"Alright, thank you all for your hard work. You may go now. What I just said was just a hypothetical scenario, nothing to worry about. Everything is fine. Believe me, these things may not necessarily happen."
As Xu Fu spoke, there was a sudden wail from behind him. A soldier clutched his head, crouched on the ground, and began to cry out for no apparent reason—his hysterical sobbing made it seem as though he had suddenly gone mad. Laughing maniacally, he bolted away, and in an instant, the entire escort squad of soldiers panicked, dropping their belongings and fleeing for their lives.
"Young man, what's your name?"
"Xu Fu. And you?"
"Lao Chongyuan."
Their eyes met. In that instant, the chill on Lao Chongyuan's body dissipated, and a gentle voice sounded from behind him.
"We're hungry. Could you spare us something to eat?"
Ms. Genesis spoke, her eyes completely devoid of emotion as she fixed her gaze on Lao Chongyuan.
"Hey, hey, even if we're prisoners, at least give us something to eat! I'm starving here. Whatever you plan to do next, suit yourselves."
With a sudden whoosh, the black cloth tied across Mr. Oblivion's cheek slipped off, revealing his face. Instantly, the surrounding horses shrieked in terror, and several of the soldiers preparing to escort the prisoners cried out in fright.
Lao Chongyuan stared at Mr. Oblivion’s cheek. Aside from those beast-like eyes, his face was covered in scars, the flesh twisted together. Especially his mouth—there were no teeth, just a dark, gaping hole. It was terrifying to look at.
"What? What are you afraid of? I'm not a monster—I'm human. It's just that people smashed my teeth, one by one, and worked over my whole mouth and cheeks with knives, pliers, hot irons. That’s how I ended up like this. Not bad, huh? Hahahaha..."
A burst of wild laughter, mixed with a foolish chuckle, came from Ah Da behind Mr. Oblivion, who also started laughing.
"Take them away."
Lao Chongyuan gave the order, but at that moment, Xu Fu’s wicked eyes fixed on him.
"We’re somewhat alike, though... it seems there’s something different about you."
As Xu Fu spoke, Ms. Genesis behind him nodded.
"Answer me—what exactly happened?"
Some of the scattered soldiers ran off, while others were caught by Lao Chongyuan’s men. Their faces were twisted in terror, though no one knew what exactly they feared.
"No, I don’t know, I don’t know... My wife, my wife is still—ah..."
A soldier clutched his head and started shouting. From Zhuozhou to Rongcheng, it only took a little over ten days, yet Lao Chongyuan was baffled—even the officer leading the escort seemed mentally unstable.
"That guy isn’t human—he’s an evil ghost, a demon wearing human skin! Kill him, kill him..."
Several people immediately restrained the officer. Lao Chongyuan fell into deep thought. He only knew that man looked ordinary, but his entire presence radiated an aura Lao Chongyuan had never encountered before—something truly terrifying.
Lao Chongyuan had seen many people lose their minds—usually because of emotions, war, or witnessing loved ones killed. But the condition of these soldiers was different: their words were incoherent, and they seemed to be afraid of something unknown.
"Mr. Lowell, I advise you not to go in. Those people don’t seem normal at all."
One of the guards spoke up. For this situation, Lao Chongyuan had specially set up an underground stone chamber to hold the four prisoners, and had already sent food and water in.
"It’s fine. Just keep watch out here."
With a creak, Lao Chongyuan opened the door and walked in, descending the stairs. After going down, he heard a burst of playful noise.
"Hey, Genesis, don’t learn these tricks from those frauds. What’s the point?"
Mr. Oblivion leaned against the wall, next to Ah Da, who had already fallen asleep.
"Oblivion, this isn’t some scam. At least you’re alive and kicking now, thanks to Xu Fu’s medical skills. I’m learning this so that if you get hurt in the future, we won’t have to beg anyone—I can heal you myself."
Xu Fu shot Mr. Oblivion a glare.
"Kid, you should pay attention. Knowing something is always better than knowing nothing."
"Bah! Damn you. I’ve been tortured so many times, yet you always come out unscathed. How’s that fair?"
Xu Fu burst out laughing, pointing to his head.
"That’s why I’m the leader, and you can only follow me. Right?"
"It’s really funny, though. Those guys actually went mad because of what you said. Ridiculous!"
Lao Chongyuan stood outside, watching the four of them, each with a different demeanor. Ms. Genesis was carefully memorizing the medicinal properties Xu Fu spoke about, even using her finger dipped in water to write notes.
"Mr. Lowell, do you have any advice for us?"
Just as Xu Fu spoke, Mr. Oblivion suddenly slammed against the cell bars with a loud crash, his chained hands clanging. He squeezed his face through the gap, looking even more ferocious.
"You’d better let us go, or else—if I get out, I’ll kill anyone I see."
There was no expression on Lao Chongyuan’s face. Instead, he actually smiled with a hint of excitement. He grabbed Mr. Oblivion’s cheek and, with sudden force, shoved him to the ground, causing him to bang the back of his head.
"It’s useless, Oblivion. Against someone like him, who’s impervious to blades or bullets... heh."
Xu Fu slowly stood up. Ms. Genesis glanced at Lao Chongyuan, startled.
"Mr. Lowell, may I ask—what are you most afraid of?"
Lao Chongyuan sat cross-legged on the ground, staring at Xu Fu. Yet, at that moment, his mind began to swirl with confusion—all because of a simple question.
"What is it?"
Lao Chongyuan muttered to himself. Deep down, it seemed there was nothing in this world he had ever feared.
"Oh, most people would be scared just looking at me, but you’re different somehow. Heh. Got any wine? I’d like a drink."
Oblivion spoke, and Lao Chongyuan nodded. For some reason, he felt a strong urge to understand these people, and an emotion surged inside him—one he’d never experienced before.
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"Can you tell me what exactly you said to those soldiers?"
Xu Fu took a sip of wine and smiled.
"I just told them the truth, chatted about everyday life. Depending on each person, I said different things. For example, one guy always bragged about his wife—how virtuous, capable, and beautiful she was. So I asked, what if Qi State invades? What would he do? On the battlefield, death comes easily. And now Yan State is finished, and so on."
"Was it fear?"
Lao Chongyuan immediately understood—Xu Fu had managed to draw out the fears everyone tried to avoid facing or mentioning.
"Many people are like that. When faced with something, they ignore it, refuse to mention or touch it. And when it actually happens, they either choose to forget or numb themselves with distractions. Ridiculous, isn’t it?"
Lao Chongyuan nodded and took a sip of wine.
"What about you, Xu Fu? What are you most afraid of?"
In an instant, Xu Fu burst out laughing, then raised his finger and swept his gaze around the room.
"All five of us here are the same—there’s nothing we fear. Real fear, we’ve already crossed that line, haven’t we?"
Lao Chongyuan waved his hand and pointed under his own eyes.
"You’re lying. When you mentioned your greatest fear, your eyes closed just a little. No matter how you try to avoid it, whatever you fear will follow you for life—even in your dreams, you’ll wake up in terror."
Lao Chongyuan stood up, and Xu Fu’s expression grew dazed.
"Ha! If you’re going to brag, at least pick the right audience."
Oblivion laughed on the side, his eyes fixed on Lao Chongyuan.
"And what about you—what are you really?"
Lao Chongyuan took a sip of wine, set down his empty cup, and after a moment of daze, smiled and left.
"It was good to meet you, Mr. Lowell. This time, I mean it."
Lao Chongyuan smiled faintly, turned, and glanced at Xu Fu.
"Perhaps."
Under the night sky in Rongcheng, in a rundown house on the outskirts, a group of people bowed and nodded, accepting money from Wu, who had no hands.
"Don’t worry, we won’t say a word."
Outside the house, there were piles of goods, all filled with money. Wu sneered coldly as she watched the coachmen helping with the transport. Each one looked satisfied with the cash in their hands—but just then, there were two swift slashing sounds.
Shrieks of agony rang out. Wu slowly straightened up. In the moonlight, dark red pools appeared on the ground. She sneered.
"Only the dead will never reveal secrets."
Wu began dragging the corpses deeper into the woods. After finding a hillside, she tossed all the bodies down, then returned to the cabin, where she sat down to eat and drink.
"Such troublesome employers. Still, a promise is a promise—once it’s made, it must be kept. Heh."
Under the night sky, Wu left the cabin and headed for Rongcheng.
"What’s wrong, Mr. Lao? You look so pleased—did something happen?"
Yan Rui watched as Lao Chongyuan entered the house and quickly prepared to go to bed.
"It’s nothing. I just escorted a few prisoners."
But Yan Rui saw something in his eyes and grabbed Lao Chongyuan.
"Tell me—what really happened?"
Over the years, Lao Chongyuan had been a good husband and father, managing the family business and everything in the city with care. But Yan Rui had never seen him so happy.
"If one day I leave, what would you do?"
At first, Yan Rui thought he was joking, but seeing the seriousness on his face, she replied word by word.
"Marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog. If you ever leave, I’ll find you—no matter what you become."