On the drive back, He Li recounted the events that Kuer had been unaware of.
“Are you telling the truth?” Kuer asked, his face full of surprise.
“Of course,” He Li affirmed with a serious demeanor, then patted his chest, speaking with feigned fear, “You have no idea how dangerous it was.”
“Fortunately, I possess an indomitable will and unwavering conviction, as well as our inseparable friendship. Amidst the battlefield of ice and fire, I rescued you. Kuer, how do you plan to repay my life-saving grace?”
Kuer thought for a moment and said earnestly, “I will always remember our friendship and your life-saving grace. You are my eternal friend. From now on, wherever you need my help, I will stand before you and shield you from the deadliest blow.”
“Uh…”
He Li felt a moment of awkwardness. “Well, that’s not necessary. How about… cash? Three sheep, what do you say?”
Kuer froze, his eyes vacant as he sat in the passenger seat, as if his soul had been ripped away.
He Li blinked and tentatively continued, “Or… two sheep? If that’s really too much, even one sheep is fine. I can bring some mutton back. I have some poor relatives back home who have never tasted proper good mutton.”
Kuer slowly came back to his senses and sighed softly. “Just sheep, then. Whatever you want.”
After speaking, Kuer turned his head away in silence. He didn’t want to look at the exasperating He Li, nor did he expect that his life was worth only three sheep in He Li’s eyes…
A moment later,
Kuer looked at He Li again, or rather, he had accepted the fact that his worth was three sheep.
“I still can’t believe that while I was injured and unconscious, the Mother of Poplars actually fought with the Azure-Eyed Eagle, and the Azure-Eyed Eagle won. It really ate the Mother of Poplars, and then flew away?”
He Li nodded. “Yes. If you don’t believe me, ask Xiao Lan.”
Kuer turned his head to look at Xiao Lan, who was lying in the back seat. Xiao Lan also looked at Kuer, then… nodded its head.
“Alright, although it’s hard to believe, that’s how it must have been,” Kuer sighed.
He Li smiled and took a piece of poplar bark from his pocket, tossing it to Kuer. He had picked it up from Qi Shuang’s chest armor when he was kicked away during their fight.
Many things had happened, but these were things that couldn’t be told to outsiders. However, the mission needed to be accounted for, so he needed to clarify the mission’s outcome, even if it wasn’t ideal.
This was the most terrifying aspect of He Li: his calm, terrifying calmness. His thoughts never became muddled, no matter the situation.
“This is a piece of Mother of Poplars bark I found on the battlefield, left over by that big eagle. We can take it back for testing. It should match the root of the Poplar Ghost Wood in Binjiang. Since the Mother of Poplars has already been eaten, further investigation is futile. If headquarters isn’t satisfied, they can go find that big eagle.”
Kuer held the piece of poplar bark, his expression complex. After a moment of silence, he sighed, “I know what needs to be done. I’ll handle the report. Your mission is considered successfully completed.”
He Li grinned. This was the outcome he wanted. As long as he could extricate himself and avoid attracting the attention of the people at headquarters, that would be enough.
You can keep looking for awakened ones, for gods,
While the god is in your home, eating your food, living in your house, using your things, and you still have to pay me a salary.
Then, when my six senses are fully awakened, I’ll stop pretending altogether.
Aren’t you surprised?
Thinking about it makes it incredibly exciting.
There were originally three spare fuel tanks, but last night, during the fight with those lunatics, they overturned the car, and the fuel tanks fell out. Somehow, two of them leaked, leaving only one. Fortunately, it was enough to get them back to Kuer’s home.
In the evening, the car slowly sputtered its last drop of fuel and stopped in Kuer’s backyard.
Both of them breathed a sigh of relief. If they had run out of gas halfway, they would have had to push the car. They couldn’t abandon it; this car was over 400,000 yuan more expensive than He Li’s large SUV.
As the two dragged their exhausted bodies into the yard, Kuer’s family heard the commotion and rushed out.
To He Li’s surprise, a familiar figure was standing by the door.
“Captain Susan? What are you doing here?!”
Susan, with one hand on her hip and a cigarette夹着 in the other, sized up He Li. Seeing that he was unharmed, she nodded in relief.
“You lost contact, and the strategic signal booster lost its signal too. I was worried something had happened to you, so I came over. I went to Muztagh Ata today and found traces of a battle, but I couldn’t find you. The tire tracks disappeared in the rocky area, but I found your departing tire tracks, so I was relieved. I came back here to wait for you.”
He Li nodded. So that was it. He subtly observed Susan’s expression and, finding no abnormality, walked towards her with a smile.
“Captain, I killed two Class-A demons. How much is the reward?”
As He Li finished speaking, before Susan could respond, Kuer, who had just hugged his son, was stunned.
Has the situation changed?
Before Kuer could react, He Li added, “Oh, wait. I also blew up a Poplar King. Judging by the intense battle scene, it should be at least a Class-S demon.”
Kuer frowned. He decided not to think about it. He would let He Li do all the talking later. He swore he would never try to understand He Li’s words again. His CPU was fried. He couldn’t keep up with this man’s train of thought; he spoke nonsense, not a single word of sense.
Susan smiled and said, “Just explain the specifics to me so I have an idea, and then you can write the report yourself. I’ll sign it for you.”
He Li gave Susan a thumbs-up.
“Boss is generous!”
Susan shrugged, not taking the bait.
After everyone returned inside, He Li and Kuer took turns showering. Kuer’s family then set up a large pot.
Beef, mutton, stewed fish, steamed buns, noodles, milk tea…
Now that the men of the family were back, they had to eat well and rest well. Kuer’s father was the border guard of the previous generation, Kuer was the current generation, and Kuer’s son was the next generation.
During dinner, Kuer recounted He Li’s life-saving grace. Of course, he didn’t mention the part about his worth being three sheep; it was too embarrassing.
To express her gratitude and He Li’s kindness, Kuer’s mother specially took out the boots she had made for Kuer’s father and gave them to He Li.
Tajik people are not only skilled in singing and dancing but also in weaving. Those boots were the most traditional and precious boots of the Tajik people. Under normal circumstances, it would take the combined effort of seven or eight people over a month to make such a pair of boots. These boots were made by Kuer’s mother and wife over half a year, using yak leather. The tips of the shoes were designed to resemble an eagle’s beak, making them both sturdy and sharp.
As dinner neared its end, everyone except Kuer was full. Kuer’s father took out a homemade instrument similar to a horse-head fiddle and began to play and sing. Kuer’s mother took out an instrument similar to a drum, and Kuer’s wife played a short flute. His son performed a strong and powerful dance.
Tajik people are hospitable, adept at singing and dancing, upright and brave. They revere the eagle as their totem, symbolizing justice, courage, loyalty, purity, and freedom.
Looking at the scene before him, He Li gradually became entranced…