My health recovery is incredibly fast.

Nights in the forest are more difficult to deal with than days.

Mosquito bites are only the tip of the iceberg.

The sounds of small animals coming from the bushes can wake you up repeatedly in the dead of night, and even if you manage to fall asleep, you're plagued by nightmares.

Xia Zuo dreamed that he was still in prison.

He angrily pounded on the iron fence until his hands stung, only then realizing he was swinging his fist at a sapling.

Golden rays of dawn pierced through the gaps in the tree canopy, signaling the start of a new day.

Health 1520, starving, mildly dehydrated

The black bread was finished, and the fresh water in the water sac was almost gone. The sleep at night was really bad, and the speed of health regeneration dropped again and again.

My troubled stomach became numb, but that was nothing compared to the agony of dehydration.

Xia Zuo touched the small bulge in the water pouch; that was the last sip.

The sun sets once again.

Health: 1220. Moderate thirst. 2 health points are lost per hour.

If the health regeneration rate drops to negative numbers, the person will starve to death after 6 hours.

Xia Zuo was so hungry and thirsty that he felt dizzy and seemed to be hallucinating. He thought he smelled the aroma of barbecue, the kind of barbecue with a golden-brown skin, juicy meat, and spices.

He closed his eyes and stood there, saliva rapidly secreting from his mouth.

This smell isn't an illusion! It's definitely wafting from the front!

Xia Zuo opened his eyes, let out a whimpering howl, and used the last of his strength to squeeze through the bushes.

Someone's here! Someone's having a barbecue! We're saved!

Xia Zuo came to a dirt road in the woods, where a three-carriage horse-drawn carriage was parked by the roadside.

"Help.."

Xia Zuo reached out his hand to the crowd beside the carriage.

The sudden surge of intense emotions drained my physical and mental strength, and endless darkness enveloped me.

He collapsed to the ground with a thud, unable to move at all, and could only faintly hear some sounds.

A snake hissed as it slithered past Xia Zuo's ear, its cold head pushing his head away to reveal his tender face buried in the soil.

"Boss, it's a little boy," a middle-aged man with a gentle voice said from a few meters away.

The snake slithered into Xia Zuo's clothes, wandering through every corner of his body, and finally emerged from the bag.

The middle-aged man lowered his voice and said:

"Three one-yuan silver coins, all the food and water are gone, and there's a broken retractable cane. This little guy doesn't seem like he can afford a retractable cane, and what about those silver coins? Should we save him?"

A shrill male voice rang out: "Help! What a poor little thing. Hehehe."

A clear female voice said in an unquestionable tone, "We'll give him a ride and drop him off at the next outpost."

Xia Zuo felt himself being lifted up by a pair of large hands, and a few drops of warm water fell onto his chapped lips.

He greedily inhaled a few puffs and then fell into a deep sleep.

I'm really saved.

In a simple guest room, the sunlight warmed me.

Xia Zuo regained some consciousness and found himself lying on a soft bed. His double eyelids felt extremely heavy, and he couldn't open them at all.

Blood volume 1720, moderate drowsiness, moderate exhaustion

A person pushed open the door and tiptoed to the bedside. The faint smell of medicine was mixed with a smell similar to alcohol.

The man searched the boy's body, then went to a nearby table and searched the room. After rummaging through drawers and cabinets, he found what he wanted.

A money bag containing three silver coins.

"Fans." A clear female voice came from the doorway.

The thief seemed startled, and the money bag slammed onto the table with a sharp sound.

A crisp female voice said coldly, "We saved him, so we can ask him for payment. But that's something to consider after he wakes up. I'm the boss, and what I say goes. Now, let's leave and let him rest."

"Hmph..." Vans was a little dissatisfied, but still obeyed the boss's orders and left the room with heavy steps.

The gang leader stuffed the money bag under the boy and pressed it down, then took a wet towel and wiped his forehead and neck.

Xia Zuo wanted to thank the other person, but he couldn't open his eyes and his lips moved but he couldn't make a sound.

"Did you have another nightmare?"

A warm hand stroked the boy's forehead, its calloused texture soothing Xia Zuo back to sleep.

"Little one, are you awake?"

Hiss...the sound of a snake.

A middle-aged man with a gentle voice sat on the edge of the bed, took out a small bottle of medicine with a cool scent, uncorked it, and held it in front of the boy's nose.

"Wake up, little one. Our show here is over, and we have to leave by tomorrow morning at the latest."

Xia Zuo was not sleeping soundly. He was completely awakened by the cool and pungent smell, and he no longer felt as weak as before.

"Ahem... Hello..."

What came into view was a dark-skinned man.

He wore a long brown robe embroidered with strange patterns. On his head was a tall hat made of thick strips of cloth, from which small blue snakes poked their heads out, resembling silkworm cocoons.

"It's good that you're awake." The middle-aged man stroked his upturned beard and chuckled a few times.

"Thank you for saving me."

Xia Zuo looked at the green snake staring at him and said, "Thank you too, little snake."

The snake's head drew an arc, and the green snake slithered back into its master's tall hat.

“Little one, now that you’re awake, tell us where you came from. It’s rare to see a child your size wandering around in the forest.”

The middle-aged man brought over a glass of water and placed it in the boy's hand. "By the way, my name is Snake. What's your name?"

"I am Xia Zuo."

Xia Zuo drank the water dry, the warm water moistening his throat.

"Shazo," Snake pinched his chin, frowning in thought, "Go on, little guy, I feel like I've heard your name somewhere before."

"After I was captured by a villainous alchemist and imprisoned in an underground cell to test medicine, I escaped and traveled north for two days and two nights until I finally met you."

Since waking up, Xia Zuo has never revealed the existence of any cheat system to outsiders, and he never will.

Snake's eyebrows shot up. "I remember now. I saw your name on the bulletin board. There were several missing person notices in the villages south of Rosac. Your parents posted a reward there, hiring people everywhere to look for you."

Snake's face lit up with joy, his goatee pointing skyward.

He jumped up from the bedside and strode towards the door. "You sit here first. I'll go talk to the boss."

Xia Zuo looked around the simply furnished room, put away the money bag he was carrying, found his cloth bag on the table, and his broken cane leaned quietly against the corner of the wall.

Not long after, Snake returned, followed by the leader.

She was taller than Snake, probably around 1.9 meters.

She has a full figure, is tall and slender, and while somewhat robust, she still possesses a graceful femininity.

Her skin was a healthy wheat color, her face was beautiful, her lips were full like bright flower stamens, her expression was stern and serious, but her eyes were gentle when she looked at Xia Zuo, and her whole person exuded a charm that was a mixture of wildness and friendliness.

Her upper body was clad in a dark brown sleeveless leather armor. As her arms swung, subtle muscle definition was revealed. Her lower body consisted of tight leather pants with a skirt, and a ring of small throwing knives was strapped to each side of her thighs.

“This is our boss, the ringmaster of the circus, Audrey.”

Snake's joy vanished, replaced by worry, and he said in a low voice:

“Little one, I have bad news for you. After you went missing, your hometown and the surrounding villages were ravaged by bandits, and no one survived. When the cavalry came to the rescue, all that was left were charred houses and corpses.”

Xia Zuo felt a sudden, inexplicable pain in his heart, and two lines of tears streamed down his face. A sorrowful sigh came from within him, and then something completely left his body.

"Thank you for saving me, but... where should I go next..." Xia Zuo wiped away his tears, a strange sadness quickly dissipating from his heart.

"What can you cook, Xia Zuo?"

Audrey crossed her arms and gazed at the boy. "This town has taverns, blacksmith shops, and stables. If you work hard, it won't be hard to find a job."

Having lived alone in his previous life, Xia Zuo is quite skilled.

He wiped the tears from his face with his sleeve and counted on his fingers, “My best skill is cooking. I’m proficient in frying, boiling, grilling, braising, and stewing. I’m also good at math and can manage accounts. I’m very nimble and learn things quickly.”

"Oh? You can do math and keep accounts?"

Audrey pulled a crumpled piece of paper from her fanny pack. "Can you take a look at these bills and see if there's anything wrong with them?"

Xia Zuo spread the paper out on the bed and looked at it one by one.

The above shows the daily expenses and income of the circus.

It mainly records the cost of purchasing supplies.

From the fabric to the planks and nails used to repair the carriages, and the props used by the actors during their performances, all these trivial details were casually recorded.

As for the income, he simply counted the coins in the cash box after the performance and recorded it on a piece of paper.

"Boss, if the prices of the supplies on these bills are correct, then the strange thing is that the income and expenditure don't match."

Xia Zuo held the problematic paper and stood in front of Audrey, taking quite a while to make her realize what the problem was.

"Of course, boss. You should know that this problem might be caused by improper bookkeeping."

Xia Zuo looked up at Audrey, who was three or four heads taller than him, and said with pleading eyes:

“I’m willing to do odd jobs for the circus. If you let me manage the books, I promise I won’t touch the money.”

He had given it some thought before deciding to stay in the circus.

During her time in a coma, Audrey's conversations with Fayles revealed her kind and principled side. This is one of the reasons.

Secondly, Xia Zuo's hometown was ravaged by bandits, but the roaming circus was unharmed, indicating that the members all possessed genuine skills.