was why Village Head Li asked the question.
Of course, in reality, some bandits also adopted this appearance for convenience, but Village Head Li didn't need to explicitly mention that. They couldn't even handle Cheng Duo alone, let alone a group of bandits.
Cheng Duo's gaze flickered. From Village Head Li's implication, it seemed like they were very close to the border? However, it wasn't the time to delve into that matter. Cheng Duo put aside this question for now and thought for a moment before improvising a background story for himself.
"No, my name is Cheng Duo. I'm a lay disciple who returned to secular life from Shaolin Temple. When I came back to my hometown, I discovered that there had been a major flood a few years ago. Either my family members were drowned or they escaped with the villagers. I inquired along the way, but I didn't get much information about my relatives. I found it hard to survive on my own… Later, I saw that the people here were extraordinary, and since my relatives are gone anyway, I decided to settle down here."
"Shaolin Temple…?" Village Head Li's heavy accent made him smack his lips and ask, "Does that mean a Buddhist temple?"
Cheng Duo was momentarily stunned but nodded, saying, "Yes, in Songshan, Henan."
Songshan, Henan… What place is that? Village Head Li glanced behind him and saw that the villagers had blank expressions, even worse than his own.
"Someone like Master Cheng… can also become a monk?" Village Head Li looked at Cheng Duo with doubt in his eyes. He had seen monks and Taoists who lived a rough life, looking thin and yellow-faced, always wearing a smile and speaking kind words when they came to beg for alms.
Someone like Cheng Duo would probably resort to direct robbery…
Fortunately, despite Cheng Duo's ferocity, his eyes were clear, and he spoke reasonably. Plus, during their earlier fight, he clearly held back his strength and didn't harm anyone. Village Head Li had a favorable impression of him.
"I am a warrior monk," Cheng Duo said straightforwardly. Seeing Village Head Li's gaze fixed on the game in his hands, he explained further, "I have already returned to secular life, so there are no dietary restrictions. I can eat meat and drink alcohol without any taboos."
He casually handed the game to Village Head Li and continued, "But these are not for my own consumption. Consider them as a gift. I would like to settle down in the village. I was wondering if there is any vacant land of about one and a half acres where I can build a house."
Village Head Li was truly stunned this time and didn't dare to accept the gift. "You really want to stay in our Yang Village?"
It wasn't that he underestimated himself, but behind Yang Village stretched the endless Tenfang Mountains. The land in the village was thin, and wolves and wild boars often came down from the mountains to plunder livestock and crops. Every household was poor.
Village Head Li had something he wanted to tell Cheng Duo, but after a moment's thought, he swallowed the words back. He had a feeling that Cheng Duo could bring some changes… Fine, he would observe for a while first. If Cheng Duo turned out to be a good person, he would find a way to keep him in the village.
"Of course, as I said," Cheng Duo stuffed the five chickens and the wild goat into the old man's hands. "If you agree, I will become a hunter in the village."
This time, Village Head Li couldn't refuse, and because the game was heavy, the elderly man stumbled accidentally. Thanks to the help of his eldest son, Li Da Zhuang, who was standing beside him, he managed to steady himself and prevent the game from falling to the ground.
Village Head Li secretly gave his eldest son a signal, instructing him to take the game home quietly when no one was paying attention.
However, seeing this pile of game, Aunt Wu, who had been protesting earlier after her cow was struck, couldn't stand it anymore. "So he beat our cow, and that's it?"
Their cow was still lying on the ground, foaming at the mouth. It seemed to be on the verge of death!
That was a whole cow, worth at least five taels of silver!
Cheng Duo also found it a bit strange. He approached the big yellow ox, lifted its eyelids with his hand, and sniffed it with a bit of saliva. "This ox seems to have eaten something poisonous…" As for the specifics, he didn't know.
"If you say it's poisonous, then it's poisonous. You're not a doctor!" Aunt Wu couldn't help but retort. If it was true that their cow had eaten something it shouldn't have, wouldn't she lose her five taels of silver?
"Wang Daifu has arrived." Just as they mentioned the doctor, Cheng Duo turned around and coincidentally saw his savior leading a barefoot young physician with a medicine basket.
When the man noticed Cheng Duo looking at him, he timidly lowered his head and stopped walking.
Cheng Duo found it amusing. This person seemed to be around seventeen or eighteen years old, yet he was so timid. How did he have the courage to save him back then?
Cheng Duo was initially a bit curious about how the ancient physician would examine and diagnose patients. Unexpectedly, this Wang Daifu directly took out a cloth bundle from his personal pocket and carefully unwrapped it to reveal a silver needle, treating it as if it were a precious treasure.
Well…
"It's poisoning," Wang Daifu declared after testing with the silver needle, thus proving Cheng Duo's innocence.
Aunt Wu was disappointed, but her two sons, Changsheng and the young man who had warned Cheng Duo earlier, gathered around Wang Daifu. "Poisoning? What kind of poison?"
"Wang Daifu, you must save our big yellow ox. Our farmland depends on it."
Seeing that it had nothing to do with him anymore, Cheng Duo took the opportunity to observe his savior. Honestly, his savior's appearance was really not that great. He looked about seventeen or eighteen years old, thin and dark, with cracked cheeks and lips from the northern winds, very rough. He was dressed in dirty clothes and a patched animal fur cape, resembling the style of a fur blanket from a mountain cave.
However, Cheng Duo noticed that his eyes were very beautiful. The eye sockets were deep, with long and black eyelashes, and the irises, upon closer inspection, seemed to be a gray-blue color, suggesting some mixed ethnicity.
But he rarely made direct eye contact with others, always keeping his head down as if afraid of drawing attention to himself. He deliberately left his messy hair to cover half of his face. Except for Cheng Duo, almost no one in the village paid much attention to him.
Cheng Duo remembered that the two brothers from earlier seemed to be unfriendly towards him. He glanced around and found that they had already disappeared. Well, he would find an opportunity later to ask what the other person needed. He didn't like owing favors to others and would feel relieved once he repaid them.
Cheng Duo followed Village Head Li back home directly. It was unclear whether it was because Cheng Duo gave a gift or because he immediately demonstrated his high combat power, but the Li family treated him quite politely.
Especially Li Da Zhuang and Li Er Niu, Uncle Li's two sons. They had personally witnessed how Cheng Duo dealt with people and experienced his terrifying aura when he confronted them. Of course, they were illiterate and couldn't describe that feeling, but they just felt that Cheng Duo was frightening.
As a result, even if Cheng Duo didn't have a stern expression, they didn't dare to approach him.
If the main labor force in the household behaved like this, the others dared not make any reckless moves. Even the youngest child in the family, Mao Dan, Li Er Niu's three-year-old son, would cry in fear at the sight of Cheng Duo.
Standing in the yard, Cheng Duo, who was curiously looking around, froze for a moment and then turned to leave. Hearing Li Er Niu's wife rushing over to comfort the child from behind, Cheng Duo felt a bit frustrated.
He didn't want to scare the little brat, but he didn't know how to restrain himself.
In fact, Cheng Duo didn't dislike children. Before the apocalypse, he would play with his relatives' children. However, after the apocalypse, he rarely saw children anymore. Even if they were born, they couldn't be raised. Moreover, a crying child could easily annoy the neighbors, so there were fewer and fewer people having children…
The pressure of survival in the apocalypse was immense, and tempers were relatively short. Small matters could easily escalate. Despite the strict regulations in the base, incidents of injury and murder were still frequent.
Because the family he encountered earlier had the old and young, Cheng Duo always consciously controlled his temper when he was outside, avoiding disputes with others to prevent retaliation…
Thinking of that family, Cheng Duo couldn't help but have an aggressive look on his face. It scared Li Da Zhuang, who came to call for help, to the point where his legs went weak, and he clung to the door frame. He almost thought that Cheng Duo couldn't hold back and was about to go on a killing spree.
But Cheng Duo was the first to notice him. "What's the matter?"
Li Da Zhuang opened his mouth and stuttered, "H-h-hot… the hot water is ready. We don't have any newly made clothes at home. C-c-can you change, change into my younger brother's clothes?"
Li Da Zhuang was a sturdy man, and his younger brother, Li Er Niu, was half a head taller than him, but still couldn't match Cheng Duo. He didn't know how Cheng Duo grew so tall and strong, with terrifying strength.
Cheng Duo nodded. He was afraid that if he didn't agree, the person in front of him would immediately kneel down and beg for mercy. "Lead the way."
The request for a bath was Cheng Duo's own idea. He had been wandering in the mountains for almost half a month and had found a small water pool by the bamboo forest, which was enough for drinking and washing up but not for bathing. So for this half month, Cheng Duo hadn't changed his clothes and had only wiped himself with damp cloth.
Although he discovered that most of the villagers seemed to be in similar conditions after coming down from the mountain, Cheng Duo still preferred cleanliness when conditions allowed.
While taking a bath, Cheng Duo also washed his hair, feeling much lighter all of a sudden. He tossed the dirty clothes aside and planned to wash them after finishing the meal.
For dinner, Cheng Duo brought a stewed wild chicken with a large pot of radishes, cabbage, and other vegetables. There was also a bowl of scrambled eggs, a bowl of stir-fried soybeans as a side dish, and the staple food was a blackish loaf-like thing.
Village Head Li revealed a mouthful of black teeth in embarrassment and said, "The village has limited conditions. Please forgive us for any inconvenience."
If Cheng Duo hadn't seen Village Head Li's wife bringing food to the neighboring table, he might have thought that he was being stingy. But he saw it, so he knew that Third Uncle Li was telling the truth. This family had already shown their utmost sincerity in welcoming him.
Third Aunt had stewed a wild chicken, and he could confidently say that most of that chicken was in their pot. Unlike the neighboring table, they didn't have scrambled eggs or soybeans for drinking, only a stack of dark pickled vegetables. There wasn't even the staple food, which was a loaf-like thing.
Cheng Duo knew that they were eating the leftover soybean dregs after extracting oil, which were made into soybean dregs cakes. He had eaten that in the cave as his last meal. It was prohibited to keep them, but if stored for too long, they would become hard and had a strong bean odor, plus they lacked nutritional value.
Thinking of the women and children in the neighboring room, Cheng Duo picked up his chopsticks and scooped up more than half a bowl of meat, along with several black loaves, then handed them to Li Da Zhuang, casually instructing, "Take them next door and give it to them."
"Oh." Li Da Zhuang didn't dare refuse and quickly took the bowl before leaving the table.
Uncle Li and Li Er Niu were momentarily stunned, then Uncle Li nodded, and a faint smile appeared on his wrinkled face. A person who was soft-hearted toward women and children couldn't be all bad.
Under Uncle Li's signal, Li Er Niu gave his bowl to Cheng Duo and went back to the kitchen to get another one.
As Cheng Duo ate his food, he asked Uncle Li, "I saw another man in your family earlier. Why isn't he here eating?"
Uncle Li pondered for a moment, "Are you referring to Da Zhuang's wife? He's not a man, he's a 'gèr.'"
This time, Cheng Duo was bewildered, "gèr?"
Uncle Li realized that Cheng Duo genuinely didn't know and assumed he hadn't been informed during his time at the temple, so he carefully explained the difference between a 'gèr' and a man. In simple terms, a 'gèr' was physically smaller than a man and not as strong, but they had a mole on their brow, and most importantly, 'gèrs' could give birth to children.
Cheng Duo was petrified.
He thought he had transmigrated, but he didn't expect to transmigrate into such a bizarre and fantastical world where men could give birth to children. Hopefully, there weren't any demons or monsters lurking around.
Fortunately, Cheng Duo subtly probed Uncle Li and discovered that aside from 'gèrs', this world was similar to a typical ancient society, which put his mind at ease.
Uncle Li poured Cheng Duo a bowl of good wine that he was reluctant to drink himself, but Cheng Duo took a sip and found the wine lackluster. It had turned sour from being stored for too long, and the ancient sealing methods weren't very effective.
So Cheng Duo focused on eating his food while Uncle Li and his two sons drank the wine, which made it convenient for Cheng Duo to gather information.
However, Cheng Duo noticed that Uncle Li seemed to have something he wanted to hide from him because whenever Li Da Zhuang or Li Er Niu tried to say something, Uncle Li would divert the conversation.
Cheng Duo was not in a hurry. After all, he had no money or power. His only reliance was his physical strength. Even if Master Li had malicious intentions and wanted to sell him as a laborer, it would depend on who had the ability to take over.
Cheng Duo wasn't afraid of the iron chains of this world. In the low-productivity ancient times, the more impurities there were in wrought iron, the lower its hardness and ductility. For someone like him, a power-based esper, breaking free was a piece of cake.
After finishing his meal, Cheng Duo noticed that his dirty clothes had been washed clean and hung up to dry. When Third Aunt saw him staring at the clothes, she explained cautiously, "I washed them three times, but there are still some stains that couldn't be removed."
Deep down, she was very curious about Cheng Duo's clothes. She didn't know what kind of fabric they were made of, especially that outer garment that made a "crackling" sound when he moved. What surprised her the most was the garment's cut and stitching, precise and impeccable. Only the best embroiderer in the world could create something like that.
Third Aunt was just an ordinary peasant woman. The farthest she had ever been was Twenty-Li Slope, half a day's journey away from Yang Village. She hadn't even been to the county seat.
Therefore, although Cheng Duo's clothes seemed strange to her, she thought it might be a popular style from another place. Besides, she believed that before Cheng Duo's family was flooded, he must have been from a wealthy household.
Cheng Duo had a certain grace and spoke differently from the villagers. Occasionally, he used words she didn't understand, but they sounded refined.
She couldn't imagine what kind of family background would allow someone to study both literature and martial arts. They were worried sick about finding someone to educate their grandson. Tie Dan was already eight years old and still hadn't made up his mind, all because they were poor!
On the other hand, the mended stitches on Cheng Duo's clothes seemed familiar to Third Aunt. She felt like she had seen them somewhere, but she didn't dare ask. She was afraid that Cheng Duo would get upset and lay hands on her.
Actually, Third Aunt's way of thinking wasn't strange in ancient times. Respect for the elderly and love for the young were mostly empty talk in a situation where even basic needs couldn't be fulfilled. When it came to their own elderly relatives, under the constraints of affection, family rules, and gossip from relatives and neighbors, things were still fine. There were plenty of instances of blind filial piety in ancient times. However, once they stepped out of this category, many people saw the elderly as just "old geezers."
But Cheng Duo was different. Although he had experienced the apocalypse, the foundation of his education was deeply ingrained in him. In the face of elderly people who didn't resort to strong-arm tactics or rely on their age to assert dominance, he still possessed basic respect.
He even felt a bit awkward because an unfamiliar elder had washed his clothes for him.
His stepmother in the pre-apocalyptic era wouldn't wash his clothes for him. Either he washed them himself or used a washing machine. As for after the apocalypse… no one would bother washing clothes stained with zombie fluids. They would simply throw them away and get new ones, which was safer and more convenient.
So when Third Aunt looked fearful, Cheng Duo didn't know what to say to her.
Village Head Li finished drinking and went for a nap. Li Da Zhuang and Er Niu were going to work in the fields. Cheng Duo thought for a moment and decided to go out with them to take a look around the village.
By the end of the drinking session, Village Head Li had loosened his tongue and agreed to discuss matters with the village elders. Since that was the case, Cheng Duo needed to assess the environment since it would be his future home.
Cheng Duo followed Li Da Zhuang and his brother to the intersection, preparing to part ways. Suddenly, they heard a woman in the village loudly cursing. Cheng Duo couldn't understand what she was saying, but the voice was sharp and piercing, somewhat familiar.
Li Da Zhuang stopped someone to inquire about the situation, "Uncle Sha, what is Aunt Guihua cursing about this time?"
Uncle Sha glanced cautiously at Cheng Duo, then leaned in and whispered to Li Da Zhuang, "I heard their cow couldn't be saved. Li Mancang is planning to slaughter it overnight and take it to Twenty-Li Slope to sell tomorrow… So Wu Guihua is dissatisfied and is cursing that outsider."
Not everyone in Yang Village is unreasonable. Li Changsheng himself made it clear that their cow went mad first, and Cheng Duo only managed to bring it down. Besides, Doctor Wang also diagnosed it, saying that Li's cow couldn't make it because it had eaten some poisonous wolf grass. No wonder they called him an outsider.
Uncle Sha thought his voice was very low, but he didn't realize that Cheng Duo could hear him clearly. After parting ways with Da Zhuang, he purposely approached Wu Guihua and gave her a glaring look, watching her suddenly pale like a chicken being strangled by its neck. He felt much better in his heart.
Don't think that just because he couldn't understand, he didn't know how offensive Wu Guihua's curses were. It was one thing to curse his biased dead father, but cursing his mother was not acceptable!
Scaring Wu Guihua didn't bother Cheng Duo much, so he continued to wander around the village until he reached the edge of a pond behind the village.
There was a person squatting on a flat, large stone washing clothes. Although it was already spring, the water in the pond was still cold, and the person's hands were freezing red from washing clothes.
Cheng Duo stared at his obviously weaker physique than an ordinary man and recalled Village Head Li's words. Unexpectedly, he spoke out suddenly, "You are a gèr."
No wonder he saved him but didn't dare to admit it. Was he worried about misunderstanding from the men in his family? Cheng Duo noticed the adult men's clothing in the large wooden basin behind him and remembered the two strong men he fought with. He suspected that one of them was his… husband?
Yong-ge was busy pounding clothes, and he was startled when he heard someone speak, nearly falling into the pond. He tightened his grip on the wooden stick in his hand and looked up, only to find that it was that strange outsider.
He unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
Yong-ge didn't realize it himself, but he wasn't as afraid of Cheng Duo as the villagers were, perhaps because he had seen the other lying weakly in bed, running a high fever and unconscious. Therefore, even though Cheng Duo was tall and imposing and had beaten his two brothers, he wasn't very afraid of him.
Cheng Duo stared at his face and observed it carefully for a while. Sure enough, on his dark yellow skin, he found the red birthmark used to identify gèrs. But he quickly frowned and said, "What's wrong with your face… have you disguised it?"
To Cheng Duo, this disguise seemed a bit rough. But during their first two encounters, either Yong-ge had his back turned or he had his head down… It was only because he was curious about Yong-ge's identity as a gèr that Cheng Duo scrutinized someone's face so carefully.
"!" Yong-ge was just a young boy who hadn't experienced much. Upon hearing Cheng Duo's words, he instinctively widened his eyes and covered his face with his hand… essentially admitting it unintentionally.
He quickly realized what he had done and lowered his head, shrinking his neck. "No, I don't understand what you're talking about!"
"If you don't understand, then forget it." Cheng Duo didn't have the intention to dig deeper and straightforwardly asked, "You saved me. How do you want me to repay you?"
Yong-ge didn't expect such a good opportunity. When he saved Cheng Duo, he only did it because he couldn't bear to let a living person be devoured by wolves. He thought Cheng Duo would leave after recovering from his injuries, but he didn't expect that he not only didn't leave but also came to the village.
Yong-ge was somewhat tempted by Cheng Duo's proposal. With his eyes lowered and his gaze flickering uncertainly, just when Cheng Duo thought he was about to make a big request, the young boy timidly glanced at him and gathered his courage. He said, "Then, could you give me… five… two taels of silver?"
"…" Cheng Duo was speechless. This was probably the most straightforward repayment condition he had ever heard in his life. Although he didn't have any money on him now, he didn't think his life was worth five taels of silver.
Oh, no, he was wrong. The other party was afraid he wouldn't agree and even automatically bargained down to two taels…
Should we say they come from different living environments? Coming from the modern era, he didn't think that a couple of taels of silver were a big deal, and even because in the post-apocalyptic world, gold, silver, and jewelry had become useless items that could only be looked at and not used, his mindset hadn't completely changed yet.
Yong-ge thought that Cheng Duo was hesitating, so he felt a bit embarrassed and said, "Then… how about you compensate me with the food in the cave? That way, we'll be even?"
He initially wanted to mock Cheng Duo for being stingy, but then he remembered that when he saved him, he didn't find anything valuable on him. At that time, he almost stripped the man naked…
Thinking of certain scenes, Yong-ge's face suddenly flushed. At that time, he was busy saving a person, so he didn't think much of it. But now, with this man standing alive in front of him, he suddenly recalled looking at someone else's body… Yong-ge's sense of shame as a gèr, which had remained dormant for a long time, suddenly emerged.
He dipped his hand into the water and stirred the clothes haphazardly, hoping that the cold lake water would cool down the burning sensation on his face.
Cheng Duo didn't notice anything wrong with Yong-ge's expression. He just felt that this person was more innocent than he had imagined. However, the more innocent he appeared, the less Cheng Duo could casually dismiss him with a couple of taels of silver.
Since he didn't have any money at the moment, Cheng Duo pondered for a moment and asked, "Are your family members treating you poorly?"
Otherwise, why would he go through all these extra efforts, finding a cave and hoarding food? Could it be that he was kidnapped from outside? Cheng Duo's imagination ran wild.
Cheng Duo neither agreed nor disagreed. Yong-ge looked a bit disappointed and pursed his lips, but he quickly adjusted his mindset. After all, he wouldn't lose out. They had agreed from the beginning that he would take the remaining silver from selling wolf skins, and Cheng Duo could have the food he stored in the cave.
Moreover, the amount of food he had stored wasn't worth more than a hundred wen…
Yong-ge confidently thought to himself that he had put in a lot of effort in dragging this person back, selling game for him, and fetching medicine while taking care of him. It should be considered even!
If he didn't want to give it, then so be it.
As for the question Cheng Duo asked afterward, "No, my family treats me well."
"If they treat you well, why did you prepare that cave?" Cheng Duo asked in response. Seeing the young boy bowing his head and refusing to speak, he softened his tone and said, "Don't hide it from me. I saw how that man treated you in the morning, and if I casually ask around in the village, I'll find out how you're really doing…"
Cheng Duo felt strange as he said this, as if he was the adulterous partner of this gèr in front of him, planning to persuade him to elope together?
In fact, Cheng Duo had indeed considered the possibility that if this young boy was really abducted, he could send him back to where he came from.
He had long noticed that the boy's appearance was different from the people around him, clearly not a local. Perhaps it was because of this that he had resorted to those disguises, trying to hide himself.
"No!" Yong-ge's face changed, and he was afraid that Cheng Duo would really inquire about him in the village, which would complicate their situation.
Cheng Duo was just an outsider; he could easily leave it behind, but Yong-ge had to continue living his life.
Cheng Duo was startled by his fierce appearance, and he rarely spoke to appease him, saying, "Okay, if you don't want to tell me, then I won't ask. Don't be afraid."
He could roughly guess the terrifying nature of ancient rumors. This young boy was equivalent to a high school student before the apocalypse and was still just a child. Moreover, he had saved his life, so Cheng Duo couldn't help but become more patient.
Cheng Duo was about to tell him that he could come to him if he ever faced difficulties in the future when he saw the young boy swiftly packing his belongings without even washing his clothes, holding a large wooden basin, and running away.
"…"
Cheng Duo didn't chase after him. He was here to repay a debt, not seeking revenge. If the people in the village saw him chasing after a gèr… He had already fought the man's husband in the morning, and the man already held a grudge. If he found out that Cheng Duo was entangled with his gèr, Cheng Duo couldn't imagine what he would do to him. But judging from the boy's impolite behavior towards him, a beating was definitely in store.
Cheng Duo didn't want to harm him.
He waited in place for a while, estimating that the young boy had already disappeared with his fast pace, before turning around and walking towards the village.
Passing by the Li family again, he found that the two strong men who were involved in the fight with Wu Guihua earlier were now arguing with her.
"Aunt, the two of us suffered a beating for your sake. If you don't want to compensate us for the medicine expenses, at least give us a few pounds of meat for killing the cow, right?"
Wu Guihua's face drooped. A few pounds? Dream on. She didn't even want to give them one tael!
She plopped down directly on the ground. "Heavens, is there no justice left? Our cow was beaten half to death, and our own nephew comes to our house asking for meat to eat. Is there no fairness anymore?"
They were all family, and everyone knew each other. Li Da was not fooled by her trick. He and his younger brother, Li Er, were ruffians to begin with, so they shamelessly smiled, "If Aunt doesn't give it, then we'll just go in and take it ourselves."
Saying that, he signaled to Li Er, and the two brothers lifted their legs and headed into the house.
Wu Guihua's face changed. "Changsheng, stop them!"
While shouting, she urgently got up from the ground and rushed forward to grab and pull Li Da and Li Er. She had a large, round waist, and Li Da and Li Er were not Cheng Duo. Moreover, Li Changsheng and Li Mancang, two strong men, were blocking the doorway. Li Da and Li Er ended up with their faces covered in blood fingerprints from being grabbed by her.
Of course, she didn't come out unscathed either. Her bun was messy, and she secretly suffered numerous punches.
Cheng Duo had initially just wanted to watch the commotion with the other villagers. He didn't expect that when the others saw him, they automatically made way for him, creating a path.
Cheng Duo: "…"
Why did they make way for him? He didn't want to get into a fight, nor did he want to mediate a fight. Couldn't they let him peacefully watch the dogs fight?
"You, why did you come!" Li Changsheng's younger brother, Feng-ge, saw Cheng Duo and shouted, whether in surprise or fear, because the gèr's voice was higher and thinner than a man's. The several people who were engaged in a lively brawl even heard it.
They turned around and saw Cheng Duo, and their faces changed color, stiffly standing aside.
Li Da and Li Er felt a faint pain in the areas where they were beaten in the morning, and when they realized that their excuse was being beaten by Cheng Duo and now they were caught by this ill-fated star, their expressions became extremely vivid.
The two of them often engaged in mischief in the village and were experts at escaping. Seeing Cheng Duo blocking the doorway, they took advantage of his inattention and quickly climbed over the low gap in the Li family's wall and ran away.
Cheng Duo: "…"
Alright, the troublemakers have all fled, and there's nothing more to see in this farce. Cheng Duo didn't say a word and left.
However, even though he didn't speak, the villagers felt that he was even more unfathomable. After he left, they speculated about his intentions and even thought that Wu Guihua's foul mouth might have offended him, which could invite retaliation…
They were thinking too much. Cheng Duo, as a grown man, couldn't do much even if Wu Guihua scolded him a couple of times. Watching their argument only brought him a sense of satisfaction.
Cheng Duo returned to Third Uncle Li's house, changed back into his own clothes, and bid farewell. After all, Third Uncle Li's family didn't seem well-off, and it would be excessive for him to keep lingering in their home.
Because of the strong wind, although his clothes hadn't dried completely, he could simply roast them in his cave. It didn't matter.
Cheng Duo made an appointment with Village Head Li to come back and hear the result in a couple of days. Of course, he didn't disclose his actual dwelling place because the cave didn't belong to him. That ger might still need to use it.
Cheng Duo didn't know that there was a little twist in the events that happened while he stayed in the village this afternoon…