A man's anguished cries echoed, while outside the shack, crowds gathered. On every face was a look of desolation—the death of the wife and child inside foretold their own impending doom.
“Hahaha, you actually came back. I told you, didn’t I? If you return, all you’ll find is your wife and child’s corpses. No matter how much you grieve, there’s no bringing them back.”
The man never made the decision to rob the landlord. Without a leader, no one dared to act. They could only return in the wind and snow, while the landlord feasted and drank, unwilling to share even a scrap of food.
Hundreds lived in this shantytown. Now, famine struck, and such scenes played out daily. Food grew scarcer; the city was under lockdown, forbidding the starving from entering. Already, the hungry had caused plenty of trouble.
“Serves them right, haha.”
The White Peacemaker stood aside, watching the man. Sorrow flickered in its eyes, tinged with anger.
Join the army. With that single thought, the man decided his next step. The provincial capital was recruiting strong men—war was coming, but it was better than starving to death.
“Humans really are weak. No matter how deep their hatred, it’s useless. Haha.”
On the Gray Humanoid Entity’s side, the beggar who had entered the laborer’s home seemed to have changed completely in just ten days. He listened to the man, worked hard, and ate his fill each day—sometimes even enjoying a drink or some meat.
Thanks to the abnormal climate, the brothers’ business was booming—they helped townsfolk repair houses. The beggar also knew how to repay kindness. The family’s only elderly member had trouble walking, so the beggar took care of everything after returning, and the old man was delighted, as if he’d gained another son.
“Is this what they mean by good deeds being rewarded?”
Meanwhile, on the Deathbane Wraith’s side, the woman spent her days in tears, growing thinner with each passing day. She was about to be driven out of the wealthy household, and the master hadn’t appeared for days—he’d simply left her some money and told her to leave quickly.
She’d thought she’d found a safe haven, a place to rest without struggling—but now she was fully awake. There was no such thing as a safe haven in this world.
With grief and anger, she left the rich family and vanished into the county town.
The Three Mimics gathered once more, each recounting what they’d witnessed before an argument broke out.
The White Peacemaker believed humans were weak; the Deathbane Wraith saw them as suffering. The two, who rarely argued before, now tore into each other, while the Gray Humanoid Entity stood by, grinning.
“Humans are kind.”
The Gray Humanoid Entity spoke. The other two stared at him, and the argument escalated until all three began to wrestle.
Finally, the White Peacemaker suggested they ask John Chou who was right.
John Chou smiled, listening to the Three Mimics describe what they’d seen in people’s eyes. He said nothing, just smiled, as the trio began arguing again.
“You’re all correct. Life itself is suffering; most of a person’s time is spent in weakness, yet human nature is fundamentally good.”
The Three Mimics looked at John Chou in confusion, deeply concerned with these intangible, unseen things, eager to understand why.
“But what I saw is definitely right. You two don’t need to argue with me.”
The Deathbane Wraith spoke, and the other two began arguing again.
John Chou clapped his hands—smack, smack, smack—and the trio stopped, staring blankly at him as he began to speak.
What the White Peacemaker saw was humanity’s weakness. Even if he led the starving mob to rob the landlord, the outcome would be the same.
“Impossible! If they robbed the landlord, they’d have food. How could the result be the same?”
John Chou smiled and shook his head.
“In the human world, there are things called laws. Even if he robbed the landlord, it would only stave off hunger for a moment. If he were caught, he’d lose his life. And without the man, his family would face the same fate—starvation, only sooner or later. As for the others he led? The same. Their success would solve only a temporary problem, never a lifelong one.”
The White Peacemaker, puzzled, drifted over to the pile of books and began to read.
That woman’s suffering didn’t come from failing to find a safe haven—she’d been suffering from the start. From childhood, she never knew peace. Her actions were just fleeing one pain for another. Even if she killed her master, it wouldn’t change a thing. She would still suffer.
“Hmph, so full of hatred, yet does nothing.”
The Deathbane Wraith complained, but John Chou just smiled.
“What you saw was just false kindness. Whenever people do something, there’s always a reason. Even if they start out confused, once it’s done, they’ll know why.”
“Nonsense! The books say the same—the man was kind, he saved the beggar, and…”
“You can save someone for a moment, but not for a lifetime. Never hope for others to rescue you; only you can save yourself. Though those two call each other brothers, if business improves, if they start making money, if there’s a woman involved… heh…”
John Chou flashed an evil smile, pointing at the trio.
“You still don’t understand people, do you? Do you know why humans are like this?”
The Three Mimics immediately crowded around John Chou.
“Why?”
All three voices asked at once. John Chou pointed to his chest, to his heart.
“Because humans have a heart. You can’t understand that. Keep watching—you’ll see what I mean.”
Her wandering, turbulent journey left the woman thinner and more dazed. Alone in the provincial capital, she couldn’t return to her old Golden Troupe—she’d been sold off by the master.
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Standing amid the traffic of the provincial capital, the woman was completely lost. She found a cheap place to stay, but her money dwindled, and she didn’t know what to do.
Earlier, she tried to get work at the famous Grand Theater, but was turned away—there were far too many better singers. As a second-rate leading lady from a small troupe, her old life was gone for good.
No way up, no way out. Then someone approached her, offering easy money—accompany men while she was still young. Otherwise, when she grew old, with no reliable man, life would be impossible.
She vaguely understood what this person wanted from her.
“The suffering starts again, heh. Just like John Chou said—no matter where you go, it’s the same pain. Nothing you do matters.”
The Deathbane Wraith followed the woman, observing her every move.
The woman spent her days in sorrow, her face pained, her eyes vacant. In the end, she made up her mind—nothing mattered anymore.
She began to smile. She dressed well, ate well, and moved to a better place. In just a short time, she spent every night with different men.
The Deathbane Wraith was baffled, unable to understand. This was different from what John Chou had said. The woman smiled every day, no longer depressed at night, never showing pain again.
Meanwhile, on the Gray Humanoid Entity’s side…
The two brothers made a good profit during the disaster, splitting the money evenly. When the crisis ended, they decided to use their savings to start a business, no longer working as laborers.
Surprisingly, the beggar brother had some talent—he cooked well. They decided to rent a place and open a cheap eatery.
After days of searching, they finally found a good house near the outskirts of the East Quarter and began their business. The older brother handled shopping, washing, and greeting guests; the younger cooked and served.
In just over ten days, many poor people came for food. Since prices were low, the brothers earned little, and most dishes were made from wild vegetables gathered in the mountains.
But the brothers felt happy helping the poor.
“Isn’t this great? Haha.”
The Gray Humanoid Entity watched the brothers’ smiles every day, feeling as if he were part of their world.
Business at the little eatery kept improving—even some wealthy people came. Then, the owner of The Royal Table, the city’s biggest restaurant, noticed the younger brother’s skill and offered him a high salary to come work there.
The younger brother didn’t tell his elder. His smile faded. In this little shop, he earned little, sold cheap food, and knew he’d never save much, even if he worked there for life.
“Isn’t this better than begging on the street?”
The Gray Humanoid Entity couldn’t stand it. The younger brother was restless, as if a thousand ants were crawling in his heart, unable to calm down. Even his cooking suffered.
The elder brother noticed something was wrong and pulled him aside for a private talk that night.
When he learned the truth, the elder said nothing but fully supported his brother going to work at The Royal Table.
That very night, the younger brother wept bitterly. The next day, he began teaching his elder how to cook. After more than half a month, the younger brother left for The Royal Table.
The Gray Humanoid Entity watched the brothers part, eyes fixed on the younger one. The gloom of the past days seemed to vanish.
Yet the Gray Humanoid Entity felt deeply uneasy, dissatisfied with the younger brother’s decision.
“Humans really are fascinating.”