The nighttime in the forest was harder to bear than the daytime.
Mosquito bites were trivial compared to other difficulties.
The noise of small animals in the bushes could keep waking you up in the middle of the night. Even if you could force yourself to sleep, nightmares would haunt you.
Xia Zhou dreamt that he was back in the prison cell.
Furiously, he pounded against the iron bars until his hands hurt, only to find that he had been punching a small tree sapling.
Golden morning light seeped through the gaps in the tree crowns. It was a new day.
[Blood Quantity] 15/20 (Hungry, mildly dehydrated)
The black bread was gone, the fresh water in the canteen was almost depleted, and the poor sleep at night continuously decreased the Blood Recovery Speed.
The stomach, in knots, turned numb, but nothing compared to the agony of dehydration.
Xia Zhou felt a small bulge in the water bag. It was the last drop left...
The sun set again.
[Blood Quantity] 12/20 (Moderate hunger and thirst, 2 points of blood deduction per hour.)
Blood recovery speed was negative... He would starve to death in 6 hours...
Xia Zhou was so hungry and thirsty that he became dizzy. He seemed to be hallucinating, smelling the delicious smell of barbecue. It was the smell of well-grilled meat, juicy and tender, sprinkled with spices.
He stood still with his eyes closed, his mouth swiftly producing saliva.
This smell was not an illusion! It was indeed coming from somewhere ahead!
Xia Zhou opened his eyes, letting out a whining cry as he burst out his last ounce of energy to push through the bushes.
There were people! Somebody was barbecuing! He was saved!
Xia Zhou emerged on a forest path with a three-carriage horse cart parked by the side.
"Help me..."
Xia Zhou reached out his hand toward the crowd.
The sudden surge of emotions completely drained his energy, leaving him helpless and enveloped in darkness.
He collapsed onto the ground, unable to move, only faintly hearing sounds.
Hiss... A snake slithered past his ear, its cold head nudging Xia Zhou's head, revealing his young face buried in the mud.
"Lady, it's a little boy," a middle-aged man with a gentle voice reported from a few meters away.
The snake slid into Xia Zhou's clothes, exploring every corner before slipping out of the bag.
The middle-aged man lowered his voice:
"Three silver coins, each valued at one yuan, no food or water left, and a broken retractable cane. This lad doesn't look like he can afford a retractable cane, or those silver coins... Lady, should we save him?"
A sharp male voice responded: "Let's do it. Poor little kid. Hehehe."
The crisp feminine voice declared decisively: "We'll take him for a distance, and drop him off at the next station."
Xia Zhou felt himself being picked up by a pair of strong hands. Some warm water droplets fell onto his parched lips.
After guzzling a few mouthfuls, he fell back into unconsciousness.
He had truly been saved...
...
In a simple guest room, the sun's rays brought warmth to his body.
Xia Zhou regained a bit of consciousness, finding himself lying on a soft bed. His eyelids felt so heavy that he couldn't open his eyes at all.
[Blood Quantity] 17/20 (Moderately sleepy, moderately weak)
Someone opened the door and crept to the bedside. The smell of a mild drug mixed with something like alcohol floated through the air.
The person fumbled over the boy's body and searched the table. After rummaging around, they found what they were looking for.
The purse with the three silver coins.
"Farns." The crisp female voice called from the doorway.
The thief seemed startled, dropping the purse onto the table with a thud.
The crisp female voice coldly said: "We saved him; we can ask for a reward. But that's after he wakes up. I'm in charge here, so I make the calls. Leave now; let him get a proper rest."
"Huh.." Farns sounded somewhat dissatisfied, but he heeded the order, exiting the room with a heavy stride.
The lady boss stuffed the purse under the boy, using it as a pillow. She picked up a damp towel to wipe his forehead and neck.
Xia Zhou wanted to thank her, but he couldn't open his eyes or utter a sound.
"Did the nightmares come again?"
Her warm palm was stroking the boy's forehead. It felt a bit calloused, soothing Xia Zhou back into sleep.
...
"Young man, are you awake?"
Hiss... The sound of the snake.
The man with the gentle voice was sitting at the head of the bed. He took out a small vial of cooling medicine. After opening the stopper, he wafted the bottle under the boy's nose.
"Wake up, young man. Our show here is over. We need to leave at the latest by tomorrow morning."
Xia Zhou was not deeply asleep and was fully awakened by the cold pungent smell. He didn't feel as helpless as he did before.
"Cough..hello.."
In front of him was a dark-skinned man.
The man was dressed in a brown tunic, embroidered with weird patterns. On his head was a high hat sewn from thick strips of fabric. A small blue snake poked its head out of the hat that looked like a cocoon.
"Good that you're awake." The man touched his upturned mustache and chuckled slightly.
"Thank you for saving me."
Xia Zhou looked at the green snake staring at him, "And thank you too, little snake."
The snake's head drew an arc as it retreated back into its master's hat.
"Little guy, now that you're awake, tell us where you're from. It's rare to see a child of your age wandering aimlessly in the forest."
The man handed a cup of water to the boy, "My name is Sneck, what's yours?"
"My name is Xia Zhou."
Xia Zhou drained his cup of water, which moistened his throat.
"Xia Zhou…" Sneck stroked his chin, thinking, "Go ahead, little guy, that name sounds familiar."
"I was captured by an Evil Alchemist and kept in an underground prison for drug testing... After escaping, I walked north for two days and nights until I met you."
Since waking up, Xia Zhou has not revealed anything about the hacker's presence and never will.
Sneck's eyebrows raised, "That's where I heard your name. They're looking for you. Notices were posted in a village south of Rosak. Your parents are offering rewards, hiring people everywhere to look for you."
A smile spread across Sneck's face as his goatee pointed skyward.
He got up from the bedside and strode to the door, "You sit here. I'll go discuss this with the troupe leader."
Xia Zhou took a look around the simply furnished room and packed up his money bag. He found his cloth bag on the table. His broken cane rested quietly in the corner.
Shortly, Sneck returned with the troupe leader.
She towered over Sneck, probably about 1.9 meters tall.
She was curvy and well-built, somehow robust yet graceful. Her skin was of a healthy wheat color, and she had a beautiful face. Her full lips resembled bright blossoms. Despite her slightly stiff and serious demeanor, her eyes were soft when she looked at Xia Zhou; a wild yet friendly charm radiated from her.
She wore a dark brown sleeveless leather armor on her upper body. The swinging of her arms outlined her biceps. She had tight, skirt-like leggings. A bunch of small throwing knives were fastened on each side of her thighs.
"This is our troupe leader, Audrey," introduced Sneck.
The smile on Sneck's face vanished, replaced by worry, he spoke in a grave tone:
"Little guy, I have some bad news for you... After you went missing, your hometown and the surrounding villages were ravaged by marauders... There were no survivors. When the rescue cavalry arrived, all that was left were scorched houses and corpses."
Xia Zhou felt a pang in his heart. Tears welled up in his eyes. A mournful sigh emanated from within, and something seemed to leave his body all together.
"Thank you for saving me, but... where should I go now.." Xia Zhou wiped away his tears. The odd sense of loss was rapidly dissipating in his heart.
"What can you do? Xia Zhou."
With her arms crossed, Audrey looked at the boy, "This town has inns, blacksmith shops, stables. If you're diligent, it won't be hard to find a job."
Xia Zhou was used to living alone in his past life and had mastered many skills.
He wiped his tears with his sleeve and began to enumerate his abilities, "I'm great at cooking, frying, boiling, baking, stir-frying, and braising. I'm really good at math and can manage accounts. I'm a quick learner."
"Oh? You can do math and keep accounts?"
Audrey pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from her waistbag, "Can you take a look at these bills for me?"
Xia Zhou unfolded the paper on the bed and scanned everything.
These were the circus troupe's daily expenses and income.
Mainly the cost of purchasing supplies.
From fabrics to wooden boards and nails for repairing carriages, to props consumed during performances, all these miscellaneous data were casually recorded.
The income was simply noted by counting the money in the cashbox after each performance.
"Troupe leader, if there is no issue with the prices of the goods on these bills, the strange thing is that the income and expenses don't match."
Xia Zhou stood in front of Audrey with the problematic piece of paper, explaining the issue to her.
"Of course, troupe leader. You need to know, this may be due to improper accounting."
Looking up at Audrey, who was three to four heads taller than him, Xia Zhou pleaded:
"I would like to help the circus with chores. If you let me manage the accounts, I promise not to touch the money."
His choice to stay with the circus came after some consideration.
During his unconscious moments, Audrey and Farns' conversation revealed Audrey's kind and principled side. This was one of the reasons.
Secondly, while Xia Zhou's hometown was attacked by raiders, the wandering circus was unharmed, indicating that its members were competent.
Not mentioning why Sneck could manipulate the blue snake, just Audrey's stalwart figure, imposing aura and the gleaming throwing knives on her legs gave a sense of security.
Staying with the circus to broaden his horizons, while learning some skills for self-protection and making a living, was much better than working in a small place.
When he found a place he liked in the future, he could consider settling down.
Audrey hesitated, but looked approving. "First, prepare a meal using your best dish in the tavern's kitchen. I need to discuss this with other members."
"Troupe leader, I'll take him to the kitchen."
Sneck grabbed the boy's arm, and whispered after he walked out of the room:
"Can you make sweet and sour pork? Make a portion for Little Green too."