Return of the Pearl

The night, like thick ink, deeply enveloped the vast earth. The deep sky seemed to be covered by a dark curtain, and not a single starlight could be found.

In this dead silent wilderness, a blazing bonfire burned wildly like a dancing red flame. The jumping flames danced happily, casting shadowy figures of a group of people.

They sat around the campfire, their rough hands skillfully turning the roasted food. The aroma of the food permeated the air, intertwining with the smoke from the burning campfire, forming a unique atmosphere of the wilderness.

The light from the campfire reflected on their faces, some ferocious, some tired, some indifferent. Every expression seemed particularly vivid and real against the backdrop of the fire, and the jumping flames seemed to be spying on their every move, witnessing the existence of this group of people in this dark wilderness.

At this moment, a slightly timid voice suddenly sounded in the silent night sky, like a stone thrown into a calm lake, breaking the original tranquility. "Boss, if we kill those people, will there really be no problem?"

Li Ergou lowered his head, his eyes dodging, not daring to look at others. His voice trembled slightly, as if it was squeezed out from the depths of his throat. His fingers were tightly twisted together, and his joints turned white due to the force, showing his extreme inner anxiety and fear.

The voice echoed in the empty wilderness, with a hint of hesitation and worry, forming a sharp contrast with the surrounding silence. The flames of the campfire seemed to be disturbed by the sound, jumping more violently, as if silently responding to Li Ergou's question.

The man called the boss was dressed in black clothes as dark as night. Under the light of the fire, he looked particularly eerie and terrifying. The black material seemed to absorb all the light, making him look like a demon walking out of the dark abyss.

His brows were tightly furrowed, like a tangled mess of hemp, his expression full of irritation and impatience. His eyes were cold and sharp, like a blade in the cold night, able to pierce through a person's soul. The veins on his forehead bulged slightly, like a winding little snake, revealing his inner anger.

He shouted at Li Ergou with a hint of impatience, "Li Ergou, you idiot! Do you think this is our first day doing this? We're living on the edge of a knife, and the blood on our hands is countless! As long as we obey the adults' orders, we can have food and drink. Why are you still nagging here?"

After saying that, he took a big bite of the golden and crispy barbecue in his hand. There was still a trace of oil stain at the corner of his mouth. In the light of the fire, it had a greasy luster. He ate fiercely and rudely, as if he wanted to vent all his dissatisfaction on the food.

The others also turned their heads, their faces, some ferocious and some indifferent, looking particularly ferocious in the flickering firelight. They all looked at Li Ergou with contempt, their eyes filled with disdain and contempt.

One of them shouted, "That's right, Li Ergou, don't worry about it! There's nothing to be afraid of!" His voice was sharp and piercing, and it was particularly abrupt in the silent night sky.

Another person mocked: "You are as cowardly as a mouse! Look at how ugly you are, you really embarrass us!" He raised the corners of his mouth and showed a contemptuous smile, which was full of sarcasm towards Li Ergou.

They accused Li Ergou one after another, and their words were like knives stabbing into Li Ergou's heart, making him feel extremely embarrassed and awkward.

A trace of panic and uneasiness appeared on Li Ergou's face, and his expression was like that of a frightened deer. His eyes were wandering, and from time to time he looked in the direction where the people they had intercepted and killed had left. His heart was full of thoughts, and he thought to himself: These people are indeed different from those who were intercepted and killed before.

The people he met before would panic and beg for mercy when facing the threat of death, and would do anything to survive. However, the people they intercepted and killed today showed an extremely firm belief. Even if they faced death, they would do their best to protect the two people and let them escape. That feeling was so strange that it filled his heart with doubts and uneasiness, which was tangled in his heart like a tangled mess and could not be shaken off.

At this time, the flames of the bonfire were still dancing tirelessly and happily, and the dancing posture seemed to be mocking the ignorance and cruelty of this group of people. In the wilderness, only the noisy voices of this group of people were echoing in the air, and the dancing flames made the surroundings flicker.

All of these are intertwined together to form a picture full of darkness and sin, which makes people feel sad and lament for this cruel scene. In this silent wilderness, it seems that everything is shrouded in the shadow of sin and cannot be escaped.

Jinan Prefecture

Qianlong was deeply immersed in endless worries. His handsome brows were tightly furrowed, like a tangled mess of yarn, twisted into a knot that could not be untied. Between his brows, there was a strong and unresolvable uneasiness, which enveloped him like a haze.

There was always an inexplicable surge of strong worry in his heart, like a tide, hitting his soul wave after wave. That worry seemed to have a mysterious force pulling him, making him feel as if something extremely bad was about to happen, filling his heart with fear and hesitation.

Tomorrow is the important day when the relief grain will arrive. Qianlong's heart is full of worries and concerns. He is really worried about this batch of grain that is related to the livelihood of the people, for fear that there will be even the slightest mistake with them.

Those people were all extremely vicious guys. They would do anything crazy to achieve their goals. When Qianlong thought of this, he felt as if a huge rock was pressing on his heart. He frowned even tighter, and the deep wrinkles on his brows seemed to tell of his inner uneasiness and anxiety.

All kinds of possible bad situations kept emerging in his mind, and the hideous faces of those evil people kept flashing before his eyes, making him more and more frightened and restless.

Xiao Yun slowly walked up to Qianlong. She stretched out her slender hand, gently smoothed his frown, and said softly, "Hongli, don't frown anymore. If you do, it won't look good."

Qianlong took Xiao Yun into his arms and hugged her tightly. Under her gentle comfort, his restless heart gradually settled down. A warm smile appeared on his face, and he said softly, "Okay, I'll do as you say."

The two of them lay in bed, leaning against each other. Qianlong gently stroked Xiao Yun's hair, and they chatted in low voices. Unconsciously, their hearts slowly calmed down. In this quiet night, they fell asleep in each other's arms, as if all the troubles in the world had gone away.