Shen Feng also worried about catching a cold if he continued to be rained on, as he didn't have much body fat left. So, while carrying Yue Hengyi, he held Lanzi under his arm and sprinted away. Finally, he found an abandoned village, which provided a place to rest.
Shen Feng kicked open a wooden door and walked in. He found the place to be relatively clean. Although it was empty, it didn't leak water, so it was definitely suitable for sheltering from the rain.
Next, Shen Feng had to deal with Yue Hengyi's high fever. He began searching the house and eventually found dried ginger and dried chili peppers in the kitchen. These were likely considered useless items, as they weren't exactly food, but for Shen Feng, they were a timely solution.
Ginger has the effect of dispelling cold, and dried ginger can do the same. As for chili peppers, when they were first introduced to China during the Ming Dynasty, they were used as medicine. However, after becoming a condiment, they were used less by traditional Chinese medicine practitioners.
Shen Feng first started a fire and found a clay pot. He filled it with rainwater and began to boil ginger soup. To enhance its efficacy, he added a handful of dried chili peppers to the soup, hoping that the combined effects of ginger and capsaicin would help Yue Hengyi recover from the cold.
After feeding Yue Hengyi the ginger soup, Shen Feng searched the house. The night was long, and he needed to find something to keep warm. However, after searching the entire house, he found nothing.
Even the curtains in the house had been removed. Shen Feng had to dismantle the wooden door just to start a fire. Otherwise, he wouldn't have even found wooden tables, chairs, or benches. Apart from providing shelter from the rain, the entire house was useless.
"Little Yue, it's not that I'm not protecting you, but I couldn't find a single piece of cloth. I can't give you my pajamas, so you'll have to rely on your body heat to dry your clothes," Shen Feng muttered to himself.
Just then, Lanzi suddenly approached Shen Feng from behind and pressed herself against him. She then whispered softly, "Lord Shen Fuyao, I'm so cold right now. Can you warm me up?"
Shen Feng felt a bit awkward. He thought to himself, "You have so much fat on your chest, and you still need me to warm you up? That's ridiculous! It's more like you could warm me up!"
However, Shen Feng clearly couldn't say that at the moment. Yue Hengyi was still unconscious, and his forehead temperature was thirty-nine degrees. Shen Feng suspected that his head might become confused due to the high fever. Therefore, with only a man and a woman left in the house, it felt like a situation where something was bound to happen given the atmosphere.
"Lanzi, come sit by the fire and warm yourself up," Shen Feng said to the girl behind him after some hesitation.
Lanzi, however, stubbornly hugged Shen Feng and said, "I think Lord Shen Fuyao's body temperature can warm me up more. Please let me continue to hold you."
Shen Feng's eyes darted, and he immediately said with righteous indignation, "No, the reason you feel this way is entirely because your clothes are wet. Hurry and take them off to dry!"
Lanzi's face immediately turned red upon hearing this. Although she was young, Japan was a relatively open country. She had learned a lot about relationships between men and women from her classmates. Now, if she truly did as Shen Feng suggested, the subsequent events were self-evident.
"Alright, I'll take them off right away." Lanzi hesitated but then agreed. She recalled her grandfather's words on the night before he died: she must become an esper at all costs. After experiencing tonight, she understood the importance of this matter even more.
When Lanzi saw the giant leopard emerge from the forest, she knew that ordinary people were no match for such a large mutated beast. Lanzi seized the opportunity to escape, but in her panic, she lost her bearings in the dark forest. She found herself back at the temple on the mountainside, where the hot spring stream was located. She arrived just in time for Matsushita to launch missiles, and the surrounding area was engulfed in flames. She had despaired, but fortunately, Shen Feng had rushed out of the sea of fire with her.
After going through this series of events, she realized one thing: in the apocalypse, when true crises arise, ordinary people are utterly defenseless, regardless of how much money they have. To survive, one must become stronger, otherwise, the crisis would not discriminate based on whether humans were rich or poor; those who were meant to die would still die.
Shen Feng then watched as the girl slowly shed her clothes. Shen Feng could no longer suppress his excitement. He scooped Lanzi into his arms and rushed into a nearby room.
"I beg your pity," Lanzi said shyly.
In Shen Feng's eyes, this was her consent. What else was there to say? They should just do what they were supposed to do.
Lanzi was petite, and her skin was fair, a beauty cultivated through a life of comfort. She also had a good figure, which was hidden beneath her rigid work attire, making nothing apparent. Now, a nearly perfect picture appeared before him, and Shen Feng could possess her without restraint.
"Now, I am safe. Next, I need to figure out how to gain his trust and obtain the esper serum!" Lanzi smiled on the surface, but her mind was already planning the next steps.
...
The next day arrived. Yue Hengyi slowly stirred. The first thing he saw was a fire pit beside him, which had gradually died down. There were also dried clothes around the fire pit, including a bathrobe and women's clothing.
"Brother, where are you?" Yue Hengyi felt a bit weak all over. He stood up and wanted to find Shen Feng, using the Kang Long Halberd as a cane to support his right leg, and searched the house for Shen Feng's whereabouts.
Yue Hengyi wanted to thank Shen Feng in person. After all, this was the third time he had fallen ill, and he assumed Shen Feng had been taking care of him. Reflecting on his experiences over the past few days, Yue Hengyi remained grateful to Shen Feng.
However, as Yue Hengyi walked towards a nearby room, Shen Feng's voice came from inside: "Stop! Don't come in! It's inconvenient, it's inconvenient!"
Yue Hengyi was taken aback, not understanding why Shen Feng would say it was inconvenient at this time. But he looked around the surroundings and saw the two sets of clothes by the fire pit. He immediately understood. No wonder he said it was inconvenient; that was the reason.
"Well, I won't disturb you. I'll go out and check the weather. You two carry on!" If Jin Zijue were here, he would have kicked the door open and mocked Shen Feng. However, Yue Hengyi was always a loyal and honest person and would not do anything to embarrass Shen Feng. So, he immediately turned and left.
This was a case of seeing through something but not saying it, which was exactly what Yue Hengyi was doing.
Yue Hengyi walked outside the house and looked at the drizzling rain outside, feeling a headache coming on. He hadn't expected to be defeated by rain again. Thinking about it, his luck had been terrible. Every time he encountered water, nothing good happened; either he had diarrhea or a fever.
Shen Feng put on the bathrobe and tied the belt around his waist. Kasahara Lanzi also put on her clothes. Standing side by side, they were a stark contrast. Shen Feng was a thin, rough man, while Lanzi was a petite and beautiful young girl.
Yue Hengyi suddenly thought of a question and quickly asked, "Miss Lanzi, forgive me for asking, but how old are you?"
Lanzi replied directly, "I am sixteen years old!"
Upon hearing this answer, Yue Hengyi was speechless. Sixteen years old meant she was in high school. Immediately, Yue Hengyi looked at Shen Feng with a scrutinizing gaze and muttered to himself, "Sixteen years old, what kind of beast would prey on a young girl?"
Shen Feng turned his head away as if he hadn't heard Yue Hengyi's sarcastic remark. However, Lanzi suddenly said seriously, "Lord Yi Hengyue, please don't misunderstand. This is my own will. I like Lord Shen Fuyao. Moreover, sixteen is old enough to have children. This is my choice."
When Yue Hengyi heard this, he couldn't help but shake his head helplessly. Looking at Shen Feng now, he had completely lost his former handsome and dashing appearance. Wrinkles had appeared on his face, and he was thin. Standing in the field, he looked like a skinny bamboo pole. It was incomprehensible that someone would willingly offer herself to such a person!
"Little Yue, this is called charm. Look at me now. Although my appearance isn't great, I have inner beauty. Someone always discovers my merits," Shen Feng said shamelessly.
"Alright, alright. It's just that I don't want to humiliate you, otherwise, calling you 'Withered Bark' like Wu Dalang would be perfectly accurate. Let's discuss what we should do now! Should we go back?" Yue Hengyi said helplessly.
Shen Feng replied without hesitation, "Of course, we have to go back! Is there even a need to ask? If the people of Kagoshima don't surrender, I'll keep killing. I want to see how much damage they can withstand! I just killed five hundred soldiers last night, and now it's time to go back and collect our debts."
As he spoke, Shen Feng's demeanor became murderous. His intense killing intent had intimidated both Yue Hengyi and Lanzi.
However, at this moment, Lanzi suddenly knelt before Shen Feng and said sincerely, "Lord Shen Fuyao, I beg you not to do this. My family are all ordinary people, and they have already suffered greatly. If you attack the city, they might also be in danger."
"Well, if I don't act, they won't know my strength. Furthermore, if I don't act, they won't surrender!" Shen Feng naturally couldn't get angry at the beautiful woman who had accompanied him last night, so he could only explain the reasons for his actions.
However, after saying this, it gave Lanzi an opportunity to retort: "Lord Shen Fuyao, killing only brings more hatred. You killed eight espers and five hundred elite soldiers last night. I believe the people of Kagoshima already know your might, and they definitely wouldn't dare to oppose you. How about this: I'll go back to Kagoshima first and persuade them to surrender."
Shen Feng was amused by this. He said directly, "You? You're just an ordinary staff member with no authority. You're usually just my translator, and you'll be abandoned at a critical moment. You think you can persuade them? Don't be ridiculous!"
Shen Feng didn't believe Lanzi had such capability. She was merely a translator who followed him. Trying to persuade the people of Kagoshima to surrender was simply a pipe dream, so Shen Feng didn't intend to agree to Lanzi's request.
Yue Hengyi couldn't help but say, "That's right. You're only sixteen, three years younger than me. You don't understand anything. Just obediently follow us. At worst, you can tell us where your family is, and we'll avoid them."
However, Lanzi did not heed Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi's persuasion. She said seriously, "I don't want the two lords and Kagoshima to develop greater hatred. Please let me try. If I cannot persuade them to surrender, then you can fight."
"But if you do this, you'll be putting yourself in danger. What if they kill you in their rage?" Shen Feng continued to ask.
Lanzi said seriously, "Lord Shen Fuyao cares about me so much, I am very touched. However, being able to accompany you is already the blessing of my life. I have no regrets. If I die, please avenge me!"
Hearing this, Shen Feng felt as if it were a farewell. Last night, they were in each other's arms, but today she was going to do something as dangerous as persuading them to surrender. Shen Feng was touched. It seemed this young girl truly cared about him, willing to do something so perilous.
"Alright then, go and persuade them. Tell them that you are my person now, and what you say is what I say. If they dare to lay a hand on you, I will kill all the members of their families!" Shen Feng pondered for a moment and made his decision. Since Lanzi didn't want more bloodshed, he would let her try her best. However, the only guarantee he could offer for her safety was a verbal threat.
"Lord Shen Fuyao, I will definitely complete the mission, because you are my backing!" Lanzi immediately smiled.