Gift

Huan Wei bent down to the Red Full Moon Blossom and gently plucked it. But he did not take it out of the bush. He dug a little into the soil with his hand and put the flower inside. The root that was still in the soil after he plucked the flower quickly dried up and died. This pleased the young man even more. He was once again convinced that the red herb in his hand was valuable.

Huan Wei rolled a rock that had been lying next to the slave who had brought him here and placed it next to the bush. The bandits were still watching him. "What are you doing?" one of them asked.

Huan Wei smiled. "Just checking around the rocks, that's where the Full Moon Blossom grows best."

"No hanging around. Go and collect what's in sight." 

"Okay."

He nodded to the slave and together they went to collect the herbs. Huan Wei whispered to him at this time. "Have you told anyone else about this herb?"

"No, I haven't."

"Good. Don't tell anyone."

"Okay, as you wish. But what will you do?"

"I'm going to make us more comfortable." Huan Wei put his hand on his shoulder. "This is very important. Can I trust you?"

The slave nodded. He was flattered that Huan Wei appreciated him. "Of course, you can."

"You did a good thing here today." Huan Wei spoke. "If others know, it loses its meaning. I trust you."

Of course he didn't trust him. Who had he ever trusted and who could he trust him? Still, he made him feel important. The slave was flattered. Still, Huan Wei kept an eye on him.

They gathered herbs until evening. The leaders were surprised by what the slaves brought. It was clear that Yun Ying had not expected this. Everyone, including Cao Jingguo, had met their quota and even brought more.

Huan Wei looked at her with a smile. "We gathered the herbs as you asked, and no one brought less than the quota."

"Good." Yun Ying looked serious but pleased. "Keep it up and you will be saved from the whip. Now eat your food."

The fat woman turned away. As she left, Huan Wei took a big gamble. "Master Ying."

Yun Ying stopped and looked at him. "What do you want again?"

"I have something I want to tell you."

"Then tell me."

"I just want to tell you."

Yun Ying walked up to him. She had her whip in her hand. "Just because we've been a bit nice, you've started to think too big of yourself."

The slaves did not move away from Huan Wei. As on other occasions, they did not leave the one about to be whipped alone.

Huan Wei said, "You're the boss. You will like what I have to say. If not, you will whip me anyway."

Yun Ying looked at the other slaves. She nodded for them to stand back. Huan Wei was excited. He would have to choose the right words.

When the slaves went into the cages, only the bandits who had been watching him from a distance remained. Yun Ying was standing in front of him. The woman was waving her whip slowly back and forth. "Speak."

Huan Wei took a deep breath. He couldn't mess this up. "I found something that I believe should be yours," he whispered.

"What is it?"

"All this time I've seen Ou Yu taking half the loot for herself. Even if you and I don't get along well at first, I believe we can make things right."

"Don't be long, Huan Wei."

Huan Wei looked at him. "South of here, in the bushes between two rocks, I hid a Red Full Moon Blossom."

Yun Ying's eyebrows rose a little. She seemed to be wondering if what Huan Wei said was true. The young man continued to speak.

"Think of it as a gift. I will keep you informed as I find such valuable things."

He was gauging her reaction. Yun Ying seemed torn between believing or not. Huan Wei knew that she was also bothered by Ou Yu's greed. Even Lan Xifeng was quietly accepting, while Yun Ying was getting angry every time. The young man thought she would not want to miss the opportunity.

"Get him."

At Yun Ying's command, two bandits came and grabbed Huan Wei. The young man tried to free his arms, but they restrained him. They turned Huan Wei's back as Yun Ying swung her whip.

The sound of the whip was heard many times. So did Huan Wei's painful moans as he gritted his teeth. His back was covered in blood again. They dragged him into the cage.

"When did you become fearless enough to say that to me, Huan Wei?" Yun Ying spoke. "Do you want to end up like Ding Enlai?"

Huan Wei remained silent. They chained his metal collar to the iron bars. Apparently there would be no food for him tonight.

Was Yun Ying scared? Huan Wei was angry at her timidity. It seemed that her courage was only against the slaves.

The other slaves were led out of their cages again. It was time to eat. While Huan Wei sat in the cage on an empty stomach, food was handed out to them all.

Lei Lok approached the cage with a bowl in his hand. But he had to back away when one of the bandits said, "You will be punished if you try to give him food." Everyone was looking at Huan Wei.

The young man with blood on his back raised his head. "It's all right. Eat your food."

They started eating, even though they were not happy about it. Cao Jingguo was sitting far away again. Huan Wei looked at him. They looked at each other for a while. Cao Jingguo lowered his head. Huan Wei realized that he would not go out in people. He would not force it now. He would slowly enter even the heart of his enemy.

When the slaves had finished eating, they went to the cages. Everyone was chained.

Lei Lok looked at Huan Wei's back full of wounds. "What did you say to her? Why is she so angry?"

"Never mind. Ding Enlai was right. It doesn't hurt as much as it used to." He spoke without looking at them. "Sleep and rest. We'll get up early tomorrow."

Lei Lok was about to say something. Then he gave up. Words were useless now.

When everyone was asleep, Huan Wei was awake. He didn't want to enter the darkness full of nightmares. He didn't realize it. Now he was running away from the Black Void. Why couldn't he be as strong as people saw him from the outside? It frustrated him to be a loser who was afraid to sleep.

Huan Chao's words echoed in his mind. He closed his ears, ignoring the pain in his back. The sickness in his soul hurt more than his wounds.

It was past midnight. Huan Wei stood silently, watching the cage floor. Sometimes he wondered what he was trying to achieve. If he were a free man, he would have reached the Explorer stage by now. He had been at the peak of the Traveler stage for a long time. But he had never fought a battle to help him overcome this bottleneck, nor had he had a chance to find an energy field. There was no room for Huan Wei when talking about luck.

Huan Wei heard someone approaching the cages. He lifted his head slightly and saw that it was Yun Ying. He immediately lowered his head and did not let on that he was awake.

Yun Ying walked past the cages and headed into the forest. "Where are you going, Yun Ying?" one of the bandits on watch asked.

The fat woman turned toward him angrily. "None of your business. Do as you are told," she said, and kept going. The bandits could say nothing. But Huan Wei understood where she was going.

"You've succumbed to your doubt, Yun Ying," he thought. "You will want more. And that will bring you to me."

A drop fell from the gloomy sky. The clouds blocking the moon began to pour their abundance over the Bright Forest.

Each drop of rain woke another slave. The cages were covered, yet the wind, blowing from different directions, carried the water to the slaves standing on the edges. Soon everyone was getting wet. No one was left sleeping.

"Shut up!" one of the bandits shouted when a few people raised their voices. "It's just a few drops of water. Don't start crying."

Ai Tung, who had just arrived at the cage, tried to move a little. But he couldn't get away from the bars because of the collar around his neck. Jiao Bai also put his face on his knees and covered it with his arms.

Huan Wei said nothing. He just let the refreshing rain wash the wounds on his back. He closed his eyes and felt the cold water soothe the pain in his wounds.

After a while Yun Ying reappeared. When she arrived at the campsite, she was running to avoid getting too wet. As she passed the cages, she looked at Huan Wei. The young man was also looking at her meaningfully. Still, she did not stop and kept running.