Embers Ad Infinitum

Jiang Baimian was speechless when faced with a certified mental patient. Frankly speaking, she was unwilling to believe that Shang Jianyao had done so much just to dance.

It didn’t make sense.

In just a few minutes, Shang Jianyao first infuriated Zhao Tie with his unyielding gaze. Then, he seized the opportunity to provoke him by taking off his pants to compare their penis sizes. He successfully made the other party choose to fight on the ‘dance floor’ outside.

He had spent so much effort and had gone one big round just to escape the restrictions, head out, play music, and dance?

Compared to this, Jiang Baimian would rather believe that every step during this process was a change brought about by Shang Jianyao’s ‘brain spasm.’ Only then could such an outcome happen.

But after eliminating all the impossibilities based on all the details and her understanding of Shang Jianyao, there was only one answer.

This fellow had meticulously planned each and every step in this huge roundabout manner, solely to join in the fun and dance!

This was like a person spending a long time formulating a plan and successfully completing a robbery with an intricate plan. However, the goal was merely to use this opportunity to share a lollipop with the girl, who was with the victim.

Is this the persistence of a mental patient? For a very simple goal, they will act in such a circuitous manner to design extremely complicated plans. Furthermore, his execution ability is terrifying… As Jiang Baimian sighed inwardly, she calmly pointed at the high stool beside her. “Since you’re done dancing, sit down.”

Before Shang Jianyao could take a step, a group of young people suddenly rushed into the RV.

The various smells of gas—either strong or mild—instantly drilled into Long Yuehong and the others’ olfactory senses.

Among these young people, the men had shaven off their sideburns. The women either had short hair, or their hair was either green, purple, red, or gold, just like the blinking lights outside.

They surrounded Shang Jianyao and spoke at once.

“What was that song called?”

“It was dope!”

“I still can’t stop playing that melody in my head!”

“Can you copy it for us?”

“That rhythm was excellent!”

Shang Jianyao revealed a sunny smile. “Alright. Copy me the songs you guys previously played too.”

Upon hearing this response, the young people raised their thumbs. “Good taste!”

Just like that, Shang Jianyao mixed with them and did an exchange of favorite music with the help of a laptop and the corresponding data cable.

After doing this, Shang Jianyao reluctantly returned to Jiang Baimian’s side and sat down.

After watching their conversation, Jiang Baimian thoughtfully asked, “Don’t tell me you have to play music when fighting others in the future?”

Shang Jianyao replied seriously, “If there’s a chance and if time permits.”

Without waiting for Jiang Baimian and the others to speak, he described his idea. “Besides, different enemies need different music. For mechanical monks like Zen Master Jingfa, it should be accompanied by a song like ‘Paradise Land.’ Although I don’t understand the lyrics, I think this name suits them very well.”

Jiang Baimian imagined everyone engaging in an intense ‘battle’ as a music track played in the background. As they swayed their bodies and took rhythmic steps, she silently sighed. “I think this will end up destroying the enemy’s mind. Yes, it might also trigger their potential…”

At this moment, Ferlin had already poured four cups of wild tree fruit wine and pushed them in front of Shang Jianyao and the others.

The wine was purple-red in color and had a fragrant scent.

“Don’t be in a rush to drink it. Wait a little longer.” Ferlin advised them and smiled at Shang Jianyao. “Not bad, lad. I even have thoughts of wanting you to be my son-in-law.”

Jiang Baimian didn’t give Shang Jianyao a chance to ‘spout nonsense.’ She joked, “Caravan Leader, aren’t you blaming him for hitting one of your own?”

That’s right… Long Yuehong silently agreed, indicating that this was also a question on his mind.

Bai Chen helped explain, “The Rootless welcome powerful warriors.”

Ferlin smiled and nodded. “Yes, there are five types of people that our tribe or caravan welcomes and looks up to the most. First, a good repairman. Second, a good driver. Third, a good guide. Fourth, a good gunman. Fifth, a good warrior.

“Warriors are those who are good at close combat, the kind that uses melee weapons like blades.

“Haha, as you can see, there are oil tankers and many RVs in the camp. It won’t be good if they are hit or grazed by bullets. Therefore, although you are allowed to bring firearms in, usage of firearms is actually prohibited in the camp. Any disputes will be resolved with one’s fists and legs.

“It’s the same for young children. They are full of energy, so it’s unrealistic to control them completely. We can only make them dance and fight more. Over the generations, whoever is good at combat will be the alpha child and be very popular.

“Besides, we’re a caravan. Most of the time, we try our best not to use our guns if we can. If we end up having a blood feud, how are we going to do business in the future? At times, we might even develop feelings for each other after a fight.”

After Jiang Baimian heard that, she smiled and pointed at Bai Chen. “We have a very good guide. She told us long ago that it’s best not to take out our firearms in the camp.”

Ferlin’s attitude was very amiable. He looked at Bai Chen and joked, “Why don’t you be my daughter-in-law? We give excellent treatment to guides here.”

“I have no objections if you’re willing to marry the entire caravan into our team,” joked Jiang Baimian.

As they chatted, Jiang Baimian glanced at Shang Jianyao and said to Ferlin, “One more canned food for another four glasses of wild fruit wine.”

“Ask for seconds after you’ve tasted it and find it delicious,” said Ferlin sincerely.

Jiang Baimian’s eyes were black and bright as she explained with a smile, “I’m buying it to treat you.”

“Then, I won’t stand on ceremony.” Ferlin poured four more glasses of fruit wine and placed one glass in front of himself.

After chatting for a while, he said, “You can drink it now.”

Long Yuehong glanced at his team leader. After obtaining her permission, he picked up his glass and gulped it down.

The wild tree fruit wine was not as sweet as he imagined, but it did not taste too sour. As the fragrance filled the air, the mellow taste spread bit by bit. The taste lingered for a long time.

“Not sweet enough.” Shang Jianyao frowned slightly and gave an honest evaluation.

Ferlin laughed. “Over the years, countless young people in the caravan have said such words. But when they grow a little older, all of them, without exception, like to drink a few glasses. They even want the stronger kind.”

At this point, he sighed gently. “There are too many pains in life. For rootless people like us, we might only have a moment of peace after drinking and returning to a hometown that we have no idea of.”

Jiang Baimian did not interrupt Ferlin. After he finished speaking, she raised her glass and said, “That mouthful was to taste it. This is me toasting you.”

The other three people from the Old Task Force also picked up their glasses.

“Cheers to you too.” Ferlin smiled and raised his glass, clinking it with them.

After taking a sip, Shang Jianyao looked at Ferlin and thoughtfully said, “Caravan Leader, look. We treated you to a drink. I also heard you talk about the camp rules. So…”

Ferlin listened with a smile and became extremely enthusiastic. He stretched out his body and patted Shang Jianyao’s shoulder. “To us Rootless people, this makes us friends!”

After he did this, Jiang Baimian saw a black revolver at his waist.

“Python?” Jiang Baimian probed.

This was the name of a revolver.

Ferlin sat up straight again and patted his revolver. “This is better than other pistols. Besides, it allows for quick draw, and firing it is also fast. The enemy will be dead before they can react.”

Upon seeing that Shang Jianyao had successfully ‘befriended’ him, Jiang Baimian didn’t continue the topic and asked casually, “Caravan Leader, are you staying in the camp for the winter and not going out to do business?”

Ferlin took another sip of wine. “How is that possible? There’s such a large group of people and so many cars. If we don’t do business, who will feed us? Although we have winter supplies in reserve, we have to be prepared for any accidents. We have to make plans for next year.

“Besides, as you can see, we have to dance, fight, and drink to let everyone vent their energy. This will cost a lot. A caravan doesn’t have any surplus food either. However, we definitely won’t go far during the winter. At most, we will be active in the nearby areas and send a convoy on trips lasting a few days.”

Jiang Baimian nodded slightly. “Winter transactions are relatively rare.”

Basically all the supplies that could last through the winter had been stored.

“Once it snows, the roads will be difficult to drive on. It’s easy for accidents to happen,” Ferlin echoed before smiling. “But during such times, the factions that still need supplies are often more generous, and we can negotiate a good price.”

Isn’t that obvious? Such a situation implies urgency… With Long Yuehong’s knowledge, he knew that this was called ‘taking advantage of the situation.’

Jiang Baimian imagined it and said, “This is very dangerous. You might end up in a gunfight if you aren’t careful.”

Ferlin smiled and didn’t respond. Instead, he asked, “Are you asking about this because you have a transaction in mind? On account of us being friends, I’ll give you a discount.”

Jiang Baimian smiled and nodded. “Yes, we have some goods that we want to send to Weed City.”

“What goods?” Ferlin asked.

Jiang Baimian pointed at herself, Shang Jianyao, Long Yuehong, and Bai Chen. “The four of us.”

Ferlin looked at them carefully and drank another mouthful of wine. “No problem. A friend’s business is our business.”

He tacitly didn’t ask why the other party wanted to ‘transport’ themselves.

After saying that, he nodded at Shang Jianyao like they were sworn brothers.

Jiang Baimian then said, “Also, I want to give our car a new coating of paint. Can you do that?”

“We are the best people for the job!” Ferlin’s eyes lit up. “Do you know why the young people in the camp like to dye their hair? That’s because we often ‘change clothes’ for our vehicles. They find it very fashionable.”

With great interest, he asked, “What car is yours? What color is it now?”