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Chapter 56 Caravan
Who?
Zhou You instinctively gripped the knife in his arms, while subtly arching his body slightly, assuming a posture ready to charge out at any moment.

The few days spent in the no-man's-land had indeed made him lower his guard, to the point that he never expected there would be anything to call out to him now.

—I just don't know if it's a ghost or a demon?
But when he looked up, he saw a sight he had never imagined.

That's a person.

And it wasn't just one or two people, it was more than ten.

Everyone looked travel-worn, but their appearances were unmistakably human. The leader was a middle-aged man in his thirties, who was leading a donkey and walking towards Zhou You with a smile.

"Young man, don't be too nervous. We mean no harm. We just didn't expect to see a living person in this godforsaken place. We were surprised and that's why we spoke up to greet you. Please forgive us if we were impolite."

Zhou You didn't reply immediately.

He first glanced at his wrist.

The copper bell hung there silently, without any sign of ringing.

Then he raised his eyes and looked at the caravan.

They all looked like businessmen who were constantly on the go. The only strange thing was that their complexions were very ruddy, and their skin even had a layer of oily sheen.

—That's strange. There's no water for miles around, so how come these people look so good?

Zhou You pondered for a few seconds, but ultimately shook his head.

Judging from their appearance, the people in the caravan certainly had no ill intentions; they were simply curious.

So Zhou You loosened his grip on the dagger in his arms, just about to rush forward—

But he immediately remembered something, shifted his position to the side, inadvertently covering the old Taoist's head, and then, as he stood up, he subtly moved his right hand to cover the old Taoist's head back into the bag.

—As the saying goes, family scandals should not be aired in public. Master, you're already in such a state, you'd better just stay in the sack.
-
There is an old Chinese saying, "Meeting an old friend in a foreign land."

It is said that when people meet someone from their hometown in a foreign land, they will inevitably be filled with joy.

The scene is now even more extreme. In a desolate wilderness that has long been a dead end, we actually encountered several living, breathing people. This feeling is naturally quite different.

Naturally, the two quickly hit it off.

However, it was mostly the people in the caravan who were making noise, and Zhou You only occasionally chimed in with a word or two.

"Speaking of which, young man, where are you from? In such a chaotic world, why are you sleeping alone in the wilderness?"

The caravan leader sat cross-legged on the other side of the campfire, throwing a piece of charcoal into the fire while seemingly asking a question casually.

Zhou You looked the face over and, finding no hint of provocation, smiled.

"I'm glad you know, brother. I'm from Mang Village, which isn't far from here. My family had some food stored up, and we managed to hold on for a while when the disaster first started. Unfortunately, the drought just won't end. A while ago, we almost ran out of our last bit of food, and my parents died of a fever. I had no choice but to gather the last of my possessions and see if I could go to Changhua County to seek refuge with relatives and beg for a bite to eat."

Upon hearing these words, before the caravan leader could reply, a hissing sound came from the bag beside him.

Zhou You kicked the person opposite him without making it obvious, and then heard them say something.

"You're a person with a hard life, but don't worry, we're heading to Changhua County. Once we get to the county town, everything will be fine. Everyone has food now, so you won't go hungry."

Zhou You frowned slightly.

"Brother, you mean the county town wasn't hit by the disaster?"

The caravan leader laughed.

"Don't call me 'brother' anymore, it sounds embarrassing. My surname is Li, and I'm the leader of this trading team. Just call me Head Li."

No sooner had he said that than teasing voices came from the side.

"What Li Tou? You're just a fake!" "Li Gui, you really think you're something special. With just a few people, you dare to call yourself the boss. Once you bring in a few more, will you start calling yourself Master Li?"

The caravan leader spat back at all those voices before smiling at Zhou You.

"A bunch of good-for-nothings, please excuse our poor performance, young man—by the way, where were we?"

Zhou You didn't pay any attention and simply replied casually.

"—Speaking of the county town, was it spared from the disaster?"

"That's it!" Li suddenly slapped his thigh and said. "This damn heavens! The entire Cangzhou has been suffering from drought for a whole year, not a drop of rain has fallen. How could the county be alright? To tell you the truth, all the fields around the county have withered and died. Not to mention crops, even the most drought-resistant willows can't survive. Even the river on the edge of the county has dried up completely!"

"Then how come you say you can find food in the county town?"

The other person chuckled, revealing a peculiar smile.

"There's no normal food to eat, but... we have the Grand Duke Jupiter."

Zhou You's expression hardened.

He heard that word again after leaving the pig demon's lair.

"Excuse me, may I ask who this 'Grand Duke Jupiter' is?"

Li looked Zhou You up and down for a while, and his smile became even more mysterious.

"Young man, you've been hiding in the village all this time, so it's normal that you don't know. As for the Grand Duke Jupiter... well, you'll see for yourself."

The man clapped his hands, and everyone who was sitting idly suddenly stood up.

Their movements were so synchronized, as if they had been waiting for a long time.

And
Zhou You looked up.

Everyone's face wore a look of longing.

It's like someone who has been wandering in the desert for days finally seeing an oasis, or someone who has been starving for half their life finally getting a full meal. What's revealed is no longer desire, but a devout faith as if thanking the gods for their blessings.

Zhou You had seen this kind of expression before.

That was a drug addict from a village who had just been released from a drug rehabilitation center but had relapsed.

The moment he was about to take his first puff, his face displayed an expression of intense longing, immense joy, and utter devotion.

At the leader's command, the men rushed forward and eagerly unloaded several large boxes from the pack animals, then took out some items from them.

Even though they were so impatient, these people still moved with extreme gentleness, as if those things were treasures more precious than their own lives, and they were afraid that they might break them if they were not careful.

At this moment, Li's voice rang out again.

"This is the flesh of the Tai Sui, young man. Does it look beautiful to you?"

pretty?

Zhou You glanced at it, then remained silent.

In his view, what he held in his hands as a treasure was not the soft, slime mold aggregate he knew in reality, but a writhing mass of flesh with several deformed hands and feet growing in the middle.

As the chunk of meat slid along, a mouth appeared. Although there was no sound, Zhou You could still make out a few words from the mouth movements.

"help me."

(End of this chapter)