novelraw Chapter 21: He's Truly a Good Person
Chapter 21: He's Truly a Good Person
Chapter 21: He's Truly a Good Person
The brush and paper were peculiar, a style Zhou Shan had never seen before, but in the current situation, they were indeed convenient to use.
However, his drawing skills were limited, so he could only dictate while someone else drew.
Wen Gu drew the map by the firelight.
As he spoke more, his emotions were stirred, and he began to talk about his own experiences.
After all, he had been a County Lieutenant before. His previous command had dealt with a plague in the villages. At the beginning of these chaotic times, he still had some experience with preparedness.
It was just too strange. The world was becoming increasingly difficult, and many of the higher-ranking officials in the county couldn't escape it.
Seeing that the situation in the county town was not right, Zhou Shan, bringing his parents, wife, and children, gathered a few close brothers and left the county town. They went to the neighboring town where his father-in-law lived.
However, as days passed, that place also descended into chaos.
Food and firewood dwindled day by day. Firewood could be made by splitting furniture, door panels, and other items for temporary use. In abandoned houses within the town, they could find some.Food, however, required periodic expeditions to find replacements.
Because of this, the number of survivors around them was also decreasing.
This time, it was because all the surrounding food had been scavenged by them. Everyone discussed going to a nearby village together and found more grain.
However, Zhou Shan was injured during the evacuation. Although there were no obvious external wounds, it affected his mobility. Less than half a day later, his companions informed him that evil spots had appeared on his arm.
At that time, he didn't suspect anything. He had been mentally prepared for any outcome during each excursion. He just cared about his family at home, expressing his willingness to cover their retreat to buy them time. He also hoped his brothers would send food to his family.
He killed many monsters alone and then came to this post station, filled with despair and desolation, drowning his sorrows in wine.
He had intended to fulfill his duty of eradicating evil and helping the good before he transformed into a monster.
What was disheartening was that even the evil creatures wouldn't enter the post station.
However, Zhou Shan didn't connect this to the wine. He only thought that he was gradually turning into a monster. Those monsters treated him as one of their own, and they didn't want to enter to eat him when they smelled his scent.
"When an evil monster is not interested in living people, it means that this living person can no longer be considered a normal person."
That was his thought at the time, which made him even more despairing, with so many people and things he couldn't let go of in his heart.
He never expected...
He had been deceived!
His brothers, whom he considered as close as family, who among them had he not taken care of and promoted?
Thinking of their hypocritical expressions of reluctance at that time, Zhou Shan's facial muscles tightened, and his grip on the knife tightened. He suppressed his emotions: "In this world, human hearts are the most unpredictable!"
Little Liu was not deeply moved. Although he had seen similar things, the villagers of Ge Village had not gone to such extremes.
Listening to County Lieutenant Zhou's narration, his courage increased, and he couldn't help but ask, "It's been three days, didn't you ever think you weren't possessed by evil spirits?"
Zhou Shan shook his head: "I didn't know how long it would take to turn into a monster. I just felt my mind becoming more and more muddled, thinking I was not far from becoming a monster."
Before Wen Gu and the others arrived, he had already considered taking his own life here.
Little Liu: "Your mind is muddled? Could it be that you drank too much?"
Zhou Shan: "..."
Little Liu did not mean to mock. He was seriously considering the question.
Even the esteemed County Lieutenant was muddled. It seemed that drinking too much indeed made one foolish... cough, in the words of Second Brother Wen, it affected decision-making abilities.
By the time the map was nearly finished, it was already late at night. They all needed to rest and recuperate. Even though Little Liu wanted to chat more with this County Lieutenant, they had to stop for now.
The donkey was not taken to the stable. Leaving it outside alone was too dangerous and could easily attract evil creatures. It was better to bring it into the main hall, as there was no one else.
It had eaten grass outside, so they fed it some remaining concentrated feed and added a bit of coarse wine. It became much more docile.
Even though it had drunk a lot of good wine from Steward Li at the manor, it was not picky about the quality of wine, whether it was clear or coarse.
Even if it were picky, Wen Gu would have adjusted it.
In these times, one couldn't afford to be particular!
The next day, just as dawn broke, barely illuminating the road.
Zhou Shan poured some coarse wine on himself.
He didn't know if those "good" brothers had managed to retain any shred of conscience and had sent his rightful share back home.
But one couldn't rely entirely on conscience.
Since wine could ward off evil, he thought about a small village they would pass by and see if they could find more food to take back.
Carrying his knife and two jars of wine, as carrying more would hinder his movement, Zhou Shan greeted Wen Gu and the others and, enduring his injury, left without delay.
Wen Gu watched the direction County Lieutenant Zhou had departed and then opened the simplified map he had just drawn.
When County Lieutenant Zhou was dictating earlier, Wen Gu had only made a rough sketch, even somewhat abstract. County Lieutenant Zhou couldn't understand it, but seeing that the important lines and the locations of villages and towns were drawn correctly, he didn't ask further questions.
Now, Wen Gu modified and supplemented the rough draft, converting the shorthand symbols he used for notation into detailed illustrations and text.
After some thought, he said to everyone, "Let's stay at the post station for another half-day. I'll finish the map and determine the route before we set off. We should try not to spend the night in the wild; there should be places to rest."
Little Liu had no objections and felt that Wen Gu was being thoughtful.
Tietou was indecisive and followed orders completely.
Daoist Master Qingyi, however, looked at Wen Gu a few more times. He felt that this "dog scholar" was hiding something. However, he did not object.
While Wen Gu was drawing and planning the route, Little Liu and Tietou also searched the post station for usable items. They found spare clothes or clean canvas tents, organized and bundled firewood, and drew some well water to boil for later use.
The inn had the smell of wine, and no evil creatures approached. The past night and the half-day morning provided a rare moment of respite.
After resting at noon, the four of them packed their belongings and prepared to depart.
There were still several jars of coarse wine left in the inn. Wen Gu only put a few jars in the cart, as he couldn't carry any more.
The rest were left at the post station.
"Wine can ward off evil. This can be communicated to any survivors who come here in the future."
Wen Gu tore off a piece of paper and wrote a few concise suggestions with a charcoal pencil.
There was no ostentatious display of skill; the handwriting was neat and orderly, stroke by stroke. The language used was simple and direct, without obscure characters or complex vocabulary.
Little Liu could understand it at a glance.
Wen Gu said, "If any survivors like that County Lieutenant Zhou come here and don't have his combat ability, the suggestions on the paper might be able to turn the tide and save them.
"In this chaotic world, the primary conflict is between humans and evil spirits.
"Every extra person who survives adds a helper to our side and reduces an enemy."
Little Liu nodded repeatedly, filled with respect.
People who read the Classics are truly different!
After Wen Gu finished writing, he frowned slightly, "Let's add a drawing, in case someone can't read well."
Little Liu continued to nod: Second Brother Wen is truly a good person!
In their village, many people were illiterate. Even some of the officials in the county, despite their eloquent speech, might not know as many characters as he did.
Wen Gu considered everything for them, like the scholars with noble virtues in the storybooks.
Little Liu's gaze turned to admiration.
Daoist Master Qingyi, looking at the scene before him, felt no emotion. Instead, he found it strange.
Knowing this "dog scholar's" character, seeing what he wrote and said, it seemed... overly sentimental.
This "dog scholar" had more than just this in mind, didn't he?
Was he doing this specifically for someone or some people to see?
Could he be trying to lure someone in?!
End of the chapter