Chapter 57
“Isn’t that Wang Hu?”
Old Li exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the man being carried over on a stretcher.
Wang Hu? Could that be the boss lady’s husband?
Tang Yu’an remembered that Grandpa Li had mentioned that the boss lady of the Jade Pavillion Inn had a husband who was the captain of the town’s guard. The couple supported each other and lived quite well in this apocalyptic world.
He couldn’t help but stand on tiptoe to get a better look at Wang Hu on the stretcher.
As the captain of the guard, Wang Hu was indeed robust. He was lying face down, so his face was obscured, and his upper body was bare without any clothing.
From a distance, one could see that his back was covered with festering sores. Even the intact skin had an abnormal crimson hue, making him look as if he had been roasted—quite horrifying.
“I heard that Wang Hu was burned by fire snakes; I’m afraid there’s no cure,” someone said.
“Is it that serious? Isn’t it just a burn?” another person asked.
“It’s not just a simple burn; he’s been poisoned by fire!”
People around whispered, discussing in low voices.
“The most renowned doctor in Jufeng Town is Old Zhang. He came to see him and said Wang Hu could only hold on for a few more days. He won’t live long and told Lin Meiyu to prepare for his funeral.”
“Fire poison? That’s the first time I’ve heard of it. Is it poison inherent in the flames?” Old Li joined the conversation.
“Probably. Previously, some people who encountered fire snakes were rescued. A few of them seemed fine when they just returned—they were only licked by the fire tongue once, and the burns weren’t severe.”
“Yes, I saw them. Who would have thought their burns never healed? They developed fevers and started babbling, and the wounds began to fester and spread.”
“Did you see Wang Hu’s back? It’s completely rotten! He was only burned on the shoulder before, but now it’s this serious…”
Everyone spoke, feeling a shared concern.
Some mashed herbal medicine had been applied to Wang Hu’s back. As he was carried into his house, a medicinal scent spread, but it was evident that these remedies couldn’t effectively heal his wounds.
Tang Yu’an recalled hearing the boss lady’s sobs last night and then thought… Wait a minute, fire poison?
He remembered…
Tang Yu’an hurriedly opened his identification atlas and took a look. Sure enough, the mutated lantern fruit could cure fire poison!
However, glancing at the dense crowd around him, he calmed down a bit.
Although he had the Guardian Halo’s protection, it was impossible for him to act in front of so many people.
Brother Qi had analyzed this with him before: the description of the Guardian Halo was—those who are healed by you will not perform any harmful actions against you, and those who witness or hear of your deeds will have their favorability towards you raised to “Respect.”
They had almost figured out how the system’s descriptions worked.
But increasing favorability to “Respect” didn’t necessarily mean they wouldn’t harm him; otherwise, there would be no need to separate it from the previous statement.
In this wasteland world, one must speculate on people’s bottom lines to the greatest extent.
Therefore, exposing himself in front of everyone was something Tang Yu’an would never do. But… perhaps he could privately go find the boss lady?
At this moment, the boss lady Lin Meiyu came over.
She followed beside the stretcher with an expressionless face. Although her fatigue was evident, she didn’t show the slightest vulnerability in front of outsiders.
Despite this, her appearance still drew a burst of whistles from the crowd.
Many coveted Lin Meiyu, but because of her fierce reputation, they only dared to hide in the crowd and make lewd comments, not daring to appear before her for fear of being cursed.
“This woman is so beautiful, the most gorgeous I’ve seen in my life!”
“Wang Hu is really lucky. Who would have thought his sickly wife would awaken such a powerful ability and even open an inn that charges sky-high prices!”
After Lin Meiyu appeared, the surrounding discussions immediately changed direction, and everyone began to gossip.
Soon, Tang Yu’an learned about the boss lady’s background.
Lin Meiyu had no mother since she was young and was raised by her father, who was an ability user. Although his power wasn’t strong, he lived quite well in the town with his ability.
However, her father was old and knew he didn’t have many years left. Before his death, he adopted Wang Hu from among the town’s orphans, hoping he would take care of his daughter in the future.
Sure enough, within two years, Father Lin passed away.
Wang Hu kept his promise, always taking care of the frail and sickly Lin Meiyu, enduring much ridicule from the townspeople.
Who would have thought that one day Lin Meiyu would suddenly awaken and possess such a powerful ability?
With the establishment of Jade Pavillion Inn and its increasingly prosperous business, Lin Meiyu’s health improved, and she became more and more beautiful, truly living up to her name.
Countless people secretly gnashed their teeth in jealousy.
“Luck? Hahaha, can’t you see Wang Hu lying there dying? He’s unlucky, couldn’t handle it!”
“Well, well, I wonder which guard will benefit from Lin Meiyu in the future? I heard those guys in the guard station are all competing now!”
Hearing their filthy words, Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but frown.
If not for the crowd around, he really wanted to give these foul-mouthed people a sharp reprimand.
“So why is she bringing Wang Hu out now? To find a place to bury him?”
“I remember her ability is ‘speech-ability’—bad things she says come true, but good things don’t. She probably can’t save Wang Hu, right?”
Apparently, there were quite a few people in the crowd who, like Tang Yu’an and the others, had just arrived and didn’t know the situation. Hearing someone finally ask, Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but perk up his ears.
“You don’t know, do you?” Someone said mysteriously. “Because the Mountain Lord has returned!”
“What does the Mountain Lord have to do with Wang Hu?”
“Are you all that dense? Can’t you guess? The Mountain Lord possesses a powerful fire-type ability, and Wang Hu is poisoned by fire…”
“No way! You mean the Mountain Lord is going to detoxify Wang Hu?”
“Yes, as soon as the Mountain Lord returned, she ordered the gathering of those burned by the mutated snakes to detoxify them.”
As soon as these words came out, everyone was in an uproar.
Most people’s faces showed joy. After all, the mutated snakes threatened everyone’s safety. If the Mountain Lord could deal with the fire snakes and detoxify this troublesome fire poison, it would undoubtedly be great news for everyone.
Of course, there were still some who were resentful, complaining in low voices about why the Mountain Lord didn’t come back a few days later. They were quickly silenced after being rebuked by others who couldn’t stand them.
Just as Tang Yu’an was thinking that this Mountain Lord was quite admirable, the crowd became restless again.
“The Mountain Lord is coming! Make way!”
“Make way! Step back!”
With these shouts, people around began to retreat to both sides of the road. Guards with sticks opened the way, maintaining order.
In the chaos, Zhou Qi directly pulled Tang Yu’an into his arms to protect him. The two were quickly squeezed to one side by the crowd, while Old Li was pushed to the other side.
When the pushing and shoving stopped, Tang Yu’an peeked out from Zhou Qi’s arms, curiously looking at the team coming down from the mountain.
He saw a tall figure slowly descending, surrounded by guards in front and behind.
It was a red-haired woman, her hair tied in a neat and capable high ponytail, wearing a deep black combat suit, looking heroic and valiant.
In the somewhat dim morning sunlight, she was like a blazing flame, making people dare not look at her for long, fearing they might be hurt by her sharp aura.
The woman’s features were undoubtedly attractive, but no one would focus on that. Her aura was enough to make everyone overlook her appearance.
With a stern face, the red-haired woman walked toward Jade Pavillion Inn under everyone’s gaze.
But was it just his imagination? Tang Yu’an felt that as she walked past him, she seemed to glance at him.
“The Mountain Lord just looked at me!” a young man nearby suddenly said.
“She was looking at me!”
“Nonsense! Look at yourself in a mirror and see what a mess you are!”
Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but feel embarrassed, thinking that it must have been an illusion just now. Then he quickly collected himself and continued to pay attention to the unfolding events.
“Mountain Lord…”
Seeing the red-haired woman appear, Lin Meiyu, who had been keeping a tight face, finally showed joy. She stepped forward, just about to say something when the woman raised her hand to stop her.
Lin Meiyu stopped speaking and stepped aside, her gaze eagerly shifting between the woman and Wang Hu on the stretcher.
The red-haired woman walked to the stretcher and raised her hand above Wang Hu’s back.
Her hand was about two centimeters above Wang Hu’s wound. Under everyone’s tense gaze, a pale red light appeared from her palm.
The previously dying Wang Hu lying on the stretcher suddenly clenched his fists and let out a scream.
The guards who had carried him quickly pressed down on his body.
As time passed, the sores on his back grew darker in color, and all the crimson gradually concentrated under the area corresponding to the red-haired woman’s palm.
Slowly, a red-black unknown substance seeped out from that area.
Almost in the blink of an eye, as the red-haired woman withdrew her hand, the mass of black-red substance, whether liquid or gas, disappeared.
The struggling and screaming Wang Hu quieted down again.
He lay back on the stretcher, and his crimson skin visibly returned to a normal color. The sores on his back no longer oozed blood; his condition looked much better than before.
Always keeping a tight face and not daring to show any sadness in front of outsiders, Lin Meiyu finally breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this. Tears uncontrollably welled up and flowed down.
“Thank you! Thank you, Mountain Lord…” She almost knelt to the ground.
But at this time, not many people paid attention to her.
Everyone’s gaze was attracted by the red-haired woman, looking at her as if seeing a deity descending from the heavens. Under someone’s lead, those who witnessed this scene began to applaud and cheer.
It was imaginable that after this display, the Mountain Lord’s prestige in Jufeng Mountain would surely rise to a new level.
After removing Wang Hu’s fire poison, the red-haired woman didn’t look at him again but turned to the guard captain who came with her.
“How many people are still poisoned by fire?” she asked.
The guard captain respectfully replied, “About three or four people. They are no longer guards but ordinary civilians.”
“Mm.” She nodded. “Lead the way.”
Upon hearing this, the guard captain didn’t dare to delay and was about to lead her up the mountain.
As the red-haired woman passed by Tang Yu’an and the others again, this time she suddenly stopped.
At this time, the cheering hadn’t stopped yet, and Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi were still feeling the people’s joy.
Such a scene was indeed rare in the apocalyptic world.
When they realized the Mountain Lord had stopped in front of them, Zhou Qi paused, and Tang Yu’an looked up in surprise, then met a pair of black-red eyes.
The woman’s eyes hadn’t fully mutated, with a hint of fiery red in the black. Under the gradually rising sunlight, they were crystal clear, like beautiful gems.
Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but look at her a few more times, then noticed…
The woman’s gaze swept over their area a few times, finally settling on him.
Their eyes met in mid-air.
Tang Yu’an’s body couldn’t help but stiffen.
This Mountain Lord had indeed been looking at him just now! Tang Yu’an was finally certain.
But why?
Could it be that he had exposed something? Facing the gaze of such a powerful ability user, Tang Yu’an felt a bit nervous and puzzled.
“You—”
The red-haired woman pointed at Tang Yu’an.
Those who had previously argued about who the Mountain Lord was looking at now quickly retreated to both sides, exposing the two teenagers.
The Mountain Lord paused, looked at Zhou Qi, who was tightly guarding Tang Yu’an and staring at her vigilantly, and then said, “And you.”
She pointed at Zhou Qi. “You two, come with me.”
Clearly, within the scope of Jufeng Town, the Mountain Lord was an existence whose word was law.
Her words were commands, and the guard captain beside her had already placed his hand on his weapon, glaring fiercely at the two teenagers.
It seemed that if Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi didn’t cooperate, he would draw his weapon to fight for the Mountain Lord.
The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
However, remembering the token Chi Hao had given them, Tang Yu’an quickly calmed down.
Just being asked to follow her; as long as she didn’t directly order their deaths, there was room for maneuver. At worst, if conflict arose, they could take out Chi Hao’s token to try to salvage the situation.
Tang Yu’an took a deep breath and stepped out from behind Zhou Qi.
“Let’s go.”
The woman nodded slightly, without saying what she wanted them for. After the guard captain led the way, she followed in the middle, and Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi followed behind her, with several guards at the back maintaining order.
Seeing them leave, the people left behind couldn’t help but whisper, speculating why the Mountain Lord took away two teenagers.
Old Li had shown a surprised expression when the Mountain Lord had called out to Tang Yu’an and the others.
Because he hadn’t been living in Jufeng Town for long, Old Li only learned today that the one who had taken over Jufeng Town a few years ago was a female ability user.
But he didn’t feel too surprised. Probably because the Mountain Lord was a woman, she had given ordinary women and children a place to stay, allowing them to barely stand on Jufeng Mountain.
But he never expected that this Mountain Lord would suddenly call out to Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi and take them away!
Old Li wanted to rush over but was blocked by the people around him. The mountain road was narrow, and he couldn’t squeeze through.
He could only watch helplessly as the two teenagers disappeared from his sight, feeling anxious.
*
Soon, under the guard captain’s lead, Tang Yu’an and the others arrived at the entrance of a cave.
Several guards had already carried four stretchers over. There were people lying on the stretchers, including a woman.
Tang Yu’an temporarily forgot his fear and couldn’t help but look at her a few more times, then frowned slightly.
The woman lying on the stretcher had deep-set eyes and a high nose, her red-brown curly hair messy and disheveled, and tattered clothes covering her emaciated body.
Just like Wang Hu’s back, festering and bleeding sores spread from her neck down to her arms.
Her skin was crimson, clearly injured by the fire snakes.
Compared to the other three men on the stretchers who were groaning incessantly, she appeared unexpectedly calm, her eyes hollow, as if she had lost hope in life, devoid of any light.
Tang Yu’an stared at her for a while, then couldn’t help but look at Zhou Qi.
Zhou Qi was also looking at her. Noticing Tang Yu’an’s gaze, he turned to look at the teenager, soothingly grasped his hand, signaling him to stay calm.
While they communicated silently, the Mountain Lord had walked over to the woman on the stretcher.
“What is your name?” she asked.
The woman didn’t answer, her gaze still dull and hollow.
The guard captain took the initiative to say, “Mountain Lord, despite her different eye and hair color, she doesn’t have any abilities. According to the town’s elders, she might be someone from other countries or other ethnicities before the apocalypse.”
As for the new humans growing up on the wasteland after the cataclysm, they no longer had the concept of countries or ethnicities.
The Mountain Lord nodded but continued to ask, “What is her name?”
“It seems she’s called A Lian.”
Seeing that the Mountain Lord seemed quite interested in this woman, the guard captain quickly added, “She used to have a daughter. The day of the incident, they went up the mountain to dig wild vegetables.”
“After waking up and learning that her daughter was eaten by mutated snakes, she became like this, always indifferent to others and barely eating.”
The Mountain Lord frowned slightly.
The woman lying on the stretcher finally had a reaction. She silently turned her face away, and a tear slipped from the corner of her eye.
Seeing her like this, the guard captain paused and awkwardly closed his mouth.
The Mountain Lord said nothing more, placing her palm above the woman’s wound, and like when she treated Wang Hu, she quickly extracted the fire poison from her.
Next, she treated the remaining three residents who had been harmed by the fire snakes.
“Have Old Zhang and the others come to take a look. Make sure to save these people,” the Mountain Lord instructed in a low voice.
“Understood!” The guard captain responded respectfully.
As they were leaving, the Mountain Lord’s gaze fell on the woman called A Lian again. Finally, she said, “Have someone take extra care of her. Don’t let any scum bully her.”
The guard captain naturally agreed.
After doing all this, the Mountain Lord finally looked at Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi.
“The others stay here to work. You two, come with me.” She didn’t give the onlookers a chance to eavesdrop. After leaving the guards behind, she took the two teenagers away.
Wherever she passed, everyone voluntarily made way. Even without guards escorting, no one dared to step forward to stop her.
Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi followed behind her, feeling puzzled but could generally guess that this Mountain Lord didn’t want to harm them. It was more like… she had something to say to them?
Soon, they were brought into a house.
There were guards stationed in front of the door, and inside the house as well. From the location, it was likely the guard station Old Li had mentioned before.
When they arrived at an open space, the red-haired woman dismissed the guards, then looked at the two teenagers and got straight to the point: “Where is Chi Hao? Did something happen to him?”
Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but be stunned. How did she know they knew Chi Hao?
He saw the red-haired woman slightly raise her hand, and a token flew out from Tang Yu’an’s body into her hand. It was the metal piece that Chi Hao had given them before he left.
He had said that if they encountered trouble in Jufeng Town, they could take out this token to find the Mountain Lord for help.
“He must have told you about me, right? My name is Hong Li.” The woman played with the metal piece, looking at the bewildered Tang Yu’an.
Now that things had come to this, Tang Yu’an had to nod and admit it.
“Yes, Brother Chi Hao said that if we had difficulties, we could find you, and you would help us,” he said truthfully.
Hong Li acknowledged. “Chi Hao would only leave such a mark on the token if you had saved his life. So… what happened to him, and how did you save him?”
Her gaze was sharp as a knife, as if she would catch any lie.
Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but swallow.
In other words, could she directly sense Chi Hao’s information through the token? He suddenly thought of the ‘big thing’ he had done at the market earlier.
If Hong Li had been at the market then, wouldn’t he have been exposed?
Thinking of this, he felt a bit frightened!
Fortunately, the Thousand-Face Cloak had a time limit, so he hadn’t stayed in the market for long and had left early.
“Brother Chi Hao was severely injured while fighting mutated creatures.”
Tang Yu’an organized his words, trying to describe the whole ‘event’ while concealing some information.
“When we met him, he was covered in blood, so we helped treat his wounds and bandaged him. In the end, he was lucky to survive.”
Hong Li listened, her brows furrowing, but her gaze toward Tang Yu’an became gentler.
“Is he still badly injured? Why didn’t he come to Jufeng Town?”
“He no longer has any life-threatening injuries,” Tang Yu’an shifted the responsibility. “We asked him, but he said he didn’t want to come for the time being.”
Hopefully, this Mountain Lord wouldn’t suggest going back with them to find him!
Hong Li’s brows furrowed even more. Finally, she clicked her tongue lightly and shook her head: “That stubborn, unlucky kid…”
Suddenly, she asked, “Did you only save him?”
Tang Yu’an immediately understood she was asking about that ‘Old Xie’ and pretended to be confused, shaking his head: “Yes.”
Seeing the teenager’s bewildered eyes, Hong Li thought for a moment and nodded: “Hmm, thank you for saving him.”
“Brother Chi Hao has already thanked us.”
Tang Yu’an waved his hand, then curiously asked, “Mountain Lord, what is your relationship with Brother Chi Hao?”
Could it be… they were a couple?
In terms of appearance, he felt the two were quite a match.
“Just call me by my name,” Hong Li said. “I’m his sister.”
“Oh, oh!” Tang Yu’an nodded and obediently changed his address, “Sister Hong Li.”
Hong Li: “…”
Being called ‘sister’ for the first time, Hong Li looked at the two teenagers in front of her, but of course, her gaze was still mainly on Tang Yu’an.
She asked, “Did you come from Qingmu Fortress? Why did you come here?”
“…”
How should he answer that? Tang Yu’an was momentarily at a loss.
They had told Chi Hao that they had always lived in the wasteland city, but if they told Hong Li that, how could they explain that they obviously looked like ‘fortress people’?
Saying this, wouldn’t their special circumstances be exposed?
