And so a bedraggled boy stood before the person and the cat.
His hair was disheveled, with bits of leaves, dead twigs, and clumping yellow mud stuck in it. His clothes must originally have been blue, but now looked black and yellow, and the sword on his back hung crookedly, on the verge of falling.
Farther down, half a bare leg showed beneath several tears in his trousers, marked with scratches of varying lengths. Some had scabbed over; others still showed traces of blood.
The boy had a rather handsome face, but it, too, was covered in dust, mud, and sweat. His darkened eye sockets were especially sunken, his eyes dull and listless.
Pei Ye recognized that listlessness. It had nothing to do with intelligence or temperament, and came purely from going too long without sleep.
Looking at the newcomer, Pei Ye slowly released his sword hilt.
The two stared at each other in silence until Pei Ye finished chewing the food in his mouth. He swallowed, raised his hand, and took another bite of dried meat.
Then he saw the boy staring fixedly at his mouth.
Pei Ye looked down at the food in his hand and tentatively held it out. "Would you like-"
"This is a robbery," the boy said.
Chapter 119: Seeking Lodging
"..." Pei Ye gripped his sword hilt again.
The black cat, which had been lapping water from a little lid, also looked up at the newcomer.
The boy in blue adjusted his stance and gripped his sword hilt. "Water, dry rations, and silver. Just two taels of silver will do."
When Pei Ye merely sat there without a word, he drew his sword halfway and said coldly, "I'm not joking. Hand them over at once, and I'll spare your life."
Pei Ye still did