Save Whoever You Can

"Hey, Chiba, are you feeling any better?"

Chiba silently nodded at the smiling young man before him, but said nothing. He simply continued to stare into space, lost in thought.

Today marked seven days since Chiba had narrowly escaped death.

At first, Chiba had been overjoyed to have made it out alive. But the next day, he discovered a serious problem: his wounds had become infected.

Perhaps it was because this body was too weak to begin with. After all, he had gone hungry for so long and had also been poisoned, leaving him with almost no resistance.

He struggled along for a few more days, but not long after leaving the forest, Chiba suddenly fainted beside a small river.

Luckily, perhaps it simply wasn't his time to die. A group fleeing along the river happened to pass by and rescued him.

The unusually infectious smile on the young man's face belonged to the leader of that group of refugees. His name was Xia Mu.

Xia Mu was always grinning, no matter the circumstances. His smile could easily put others at ease, and everyone in the group thought highly of him.

But if Chiba had to sum him up in a few words, he'd call him a hopeless do-gooder.

Although Chiba was deeply grateful that the man had saved him, he couldn't approve of some of his choices.

Take the decision to save Chiba, for instance. Almost everyone in the group had opposed it. They were refugees themselves, after all, and were short on food.

And an injured person like Chiba would use up their even more precious medicine. He would also need someone to look after him, which was an enormous waste of resources.

Even if he recovered, Chiba was still just a child with no particular abilities. He could only consume their food and would never be of any help to the group.

Yet Xia Mu had forcibly overruled the others and kept him with them.

After staying with the group for several days, Chiba had gotten to know them a little.

They were mostly from the same village and had been forced to migrate to escape the fighting.

Compared with them, Chiba, an outsider, always seemed out of place.

Everyone around him was busy with something, whether gathering wild vegetables, catching fish, or tending the fire. Chiba, on the other hand, probably wouldn't be able to do much even after his wounds healed. Or rather, his pitiful amount of labor simply wasn't worth the precious food it would cost to keep him.

Looking at the surroundings, Chiba's feelings were complicated.

One child was mixing dirt into the grain, and the sight shook Chiba deeply.

Just as Chiba was thinking about all this, a commotion broke out not far away.

"Xia Mu, if you keep this up, you'll get us all killed."

"Exactly! The others you've taken in before were at least somewhat useful, but this kid is clearly a burden. The medicine we've wasted on him could've bought us food for several days."

"Xia Mu, you really can't keep doing this."

The people all talked over one another, but they all wanted to kick Chiba out.

Xia Mu, meanwhile, frantically tried to reassure them.

"Please, believe me. I can get everyone through this. I'm begging you, please."

After a long while, the others realized their protests weren't working and reluctantly dispersed. Before leaving, though, they shot Chiba hostile looks and cursed at him.

Wiping away a bead of sweat, Xia Mu turned to Chiba with an awkward smile. "Don't pay attention to what they said. Don't worry, I—"

"Let me leave."

Looking Xia Mu in the eye, Chiba spoke earnestly.

"Give me a few more days, until I've mostly recovered, and then I'll leave. I won't drag you down."

As he spoke, Chiba took out half the money he'd gotten from Scarface and handed it to Xia Mu.

"Take this as payment for saving me."

Leaving was a decision Chiba had made after careful consideration.

Over the past few days, quite a few people in the group had started giving their leader a hard time. Chiba didn't even need to consider whether he wanted to stay; Xia Mu's overly gentle nature might get him ousted by his own people at any moment. If that happened, Chiba would be in even more danger.

With Scarface's money and tools, Chiba thought he could survive on his own for a while. As for what came after that, he would have to figure it out later.

But Xia Mu wouldn't accept his offer.

"Hey, kid, don't get so full of yourself."

Ignoring Chiba's protests, Xia Mu ruffled his hair roughly.

"You idiot. How much food do you think this money can buy these days? Especially after the medicine you used—it's nowhere near enough. Just stay here for now. You can leave once you've paid off your debt. Don't even think about sneaking away."

Chiba fell silent for a moment, his expression complicated. A faint warmth passed through his heart.

"I know you're looking out for me, and I'm grateful you saved my life. But I know you're in a difficult position right now. You've seen how they keep giving you trouble. If this goes on..."

People had been coming to complain to this meddlesome leader day after day. Chiba couldn't just pretend not to notice.

At the very least, he didn't want to drag down the person who'd saved his life.

Xia Mu smiled faintly and said softly, "It's nothing. They're just letting off steam. They wouldn't dare go too far. You're so young—leaving you behind would be no different from killing you. Don't worry. We're not that short on food."

Xia Mu's tone was utterly firm, as if they really could spare the food.

This wasn't the first time Xia Mu had refused Chiba. He always came up with some reason to keep him there.

After a long silence, Chiba asked, "Why?"

"Hm?"

Xia Mu looked at Chiba in confusion.

"I mean, why are you being so good to me?"

Chiba knew he probably shouldn't ask. Xia Mu had saved him without expecting anything in return, and yet here Chiba was, going on and on about it.

But right then, Chiba desperately wanted to know what drove this man.

They'd been strangers when they met, with no connection between them. Yet Xia Mu had helped him with all his might, without a moment's hesitation. Chiba desperately wanted to understand why.

Xia Mu was slightly taken aback by the question. Then his gaze drifted into the distance, as though he were remembering something.

"Why? Maybe it's because I was once an orphan of war, too..."

Sadness and complicated emotions crept into Xia Mu's voice.

"I know how hard it is for people like us to survive in a world like this. We suffer, endure hardship, and bear more wrongs than we can count..."

One painful memory after another spilled from Xia Mu's lips. As he spoke, he became so emotional that his eyes reddened without him even noticing.

"So I can't help trying to save children who are like I used to be. I know I can't save many people, but at least I can save whoever I can."

By the end, the corners of his mouth had lifted gently, as if helping others brought him happiness.

"Save whoever you can..."

Staring blankly at Xia Mu's clean, gentle smile, Chiba lowered his head in silence.

Those simple words—save whoever you can—shook Chiba to the core.

Perhaps it was only in a world like this that he could meet someone like Xia Mu.

In his previous life, Chiba had seen more than enough scheming, coldness, and malice between people. He had never met anyone like this, nor had he ever imagined becoming someone like this. Whenever he heard people talk about such folks, he'd scoff and call them fools. But now...

At the thought, Chiba fell silent once more.

While Chiba remained quiet, someone up ahead hurried over with a warning.

"Something's wrong, Xia Mu! Bandits are blocking the road ahead."

Hearing that bandits were nearby, Xia Mu didn't panic much. In these chaotic times, bandits were everywhere. The group had already run into more than one gang on their journey.

Frowning, Xia Mu took out an enormous bow and walked forward.

Staring blankly at the huge bow, which was clearly too large for Xia Mu's frame, Chiba couldn't help wondering: could someone as skinny as Xia Mu really use it?