NOVEL FROG Zhang Yi Interlude 5
Any corrections or criticisms are welcome, I hope you enjoy Zhang Yi Interlude 5
This chapter continues from the last Zhang Yi Interlude.
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Chirp
Chirp
Zhang Yi awakened to the soft songs of sparrows. Dawn light shone down on his gaunt face, through cracks in the dense foliage above. Slowly, he raised his hand to his head, brushing the long, dark locks of his unkempt hair off his face. Groaning he rolled onto his stomach before pushing himself up.
Stretching, the boy let out another groan. Various random parts of his body ached and throbbed. Undoubtedly places of his body was forced to rest on rocks or twigs.
After a minute, Zhang Yi looked around the impromptu camp that the villagers had formed. Dozens of teenagers and children lay strewn about the forest floor around a single large wagon.
Besides him, there were four people already awake, sitting around a small fireplace atop logs that served as makeshift benches. The four chatted in low voices, careful not to wake anyone. Deciding he had nothing else to do for the moment, Zhang Yi approached the group, taking a seat on an empty log.
"Good morning," he said politely in greetings to the others.
"And good morning to you!" replied He Zhao with good cheer from his log.
"Hello," greeted shyly the second of the four, a tall girl with black hair and pale, jade-like skin. Her name was Cao Ya, the adopted daughter of Jiang Cities luxury clothing makers, the Xian family.
"Good morning," Jiang Fang smiled politely, sitting next to Li Renlong, who tersely glared at him.
"So, what do we plan to do for the rest of the time we're waiting here?" Li Renlong complained. "I'm already bored as all hell!"
"There is not much to do," Jiang Fang shrugged. "Just take it as a vacation."
Zhang Yi sat, silently watching the four of them chat. He didn't really have anything to say to them, nor did he really know how to join in one such a conversation. His main experience talking to others was begging for odd jobs from the few shopkeepers who put up with him.
The four of them chatted around the fire, as more and more of the children awoke. Once everyone was awake, the noble boy clapped his hands, gathering everyone's attention.
"We'll need some food, so we need a few people to volunteer to head into the city and acquire it."
Li Renlong, Yang Mu and He Zhao all raised their hands to volunteer. Instead, Jiang Fang turned to pointedly stare at Zhang Yi. The orphan boy did not raise his hand, instead raising an eyebrow at the noble boy's look. Did he really expect Zhang Yi to take on the risky job of heading to the city?
"Actually, I was thinking I and Zhang Yi could go," the noble explained. "I'm sure we've all seen him climb like a monkey when being chased by Li Renlong. If we do get attacked in the city, he should be able to safely escape."
Li Renlong snorted at the characterization but said nothing. Zhang Yi could feel eyes turn to look at him expectingly.
'Why should I risk my life to get food for these people?' the boy wondered. 'When they wouldn't spare me a moment of the day back in Jiang City?'
The longer he waited to speak, the harsher the looks became. He wanted to refuse but could feel it would be a bad idea. After a long moment, he shrugged. "Fine."
Zhang Yi clasped the long knife he had gotten yesterday, strapping it to his thigh. Jiang Fang grabbed a bag of coins for the loot-wagon, and the two boys silently stalked off from the camp.
As the two walked in silence, the orphan boy couldn't help but inspect Jiang Fang. Where Zhang Yi was wiry and thin from missing so many meals, Jiang Fang was well-built and fed, a layer of soft fat hiding his muscular form. Where Zhang Yi was always on edge, nervous and skittish, Jiang's pale face seemed permanently calm and unbothered. Where Zhang Yi's skin was clammy and sickly from malnourishment, Jiang's was pale and smooth from a life of luxury inside.
"Like what you see?" Jiang Fang teased, noticing Zhang Yi's intense gaze.
"...No, I don't think I do," Zhang Yi said, with a harshness in his voice that surprised even him. Jiang Fang too blinked in surprise at the naked contempt.
"Why?"
Zhang Yi snorted and failed to answer, turning to look ahead at the light streaming into the forest. An ember of anger was steadily building up within him. "How far do you think we'll have to go till we reach the city?"
"An hour or so. Shouldn't be long before we reach a landmark."
'How dare this bastard ask me to sacrifice for all these people when they scorned me my whole life? How dare he seems so calm and unbothered when we all nearly died? How dare he seem to not fucking hate me after what his family did to me! It's like I don't even matter enough for him to remember why I would hate him!'
"I hate people who seem to think the world owes them something," Zhang Yi spat. "I hate people who walk around like everyone owes them respect or obedience. I hate rich brats and nobles, I hate the Jiang family, all thieving tyrants and most of all I fucking hate bastards who don't seem to care about anything at all!"
Zhang Yi inhaled shakily, eyes wide as if even he was surprised by his angry outburst. Jiang Fang's calm expression cracked slightly, his brow furrowing. He didn't seem to know what to say.
The atmosphere was thick enough with tension you could cut it.
"You know, you're the second person in my whole life to insult me to my face," Jiang Fang eventually said. "Most people are too scared of my background... I think I like you."
"Well, I don't like you!"
"Hmmph, give it time. I'm sure I'll grow on you."
"You'll grow on me as much as a tapeworm grows when feasting on the innards of a fat man."
"I...I don't even get that analogy."
---
The two robed boys arrived at the outskirts of the large city. A stench like rotting meat, rancid feces and burnt coal filled the air. They walked through a backstreet, out into a large alley filled with clothing shops.
The boys continued exploring, Zhang Yi dazzled by the hustle and bustle, Jiang Fang seemingly unimpressed.
Eventually, they caught sight of a street vendor, hawking friend meat skewers. Jiang Fang approached the man.
"How much for your entire stock?"
"Huh? Oh, it's five copper per stick, so 23 silver for everything I have on me today?"
"You have change for three gold?"
"Uh- yes?"
Jiang Fang quickly made the transaction, receiving a large box filled with meat skewers. As the man only cooked a few at a time on his grill, they were raw, but that was fine, as they could make fire at camp.
"You got ripped off," Zhang Yi complained. "That shouldn't have been more than 3 copper for two skewers."
"The time cost to find a good deal would be larger than any money we can waste," Jiang Fang explained. "Time is money after all."
It didn't sit right with the orphan, but he didn't have the fire in him to keep arguing, so he stalked silently through the streets with Jiang Fang.
A tall, thin man stepped up from the side of the street, blocking their path. He stared greedily at the copper sword Jiang Fang had taken from the immortal's corpse.
"That's an expensive-looking sword for a little boy!" he said with a slimy voice. "As a responsible citizen of Ember Refining Port, I cannot in good conscience let you walk around with that dangerous weapon. Why don't you hand it over to me for safekeeping?"
The people walking through the street around them paid no mind to the scene. It was commonplace in the slums of the city for such shakedowns to happen, and any idiot walking around with so much money visible deserved what they got coming.
"No," Jiang Fang said, drawing the sword.
Out of nowhere, a bulky, muscular bald man charged out of the darkness of the alleyway, tackling Jiang Fang to the ground from behind.
'He was a distraction!'
Zhang Yi dropped his meat-box, and reached down to grab his knife, only for a large hand to seize the collar of his robes, harshly tugging him backwards.
He could hear Jiang Fang and the man tussling on the ground behind him. Zhang Yi spun around, punching the face of whoever had tugged at him. His child-sized fist smacked ineffectively at a scarred man's face. Scarred face grabbed his sides, lifting him up and slamming him onto a wall on the side of the alleyway.
"Let's see what you got on ya boy!" Scarface chuckled.
'Nine Heavenly Stances of the Immemorial Palace Gate - Prosperity'
Out of nowhere, the scarred man's eye bulged, and he cried with a high-pitched scream, releasing his hold.
Zhang Yi fell to the floor, scrambling to unsheathe his long knife. He caught sight of a bony, starving dog, whose teeth had clamped around the scarred man's genital area, blood dripping out across its maw.
'Heavens-'
Zhang Yi didn't let the horrific sight distract him, as he lunged forward, burying the wicked sharp edge of his long knife straight into Scarface's throat. His blade sheared through flesh and cartilage, biting deeply into the bone.
Zhang Yi pulled back, a spurt of high-pressure blood hitting him in the face. Scarface gurgled, blood, pouring from his legs, before he collapsed, the dog still gnawing at his flesh.
Zhang Yi jumped over his corpse, to where Jiang Fang and a bald man were in a scrambled battle on the ground. The knife-wielded orphan pointed his blade down and stabbed, his knife smashing into the man's back, stabbing straight into his heart.
Several people had stopped to watch the fight in the overcrowded street. Zhang Yi turned to look for the man who'd distracted them, but he was long gone.
Jiang Fang rolled out from under the bald man's corpse, his robe soaked in blood. He sighed, calmy.
"Let's get out of here."
The orphan rolled his eyes.
--
The boys arrived back at camp, carrying a large box of meat skewers. Li Renlong ran out to gree them.
"Hey guys, Noble Jiang is back!" Li Renlong shouted.
The tall boy blinked at the sight of the two's blood-stained robes.
"What happened?"
"Just a little scuffle," Jiang Fang yawned.
"It was not just a little scuffle," Zhang Yi snorted, shaking his head. "If I'd been a little slower, he could've snapped your neck or something."
"I would have handled it," Jiang Fang shrugged. "I had him right where I wanted him."
"Laying on top of you, choking you out?!"
The three walked back to their camp, setting down the box of meat. The other children quickly gathered as Jiang Fang began to distribute the meat. There was enough for everyone to have a skewer, with a few left over.
They tossed large logs into the embers, growing it into a steadily burning bonfire they could roast their meat in. Zhang Yi sat next to He Zhao, who he had a good impression of.
"So what happened during the trip?" he asked.
Zhang Yi began to explain.
---
It was nighttime, and Zhang Yi and Ling Shuren were on watch. Once more, the boy had fallen asleep. Being the only one awake, Zhang Yi gingerly made his way back to the tree he'd buried the scrolls.
He quickly dug them out, unfurling the first scroll.
'Copper Shell Breathing Method'
It was time to become an Immortal!