Chapter 4: Prisoner Life
Chu Feng had a great night’s sleep and felt much more refreshed.
Upon waking, he noticed something different about the lightning-shaped mark on his arm. Previously, the entire mark had been gray. Now, a portion of it had become transparent.
Staring at it, Chu Feng guessed: Maybe when it becomes fully transparent, I’ll be able to return to Earth.
The thought gave him a sudden sense of hope.
Illya entered the wooden hut. He had removed his hood, and his long hair now hung loosely.
His features were exquisitely beautiful—like something out of a fairytale. To Chu Feng, he looked just like a storybook prince.
Chu Feng thought to himself: If I weren’t a prisoner, I might actually enjoy admiring this beauty. Too bad I’m just a captive whose life could end any moment.
“Who are you?”
Chu Feng sighed. Although he didn’t understand the language, he guessed the other party was asking about his background. Even though he knew Illya wouldn’t understand, Chu Feng still explained everything in Mandarin.
After he finished, he noticed Illya staring at him sharply, as if trying to assess him.
Chu Feng returned a look of wide-eyed innocence and sincerity, afraid the man might decide to kill him to keep things quiet.
That fading lightning mark on his arm had given him hope that he might return to Earth—he definitely wasn’t ready to die yet.
Illya stood in silent thought for a moment, then turned and left.
Not long after, Gray entered the hut and tossed a few fruits at Chu Feng.
Chu Feng stared at them, unsure if his body could tolerate the local food.
After weighing the risks, he decided to eat them. If his guess was right, he might need three or four days before the mark fully faded and he could return. If he didn’t eat, he’d starve to death first. And anyway, it was just a theory that the transparent mark meant he could go back—there was no proof.
He bit into one of the fruits and found it surprisingly tasty, though a bit sour.
The elven boy pointed to himself and said, “Gray.”
Chu Feng raised his eyebrows, realizing the boy was trying to teach him their language. He immediately focused intently.
If he’s willing to teach me how to talk, that means I’m safe for now, Chu Feng thought. And hey, it never hurts to pick up a new language.
He concentrated hard on learning the new words. Before he knew it, the whole day had passed.
Chu Feng began to realize that, all things considered, his treatment as a prisoner wasn’t so bad. What he didn’t know was that it was all thanks to the barbecue he’d brought with him. The food had made a strong impression, and because Gray had enjoyed it so much, his attitude toward Chu Feng had improved significantly.
*
Lying on the wooden hut, Chu Feng stared down at the forest below, feeling a little frustrated.
It had taken him half a day just to make Gray understand that he wanted to go to the bathroom—but he couldn’t climb trees.
Gray stared speechlessly at Chu Feng for a long while before finally going to find Illya.
Chu Feng felt deeply ashamed of his own helplessness. Back on Earth, he could at least be self-reliant, but here, he felt like an utterly incompetent fool.
Illya effortlessly brought Chu Feng down to the ground.
Chu Feng realized that while Illya was slim, he was surprisingly strong—probably some kind of martial arts expert.
“Thank you,” Chu Feng said awkwardly in the new language he’d just learned.
Illya’s face remained emotionless, and Chu Feng couldn’t quite figure out what he was thinking.
Chu Feng felt that if things kept going this way, Illya would probably lose patience and kill him eventually.
Illya had sold Chu Feng’s jacket—the unique style caught the eye of a traveling merchant, and Illya managed to exchange it for a large chunk of saltstone. As a result, his attitude toward Chu Feng had softened quite a bit, and he gave up on the idea of silencing him permanently.
*
“It’s time to eat,” Gray called to Chu Feng.
Chu Feng asked curiously, “What are we eating?”
After half a day of language lessons with Gray, Chu Feng could now understand some simple phrases.
Gray brought over a snake—Chu Feng recognized it as the one Illya had killed the other day.
Gray pulled out a stone bowl and began draining the snake’s blood into it, filling it completely.
Generously, Gray handed the bowl to Chu Feng. “Here, drink it.”
Chu Feng’s eyes widened. They want me to drink snake blood?! Fruit was one thing, but now they expect me to drink blood? What if it’s poisonous? And are you seriously just supposed to drink it like that?
Seeing that Chu Feng wasn’t moving, Gray nudged the bowl toward him again.
Chu Feng quickly shook his head to show that he didn’t want it, that he was fine just eating fruit.
Gray stared at him for a moment, confirming that he was serious, then took the bowl back and gulped the blood down himself in a few big swallows.
Watching the now-empty bowl, Chu Feng reflected for a moment and felt like maybe he was being a bit too squeamish.
“He doesn’t want to drink the blood,” Gray told Illya.
Illya nodded. “Then forget it.”
Saltstone was tightly controlled. During times when they couldn’t get any, Illya and the others relied on animal blood for their salt intake. Although they had just acquired a block of saltstone, the two brothers still kept up their tradition of drinking blood.
Chu Feng, staying in the wooden hut, had no idea what the two were saying—nor did he know that salt was considered a rare and valuable resource in this world.
