Chapter 1020
Cheng Dalei looked down from the city gate and saw the scene at the city entrance: on the roadside, a bonfire was lit with three or five people gathered around it for warmth. Next to the fire lay a pile of bones; whether they belonged to some wild beast—wild boars or roe deer—or perhaps to humans, was unknown.
A black-skinned stray dog gnawed on the bones on the ground. Upon noticing Cheng Dalei and his group of newcomers, it raised its head and barked twice, its eyes glowing red.
Five people closed in on Cheng Dalei without a sound, two blocking him to the left and the right and one standing behind him, while two others walked towards him, flashing the knives tucked at their waists as they passed by.
Youzhou has always been a land of bitter cold, with barely anyone to be found ten miles around. The people living here are tougher and more hardy than elsewhere. However, managing to wield a knife in these parts clearly meant one was doing quite well.