"Are you exhausted?"

Ah Zhu handed Xia Xiao a bowl of water. His throat was already smoking, and he drank it down with a gulp. When he wiped the corners of his mouth, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. But it was worth it to be so tired for so long. At least he could confirm the current situation of the Great Wilderness and not worry all the time. It is better to work hard than to fantasize all the time.

It was getting dark, but the people who had marked out the land were still busy in the fields. They had just planted the seeds given by Xia Xiao. Because the soil was moist, they didn't need to water it. But standing at the edge of the field, admiring their own masterpiece, a faint sense of accomplishment arose spontaneously.

They were too worried to do this recently, otherwise they wouldn't have to starve, let alone buy food on credit. But it's not too late now, they want to thank Xia Xiao, the notorious man, who is unexpectedly so kind. They couldn't find any fault with Xia Xiao's trip, and the people of the Southern Kingdom of Shelie were all very grateful, even though the leaders of the three kingdoms were all dead and the future was bleak...

The old man in the field sighed and said that his country was destroyed and his family was ruined, which was really tragic, but the old woman next to him said:

"At least we are still alive, unlike those who went to the battlefield. More than 700,000 people, including the doctors, were buried on the battlefield."

"That's true. At least I'm still alive and can eat..."

The old man's wrinkles deepened in the twilight. He glanced at the horizon, as if looking at himself who was about to set. But he packed up his things and went home with the bamboo basket.

"Grandpa, thank you for the water."

Ah Zhu's voice was sweet, which made the two old men look back with kind smiles on their faces. But seeing Xia Xiao's cold face, they immediately knelt down and were about to salute.

"Old man, you can't do that."

On the darkening path in the field, Xia Xiao quickly helped them up.

"Thank you very much, Master Xia Xiao, otherwise we outsiders would have starved to death!"

"Yes, the only food we had at home was taken away. I thought I was going to starve to death. It's all thanks to you."

The two insisted on kneeling, and Xia Xiao could not stop them, but he helped them up and slowly walked towards Luocheng. Because they were slow on their feet, they came a little late and were assigned to a very remote place, but as long as there was land, there was food, so they were not picky. But seeing Xia Xiao and Azhu supporting him to walk towards the city, the old man felt a little embarrassed and said:

"We two old guys have difficulty walking, Master and Miss, you go first!"

"It's okay, we can just take a walk."

Looking at the seeds planted in the fields, Xia Xiao nodded secretly. The efficiency of the people was higher than he thought. It seemed that pacifying the Great Wilderness was not a particularly difficult task. It just took time. But at least there was some hope. As long as that was the case, everything would get better sooner or later. However, the country was still there, but things and people had changed.

Xia Xiao and Ah Zhu were silent all the way. Xia Xiao was thinking about when to let everyone return to their hometown. But there were no towns east of the Wall of Life because they had been razed to the ground, and it was difficult to repopulate them. There were also the Southern Kingdom and the Shele people. It was not a solution to stay here forever, but when to leave was still a question.

These things are too complicated, Xia Xiao is not good at them, but now he is the only one who is worried. Ah Zhu beside her is still wondering why she is not hungry. The last time she ate was in the morning. If it was before, she would have been hungry, but now she doesn't feel anything. If she is not hungry, she will have less desire to eat, but she still wants to eat. Thinking of not having eaten white rice with hot sauce for a long time, she feels a little nostalgic.

"What are you having for dinner?"

"What do you want to eat?"

“Rice with hot sauce.”

"OK."

The very smooth conversation with Xia Xiao made Azhu smile on his face, but the old man was very unnatural. However, Xia Xiao took Azhu's hand and left after a simple goodbye.

"Let's go for a walk around town before heading back and see how everyone is doing."

"Okay!"

Azhu shook Xia Xiao's arm, just like when they first met, and made him smile.

In the city, thousands of lights were on, and belated smoke rose up one by one, with the aroma of rice, vegetables and fruits. Seeing such a scene and listening to the children's laughter, he finally felt at ease, but the sight of the family reunited in the candlelight and windows made him sigh secretly.

Walking into a remote alley, the not-so-cold atmosphere made him feel relaxed. Several families were discussing the scene when they met Xia Xiao today, as well as his domineering and strength. With a wave of his hand, he could get a hoe and seeds of crops, which was really enviable.

Amidst the words of admiration and envy, they were all unaware that Xia Xiao was just outside the courtyard gate. He did not stay for long and walked forward because he saw a familiar figure.

Following Xia Xiao's gaze, Ah Zhu also looked in the direction. The figure of the woman in the open window looked familiar to Ah Zhu, and he recognized her quickly, but she was a little different from what he remembered.

"I didn't expect she was here too."

“Let’s go and have a look!”

Ah Zhu was in a playful mood because she was too bored in the afternoon. She sat alone while Xia Xiao and Tian Ming were talking. Now she finally met an acquaintance, so she had to chat with him. Ah Zhu was raised by villagers and had a very sincere honesty and enthusiasm in her nature, so she went to knock on the door happily.

After the loss of 30 million people in the Great Wilderness, Ah Zhu knew very few people, which made him even more excited.

After knocking on the door, Ah Zhu saw the woman by the window turned her head and said:

"Chunbao, go open the door."

Soon, a little girl about five or six years old pushed open the door and ran over.

"Who are you?"

"Your mother's old friend."

The little girl looked inside the room, her clear eyes full of doubts, but she still stood on tiptoe with difficulty, but she couldn't touch the bolt. Seeing this, Ah Zhu stretched out his slender arm, took it away, and laughed. The little girl might be a little afraid of strangers, and ran back to the room before they entered the yard.

"You scared people."

Ah Zhu followed him with a little reproach. Xia Xiao curled his lips and smiled, as if he was back to that year and that scene, but back then he went into a brothel and saw red candles. Today, the red candles are still there, but the brothel that was once a place of debauchery has become a clean little house.

As he stepped inside, Ah Zhu saw the woman turning around and greeted her happily.

"Sister Qing Yeer, long time no see."

This woman was Qing Ye'er, whom Xia Xiao and Azhu had met in Yu Valley when they were traveling around the world looking for darkness. At that time, she was the top signboard of Liuxianju, and the ministers in the court did not dare to flirt with her casually. She was somewhat famous in the whole Yu Valley. But now she has changed. Her beauty is still there, but she is much purer and simpler. There is no green flower ornament with three long leaves on her forehead. Her black hair reaches her waist, but she has no step-shaking ornaments and no sachet around her waist. She is just wearing a plain skirt and a wooden hairpin, but she still has a calm and composed temperament.

The little girl from before was hiding behind her. She looked at the two people in front of her with her beautiful eyes and a smile on her face.

"Should I call you Ah Zhu?"

Ah Zhu chuckled and stopped using the strange title. In the past, Xia Xiao called himself Fang Huan to conceal his identity, while Ah Zhu was Yuan Bei. His name was normal, but Ah Zhu was too strange. However, she had guessed something at that time, but now she was sure of it, and the mystery was solved.

Three years ago in the winter, when she saw Xia Xiao and Azhu, Qing Yeer felt that they were extraordinary. Although the details were blurred, she left Yu Valley and Liuxianju not long after they appeared, and started a new life like a floating leaf. She went to many places, traveled around, and lived a comfortable life, but meeting the person in front of her was unexpected.

In his eyes, Yuan Bei was no different from before, and so was Fang Huan behind her, except that they were less mysterious and more heavy.

When Qing Ye'er and Fang Huan, or more precisely, Xia Xiao, looked at each other, the latter smiled faintly, not out of happiness, but out of politeness. He is no longer the young man under Yu Guyu, but he has never forgotten his original intention. At least he feels that he is still the same person as before, without any change.

"How's your day?"

"It's okay, especially after you came."

"Can you eat enough?"

"We don't have much to eat to begin with. This amount of food will be enough for two weeks."

Seeing this, Xia Xiao nodded slightly. Ah Zhu squatted in front of her and reached out to the little girl behind Qing Ye'er, but she timidly stepped back, holding Qing Ye'er's skirt with her little hands and burying her little face in it.

"Chun Bao, it's okay, these are good people, my friends."

The little girl seemed to understand, and she stretched out her chubby little hand to Ah Zhu. Ah Zhu smiled at her, and she slowly put away the fear brought by the strange feeling.

"Sister Qing Yeer, I didn't expect that you, at such a young age, already have a daughter this big."

Qing Yeer invited Xia Xiao and Azhu to sit down and poured tea for them. She did not feel inferior because of her poor family. It was natural for her to use warm water instead of tea. She had a deep confidence. She chuckled, full of charm, but she opened her red lips slightly and explained:

"Chunbao is not my child. I felt sorry for her because she was all alone, so I kept her by my side."

"Sister, you have such a good heart."

Ah Zhu stroked Chun Bao's head, his eyes full of heartache. He didn't expect that such a cute little girl was an orphan like him. However, he was lucky to have met his grandmother, and she was also lucky to have met Qing Ye'er.

"We are all in trouble, just helping each other. By the way, why are you here? This alley is not easy to find."

"I just happened to come here. If you have any difficulties, you can come to us."

"Thank you for your kindness, but we two poor women cannot repay this favor. Even if I protected you in the first place, I can hardly repay you."

"You taking her in is a great reward, and it's a way of spreading kindness, but don't let her walk your path."

Qing Ye'er was about to speak but stopped herself, feeling suffocated by Xia Xiao's words, but she still had a calm smile on her face. The past, even if you don't want to face it, still happened. This is fate, fate is unfair and luck is unfair!

Chunbao didn't know what the relationship between his sister and these two people was, but they didn't look like close friends. His sister quickly stood up, brought a plate of vegetarian dishes and two bowls of porridge, smiled and tilted her head, and asked:

"Want some food?"

"No, we have to go somewhere else."

"If you have any difficulties, please come to me."

After Xia Xiao and Ah Zhu finished talking, they were ready to leave. Qing Ye'er saw them off, gleaming in the dark night with a strange glow. Soon, she sat back down and picked up some food for Chun Bao, who asked in a baby voice:

"Sister, when did you get to know them?"

"Three years ago, in Yu Valley."

"Where is Yugu?"

"It's the imperial capital of our Southern Kingdom. My sister lived there before she set out to travel the world."

"Then why did you leave? Is it because you have no food to eat?"

"That's not the case. I left just to meet you."

"Did you know you would meet me before you left?"

Chunbao was more sensible than other girls of the same age, probably because she was abandoned when she was young. Then, she heard her sister say something that she had remembered for a long time. Although she didn't quite understand it, she always kept it in her heart.

"Yes, we are destined to meet. I will help you grow up healthily, and you will heal my broken childhood."