Human Flesh

Lu Shen burst into laughter. "Now I'm starting to wonder if this kid gave you some kind of love potion. In the past, I never saw you care about anyone, but lately, you've been thinking of him time and again."

As he laughed, the stagnant atmosphere around them suddenly dissolved.

Lu Shen leaned back against his chair. "Alright, you've never begged me for anything before. I shouldn't bicker with a kid either. Since you've asked, I will grant this request. But before that, I must ask you a question."

"Ask away, Big Brother."

Lu Shen adjusted his posture and stared at her intently, his lips tense, his eyes as sharp as a tiger's in the night. "In a few days, Wei Zonglin will lead his troops up the mountain. If a fight really breaks out, will you prioritize this kid or the camp?"

Lu Shen stared at her unblinkingly, his face devoid of any emotion. Under his unmoving gaze, Xi Cui felt a long-absent pressure, but she still looked back calmly, her expression solemn and respectfully lying through her teeth. "If a fight really breaks out, I will naturally prioritize the camp."

Xi Cui patted her chest, swearing solemnly. "Don't worry, Big Brother. I know what's important."

"Then remember what you said today." Lu Shen seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. He sat up straight and laughed again. "On this Mount Biaor, everything must prioritize our camp. Don't forget your duty. If there comes a day when you actually make a mistake," he curled his lips, the scar on his face twitching, "I will kill him first. When that time comes, even if you beg, it will be useless."

***

The bandit was deliberately trying to please him.

Wei Dansheng had noticed it.

That pleasing gaze was simply too familiar. Everyone in the manor tried to please him, especially the maids attending to him. The bandit's gaze was identical to those servants who surrounded him all day.

Although he didn't like it, nor did he understand the bandit's intentions, it didn't stop him from accepting it.

At least under the bandit's flattery, his life was much more comfortable.

In truth, he had been a bit wary at first, feeling that the bandit was deliberately testing him, but on second thought, he realized it wasn't the case.

They actually looked down on him and didn't care about him; as long as he had a breath left to threaten his father, it was enough.

Every night, to keep out of the bandits' sight, he used a branch to scratch a line on the wall.

He had scratched more than ten lines, meaning he had been on this mountain for about ten days.

As he stroked the uneven grooves on the wall, Wei Dansheng knew the time had come.

The bandit was completely off-guard against him, seemingly not expecting him to escape. He found a suitable opportunity and slipped out of the camp.

Everything went surprisingly smoothly.

It was just that his leg injury hadn't fully healed, so he couldn't run far.

He was quite cautious along the way, not rushing down the mountain but hiding in the forest, quietly waiting for the storm to pass before moving on.

But Wei Dansheng hadn't expected the monkey—the monkey that always sat on the bandit leader's shoulder.

He was like a cat with its tail tucked, begging for mercy, trying to get them to let him go.

His face was pleading, but his heart was as cold as ice.

Because he knew the chances of them letting him go were too slim.

They grabbed him by his leg, like carrying a dead chicken, and threw him back into the thatched cottage.

*Clack.* The door was locked.

He was like a fish thrown onto a chopping board, his internal organs feeling as if they were crushed.

Wei Dansheng coughed and slowly stood up.

Before escaping, he had anticipated this outcome.

For a whole day and night, no one came. No one brought food or water, not even that bandit.

By the next morning, as soon as it was light, someone walked in.

Three men threw bones with meat clinging to them at him, as if feeding a dog.

"Starved for a day, here, eat."

With that, the three of them watched him with great interest, waiting to see his reaction.

Not disappointing their expectations, just as they wished, he reached out and picked up the bones.

These bones seemed to have only been boiled in water, devoid of any flavor, even slightly spoiled and carrying a fishy stench that made one want to vomit.

Without wiping the dirt from his face, Wei Dansheng licked the bones bit by bit and swallowed.

He retched as he ate.

His pathetic display clearly amused the three men, who looked at each other and burst into laughter.

"Look at the way this kid eats like a starving wolf!"

One of them squatted in front of him and sneered, "Do you know what you just ate?"

"You really are just like that shameless Wei Zonglin, eating human flesh without even blinking." He kicked Wei Dansheng's face, clicking his tongue in mock praise. "Gnawing it clean like a dog."

"What you're eating is the flesh of the person your father sent." He picked up the bone fragments kicked to the ground. "This might be an arm. You've eaten it all."

They wanted to see him panic, doubt, and even cry because he had eaten human flesh.

But he did none of those things.

His eyes stared straight ahead, like two ghostly flames.

Seeing this, the men suddenly felt a chill in their hearts.

"Tsk, boring. Big Brother is too much, always stopping us from teaching him a lesson. I haven't been able to vent my anger at all."

The man delivered another kick straight to his chest.

Seeing them turn to leave, he called out, "Wait."

He asked if the bandit had a younger sister.

They wouldn't have answered this question normally, but they seemed to be in a decent mood.

"Lao Liu? Where would Lao Liu get a sister? Who did you hear that from?"

They locked the door.

Wei Dansheng looked at the pile of unfinished bones that had been kicked aside.

He picked up the bones from the ground, wiped off the dirt, and continued to gnaw on them.

Chewing carefully bit by bit, he slowly swallowed, crushing even the bone fragments before swallowing them all.

Wei Dansheng remembered that Wei Zonglin had a subordinate surnamed Lin, about thirty years old, with a tall stature, who had always attended to him.

That man's hands were very broad.

He had been held by that man more than once.

A few days ago, that man died here, under that locust tree. His head was chopped off, and his body was dismembered.

But now, a part of that man's body was here, in his stomach.