A window not yet fully dismantled, surprisingly frightened the man to such an extent. Zhu Yu and Lu Qing truly hadn’t expected this; the fear on his face was not something that could be feigned.

Thinking about how he’d rather live in an underground tomb, hidden within a coffin... it seemed to explain some things.

Lu Qing nodded at the rune, and the rune walked over and pressed the board he had previously taken down back in place. In a few swift moves, he blocked the part of the window that was open.

Even though Hua Bai Huzi’s two arms were not nimble, he endured the strong ache, leaned forward to look, and only upon confirming from the change in light that the window was indeed sealed did he breathe a huge sigh of relief.

Zhu Yu walked over, squatted down beside him, took out half a piece of flatbread, and waved it in front of Hua Bai Huzi, asking, "Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?"

Hua Bai Huzi didn’t make a sound, but the flatbread, freshly made and no more than a day or two old, clearly wasn’t the same as the dry stuff carried along in their packs.

This flatbread looked softer, with a slightly burnt and crispy surface that still held a glistening layer of oil, its aromatic crispness mixing unabashedly with the wheat scent, drilling fiercely into one’s nose. It seemed to instantly become an invisible hand, quickly intruding into the stomach, kneading the compressed gastric sac, making it issue a loud rumble of hunger.

"You’re hungry, aren’t you? If you want, go ahead and eat." Zhu Yu, hearing the grumble from the man’s stomach, pushed the bread closer, to where he could bite it with just an opening of his mouth.

Ultimately, Hua Bai Huzi couldn’t resist this temptation. After a brief internal struggle, he bit into the flatbread, tearing off a large chunk and chewing heartily, a hidden satisfaction and joy that people experience from eating something delicious slipping unrestrained onto his face.

Zhu Yu was still somewhat surprised. Previously, having found that chicken bone or something like it, she thought he must usually live off the land, presumably managing to eat some wild chickens or fish from nearby rivers.

But seeing him devour even a bland piece of flatbread with such relish, it seemed his usual life must be quite hard.

She said nothing, simply holding the flatbread for the man until he had eaten about half of it. Then Lu Qing came over, helping Hua Bai Huzi with his two displaced arms while Zhu Yu handed over the remaining flatbread, which Hua Bai Huzi eagerly took, stuffing it into his mouth in big bites.

Zhu Yu was startled by his behavior, worrying that if he choked himself to death, all their previous efforts might have been in vain. She indicated to the rune to give Hua Bai Huzi some of the little water left in the water sac.

The rune, evidently, was not keen on the idea, but since it was instructed by the second master, regardless of its willingness, compliance was necessary.

He unhooked the water sac from his waist, handed it over, and said gruffly, "Take it! There isn’t much left, don’t gulp it all down at once!"

Hua Bai Huzi paused, accepting the water sac in a daze, his teary eyes looked at the thing in his hand, then at Zhu Yu and the others opposite him, tears welling up in his already wet eyes once again.

Clearly, this time his tears weren’t because of the earlier eye-watering powder.

Hua Bai Huzi knelt and bowed towards Zhu Yu and the others, one hand holding the flatbread and the other the water sac, crying as he spoke:

"I’m sorry... sorry... I apologize for my earlier behavior. I truly didn’t realize you were such kindhearted people, so... please show mercy and don’t hold a grudge against me, forgive me this once!" He cried and kowtowed, the bread still undigested in his mouth, "I’ve hidden here for so many years that I’ve forgotten what kindness feels like... I sincerely apologize for any offense previously caused, I do apologize..."

Lu Qing pulled him up, stopping his kowtowing: "If we wanted to hold a grudge or harm you, you’d be in the underworld meeting King Yanluo by now.

Just eat your fill without making such a fuss."

Hua Bai Huzi, finally calming down at those words, nodded repeatedly, devouring the flatbread and finishing the water.

Eating seemed to have cost him some effort; after finishing, he collapsed, exhausted, onto the ground, handed the water sac back to the rune, and said, "From this side of the house, there’s a path that leads around back, with a small spring over there.

I occasionally fetch some water from there, the water quality is quite pure, you can fill your water bags there."

The rune took it without a good expression, nodded, and strode away.

Hua Bai Huzi initially wanted to warn him to be careful not to let anyone see him, ensuring that the hut wasn’t known to be accessible, but he spoke too slow; before he could open his mouth, the rune was already gone.

"Rest assured, we’ve been careful on the way here, and made sure no one saw us, and that no one else was in the vicinity," Zhu Yu caught his unsaid concern and reassured him.

Hua Bai Huzi expressed his gratitude with a hand gesture and a bow, sitting on the ground making a courtesy to her.

He found it somewhat difficult to stand, not just because he was previously knocked unconscious and had his arms dislocated, but also because he hadn’t eaten his fill in so long. Being full now made him somewhat lazy and reluctant to move.

"Who are you? Why are you hiding here? Who’s trying to hunt you down?" Zhu Yu waited for him to rest a while before questioning.

Hua Bai Huzi was quite afraid of Lu Qing and the rune, who were both much more powerful-looking.

And although the rune appeared smaller and leaner, hence less intimidating, Hua Bai Huzi had just thrown powder in his face, causing his eyes to redden, making him feel very guilty.

Therefore, compared to them, Zhu Yu, a modestly built fair-skinned youth, appearing amiable and kindly, didn’t inspire fear.

Being asked by Zhu Yu, Hua Bai Huzi was relatively calm.

"You... you don’t look like you’re from Lan Country, are you?" However, instead of answering Zhu Yu’s questions immediately, he carefully examined the three and cautiously countered.

Lu Qing and Zhu Yu nodded, indicating affirmation to his question without further explanation.

"Then... what year is it outside now?" Hua Bai Huzi tentatively asked.