"Damn, it's cold!"
Su Ziyu rarely uses foul language, but recently he feels it's quite satisfying, helping to somewhat calm his irritable emotions.
Right now, he feels a bit stiff all over, as if wearing a single layer in the cold Siberia. Frankly, he doesn't know how much longer he can hold on, but after being caged like a pet by those alien species for six whole days, he surprisingly no longer has any suicidal thoughts in his mind.
Better face the sky in death than live a billion years in survival.
Maybe his earlier life was too peaceful and idyllic, he was a bit soft at first, with the thought of simply ending it all crossing his mind more than once. Perhaps the alien species' abuse awoke a fierce spirit within him, and at some point, he suddenly stopped fearing death.
In the end, the strike that killed the alien leader, if it went slightly wrong, it would be his life that ended.
But.
Damn, it felt good!
As he thrust that dagger, Su Ziyu felt his entire spirit elevate.
"If I ended up freezing to death instead of dying at the hands of those snake people, that would be a bit of a joke." The wound on his back was already so frozen it felt almost numb. Su Ziyu's body heat was rapidly depleting, and according to his own estimation, if he didn't find a warm place soon, he wouldn't make it through the night.
Who knows how long he had been walking when suddenly Su Ziyu's view opened up significantly.
"Is this... a road!?..."
Although it's just the most primitive mud road, this path is distinctly different from the surrounding wild environment, clearly carved out by humans or some intelligent beings. After encountering those alien snake people, Su Ziyu feels that nothing would surprise him anymore.
The weather is too cold.
He must find a warm place, otherwise, he'd soon freeze to death.
Su Ziyu eats a bit of snow from the roadside to replenish his water, silently calculating his remaining strength, gradually picking up his pace. The piercing wind makes his reactions slightly sluggish, his lips are already cracked from the cold, and at some point, his eyebrows have accumulated a layer of white frost.
Alone, he moves forward through the biting wind, with his thoughts growing more sparse in the freezing cold.
It was a strange, ethereal state, moving forward mechanically though he felt his body nearing the brink of dying. Yet, strangely, there was no fear; instead, he even felt a bit like laughing, though he couldn't manage to smile now since his face had frozen stiff.
Finally.
After climbing over a small hill, he saw a barren farmland and a small fenced-off village not far away. Su Ziyu felt like he had been saved and couldn't help but quicken his pace. But suddenly, he felt something catch at his feet.
He stumbled.
The fall completely awakened his senses to the state of his body. His limbs were terribly stiff, as if all his strength drained away in an instant, leaving him without even the energy to make a sound.
Am I going to die?
So tired!
If I die, then so be it. I am a loner, haven't been a virgin for a while, nothing much to miss. Just wonder if anyone would adopt my fat little orange cat if it turns into a stray. It would probably have a miserable life...
Wait!
Who's helping me up?
A wave of chaotic thoughts seemed to have drained Su Ziyu's last mental strength, plunging him into a world of darkness.
"Water!..."
Not knowing how long had passed, Su Ziyu finally regained consciousness. He felt extremely thirsty, with a burning pain in his throat, but nobody offered him water. After the initial blur, he quickly became clear-headed.
Su Ziyu glanced around, visibly relieved.
Thankfully.
This time, he wasn't caged.
He appeared to be lying on a bed, unclothed but covered with a thick, soft fur; nearby, the crackling sound of burning wood brought waves of warmth. His body remained a bit stiff, the wound on his back stinging with pain, the sensation spreading to a near numbness. His awakening seemed to alert people outside; soon, footsteps approached - two heavy, one light. Then, two men and a woman, all human, entered. The leading man, tall and nearly two meters, eyed Su Ziyu warily, hand resting on the hilt of a sword at his waist.
"#@%#￥#%%@…" He said something to Su Ziyu.
Great.
Another language barrier, but at least this time they are human.
Su Ziyu never felt so close to humans, though they were evidently Caucasian. After seeing those snake people for so many days, he felt incredibly heartened.
"Hello."
"hello!"
"Can I have some water? I'm dying of thirst!..."
The other party obviously didn't understand what he was saying, but fortunately they were all humans. At least communication was possible. After Su Ziyu gestured a bit, the leading human finally understood and handed him a water jug on the table, though his right hand remained on the hilt of his sword.
"Thank you."
"thank you!"
He gulped down a belly full of water, which then gave him the energy to observe everything in front of him. The three humans before him all had Caucasian features, but they didn't understand English. They dressed like ancient people, with the leading man even wearing leather armor. The two others seemed a bit younger; the young man on the left was scrutinizing him, while the girl on the right looked curious, as if it was her first time seeing a human with his skin color.
"Thank you."
"Thank you for saving me, I will repay you." Although they couldn't understand him, human interaction allows for some level of communication.
At least they knew Su Ziyu meant no harm, and the leading man relaxed his grip on the sword hilt.
"Su."
"su." Su Ziyu pointed to himself and then weakly leaned against the bed, extending his right hand.
The leading man seemed to understand his intention, but instead of shaking his hand, he held his arm and lightly touched elbows instead.
"ken." The leading man pronounced something similar to "Ken" and then pointed to himself.
The facial expressions and vocal sounds of humans had some similarities, so communicating with them wasn't as difficult as with the snake people. The snake people's hissing entirely eluded him, and he couldn't judge their facial expressions at all.
His whole body was in terrible pain now.
Someone must have applied medicine to him; he felt something like herbs on his back. There seemed to be hardly any intact skin left, thanks to the viciousness of the snake people; Su Ziyu had never been beaten so harshly in his life.
The three people in front of him left, and as they turned to close the door, he heard the sound of a lock being engaged.
They remained cautious toward foreigners.
But Su Ziyu had no energy left to think about much else at this time; he truly needed some good rest.
Outside the door.
As Su Ziyu settled back down, the three humans outside began to converse. They spoke in a language somewhat akin to Old Norse, using runes—a language of Nordic Mythology—with phonetics quite different from English but sharing some similar syllables.
"This person might be an exiled noble."
The leading man said in a deep voice, "Aside from those whip marks, he has no other injuries; there's no calluses on his hands or feet. He clearly hasn't undergone much physical labor."
"I've seen people with his skin color during my adventures in the East, but they don't look quite like him."
"I also have no idea where he comes from."
A body shaped by modern material conditions differed significantly from these indigenous people. Even the girl's skin might not be as delicate as Su Ziyu's, let alone the world's native people who must do heavy physical labor. The difference between Su Ziyu and others was like comparing a photo of a modern person with a photo of an ordinary citizen from the Republic of China era; their demeanor and aura were vastly different. Probably only the wealthy young heirs from that era had his kind of appearance. The leading man not only thought he was a noble but possibly one of high status.
But why a high-status noble would suddenly appear in such a poor, remote place like Beifeng County was beyond him.
The nearest city required a three to four-day journey, and usually, there were almost no foreigners to be seen; even traders only came by once every six months.
"Noble?"
"Then he should be worth quite a bit." The young man said quietly.
The girl beside him glared at him upon hearing this, her expression angry, "I found him. He's my spoil. You can't touch him!"
As she spoke, she flashed the dagger at her waist.
The girl seemed in fine spirits after picking up a man—a nobleman—by the roadside during her hunting trip.
"Keep an eye on him."
"Don't let him run around. Winter is coming, and those monsters might appear again. I don't want any trouble." The leading man glared at them and then walked toward the watchtower, hand on sword hilt. Outside were dozens of people discussing the foreign man the girl had found.
All being said, Su Ziyu was still human, and their attitude wasn't extremely hostile.
.........