Chapter 129: They Are All Dead!
“That may be true, but if they care about me, I care about them too. Alright, you have a point. I’ll add the points to myself, starting with strength.”
[Understood. Strength increased by three growth points! Currently, one growth point equates to 100 kilograms of punching power. Three growth points give you 300 kilograms. Including your natural human strength, which was around 50–60 kilograms, you now possess approximately 350 kilograms of strength.]
“350 kilograms? That sounds pretty impressive!”
[It’s only about three times the strength of a normal person—not much compared to your father’s strength, which is on a completely different level.]
Yu Luo paused.
“So in this era, how powerful are martial artists or those with internal energy? How much force can they generate with a punch?”
[I can’t give you an exact number because there are always stronger individuals out there. However, I can tell you that currently, Yu Xiaoxuan’s punch, enhanced with internal energy, reaches around 1,000 kilograms. Yu Xiaoran’s is about 1,400 kilograms, and Yu Zhengqing’s is 1,800 kilograms.]
“That powerful? So my father isn’t much weaker than them?”
[No, you misunderstand. The three of them achieve that level of power only when they actively use their internal energy and apply proper technique in their punches.
Your father, Yu Haojie, doesn’t have internal energy. Yet, without any effort, he can lift a two-ton boulder barehanded.
These are two different things.
The strength you’ve added is the same type as your father’s. This means your power is not just limited to punches—you can exert it freely at any time. If you combine it with your internal energy, your punching force will double.]
Realizing this, Yu Luo wanted to test it out. She casually picked up a boulder weighing over 100 kilograms—and to her surprise, she lifted it effortlessly!
“Luo, why are you picking up rocks? Put it down before you hurt yourself!”
Seeing her daughter suddenly grab a massive stone, Ye Jiamei panicked and hurriedly urged her to stop.
“Wait a moment—this rock must weigh at least 100 kilograms! Luo, how did you lift it so easily? And without breaking a sweat? Did you use your growth points to enhance your strength?”
Yu Haojie was quick to catch on. His expression shifted as he instantly realized the truth.
“Yes, strength can be a weapon too. Since you both refused my growth points, I used them to enhance my strength instead. Now, when we get to the wilderness and start building houses, Dad won’t have to struggle alone. Even though I’m a girl, you can treat me like a son when it comes to work.”
“Silly girl, Dad doesn’t need you to do heavy labor!”
Yu Haojie sighed but then nodded.
“Still, having extra strength isn’t a bad thing. We’ll need to develop all skills eventually, so it doesn’t really matter where you allocate these three growth points first.”
“Exactly! Who said you have to do manual labor? We have so many people here. The Bai and Liu families—if we offer them paid work, they’ll gladly take it. They don’t have much money left, so giving them job opportunities will actually help them out.”
Ye Jiamei’s words made sense.
Yu Luo glanced at the Bai and Liu family members nearby.
They were working hard, almost excessively so, taking on tasks without waiting to be asked.
Perhaps they fully understood their precarious situation and were doing everything they could to stay in the Yu family’s good graces.
Even though they had once been minor government officials, their months of exile had stripped them of their former arrogance.
“That’s true. Everyone’s just trying to survive. It’s not easy. It’s already almost February. In another month or so, the snow will start melting. We need to prepare for farming. We should offer them work—they’ll have a way to earn money, and together, we can stand against the criminals and outcasts of the wilderness.”
After eight more days of travel, they finally neared their destination.
Even Yu Zhengqing, normally composed, grew tense.
That night, during their rest, he gathered the men and distributed the official uniforms and identification tokens taken from the fallen officers.
Since the Zhang family had split off from the group, they had fewer men available.
The original plan was to impersonate 50 officers, but now they could only manage 15.
The group was terrified.
They all knew that this was the final hurdle.
If the local authorities saw through their disguise, it would be over.
Still, there was no turning back.
At dawn, the 15 chosen men donned the officers’ uniforms, strapped on their sabers, and led the group forward.
They had not traveled far when Yu Zhengqing suddenly raised a hand, signaling everyone to halt.
The caravan stopped, looking ahead—there were several bodies lying in the snow, unmoving.
“Father! It’s Zhang Yuan and his people!”
Yu Xiaoxuan rushed forward and turned one of the unconscious figures over.
To his shock, he realized that the long-lost Zhang Yuan was here, just outside the checkpoint.
Hearing this, Yu Zhengqing and the others hurried over.
Upon examination, they discovered that the Zhang family’s group—originally over 30 people—had been reduced to only seven or eight survivors.
After much effort, they revived a few of them.
Recognizing familiar faces, the Zhang family members broke down in tears.
“You… you’re all still alive?”
Seeing the Yu family members seated on the sleds, Zhang Yuan and his people looked on in disbelief.
“We suffered some injuries, but no one died. What about your group? Why are there so few of you left?”
Yu Zhengqing’s tone was cold.
The Zhang family had selfishly abandoned them, so there was no forgiveness.
Everyone carried resentment.
Still, since they were all heading to exile, Yu Zhengqing figured that having a few extra prisoners would actually make their deception more believable.
Hearing Yu Zhengqing’s question, Zhang Yuan—a grown man—suddenly choked up.
Tears streamed down his face.
“They’re all dead. Dead. Dead… all of them…”
His voice trembled with despair.
No one pressed for details.
It no longer mattered how they died.
This was the road they had chosen.
There was no one else to blame.
“The living must continue forward. Xiaoran, give them some food. We’ll rest for an hour, then move on.”
At Yu Zhengqing’s words, Zhang Yuan and the others clutched their empty stomachs as they let out quiet sobs.
Shame covered their faces, but they had no words left to say.
