The First Military God of the Border

Lin Hui considered all the possibilities.

Could it be that the border authorities have expanded the search area and arrested or killed them all?

Could it be that other mountain strongholds learned of Eagle Ridge's plight and came seeking revenge?

Lin Hui quickened his pace.

After arriving at the destination.

Sure enough, the courtyard was eerily quiet, almost deathly still.

Lin Hui went inside and saw that everyone was there, and then he breathed a sigh of relief.

However, the state of everyone made Lin Hui even more worried.

Fan Wujiu leaned against the wall with his eyes closed. He didn't wake up when Lin Hui came in, and it was unclear whether he was dead or alive.

The donkey lay on the ground, its clothes tattered.

The monkey was in the best condition; he sat in the corner, his eyes dull, and he looked dizzy.

Everyone else lay sprawled on the ground, breathing faintly, while the large brazier in the middle crackled and popped.

Lin Hui quickly discovered the problem, because the visible parts of the house had contained a lot of food when he last visited, but now they were completely empty.

Judging from everyone's current condition, they've been starving for at least two days, otherwise they wouldn't be so weak.

"Monkey, monkey..."

In a daze, the six monkeys heard someone calling their names, but it seemed as if they had misheard.

"monkey……."

Lin Hui immediately reached out and shook the monkey's body.

It took the monkey a long time to react.

"Brother Lin, is that you?"

"This is?"

"Great, great, there's food! Now we won't starve to death!"

Then the monkey shouted to everyone, "Brothers, wake up, wake up... there's food... there's food..."

"Brother Lin brought me a whole goat! Brothers... wake up..."

Before long, the hungry crowd regained their strength under the temptation of meat.

The group picked up knives and quickly cut the mutton into eight pieces, one for each person, which were then skewered on tree branches and roasted until they sizzled and dripped with oil.

The look on everyone's faces could only be described as that of hungry wolves; their eyes were fixed on the roasted meat in front of them, practically glowing green.

The aroma of meat helped everyone recover somewhat.

Looking at the listless Fan Wujiu, Lin Hui asked, "I went up the mountain today and found that the border troops have withdrawn, so the mountain is safe for now."

Fan Wujiu nodded without saying anything more.

Fan Wujiu looked at Lin Hui and asked, "How about the purple robe?"

"Don't worry, Boss, the girl in purple is alright, she's much better now."

"So, what are your plans for the future, Boss?"

Fan Wujiu stared at the roasted meat for a moment, then said, "I don't know. Let's focus on recovering first."

He looked dejected: "Now there are only a few brothers left in the stronghold. What will we do in the future...?"

Fan Wujiu didn't continue speaking, but instead picked up the half-cooked goat meat and started gnawing on it.

Lin Hui saw that everyone was focused on eating meat and didn't ask any more questions.

Now, Fan Wujiu felt disheartened. No matter how many questions he asked, it was useless; he needed to jump to the next frame himself.

After finishing a piece of meat, Fan Wujiu's eyes were filled with complex emotions.

He never expected that Lin Hui, with whom he had only cooperated once, would be the one who saved everyone's lives time and time again.

"Brother Lin, thank you. Please take good care of Ziyi."

Lin Hui nodded.

He added, "We brothers don't know where to go, but we're relieved that Ziyi is with you. From now on, we're entrusting Ziyi to you."

Lin Hui was stunned for a moment; these words sounded like a dying wish.

"Boss, don't worry. This goat is enough to feed you for a few days. Once you've regained your strength, you can hunt in the mountains and survive without any problem."

"Besides, I have no improper thoughts about the girl in purple. Whether she stays or leaves after her injuries heal is up to her."

Fan Wujiu stared at Lin Hui, somewhat angrily: "Brother Lin, I don't like hearing that. You're holding the purple-clad dagger, and you're still pretending to be stupid for us?"

Lin Hui didn't say anything.

As for Ling Ziyi, when they first met, it was only to save someone, but unexpectedly, she ended up getting the dagger by chance.

On his first trip up the mountain, Lin Hui returned the dagger to Ling Ziyi. Later, she gave the dagger back to him, telling him not to worry about its symbolism.

But in the hearts of Fan Wujiu and the others, it was a token of their love.

Fan Wujiu sighed as he looked at the silent Lin Hui, then took a bite of roasted mutton.

His voice wasn't loud, and he said slowly, "I know Ziyi's personality very well. Don't be fooled by her carefree and easygoing nature; that's just how she appears on the surface."

"If it really comes down to marriage, Ziyi will never say it out loud."

As Fan Wujiu spoke, he stared at Lin Hui with sincere eyes, as if asking for Lin Hui's opinion.

"She gave you the dagger, isn't that enough to explain things?"

Lin Hui was obviously aiming at Fan Wujiu's intentions.

Lin Hui knew very well what that dagger represented.

But…….

"The dagger is a family heirloom of the Ling family, and it holds extraordinary significance for the descendants of the Ling family."

Fan Wujiu pulled Lin Hui's hand and earnestly advised, "Ziyi is willing to give you the dagger, which already says a lot. You must cherish her. If we are gone in the future, Ziyi will be your responsibility to protect her."

Lin Hui's brow twitched, but he remained silent.

Seeing that Lin Hui remained silent, Fan Wujiu grew anxious and questioned, "Lin Hui, what do you mean? I've made myself perfectly clear, and you neither agree nor disagree. What does this mean? Are you perhaps looking down on Ziyi?"

"Boss, don't misunderstand, that's not what I meant."

"So what do you mean?"

Lin Hui stared at the charcoal fire in front of him for a long time before slowly saying, "Boss, I really don't know what to do. Let nature take its course."

Upon hearing this, Fan Wujiu did not press further, but simply shook his head and sighed.

Before leaving, Lin Hui said to Fan Wujiu with a serious expression, "Boss, no matter what, don't worry, I will protect Ziyi."

Fan Wujiu nodded.

"Be careful on the road, and don't risk bringing us food. With this goat, we can take care of ourselves from now on."

Lin Hui nodded.

The donkey had just stuffed a piece of meat into its mouth when it heard Lin Hui was leaving. It tried to speak, but the hot meat made it wince in pain.

On the way down the mountain, Lin Hui carried the goat and wild boar he had hidden.

As he walked down the mountain, he kept thinking about what Fan Wujiu had said.

Could it be that Ling Ziyi liked him from the very first time she saw him?

Why did he give me the family heirloom dagger?

Was the first time he treated Ling Ziyi because he saw her body and Ling Ziyi had no choice but to do so, or was it because Ling Ziyi fell in love with him at first sight?

Upon reaching the village entrance, Lin Hui didn't think twice and cut off a pig's leg, handing it to Widow Qiang.

Although this woman has a bad reputation, she has been very kind to Lin Hui and Shui Feiyuan, and has helped them several times.

Last time, when An Shicai tried to humiliate Shui Feiyuan, she was even willing to exchange her body for Ling Ziyi.

So, ever since there was food available, Lin Hui would share some with her from time to time.

This is Lin Hui: a man who repays kindness with boundless gratitude and remembers even the smallest grudge.