The World's Suffering

Because of this, with Chu Mingyue accompanying Xu Jie, he couldn't harvest many demons or plunder much usable lifespan.

Most of the demons the two encountered along the way were killed by Chu Mingyue beforehand.

This is really a pain in the ass!

Beside a bush in the wilderness, Xu Jie crouched, collecting plant roots.

Chu Mingyue stood behind him with her saber, scanning their surroundings vigilantly like a mother hen protecting her chicks.

As the day wore on and the sky began to darken, Xu Jie, a plant root in his mouth, slowly stood up and said to Chu Mingyue, "Let's go. We'll head to that village we saw earlier and rest for the night!"

This afternoon, the two had cleared out a group of scattered demons that had attacked the village, so Xu Jie planned to rest there for the night.

He had also noticed that the number of demons in this area was very sparse, and even if they searched continuously, they probably wouldn't find many.

Rather than waste time like this, it was better to rest temporarily and make new plans tomorrow.

"Okay!"

Chu Mingyue nodded indifferently. Her mission outside the city was to protect Xu Jie, so it didn't matter where they went.

Thus, the two traveled together and returned to the small village before dark.

This village was not large, with at most a few hundred households, all ordinary people.

The farmers here made a living by farming and were among the poorest in Jincheng City.

Otherwise, if they had any means, they wouldn't choose to farm and survive in an area close to the outer defense line.

There had been ten demons that invaded the village earlier, and Xu Jie and Chu Mingyue, who happened to pass by and notice the situation, had jointly killed them all.

Therefore, when the villagers saw Xu Jie and Chu Mingyue return, they did not show hostility or fear.

Instead, their gazes towards the two carried clear gratitude.

After all, if Xu Jie and the other hadn't intervened, ten first-rank demons would have been enough to kill everyone here.

Xu Jie showed no reaction to the villagers' enthusiasm, his expression blank.

He simply and coldly found an empty house, preparing to spend the night there.

Xu Jie had always held a dismissive attitude towards the weak; it was already his greatest mercy not to bully them.

The small courtyard of the empty house was messy, with broken tiles, crumbling walls, and overgrown weeds.

It was evident that the previous owner must have been extremely poor; nothing of value could be found in the room except for a simple wooden bed.

Not long after Xu Jie and Chu Mingyue entered, a soft knock came from outside the courtyard gate.

Xu Jie, who was resting with his eyes closed in the courtyard, remained motionless, as if he hadn't heard anything.

Chu Mingyue, inside the room, quickly walked out, glanced at the silent Xu Jie with confusion, and hurried to open the door.

As the courtyard gate opened, a little girl of twelve or thirteen, holding a little girl of seven or eight, appeared.

They were holding a basin of something that looked like a thick paste and stood outside timidly.

"H-hello, big sister. Thank you for saving our family today. Mom said we should treat our benefactors with the best things we have at home. This is the meal Mom made for you!"

"Thank you, thank you!"

The two little girls were wearing dirty, patched clothes and looked gaunt from hunger, clearly not having enough to eat regularly.

Chu Mingyue's face immediately softened into a gentle smile, and with eyes full of pity, she welcomed the two little girls in.

Xu Jie merely glanced at them coldly before closing his eyes again.

The older little girl, pulling her sister, walked in and placed the paste on the stone table.

The little girl's hands were clasped awkwardly, unsure of where to put them, and her face was unnaturally pale.

She was clearly weak from hunger, and a flicker of timidity crossed her eyes as she looked at the indifferent Xu Jie.

The seven or eight-year-old little loli, on the other hand, stared at the paste on the table, swallowing hard, looking as if she was craving it but afraid to eat.

Seeing this, Chu Mingyue's maternal instincts kicked in, and she took out a few pieces of chocolate from her pocket and put them into the two little girls' hands.

"Here, take these and eat them!"

"N-no! Big sister, Mom told us not to accept things from others casually!"

"It's alright, these are nothing to us. Be good!"

"But..."

"Take them! Just take them!"

Xu Jie's head hurt from the noise. He opened his eyes, swept a cold glance at the two flustered little girls, and said coldly, "And this, take it away! I'm not hungry!"

"Xu Jie!"

Chu Mingyue shot Xu Jie a reproachful glance. She quickly crouched down and gently comforted the two frightened little girls, making Xu Jie sigh inwardly.

How difficult it was for ordinary people to survive in this world!

The paste in front of him, if he'd been fed it in his past life, even pigs would have found it disgusting.

However, this might be the only food the little girl's family had, and the only thing they could proudly offer.

At this moment, Xu Jie's hardened heart felt a slight stir, though he maintained his cold demeanor.

He didn't have the ability to manage this world, nor did he want to!

Xu Jie was originally a man who accepted his fate. The world was full of suffering, what could he possibly do?

Finally, the two little girls clutched tightly onto the exquisite chocolates Chu Mingyue gave them and left the courtyard with their large bowls.

Once only Xu Jie and Chu Mingyue remained in the courtyard, and after a long period of silence, Chu Mingyue finally spoke first, her tone displeased.

"Xu Jie, why did you act like that just now?"

"……"

"Don't you have any compassion at all?"

"……"

"Hmph, I'm going to bed!"

Xu Jie remained silent, showing no intention of explaining, merely offering a cold, indifferent silence.

Chu Mingyue, angered by Xu Jie's attitude, turned to leave. Just as she angrily headed for the house, the courtyard gate was pushed open again.

In the moonlight, a small figure cautiously walked in. It was the little loli from before!

The little loli, carrying a small basket, timidly approached Xu Jie.

Like a child who had made a mistake, she spoke in a soft, childish whisper.

"Big brother… this… this is the egg from our family's only old hen! I secretly saved one and never brought myself to eat it. This is my most precious possession, for you, big brother!"

Xu Jie: "……"

Looking at the little loli in front of him, flustered, her small, dirty hands unsure where to rest, her big eyes full of timidity, yet she still mustered the courage to look at him with sparkling eyes, Xu Jie's heart was violently stirred.

"Xu…"

"Okay! Thank you!"

After exchanging a glance with the pitiful little loli, Xu Jie forced himself to put on a kind smile.

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