Chapter 11 Goodbye Lingzhuzi There are few people at this time...
At that time, the population was small, and wild animals were numerous and rampant, daring to roam even in broad daylight. Lighting a bonfire at the cave entrance was to prevent attacks from wild animals.
The two soldiers first removed the bonfire that blocked the cave entrance before inviting Fuli in.
The noise they made was quite loud, but the two slaves lying on the straw inside didn't react at all.
No, it's not that they didn't react, but they were already exhausted. Add to that the hunger, and even if they noticed someone coming in, they wouldn't be able to do anything.
There was a pottery bowl filled with clean water next to them, probably to quench their thirst.
But they were weak all over, and the slaves who took care of them at night had to work during the day. Even if there was water, they could only watch it. Psychologically, it was worse than having no water at all.
Fu Li took a leather bag from the soldier, which was filled with coarse salt ground into powder, and added some to the two bowls of water.
She looked around but couldn't find anything that could be used as chopsticks. She raised her hand, pulled out a golden hairpin from her head, stirred the salt water, and ordered the two slaves: "Give them the water."
Although she was not a medical student in her previous life, she still knew some common sense that salt water can relieve dehydration symptoms.
The slaves who followed in kept their heads down, and acted mechanically and numbly after hearing the orders, not caring at all about what they were being fed.
The two slaves lying on the thatch showed a hint of despair in their eyes, perhaps because they felt that the nobleman in front of them wanted to test the medicine on them, and after the despair, they actually felt a little relieved.
For them, death is better than living.
The nobles were afraid of death because they enjoyed themselves to the fullest while they were alive and were afraid that they would no longer be nobles in the afterlife and would no longer be able to enjoy these things.
But for the slaves, no matter how bad the world after death is, can it be worse than when they were alive?
Fu Li felt a little reluctant and explained, "I added salt to the water. Salt water can save your lives."
Even if they are not dehydrated, salt water is a good way for them to quickly replenish energy.
The two seriously ill slaves were obviously stunned, and the two who were responsible for feeding them water also looked surprised.
Seeing this, Fu Li sighed secretly and said seriously, "I am responsible for the misfortune you two have suffered. I must take full responsibility."
Seeing a little more brilliance in their eyes and a lot of enthusiasm in drinking the salt water, Fu Li smiled slightly and ordered the two soldiers: "While the fire outside is still burning, roast two cloves of garlic you brought."
"Yes." The soldier took the order and left.
They often hunted in the wild and had quite a bit of experience with barbecue. After taking the garlic out, they did not throw it directly into the fire. Instead, they found a relatively flat stone and placed it in the middle of the fire. They then placed the garlic on the stone and slowly roasted it with the help of the stone's heat conduction.
This method can avoid the garlic from burning to the greatest extent.
As they roasted the garlic, the two slaves finished their salt water. Fuli then took out two pieces of sorghum candy from another leather bag and gave each of them one to hold in their mouth.
After the garlic was roasted and the two of them ate it, Fu Li asked, "How do you feel now?"
A bowl of salt water and a piece of malt sugar have restored most of the physical strength of the two people who have never been exposed to such high-calorie food.
The freshly roasted garlic entered their stomachs, bringing a warm current with it. The allicin gradually took effect. The two felt that they had never felt so good before. They couldn't help but burst into tears of gratitude and stood up to express their gratitude.
"Don't move, you are not well yet." Fu Li stopped them and asked them to have a good rest. He also asked the two slaves to stay and take care of them before leading people out of the cave.
The leader who led the way was trembling with fear. When he saw Fu Li coming out, he greeted her with a flattering expression: "Young lady."
Seeing that he was truly afraid, Fu Li asked, "How many people were involved? Did anyone raise any objections?"
The small leader secretly breathed a sigh of relief: It's good that he is willing to interrogate. I was just afraid that he would not ask anything and just arrest him directly.
He did not dare to neglect or conceal anything, and hurriedly said: "The leaders like Nu all know that Ye is the mastermind, and Hei and Shui are Ye's supporters. Gao and Xia raised objections, fearing that it would be difficult to explain when the young lady asked.
But there were more people in favor than against, and Gao and Xia didn't want to offend the slave leaders for a few slaves, so after a few arguments they acquiesced.
"What about you?" Fu Li asked with a smile.
"I'm a villain... I'm a villain..." The little leader was sweating profusely again, not knowing what to say.
Fu Li warned, "You'd better tell the truth. I'll ask others one by one. If what you say doesn't match what others say... you know the consequences."
She didn't consider herself a good person. If someone was suffering where she couldn't see, she wouldn't care even if she knew about it. But if she remained indifferent to such a thing where human lives were being taken care of right under her nose, she would feel unworthy of being a human being.
Having said that, the young leader knew there was no room for quibbling. He smiled bitterly and said, "Although I wasn't the first to speak out in support of Ye, I agree in my heart. I'm afraid that the young lady will value them more and let them replace me. I... I'm already 29 years old this year, and I really don't want to be a slave and wait for death again."
Twenty-nine? Waiting to die?
What is the connection between the two?
Fu Li suppressed this doubt in her heart, not showing it on her face. She simply said, "You were all promoted by Elder Mu, so you must all have your own talents. How could I lay them off so easily? Even if I really liked them, I would only transfer them to other places to use them."
The small leader was stunned on the spot, and only then did he realize that these people were all mean-spirited. Thinking of the possible consequences he might face, he was immediately filled with regret.
Fu Li shook her head secretly and said soothingly, "Your concerns are not without reason, but killing someone for this is too much. Considering your remorse, I'll give you a chance to make amends. By the way, what's your name?"
The little leader was in high spirits and said hurriedly: "My humble name is Shi, which means stone. Shi thanks the young lady for her kindness."
He originally thought that he might not even live to be thirty, but unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better, and the joy that surged in Shi's heart was immeasurable.
This feeling of surviving a disaster was even greater than when I was promoted by the family elder.
Fuli pointed to the cave where the two slaves were recuperating and said, "Have those two take care of the two lying down until they recover. You must also ensure the safety of the seven people I questioned yesterday."
If one of you dies, I'll chop off one of your hands. If three die, I'll chop off both hands and a leg. Saving them is saving yourself."
She suppressed her nausea and spoke lightly, and by the end, the nausea subsided.
Fu Li couldn't help but sigh: "As expected, people who are often unlucky have adaptability many times greater than the average person." It's only been a short while, and I can already talk about chopping off people's hands and feet without batting an eyelid.
Shi nodded repeatedly and promised to protect the seven people.
Fu Li returned to the stone house reserved for the agricultural officials to rest and work, and ordered people to call in the remaining fourteen leaders one by one for questioning.
This combination of kindness and force had temporarily intimidated them. As for whether they could sincerely submit to him later, it would depend on whether Fu Li had the real ability to secure his position as an agricultural official.
After all this trouble, it was already getting late, and the original plan to record the celestial phenomena observed by the seven slaves had to be postponed. Fu Li simply left five soldiers behind and took Fu Shuang and the others back to the city.
She didn't know if it was an illusion, but she felt like someone was secretly watching her today. For safety reasons, she decided to return to the Grand Tutor's Mansion first.
I think even if there are any monsters or demons, they would never dare to act rashly in the Grand Tutor's Mansion.
As the carriage rumbled along, Fu Shuang said excitedly, "Senior Sister, you were truly impressive today. You frightened those little leaders so much that they barely dared to breathe."
Fu Li smiled and said, "That was their own fault. If they had behaved properly, I wouldn't have been able to do anything to them."
Fu Shuang nodded repeatedly, but before she could speak, she heard someone say, "Well said!"
Everyone was shocked, even Fu Li, who had a premonition, was no exception.
The fifteen armored soldiers guarding the chariot reacted the fastest. They immediately formed a formation of three and three, protecting the chariot firmly in the middle.
Another voice jokingly said, "Lingzhuzi, didn't you say this was your believer? How come they don't even recognize your voice?"
Lingzhuzi?
Fu Li's mind shifted. She had been sitting upright in the carriage when she heard the words. She stood up and bowed in the direction where Ling Zhuzi's voice had come from. "Sir, are you here yet? I was saved by you, but it was so hasty. Although I am deeply grateful and want to thank you, I don't know your name. We are fortunate to meet again today. I hope you will show up and allow me to thank you in person."
A red silk thread seemed to descend from the sky, fluttering and catching everyone's eye. Two figures, one red and one gold, appeared within the dancing red silk thread. The young man in red glared at her angrily: "You are not my... my follower?"
The girl in the golden dress laughed loudly and pointed at the boy and said, "I told you, you've never walked in the mortal world, where do you get your believers from?"
The young man's cheeks puffed with anger, but he couldn't refute her. He could only glare at the girl with hatred, then pretended to glare fiercely at Fu Li, demanding viciously, "Since you are not my believer, how could I have such a connection that I rushed to save you?"
The leading soldier pointed his spear at the young man and woman floating in the air and warned Fu Li with a vigilant look on his face, "Young lady, these two people have come with strange intentions. I'm afraid they're up to something. It's best to be careful."
This one sentence attracted the attention of Lingzhuzi and the girl. They both argued angrily, and did not prepare for another soldier to pull out a bamboo tube and release a signal flare unique to Wen Zhong's army.
With a long "chirp" sound, the flare flew high into the sky and exploded.
The inexperienced Lingzhuzi realized that he had been tricked. He was immediately furious. He raised his ape arm and pointed at the soldier who had fired the flare: "You are looking for death!"
Fu Li's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly shouted, "It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding. Everyone, this Lingzhuzi Immortal is my savior. He is smart and courageous, with an upright and courageous heart. He is definitely not a bad person."
These words calmed Lingzhuzi's anger for a moment, and Fuli continued, "My Lord, they didn't mean to offend me. They were simply ordered to protect my safety and were loyal to their mission. My Lord, please be magnanimous and generous, so please don't bother with them."
Lingzhuzi looked at her for a moment, snorted, took back the fire-tipped wooden canister, and said proudly: "For your sake."
——Because you are so good at praising.
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