Refugees

"Fang Zhixing, come here."

Suddenly, Skinny Dog called out.

Fang Zhixing withdrew his gaze from the white bones, reined in his wandering thoughts, turned, and walked into a house.

Inside, everything was a complete mess.

The table had been smashed apart, stools lay overturned on the floor, pottery shards littered the ground, and dense white spiderwebs filled his vision. There was also a musty smell.

Skinny Dog stood in a corner, pawing at something with his little claws.

Fang Zhixing stepped closer and looked down, his brows rising.

Beside an earthen jar, beneath a thick layer of dust and ash, lay a book.

Fang Zhixing quickly picked it up and shook off the dust, revealing a black cover inscribed with several unknown characters.

When he opened it, every page of white paper was filled with writing. The handwriting was neat and beautiful, arranged in a graceful pattern like rolling mountain ranges, carrying an indescribable beauty.

At first glance, this unfamiliar script looked remarkably like ancient oracle bone script. It had the essence of pictographs and exuded a mysterious, exquisite air.

Skinny Dog transmitted, "Books should be high-end goods in this world, right? There wasn't a single one in Crouching Ox Village. We'd never even seen one. We used leaves to wipe our asses."

Fang Zhixing nodded, deeply agreeing. He sighed, "What a pity. I'm illiterate. Being uneducated is terrifying—it cuts off any chance of reaching the upper class..."

Before he could finish, his system panel suddenly flashed.

[Literacy · Max-Level Requirements:

1. Read a dictionary ten times (Incomplete)]

"Holy shit, that works too?!"

Fang Zhixing's eyes immediately lit up, and his emotions surged.

"That's badass!"

Skinny Dog clicked his tongue in amazement, envious beyond measure. "They say that if you read a book a hundred times, its meaning will reveal itself. Damn! You don't even need to read it a hundred times—ten times is enough."

Fang Zhixing was overjoyed. Smacking his lips, he said, "If we went back to Earth, with this max-level cheat, taking first place in the entire province on the college entrance exam would be easy."

"Ah, Earth!"

Skinny Dog could not help but let his thoughts wander. He remembered his first girlfriend, his second girlfriend, his third...

The man and dog returned to their lodgings.

Fang Zhixing first fed the donkey some fodder, then lit a fire and cooked. Cured meat with rice was incredibly delicious. They ate until they were full and thoroughly satisfied.

Night fell.

The dead-silent village became even quieter.

Fang Zhixing slept during the first half of the night, while Skinny Dog went to sleep during the latter half.

Though the two remained cautious and always felt that something unexpected might happen, the night passed without incident.

As dawn faintly broke, Fang Zhixing felt a little sleepy. After yawning several times, he went back to sleep.

By the time he woke again, the sun was already high in the sky.

They hastily made and ate breakfast, then the man and dog set off once more.

As they continued onward, Fang Zhixing noticed that the mountain road grew wider and wider. There were even wagon tracks on the road.

Before long, they crossed a mountain ridge, and a broad highway suddenly appeared in their view, wide enough for carriages to travel on.

"People!"

Fang Zhixing looked out from the high ground and soon spotted figures moving along the road.

Skinny Dog could not see clearly and asked, "What kind of people? They're not highway robbers, are they?"

Fang Zhixing pondered, "They're all heading south, each going their own way. They probably aren't bandits."

Skinny Dog immediately said, "They might be heading to the market town too. Let's follow them."

Fang Zhixing nodded, led the donkey down the mountain, rounded a bend, and stepped onto the highway.

There were people ahead and behind them.

Fang Zhixing glanced behind him and saw three ragged figures, a man and a woman with a child. They appeared to be a family of three.

Their hair was disheveled, their faces were grimy and yellow, their bodies little more than skin and bones, and their eye sockets deeply sunken.

Even beggars had broken bowls, but these three carried no luggage at all. They walked barefoot, without even a pair of straw sandals.

Fang Zhixing turned his head and looked ahead.

The few people walking before him were also filthy and bedraggled, each more miserable than the last.

"Refugees!"

Fang Zhixing and Skinny Dog exchanged a glance and immediately understood their situation.

Displaced and left with nothing.

The Crouching Ox Mountains were vast, with many villages and mountain settlements. Crouching Ox Village was merely one of them.

Now it seemed that Crouching Ox Village was not the worst off.

As Fang Zhixing appeared on the highway, people both ahead and behind cast looks his way.

A man, a dog, a donkey, and a heavy sack...

In this scene, they were like a brilliant landscape entering many people's hearts.

Some stared fixedly at Fang Zhixing. Especially when they saw the donkey in his hand, their expressions immediately changed. A vicious glint appeared in their eyes, their eyeballs rolled constantly, and their Adam's apples bobbed without pause. They were clearly swallowing their saliva.

"Fuck!"

Seeing this, Skinny Dog said in alarm, "What do we do? They're starving. They'll definitely come rob us!"

Fang Zhixing's face darkened as he silently removed his bow and held it in his hand.

Then, the people behind them quickened their pace and pressed close, following Fang Zhixing. The people ahead deliberately slowed down and gradually drew near as well.

Without saying a word, they stared intently at Fang Zhixing, almost surrounding him in a circle.

Before they knew it, more and more people had surrounded Fang Zhixing—some sixty or seventy in total.

Soon, noon arrived.

Fang Zhixing did not stop walking. He moved faster and faster.

Some refugees gradually ran out of strength, unable to keep up with him, and were left behind.

Suddenly, a disheveled young man sprang out without warning. He leaped forward like a frog and pounced on Skinny Dog.

"Woof woof!"

Skinny Dog was terrified. He jumped straight up and bit down on the hand reaching for him.

Almost at the same instant, Fang Zhixing drew his saber with a flash and slashed diagonally upward.

Pfft!

The blade cut across the young man's stomach, sending blood spraying.

"Ah!!!"

The young man screamed miserably and fell to the ground. A gash immediately split open across his belly.

Skinny Dog had bitten his hand.

At that moment, as though some bestial instinct had been awakened, Skinny Dog became ferocious. He bit down hard and shook his head from side to side, tearing savagely. Scalding blood streamed through the gaps in his teeth and into his mouth, rich and sweet!

"Ah! Ah!!"

The young man screamed repeatedly. The surrounding people turned pale in shock and retreated in terror.

Before long, the young man stopped screaming and lay motionless on the ground.

"Huh, he died that quickly?" Fang Zhixing felt faintly puzzled. He looked at the wound on the young man's hand and suddenly noticed that it had turned bluish-purple and black.

His eyes narrowed slightly. He glanced sideways at Skinny Dog but said nothing, remaining outwardly calm.

At this point, the refugees were overwhelmed by fear and did not dare come any closer.

"Go!"

Fang Zhixing immediately led the donkey and charged straight through the encirclement, striding onward.

Skinny Dog licked his lips, glared at the refugees, and held his dog head high.