Chapter 111: Caught Another Person

The entire city was finally unsealed after being under martial law for nearly a month.

However, the commotion had been far from small. The relentless day-and-night searches for rebels had stirred up widespread public resentment. For the first half-month, the rebel hunts had been somewhat legitimate, but as time went on, the soldiers would show up every day, insisting that people might be hiding rebels. If they weren’t bribed, they would accuse the residents of being rebel sympathizers.

During this time, everyone complained incessantly. Under martial law, businesses couldn’t open, so there was no income, and on top of that, they had to endure daily extortion. Who could withstand that?

With such behavior, even if someone had clues, they wouldn’t come forward.

Would anyone foolishly report tips, truly believing they’d receive a reward?

It was even possible the authorities might kill them and claim they were remaining rebels to take credit.

So after a month of searching, they hadn’t found any rebels—not even a trace of clues.

Finally, a few days earlier, it was announced that all rebels had been captured. They were beheaded at the vegetable market in the west of the city, and their heads had been hanging on poles for several days.

As for what really happened, no one knew.

Now, with no other choice, the martial law was lifted.

Not only had the common people and merchants in the city reached their limit, but the officials above couldn’t take it either. After nearly a month of blockade, rising prices were one thing—even with money, there was nowhere to buy goods.

Did they really think all supplies came from within the city?

How could that be? Most agricultural products came from the countryside outside the city. Even the meals at the inns had worsened during this time. If the city had remained sealed under martial law any longer, the people might have sent the city’s warlord on his way before the rebels even had a chance to act.

Although the restrictions were lifted, prices soared again, and the Provisionary Note severely depreciated.

Fortunately, with this release valve, the entire city gradually began to recover.

Chen Xiyi didn’t feel much about it, though. After all, his money wasn’t earned legitimately; since he hadn’t worked for it, he spent it without any heartache, and thus quite lavishly.

After the martial law ended, Chen Xiyi naturally went outside the city to fish and cultivate.

[You used the Fishing Rod to fish and caught Li Zhao of the Student Faction.]

“Tch, caught another person. Well then, how should I explain this?”

Chen Xiyi was a bit flustered. He couldn’t just kill him and gather resources, could he?

Moreover, the other party seemed to be from the Student Faction—the very group that had taken the fall for him.

[Li Zhao of the Student Faction, Health Points: 24%, Status: Drowning, Unconscious, Seriously Injured]

[Ability 1: Unyielding Will]

[Ability 2: Political Management]

[Experience]

[February: Escaped with serious injuries from the warlords]

[January: Pursued by Warlord Soldiers]

[January: …]

“Serious injury and unconsciousness are manageable, but I don’t know what to do about drowning. I can’t give him CPR, can I? And what were the first-aid steps for someone who’s drowned?”

He vaguely remembered something about chest compressions?

His previous life was too far away now; he had forgotten most things long ago.

Only the less forgettable matters remained.

For instance, first aid—after so many years of stability, Chen Xiyi had long forgotten all about it.

“Wait, I don’t actually need to know first aid. It’s just about removing negative statuses, right?” Chen Xiyi realized something: he might not know first aid, but he could make the negative statuses disappear.

He casually took off his Alloy Helmet and put it on Li Zhao.

[Enchantment: Tenacity takes effect. Li Zhao of the Student Faction resists the status: Unconscious.]

“Ugh—” Li Zhao woke up groggily and immediately vomited a large amount of water from his nose and mouth.

[Enchantment: Tenacity takes effect. Li Zhao of the Student Faction resists the status: Drowning.]

Seeing this, Chen Xiyi snatched his Alloy Helmet back from the other’s head and put it on again.

He guessed that even if the “seriously injured” status was resisted, it would just reappear. This negative status came from Li Zhao having only 24% Health Points, not from an external cause.

“Cough, this…” Li Zhao looked around in confusion. He remembered being inside the city earlier—how did he suddenly end up here?

But he didn’t need to think hard; surely, the person before him had saved him.

“Thank you for saving my life, sir. I am Li Zhao.”

[You provided medical aid to Li Zhao of the Student Faction. Li Zhao of the Student Faction’s Favorability toward you +1. Current Favorability: 2 stars.]

[You added a friend: Li Zhao of the Student Faction.]

“…” Chen Xiyi was speechless. Wow, so it takes saving a life just to add a friend?

Looking at Li Zhao, who had turned into a green dot, not only had he become a friend, but he was also now a green unit.

Unlike Wu Xiu, who also gained one point of Favorability, this Li Zhao started off with 2 stars.

Chen Xiyi noticed Li Zhao was sizing him up, though the latter had many wounds and was in a seriously injured state, leaving him extremely weak.

“I didn’t expect there were still escaped members of the Student Faction. How did you manage to hold out for a month before fleeing the city?” Chen Xiyi asked, puzzled.

Li Zhao fell silent. Actually, he hadn’t even left the city yet; he had been betrayed and accidentally fell into the water.

And then, he ended up here.

He figured he must have been washed downstream out of the city. Though he didn’t know how he got out, since he was still alive, some things didn’t need to be remembered too clearly—after all, he had been drowning and unconscious at the time.

“Let’s not bring up the past. The Student Faction is over now,” Li Zhao said with a bitter smile.

While one shouldn’t harbor ill intentions toward others, one must always be cautious. Over the past month, someone must have sheltered Li Zhao; otherwise, he could never have escaped such large-scale searches. If he revealed that, the person who took him in would inevitably be implicated. So even if he died, he wouldn’t say a word.

After introducing himself, Chen Xiyi asked,

“What are your plans now? Do you intend to keep causing trouble? Or will you lay low and seek a living elsewhere?”

To be honest, Chen Xiyi was quite curious about Li Zhao. If nothing else, that Unyielding Will ability was likely some sort of innate talent, similar to Lü Xian, whom he had fished up earlier, who possessed the Good at Strategy ability.

Chen Xiyi had heard a bit about this Lü Xian before—she became Wang Li’s empress, and many subsequent policies were formulated by Wang Li with her assistance. Her abilities were truly remarkable.

And now, Li Zhao also had the Unyielding Will ability; he must have something special about him too.

“I plan to go to another city to develop. Although we failed here, I believe that if everyone can unite, those warlords are just ordinary people,” Li Zhao declared firmly.

His tone carried boundless hope.

Chen Xiyi could tell that Li Zhao must have held a significant position in the Student Faction; otherwise, he wouldn’t have such fervor.

“Is that so? Then, in your opinion, who does this world belong to?” Chen Xiyi pulled on his fishing rod and caught a clump of seaweed.

“Why, it belongs to the common people, of course,” Li Zhao replied without hesitation.

Indeed, that idea was correct—with one small caveat: this world didn’t have superpowered beings like Qi Refiners.

It might seem like a chaotic period of warlord infighting, but it wasn’t truly just warlords clashing.

“Mm, I think so too. If there’s nothing else, I won’t keep you long. After all, your identity is sensitive, and if someone sees you, it could easily implicate me. I’m sure you understand.”

Even though the Home Game had recognized Li Zhao as his friend, Chen Xiyi didn’t want to get tangled up with him.

From any perspective, Li Zhao was a major trouble, and Chen Xiyi disliked trouble.

“Understood. If Brother Chen ever needs my help in the future, just say the word,” Li Zhao said, cupping his hands in a salute.

He didn’t try to recruit Chen Xiyi to his cause. Everyone has their own aspirations; forcing someone would make him no different from those warlords.

Only those who share the same ideals can truly work together.

Otherwise, his Student Faction wouldn’t have grown so large. It was a pity it ultimately met its end.

“Take care, no need to see me out.” Chen Xiyi waved his hand, not really bothered by it.

Li Zhao felt a bit envious of Chen Xiyi’s indifferent attitude. If he didn’t have big ambitions, maybe he would have lived this kind of life too.

“Farewell.” With that, Li Zhao turned and left.

After walking three steps, he fell straight down like an upside-down onion.

“…”

Chen Xiyi heard the noise and felt a headache. When he checked Li Zhao’s Health Points, they had dropped from 24% to 16%.

“That was careless. This guy has a serious injury debuff. He must have been relying on his strong will to chat with me for so long.” Chen Xiyi looked at Li Zhao lying on the ground and felt a bit helpless.

Clearly, Li Zhao had a tough will and forced himself to talk despite his injury, but that made his condition worse.

If Chen Xiyi hadn’t fished him out, he would have either drowned or died from his injuries, with no chance of survival.

So now he faced a choice: save him or not?

If he didn’t save him, he could finish him off now, gather what he needed, and avoid any follow-up events.

If he saved him, he might gain a friend and unlock new story branches, but that would also bring risks and trouble.

“With my speed, trouble and risks can’t catch up to me. Besides, he’s a friend.” Chen Xiyi thought that since Li Zhao was a green-named friend, he might as well save him.

Also, given Li Zhao’s situation, there might be some benefits.

Chen Xiyi took a bowl of meat soup from his Inventory, opened Li Zhao’s mouth, and poured it in.

He wasn’t a good person, but he wasn’t bad either. From Li Zhao’s words and experiences, he seemed like a decent guy. The more good people there were, the easier life would be for someone like him.

After the soup was poured in, two statuses appeared in Li Zhao’s Status Bar: Slow Health Regeneration and Vigorous.

Although the Health Points recovery was slow, it was percentage-based. What seemed slow was only relative to the game’s rules.

Recovering 1% Health Points per minute might seem useless in a game, but in reality, it was incredibly powerful.

Soon, Li Zhao’s Health Points recovered to 69%, and he woke up. He smacked his lips, noticing a pleasant taste.

More importantly, the pain and injuries in his body had vanished. Though he still felt a bit weak, his spirit was energetic.

He realized Chen Xiyi must have saved him.

“I won’t thank you with empty words, Brother Chen. I’ll remember this kindness.” Li Zhao didn’t ask how Chen Xiyi had saved him.

[You had a pleasant conversation with the student Li Zhao. Li Zhao’s Favorability toward you increased by 10. Current Favorability: 3 stars.]

‘I haven’t even said anything, and it’s called a conversation? And “pleasant”? Is that the reason?’

‘What’s with this Favorability? I’ve never seen it before, and now it’s already at 3 stars. If it keeps rising, will he want to swear brotherhood with me?’

‘Damn, if only this were a beautiful woman.’

Chen Xiyi kept a straight face, but inside he was shocked. He had saved someone before, so why didn’t Lü Xian show this kind of reaction?

“Alright, I understand. If I need anything, I’ll definitely ask you. I won’t be polite.” Chen Xiyi said it, but honestly, if Li Zhao weren’t his friend, he wouldn’t have saved him.

Li Zhao didn’t find Chen Xiyi’s blunt and dismissive words rude. Instead, he thought Chen Xiyi was being genuine.

This was what they called “seeing a beauty in the eye of the beholder.” If it were someone else, they might have considered him impolite.

[You had a pleasant conversation with the student Li Zhao. Li Zhao’s Favorability toward you increased by 1. Current Favorability: 3 stars.]

“…”

Chen Xiyi didn’t know if Li Zhao liked to imagine things or if Favorability was easier to increase once it reached a certain level, but the constantly refreshing Game Log made him speechless.

“If you ever need anything, Brother Chen, I’ll do my best. I’ll take my leave now.” Li Zhao prepared to leave again.

“Wait, since you said that, it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t help you a bit.” Chen Xiyi took out a handful of Silver Dollars, copper coins, and Provisionary Notes from his pocket and threw them to Li Zhao. “Developing your plans requires funds. Consider this my support.”

Li Zhao caught the money. He initially wanted to refuse, but he remembered he had nothing and couldn’t get far without money.

“Thank you.” This time, Li Zhao didn’t say much else. He thanked Chen Xiyi sincerely and left. In Li Zhao’s eyes, Chen Xiyi had become a good person with a cold exterior but a warm heart, who just refused to admit it.

[You gave currency to the student Li Zhao. Li Zhao’s Favorability toward you increased by 30. Current Favorability: 4 stars.]

Watching the figure fade into the distance, Chen Xiyi felt like questioning life. This increase was insane—already 4 stars?

Throwing money around usually didn’t work. He had given money to the driver Zhang Laoliu before, and it only raised Favorability by 1 point. Li Zhao’s shot up by 30. Even though Favorability gains depended on the star level, he had never seen such a big jump.

“Whatever, I’ll treat it as an investment. Just don’t die—I can’t fly or burrow underground to save you.” Even though Chen Xiyi felt he didn’t know Li Zhao well, the Favorability and friend status couldn’t be fake.