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Chapter 355 Chance Encounter
Before Wang Dazhu could reply, some people below started laughing.

"Are you out of your mind? Where are you going to get into trouble in this desolate wilderness? You know, this godforsaken place is so poor that there isn't even a wolf here!"

However, the person who spoke still hesitated.

"But isn't there another easy target over there?"

The laughter instantly became even more unrestrained.

"That guy was beaten half to death by the boss, probably even broke a few bones. He can barely get up now, what can he do?"

The person who spoke thought about it and agreed, so he sat down again.

But this time, after waiting for a long time, Er Gouzi still didn't return, and even the others started to have doubts.

That guy...it can't be him.
Did you eat something bad and go to take a dump?

As mentioned before, no one expected this guy to get into trouble. After all, there were so many of them, how could they let a half-crippled person cause any accidents?
Wang Dazhu untied his wine pouch, took a swig—this was the only 'luxury' they had left after paying their dues—and then, under the expectant gazes of the others, reeking of alcohol, gave orders.

"Fifth brother, go and take a look!"

The person who was called was extremely unwilling, after all, there was only so much meat, and every bite less was a bite less. But looking at his boss's physique, which was two sizes bigger than his own, he could only sigh and walk into the ruins.

So they continued drinking and eating, but this time, out of sheer boredom, they started gambling.

Money? That was out of the question. The bandits were so poor they couldn't even scrape together ten copper coins. So the stakes were their own food rations, and the game was to throw stones and see if they could hit them.

As for the target
It was a little old man lying on the ground.

A small, old man, his face streaked with tears and looking utterly miserable.

And this person was one of only two survivors among that group of refugees.

The reason for keeping him wasn't that he had any edible qualities and could be used as spare food; it was simply that he couldn't be sold. No matter how low the price, no one wanted him, so he was just stuck with him.

Faced with the constant barrage of flying stones, the bruised and battered fellow had no way to dodge. He could only cry out in pain and plead with the gentlemen to show some mercy.

The result was that the thugs smashed things even more enthusiastically.

But just as the atmosphere was getting heated and the old man had completely passed out, Wang Dazhu suddenly spoke up.

"Quiet down, everyone! Something seems to have happened!"

Under the weight of years of accumulated power, the crowd immediately stopped, but some still looked over with puzzled eyes.

Wang Dazhu simply glanced at the group of guys as if they were idiots.

"You bunch of idiots, didn't anyone notice?! Fifth Brother still hasn't come back!"

Upon hearing this, someone immediately responded instinctively.

"Maybe the fifth brother is also going to relieve himself."

But halfway through his sentence, he realized something was wrong.

These two guys could never stay up for that long unless they fell into a cesspool!
So, something really happened?

The group exchanged glances, all seeing surprise and disbelief in each other's eyes.

This time, no one spoke up or objected; instead, they all silently picked up the weapons at hand.

Within a dozen or so breaths, everyone had simultaneously prepared to fight the enemy.

Yes, that's right, they are indeed living a bit down on their luck now—but after all, they've been in the underworld for so long, even if they're not the brightest, they still have the skills.

As Wang Dazhu gestured and gave instructions, the group suppressed all their thoughts and cautiously made their way into the shadows.

however.

The heavens are not cooperating; tonight is exceptionally gloomy.

Once the campfire was gone, darkness seemed to grow wildly, spreading everywhere—although everyone was holding torches, the faint light offered little sense of security.

Of course, even now, not many people would guess that it was that disabled person who caused this.

Everyone immediately thought of the enemies they had clashed with a few days ago, the constables the government was hunting down, or perhaps the demons and ghosts they had just heard about.

Wait, could it really be this thing?
Thinking of this, several of them couldn't help but shudder—their legs felt a little weak, but looking at Wang Dazhu's cold gaze behind them, they could only grit their teeth and persevere.

The ruins weren't large, and we arrived at the place in no time.

The first thing you see is the cripple still lying on the ground.

Wang Dazhu gave a signal, and soon one of his men reached out to check him, but after examining him, he shook his head.

—This person is still unconscious, and his hands are tightly bound, so it shouldn't be this guy who did this.

Wang Dazhu breathed a slight sigh of relief, then walked towards the shadows on the other side.

who ever thought.

This time, a discovery was made immediately.

Beside a withered old tree, the two missing idiots were squatting on the ground, and although they were not clearly visible, they seemed to be digging a hole with great concentration.

They looked like they were digging for rabbits—which explains their quietness—those two bastards were planning to eat them all by themselves!

Seeing this scene, Wang Dazhu's initial tension eased by a third.

Those two bastards are always causing me trouble. I'm going to beat them to a pulp when I get back!
"Hey, Er Gouzi, Lao Wu, what the hell are you doing! Even if you dug up a rabbit, you should at least let the hell out! I'm not going to keep it all to myself, you guys almost scared the hell out of me!!"

Enraged, Wang Dazhu kicked him directly.

The other person did not resist at all; with a tilt of their head, they fell sideways to one side.

Wang Dazhu wanted to continue his tirade, but the moment the words left his mouth, he realized something was wrong.

Speaking of which, why is Er Gouzi not moving at all?
And the fifth brother.
Why did the head roll a full three feet away from the body?

At that moment, a bloody smell also wafted into my nostrils.

Wang Dazhu suddenly turned his head, and in his bloodshot eyes, he saw at the end of the line, a short knife had just slit the throat of one of his brothers!

And the murderer was none other than the 'cripple' who was lying dead!
Blood instantly filled his eyes. Wang Dazhu took a deep breath and roared.

"later!"

"Boss, what's behind that—"

But before he could finish speaking, the crippled figure suddenly accelerated.

He changed his grip from upright to reverse, and in the darkness, the short knife began to move like a ghost. In the blink of an eye, another person was stabbed through the internal organs.

At that moment, Wang Dazhu finally met the guy's eyes.

A very ordinary face.

—Although he appeared all smiles, even with a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth, like a polite guest, a chilling aura of bloodlust emanated from within. The icy killing intent even sent shivers down the spine of this seasoned bandit leader. Was this really the same guy who, like that tuberculosis-ridden bastard, only knew how to kneel and beg for mercy whenever he saw them?!

However, seeing that pale yet calm face, Wang Dazhu gritted his teeth and could only draw his knife and meet the attack.

Although he managed to take down a few of them in a sneak attack, we still have the numerical advantage, and this guy's injuries can't be faked. If this drags on, he won't be able to hold on for much longer!

Of course, fortunately, he wasn't the only one; his second-in-command also noticed this.

He whistled, and the others immediately understood what he meant. Their formation instantly changed from a direct attack to a hit-and-run tactic, intending to wear him down first.

Wang Dazhu mentally exclaimed "Good!"

This second-in-command was a coach he had hired at great expense back then. He was on a completely different level from those idiots. As long as he was there, coupled with his own brute strength, catching a petty thief would be a piece of cake!

Kid, you just wait. Once you fall into my hands, I'll skin you alive or I'll change my name to Wang.
However, before this fierce thought could even form in his mind, Wang Dazhu saw the boy disregard his own injuries and even the incoming long knife, suddenly lunging forward. He narrowly avoided the blade while simultaneously swinging down his own short knife.

Then, his second-in-command, on whom he had placed so much hope, clutched his bleeding throat and collapsed to the ground, twitching like a dead frog, in a pitiful state.

The next moment, those eyes looked at him.

Wang Dazhu gritted his teeth and raised his weapon.

"Brothers, follow me! We outnumber him, let's overwhelm him!"

I don’t know how long it took.

The fighting only ended when the bloodstains gradually soaked the grass and the corpses littered the ruins.

The cripple—that is, Zhou You—pulled the blade from between his throat bones.

Wang Dazhu stared wide-eyed in death, his massive body slowly arching backward before crashing to the ground.

But Zhou You didn't show any arrogance on his face. Instead, he walked unsteadily to the side, leaning on a stone and against the corner of the wall, and slowly sat down as if it were very difficult.

then.

It was a heart-wrenching cough, as if it were tearing out one's internal organs.

Wang Dazhu is right, dealing with this number of people is indeed quite a challenge.

However, it's still manageable.

Admittedly, Zhou You has lost most of his magical artifacts and is now using this badly injured body, but his extensive combat experience over such a long period of time is still there. With some planning and traps, he can still deal with this group of bandits.

Unfortunately, the original owner of this body was in such a miserable state that as soon as he recovered, he was hit by a series of strong warnings all over his body.

—It was an extremely intense pain, almost enough to make someone faint.

If this were a game, Zhou You estimated that his health bar would only have about one-tenth of its original length left, meaning he would basically die if touched.

After a while, the coughing gradually subsided.

Then, with great effort, he took out the Wine Immortal Gourd—the only item he was allowed to carry at the beginning, besides a few talismans. He eagerly took a few gulps, and feeling his body gradually regain its mobility under the nourishment of the wine, Zhou You threw away the short sword, leaned against the wall, and slowly stood up.

The pain and weakness still haunted him like a nightmare. With all his might, he slowly moved to the spot where he had previously lay dead.

He had intended to rest a little longer—but just then, he suddenly saw a bandit's figure staggering to his feet from the pool of blood.

Although it was clearly very difficult, and he barely managed to stand up after a long time, it was obvious that he was a survivor.

Was the force miscalculated? Or was the stab too light? No, now is not the time to think about such things. I must…
However, the thought had barely crossed his mind when his body suddenly felt weak, his vision blurred, and then he was plunged into darkness.

After an unknown amount of time, I vaguely heard a voice.

"Kid. Kid."

"Kid, are you alright?"

"I said, are you still awake?"

Suddenly, I opened my eyes.

The first thing you see is a sleazy old face.

Who?
Zhou You tried to straighten his body, but immediately felt an extremely strong sense of dizziness.

The feeling was like a protest from all four limbs and bones, or like having one's bone marrow ripped out alive; the pain was beyond what humans could endure.

Upon seeing Zhou You's appearance, the old man hurriedly came over to stop him.

"Hey kid, don't move around like that. You might have broken all your bones. If you move around recklessly, you could easily die!"

It took several minutes for his muddled mind to clear before he could barely recognize the person.

It was the old man who had just been beaten up by that group of people and they were making fun of him.

Even now, his face is still covered in bruises, but he is still struggling to wrap bandages around Zhou You's body to stop the bleeding.

At the same time, he kept muttering to himself.

"You're lucky, kid, to have survived such serious injuries."

Zhou You ignored it, and instead frowned and forcefully lifted himself up.

The person who had been there earlier was already lying dead on the ground, his throat slit open, clearly beyond saving.

But I didn't do it myself.

There was no one around, so there was only one possible person.

This old man?

Upon seeing Zhou You's gaze, the old man tugged at his beard with a smug look.

"Don't look at me like that. I just happened to pick up the last one. But I don't know who took care of the rest—maybe they were just passing by and collecting bounties, or maybe they just happened to run into some evil spirit. Who knows?"

No, I clearly killed him, so how can it be someone else?
But just as Zhou You was about to speak, he suddenly caught a glimpse of his own reflection.

His body was covered in sores, and his clothes were stained with blood from beatings and torture. He looked utterly miserable, and no one would have guessed that he was the murderer who had killed someone before.

Well, this is just right.

Zhou You laboriously cupped his hands in greeting and then said.

"Thank you very much, sir. May I ask what happened?"

But before he could finish speaking, the old man said something.

"Don't rush to thank me, I'm afraid you'll have to leave if you thank me too much—by the way, old man, my name is Li Xiangming, you can just call me Old Li. By the way, what's your name, young man?"

Li Xiangming? That's the character required for the main storyline?
No way, what a coincidence, we ran into each other right at the beginning?
Zhou You paused for a moment, but quickly regained his composure and said.

“My surname is Zhou. If you don’t mind, sir, you can just call me Zhou boy.”

(End of this chapter)