Chapter 16: Home?

Amidst the wind and snow, Xu Qing returned to the courtyard. Before he even entered, he heard Captain Lei's cheerful laughter from inside. As barks echoed, Xu Qing pushed open the door and saw over a dozen wild dogs in the courtyard. They lay there, staring coldly at Xu Qing. Xu Qing's gaze swept over them; he didn't project any sharp aura, but with just a glance, the dogs bristled and slowly retreated.

A light exclamation came from Captain Lei's room. As the door opened, Shizi and Luanya emerged. They looked at Xu Qing, then at the wild dogs, and Shizi smiled slightly.

"Kid, they say you have a very heavy aura of malevolence," Luanya said, squatting down to gently stroke the head of a wild dog beside her, smiling at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing remained silent, looking at Captain Lei who was now stepping out of the room. Captain Lei, wearing a thick fur coat and holding a tobacco pipe, gestured towards Luanya as he walked out, speaking with a hint of helplessness. "This girl, Luanya, thinks I'm injured and is worried about my safety in the camp, so she insisted on bringing these dozen-plus wild dogs to guard the place."

The sentence was simple, but Xu Qing understood its underlying meaning. Captain Lei hadn't told them about Xu Qing, just as Xu Qing hadn't mentioned the singing, allowing Captain Lei to decide for himself. Similarly, Captain Lei entrusted Xu Qing with the decision of whether or not to reveal this matter.

Xu Qing nodded, took out a leather pouch containing white pills, and handed it to Captain Lei. Captain Lei took it, glanced inside, smiled, and made no polite fuss. "Alright, I do need this stuff. But don't buy it anymore in the future; I have plenty of savings to get it myself," he said, then looked at Shizi. "Shizi, the kid's back too. You can say whatever you need to say now."

Shizi's smile faded, his expression solemn, as he slowly began. "We came here for two reasons this time. First, Captain's medicine. Luanya and I have already bought about a month's supply. As for the rest, we'll buy more once this runs out." As he spoke, Shizi unfastened a leather pouch from his waist and set it aside.

"Secondly, regarding the Blood Shadow team's demise, although other scavengers also participated in the seven-leaf grass harvesting before, none collected as much as we did. Yesterday, Luanya and I went to the camp leader to hand over the goods and collect the reward. However... the leader, as usual, held back part of it. He only gave us one Purity Pill instead of three," Shizi said, looking at Luanya.

Luanya took out four leather pouches and set them aside, then produced a wooden box. She opened it in front of everyone, revealing a pigeon-egg-sized green pill inside. A medicinal aroma diffused, clearly indicating this pill was far superior to the white ones.

"Man Gui had no family, so I decided to distribute his share. These four pouches contain our individual spirit coins. As for this Purity Pill..." At this point, Shizi looked at Captain Lei, awaiting his decision on its distribution.

"Give it to the kid," Captain Lei said indifferently. In that moment, some of the formidable aura of the Thunder Captain seemed to return to him. Shizi nodded. Luanya paused, then looked thoughtful. They had previously asked Captain Lei what happened in the jungle, but he hadn't said. This distribution, however, clearly provided an answer.

"As for Man Gui... distributing his share is the right thing to do. We are his family now."

Captain Lei sighed softly and picked up his share. Shizi and Luanya each took theirs as well. Xu Qing silently picked up a leather pouch too. When Luanya handed him the Purity Pill, Xu Qing took it and glanced at Captain Lei. Captain Lei's eyes held a sternness that Xu Qing understood, so he quietly put the pill away.

The four talked for a while longer, mostly Shizi and the other two speaking, while Xu Qing, as always, remained quiet, listening intently. However, neither Shizi nor Luanya ignored Xu Qing's presence; they occasionally asked for his opinion.

Time passed, and noon quickly arrived. As the wind and snow temporarily ceased, Shizi and Luanya decided to depart. Before leaving, Shizi spoke to Xu Qing in a low voice. "Kid, Luanya and I have taken on a mission and will be out for a while. During this time... the captain is in your care." With that, he took out a dagger and handed it to Xu Qing. "Your dagger is rusty. Take this one instead; it's very sharp."

Luanya also handed Xu Qing a whistle. "Kid, you're strong in combat, but you also need eyes and helpers, right? This whistle can simply control the wild dogs in the camp. If you need them, you can blow it, and they're smart enough to know what to do."

After giving their instructions, the two clasped their fists towards Xu Qing, bade farewell, and left. Watching their retreating figures, Xu Qing put away the whistle and tucked the dagger from Shizi into his boot. However, he didn't discard his old one. He then looked up, gazing at their figures until Shizi and Luanya disappeared from sight. Xu Qing then turned his head to look at Captain Lei's room.

After a while, he walked past the wild dogs and returned to the dwelling. Closing his eyes, he sat cross-legged in meditation.

Outside, a strong wind howled, sweeping across the land. Snow from the sky mingled with snow from the ground mid-air, and the wind seeped through gaps in tents and dwellings, disturbing the people inside. It also blew upon Captain Lei, who was resting inside his dwelling, but having long been accustomed to it, he paid no mind to the cold wind. Yet, an image of Xu Qing shrinking from the cold wind appeared in his mind. So, he turned his head towards Xu Qing's dwelling, and after a moment of silence, he put on his fur hat and walked out.

Time passed quickly; three days went by in a flash. During these three days, it seemed as if the snowflakes were expending their last efforts, spreading their lingering chill. They fell ceaselessly, and the snow on the ground accumulated into a thick layer, melting too slowly to keep up. Although the weather was severe, for scavengers, survival was more important than the cold. Consequently, the camp gradually became more populated; some continued to seek medical attention, while others headed to the forbidden zone.

Meanwhile, the prolonged absence of the Blood Shadow team slowly became a topic of discussion among the scavengers. Rumors, whose origin was unclear, began to spread that the entire Blood Shadow team had been annihilated in the forbidden zone. Few believed these rumors at first, as every member of the Blood Shadow team was formidable. Especially the Blood Shadow Captain, who was one of the strongest scavengers in the camp. It was unlikely that such a person, having ventured into the forbidden zone countless times, would suffer complete annihilation.

However, as time passed and two more days went by without any trace of the Blood Shadow members, the scavengers in the camp gradually came to believe the rumors. They also recalled Captain Lei's unconscious state on the day he returned. And when they linked this to Man Gui's disappearance, everything seemed to make sense. Regardless of the truth, with the Blood Shadow team gone, the Thunder team was now the strongest in the camp.

Thus, whenever Xu Qing went out these days, what he saw most were the respectful gazes from the surrounding scavengers. He knew these people respected the Thunder team, not him personally, but he didn't mind. What puzzled him these past few days was Captain Lei's habit of leaving early and returning late, busy with unknown tasks. But Xu Qing knew that everyone was independent and didn't need to be disturbed. He also had many things to do himself, so most of the time, Xu Qing practiced quietly alone in his dwelling. With this effort, his cultivation slowly improved, and his strength and speed steadily increased.

As for his own shadow, Xu Qing had studied it numerous times. However, the shadow itself remained unchanged, except for its absorption of foreign substances, which continued as before. This meant the mutated spots on Xu Qing's arm had now completely vanished. The purity within his body allowed Xu Qing to clearly feel that his cultivation speed was much faster than before.

Two days later, in the afternoon, as he sat cross-legged, preparing to solidify his cultivation for a few more days before attempting to break through to the fourth level of the Sea Mountain Art, he slightly frowned and opened his eyes.

Outside, wild dogs barked, and the bamboo door was knocked upon. Stepping out of his dwelling, Xu Qing noticed Captain Lei was absent. He looked towards the bamboo door and saw a scavenger standing there, looking hesitant. Xu Qing had seen this person before; he was one of the seven or eight people Xu Qing had saved when he returned from the forbidden zone earlier. Upon noticing Xu Qing's appearance, the scavenger quickly clasped his fists.

"Brother Kid, it's me, Bone Knife!"

"What is it?" Xu Qing asked, his expression unreadable, his voice calm.

"Well..." Bone Knife hesitated, but after a brief thought, he gritted his teeth and spoke. "Brother Kid, I want to buy a form of insurance from you using five white pills." With that, he first tossed a leather pouch towards Xu Qing.

Xu Qing didn't catch it, looking at Bone Knife with confusion. The pouch the other man threw landed on the ground, and the wild dogs nearby all looked at it but dared not approach. Noticing Xu Qing's confusion, Bone Knife at the bamboo door quickly explained. Listening to his words, Xu Qing gradually understood the meaning of this so-called "insurance."

According to Bone Knife, he wanted Xu Qing, if he didn't return within three days, to go to the vicinity of the Poison Dragon Pond in the forbidden zone and rescue him, just like last time. "Brother Kid, I'm not worried about the strange beasts in the forbidden zone; dying at their hands is fate. My biggest concern is the mist. It's just too frustrating to die in the mist."

Xu Qing's expression was a little strange; he hadn't expected such a request. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "What if there's no mist within three days, or if you return early?"

"You don't need to return the pills. I'm just buying peace of mind," Bone Knife said, bowing deeply to Xu Qing, his expression pleading.

Xu Qing was silent. He looked at the leather pouch, then nudged it with his toe to pick it up. He opened it and looked inside. Inside were five white pills. Although he didn't need them, they were hard currency in the camp. So, after some thought, he felt the matter wasn't impossible. After pondering, Xu Qing nodded.

Seeing Xu Qing agree, Bone Knife breathed a sigh of relief. He clasped his fists in thanks and then departed. Xu Qing held the leather pouch, his eyes narrowed. He was naturally cautious and didn't fully trust the other's words. However, he thought it was unlikely to be a trap. If the mist didn't rise, he wouldn't have to go. And if the other party could accurately predict the timing of the mist three days in advance, they wouldn't need to scheme against others in this manner. Still, he remained cautious, planning to make his final decision when the time came. He then turned and returned to his dwelling, resuming his meditation. A night passed.

The next morning, Xu Qing, having just finished his cultivation, looked up and glanced outside his dwelling. He heard the sound of dogs barking. Stepping outside, Xu Qing witnessed a strange sight: Captain Lei was packing things, tying large and small bundles onto the wild dogs. Some of the dogs had their tongues hanging out, and a few were almost flattened by the weight.

"Finished cultivating? Come on, I'm taking you somewhere." Captain Lei wiped some sweat, smiled, and spoke. He then patted a nearby wild dog, opened the bamboo gate, and beckoned to Xu Qing. Xu Qing, puzzled, followed him. The wild dogs also trailed behind. Thus, two people and a pack of dogs walked through the camp.

They moved from the middle ring to the inner ring area, where there were many shops, and most of the dwellings were sturdy-looking brick and tile structures. They arrived in front of a large courtyard containing four separate brick and tile dwellings. Each was considerably better than Xu Qing's previous lodging, sturdier and more solid. Gazing at the place, Xu Qing turned to look at Captain Lei.

"From now on, this will be our new home," Captain Lei said with a smile.

"New home?" Xu Qing was startled. The word "home" evoked a familiar yet foreign feeling within him.

"I've been busy for most of my life and saved quite a bit. Since my body isn't what it used to be, I might as well move into a bigger place and enjoy myself." Captain Lei chuckled heartily, then walked ahead, taking bundles off the wild dogs and starting to get busy.

Xu Qing stood there, then slowly walked in after a while. Gazing at the blue bricks on the ground and the dwellings before him, he felt somewhat dazed. Even when Captain Lei called him to help, he still felt a little unaccustomed.

After half a day of busyness, when night fell once more, the cold wind still howled outside, the snow still fell, and the whistling sounds rose and fell. Xu Qing and Captain Lei sat by the stove in the dwelling, feeling the warmth wash over them as a comforting heat filled the entire room. The walls here had no cracks, and not a bit of cold wind could seep in. Xu Qing quickly noticed this, feeling a pleasant warmth envelop his body.

"Not cold anymore, are you?" Captain Lei asked with a smile.

"No, I'm not," Xu Qing nodded. As he looked at Captain Lei, a faint glow seemed to appear in Xu Qing's eyes, reflected by the firelight from the stove. He truly wasn't cold anymore. In this warmth, Xu Qing even felt a tremor deep within his heart.

For a long, long time, when Captain Lei left and returned to his room, Xu Qing remained alone by the stove, murmuring, "Home?"

At that moment, in the adjacent dwelling, Captain Lei, back in his room, still had a lingering smile on his face, but soon his complexion became flushed. He covered his mouth and coughed a few times, then forcefully swallowed a hint of bloody saltiness in his mouth. With a soft sigh, he stood by the window, looking up towards the forbidden zone, his eyes filled with recollection, and murmured, "I really want... to see it one more time."