thefictionvixens Chapter 324 Sincerity is the Sharpest Sword
Chapter 324 Sincerity is the Sharpest Sword
The convoy continued its silent journey through the fog.
The deadwood forest began to thin out, and rusted, peeling guardrails appeared on the roadside. Some sections had collapsed to the ground, like building blocks casually pried apart by a giant beast.
Fu Xiaojian's Warrior was firmly positioned on the center line, its taillights casting two blurry red streaks in the fog.
He did not continue to use "Unknown Hammer".
After advancing to Sequence 4, that characteristic has undergone a qualitative change and no longer needs to be activated constantly.
Just like an old hunter knows when to raise his gun and when to let it rest quietly in its holster.
Aside from limited visibility, the road conditions were actually quite good, and Nirvana was unusually quiet, so Xu Si wasn't given much information.
Xu Si remained seated on the roof of the car, a sword resting across his lap, his posture resembling a silent beacon.
He was in the sun almost the entire way, yet his skin didn't get tanned at all.
……
As evening approached, a light breeze began to stir, and the fog finally started to thin out.
The dead trees on both sides of the road have completely disappeared, replaced by a vast expanse of open wasteland covered with low-lying wormwood.
The grass had long since withered, its stems a grayish-white hue from salt and alkali erosion, densely covering the horizon, making a dry rustling sound when the wind blew through it, like turning the pages of a wordless book.
Xu Si's view suddenly opened up from the roof of the car.
The sense of space, which had been squeezed by mudflats, waterways, and fog for days, suddenly expanded at this moment.
This looks just like the farmland in his hometown that has been abandoned for many years.
It wasn't long before nightfall, and the convoy began to slowly slow down.
"We'll camp here tonight."
Fu Xiaojian's voice came through the walkie-talkie, sounding unusually relaxed.
"With this view, if there's anything strange, it will be spotted from two miles away." This is also the greatest advantage of the wasteland.
These past two days have finally given Fu Xiaojian a break.
When everyone got off the bus, their feet were no longer covered in mud or salt crust.
It is real, tangible land with a solid, tangible feel.
Although the vegetation is withered and cracked, it doesn't sink in, doesn't let in sand, and doesn't have that rotten, unpleasant smell.
Jiao Jiao jumped out of the car, took an exaggerated deep breath, and then got a mouthful of northwest wind.
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!" she spat out the sand that had gotten into her mouth while stomping her feet, but she didn't go back into the car.
Su Su stood beside her, but her gaze went beyond the wasteland to a more distant place.
The setting sun was gradually turning a rose-red color, seemingly ready to sink below the horizon.
"Auntie, what are you looking at?"
"It's nothing."
Su Su withdrew her gaze, and as she lowered her eyes, her eyelashes cast a small shadow in the twilight.
She rarely says anything unnecessary.
He didn't speak, but simply preferred to let everything sink into those clear, cold eyes.
As the convoy slowly came to a stop, Su Su began her daily routine.
……
Pei Xiu's bus finally stopped, like an old beast that had finally exhausted its strength, silently squatting at the edge of the camp.
Pei Xiu watched as everyone got off the car one by one.
It's like saying goodbye to the past.
When Qian Dafu got out of the car, he seemed to want to say hello to Pei Xiu.
After all, he had driven for Pei Xiu for so long.
However, Xu Huiying gave him a push.
Qi Dai and the other two did not get out of the car immediately. They squeezed into the back seat and whispered to each other to confirm something, as if they were assigning targets.
Li Jianqiu was the last to get off the bus.
He stood at the car door, not taking a step immediately, but instead looking around the newly established camp.
A campfire, children, adults sitting around chatting, and a soup pot already set up.
Everything seemed to be in good order.
And there were several ordinary people on the bus whom he had been paying attention to for some time.
They all gathered around the sequence transcendent named Shao Bing, seemingly asking him for advice.
However, none of these things concerned him; his gaze ultimately fell upon Tashan.
He then tightened the dagger tucked into his waistband and confidently walked towards the direction of Tashan.
I went over the words I had polished countless times in my mind again and again.
Tashan was squatting in front of the large pot, stirring the paste-like substance inside with a chipped iron spoon.
Steam rose, carrying the aroma of meat, and made his rugged face slightly red.
"Brother Tashan." Li Jianqiu stopped about three steps away, his gaze lingering on the pot for a moment before turning back to Tashan.
The voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just right to be heard without sounding abrupt.
"Hmm?" Tashan looked up, somewhat puzzled, but one shouldn't hit a smiling face, and his eyes seemed to be asking a question.
"I never knew the Tashan brothers had such skills! I worked in logistics for a few years when I was young, and the big pot dishes we ate back then were so delicious."
Li Jianqiu knows best how to close the distance.
"It'll be ready soon, don't rush!" Tashan said.
"Oh, that's not what I meant!" Li Jianqiu was momentarily speechless.
Tashan didn't seem to care much, his hand still stirring the iron ladle, the paste in the pot bubbling away.
This silence left Li Jianqiu unsure how to continue the conversation he had prepared.
Over the years, he has met countless people, and his greatest skill lies in judging whether to advance or retreat at a given moment from subtle expressions, tone of voice, and even the rhythm of breathing.
But you can't tell anything from Tashan's face.
It wasn't indifference, vigilance, or impatience.
Instead, they weren't listening at all.
Or they heard it, but didn't take it to heart.
Li Jianqiu suddenly realized that he had fallen into an old habit.
He saw Tashan as the kind of person who "needs to be persuaded".
The reality is not a matter of whether or not to persuade, but rather a matter of whether or not to accept.
Li Jianqiu stood there, unsure whether to advance or retreat.
The newly sharpened, unusual dagger at his waist hung heavily, a reminder that he had no choice but to take that step.
"Brother Tashan, no, Boss Tashan, Elder Pei has disbanded us and told us to fend for ourselves. Could you please take us in? If you don't, we really have nowhere to go." Li Jianqiu finally decided to tell the truth.
He knew that for someone like Tashan, sincerity was the sharpest weapon.
His line of thinking was completely wrong.
When Qian Dafu, Xu Huiying, Fang Bo, and the others came after distributing the supplies, they naturally heard what Li Jianqiu said.
They were just thinking about how to bring it up when they didn't expect Old Li to be so responsible.
They said everything they wanted to say.
Li Jianqiu, however, became nervous. If they really had to discuss it...
His words just now had a hint of moral blackmail. If he displeased Tashan, his fate would be predictable.
He was gambling too.
Tashan stopped using the iron spoon in his hand.
He raised his head and looked directly at the middle-aged man, who was somewhat balding but had a straight back, for the first time.
It's not about scrutinizing goods, but about confirming something very simple.
"Seven people over there?" Tashan asked.
Li Jianqiu was taken aback: "Ah...yes."
"Oh, then come over here." Tashan lowered his head and continued stirring the pot, the iron spoon scraping against the bottom of the pot, making a monotonous rubbing sound.
That's it?
Li Jianqiu stood there, speechless.
So, his inner struggle just now was all just his own internal monologue?