Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 143: Waiting for the Sun to Rise (Part One)
"What’s going on? Song Yao and Jin Bo are still asleep; how can we leave?" Zeng Yadong, noticing the silence among the group, muttered in frustration, "You guys really know how to make a mess wherever you go."
"Isn't that the truth?" Ming Junwei and the others agreed with Zeng Yadong's assessment. Looking back at their past, filled with hardships and challenges, it was almost a tale worthy of song.
"Blame me; this isn’t the time for apologies. Let’s just get out of here," Chao Yifan said, his earlier anger subsiding. After Zeng Yadong's comment, Chao Tianwang couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed. If he had just stayed inside drinking, none of this would have happened.
"Weren't you off to breed some horses?" Zeng Yadong's curiosity was relentless as he helped pack up while still gossiping about Chao Yifan's horse-breeding escapades.
Chao Yifan rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the word "breeding." He cursed under his breath and said, "I brought this upon myself; not only did I almost lose my virtue, but I nearly lost my life too!"
"Oh?"
"That woman was infected, okay?" Chao Yifan recalled the incident and trembled with anger, putting down what he was doing to shout, "Have you all forgotten? When we ran into those zombies in the afternoon?"
Ming Junwei patted him on the shoulder and smiled wryly, "Calm down. You really did tempt fate this time; luckily, you’re still alive and nothing serious happened."
"Stop interrupting," Zeng Yadong waved Ming Junwei off, eagerly waiting for Chao Yifan to continue.
"Have you all forgotten?" Chao Yifan said angrily. "One woman had blood on her thigh! I asked if she was bitten by a zombie, and she snapped back at me! Damn it, I forgot all about it after drinking!"
Zeng Yadong looked up at the sky in disbelief, thinking to himself that aside from Chao Yifan, who else would notice a woman's thigh?
"Brother Ming, where are we headed?" Xiao Wei quickly packed her backpack with nimble hands. The leftover food on the table couldn’t be taken along, so Xiao Wei played the role of a scavenger and stuffed several potatoes from the stove into her bag.
"To the north, there's a road," Ming Junwei said, looking somewhat worried. Outside the courtyard, chaos reigned as the villagers' shouts and curses mingled together, and faintly, one could hear the cries of women. It was clear that those villagers would soon come looking for trouble with them, the outsiders.
"I'll carry Jin Bo," Xiaomi said, tossing several buckets of water to Xiao Wei before dashing into the side kiln. As she entered, a sour stench hit her nose. The young swordsman had not been able to find peace even in his sleep; he had vomited a large pile of filth beside him. Holding back her nausea, Xiaomi quickly wiped it up and hoisted the heavy Jin Bo onto her back, running back to the main kiln.
Everyone was in position. Two drunken fellows were still sound asleep while the others rummaged through the Cave Dwelling, gathering everything they might need.
Their judgment was accurate; after a brief moment of panic, the farmers turned their anger towards them, the outsiders. After all, the Royal Daughter-in-Law had been fine before entering the bridal chamber, and Chao Yifan had publicly slit Old Shepherd's throat.
As a group prepared to make their escape, they opened the courtyard door only to be blinded by torches outside. Dozens of men and women surrounded Old Shepherd's gate, holding torches and oil lamps. Many were dressed only in vests and shorts, their sleepiness still evident on their faces.
Ming Junwei felt a sense of dread as he surveyed the unfriendly faces before him. The clubs, knives, and axes in their hands made their intentions clear.
"You planning to run?" The leader of the group was a man in his fifties with disheveled hair and red-rimmed eyes. He was broad-shouldered and stood tall.
Ming Junwei met his gaze for a moment before replying calmly, "What do you want?"
"An eye for an eye."
"We can talk about this."
"No need to talk. Leave that bald guy behind and you can go." The man pointed directly at Chao Yifan, who was holding the Great Knife. "He's the one who killed my uncle."
Chao Yifan smacked his lips, an inscrutable expression flashing in his eyes before he grinned sheepishly. "It's me; I'll stay behind. Let them go."
"Yi Fan!" Cao Liang nudged him, trying to shield the defiant bald man with his body. Xiao Wei pulled back the gun's bolt, raising the dark muzzle slightly, waiting for Ming Junwei's command.
The leading man’s gaze was piercing as he waved his hand, clearing a path for the villagers behind him. “You can leave.”
“What’s your name?” Ming Junwei asked suddenly, not moving.
The man glanced at him and replied in somewhat unrefined Mandarin, “Jia Changfa.”
“Brother Changfa, your uncle has mentioned that we live in a society governed by law.” Ming Junwei gestured for Xiao Wei to lower his gun. Noticing Jia Changfa's silence, he continued, “It’s true that killing requires retribution; we need to let the authorities handle this.”
“What do you mean?” Jia Changfa hesitated. “Are you from the Town Government?”
“Your uncle said there are troops nearby. If you take us to them, the soldiers can help you seek justice. How does that sound?” Ming Junwei observed the villagers' expressions with some trepidation. This village was remote, and he wasn’t sure if he could sway these people.
“Don’t think you can fool us; these young men are soldiers.” Jia Changfa shot a glance at Xiaomi and Xiao Wei, sneering. “Do you think we’re simpletons?”
“Brother Ming, there’s no need to waste words with him.” Chao Yifan stepped forward with a cold smile. “You all retreat first; let’s see what they can do to me.”
“This isn’t the time to show off!” Ming Junwei felt overwhelmed, increasingly frustrated. They hadn’t had much trouble with zombies on the way; it was all about dealing with living people.
“I know, which is why I’m telling you to retreat first.” Chao Yifan leaned closer to Ming Junwei and lowered his voice. “Right now, there are women and children around, and two drunks—if things get out of hand, it could be troublesome.”
“Don’t act recklessly; these are all living people, not zombies that you can just slash at.” Ming Junwei treated his warning seriously.
Comment 0 Comment Count