Amidst the wind and snow, Xu Qing returned to the courtyard. However, before he could even enter, he already heard the joyous laughter of Captain Lei from outside.
Following that were the sounds of dogs barking. Pushing aside the gate, Xu Qing saw more than ten wild dogs in the courtyard.
They all lay there and stared coldly at Xu Qing. However, Xu Qing swept his gaze past them without any ferocity. It was just a simple look, but the fur of those wild dogs stood, and they retreated slowly.
A soft cry of surprise echoed from Captain Lei’s room.
As the gate opened, Cross and Luan Tooth walked out. They looked from Xu Qing to the tens of dogs, and then Cross cracked a small smile.
“Kid, the dogs are saying that there’s a really strong baleful air coming from you.” Luan Tooth squatted down and softly caressed the head of a wild dog by her side, smiling as she told him this.
Xu Qing didn’t say anything but looked at Captain Lei who had walked out of the room.
Captain Lei was wearing a thick leather coat and carrying a tobacco pipe in his hand. When he stepped out, he pointed toward Luan Tooth and spoke exasperatedly.
“Luan Tooth, this girl, thinks I’m injured and worries about my safety at the campsite. So, she insisted on sending these dogs to guard the house and protect the yard.”
It was a simple sentence, but Xu Qing understood the meaning behind it.
Captain Lei didn’t tell them about the incident involving Xu Qing, just like Xu Qing didn’t mention the singing voice. He let Captain Lei make his own decision, and Captain Lei also left the right to divulge that incident to Xu Qing.
Xu Qing nodded. He then retrieved the leather bag with the white pills and passed it to Captain Lei.
Captain Lei took it and swept a glance. He then laughed and didn’t stand on ceremony.
“Alright, I do need these things but don’t buy them anymore in the future. I have a lot of them saved up. I even have enough to sell.” With that, he looked at Cross.
“Cross, the kid is back too. Whatever it is, you can talk about it now.”
Cross stopped smiling and his expression turned solemn as he slowly spoke.
“I came here today for two matters.”
“The first is about Captain Lei’s medicine. Luan Tooth and I have purchased them, and it is about a month’s worth of medication. Afterward, we’ll purchase again when you’re done with it.” With that, he took down a leather bag by his waist and placed it to the side.
“Then, the second thing. Due to the elimination of the Bloodshadow Team, even though other scavengers also participated in the harvesting of seven-leaf grass, none of them harvested as many as ours.
“Luan Tooth and I handed it over to the camp leader yesterday and received the reward. However… As per the camp leader’s habitual deductions, he didn’t give us three clear dust pills. There was only one.” As Cross said this, he looked at Luan Tooth.
Luan Tooth took out four leather bags and placed them to the side. She retrieved a wooden box after that. In front of everyone, she opened it and revealed a green alchemy pill, the size of a pigeon’s egg.
The medicinal fragrance spread out. It was evident that this was much better than the white pill.
“Barbaric Ghost didn’t have any relatives, so I took the liberty to distribute his share among us. These four leather bags contain our respective portion of spirit coins, and about this clear dust pill…”
At that, Cross looked at Captain Lei and awaited his allocation.
“Let’s give it to the kid,” Captain Lei said quietly. At that moment, some of the imposing manners he had as the leader of the Thunder Team returned.
Cross nodded. Luan Tooth was stunned for a moment then fell into deep thoughts. When they asked Captain Lei about what had happened in the jungle earlier, he didn’t reveal it. However, with this allocation, the answer was obvious.
“About Barbaric Ghost… It was right to distribute his share. We are his relatives.”
Captain Lei sighed softly and picked up his share. Cross and Luan Tooth then picked up their respective portions as well. Xu Qing didn’t make a noise and similarly picked up the leather bag.
Regarding the clear dust pill that Luan Tooth passed over, Xu Qing took a look at Captain Lei after taking it. There was a sternness in Captain Lei’s eyes that made Xu Qing understand the meaning behind it. Hence, he quietly kept it.
The four conversed for a while, mainly between Cross and the other two persons. As usual, Xu Qing was reticent and listened quietly from the side.
Yet, regardless of Cross or Luan Tooth, none of them neglected Xu Qing’s existence. They would occasionally ask for his opinion.
Just like that, as the time passed, noon came quickly. Following the temporary halt of the wind and snow, Cross and Luan Tooth chose to leave. Before they left, Cross whispered to Xu Qing.
“Kid, Luan Tooth and I have accepted a mission and will need to head out for a trip. During this time… the leader is in your care.” As he said this, he took out a dagger and passed it to Xu Qing.
“Your dagger is full of rust. Use this instead, it’s very sharp.”
Luan Tooth passed him a whistle as well.
“Kid, although you are strong in combat, you’ll still need eyes and helpers, right? This whistle can easily control the wild dogs on the campsite. If there’s a need, you can blow it. They are very smart and will know what to do.”
After a round of urging from the two of them, they cupped their fists with the other hand and took their leave.
Looking at their silhouettes, Xu Qing kept the whistle and stuffed the dagger Cross gave into his boots. However, he didn’t throw away the original dagger he had.
Thereafter, he raised his head and stared at their figures until Cross and Luan Tooth disappeared from his vision. Xu Qing then turned his head and looked at Captain Lei’s room.
It was only after some time did he decide to walk through the wild dogs and into the residence.
He then closed his eyes and sat cross-legged in meditation.
The wind was strong outside and it made a whimpering noise. As it blew across the earth, the snow on the ground was mixed with the snow falling from mid-air. It then entered through all the gaps in the entrance of the tents and houses, alarming the people inside.
It also reached the body of Captain Lei who was resting in the house. For someone who was long used to it, he didn’t mind the cold wind.
However, in his mind, the image of Xu Qing curling up in the cold surfaced. As such, he turned his head in the direction of Xu Qing’s room, and after a moment of silence, he took his leather hat and left the residence.