Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 397 Small Days

"Brothers, don't blame me. People in our line of work have been hanging their heads on their trousers for a long time. You are lucky today. At least there are people to clean up after you. If I die tomorrow, I am afraid there will be no one to clean up after me."

Next to the hillside, the second in command spoke as he worked hard to dig a pit, dumped the bodies of several brothers into it, pushed the dirt aside, and buried the bodies underneath. This was the last duty of the brothers.

Xiao Ran walked to the grave, patted the second in command on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Don't be afraid, I will clean up for you after you die."

It would have been fine if he hadn't said this, but once he did, the second in command felt goosebumps all over his body.

"Let's go, take us to Fire Dragon Village."

"Good, good!"

The second in command nodded. He knew that he was able to survive simply because he was still useful.

Whether you can survive in the future depends on your own ability.

Xiao Ran took a few steps and remembered something. He looked around and saw the white banner and bell that he had thrown aside when he was being chased by the bandits.

"Oh, we can't lose our character."

As he spoke, he walked forward, picked up the thing, rang the bell, and raised the white flag.

He casually threw out a stack of white money with round holes as guide money.

La la…

The white paper money fell like snowflakes.

"Ding-ling!" The bell in his hand rang, and Xiao Ran sang:

"What good is it to be a human being in this world? You are like the rushes on the river bank, swaying back and forth... and then disappearing."

Although the second in command didn't understand, he seemed to hear his brother's shouts.

He couldn't help but shudder all over and put his hands together: "Brothers, I'm leaving first. I'll come back to reunite with you in ten... eighty years!"

After saying that, he didn't dare to stop for a moment and hurriedly followed Xiao Ran.

Huolongzhai is already in Luoyang, and its location is almost close to Mengjin.

In this area of mountains and strange rocks, Huolong Village is hidden in the ravine in front.

Xiao Ran and the other two walked along a dirt road.

From a distance you can see the wooden gate of the village in the distant mountains and forests.

In fact, there have been many such copies from ancient times to the present.

The Central Plains is relatively good. It is a plain and the capital of the kingdom. There are not many places suitable for building a stronghold.

If you are in places like Guizhou, hey, it’s either this mountain or that mountain, either this cave or that cave.

Even some caves passed down from ancestors of some landlords are located on steep cliffs. Not to mention that one man can block the passage of ten thousand men, if you don't know the location, you can't find the door.

We built a stronghold here. The geographical location is not excellent, it can only be said to be close to the grain route, which is convenient.

"stop!!"

As the three approached, they heard someone shouting in the distance.

"Don't get me wrong, we're here to hang out."

The second in command hurried forward and shouted.

"Where did it come from?"

"I'm from the fields, and I can't hold on any longer. I beg the shopkeeper to give me a meal."

"Does that manor have a guarantor?"

"Donkey Egg and I are from the same hometown."

The second in command shouted at the top of his voice through the gate of the opposite village.

Xiao Ran and Gao Yuting were standing at the back, hearing the conversation between the two sides. They knew in their hearts that the situation in Huolong Village was probably not much different from what the second in command had originally said.

Why? The conversation between the two people is not the jargon of the underworld, if they are really underworld people.

The conversation is mainly based on incisions, and everyone can figure out the other party's identity in just a few words.

It’s not that this plain language is bad, but that neither side knows the other’s background, so it is inevitable to test each other.

So, some things may seem complicated, but they are actually simple.

After the second in command and the other side had been arguing for a long time, the door of the village was finally opened.

The second in command hurriedly took Xiao Ran and Gao Yuting inside.

A leader of a mountain stronghold came out with a few "bandits".

"they are……"

The appearance of two young people, Xiao Ran and Gao Yuting, naturally made people alert.

"They are my nephews and nieces-in-law, the only relatives I have."

When the second in command said this, his eyes turned red, as if he was thinking of his dead brothers and his dead elder brother, and he couldn't help but feel sad.

"Oh, that's how it is."

Looking at the sad expression of the second in command, the leader in charge of picking up the people showed sympathy on his face.

I can already imagine in my mind a scene of some evil local squire forcing these honest peasant brothers to lose their families.

"Brother, don't be too sad. You are home now. Come on, I will take you inside and settle you down."

As he said this, he led the three people into the mountain village.

This mountain village is quite large, with two-story cave dwellings on both sides.

At a glance, there are probably more than ten households. Going further inside, there are many cave dwellings and wooden houses. Just as the second in command said, this Huolong Village has a population of at least a thousand households.

This is almost the population of an entire township.

"Niu'er, where are these people from?" Several elderly farmers looked at the newcomers brought by the leader and started asking.

"Someone from Zhao Village."

The leader known as the Bull responded.

"Oh, Zhao Village has had a hard time these past two years. I should have come a long time ago."

The second in command nodded with a smile, but his appearance made several villagers who wanted to say hello shudder and they all lowered their heads and pretended not to see him.

There is no way. Compared with the Fire Dragon Village, the second in command is more professional and more suitable.

Fortunately, Xiao Ran and Gao Yuting are following the second in command.

The two of them supported each other, lowered their heads, and looked around cautiously from time to time, with the words "frightened bird" firmly written on their faces.

It makes people feel distressed and sigh.

"You guys can live here for now. Although it's a little old, it won't affect people living here."

Niuzi brought the three people to a cave.

This cave has obviously been abandoned for some time, but it is still a place to stay and can provide shelter from the wind and rain.

"Well, the three of us..."

The second in command looked at the cave with an embarrassed expression.

"Hey, you guys are a family, just squeeze in for now, and I'll find you a place later."

Niu Zi explained impatiently.

"Uncle, it's good to squeeze in. We just arrived, so don't cause trouble to Brother Niu."

Xiao Ran walked forward, carefully pulled the second in command's arm and said.

Seeing Xiao Ran said so, what else could the second in command say? He could only nod his head reluctantly: "That's it, there is a cowshed here, you guys sleep inside, I'll stay outside for a while."

"This... won't work." Xiao Ran suddenly looked at a loss.

"Let's just leave it at that. Otherwise, if some sarcastic remarks are spread out in the future, it will be hard to explain."

The second in command acted like he was the parent and had the final say, and he made the final decision on the matter.

Niu Zi and the others looked at each other and secretly sighed in their hearts: "Although he is a nephew, he is sensible to do this. He is a good man, but he is a little ugly. It is true that you cannot judge a person by his appearance."

Then he looked at Xiao Ran and shook his head, judging in his mind, "He looks good, but why is he so cowardly? What's that smell about him?"

Until the end, I saw the young lady hiding behind Xiao Ran. Although she was wearing a headscarf, a beauty was still a beauty. Just standing there, one could tell at a glance that she was extraordinary.

Although Niu Zi and his men are not good people, they remember the rules of the village very well.

They would never do such a thing as snatching someone else's wife. They just sighed: "God is blind. A flower... Hey."

"Wait a minute, someone will come and give you three days' worth of food. As for the rest, you can either buy it with your own money or go and help the village with work. You can do any kind of work. Anyway, we don't keep idle people here. As for the rest of the rules, we can take our time and there's no rush."

"Okay, okay, okay, let's clean up and put everything in order. We'll take our time."

The second in command bowed and thanked him repeatedly.

After sending Niu Zi away, the second in command turned around, and his originally stern face immediately became humble.

"Uncle, aunt, I..."

The second in command pointed to the cowshed next to him.

"Go clean it up."

Xiao Ran knew what he meant and gestured for him to clean up himself. As for the inside of the cave, Xiao Ran and Gao Yuting cleaned up themselves.

In fact, there were beds and tables in the cave, but it was a bit dusty. Xiao Ran and Gao Yuting worked together to clean it inside and out.

Xiao Ran took out a brand new quilt and sheets and spread a thick layer of sheets. It was quite comfortable to lie on.

"What are your plans?"

Xiao Ran asked while lying on the bed.

"No, but according to One-Eyed Dragon, it will probably be a few days before that group of people take action. I will observe for a few days to see what the nature of this Fire Dragon Village is. If they are really a group of bandits, then let them fight each other. If they are just a group of villagers who can't survive, it won't waste time to help them."

"My wife is smart!"

Xiao Ran grinned and flattered him.

Gao Yuting pouted her lips and enjoyed Xiao Ran's flattery. Although she knew that Xiao Ran was deliberately trying to make her happy, she just enjoyed it. It was her privilege.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

Xiao Ran and Gao Yuting stayed in the mountain village and settled down.

Xiao Ran found a job as a tailor.

This job is not easy, but fortunately the villagers here do not have high requirements, and Xiao Ran's craftsmanship is excellent, so people in the village can finally accept it.

In contrast, Gao Yuting found that she couldn't find anything suitable to do.

She only knows swordsmanship, and is good at killing people and setting fires, but she can't cook or farm. She can barely wash clothes, and can't do anything else.

If Xiao Ran hadn't stopped her, Gao Yuting would have picked up a knife and killed the pig.

Fortunately, Xiao Ran gave her an idea and asked her to go hunting. The identity of a hunter made it easier for her to move around.

As soon as this idea came out, Gao Yuting suddenly seemed to have a sudden enlightenment and found the direction.

What is her skill level? She is a master in the Dao realm, with the strength equivalent to that of a C-level professional.

In one day, she captured a wild boar, five grouse and a wild deer. She displayed her harvest in front of everyone, and that day she became the best hunter in the village.

In comparison, Xiao Ran is more like a young wife, staying at home every day, waiting for his wife to come back.

Don't mention it, this little life is really enjoyable...

(End of this chapter)