As he spoke, tears streamed down his face, and the man started sobbing, suppressing his voice.

Anyone who could catch Ming Sui’s attention naturally wouldn’t be bad-looking, but this man had cried too many times. He didn’t receive Ming Lu’s sympathy before, and he certainly wouldn’t now.

“Following us isn’t a good decision,” Ming Lu calmly stated the fact. “If I were you, I’d stay in Jiu Yao County.”

The man quickly shook his head like a rattle drum, “No, I can’t stay in Jiu Yao County.”

Ming Lu silently stared at him.

The man hesitated for a moment before stammering softly, “To be honest, Young Master Lin was too flashy. He only stayed in Jiu Yao County for two or three days before making plenty of enemies. I don’t have any relatives, and if I stay there, I’ll just get bullied.”

So that was the real reason.

All that talk about having no support and being unfamiliar with the area was just an excuse.

After begging humbly for a long time and seeing that Ming Lu remained unmoved, the man finally turned around, crawled over to HuLü Yan’s feet, and kowtowed while crying, “Young Master, please have pity on me and take me in. I truly have nowhere to go, so I had no choice but to follow you. Once I find a better place, I will leave on my own and won’t bother you anymore.”

HuLü Yan acted as if he didn’t hear him, not even turning his head.

The man, however, assumed that HuLü Yan was hesitating, and the force of his head hitting the ground became harder and harder.

In the end, it was Ming Lu who spoke, “Fine, if you want to follow us, then follow. But let me be clear: we won’t be responsible for your safety.”

The man was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed, “Thank you, Young Master!”

Ming Lu asked, “What’s your name?”

The man cautiously replied, “You can call me Xiao Zhen, Young Master.”

“Alright, Xiao Zhen.” Ming Lu pointed to the rope on the ground. “From now on, you’ll be the one dragging Ming Sui.”

Xiao Zhen looked at the rope, then at Ming Sui, who was panting from struggling, and mumbled in confusion, “Me?”

Ming Lu nodded, “Yes, you.”

Only then did Xiao Zhen realize something, and his face paled as he waved his hands, “I-I can’t do it. I can’t drag him…”

“No worries.” Ming Lu patted Xiao Zhen on the shoulder. “You can drag him slowly. Just go as far as you can. We can walk while waiting for you.”

Xiao Zhen: “…”

So, the reason they suddenly started talking to him was just to get free labor?

But at this point, he had no choice but to comply.

They were close enough that Xiao Zhen could clearly see the slight upward curve of Ming Lu’s lips. It wasn’t a smile, just an unconscious expression.

However, at first glance, it gave the impression of someone gentle and harmless, easy to approach.

Xiao Zhen noticed that this young man naturally had a face that seemed to smile, and even when he said cold words, it was hard to hold a grudge. Yet, for some reason, the conversation just now left Xiao Zhen feeling a bit conflicted.

He remembered something Young Master Lin had once mentioned about a certain type of person.

These kinds of people were common in the righteous sects. They appeared humble and polite, often giving in without the slightest hint of aggression. But it was precisely these people who had the coldest hearts—because they cared so little, they showed little emotion.

It was all a sign of indifference.

##

After handing Ming Sui over to Xiao Zhen, their travel speed slowed down again. However, they were not far from the Medical Hall now. According to the map, they would reach their destination in two or three more days.

To keep Ming Sui quiet, Ming Lu directly had Xiao Zhen find something to knock him out.

Xiao Zhen did as he was told.

But that night, Xiao Zhen stared at the unconscious Ming Sui for a while and couldn’t help but ask Ming Lu out of curiosity, “Young Master, are you heading to the Medical Hall?”

Ming Lu, curled up in his blankets, heard Xiao Zhen’s voice and responded with a nasal “Mm.”

Xiao Zhen was quiet for a moment before asking again, “Can I know why you’re going there?”

Ming Lu didn’t even think before answering, “No, you can’t.”

Xiao Zhen: “…”

Ming Lu was feeling sleepy and closed his eyes, trying to drift off.

Just as he was half-asleep, he suddenly heard some strange sounds, like someone sneaking past him but accidentally stepping on the snow and broken branches, making a crunching noise.

Ming Lu jolted awake and opened his eyes. He saw a slender figure in the hazy night.

The snow on the ground provided enough contrast that, despite the dim light, Ming Lu could clearly see the figure’s every move.

The figure moved slowly, seemingly afraid of waking him, and turned to glance back at him every two steps.

Ming Lu narrowed his eyes slightly, pretending to be sound asleep.

However, the figure still sensed something and suddenly stopped, turning their head to stare directly at him.

Ming Lu kept his eyes lowered, remaining motionless in his curled-up position under the blanket.

After a long while, the figure finally sighed in relief and continued tiptoeing towards the other side of Ming Lu—where HuLü Yan was resting.

HuLü Yan didn’t even use a blanket. He simply leaned against a tree trunk, arms crossed, his thin eyelids covering his empty eye sockets. It was impossible to tell if he was asleep or just resting.

Ming Lu could guess with his toes that the figure was Xiao Zhen, and his target was HuLü Yan.

As for what Xiao Zhen intended to do, Ming Lu had a pretty good idea.

Xiao Zhen tiptoed over to HuLü Yan, crouched down slowly, and just as his soft hand was about to touch HuLü Yan’s shoulder, HuLü Yan suddenly grabbed his wrist.

HuLü Yan’s grip was so strong it seemed like he was about to crush Xiao Zhen’s wrist.

Xiao Zhen immediately broke out in a cold sweat but held back from crying out. He whispered in a trembling voice, “Young Master, it’s me.”

HuLü Yan showed no signs of letting go, his voice as cold as ice, “What are you trying to do?”

“I’m not trying to do anything. I just wanted to talk to you.” Xiao Zhen leaned against HuLü Yan, almost bonelessly, “My hand hurts. Can you let go first?”

Having grown up surrounded by men, Xiao Zhen knew exactly what tone men liked to hear.

Especially for someone like HuLü Yan, who clearly hadn’t experienced such things. Xiao Zhen had dealt with dozens of boys like him. He knew HuLü Yan’s weakness all too well.

But what he didn’t expect was that instead of letting go, HuLü Yan tightened his grip even more. “What are you trying to do?”

Xiao Zhen couldn’t hold back a hiss of pain, his body trembling. He clenched his fist so hard that his nails dug into his skin, but he didn’t care. He glanced back at Ming Lu, who seemed to still be asleep, and only then did he relax a little.

“I’m not lying. I just wanted to talk.” Xiao Zhen’s voice trembled with a sob as tears rolled down his cheeks.

It was a pitiful sight, though it was wasted on a blind person like HuLü Yan.

Seeing that his explanations were going nowhere, Xiao Zhen brought up Ming Lu, “If you don’t let go, the Young Master will wake up.”

Before he finished speaking, HuLü Yan abruptly released his hand.

Xiao Zhen felt like his wrist was about to break. He quickly pulled it back, gently touching it and wincing in pain. “You sure got nervous when I mentioned the Young Master.”

HuLü Yan didn’t respond, only repeating his question, “What are you trying to do?”

Xiao Zhen raised his eyes to look at HuLü Yan’s face.

He was only in the Qi Refinement stage, so it was hard to see clearly in the darkness. But luckily, they were very close.

Usually, Xiao Zhen wouldn’t dare stare directly at HuLü Yan’s face, but after holding back for days, he finally had the chance to take a good look.

Xiao Zhen’s eyes filled with undisguised infatuation.

There was no doubt that this was the most beautiful face he had ever seen, and this was the most powerful person he had ever met.

If Young Master Lin were still around, HuLü Yan could probably crush him with just a flick of his finger.

Admiration for strength was a natural instinct, and Xiao Zhen was no exception.

He had understood the law of “survival of the fittest” since he was young, which was why he revered the strong more than anyone else.

The story about him being alone in Jiu Yao County was false, as was the story about making enemies there. He had shamelessly followed them, sneaking around like a thief.

It was all for this person.

Getting him was the real goal.

He had originally planned to take it slow, to let time nurture their relationship, and then strike when the opportunity was right. But after spending time together, he realized how much this person cared about that young man.

Whenever the young man was even slightly far away, HuLü Yan would become anxious, violent, and irritable, like a trapped beast. His angry roars sent shivers down Xiao Zhen’s spine.

He didn’t know what kind of feelings HuLü Yan had for the young man, but he knew he was running out of time. He couldn’t take it slow anymore.

So, he decided to take action now.

In his experience, boys who had just lost their innocence often became clingy, unintentionally relying on their first partner.

With that thought, Xiao Zhen gritted his teeth and quickly stripped down to his inner garments.

In the icy cold weather, he rubbed his arms together to keep warm, his teeth chattering audibly.

“Young Master, since you don’t have anyone by your side yet, why not accept me?” Xiao Zhen’s voice trembled. “As long as I can stay with you, I’ll do anything. I’m willing to follow you to the ends of the earth.”

HuLü Yan couldn’t see what Xiao Zhen looked like at that moment, but when he felt a soft, warm body pressing against him, he jumped to his feet like he had been shocked by lightning.

It was the first time HuLü Yan had shown such obvious panic. Clearly, Xiao Zhen’s bold move had stunned him.

Seeing this, Xiao Zhen suddenly found some courage and boldly clung to HuLü Yan’s arm, “You can do whatever you want to me. If you don’t know how, I can teach you. I can teach you how to be with a man.”

Xiao Zhen’s voice was soft and delicate, as if he could cry at any moment, with a pitiful tone.

HuLü Yan trembled all over.

In an instant, his mind was flooded with memories of that night when he heard Xiao Zhen’s voice. Back then, Xiao Zhen’s voice was even softer, even more pitiful, as if he were being bullied and tormented.

At the time, HuLü Yan didn’t know what Xiao Zhen and Ming Sui were doing, nor did he think much about it.

But now—

Now he understood.

Author’s note:

A small step towards a cannon fodder’s demise, a giant leap for the protagonist’s enlightenment. In the next chapter, the cannon fodder can gracefully exit.