Young hero, stay put and don't be reckless.

Chapter 2 Ants

"What? You're not convinced?" Liu Wei poked Jiang Xun's shoulder with his stick. "If you're not convinced, then hit me! Come on, let me see how much strength your little arms and legs can have—"

He didn't finish his sentence.

Jiang Xun suddenly looked up.

In that instant, Liu Wei saw a pair of eyes.

The eyes that were just smiling a moment ago suddenly turned cold and bright, like two knives.

Liu Wei was stunned—

The next instant, a sudden heaviness settled in my chest.

He didn't see what happened at all; he only felt as if he had been hit by a galloping horse, flying more than ten feet backward before crashing heavily to the ground.

"cough--!"

Liu Wei spat out a mouthful of blood, looked down and saw that his chest was caved in and several of his ribs were broken.

He stared wide-eyed at Jiang Xun.

The skinny little thief, as thin as a bamboo pole, was standing there, panting heavily.

His eyes were red, his whole body was trembling, his fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"You, you motherfucker—"

Liu Wei wanted to curse, but when he opened his mouth, he coughed up another mouthful of blood.

Jiang Xun did not move.

She just stood there, panting, looking at him.

Liu Wei tried to get up, but his hands and feet wouldn't obey him.

My chest felt increasingly tight, my breathing became increasingly difficult, and my vision grew increasingly blurry—

The last thing he saw was Jiang Xun's reddened eyes.

Then everything was gone.

The alleyway quieted down.

Jiang Xun stood there, panting heavily.

He looked down at his hands—there was blood on his fists, he didn't know if it was Liu Wei's or his own.

A strange heat surged through my body, running from my stomach down to my limbs. I felt full of energy, yet also inexplicably uncomfortable, as if something was about to burst out from under my skin.

He looked up at Liu Wei.

Liu Wei lay motionless on the ground.

"Wei, Brother Wei?!"

The two thugs were dumbfounded.

They looked at Liu Wei lying on the ground vomiting blood, then at Jiang Xun whose eyes had become unfamiliar, and their legs began to go weak.

"Murder, murder!"

The two screamed, turned and ran, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Jiang Xun did not give chase.

He stood there, panting heavily, the heat still churning inside him, and the veins on his forehead throbbing with pain.

But he gritted his teeth and didn't utter a sound.

After a while, the heat gradually subsided.

Jiang Xun looked down at Liu Wei.

Liu Wei was no longer moving, his fate unknown.

Three seconds later, Jiang Xun suddenly came to his senses—

run!

Run!

Without thinking twice, he turned around and picked up the scattered medicinal herbs—collecting as many as he could. He then picked up the roast chicken, climbed over the low wall at the end of the alley, and disappeared into the intricate alleyways in a few quick movements.

Inside the dilapidated temple, Ali was squatting at the door, gazing longingly into the distance.

The sun is about to set, why isn't my brother back yet?

Her stomach was growling with hunger, but she dared not move. Her brother had told them to wait in the temple, so she had to wait.

"Sister Ali, when is Brother coming back?" Xiao Qi poked her head out from the haystack.

"Almost there, almost there." Ali patted her belly. "Brother said he'd bring meat back, and he definitely will."

"But the sun has already set..."

"That will be soon."

Ali spoke with absolute certainty, but she was unsure of herself.

She was wondering whether she should go out and look for them when she suddenly heard footsteps.

She suddenly stood up and looked outside the temple—

In the twilight, a thin figure staggered over.

It's my brother!

Ali ran over happily, but stopped after taking two steps.

She saw that her brother was covered in dust, his clothes were torn in several places, his face was frighteningly pale, and his eyes were blank, as if he had been frightened by something.

"Brother, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing." Jiang Xun forced a smile and patted Ali's head. "I bumped into a few clueless people and got into a fight. It's nothing."

He took the roast chicken out of his pocket and handed it over.

"Take this and share it with Shiliu Xiaoqi."

Ali's eyes lit up instantly.

"Roast chicken! It really is roast chicken!"

Shiliu and Xiaoqi also ran over, and the three little ones surrounded the roast chicken, their eyes shining.

Jiang Xun looked at them and a smile appeared on his lips.

"Brother, aren't you going to eat?" Ali asked.

"I've already eaten."

Ali stared at him.

Jiang Xun rubbed his right eyelid: "...I really have eaten."

Ah Li was skeptical, but the aroma of the roast chicken made her forget about it.

The three little ones squatted in the corner and started sharing the roast chicken, their mouths greasy with oil.

Jiang Xun turned around and walked deeper into the dilapidated temple.

The most draft-free corner was covered with a thick layer of straw.

A person was lying on the straw.

The man was extremely old, with gray hair, a face full of wrinkles, and several wounds on his body oozing pus, giving off a putrid smell.

He lay there, breathing lightly and shallowly, his chest rising and falling so barely noticeable.

Jiang Xun walked over and squatted down beside the haystack.

"Old man, I'm back."

The old man's eyelids twitched, but he didn't open them.

Jiang Xun reached out and checked his breath—he was still breathing, but very weakly.

He withdrew his hand, looked at the old man's withered face, and suddenly felt a lump in his throat.

The old man had rescued him from a pile of corpses seven years ago.

Jiang Xun was ten years old at the time, waiting to die in a mass grave outside the city.

The old man carried him back and brewed medicine for half a month, pulling him back from the brink of death.

Over the past seven years, the old man taught him to read, to steal, and to survive in Jiangzhou City.

Jiang Xun picked through the medicinal herbs he had collected, selecting the usable ones. He crushed them with a stone, added water, and boiled them into a bowl of dark, murky liquid.

He held the bowl and helped the old man up.

"Here, drink your medicine."

The old man barely opened his eyes and glanced at him.

That eye was very cloudy, but Jiang Xun always felt that there was something hidden inside.

The old man opened his mouth and took a few sips.

Just a few bites.

Then he started coughing, coughing so hard it was excruciating, and the medicine spilled all over him.

"Alright, alright, that's enough." Jiang Xun put down the bowl and helped the old man lie down again. "Go to sleep, you'll feel better after a nap."

The old man didn't speak, he just looked at him.

Jiang Xun couldn't decipher that look in his eyes.

He tucked the blanket around the old man and returned to the temple entrance.

The three little ones had finished eating, their hands and faces covered in oil, and they were licking their fingers contentedly.

"Brother, it's so delicious!" Xiao Qi smiled, her eyes narrowed.

"As long as it tastes good." Jiang Xun smiled and told the younger children to go to sleep, "Go to sleep, we'll play again tomorrow."

"Brother, aren't you going to sleep?" Ali asked.

"Read a book for a while."

Ali stared at him with wide eyes, as if he were a monster.

Books? My brother can read books?

Jiang Xun felt embarrassed by her gaze and coughed lightly, "My father told me to learn more characters; they'll be useful later."

He pulled a tattered book from under the straw—he'd picked it up from a middle school in town, but he didn't know what it was.

When I opened it, the words inside were densely packed, and just looking at them gave me a headache.

Jiang Xun still started reading.

He remembered what the old man had said: "If you can't read, you'll be a thief your whole life. If you can read, maybe you can do something else."

What else can he do? Jiang Xun didn't know.

But he remembered the look in the old man's eyes when he said those words.

There was something in those eyes that made Jiang Xun feel that he shouldn't let them down.

He forced himself to read a page.

Two pages.

Three pages.

My eyes grew heavier and heavier, and the words began to dance...

After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Xun's head suddenly drooped, and he collapsed into the straw pile, falling asleep.

The next morning, Jiang Xun was awakened by a gust of cold wind.

He opened his eyes and found the temple door wide open, with the morning light shining in, illuminating the entire room.

"Ah Li?"

No one answered.

Jiang Xun rubbed his eyes, sat up, and looked around—

Ali was still there, fast asleep, huddled in the haystack. Shiliu and Xiaoqi were also there, huddled together.

Jiang Xun breathed a sigh of relief and looked towards where the old man was lying—

Then he froze.

There was one more person in front of the old man.

A man in black.

The man was dressed entirely in black, completely covered from head to toe, and stood in front of the old man with his back to Jiang Xun.

Jiang Xun's mind wasn't fully clear, but his body had already moved—he suddenly stood up and was about to rush over—

Then he saw the man's eyes.

The man in black turned his head and glanced at him.

Just one glance.

Jiang Xun stood frozen in place.

He couldn't quite describe what that look was.

There was no murderous intent, no hostility, and it didn't even seem like they were looking at him—like an elephant glancing at an ant at its feet, giving it a casual glance, and then ignoring it completely.