Zhan Cheng remarked, "Today's dish was especially savory because it was cooked in pork fat. We usually have only vegetable oil. But with last night's hunt, we should have a good supply of pork fat."

The mention of the previous night cast a shadow of fear. Encountering a beast horde was terrifying, but fortunately, they were few and seemed uninterested in conflict.

After listening to Wu Yong's analysis, Li Hongxi nodded in agreement. "Indeed, the animals appeared to be fleeing a threat. This area's no longer safe. We need to move, unaware of what else lurks in this forest."

Wu Yong concurred, "Facing a large-scale beast horde again, with our dwindling ammunition, escape might be our only option."

Vice-captain Wang Kunyu scoffed, "Escape? What about the civilians? Our mission? Surely, we aren't considering going to Yang City ourselves?"

"If it comes to that, we might skip Yang City. But we can't risk our lives recklessly," Wu Yong, clearly not a fan of Wang Kunyu's posturing, replied.

"What about your family?" Wang Kunyu retorted, always at odds with Wu Yong.

Wu Yong, reminded of his family, fell silent. Many in their group had families, making it difficult to simply run.

Li Hongxi intervened, "Enough. Let's prepare. We leave in an hour. Our path is treacherous, and we might need to march through the night."

Standing up, Wu Yong said, "I'll distribute the meat. Those civilians who helped last night deserve a reward."

Zhou You was taken aback by the large slab of pork thrown before him, "What's this...?"

"Your reward for assisting in the medical van last night. Twenty pounds of meat," Wu Yong stated, leaving as Zhou You processed this unusual but practical reward.

Zhou You stored the meat, proposing to his salivating companions, "Let's prepare a large pot of braised pork tonight. I just hope we have the necessary spices."

Everyone eagerly agreed, with Zhan Cheng suggesting, "We've gathered many ingredients along the way. Let Old Qiaotou cook—he used to be a chef!"

Old Qiaotou accepted with pride, "Of course, I should handle it. Otherwise, this fine meat might go to waste."

Zhou You noticed a change in the group's attitude towards him. They now offered him seating and engaged in more conversations.

This could be problematic; if he wants to sneak out of the car, it won't be easy.

After the convoy set off, Zhou You managed to climb on top of the vehicle. This time, Ning Xufeng didn't scold him; instead, he watched him covertly through the rearview mirror, a determined look in his eyes.

"What's up? Taken a liking to that young man?" the driver, Huang Yongsheng, inquired.

"He's rather good-looking, isn't he?"

"He has handsome features, but I saw him chatting intimately with Li Yunxi last night. You might not want to cross our young miss; she can be quite fierce."

"Really?" Ning Xufeng smirked slyly, "I hadn't realized the lad swings both ways. Even better, one more isn't much of a difference."

Huang Yongsheng raised an eyebrow. Seeing Ning Xufeng so set in his ways, he didn't say more. He was just an ordinary driver, not like Ning Xufeng's crowd. As for what troubles the young man might face, what did it have to do with him?

Bathed in sunlight, Zhou You circulated his inner energy through his meridians, feeling invigorated as if he could float and fly at any moment.

At the end of his meditation, he opened his eyes. The malevolent gaze from behind lingered. A wry smile crossed Zhou You's lips, thinking: Never imagined I'd be fancied by a man. What the hell?

Reaching into his pocket and feeling the solid object, he remembered the strange occurrence from the night before. Quickly rolling behind a large vat, he examined the item closely.

He hadn't gotten a clear look last night. It resembled jade but lacked the luster and transparency, and was lighter than stone. Holding it up to the sun, he could vaguely discern patterns inside but no discernible information.

This thing not only glowed but also flew, marking it as no ordinary item. Zhou You tried to infuse it with his inner energy, but once it entered, it seemed to sink into a void. If it were a normal stone, it would have exploded.

"Intriguing, but what's its purpose?" Tossing it into the vat, it surprisingly floated. Heating it with fire did not raise its temperature, which was quite odd.

"Regardless, let's attempt a blood bond." Zhou You bit his finger and dripped his blood onto it. The originally beige item turned blood-red instantaneously.

It was just a drop, so Zhou You couldn't fathom how it stained the whole item, "Could this be some cursed object?" Just as he was contemplating whether to dispose of it, it began to heat up, emitting a halo, reminiscent of how it appeared the previous night.

It was burning hot in his hand. To throw or not to throw? If discarded and it's a treasure, the loss would be tremendous. But holding onto it might be the end of him if it's unstable.

In the blink of an eye, the item vanished. Shocked, Zhou You first thought it had fled again, but then noticed a fiery circular mark in his palm, much like a birthmark.

Feeling over his body in alarm, Zhou You exclaimed, "Did it burrow inside me? What sorcery is this? Could this be not a martial world but a cultivation realm? That's way too over the top!"

Zhou You closed his eyes, circulating his energy to inspect his meridians. No anomalies or sudden power surges were detected; the item seemed to have vanished.