Martial Arts: I Have a Wilderness World-Chapter 60: Discussion at Home (Part 1)

The sun blazed, and heat waves rolled across the land.

Not a soul could be seen on the official road. On either side, clumps of withered grass swayed and rustled in the hot wind. Now and then, a few dry, broken leaves would take flight, spinning in the dusty gusts before being scattered by the heat and drifting down onto a corpse lying by the roadside, startling a swarm of feasting flies.

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from a bend in the road. A bare-chested young man appeared, wearing a cloth mask over his face, a pair of straw sandals on his feet, and a straw hat on his head.

It was Cheng Zongyang, who had just come from the County Town.

"Damn it, why is it so ridiculously hot!"

Cheng Zongyang glanced up at the vast, cloudless, deep blue sky, wiped away a bead of sweat, and cursed under his breath.

He could feel the scorching heat from the ground even through his straw sandals. Despite wearing the straw hat he had borrowed from his second uncle’s home, he was drenched in sweat, his mouth and throat parched. It was like being trapped in a furnace.

Gazing into the distance, he saw the heat waves shimmer and rise. It was as if the entire world was about to be scorched to a crisp.

He took a sip of water and continued on his way. As he passed a patch of withered grass, he startled a buzzing cloud of flies. A foul stench washed over him, and Cheng Zongyang instinctively pulled away, quickening his pace to leave the area.

He had seen no shortage of corpses along this road. While it wasn’t quite a "thousand li of starving dead," the sight was still shocking.

He hadn’t seen any refugees on the road. Perhaps this was the breaking point; those who could travel had already gathered outside the County Town.

Or perhaps they were hiding in some shady corner, waiting for the sun to set before traveling again.

Halfway there, he found a hidden spot and entered the Wilderness World.

Inside a small hut in the marketplace, he took his back-basket, sorted through his supplies, and then left the Wilderness World, taking yesterday’s items and the watermelon with him.

It was already Noon by the time Cheng Zongyang returned to the village entrance.

He didn’t take the mountain path, but instead entered through the main village gate.

The village had lost its usual vitality. Only the faint sound of crying could be heard echoing intermittently through the streets.

The heat waves were suffocating, and the atmosphere was just as stifling...

"Elder Uncle, it’s me! Open the door," Cheng Zongyang called out, knocking on the door while fanning himself with his straw hat.

Soon, there was a stir from inside. The door opened to reveal a crowd of children standing in the courtyard. Several adults also looked at him with excitement.

"Yang’Er, are you alright?" Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family asked, her face filled with worry and tension.

He had been gone for a night, and his family had worried all night long. Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family had barely slept a wink.

After what happened yesterday, no one could have slept soundly.

"The... people, are they okay?" his elder uncle, Zhou Hansong, asked meaningfully, seeing that his nephew was safe.

"Don’t worry." Cheng Zongyang understood the meaning in his uncle’s eyes and nodded. He then turned to his mother, patted his chest, and said with a smile:

"Mother, I’m fine, really. Here, take these things to the kitchen."

He took the watermelon out of his back-basket and handed the rest to his mother to deal with.

As for the watermelon, he placed it in a bucket and slowly lowered it into the deep well.

"It’s reached the bottom." Just then, his younger uncle came over, his expression grave. "We’ve used a lot of water today. When we were drawing it just now, the bucket was already hitting the bottom. We can only wait for the well to slowly seep full again."

At this, Cheng Zongyang’s expression darkened.

’The groundwater is about to dry up too?’

’This is just one disaster after another!’

"It’s alright, things will get better." Cheng Zongyang forced a smile. "That’s a watermelon. I bought it in town from an old farmer who said he found it in the mountains. It’s so hot that the melon warmed up on the way back. It’ll be delicious and refreshing once it’s been chilled in the well water."

The elders all nodded without saying much more. With so much on their minds, they had little appetite.

But the little ones were very curious, their eyes wide as they leaned over the edge of the well, peering into the dark abyss.

Only the Chen Family Sisters stood timidly in a corner of the yard, their still-swollen eyes watching the other children, not daring to do anything.

"Zhenyuan, don’t let them lean over like that! The well is dangerous," Mrs. Ye of the Zhou Family called out urgently.

Zhou Zhenyuan immediately went over and pulled the little ones back.

"Big Brother, what’s a watermelon?" the little girl, Cheng Zongyun, asked curiously, coming to Cheng Zongyang’s side and pulling on his hand.

Cheng Zongyang glanced at the other curious children and smiled. "It’s a very sweet fruit with green skin and red flesh. You’ll know once you all try it later."

"Oh..." the little girl responded, not quite understanding.

Cheng Zongyang walked over to the two sisters. Seeing their red, swollen eyes and skeletal frames, he sighed inwardly but kept a smile on his face as he said:

"Your father saved my life, so it’s only right that I repay that kindness. Now, since your mother entrusted you to my family before she passed, you’re part of our family now. So just rest easy, eat well, sleep well, and focus on getting your strength back, alright?"

Tears welled up in the eyes of the two sisters, Chen Zhaodi and Chen Laidi. They lowered their heads and nodded gently.

Cheng Zongyang glanced at his elder and younger uncles and asked, "Elder Uncle, Younger Uncle, where are Grandpa and Grandma? And has my father woken up yet?"

"He woke up last night," Zhou Hansong said. "His injuries are stable, he was just waiting for you to come back and change his dressing. As for your grandparents, they’re resting in your room. They didn’t sleep much last night either."

"That’s good. Let’s all gather, I have something to discuss. My two cousins as well, you too." As Cheng Zongyang spoke, he looked at the little girl still clinging to his finger and smiled, "Yun’Er, go play with your brothers and sisters. Mother has some malt candy, everyone will get a piece later."

Hearing there was a treat, the little girl nodded happily, let go of his hand, and ran toward the kitchen.

The other, more timid, cousins immediately followed her. Only Zhou Zhennan didn’t go, staying where he was.

"You’re not having any?" Zhou Zhendong asked his younger brother.

Zhou Zhennan shook his head. "No, I want to listen too."

"What is there for a child to listen to?" Zhou Hanchang glared at his second son. "You’re the most troublesome of the bunch."

Zhou Zhennan pouted but didn’t dare to speak, instead fixing his gaze on his cousin, Cheng Zongyang.

At this, Cheng Zongyang chuckled. "Alright, if he wants to listen, let him. He’s thirteen now; it’s good for him to see and learn more."

No one found anything strange about his mature, almost old-fashioned, words.

After all, they had long since grown accustomed to the sensibility and maturity Cheng Zongyang had shown since he was a child.

Entering the inner room where his father was resting, he saw him trying to sit up.

"Father, don’t reopen your wound," Cheng Zongyang called out, stopping him.

His body froze, and Cheng Guanghai lay back down with a helpless sigh. "What were you doing last night?"

Cheng Zongyang smiled. "Nothing much. I just went to check the situation in the other villages to help us make plans. During the day, I went into the County Town and spoke with Second Uncle."

Hearing this, Cheng Guanghai furrowed his brow and said to his two brothers-in-law, "Big Brother, Second Brother, please help me up. It’s too awkward to talk while lying down."

Zhou Hansong looked to Cheng Zongyang, but Zongyang just sighed. "I’ll do it."

He went over, put his hands under his father’s arms, and helped him lean back against the head of the bed. His father immediately asked, his expression serious, "What happened?"

No one knows a son better than his father. Cheng Zongyang’s words had made Cheng Guanghai realize there was a problem.

Cheng Zongyang glanced at his two uncles and slowly repeated what he had told his second uncle that morning. He also added a description of the situation outside the County Town.

Of course, he didn’t mention the matter of the Noble Families. After all, there were three other boys of a similar age present, and he worried they might let something slip and cause trouble.

Aside from a bewildered Zhou Zhennan, and Zhou Zhenyuan and Zhou Zhendong who didn’t yet grasp the severity of the situation, the three men—Zhou Hansong, Zhou Hanchang, and Cheng Guanghai—were utterly shocked.

"Is it really like that outside?" Stunned by his nephew’s description, Zhou Hanchang didn’t know how to respond and could only mutter.

Zhou Hansong was in a similar state.

Cheng Guanghai was silent for a while, digesting what his son had said. After a long moment, his face grim, Cheng Guanghai looked at his son with a burning gaze:

"The matter of the house isn’t important; we can talk about that later. You’ve come up with three plans. What are your thoughts on them? And what did your second uncle have to say?"

PS: The second Chapter will be out in ten minutes. I’m not waiting until the evening to update, so it doesn’t feel disjointed.