Chapter 56: The Merchant Caravan

Who?

Instinctively, Zhou You gripped the knife hidden in his clothing while subtly lowering his center of gravity, assuming a posture that would let him charge out at any moment.

The uninhabited wasteland of the past few days had truly made him lower his guard.

As a result, he had never expected that something could still call out to him here.

The only question was whether it was a ghost or a demon.

But after raising his head, he saw a sight he had never anticipated.

They were people.

And not just one or two.

There were over a dozen of them.

All looked travel-worn and dusty, but there was no doubt that they were human.

The leader was a middle-aged man in his thirties.

At this moment, he was leading a donkey and walking toward Zhou You with a smile.

“Little brother, don’t be too nervous. We mean no harm. We were simply surprised to find a living person in a place like this, so we called out to greet you. If we were rude in any way, please forgive us.”

Zhou You did not respond immediately.

He first glanced at his wrist.

The bronze bell hung there quietly, showing no sign of movement.

Then he raised his eyes and looked toward the merchant caravan.

They all looked like merchants accustomed to life on the road.

The only unusual thing was that every one of them had an extremely healthy complexion.

Their skin even seemed faintly glossy.

Strange.

The surrounding area had dried to the point where not a single drop of water remained.

How had these people managed to maintain such good appearances?

Zhou You pondered the matter for several seconds before ultimately shaking his head.

Judging by their expressions, the merchants truly bore no ill intent.

They were simply curious.

Thus Zhou You relaxed his grip on the dagger in his clothing and was about to walk forward.

Then he suddenly remembered something.

He shifted his rear slightly to one side, casually blocking the old Daoist’s head from view.

Taking advantage of the movement as he stood, his right hand moved discreetly and stuffed the head back into the sack.

As the saying goes, family scandals should not be aired in public.

Master, given your current condition, you’d better stay obediently inside the sack.

There is an old saying in China: “Meeting an old acquaintance in a foreign land.”

It describes the joy of encountering someone familiar while far from home.

This situation went even further.

Upon a wilderness that had long become a dead zone, he had unexpectedly encountered several living people.

Naturally, the feeling was quite different.

Before long, the two sides struck up a conversation.

Most of the talking came from the noisy merchants.

Zhou You only occasionally inserted a comment or two.

“By the way, little brother, where are you from? Times are so chaotic right now. Why are you traveling alone and sleeping out here in the wilderness?”

The caravan leader sat cross-legged on the other side of the campfire.

As he tossed a piece of charcoal into the flames, he seemed to ask the question casually.

Zhou You studied the man’s face.

Finding no sign of probing intent, he smiled and replied.

“To be honest, elder brother, I’m from Mang Village not far from here. My family originally had a bit of grain stored away, so we managed to endure for a while after the disaster began. Unfortunately, the drought never ended. Not long ago, our last bit of food was almost gone, and both my father and mother died of fever. I had no choice but to gather the last of my belongings and head for Changhua County to seek out relatives and hopefully earn myself a meal.”

Upon hearing this, before the caravan leader could respond, a sound came from the sack nearby.

”Hiss.”

Without drawing attention, Zhou You kicked it.

Then the man opposite him said,

“A hard life indeed. But don’t worry. We’re headed to Changhua County as well. Once we reach the county seat, everything will be fine. Everyone has food there. No matter what, you won’t go hungry.”

Zhou You frowned slightly.

“Elder brother, are you saying the county wasn’t affected by the disaster?”

The caravan leader laughed.

“Don’t call me elder brother. It’s embarrassing. My surname is Li. I’m at least the leader of this merchant caravan. Just call me Old Li.”

No sooner had he spoken than teasing voices rose nearby.

“What leader? More like Li the Ghost!”

“Li Gui, you’ve really started thinking you’re important. With only this handful of people, you already call yourself the leader. If you recruit a few more, are you going to start calling yourself Lord Li?”

The caravan leader cursed back at them one by one.

Only then did he turn back to Zhou You with a smile.

“A bunch of useless idiots. You’ve had to witness the joke.”

“Oh right, what were we talking about?”

“We were talking about whether the county escaped the disaster.”

“That’s right!”

Old Li slapped his thigh.

“This damned thieving heaven. The whole of Cangzhou has gone an entire year without rain. Not a single drop. How could the county possibly be unaffected? To be honest, every field around the county has dried up and died. Forget crops. Even drought-resistant willows can’t survive. Even the river beside the county dried up completely!”

“...Then why did you say there’ll be food in the county?”

Old Li grinned.

A strange smile appeared on his face.

“Normal food is indeed gone.”

“But...”

“We have Lord Grand Duke Jupiter.”

Zhou You’s expression tightened.

Ever since leaving the pig demon’s lair, this was the second time he had heard that term.

“Um... pardon me, but who exactly is this Lord Grand Duke Jupiter?”

Old Li carefully looked Zhou You up and down.

The smile on his face grew even more mysterious.

“Little brother, you’ve been hiding away in your village all this time, so it’s understandable that you don’t know.”

“As for Lord Grand Duke Jupiter...”

He paused.

“Forget it. You’ll understand once you see it yourself.”

He clapped his hands.

Everyone who had been sitting around immediately stood up.

The movement was perfectly synchronized, as though they had been waiting for this moment all along.

And...

Zhou You looked around.

Every face carried an expression of yearning.

It was like a traveler who had wandered through a desert for days finally spotting an oasis.

Or a starving man finally receiving a full meal after a lifetime of hunger.

What shone through their expressions was no longer mere desire.

It resembled the devout faith of believers receiving a blessing from their god.

Zhou You had seen such a look before.

A villager had once been released from a drug rehabilitation center.

Soon afterward, he relapsed.

The expression on his face just before taking that first drag again had been exactly like this.

Utter yearning.

Utter delight.

Utter devotion.

At the leader’s command, the people rushed forward.

They impatiently unloaded several large chests from the pack animals and carefully removed certain items from within.

Despite their impatience, every movement remained extraordinarily gentle.

It was as though the objects they held were treasures more precious than their own lives.

They seemed terrified that a single careless movement might damage them.

Only then did Old Li speak again.

“This is Grand Duke Jupiter flesh.”

“Little brother, don’t you think it’s beautiful?”

Beautiful?

Zhou You looked over and fell silent.

In his eyes, the objects being cradled like priceless treasures were not the soft, slime-like growths he knew from reality.

Instead, they were writhing masses of flesh.

Several deformed arms and legs protruded from within them.

As the chunks of flesh squirmed and crawled, a mouth briefly emerged.

No sound came out.

Yet from the movement of its lips, Zhou You clearly recognized the words.

“Save me.”