It had just passed the New Year, yet there was not a trace of festive spirit in the village; instead, it was shrouded in gloom and lamentation, with everyone wearing a troubled expression.
"Master..." a person hesitated, walking toward Liang Zhichen.
"How is Su Lang today?"
"Big Boss, Big Boss..." This person’s eyes reddened, then they choked up, "He had nightmares again, stayed awake with his eyes open till dawn yesterday."
In Dong Huiying’s memory, Su Lang was an obsessive young man. He had a delicate and pretty boyish face that was quite appealing, but his eyes always carried a defiant and sinister air, only slightly subdued in front of Liang Zhichen. In front of others, he would either have an aloof face, be disdainful, or be fierce, resembling a hedgehog covered in thorns.
To this day, Dong Huiying still remembered that during their time in Qingfeng Mountain, Shen Qiuyang had gone down the mountain and brought Su Lang back. Su Lang disliked her and was stubbornly convinced that she was not worthy of Liang Zhichen. In Su Lang’s heart, his Master was wise and the best man in the whole world.
Liang Zhichen held Dong Huiying’s hand, and they walked together to Su Lang’s room. Upon entering, the first thing they smelled was the stinging scent of alcohol, and the pale, frail young man sat cross-legged on the floor with a blank expression and his hair in disarray, devoid of his previous dignity.
His eyes were bloodshot, with deep dark circles under them, looking as if he had been abandoned by the whole world, his presence exuding a lonely aura.
Only when he saw Liang Zhichen did his eyes momentarily flicker with life.
"Master..." Su Lang called out in a hoarse voice, then leaned on the wall, staggering to his feet. He was clearly drunk, yet he tried to smooth out the wrinkles on his clothes, attempting to look somewhat presentable, but still appeared lethargic.
"Why have you drunk so much?" Liang Zhichen frowned, his face filled with disapproval. He had been drunk when he visited yesterday, and it was the same today. This ignited a spark of anger in Liang Zhichen’s heart.
Su Lang paused, "...Master, do you still wish to bother with me?" He thought the Master had already resented him. At first, the Master had traveled a long and hard journey to arrive, and the people in his camp had offended the Master. After that, he dared not contact the Master, nor had the Master reached out to him. He thought the Master had come to despise him.
He, he had nothing left. In Black Wind Camp, everyone saw him as a leader, calling him Big Boss, but they were just a bunch of pitiable people huddling together for warmth, all with painful pasts, all rescued from a place that seemed to devour humans, each with an equally unbearable history.
Even many times, they themselves had despised their own filthy beings.
Liang Zhichen sighed, then helped him to sit on the kang bed. Then, Su Lang coughed hoarsely, his cough tearing at his lungs, just as Liang Zhichen had said yesterday, he was seriously ill, yet still carelessly neglecting his health.
Dong Huiying walked over, intending to check Su Lang’s pulse, but this only enraged Su Lang, who swung his hand to push Dong Huiying away, shouting shrilly, "Don’t touch me!"
Loathing, hatred! His eyes seemed to burn with a fire that could consume everything around him, and could also reduce him to ashes.
Dong Huiying’s hand was reddened from his slap; she covered her hand and looked helplessly at Liang Zhichen.
Liang Zhichen’s brows furrowed, "Su Lang!!"