Dark Blood Path

Chapter 56: The Brother and Sister

Dont tell me youre not from the camp!

Chen Feng subconsciously took a few steps back; it should be this way. After all, he killed the formidable green python with a single move; Im afraid in the entire camp, such power could only be attained by the first leader. Even the latter may not have killed the beast as easily as he did; cutting the green python in half seemed insignificant!

The luminous beast blade in Xiao Yus hand shrank quickly. He put it into the ring on his finger and said in his usual indifferent tone, Dont worry, Im not an evildoer; I just want to find a place to rest, probably stay for half a night, then leave.

This is the space ring that only the first leader owns.

Chen Feng instantly realized in his heart that the unfathomable outsider in front of him could as well be able to help him out of his current predicament, and he quickly agreed: Of course, there is no issue; you saved my life after all; I will guide you there.

Xiao Yu nodded in satisfaction, Then lets go.

Chen Feng cast his eyes on the corpses of his companions, or, to be precise, on the items they left behind, especially that low gray weapon lying beside a guys corpse.

I dont care for weapons of this caliber. Xiao Yu didnt even look at them, If you want that item, take it away.

Chenfeng was overjoyed, and he immediately took the gray equipment as well as some food and valuables that were originally carried by the others. Only then did he lead Xiao Yu to the direction of the camp. The so-called camp was the ruins of a residential area with several streets outside, which were restored and rebuilt by a group of survivors. The site was vast, and the bases total population was over 3,000, which would be considered a massive team in the forest.

Over the past few days, Xiao Yu has traveled to various human gathering sites. Four or five hundred individuals were already considered a massive number, which was far inferior to this place. Xiao Yu was amazed at the size of this camp; however, he also knew that the survivors from all around the world had acquired enough strength to travel further in the forest; hence, the trade would expand, and eventually, numerous camps like this would emerge throughout the forest.

According to Chen Fengs description, there were a few smaller gathering sites within a hundred miles of the camps surroundings. The campground was equivalent to a typical corner used as a trading center, where weapons and food could be bought and sold. Usually, the population flow is relatively large, though it was mainly occupied by the more powerful forces. Everyone usually goes about their business, but once monsters or outsiders threaten them, they retaliate brutally. When the inhabitants of the surrounding settlements learn that the main camp is under assault, everyone rushes directly toward the camp and joins forces with the leaders to repel the invaders.

Theyve been through many similar situations over the past month, but nothing has resulted in the main camp getting destroyed.

After a few minutes of travel, Xiao Yu finally arrived at the settlement. It was indeed the remnants of a residential neighborhood, and the surrounding walls were relatively intact. By the entrance, the camp had built a protective fence out of wood and stones, where a small group of armed individuals were patrolling and inspecting the vicinity. Xiao Yu didnt pay any attention to the people coming in and out of the settlement, and he entered it smoothly.

Most of the houses in this area have already collapsed, and people have created simple shelters out of stones, raincoats, tarps, and other waterproof materials. However, Xiao Yu saw that not far away, there were also a few relatively clean and complete garages, cleared all around, with small handles on their side, which were obviously residences of people of higher status.

It was still raining as he walked through the settlement, and Xiao Yu noticed how desperate and impoverished peoples lives had become.

Some sallow, skinny, and unkempt people with sunken eyes were huddling together in a small corner where the raindrops were relatively scarce, looking around with caution and vigilance at the people passing by. Unfortunately, Xiao Yu has seen this kind of expression too many times in his previous life.

Hes been living in the underground cave for over a month, where everyone got along perfectly well. It nearly caused him and the people there to forget that the social system had disintegrated and that morality and order had already ceased to exist. There were relatively few conflicts under Du Taos strong administration, making the underground space one of the few pieces of pure land remaining.

Chen Feng said in a low voice, Dont expect everything to be in order here; bad things happen all the time. The leaders can enjoy the best dwellings, food, and even beautiful women at their leisure. Many people do not obey the administration, but these people usually do not meet a good end. The vast majority of individuals can only silently allow themselves to be enslaved and oppressed by the powerful forces in the camp; eventually, everyone gets enraged but is afraid to speak up.

Xiao Yu narrowed his eyes slightly, then looked up and down at this unremarkable young guy and wondered in his heart, why did he tell me all these things? Is he planning to raise my defenses against the camp administration in order to make something happen?

This person is not as simple as he seems.

Xiao Yu followed along quietly.

Chen Feng came to a halt in front of a small cabin made of wood and canopy as he opened the cover slightly, This is my home; please go in and have a seat. He stepped in first and said, little sister, we have a distinguished guest today. Cook the meat I brought yesterday for our friend.

Big brother, you came back so early today What did you say? A guest?

A weak, clear girls voice rang forth, full of doubts and bewilderment. This was the first time the little girl had heard the term guest over the past month. Her brother has always kept her from going out in public for fear of being noticed. So why did he bring someone back for the first time today?

Xiao Yu entered the room. The small space measured no more than five to six square meters and was divided into two halves from the middle. The floor was littered with bottles, jars, and other random items. Raindrops dripped over their heads, and the ground was already wet. He turned around just in time to see a tiny and frail figure standing inside.

Chen Feng quickly introduced them: This is my younger sister Chen Shuang, and this is oh, I dont know your name yet.

My name is Xiao Yu.

Chen Shuang was only thirteen years old and resembled a porcelain doll with a delicate face full of childishness. Yet, her skin showed morbid paleness due to not being exposed to the sun for too long, and coupled with long-term malnutrition, her constitution became a little frail. Nevertheless, the little girl supported herself as her hands leaned on the wooden wall, while her beautiful eyes were full of timidity as she seemed much afraid of strangers.

She exhibited a sense of frailty and weakness.

Xiao Yu took a dirty towel and wiped the rain from his hair.

Chenfeng moved a low stool and said, Please sit down. Xiao Yu returned the towel to him and sat down politely.

The little girls fear couldnt help but fade away a bit. After all, Chen Shuang was a child with a pure heart; while Xiao Yu had delicate facial features, didnt appear to be a bad person, and looked to be quite easygoing overall. She obediently pulled the meat from the corner, cut a huge chunk, took a bundle of dry firewood, and headed toward the stone stove piled high with stone bricks, ready to kindle a fire for cooking. She took out a lighter and flicked it around in vain; probably due to the humid air, no flame appeared.

Xiao Yu couldnt watch her struggle anymore, so he stood up and walked towards the stove, Let me do it.

Chen Shuang was slightly taken aback.

Please move out of the way, Xiao Yu urged the girl before grabbing a handful of firewood as a bright flame rose up from his palm, heating the surrounding air by several degrees and instantly igniting the firewood when it came into contact with the fire. Xiao Xiao Yu dispersed the flames in his hand and threw the burning firewood into the stove.

Chen Feng and Chen Shuang had never seen such a magical thing before, and they all stared wide-eyed at that scene; they had never seen someone who could spray flames from their hands. The firewood ignited as soon as it came into contact with the ball of fire, and the surrounding damp air evaporated in a matter of seconds. The flames temperature was unimaginable, yet his palm was not harmed in the slightest.

Chen Shuang opened her eyes wide, Big brother, you know magic?

Xiao Yu explained calmly, Its nothing more than a skill. How long have you been in camp?

Chen Feng struggled to move his eyes away from the burning stone stove, then looked at Xiao Yu, albeit more respectfully, My sister and I were here when the camp was initially built, and we were the first batch of inhabitants in this place.

Xiao Yu asked again: was it always just the two of you?

When Chen Feng and Chen Shuang heard these words, they were overwhelmed with painful memories and were silent for a moment before saying: This ruined neighborhood was where my sister, parents, and I used to live. My mother perished due to the disasterand to make ends meet, my father and I went hunting. We met a group of monsters on an excursion more than ten days ago. Dad urged me to escape and covered me as I ran away, and he died as well, leaving just two of us, brother and sister.

Xiao Yu had grown accustomed to life and death stories and had long become numb to them. However, Chen Fengs expression also didnt change much, even though he looked just seventeen or eighteen years old and had yet to graduate high school. Living these days with a younger sister was already difficult, and he didnt want to bring up their sorrow again.

There was a long breath of silence, and the atmosphere was somewhat awkward.

Chen Feng recovered from his grief and asked, Brother, where are you originally from? Is it a gathering site nearby?

I come from a faraway place; I dont think you have been there before. Xiao Yu shook his head, By the way, are you familiar with the surrounding landscape?

Chen Feng thought for a while, nodded, and said, I should be quite familiar, actually. In order to find a suitable hunting ground, I always paid close attention to the latest relevant news. Therefore I am pretty familiar with the surrounding landscape.

Really? This will help me save time. Xiao Yu removed a piece of paper from his space ring and unfolded it, Im creating a map; tell me all the familiar regions around here.

Chen Feng took a look at the map, and he was pretty surprised.

The drawings were extensive and detailed, all made on huge pieces of paper using a simple pencil. The lines were neat and clean, looking like a professional artist himself did the work. With a single glance, the entire scene was clear and visible. Chen Feng could make out the roads, rivers, mountains, and even the tiniest details of settlements, but what surprised him was that, based on the map, Xiao Yu did come from a very distant place, at least thousands of kilometers away.

(TN: for anyone wondering how he is very good at sketching like I was, I just remembered that he is a student of the fine arts academy, meaning he should be decent at sketching, I guess)

He actually traveled so far on his own?

Chen Feng didnt dare neglect him and told him everything he knew.

Not long after, the boiling meat stew was ready. Chen Shuang served Xiao Yu slowly with a broken bowl, giving him nearly half the meat. Next, the brother and sister took a bowl each that included a few bones while the rest got left in the pot.

Im only staying for one night before leaving. So you dont have to be too polite. Xiao Yu took out five cans and a few pieces of chocolate from his ring, then removed a piece of gray middle-grade equipment. Think of it as a reward for helping me improve the map.

Two cans of fruits, three cans of beef, and a few large pieces of chocolatethat was a huge temptation! Chenshuang, after all, was a little girl, and her eyes immediately lit up when she saw the five cans of food and chocolate. But, first, she stared at her brother timidly and didnt dare take the food by her hands.

Although canned food and chocolates were also tempting for Chen Feng, they could instead be exchanged for several catties of animal meat, which was enough for the siblings to eat for a week or two. However, the gray medium-grade weapon was more valuable in comparison.

He hesitated for a while, but then, seeing no reason to hold back given Xiao Yus abilities, he reached his hands out to grasp the food.

Suddenly, a large stone flew in from the outside and plopped into the pot. The iron pot shattered and tumbled to the ground. The boiling soup splattered everywhere, forcing little Chen Shuang to cry out in pain!

Chen Feng had a grim expression on his face, Damn it; theyre here again! But in his heart, he secretly added, Perfect, you arrived just in time!