84: Xiaohe

"A Qiu, I, I don't know..." The little beggar coughed even harder, as if he was about to cough up his lungs.

This kid is quite loyal, a bit interesting...

Han Yi looked at the '0~1' value above the little beggar's head and shook his head.

This little beggar's vitality was extremely weak, like a candle in the wind that could be blown out with a single breath.

This was the first time Han Yi had seen someone so fragile.

"I'm not here for A Qiu's enemy..."

Han Yi's expression was gentle, revealing a warm smile.

He took out a dose of 'Blood Activating Powder' and threw it to the beggar in the corner.

"Take it with warm water, it should help relieve your cough..."

The little beggar didn't hesitate and swallowed the 'Blood Activating Powder' immediately.

He also understood that if an enemy had come looking, their attitude wouldn't be so friendly; there was no need to use poison for fun.

A moment later, although the little beggar was still coughing, his complexion was clearly much better.

"Thank you, Lord, for the medicine!"

The little beggar struggled to get up, repeatedly bowing with his hands clasped.

Since contracting that strange illness that wouldn't heal, how long had it been since he felt strength in his body?

"Get up... What's your name, and where is A Qiu?"

"Little... I don't know my name either, they all call me Xiao He, and A Qiu is my good brother!"

Xiao He looked up, revealing a fawning smile.

Xiao He?

Han Yi nodded thoughtfully. He remembered A Qiu telling him that he had a companion named Xiao He in Changning Ward who had contracted a strange illness that wouldn't heal...

"My surname is Han, I wonder if A Qiu has mentioned me to you..."

"Han...?"

"May I ask, is it Han Yi, Big Brother Han...?"

Xiao He's timid voice sounded.

Han Yi nodded.

"I, I heard A Qiu mention Big Brother. He said you are a very good person, and he also said he would repay your kindness in the future!"

Xiao He let out a long sigh of relief and said excitedly.

I didn't expect the first 'good person card' I received would be from a little beggar...

Han Yi rubbed his nose and smiled wryly.

"Oh, you mean, there are quite a few people in Changning Ward who have caught a cold now, and then A Qiu brought you to this broken temple?"

"Yes, A Qiu spent a lot of silver to go to 'Taihe Hall' and invited Doctor Wu over for me. He prescribed a few doses, but they had no effect..."

"So A Qiu had me live in this temple, but I feel like my body is actually a bit better than before..."

Alas, life is hard in this world. The government does nothing, thinking these are minor ailments not worth worrying about, and it's the people at the bottom who suffer...

"Have you eaten?" Han Yi asked.

Xiao He hesitated for a moment, struggling to pull out a piece of steamed bun from hisArms. It was dark and looked like a stone, undoubtedly mixed with a lot of roots and wild vegetables.

"Sigh..."

Han Yi threw the dry food and cured meat from hisArms over, and then he also threw over a few bags of 'Blood Activating Powder'.

This was all he could do; he wasn't a doctor and didn't have the ability to diagnose illnesses.

But eating well and being strong would likely improve his ability to resist illness...

"Thank you, Big Brother Han..." Xiao He immediately knelt down and kowtowed several times.

"No need for so many formalities... By the way, where did A Qiu go?"

The main reason Han Yi came to the broken temple was to find A Qiu.

"A Qiu seemed to have gone to the lecture hall in Yuqing Ward. He said he wanted to learn how to read and learn martial arts to earn silver to cure my illness..."

Mentioning A Qiu, tears welled up in Xiao He's eyes.

There was indeed some genuine affection between the two of them, no wonder Xiao He was initially unwilling to tell me A Qiu's whereabouts...

Han Yi's evaluation of A Qiu and Xiao He went up a notch.

"You two, you still know the principles of being human, not bad..."

"You rest here and recuperate. I'll go see what's going on with A Qiu..."

———————————————

At the foot of the small mountain at this time.

Neigh, neigh, neigh

A broad-faced man riding a dark green tall horse was slowly reining in his horse, arriving near the mountain forest.

There were also seven or eight well-built, bare-chested men following the big man. Just looking at their fierce expressions and the blood-stained broadswords in their hands, one knew they were definitely not from good families.

The mounted big man took out a greenish bamboo tube from hisArms, shook it gently, brought it close to his ear, and listened carefully.

Inside the bamboo tube, there was a faint sound of wings flapping, and if one listened carefully, it seemed to have a certain rhythm.

One rapid sound, followed by three longer sounds.

The big man leaned close to the gap between the lid and the bamboo tube, his nostrils twitching a few times.

"This scent, it can't be wrong!"

"Lads, go on!"

He shouted with aferocious face.

Going up the mountain is easy, coming down is hard!

Looking down from the mountaintop, one could see a lush and dense expanse of branches in the mountain forest, without a single sparse spot. There were also a few old trees with huge canopies like pavilions, but their trunks grew like menacing giant pythons, with branches like claws and teeth.

Whoosh!

As soon as he entered the mountain forest, Han Yi was like a nimble monkey, lightly jumping onto the treetops and rushing out of the forest with all his might.

"Something's not right!"

Before he had even gone halfway through the mountain forest, Han Yi suddenly stopped. He stood on the treetop, listening attentively to the sounds in the forest.

It was currently July or August, the time when the forest was most luxuriant, and the insects, mosquitoes, and birds in the forest were also extremely active.

Because the small path up to the broken temple had long been abandoned, when he went up the mountain, he had to pass through this mountain forest. At that time, he had complained about the noisy sounds and flying mosquitoes here.

But at this moment, the forest was silent, as if all the snakes, insects, birds, and beasts had disappeared in an instant.

Han Yi looked around. In his field of vision, there were no longer any small animals with values of '0~1' or '1~2'.

His thoughts raced, and with a leap, he prepared to change direction and jump to the treetops on the other side.

Swish!

Several sticky nets fell from the sky. A hint of surprise flashed in Han Yi's eyes.

Without time to think, he quickly circulated 'Flying Swallow Kick', lightly leaped, and dropped from the treetop, dodging them.

Rumble!

The sound of hooves trampling and the ground shaking rang out.

Suddenly, a strong man with bloodshot eyes and holding a large saber, riding a Black Wind Horse, charged up.

"Kill, kill!"

Around Han Yi, seven or eight fierce-looking men suddenly sprang out, waving their swords and sabers and surrounding him.

For a moment, he was in danger from all sides!