Chapter 349 Hunting (5)

I don’t know whether the little lion forgot to report or he did it deliberately. When Winters crossed the tent curtain, in addition to the white lion, there were many nobles from the Red River tribe sitting in the big tent.

The Akahe tribe nobles who still remembered the Plato champion were either furious or surprised, but when they saw the white lion taking the initiative to stand up and greet him first, they restrained themselves from taking any drastic action.

The upstart Akahawa tribe, who did not recognize the Plato champion, whispered a few words to others, and then looked at Winters with a somewhat complicated look.

Winters never thought that he would appear in this way, nor did he think that the White Lion would show such an equal attitude.

Reciprocating the favor, Winters took off his hat and put it on his chest, returning the favor solemnly.

After receiving the signal from the white lion, the nobles of the Chihe Tribe all retreated, and even the guards retreated. Only Winters and the white lion were left in the big tent, and the little lion was guarding outside the tent.

After the others left, the white lion's body language became noticeably more relaxed.

He braced himself, slowly sat down on a legless chair, and gestured to invite Winters to sit too.

As soon as he opened his mouth, Bai Shi asked a difficult question easily: "Have you seen Erlun?"

Winters' body instantly became stiff.

He came to negotiate with White Lion with an extremely serious attitude. Faced with White Lion's unexpected questions, he didn't know how to answer.

And he couldn't tell for a moment whether this was Bai Shi's negotiation strategy, or whether Bai Shi just wanted to ask casually.

Winters, who was full of thoughts, shook his head calmly: "She is also in Qingqiu?"

"Of course." White Lion replied calmly: "This is the safest place."

"oh."

Then there was a few seconds of silence, as the white lion seemed to wait.

Winters took a deep breath, looked directly into the white lion's eyes, and asked, "Can we do business now?"

Bai Shi sighed softly and imperceptibly, and responded seriously: "No...but at least we can talk."

Winters took a final look at his bargaining chips in his mind. There were only three things worth putting on the negotiating table: gold, trade routes and iron ore. The rest were just icing on the cake and dispensable.

And there is only one thing he wants - people.

Winters did not speak rashly. While he was still considering which card to play first, White Lion picked up a scroll from the table and handed it to him directly.

Although he was confused, Winters took the scroll politely.

He slowly unfolded the shaft barrel, and unfamiliar names, ages, and military ranks flowed out one after another.

A list, a list of prisoners.

"All the prisoners who can be found are up there." White Lion's magnetic and mellow voice sounded: "There are still some people in the hands of [Hai Dongfang] and [Suzi Department], there is nothing we can do for the time being."

Winters put away the scroll and asked calmly: "Are they also in Qingqiu now?"

"No."

"where?"

Bai Shi smiled: "They should be almost at Tiefeng County. Don't worry, someone will escort them."

Winters held the scroll and fell into silence.

After a while, he asked the white lion seriously: "What do you want?"

"I don't want anything." White Lion nodded gently: "You are a guest, please treat it as a gift."

Winters was reluctant and asked, "What should I give you in return?"

"I have received your gift in advance." White Lion said casually: "In the grassland, exchanging gifts means friendship. If you are unwilling to accept friendship, you can also use it as payment."

There was another moment of silence.

Winters gritted his teeth and played the biggest card: "The Golden Man of the Terdun Tribe is in my hands."

"I know." Bai Shi didn't take it seriously: "You told me a long time ago, didn't you?"

"I can give it to you."

The white lion clasped his hands and laughed. He looked at Winters as if he were admiring a proud stallion: "At that time, De Xue Chan thought that I wanted to recruit you, so he said that you are the karma fire that burns up all things. If you stay by my side, you will only bring disaster." Disaster, please persuade me to let you go back to Plato. In fact, De Xue Chan was wrong. The first time I saw you, I knew you would never give in."

Winters felt uncomfortable when he heard the white lion talking about the old magic stick, so he didn't answer.

The white lion asked Winters patiently: "Do you think it is important for me to sacrifice the golden man to the sky?"

Winters still said nothing.

"Sacrificing the golden man to the sky is not important." Bai Shi had a smile in his eyes as he asked and answered: "There is no golden man to sacrifice to the sky - it is very important to me."

…

…

[Tiefeng County envoy’s camp, Winters’ felt tent]

The diameter of the wooden bathtub was less than one meter, so Winters had to use the "uncomfortable" sitting position with his knees in his arms to soak in the bath.

While washing Winters' hair, Anna felt that Winters was a little depressed.

"What's wrong?" Anna asked softly, "You seem to be depressed after you come back."

Winters replied without hesitation: "Nothing."

Anna hugged the bad thing's neck from behind: "You can tell me."

Out of pride, Winters originally wanted to answer "nothing", but he recalled that Anna said "I want to know more about you."

Winters laughed at himself: "You're going to laugh at me."

"Don't think like that!" Anna bit the bad thing's ear.

So, Winters endured the discomfort and told Anna everything about the captives, the white lion, and what happened in the Akahe Palace tent.

While telling the story, Winters continued to turn his back to Anna, neither needing to look nor seeing Anna's expression.

While listening, Anna didn't make any judgments and just held Winters quietly.

After listening to everything, Anna asked in confusion: "Hasn't your goal been achieved? Why are you unhappy?"

"The goal may have been achieved." Winters' mood at this moment was like a chess player who was instructed step by step to win a game of chess. He said sadly: "But I... always feel like I lost."

Anna, who was playing with Winters' hair, burst out laughing: "It's another kind of competitiveness related to masculinity, right? It's like a puppy grabbing a bone. It's not enough to eat the bone, but you must grab the other person's. Bones are happy.”

Winters wanted to refute, but couldn't think of how to refute, so he had to defend himself aggrievedly: "I was not snatched away by the white lion! And it's not because of the bones that I'm unhappy."

"Okay, okay, I believe that if you really grab the bones, the opponent will definitely not be able to grab you." Anna continued to scoop water to rinse Winters' hair: "I also believe that although you think you have lost now, sooner or later you can surpass Him. So...why are you unhappy?"

Winters' mood instantly dropped again, and he whispered: "It's nothing."

Anna noticed the change in Winters and encouraged: "But you saved your comrades, didn't you? Isn't this something worth being happy about?"

After hearing Anna's compliment, Winters felt the need to explain: "If the White Lion hadn't lied to me, everything that 'fell into the hands of the Red River Department' and 'that the Red River Department could buy' had already left the wasteland. . There are also some people who are slaves in other tribes. Those tribes are very hostile to the Chihe tribe. There is nothing the White Lion can do, but he promises to help redeem them as much as possible. The situation is roughly like this..."

The more Winters explained, the more silent Anna became, until finally she stopped talking at all and stopped moving her hands.

"I don't understand..." Anna asked with some distress: "Why do you deliberately demean yourself? You deliberately avoid the word 'rescue' and the word 'comrade' - you are deliberately dividing yourself from those you rescued." people."

"I'm not deliberately avoiding it." Winters tried to explain: "The word 'rescue' is too serious. As for the word 'comrade'..."

He paused and sighed tiredly: "I don't know if I am still their comrade."

"You did a good thing." Anna kissed the 'good' thing on the cheek: "And you did it better than many people. There are many people who are more powerful than you, and they have done nothing. There are many people who should The people who took responsibility, they did nothing. When you try to do something, you are already nobler than them."

Winters turned and looked at Anna: "You are so kind."

Anna feigned anger: "You just know?"

"But I'm not as good as you think." Winters' tone was calm, but there was pain in his eyes: "Do you really want to understand me?"

"Of course." Anna felt a little uneasy: "What's wrong?"

"Okay, let me tell you." Winters took a deep breath, summoned up great courage, and for the first time in his life, he expressed the deepest and darkest thoughts in his heart: "Actually, I am not noble at all. "

"Today in the Chihe Palace tent, I discovered the same fact when I saw the list - I don't know anyone on the list, and I'm afraid they don't know me either."

"It was at that moment that I suddenly couldn't figure out why I should 'save' them? Save a group of strangers?"

"I will save my men because I have an emotional bond with them. They entrust their lives to me, and I must do my part."

"But what about the others? They don't know me, and I don't know them. Why should I save them?"

"Just because I fought in the same army? Oh, that's not a good enough reason."

"So I can't help but wonder, am I really 'saving' them? Am I really 'saving' them for the sake of 'saving' them?"

"Or is it to take advantage of them? Give them a little sweetener to make them work for me, and then use them to avenge those who owe me."

"Or is it for self-satisfaction? To satisfy my vanity of wanting to be a savior? To satisfy my desire to be appreciated, worshiped, and praised?"

"Maybe it was even a spur of the moment? Did you do it when your brain got hot?"

"I don't know, and I can't figure it out."

"You say I am nobler than many people, but I searched my heart and couldn't find any noble motives, only selfishness, despicability and cruelty..."

Winters let out all the pent-up energy in his chest. He let it out without thinking or hiding anything. Even he was shocked at how reckless he was.

"What will Anna think after hearing this? Will she hate me?" Every time he thinks about this, Winters' chest hurts as if a sword was piercing it.

How is it possible for someone to learn the darkest side of another person without feeling disgusted?

But there was a certain desire for self-destruction that drove him to continue speaking.

Like a masochist, he brutally cuts himself open, breaks open his ribs, digs out the dirtiest parts and shows them to the other person, telling the other person: "Look, this is the kind of person I am, are you disappointed?"

At the end of the sentence, when Winters also fell silent, Anna's eyes were filled with tears.

"You said you wanted to get to know me." Winters asked softly, "So do you understand me now?"

"I understand you, but you don't understand yourself yet." Anna said with red eyes, persistently: "You save them because you are kind."

Winter sighed heavily and reached out to rub Anna's cheek: "Your sister is right, you are indeed a fool who is carried away by love."

"No! You are not allowed to say it, listen to me." Anna's tone did not allow for refutation or rejection. She held Winters' hand and held it very tightly: "In the winter when I was seven years old, my mother took me to the business as usual. When we came home, we met a beggar outside the city who was about to freeze to death. Mom She didn’t bring any money, and neither did the driver, so my mother took off her earrings and gave them to the beggar.”

"Mrs. Navarre is kind."

"No." Anna looked at Winters with complicated eyes: "Only afterward did my mother find out that the beggar froze to death on the way to pawn his earrings."

Winters could tell that this incident still made Anna uncomfortable after all these years. He silently shook Anna's hand.

"I asked my mother, if we take the beggar home, will he not freeze to death." Anna spoke quickly, with tears in her eyes again: "Mom said, 'Yes, but we can bring strangers home at will. , our family may be in danger'."

Winters wiped away Anna's tears: "Actually, what Mrs. Navarre said makes sense."

"I don't want to tell you that 'my mother is right'!" Anna revealed her true feelings: "I want to tell you that my mother is the coldest and most ruthless businessman in Hailan and even Veneta! But even she will She didn’t hesitate to take off her earrings and give them to strange beggars. Even she has a kind and compassionate side.”

"Because kindness and kindness are human nature, God also put kindness and kindness into our bodies when he created man after himself. If everyone had no kindness, the world would never be what it is today."

"But when there is a conflict between kindness and reason, people always have to make a choice! My mother always listens to reason, so she gives earrings to strangers, but will not take strangers home."

"And you? You are the one who still takes the beggar home after repeated weighing, but your reason cannot accept this behavior, so you must make up a sufficient reason for yourself - a selfish reason. I I save him because I want to use him,' and 'I save him because I like him and appreciate me.' Because only selfish reasons can convince reason."

"My dear, don't you understand?" Anna shed tears and said, "You don't think you are kind, because your reason tells you that kindness is a flaw and means weakness. So you despise kindness, hate kindness, and blame kindness. "

Anna stepped into the bathtub and hugged Winters tightly: "But you are wrong, my dear. Kindness is a precious trait. Especially kindness that still chooses kindness after suffering, pain and betrayal. You save you Comrades, it’s because of this. The reason why your comrades are willing to believe in you, follow you, fight for you, and die for you is also because of this. Nobility is not a motive, it is a result, and the same is true for kindness.”

"Don't hate yourself." She gently stroked the wound on Winters' forehead: "No matter what, I will be with you."

…

…

Later, the bath is over.

Anna brought Winters a change of clothes: "I'll change into this set later."

Looking at the new hunting clothes that Anna brought, an ominous premonition came to Winters. He said cautiously: "I don't think I have this clothes... Did you take the wrong luggage when you unloaded the car?"

"It's your size." Anna's smile was as bright as a flower, but her tone could not refuse: "Just wear it."

[I feel like the content of this chapter can be summarized in two sentences: Although Yue Dong’s expression is absolutely neutral, the underlying logic is actually lawful good (laughs)]

[Wrong, the mechanical classification method of Jiugongge camp should be knocked down and stepped on by ten thousand feet! ]

[If possible, I would even like to put this in the chapter review. Because it does not advance the plot at all...the long emotional descriptions are also suspected of having too many words]

[The next chapter must be full of plot! ]

[But who would have thought that "Hunting" was originally only intended to be one chapter? ]

[Thank you book friends for your collection, reading, subscription, recommendation votes, monthly votes, rewards and comments, thank you all]