The Faith and Salt

Xiao Yan led that little girl into that riverside tavern.

Inside, it was already extremely noisy.

Many local men shouted over each other, playing rough drinking games and slamming wooden cups onto hard tables.

A heavy mix of cheap alcohol, tobacco smoke, and dirty sweat filled this entire room.

Walking inside, Xiao Yan immediately saw David.

He also noticed new black charcoal marks on a side wall. Besides that, on the ant map from last night, someone had added several simple drawings of ugly monsters.

Xiao Yan sat down in a dark corner. He stared straight at David without blinking.

David actually slept quite well.

But he was just too tired from last night. He still felt dizzy and slow early this morning.

He pulled some wet coffee powder from his travel bag and tried his best to make the inn owner understand he needed hot water.

Right now, his dictionary is completely shut. He simply had absolutely no idea how to speak those words.

Deciding to drop this useless effort, he just threw some wet coffee powder directly into his own mouth and chewed it raw.

This rough method tasted incredibly bitter, but it gave him a quick kick to wake up.

After doing all this, he finally noticed Xiao Yan sitting quietly in a corner.

That is my spot! David thought. And why is he staring at me again?

David felt highly annoyed. He no longer saw this cold look as something positive, completely unlike his feelings just a few days ago.

Ever since Xiao Yan dumped him halfway in a wild area.

He fired back a look.

Walking over, he sat down right across from Xiao Yan. He then quickly pulled his heavy shotgun and wet travel bag much closer to his own body.

Xiao Yan quietly checked David's condition. He felt a little surprised, only just realizing his own mistake.

He had left way too fast yesterday. He completely forgot this man was a total foreigner.

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Surviving a whole night in a rough place like this was definitely not easy for him.

This feeling was very strange. He really should not feel any guilt toward this man at all.

In fact, he still thought about finding a quiet chance to just kill him.

However, Wei Yuan's words always stopped his hand:

"He is a foreigner, yes. But he is still human."

He took another careful look:

David had red eyes from lack of sleep. His wounds were healing very badly.

He looked terrible. But still, being alive was much better than being dead.

This inn was very crowded today. That limping waiter was simply too busy. So, the owner came over to pour hot tea himself.

"What is with those drawings on your wall?" Xiao Yan asked.

That owner took a quick look at David.

"This foreigner rushed in yesterday evening. He acted like a wild monkey, doing some stupid show right here. Then he just drew all this random nonsense. I will have someone wash it off another day."

Xiao Yan nodded slowly. It was hard to tell if he was thanking this older man for hot tea or agreeing to wash away those black marks.

"And who is this little girl?" the owner asked.

"Do not ask questions you should not," Xiao Yan replied coldly.

"Right, yes, yes..."

The owner quickly backed away with his teapot. Xiao Yan stood up and looked closely at those black wall marks with real interest.

Then he looked back at David.

David was also watching him with highly careful eyes right now.

Maybe it was blame, or just disappointment after his own one-sided hopes fell completely flat.

David himself could not figure out which feeling was actually stronger inside his chest.

Much later, David felt truly surprised by one specific thing. He somehow completely failed to remember that a little girl was standing right next to Xiao Yan at this very moment.

Xiao Yan found this giant drawing quite familiar. He felt he had definitely seen it somewhere before.

Was it inside Wei Yuan's private reading room?

He pointed one finger at that wall and raised his eyebrows.

His face tried to ask, "Did you draw this?"

David paused for a short moment. He tilted his head just a little to show his confusion.

Xiao Yan did not keep pushing with hand signs.

He paced slowly in front of those black marks, rubbing that dirty wall with his fingers. He wore absolutely no shoes today. His whole body looked quite tired.

David could not help but let his eyes drop. He looked down past those smooth calf muscles, staring straight at Xiao Yan's bare feet.

It was truly surprising. Not a single ugly detail could be found anywhere on his skin.

Now David could see it even more clearly. This man was more than a dangerous predator.

Only that could explain how he would have eyes like that. They were full of hidden plans, completely ruthless, yet impossible to look away from.

Nobody ever knew what he was planning in his head. When he stepped close, people naturally felt highly nervous.

This was not because he looked rough or brutal. Instead, it was because he was so beautiful, yet so clever and proud. It simply made a person wonder exactly how he hunted his prey.

David wondered if anyone had ever gotten close to his real heart in any way.

He wondered if anyone had even taken a tiny peek at those deep secrets hiding behind those cold, dark eyes.

Suddenly, Xiao Yan turned his head back. His eyes locked directly onto David.

That look felt immediately dangerous and teasing.

Actually, it was probably more like curiosity.

David felt his chest tighten.

He took a long, deep breath.

"Hong Xiuquan." He suddenly shouted.

"En?"

"Be careful of that guy, OK?" David couldn't believe he had been through so much only for this message.

And Xiao Yan didn't seem to understand it.

"Just be careful, please."