Zhiwu looked down at the half-eaten sweet potato that exuded an enticing aroma, then at the man who was about to die, and was about to grit his teeth and share a bite with him to save the man.
Zhi Xing glanced at him lightly.
Zhiwu quickly finished the sweet potato, even licking the peel a few times.
The person lying down struggled to move their eyes, nearly dying of anger.
He closed his eyes, pretending he hadn't said anything.
Zhi Xing carefully stepped forward, holding the dagger hidden in his sleeve. He checked the man's breathing and was somewhat surprised to find that despite being so badly injured, the man showed no signs of dying.
After looking down at the man for a few moments, Zhixing found him even more peculiar.
His face was covered in mud and blood, making it impossible to see his features.
His right cheek was slashed open with a large gash, the skin and flesh rolled back, turning white and even showing signs of decay.
But those half-closed eyes were filled with sharpness and murderous intent:
"Hmph, you want to kill me? Go ahead, I've been wanting to die for a long time."
The person lying down squinted at Zhixing, then lazily closed his eyes, looking completely lifeless.
Zhi Xing pondered for a moment, noticing the greedy eyes peeking over from inside the dilapidated temple. He knew that once they left, this person would likely have a hard time surviving.
He hesitated for a moment, then whispered to Zhiwu, "Bring the remaining hot porridge."
Both Zhiwu and the injured man lying down were slightly startled.
Zhiwu scratched his head: "Brother Xing, when did you become so kind?"
Zhi Xing remained calm, stood up, and sat back down in his original spot.
"The boss said that if we encounter someone who can be saved, we might lend a hand, but it's just giving them a bowl of porridge. Whether they live or die depends entirely on their luck."
These words were spoken by Ye Wenxue.
But she said it in front of several children, including Dazhuang, Shuangshuang, Sanyuan, and Siwang.
The original intention was: if you can save someone but you can't, then don't save them if you don't have to.
The key point is the word 'or'.
I don't know how Zhixing interpreted it that way.
Zhiwu went to the valley with him on the day he left, so he naturally heard what Boss Ye had said.
But is that what Boss Ye meant?
He touched his head, thinking vaguely, "Brother Xing is smart, what Brother Xing says must be right."
Zhiwu turned around and ladled out the remaining porridge from the bottom of the pot. It was still hot, but the bottom of the pot had been simmering for too long and was a little burnt.
Zhiwu placed the bowl next to the person lying down and gestured with his lip: "Here, I'm not going to serve you. Eat it or don't, it's up to you."
The person lying down laughed in anger.
Didn't you see how badly he was injured? His hands and body were covered in wounds; he couldn't even lift a bowl.
Zhiwu ignored the shouts behind him, went back to sit next to Zhixing, warmed his hands by the fire pit, discussed the time for the night watch with his brothers, and then drifted off to sleep.
I've been traveling for several days straight, and I'm exhausted.
"Xiao Wu, wake up, it's your turn to keep watch."
Zhiwu was groggily woken up and subconsciously looked behind him. The bowl next to the person lying down was already empty. He didn't know if the person had eaten it or if someone had stolen it.
The next morning, the dilapidated temple was filled with the rich aroma of porridge, stirring up the thoughts of many.
When Zhixing woke up, he breathed a sigh of relief after checking all his belongings.
After all, human nature is unpredictable, and even if someone is on night watch, it cannot guarantee that everything will be fine.
After having breakfast with his brothers, he took out the map he had bought in Zhanglongxing Prefecture to check the direction and decided to continue his journey through the wind and snow.
Tanzhou City is nearby. Getting there as soon as possible would be much more comfortable than staying in a dilapidated temple.
"Hey, your bowls."
The clean bowl was kicked over. Zhixing glanced at the person, picked up the bowl, and prepared to leave.
When packing up, Zhixing deliberately didn't put out the fire.
If the people in the dilapidated temple are willing to chop some firewood to burn, they can at least hold on for a little longer.
Knowing the importance of going to Tanzhou, Zhiwu hurriedly packed his luggage, folded the thin blanket he used to cover himself while sleeping and put it in the basket, but unexpectedly saw the three umbrellas that Brother Dazhuang had given him before he left.
"Hey." Zhiwu became interested, opened the bamboo umbrella and looked at it curiously in the light. "Brother Xing, this umbrella is really beautiful, and the peach blossoms on it are painted beautifully too."
The person lying down was drawn in by his words, lazily raised his eyes to look up, and his gaze suddenly stopped.
After staring blankly for a few moments, he awkwardly looked away.
Zhixing took the bamboo umbrella from Zhiwu and put it away carefully, saying softly, "Don't break it with your clumsy hands. This is a valuable item from Elder Ye's family, and it should be returned."
Zhiwu was disgruntled, but he knew that the snow was too heavy and it would be inconvenient to walk with an umbrella; wearing a raincoat and a straw hat would be more convenient.
After putting on his rough raincoat, Zhixing, seeing that his brothers were all settled, encouraged them and said:
"Hang in there, everyone. We'll be in Tanzhou soon. I heard that Tanzhou city allows refugees to enter and they can even get free porridge. Life there is much better than sleeping in the open."
Zhiwu and the others didn't take it seriously. Xingge would say this to the locals whenever he stopped at a new place, and he had said it several times already.
Their destination was Tanzhou City. This was clearly not meant for them, but for the refugees who were watching them closely.
Zhixing exhaled a breath of hot air, put on his straw hat with one hand, and turned to lead his brothers away from the dilapidated temple.
The people inside the dilapidated temple exchanged glances and spoke in hushed tones:
"Can we trust his words? Tanzhou City..."
"Who cares? Run faster, let's grab a good spot near the fire!"
"Ugh... Dad, I'm so hungry. I haven't eaten anything for days."
"Let's be patient a little longer. We'll go outside Tanzhou City and take a look once the wind and snow subside a bit."
No matter how fast you walk in the snow, you won't get very fast.
Zhixing and the others walked forward, their steps uneven, the wind whistling past, the sky filled with a vast expanse of desolation.
Zhiwu, supporting the frail Zhixing, suddenly noticed footsteps following closely behind. He opened his mouth to say something, but his mouth was momentarily blocked by the wind and snow.
He spat out the snowflakes that had been stuck in his mouth by the wind, and raised his voice: "Brother Xing, someone is following us!"
Zhixing didn't even turn his head: "Never mind him, let's go our own way."
Zhiwu could barely see the road ahead, and had no time to pay attention to the people following behind him.
After walking for half a day, the group found a house to stay in in an abandoned village.
After warming himself up by roasting, Zhiwu, taking advantage of Zhixing's inattention while he was considering what to eat, exchanged a glance with one of his brothers and tacitly ran outside to pee.
Just as I pulled up my pants, footsteps approached.
Zhiwu raised his eyes alertly, but... he didn't see anyone.
He reached for the kitchen knife at his waist, made a gesture to his brother, and the two of them flanked him from the front and back, blocking the snow-covered man at the corner of the wall.
The man was huddled in the corner of the half-collapsed wall, his lips were white, and he was not breathing.
Zhiwu immediately recognized the man as the one who was seriously injured in the dilapidated temple. No one else would have such severe injuries on their face.
He hesitated for a moment, then told the bandit brothers to drag the man to the woodshed.
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