Lu Ye's eyes twitched.
Who could have imagined that eating just a few bowls of meat would increase his vitality by 10 points all at once?
Perhaps because his vitality was relatively sufficient and he was no longer standing with one foot in the Gate of Ghosts, the number representing his lifespan was finally no longer a question mark.
49 years old—a lifespan number that would be considered absolutely insignificant in his previous life.
Lu Ye pondered the original owner's memories. Ordinary farmers in the village worked hard day and night, still had to cope with the government's corvée labor and miscellaneous taxes, and overdrawn their body's vitality year after year; it was truly the case that most of them ended up in the ground around this age.
In other words, for a person with an average physique living as a farmer in this era, 49 years old was considered a normal level?
This news was truly a mix of joy and sorrow.
The joy was that he had finally shaken off the state of severe weakness and could be considered to have touched the edge of moderate weakness.
In his view, this was equivalent to being transferred from intensive care to a general ward.
At the very least, he wouldn't suddenly collapse and become a starved corpse.
The sorrow was that the lifespan of 49 years made him feel very uneasy.
How could he be willing to live less than half a century?
In his previous life, this age could barely be considered "in one's prime"!
If he could fill his stomach in the future, his vitality would definitely be able to rise, but this lifespan of 49 could not!
Fortunately, this world had the Martial Dao! And he had his Divine Ability!
Lu Ye remembered the old village head of the village where he lived, who was also the only landlord in the village. That was a person who lived to be 90 years old, yet still had a ruddy complexion, strength like a strong man, an agile figure, and could even take concubines and have children.
It was said that the other party practiced a health-preserving Cultivation Method purchased at a high price from a Martial Arts School. He practiced it for a lifetime, day after day for decades, not focusing on fighting or killing, but simply on resting and recuperating to seek longevity, and the results were astonishing.
Lu Ye recalled the fate of this 90-year-old landlord village head.
On the road fleeing from famine, with many possessions and two carts, he encountered bandits and was beheaded with a single strike...
Well, the old master didn't manage to live past his 90th birthday.
No matter how invincible health preservation is, it cannot defeat a steel knife. If he had known his ending early on, he would surely have been willing to spend those decades of slow and steady effort practicing some self-defense and Body Protection techniques.
Lu Ye shook his head; the old master's encounter told him something.
In this Chaotic World, if you want to survive, you must first grasp your knife firmly; if you have spare energy, then seek longevity.
After all, without Martial Power to protect you, the longer you live, the more tragic it might be.
And the Cicada Molting Dragon Transformation Divine Ability he possessed was his reliance for becoming stronger.
These thoughts churned in his mind, but in reality, only an instant had passed.
Wang Hu was still talking non-stop beside him.
"Eldest brother, my Master said that although I am not some martial arts prodigy, I have Innate Great Strength and powerful vitality, enough to compare to two or three ordinary people."
"Even if I don't learn True Qi or practice Martial Arts, once I'm on the Battlefield and skilled in battle, I can be a ferocious soldier!"
"When I have enough to eat and have strength in the future, I will let you see your brother's power..."
"With this strength of mine, I can go be a soldier, or go to an influential family and be a guard..."
Wang Hu's eyes were sparkling, and the dog meat in his stomach was warm, giving him a lot of confidence and filling him with hope for the future.
Lu Ye nodded with a smile, then sighed.
"Brother, the Government Soldiers are so ferocious, are you still thinking about being a soldier?"
Wang Hu was stunned, his emotions sinking. Perhaps thinking of how he almost had his head cut off by that Sun Tou'er today, his tone was no longer firm as he muttered.
"If I don't be a soldier, do I go be a thief? Master said that only bad people become thieves..."
Lu Ye: "..."
Brother, I'm afraid you want to be a Government Soldier but won't be able to...
The two discussed it. Looking at the methods of Sun Tou'er's group today, the Government Soldiers in the County Town ahead were too ferocious and had already killed until their eyes were red. It was best to go around them and head to Dong Sai Prefecture instead.
The Prefecture City was, after all, the seat of the prefecture government. The city was large, there were many rich people, and there were grain stores. It was estimated that the government officials would still have to save some face, and rumors said there were disaster relief congee stalls.
Going there would give a better chance of survival.
They had eaten nearly half of the Hunting dog, but unfortunately, without salt, it could not be made into jerky for long-term storage. They decided to stay in the temple for a few more days, eat all the remaining meat to replenish their strength, and then set off directly for the Prefecture City.
Half a month later.
On a desolate dirt road, Lu Ye and Wang Hu walked slowly one after the other, leaning on wooden sticks.
Trees were originally planted on both sides of the dirt road. In the past, under the trees, it should have been a good place with green shade to conceal the sun.
But at this moment, the trees by the road were no longer their original lush green.
Each tree had lost the mottled bark that wrapped around it, revealing the withered yellow tree core inside, and the lush tree crowns had also disappeared.
This was because the bark, branches, and leaves had long since been eaten by the starving Refugees!
On both sides of the road, only some twisted, bare, withered tree trunks remained, like wooden sculptures baring fangs and brandishing claws, frozen by time, distributed every few steps along the road.
Under the bare dead trees lay several corpses. Some could be seen as a family of several people who had died while embracing each other, their expressions on their faces appearing both like crying and laughing.
Wild Dogs with faces covered in Fresh Blood emerged from behind the trees, staring at Lu Ye and his companion with blood-red eyes, but fearing the Long Staffs in their hands, they did not rush up.
On one twisted tree trunk, a corpse was still hanging, with a belt tied around its neck and a few Stone Blocks that had fallen over under its feet. As the wind blew, the corpse would turn gently.
This person who hanged themselves must have been lonely and desperate, no longer hoping to survive, and sought death while they still had the strength.
Lu Ye noticed that on more tree trunks, there were empty ring-shaped belts, and there were Stone Blocks on the ground used to step on, but the corpses had disappeared.
Wang Hu and Lu Ye remained silent. They had walked all the way, and they had seen such tragedies all the way; their hearts had already become hard and numb.
The two were wrapped in several layers of clothes, their faces full of the color of wind and frost. The only thing supporting them to move forward was a piece of unverified news!
Go to the Prefecture City, there is grain to eat!
Suddenly, a rustling sound rang out.
Several people crawled out from both sides of the dirt road. They held wooden forks and rakes in their hands, their footsteps floating as they surrounded them. Each one was so thin that it looked like a Skeleton had crawled into human clothes.
The person in the lead had a hoarse voice and a ferocious gaze.
"Hand over the food! We'll let you live!"
Lu Ye raised the wooden stick in his hand in response, glaring back with a wolf-like gaze.
The end of the Long Staff in his hand had been sharpened into a point, and there were large brown traces on it.
Except for the leader, the few Refugees took a step back, fear appearing in their eyes. They noticed that the tip of Lu Ye's Long Staff had been stained with blood; he was not someone to be trifled with.
"Get lost!"
Wang Hu roared, tearing off the rag wrapped around the top of his Long Staff. He turned the Long Staff over and held it horizontally; one could see a dagger with broken edges at both ends inlaid at the front of the Long Staff.
Although the dagger was incomplete, the tip had been polished until it was bright.
The few Refugees were startled and couldn't help but retreat a few more steps.
The leader was unwilling and urged the people on with a hoarse voice.
"Don't be afraid, we have many people..."
Swish!
Wang Hu suddenly lunged forward, thrusting the staff forward.
He was, after all, someone who had practiced Martial Arts; this thrust was fast and accurate.
However, he did not thrust at the vital point of the Refugee leader, but only at the other party's Big Thigh.
"Ah..."
The leading Refugee screamed. He was hit in the leg, and Fresh Blood gushed out. He fell to the ground, and the surrounding Refugees were so scared that they screamed a few times and fell to the ground, crawling away into the distance.
Wang Hu retreated two steps, retracted the Long Staff modified with the dagger, and stood beside Lu Ye, panting heavily. His legs were shaking a little; this kind of sudden burst method consumed a lot of his vitality.
The benefit was that he could nimbly and unexpectedly injure the enemy; the disadvantage was that with his current body, he only had the strength for a few thrusts, after which he would be exhausted and left at the mercy of others.
Fortunately, he had a companion.
Lu Ye and Wang Hu exchanged the Long Staffs in their hands. Lu Ye held the simple "Spear" horizontally with one hand and helped Wang Hu with the other, coming before the Refugee who had fallen and was screaming.
Lu Ye held the "Spear" to guard, while Wang Hu sat on the Refugee leader, both hands reaching into the other party's embrace.
Soon, he took out a small cloth bag from the Refugee leader's embrace.
Wang Hu opened it and saw two hard, unleavened buns inside. A smile immediately appeared on his face.
The leader's body twisted, his face twisted with resentment as he stared at Lu Ye and his companion, seeing the two snatch away his life-saving grain.
"You will also die, you won't be able to escape, you'll be dead once you reach the Prefecture City..."
Wang Hu ignored the barking of the defeated dog, stood up expressionlessly, and Lu Ye helped him as they left.
They had only walked a hundred paces when the sound of wind whistled behind them, bringing the screams of the Refugee leader.
Lu Ye turned his head to look. The few Refugees who had fled earlier had surrounded the leader. Some were pressing his hands, some were pressing his feet, and others were lifting Stone Blocks, emitting roars like Beasts, and were using their strength to smash down one after another.
Soon, the leader could no longer scream.
Lu Ye took everything in, his eyes calm and unruffled, his complexion unchanged. He supported Wang Hu and continued to walk forward, his footsteps never pausing for this.
Ahead was a winding road, and a hillock blocked people's Line of Sight.
And following the road around this hillock, the Dong Sai Prefecture City should be in front.
Fleeing from famine all the way, the Prefecture City that the original owner's family had never forgotten was about to be reached.
When they left the village to flee from famine, the Lu Family had more than ten people, pulling carts and carrying their Possessions.
But walking to this point, only he, this stranger, remained.
Lu Ye's heart was burning, and he muttered in his heart.
"Poor soul, rest assured, I will definitely survive!"
"For me and for you!"
"Live on well!"
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