Wood, gaunt as a skeleton, dragged his stiff body along the ground without expression. His eyes were somewhat vacant, yet beneath that murky dullness lay a heart-quailing resolve. Clenching his teeth, he crawled forward with difficulty, slowly reaching the entrance of another porcelain shop and collapsing beside an ornate two-wheeled carriage.
The scene from before played out once again. The guards beat Wood, a charming young woman spoke a few kind words for him, and the foppish young master generously tossed down several coins. This time, Wood swiftly flung the gold coins aside, keeping only a few silver coins and copper pieces in his mouth.
He cautiously looked around, allowing several nimble-fingered pickpockets to dart over and take the gold coins before him.
Letting out a heavy breath, Wood crawled onward at a leisurely pace. With great difficulty, he made his way into a relatively secluded alley and lay outside a small tavern that was still open, spitting several silver coins and more than a dozen copper pieces from his mouth.
A servant lad of only fifteen or sixteen came out of the tavern. He looked at Wood lying on the ground, sighed heavily, then picked up the money and turned back inside. When he came out again, he carried two oil-paper packets. One held several huge loaves of black bread, while the other contained several smoked sausages.
"Old Wood, haven't seen you in ages!" The lad hung the two oil-paper packets on either side of Wood's neck and said with a teasing smile, "Heard you fell ill a few months ago? We even made bets on when you'd die. Never thought you'd come back to life!"
Wood raised his misshapen face and muttered softly, "How could I die? Heh, Lord Wood still has to live well."
After coughing violently