Yu Xifeng ignored him.

The man only shouted that one time. Seeing that Yu Xifeng and Zhang Qiu didn’t leave, he didn’t bother them any further.

If there’s no guaranteed gain or worthwhile reward,
wasting energy is just not worth it.

That was the consensus among survivors.

Yu Xifeng stood between Zhang Qiu and the man, surveying the room, which had clearly been scavenged by many people already.

This place was still too close to the underground shelter.

Aside from herbs whose effects were unknown to ordinary people, anything useful had long been taken.

What was left were things that were not worth the effort—like a threshold stone.

Items that normal people could recognize—like honeysuckle, American ginseng, angelica—had all been cleaned out.

Whatever was left, if someone didn’t recognize it, they might still grab a handful just in case.

Who cared what it was? At worst, it could still be burned for fuel. In times of scarcity, that was how most people thought.

Or it was just stuff that looked like garbage.

Zhang Qiu was squatting on the ground quietly digging through the trash. Even the scraps left in the corners of cabinets were carefully scraped out and packed away.

Then they moved on to the next house.

The man with the wooden stick was heading in a similar direction as Yu Xifeng.

But keeping a bit of distance, Yu Xifeng didn’t interfere. He wasn’t the only one on the road.

Zhang Qiu kept scavenging on the ground, while Yu Xifeng guarded the door for him.

They went through three or four more houses like that.

Zhang Qiu said, “Got everything for your medicinal bath.”

Yu Xifeng replied, “What about yours?”

“Mine? Oh, right, mine’s almost done too,” Zhang Qiu answered.

As he spoke, he entered another house.

This one looked more like a residence, with a courtyard out back.

Zhang Qiu instinctively crouched down as he moved.

Yu Xifeng followed behind, just in time to see the man with the wooden stick hesitating at the door, unsure whether to come in.

“Yu Xifeng,” Zhang Qiu called her.

His voice carried a mix of surprise and joy he couldn’t quite hide.

Yu Xifeng lifted her eyelids but didn’t go inside to find Zhang Qiu. Instead, she stared at the man—and the wooden stick in his hand.

The man gave an awkward smile, waved, and left.

Yu Xifeng squinted as she watched his back.

Once the man was out of sight, Yu Xifeng stepped inside. Zhang Qiu also noticed something was off and whispered, “I think there’s a cellar here.”

Yu Xifeng walked over. The ground did feel a bit strange.

She looked back. In the distance, two or three people were watching, but hadn’t come closer.

Yu Xifeng gave Zhang Qiu a signal.

Zhang Qiu understood and slowed down his movements, walking in circles and picking up things bit by bit.

Those people glanced toward Yu Xifeng, saw that the house looked empty, and left in disdain.

Yu Xifeng whispered, “This was the city before. Why would someone dig a cellar here?”

Zhang Qiu shook his head. “Hard to say. This used to be an old residential area. The management wasn’t strict. Tons of illegal additions and renovations.”

They leaned against the wall and huddled near the courtyard’s edge. Zhang Qiu handed Yu Xifeng a rice ball. She didn’t stand on ceremony—ate it in a few bites and gave him two chocolate beans.

When Zhang Qiu tried to pocket them, Yu Xifeng said, “Eat them now. They’ll melt.”

Zhang Qiu ate one.

The people on the road had mostly dispersed.

Yu Xifeng shut the door. Together, they broke through the frozen surface.

Zhang Qiu exclaimed with joy, “There really is one!”

The cellar was stocked with lots of dried sweet potatoes—two huge burlap sacks, at least over 100 kilograms—along with radishes, dried vegetables, and smoked cured meats.

Judging from their condition, these items had been stored since before the catastrophe.

Zhang Qiu spotted an entire wall of herbal cabinets. “Wow, that’s high-end. This wood’s expensive.”

Yu Xifeng liked the cabinet too.

Her space had scattered items everywhere. This cabinet would be perfect for organizing them. Just imagining it was satisfying.

“Take what’s most useful to you,” Yu Xifeng reminded him.

Zhang Qiu packed herbs into his pockets—not just stuffing, but pressing them in tight to use every bit of space.

There was so much stuff, they could only take less than a tenth of it.

Such a shame.

Yu Xifeng helped pack two large strips of cured meat, a smoked chicken, two bags of rice, and a sack of dried sweet potatoes.

The dried vegetables were shriveled and didn’t take up space, so she stuffed every empty spot in her backpack with them.

These were for Zhang Qiu and Old Man Cai.

As for herself, Yu Xifeng looked around the cellar.

The rest was hers.

“This trip was a gold mine,” Zhang Qiu said cheerfully, then froze. “I think someone’s coming.”

Yu Xifeng dropped her bag. “Wait here. I’ll go take a look.”

She climbed up and exited the cellar.

This time, she heard the approaching footsteps—deliberately loud.

Yu Xifeng opened the door. Outside, the man with the wooden stick had returned, this time with three others—big, strong men, all with relaxed grins.

The man’s eyes glinted with calculation.

He’d been in this house before and found nothing.

But these two were young. The guy clearly wasn’t used to going out.

They’d been inside for so long. He suspected the couple had found something.

To be safe, he’d brought reinforcements.

“Well, she’s a looker.”

“Forget that guy—come with us, we’ll treat you real good.”

Their faces lit up with suggestive smiles.

Yu Xifeng backed away a few steps, looking utterly terrified, retreating into the house like she had nowhere else to go.

The men grinned wider.

They followed leisurely—like cats toying with a mouse.

But the moment they saw the cellar, their expressions changed.

They’d been on the road long enough to recognize the signs—fresh.

And what were cellars for?

Storing supplies.

A newly discovered cellar meant food. A lot of food. Tradeable resources.

Their faces turned grim. Whoever was inside—none of them planned to let them live.

They had the upper hand and made the decision from above—Yu Xifeng’s fate was sealed.

One of them even thoughtfully closed the door.

Yu Xifeng was quite pleased with their cooperation. She took off her heavy outer coat.

The men exchanged glances, their smirks growing more twisted.

Yu Xifeng smiled back at them.

When Zhang Qiu finally climbed out of the cellar, Yu Xifeng was wiping her knife on the last man’s neck.

Zhang Qiu’s face was red from holding his breath. “No air in there—almost died. Damn—”

The cellar entrance was littered with bodies.

All dead.

Zhang Qiu sat on the floor, gasping for air. “If you weren’t here, I probably would’ve died today.”

Yu Xifeng nodded.

“Let’s move the bodies into the cellar. Don’t want anyone tracing this back to us.”

Yu Xifeng was a bit surprised at how quickly Zhang Qiu had adapted to killing and looting.

A promising talent, indeed.