Early Spring Famine

Cracked spoke vaguely, and Xiao Jing had to press him for details from time to time, but to little effect.

Qu Jianlei paid no attention to their interaction at all. What he was guarding against was Cracked suddenly turning hostile.

Intuitively, he felt it was unlikely that this man would betray them, but... what if? A month after Cracked had been taken in, Qu Jianlei suddenly had an epiphany and broke through to Qi Refining Stage Level Four!

For a moment, qi surged through his Greater Circulatory Cycle like a rushing river, and he felt as though his whole body possessed endless strength.

He then circulated it through nine cycles in succession to stabilize the feeling. After that, he rose to his full height and began practicing Tai Chi Fist.

Recently, he had gained quite a few insights into Tai Chi Fist and felt that he had more or less mastered it thoroughly.

But now, as he performed the set, his emotions surged, and the more he practiced, the smoother it became.

Could yesterday's set of Tai Chi Fist have been fake? After performing three sets in a row, he felt as though... he was getting a little hungry again.

But with his fists at such a crucial point and his enthusiasm fully roused, he had no time to think about whether he was hungry.

"Ha~~~" He let out a long breath, and in that instant, he understood why some people would "let out a long howl."

There was no greater exhilaration in the world than this!

Then he bent down, picked up the short stick, and began practicing Tai Chi Thirteen Sabers.

His grasp of Tai Chi Thirteen Sabers was far inferior to his grasp of Tai Chi Fist.

But at that moment, all his previous confusion became clear in an instant. The saber followed his intent, turning and flowing with perfect ease.

For a time, he felt incomparably smooth and free, wanting only to shout, "Saber King is here! Who dares defy me?"

However, that was only a thought. Tai Chi emphasized Using Stillness to Control Movement and overcoming hardness with softness; Tai Chi Thirteen Sabers was no different.

He focused wholeheartedly on practicing the saber technique, unaware that Cracked was acting out of character, watching from the side with a deep frown.

After watching for a while, he could not help raising a hand and beckoning Xiao Jing over. "What he's practicing is... saber technique, right?"

Xiao Jing glanced at him and nodded with no small amount of pride. "Not bad. It's rare that you can actually tell this is saber technique."

To most people, if someone held a short stick, wouldn't they assume he was practicing staff techniques?

Only an expert could tell that Qu Jianlei was practicing saber technique.

The short stick's trajectory, the angles of attack, the force exerted through the wrist... every detail showed that this truly was saber technique.

But the next moment, Cracked frowned. "Such a soft and limp saber technique... who did he learn it from?"

Xiao Jing's eyes widened at once. "My Black Sky Bro's saber technique... you're not worthy of criticizing it!"

In his heart, Qu Jianlei was a godlike existence. How could he allow anyone to slander him?

"That kind of saber technique..." Cracked clearly held it in great disdain, but in the end, he only sighed.

"If you think it's good, then fine. But I hope... you won't use such saber technique in combat."

"You're overthinking it." Xiao Jing sneered. "I can't even learn that saber technique... whether I ever get to learn it depends on Black Sky Bro's mood."

"That kind of saber technique..." Cracked shook his head again. "If you want to learn saber technique, I can teach you. Mine is more practical than his."

"You?" Xiao Jing shot him a disdainful glance, then shook his head. "Forget it. I'm not interested in humiliating you."

Cracked's lips twitched, but the next moment, his gaze became vacant again.

He had always been like this, except... today was a little unusual.

After finishing a set of Tai Chi Thirteen Sabers, Qu Jianlei picked up a towel and wiped away his sweat. Today had been truly exhilarating.

Xiao Jing walked over and recounted their conversation, not caring whether Cracked heard it.

Qu Jianlei had actually caught some of it himself, but he did not react much. He merely said, "Knowing more skills never hurts."

He was encouraging the Hairless Freak—who had hair now—to learn some saber technique from the other man.

Anyone who could survive in the wild for over twenty years might not possess especially powerful saber techniques, but they would definitely be practical.

"I'm not learning from him." Xiao Jing's attitude was resolute. "A grown man who nearly starved to death... isn't that embarrassing?"

He had always treated Cracked this way, without the slightest politeness.

Cracked sat there with lowered eyelids and no reaction at all, as if he had heard nothing.

Qu Jianlei did not offer an opinion either. In truth, under normal circumstances, he would never have crossed paths with someone like Cracked.

One important reason he had saved Xiao Jing back then was that Xiao Jing was a child.

If he had encountered Cracked instead, he probably would have walked away.

And now, the three of them could live under the same roof mainly because Xiao Jing served as the link between them.

So he merely smiled. "We're running low on water. Go get some more. My treat today—we're having a feast."

He had broken through to Qi Refining Stage Level Four, so this had to be celebrated, though the other two had no idea what he was celebrating.

It was normal for the water to be running low. There was one more person using it now.

Although Cracked had never gotten used to bathing, Xiao Jing forced him to bathe every three to five days.

Hearing that, Xiao Jing stepped forward and kicked Cracked in the leg. "Go get water!"

Cracked reacted a little slowly and received another kick. "What, trying to slack off again?"

Cracked rolled his eyes helplessly, picked up the water buckets, and staggered outside...

The next day, the tiny room suddenly began shaking violently, as though the earth and mountains were trembling.

"An earthquake?" Qu Jianlei sprang to his feet. "That's trouble. Half the winter hasn't even passed yet."

"Maybe..." Xiao Jing hesitated before voicing his guess. "They're dumping garbage."

"Let's see what's going on." Qu Jianlei reacted quickly and immediately moved to the observation hole.

Xiao Jing's hand moved, as if he wanted to stop him, but in the end, he did nothing.

They really were dumping garbage. The newly arrived trash had blocked the observation hole.

Fortunately, the ventilation opening was closer to the edge of the Garbage Dump, while the new trash was mainly piled in the center, so the surrounding areas were not greatly affected.

After the shaking stopped, Qu Jianlei said, "The door's blocked. We need to clear it."

Over the next ten days, garbage was dumped twice more. Fortunately, since they were at the edge of the Garbage Dump, they were not affected too badly.

But the three people wintering there became anxious—the ventilation opening was nearly blocked. They could not let themselves be buried alive.

The more comfortable things had been before, the more anxious they were now. The key problem was that they could not even get out through the door.

Xiao Jing muttered softly, "Looks like whether this place is exposed or not really doesn't matter anymore."

Qu Jianlei said irritably, "Start digging our way out. We really can't get trapped in here."

Cracked could not help adding, "Good thing we brought back four buckets of ice yesterday."

The rest of the winter passed away bit by bit like that.

Two months later, they finally got a sleet storm.

For Wasteland people, even the rainwater brought by sleet might not be clean—none of the water here was trustworthy.

But the message brought by sleet was certainly trustworthy: spring had arrived.

Qu Jianlei and the other two had already cleared a passage out. They still had some food and water left over, and more than half of their Energy Blocks remained.

Qu Jianlei stated decisively, "I'm leaving. If either of you wants to stay here, then stay."

He knew Xiao Jing would definitely go with him. As for Cracked... if he wanted to remain, that was up to him.

They had kept him fed and watered all winter, and he had gained at least twenty pounds. He should be satisfied by now.

Sure enough, Xiao Jing immediately said, "Black Sky Bro, I'm going with you. Old Cracked, if you want to stay, then stay."

"How could I?" Cracked had always been dull-witted, but this time, his reaction was not slow.

He gave a bitter smile. "I already said that as long as I'm alive, I won't let you die."

Over the next two days, the three quietly widened the passage leading outside.

On the third night, the light off-road truck drove out of the Garbage Dump and sped into the distance...

With the harsh winter just over, the roads were still quite dangerous. Ice and snow had not melted in some places, and they also had to guard against a late cold snap.

Cracked remained muddleheaded. Not only was he slow to react, but he also did not worry much about many things.

Still, he offered a suggestion. "Xiao Jing, winter has just ended... many wild predators will appear."

"I know," Xiao Jing answered without hesitation. "Supplies are scarce from late winter to early spring. It's the most dangerous season."

"But I believe in Black Sky Bro."

Cracked immediately fell silent. He was not someone who liked to talk in the first place—if no one listened, then he would not speak.

Qu Jianlei, on the other hand, was somewhat unconvinced. "Cracked, you drive."

A whole winter had passed, and although they had consumed many supplies, quite a bit still remained—even more than before in some respects.

For example, the convertible now had a roof. They had welded it on using materials from the Garbage Dump.

On Blue Star, many people might think convertibles looked cool and masculine.

But Qu Jianlei knew perfectly well that driving a convertible in the Wasteland meant only one thing: you were dirt poor! Not to mention that whenever there was wind or rain, you would be scrambling in a panic.

Why was Cracked driving? Because even now, he had not truly integrated into this small team.

The only weapon he possessed was a Super-Frequency Oscillating Short Dagger, the one he had still carried when he was near death.

A true adventurer would keep their last weapon on them even if they starved to death.

There were plenty of guns and ammunition in the light truck. Even Xiao Jing had "borrowed" a Laser Pistol, but Cracked did not have the right to one.

Qu Jianlei was not afraid of the wind. He stood in the truck bed, vigilantly scanning his surroundings.

The weather was still cold, and doing this consumed a great deal of energy, but he had No Other Choice.

They could not let Cracked operate the Vehicle-Mounted Machine Gun, could they? There were also so many guns and ammunition in the truck bed.

Leaving now was inevitable as well. If they waited any longer, they might be discovered.

Fortunately, Qu Jianlei now possessed cultivation. With qi circulating through his entire body, the cold did not affect him much.

It was just that doing so required him to eat a great deal, and their food was being consumed extremely quickly.

They were headed toward the Hong San Settlement.

This time, they did not rush onward. They traveled by day and rested at night, stopping for a while at noon as well, doing their best to keep the vehicle in good condition.

On the third day, they entered the territory of the Hong San Settlement.

Toward evening that day, Cracked, who had been driving steadily, suddenly jerked the steering wheel.

Almost at the same moment, Qu Jianlei abruptly crouched down, and a string of bullets passed over his head.

Only then did gunfire ring out from the front left.