Leaving

Night gradually deepened, stars glittering overhead.

Crouching Ox Village was utterly silent, steeped in deathly stillness.

"Creeeak~"

Accompanied by the teeth-grating sound of a door opening, the gates of the old village chief's home slowly swung open.

A man and a dog appeared outside.

The earthen-walled courtyard was silent enough to hear a pin drop.

A long table stood in the courtyard, holding an oil lamp and many rabbit bones.

The oil lamp had not yet gone out, its flame flickering.

Gathered around the table in its light were the old village chief's clansmen, including Zhao Dahu and his three brothers. Every last one of them was there.

Some lay sprawled across the table, some slumped beside it, while others lay face-down on the ground nearby.

Foam dripped from their mouths, their faces were blackened, and their lips had turned bluish-purple. They had long since stopped breathing.

"No need to check. They're all cold..."

Fang Zhixing's eyes flickered as he clicked his tongue in amazement.

"Hehehe, they drank tainted water and all went straight to heaven!"

Skinny Dog was immensely pleased with himself, arrogant and smug. He could be said to have played a vital role in this operation.

To be honest, Zhao Dahu and the others had all effectively died by Skinny Dog's hand.

Skinny Dog's bloodline had awakened, greatly enhancing his sense of smell. While frolicking in the woods, he had happened upon a type of mushroom and accurately sniffed out its deadly toxicity.

That made everything simple.

"A family should be nice and tidy together."

Fang Zhixing laughed happily, quickly cleaned up the scene, and recovered the arrows that had been taken from him, principal and interest included. In the end, he obtained seventy-eight arrows.

He also found fifty-two large coins.

The following morning, the weather remained fine. Blue skies, white clouds, and rosy light stretched across the horizon.

Fang Zhixing got up early, lit a fire, and cooked some rice porridge along with four eggs.

After the man and dog finished breakfast, they began packing their belongings.

There was not much to pack, really. He simply pried the iron pot off the stove and stuffed it, along with the old hen, eggs, and everything else, into the battered bamboo basket.

Fang Zhixing slung the battered bamboo basket over his back, put on his bow and quiver, and led the donkey away from Crouching Ox Village beneath the morning glow, with Skinny Dog at his side.

They headed south along the river.

"If I remember correctly, we need to cross four mountains to get from Crouching Ox Village to that market town," Fang Zhixing transmitted.

Skinny Dog said speechlessly, "Eighty li in total, with four mountains in between?"

Fang Zhixing nodded. "Crouching Ox Village is extremely remote. Eighty li is only the straight-line distance. Measured by foot, it may be two or three hundred li."

Skinny Dog could not help singing, "The road ahead is long, but I shall brave it with courage and a burning heart..."

The man and dog gradually went farther and farther away, until Crouching Ox Village vanished behind them.

The sun climbed from the horizon until it hung overhead.

Fang Zhixing and Skinny Dog walked along the riverbank without resting for even a moment, covering roughly forty li that morning.

At noon, they stopped to make a meal. They ate lunch and fed the donkey as well.

After resting for an hour, they set out again.

That afternoon, after another two hours or so of walking, a mountain over two hundred meters tall appeared before them, blocking their path.

The man and dog began climbing.

"Be careful. I smell a ferocious beast."

Skinny Dog sniffed the air. "This mountain should be the territory of some ferocious beast."

Fang Zhixing understood. He took down his bow, held it in his hand, and stayed on constant alert.

They climbed the mountain and descended it.

Nothing happened.

After coming down the mountain, Fang Zhixing saw a fork in the road and a signpost.

The left path led to Lying Ox Stockade.

The right path led to Little Clear River Market Town.

The signpost was written very clearly.

Unfortunately, Fang Zhixing could not read and had no idea what the sign said.

But he could count.

The full name of the market town he wanted to visit was Little Clear River Market Town, which should be five characters.

Furthermore, the market town lay to the south, which happened to match the direction on the right.

The man and dog did not linger, continuing along the mountain road as the sun gradually sank westward.

They could not find anywhere to stay for the night and had no choice but to sleep in the wilderness.

That was extremely dangerous.

Not only were there many nocturnal beasts that were impossible to guard against, but spending the night outdoors also meant being bitten by swarms of mosquitoes and insects. It was unbearable.

And if strong winds blew or it rained during the night, it would be even worse.

"Let's take turns sleeping tonight," Skinny Dog suggested.

Fang Zhixing had no objection.

However, their expectations had been far too optimistic.

After nightfall, wave after wave of mosquitoes and insects descended upon them, making them miserable. They could not sleep at all.

By the time they finally endured until dawn, Fang Zhixing's whole body was covered in swollen bumps and red blood spots, as though he had eczema. The itching was unbearable, and every scratch broke the skin. He almost wanted to cry.

Skinny Dog had fur to protect him, so he was much better off.

That morning, exhausted and sleepy, the man and dog yawned as they crossed the second mountain.

Fortunately, the journey remained safe and uneventful.

After descending the mountain, they followed the road for another sixty or seventy li before a village appeared beside the road ahead.

Fang Zhixing immediately became fully alert. He did not approach rashly and transmitted, "Skinny Dog, go take a look."

Skinny Dog had two lives, making him the best choice for this kind of scouting.

"Fine!"

Skinny Dog did not refuse, nor could he. If he did not take this risk, he definitely would not get his next meal.

So Skinny Dog cautiously slipped into the village.

A moment later, Skinny Dog ran back and transmitted, "It's an abandoned village. There's no one there."

An abandoned village?

How could that be?

Fang Zhixing frowned. "Several of the houses were clearly newly built. Didn't you notice?"

Skinny Dog hurriedly replied, "I found bones everywhere in the village, twenty or thirty sets at least. I suspect the village was raided. The villagers may have all been killed, or they may have fled as refugees."

Fang Zhixing asked, "Can you tell from the smells, such as human sweat, whether that village has been uninhabited for a long time?"

Skinny Dog answered, "Yes. I'm certain there's no fresh smell of human sweat in that village."

Only then did Fang Zhixing relax. He looked at the sky, estimated that it was around four in the afternoon, and pondered, "We'll spend the night in this abandoned village."

Skinny Dog was tired too and quickly said, "All right!"

The man and dog immediately entered the village and chose one of the better houses to stay in.

Afterward, they carefully searched through the village.

Bones lay scattered across the ground, clothed in coarse linen garments.

Fang Zhixing examined several sets of bones and found that one skull had a hole smashed into it. That person had likely died after having their head caved in.