The middle-aged man did not agree outright.
He said he needed to discuss it with the others.
Relying on her excellent hearing, Shen Tang heard the middle-aged man return and lower his head to exchange a few words with several companions. They shared the same concerns, but Shen Tang had made the "servants" wait far away and had come alone to "borrow" flint, water, and provisions, so she did not look particularly threatening.
In the end, they decided to help.
The middle-aged man nodded, turned back, and beckoned to Shen Tang and Zhai Le, calling loudly, "Come over, you two little brothers."
Shen Tang put on an innocent smile untouched by worldly affairs and cupped her fists toward them. "Thank you, brave gentlemen. You've truly helped us out of a tight spot. Though autumn has not yet arrived, the mountains are cold and windy at night. My brother and I are lightly dressed, and we were truly worried we might freeze and fall ill..."
The middle-aged man only thought the two of them were delicate.
Young men brimmed with vigorous yang energy. It was not even the dead of winter—how could spending one night in the wild so easily make them ill?
That was what he thought, but he did not show it. He took Zhai Le to fetch a fire source, water skins, and dried provisions. Their fierce battle with the bandits not long ago had cost them quite a bit of supplies, so there were only enough dried rations and water skins to spare for two or three people.
The middle-aged man wore an awkward, troubled expression as he reluctantly said, "Ah, this is all we have. I hope you won't find it wanting, little brother."
Zhai Le naturally would not.
With so many wounded among them, the