novelraw Chapter 20: A Perfectly Ordinary Scholar
Chapter 20: A Perfectly Ordinary Scholar
Chapter 20: A Perfectly Ordinary Scholar
Wen Gu, the scholar, seemed unable to watch any longer and broke the silence, his voice gentle but clear:
"Daoist Master's smoke bombs were for fumigating evil creatures just now."
He paused, then added, "Evil creatures also dislike the smell of alcohol."
Therefore, apart from being choked by the thick smoke at the very beginning, you, who were neither stimulated by the smoke bombs nor guzzled down alcohol, are likely… perhaps… extremely likely, a normal person.
It was as if he was directly telling him—
Brother, I knew you weren't possessed by evil spirits when I saw you guzzling alcohol.
Either you were scaring yourself, or you were deceived!
The young man, who had been frozen, felt a strong surge of emotions within him at this moment, a mix of surviving joy and explosive rage at being deceived.
His eyes were filled with ferocity, and the hand holding the wine flask bulged with veins.He gritted through clenched teeth, his voice filled with hatred:
"I'll flay them alive!!"
*Crack!*
The wine flask was broken with one hand.
Wen Gu glanced at the calloused hand, which was almost intact.
His combat power isn't bad!
It seemed much higher than Little Liu the Hunter's.
At the same time, the youth, who had been casually sitting on the ground, sprang up as if he had been set on fire. He tore off his clothes and rushed towards the guest room.
His leg seemed to have been injured, and he stumbled.
Then, a clatter of rummaging through boxes and cabinets could be heard from the guest room.
The four people: "..."
A moment later.
The person inside came out.
He had changed into clothes from the post station's guest room wardrobe, and his entire body, except for his eyes, was covered with a cloth towel, even over his nose and mouth.
After tidying himself up, the man used a long stick to poke the discarded old clothes and shoes into a corner.
These were stained with filthy blood; it was a blessing from the ancestors that he wasn't possessed by evil spirits!
Seeing the man's actions, Tietou remained confused, and Little Liu finally understood.
Huh? This person thought he was possessed?
How could he be so foolish!
Wen Gu, however, understood.
Information was not accessible; Little Liu had already received a lot of knowledge about the epidemic of evil, but survivors elsewhere might not know this.
Moreover, there was likely human malice mixed in. It was difficult for someone caught in it to see clearly at first.
At this moment, the man walked over.
His entire mental state was completely different from before; the negative emotions were suppressed, and he became more energetic.
He cupped his hands: "I am Zhou Shan, a humble County Lieutenant of this Tang County."
Little Liu the Hunter couldn't help but mumble, "A humble… County Lieutenant…"
That was an important subordinate of the County Magistrate, someone who could lead troops to suppress bandits!
How mighty!
In the eyes of the people of Ge Village, the County Lieutenant was someone they could only look up to. If they could become a County Lieutenant, their family's ancestral graves would surely be emitting auspicious smoke!
They wouldn't even dare to dream of it!
Zhou Shan also observed the four people at this time.
He could tell Little Liu's thoughts from his shocked expression. And beside him, the somewhat dazed and simple-looking tall man – these two didn't need much attention.
He looked at Wen Gu and Daoist Master Qingyi.
It was mainly these two. They clearly had extraordinary status and must have experienced much of the world.
The Daoist Master's reaction was indeed rather indifferent. In the past, a County Lieutenant would not have entered his circle of interest.
As for Wen Gu, he replied politely at this moment:
"I am Wen Gu, a perfectly ordinary scholar in these chaotic times."
Daoist Master Qingyi: "..." He felt the urge to roll his eyes again!
Wen Gu briefly introduced his cousin, the Daoist Master, and Little Liu, telling the County Lieutenant Zhou that they were heading north to visit relatives and were just passing through and staying for one night.
Wen Gu then looked at the red mark on County Lieutenant Zhou's forehead and said apologetically, "Just now..."
County Lieutenant Zhou raised his hand to interrupt: "It's a small matter. I should thank you for the reminder!"
The ferocity in County Lieutenant Zhou's eyes had subsided, replaced by anxiety and worry.
He glanced outside the post station.
The sky had already darkened outside. It got dark quickly these days, and going out now wouldn't get them far.
No matter how anxious he was, he could only leave tomorrow.
He borrowed fire from Wen Gu and the others.
He was more familiar with the layout of the post station and the remaining supplies, and he also informed Wen Gu.
When the chaotic times began, the important supplies of various post stations had been searched by passing wealthy families, mainly for feed for their draft animals and food for people. As for coarse clothing and jars of heavy coarse wine, wealthy families in a hurry to escape didn't care for them.
Therefore, it was very difficult to find food in the post station, but coarse cloth clothing could still be found.
The post station's kitchen was small and somewhat messy. Wen Gu and the other three directly found firewood and set up a fire in the main hall to boil water and cook.
Zhou Shan maintained a comfortable distance from them.
Wen Gu quietly discussed with his three teammates and gave Zhou Shan a bowl of soup.
Zhou Shan was very surprised.
He had survived for three days relying on the coarse wine here and the occasional pieces of stale dry biscuits found in the post station. He was indeed very hungry.
He had originally been thinking about how to exchange for some food with Wen Gu and the others, and if all else failed, to resort to some despicable means.
He couldn't help it. The times were difficult now, and his family was waiting. He needed food to recover his strength quickly so he could rush back tomorrow. He didn't know if his family was safe after all these days.
Unexpectedly, Wen Gu, the scholar, still retained some benevolent heart and voluntarily shared a bowl of food with him.
In these chaotic times, food was precious, and no one was willing to share their rations.
Had he encountered a good person?
Having just experienced betrayal by a companion, his vigilance had not yet diminished.
Seeing that the soup was indeed scooped from the same pot, Wen Gu and the others also started eating.
Zhou Shan took it, pulled down the face towel covering his nose and mouth, and without minding the heat, blew on it slightly before eagerly drinking it down.
The replenishment of food did help his weakened body recover faster. He cupped his hands in a bow and said solemnly, "Thank you!"
The food was real, and he was deeply moved. He felt ashamed of his earlier despicable thoughts and said with a serious expression, "I have no way to repay this kindness. If you need anything..."
Wen Gu immediately retorted: "We need something now!"
Zhou Shan: "..."
Daoist Master Qingyi beside him almost burst out laughing.
Was the food given by that "dog scholar" so easily accepted?
You could never guess what wicked thoughts were hidden beneath his ordinary exterior!
Despite his inner complaints, the Daoist Master maintained his demeanor of an elder, appearing indifferent, his eyelids slightly lowered, as if he paid no attention to his surroundings.
Zhou Shan was just stunned for a moment, then said, "Please speak."
Wen Gu handed over his notebook and charcoal pencil: "County Lieutenant Zhou, you are more familiar with this county. We are traveling north through this county, but we don't know the road conditions, the distribution of villages and towns, which places to avoid, or if a donkey cart can pass..."
Wen Gu stated his needs one by one, which was essentially asking County Lieutenant Zhou to draw a simple map. Even if his drawing skills were poor, he could describe it verbally in as much detail as possible, and Wen Gu would draw it himself.
This way, he could both confirm Zhou Shan's identity and obtain the information he wanted.
If the other party's identity was genuine, then the information he possessed would be relatively new.
In these chaotic times, when fleeing from disaster, information was extremely important.
Zhou Shan didn't think too much about it at this moment. Wen Gu's requests were very reasonable, and he felt more at ease being able to repay this kindness.
Under the filter of kindness, he felt that this scholar, while benevolent, was also quite forthright and direct.