Chapter 38: A Different Landscape

Images flashed through Yu Sheng's mind.

A middle-aged man with a rope approached step by step, his face twisted into a sinister smile.

A kindly-faced old man, who had taken care of him for two days, suddenly turned around and sold him for a good price.

Streets full of corpses.

He stood amidst pools of blood, gasping for breath continuously.

And standing back-to-back with him was another, equally thin figure.

...

Observing Yu Sheng's bewildered expression, Liu Qingfeng felt an inexplicable pang of heartache.

He couldn’t fathom what kind of experiences had shaped Yu Sheng into the person he was now.

Nor could he understand how a heartless father could abandon his child in Sin City for years, without a word.

"Perhaps you are right."

"This world has never sheltered you, so why should I ask you to protect it?"

A bitter smile appeared on Liu Qingfeng’s lips, and he instinctively raised his head, reaching out to pat Yu Sheng’s head.

But Yu Sheng, as if by instinct, dodged to the side.

Liu Qingfeng even noticed a blade wedged between Yu Sheng’s fingers.

However, it was unclear when the originally metal blade had been replaced by another material.

It seemed to be made from the thinned, tough, and sharp bone of a demon beast.

For a moment, Liu Qingfeng felt an indescribable complexity in his heart.

Perhaps to outsiders, Yu Sheng appeared sharp-tongued and selfish.

But at this moment, in the eyes of a teacher, Yu Sheng... was just a child.

A frightened child.

Everything he did was an attempt to survive in this world, like a stubborn wild grass in a scorched field.

Even if fierce winds blew and hail fell, as long as the roots remained, it would keep growing.

Liu Qingfeng had many more things he wanted to say, but he ultimately swallowed his words.

He suddenly grew weary of his role as a teacher.

Forcing such a child to be kind, to strive, and eventually to stand at Demon-Suppressing Pass, facing an uncertain death...

It was just like everyone in Sin City who had treated him that way before.

"Let's talk about something else."

"Do you have any friends?"

Liu Qingfeng exhaled deeply, took out a pack of cigarettes, pulled one out, and then chose a lighter from his pocket to light it.

A spark of interest seemed to flicker in Yu Sheng's calm eyes as he nodded earnestly, "Yes, I do!"

As he spoke, a tiny smile even curled at the corners of his mouth.

Liu Qingfeng paused, letting the ash fall from his cigarette.

"Where is your friend?" he asked.

Yu Sheng's gaze returned to its usual calm. "She's in Sin City, but she should be able to get out soon!"

"Only 307 days left."

The next one likely to get a spot.

Liu Qingfeng nodded. "What would you do if someone was trying to kill your friend?"

"I’d kill them," Yu Sheng said matter-of-factly.

Liu Qingfeng continued to probe, "And what if everyone in the world was trying to kill her?"

"Then I'd kill everyone in the world."

Yu Sheng didn’t hesitate before responding once more.

Liu Qingfeng nodded. "Yes, you would kill everyone in the world..."

"So, he is actually doing the same thing as you."

"The difference is, you are protecting a friend."

"While he is protecting the common people of the world."

Liu Qingfeng’s gaze then shifted back to the busy middle-aged man across the street.

It seemed he noticed something.

The middle-aged man looked up, saw Liu Qingfeng, waved, and showed a simple, honest smile.

Yu Sheng, thoughtful, nodded as if talking to himself, "Is this... what protection is?"

"Yes, but their cause is not friendship."

"It’s for the greater good of humanity, passing on the torch of civilization."

Liu Qingfeng stubbed out his cigarette.

Yu Sheng did not continue the conversation and fell silent once again.

The atmosphere grew cold again.

Suddenly remembering something, Liu Qingfeng curiously looked at Yu Sheng and asked, "What would you do if one day your friend wanted to kill you?"

"I would kill her," Yu Sheng said plainly.

"She's very capable, really might have a chance to kill me."

"But... she probably wouldn't."

Yu Sheng spoke naturally.

Liu Qingfeng was taken aback again. "Why wouldn't she..."

"Maybe... it's just intuition."

"My intuition tells me she wouldn't kill me."

"Yeah, she definitely wouldn't."

Yu Sheng nodded as if to affirm his own words.

It was as if they were transported back to that rainy night.

In a dilapidated brick house, the two huddled in a corner, watching a menacing middle-aged man approach step by step.

Finally...

Two young children, their faces and clothes covered in blood, stared blankly at the body of the middle-aged man.

"Let's go!"

"I'll take you somewhere else!"

"I've asked for some time off at school for you, we'll stay somewhere else for a few days."

Liu Qingfeng didn't say anything more but stood up, dusting off his pants, and spoke.

Yu Sheng nodded lightly.

He didn't even ask where they were going or why.

He just calmly followed behind Liu Qingfeng.

...

At the bus station.

After buying two tickets, Liu Qingfeng led Yu Sheng out of the city.

Away from the crowds, away from the dust.

Until the bus slowly came to a stop.

This was the safest distance in the safe zone; beyond this point, the journey could pose unpredictable risks.

They got off the bus.

Continued walking towards a more distant place.

As dusk settled, under the setting sun, the shadows of Liu Qingfeng and Yu Sheng stretched long across the fields.

It was like a beautiful scroll.

Finally, a village appeared in the distance.

Faint smoke from kitchen chimneys.

Liu Qingfeng walked right into it.

In the village, there were young men barely in their twenties with still youthful faces.

There were middle-aged men with strong bodies and stern faces.

And there were elderly people, frail with age.

Yet, they all shared one thing in common.

Disabilities.

Some were missing an arm.

Some had lost both legs and could only sit in a wheelchair.

Some were blind, walking with the aid of a cane.

All sorts.

But the village did not seem gloomy; rather, it was exceptionally warm.

People joked with each other, occasionally throwing a risqué joke, drawing laughter and playful scolding from the others.

Upon seeing Liu Qingfeng's figure, the crowd was momentarily taken aback.

One middle-aged man leaning on a cane called out with a laugh, "You're just missing a finger, why do you keep coming to our Veterans Camp? What, are you so poor you're thinking about mooching off the disability benefits?"

Liu Qingfeng smiled, "Just taking a student out for a walk."

"Student?"

Liu Qingfeng's words drew everyone's attention, and they all turned to look at Yu Sheng not far away.

"Jeez, treating the Veterans Camp like a zoo, huh?"

"What, are we monkeys?"

"Get lost if there's nothing important, what's there to see in this dump?"

Several people joked and scolded.

Liu Qingfeng didn't mind: "Traveled all this way, might as well stay a couple of days. Speaking of which, who hasn't had dinner yet? We'll mooch a bit."

It appeared that he was quite familiar with these people.