Chapter 866: Li Fu

"Li Fu..." Han Dong whispered the name, as if engraving it into his memory.

The young man in linen slowly rose. He was still reeling from the shock of seeing two emperors direct their gaze at him, appearing to be in a daze.

So this was what Zhu Chong and Wu Qiong had seen?

The young man in linen quickly snapped out of his surprise. He already knew they were inside some ancient divine relic, so such a miraculous phenomenon didn't seem out of place. Coupled with Wu Qiong's earlier advice to be more proactive, he vaguely guessed what was happening.

In a place unseen by them, a group of "emperors" was observing everything, and only by actively demonstrating themselves could they gain their attention.

This format felt very familiar to the young man in linen. It was similar to the speech and talent competitions he had participated in at school: attracting the attention of more judges and leaders would ultimately lead to victory.

So, after gaining enough attention, perhaps he could also obtain a fortune from this ancient relic?

After much hesitation, Han Dong split the flatbread he was clutching tightly in his hand, offering one half to the young man in linen.

The young man in linen was startled. "For me?"

"I can't stand Zhu Chong; he uses his brute strength to treat everyone like servants, but unfortunately, I can't beat him," Han Dong said, his lips pressed together and his eyes filled with stubbornness.

"But you're different. When I was getting beaten, you were the only one who stood up, and you even scared him away. Giving you half a flatbread is nothing."

The young man in linen's gaze fell on the half-eaten, blood-stained flatbread. After a moment of silence, he took it.

"Thank you."

After Zhu Chong left, most of the others also got up and followed him. Although Zhu Chong was violent, his strength and courage were undeniable. Following him offered the best hope of leaving this place, a fact even the young man in linen couldn't deny.

As everyone walked, the young man in linen looked at the flatbread in his hand, lost in thought.

He didn't eat the flatbread. Instead, he split it in half again and handed the un-stained portion to A Qian.

"Brother Li, you should eat; you're too tired," A Qian said firmly, despite being hungry, refusing to take it. "I'm not hungry at all."

"Be good, I still have half, which is enough for me."

"But..."

"You'll only have the strength to walk after you've eaten. Otherwise, wouldn't it be even more tiring if I had to carry you?"

A Qian thought about it and realized he was right, so she stopped refusing the young man in linen and took a big bite of the flatbread, quickly finishing it.

After silently watching this scene, the young man in linen didn't immediately eat his own portion. Instead, he broke it into several pieces and gave them to the other youths one by one.

The few youths trailing at the back were suddenly handed a piece of flatbread in secret, and their eyes flickered with confusion and surprise.

"You..."

"I remember you. You're all from District Two, right?" the young man in linen said calmly. "My name is Li Fu, and I'm also from District Two... Since we're all neighbors, we should look out for each other more.

"Perhaps our parents are even friends."

Hearing this, the youths exchanged glances, and gratitude appeared in their eyes as they looked at the young man in linen.

In this unfamiliar land of wind and snow, no one knew where to find food or water. They had walked so far that they were all starving and weak, yet the young man in linen was willing to share his own food with them—a true act of kindness in a time of dire need.

Coupled with the added identity of "neighbors," their goodwill towards the young man in linen soared. The last phrase, "perhaps our parents are even friends," undoubtedly provided a great sense of security to these children who were not yet adults.

"Thank you, Brother Li, thank you, Brother Li!" the group said gratefully.

"Don't make a fuss. Just eat what I gave you secretly," the young man in linen whispered, glancing at those walking ahead. "Be careful others get jealous."

Everyone was startled, then immediately nodded vigorously.

The young man in linen's two sentences subconsciously made them perceive themselves as a group. The more secretly they did something, the more it strengthened their cohesion. Furthermore, the words "get jealous" subtly labeled others as potential "enemies," making their sense of belonging to the young man in linen even stronger.

After all of this, the young man in linen and A Qian continued their journey.

At the same time, the text before his eyes changed again:

Twelve emperors approve of your actions.

Just as expected...

A faint light flickered in the young man in linen's eyes.

"Just now you told me you were an orphan, and now you're saying 'our parents might be friends'?" Wu Qiong's slightly teasing voice came from beside him.

"I am indeed an orphan; even my surname and given name were casually chosen by the orphanage director back then," the young man in linen paused. "But who's to say my birth parents and their parents couldn't have been friends?"

"So are you really from District Two? I've never seen you before."

"When I was driven out of the orphanage and begging on the streets, I passed through District Two and lived on the road for a few days... So, yes, I've lived there."

"..." Wu Qiong stared at him deeply for a long time.

"You're a formidable opponent... I'm starting to regret telling you to be more proactive just now."

"If you hadn't told me, I would have discovered it eventually. But now that you have, our distance has shortened... At least for now, we are allies."

The young man in linen smiled faintly.

Wu Qiong opened her mouth, but unsure how to respond, she merely nodded with a complex expression.

"I wonder when this snowy plain will end," the young man in linen murmured, looking up at the void above. "If they intend to test us, what's the point of wandering endlessly in this snowfield?"

"Are you saying..."

"True gold is refined by fire. If this is truly a test, then there must be dangers that match the opportunities, right? I don't think letting us freeze to death in a blizzard is a reasonable test."

"Perhaps there are dangers," Wu Qiong paused. "We just haven't discovered them yet."

"As Hong Xin just speculated, this is a trial ground meant to select new emperors."

"The characteristic of an emperor is that their rank is not fixed; their power ceiling depends entirely on their 'vassals.' The more vassals and the stronger they are, the greater the emperor's power."

"The rules within this ancient relic are the same. As the saying goes, 'many mouths can melt metal, continuous slander can destroy a person.' Once you gain the 'recognition' of other subordinates, the general momentum can, to a certain extent, propel you forward. It's like Zhao Kuangyin, who, after others draped the yellow robe upon him, seemed divinely aided and eventually ascended to the throne."

"The changes that just occurred in Hong Xin are likely based on this principle."