“Zhang Nu, we’ve lived our whole lives in the village and never left—we don’t know the first thing about protective artifacts,” Liu Hai said. “And we definitely don’t know how to draw talismans. We’ll have to rely on you for this.”
Zhang Nu was stunned. He turned his gaze slowly toward Zhao Yang… and sure enough, Zhao Yang didn’t dare meet his eyes either. At that moment, Zhang Nu realized the truth—they were all counting on him. Every one of them had pushed the burden onto his shoulders. It was obvious none of them had a clue what to do.
“So you all really have no idea what to do next?” he said flatly. “What now? You think I’m an expert in this stuff?”
“I’ll have to go back and think about it. Drawing talismans isn’t something you can just wing.”
After hearing Zhang Nu’s response, Liu Hai and the others lowered their heads in silence. None of them had expected this outcome. They’d assumed Zhang Nu would know what to do and had relied entirely on him. Now they couldn’t help but feel guilty. They hadn’t meant to force everything onto him.
“Zhang Nu… is being with us exhausting?” Liu Hai asked quietly. “We don’t know anything. We leave everything to you. I’m sorry.”
Zhang Nu blinked, startled by Liu Hai’s tone. Why was he suddenly getting so sentimental?
He’d never blamed them for any of this. Not once. And he certainly never thought they were a burden. In fact, he was deeply grateful that they chose to stay with him.
“Liu Hai, what are you talking about? Are you thinking of leaving us?” he asked. “Why would you say something like that? If none of you understand this stuff, then of course someone has to. It’s fine if it’s me.”
Liu Hai relaxed a little after hearing that. Zhang Nu truly didn’t resent them—but for some reason, Liu Hai still couldn’t shake the guilt growing inside him.
“I don’t know what’s gotten into me,” he admitted. “I just feel so guilty. Like we’ve put everything on you and haven’t done a single thing to help.”
Only then did Zhang Nu understand. “So that’s what this is about?”
He gave a small laugh. “It’s nothing. We’re a team, aren’t we? No need to overthink it.”
“When the time comes and we’re in real danger, we’ll all face it together. It’s not like you guys would ever leave me behind.”
To him, taking on more responsibilities wasn’t a burden—it just meant he’d learn more skills. And in a world like this, being more capable meant having more chances to survive.
“There’s nothing for you to apologize for. Honestly, I’m lucky to have teammates like you.”
“If not for you guys, I’d still be walking this road alone.”
Liu Hai grinned, as if he’d been waiting for Zhang Nu to say exactly that.
Meanwhile, Ling Xi had been watching them whisper to each other from across the room. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, and she strode straight toward them.
“What are you all talking about? Why didn’t you tell me?” she demanded.
The group froze, not sure how to respond. Zhao Yang, however, suddenly had a thought.
“We were talking about telling Patron Fu that there’s a YaoGuai in town,” he explained. “But we’re worried that if we do, he might get hurt. So we were wondering if there’s any way to protect him—maybe with a talisman or artifact.”
When Ling Xi heard that, she nearly laughed. All that fuss… over something so small?
“If that’s all, you could’ve just told me,” she said casually. “What kind of artifact do you need? For protection or to attack?”
Zhang Nu stared at her in disbelief, “You actually have something like that on you? You’re not joking?”
“Of course I do,” she replied, nodding. “Why would I lie? What would I even gain from it? I think they were things my parents left for me… though, I don’t clearly remember the details anymore.”