The eight of them practically trampled over thorny branches as they rushed to the seventh road marker.
By the time the stone monument emerged from the mist, Severn's hand was trembling so hard he could barely hold his staff.
The firelight flickered across the surface of the stone, illuminating the mottled, ancient runes carved upon it.
The group ground to a halt, and the fifteen cargo chests stopped right behind Su Xiaoman.
The scraping sound of the wooden chests dragging across the stone slabs finally ceased, but the harsh, grating friction seemed to linger in everyone's ears.
Except for Rena, everyone's face was deathly pale.
When they first entered the trade route, they had thought of this as a dangerous but manageable challenge.
No one thought that way anymore.
One person had died before they even entered this domain. Now, Zhou Yi was dead, and Damon was dead.
The Guard Captain, the most resilient member of their party, had been dragged off the road and to his death by a pile of cargo chests they had refused to abandon.
Ryan leaned against a shattered stone pillar, panting. His knuckles were still white where they gripped his bowstring, but the easygoing look in his eyes was entirely gone.
Kolo, who had been dragged into this mess for a mere three silver coins, was starting to feel a pang of regret.
She patted her pouch.
Fortunately, there was still one last carrot inside. At least she wouldn't have to die on an empty stomach.
Milo clutched his wooden tablet, his lips trembling uncontrollably.
He looked as though he wanted to record everything that had just transpired, but the images in his mind were too chaotic. They were so jumbled that he couldn't decide which horror to write down first.
While the others were still paralyzed with shock, Reece suddenly moved.
He marched over to Xu Zhiheng, grabbed him by the collar, and violently yanked him to his feet.
The wound on Xu Zhiheng's shoulder was still bleeding, and the sudden jolt sent a wave of agony through him, turning his face pale.
“Why didn't you abandon those chests?”
Reece's voice was low and raspy, yet it carried a menace far more terrifying than any roar.
“If you had just given the word—if you had abandoned even a few of them—Damon might not have died.”
Xu Zhiheng stumbled under the tight grip, but the terror on his face was quickly supplanted by anger.
“That was his own incompetence.”
Reece's eyes darkened, but Xu Zhiheng gritted his teeth and continued, “He was the Guard Captain. Protecting the cargo was his job in the first place.”
“Besides, he just tried to kill me. Keeping someone like that in the party would have been our greatest liability.”
“He got what he deserved!”
The air seemed to freeze instantly.
Fury boiled in Reece's eyes. He drew back a fist, raising it so close to Xu Zhiheng's face that it practically grazed his nose.
But his fist trembled in midair, ultimately failing to descend.
The veins on the back of his hand bulged, his knuckles popping from the sheer force of his clenched grip.
Xu Zhiheng stared at the fist hovering before him and suddenly let out a mocking laugh.
“What's the matter? Don't have the guts?”
He tilted his chin up, his voice dripping with malice.
“Are you afraid the rules will punish you for attacking the 【Acting Caravan Master】?”
Reece's grip tightened. Of course he wanted to strike.
He wanted to beat this face to a pulp. He wanted to drag this man to the spot where Damon had fallen and let those roots taste what his blood was like.
But he couldn't.
This wasn't some makeshift, ragtag group.
They currently bore the official responsibilities of a "caravan." Even in a normal merchant caravan, a Cargo Escort attacking their employer was an absolute taboo.
Reece took a deep breath and slowly lowered his fist.
In the next instant, he abruptly let go, shoving Xu Zhiheng violently to the ground.
Xu Zhiheng hit the ground with a muffled groan.
Reece looked down at him, his voice as cold as iron.
“You'd better pray you die on this road first, or that I die before you do.”
“Because if we both make it out alive, I will personally hack you to pieces.”
With that, he turned and walked away, sitting down on a shattered stone step in the distance.
Resting his broadsword across his knees, he pulled out a cloth and began to meticulously wipe down the blade.
Xu Zhiheng scrambled up from the ground. His expression was ugly, but he didn't push his luck by talking back again.
He glanced down at his shoulder.
Damon's axe hadn't cut too deeply, but it had still torn open a large gash in his flesh.
Blood was still seeping out, and waves of sharp pain throbbed deep into his bones.
Xu Zhiheng frowned and turned to Su Xiaoman.
“Xiaoman.”
Su Xiaoman was clutching her forearm, which had been grazed by the axe blade. Her disheveled hair made her look incredibly disheveled and miserable.
Xu Zhiheng reached out to her as if it were only natural. “Heal me, quickly.”
Su Xiaoman blinked sluggishly. She looked down, opened her inventory, and retrieved a bottle of mid-grade healing potion.
When Xu Zhiheng saw the bottle, his brow furrowed immediately.
“Why are you giving me this?”
Su Xiaoman's fingers tightened around the bottle. “A mid-grade potion is enough for your injury.”
She paused, her voice very soft. “We need to save the high-grade ones for the end.”
“Cut the crap!”
Xu Zhiheng cut her off, the irritation in his eyes plain to see.
“I said use a high-grade one, so use a high-grade one! Give it to me, now!”
Su Xiaoman flinched at his shout, nearly letting the potion bottle slip from her hand.
Seeing her reaction, a flash of impatience crossed Xu Zhiheng's eyes.
But in the next instant, as if realizing he still needed her, he immediately softened his tone, lowering his gaze.
“I'm sorry, Xiaoman. I was just too worked up. I didn't mean to yell at you.”
Su Xiaoman stared at him blankly, suddenly finding him a bit of a stranger.
Was this person truly the one she had always relied on?
Or had he always been like this, and she had simply refused to see it, pretending to be blind?
Seeing that she hadn't moved, Xu Zhiheng softened his voice even further. “Xiaoman, you're the only one who can help me now.”
“My role is crucial here. As long as I'm alive and can keep control of the caravan, we still have a chance.”
“You saw it yourself—Reece and the others are completely unreliable. Damon even tried to kill me just now. But I would never hurt you.”
He spoke with absolute sincerity, as if he were truly looking out for her.
“Once they risk their lives to clear the way ahead, we just need to guard this cargo. If we hold out until the end, we can leave with everything.”
“When the time comes, I'll protect you. You won't have to be afraid anymore.”
Su Xiaoman stared at him for a long moment before suddenly asking,
“Zhiheng, do you love me?”
Xu Zhiheng froze. He hadn't expected her to ask such a question at a time like this.
But his gaze quickly drifted to the potion in her hand. Suppressing the pain in his shoulder, he said gently,
“Of course I love you. You are the most important person in the world to me, Xiaoman.”
He reached out and grasped her wrist.
“Heal me, please. The pain is absolutely killing me.”
Su Xiaoman looked at him quietly.
She had heard that phrase—“You are the most important person to me”—many times before.
Every single time, it had felt as though she were being pulled out of the mud.
She had believed she was special.
She had believed that as long as she was obedient enough, useful enough, and stood firmly behind him, she would never be abandoned.
But when Damon's axe had come swinging down earlier, Xu Zhiheng had grabbed her by the shoulders and shoved her in front of him.
In that single instant, she had finally understood.
It turned out that those who were truly loved never had to prove their usefulness.
Only insignificant tools had to constantly prove their worth.
And now, she no longer wanted to be a tool.
Rate on N.U.
