Chapter Sixteen: The Person Has Disappeared

Page 1 of 3

Arriving at the hunting lodge, Yue Qi immediately sensed something was amiss. He had expected the lodge to be relatively safe, but to his surprise, several zombies had gathered outside—and, more disturbingly, the door to the hut was wide open!

“Something’s happened!” Yue Qi’s heart sank. He first made sure the survivors behind him were settled, then quietly made his way toward the hut.

He hadn’t expected that in just a single morning, Yue Yunsheng, Bai Lian, and the others would be attacked by zombies, and now their fates remained uncertain… The thought made Yue Qi feel a pang of guilt. He had believed this place to be secure; even if zombies appeared, it would likely be only one or two, and unless they were mutated cultivators, Bai Lian should have been able to handle them with ease.

But seeing the six or seven zombies at the door, Yue Qi felt a chill run down his spine. He knew little of Bai Lian’s true abilities or how many magical artifacts she possessed, but with her spiritual power depleted, even the mightiest artifact would be reduced to nothing more than a sharp blade in her hands. He still believed Bai Lian was capable of protecting herself, but as for Yunsheng and Yuqi… If Bai Lian was too beset by zombies to help, the two of them would be in grave danger.

His mind in turmoil, Yue Qi crept toward the hut. The zombies were clustered in two separate groups, which gave him both time and space to act. However, he couldn’t be sure if there were more zombies lurking on the other side of the house.

Zombies have an acute sense of smell, especially for living humans. Not long after Yue Qi appeared, the first wave of zombies detected him. Three of them charged at him like arrows loosed from a bow, though one was so clumsy it tripped over a stone halfway across the yard.

“Such luck!” Yue Qi rejoiced inwardly. Facing three zombies at once would’ve been a struggle, especially with the risk of attracting the other group’s attention.

Without hesitation, Yue Qi swiftly decapitated two of the zombies, then strode over to the one still struggling to its feet and drove his sword into its mangled head.

“Where did these zombies come from?” Yue Qi wondered. Judging from their attire, they were not from Yue Village. But why would so many suddenly appear here? He couldn’t make sense of it.

“Could they be hunters from another village on the mountain, mutated and now wandering down here?” Yue Qi shook his head. Aside from Yang Village nearby, there were no other settlements, and the people of Yang Village had no reason to hunt this far from home.

Unable to unravel the mystery, Yue Qi set the thought aside. After dispatching the second group of zombies, he quietly approached the hut. He failed to notice that, for some unknown reason, the sword in his hand—which usually shone with a cold gleam—had grown somewhat dim.

He slipped inside. The room wasn’t dark, but visibility was poor. Still, the moment he entered, Yue Qi saw two zombie corpses on the floor and a pool of fresh, red blood.

“Someone’s been hurt? But at least it seems they managed to escape…” Yue Qi touched the blood on the floor; it was still warm. They must have been ambushed only moments before.

A guttural growl sounded from the far end of the room. Yue Qi moved to the window and peered cautiously through a crack.

Sure enough, on the other side of the house, two more zombies lurked. These were in dreadful shape: one had lost both arms, while the other’s lower jaw was missing, black-red blood oozing from the wound.

Page 2 of 3

“They must have fled up the mountain…” Yue Qi reasoned. There was only one path leading from behind the house to the mountain. If they had managed to shake off the zombies, all was well; if not, they might still be fleeing for their lives.

Yue Qi made short work of the two wounded zombies; their strength was greatly diminished, and he dispatched them with little effort.

After a while, Yue Qi returned to the group. The survivors had already witnessed the carnage and could easily guess what had happened. They thought they had finally found a haven, only to realize it too had been breached.

“All right, you’ve all seen the situation. We can’t stay here any longer…” Yue Qi shook his head. “My companions are missing, and I must go up the mountain to find them. You can come with me—I’ll do my best to protect you.” He paused, then added, “Of course, you can remain here. If I find them, I’ll return for you, and we’ll seek out a safer place to live.”

“Qi, isn’t your master’s uncle here? Surely he can handle a few zombies?” Yue Liu pointed out the obvious problem.

“He’s injured and can’t use his full strength. That’s why I didn’t bring him to help rescue you,” Yue Qi replied, shaking his head. With so many people present, he did not mention Bai Lian’s loss of spiritual power.

“Fine, we’ll go with you!” Yue Er said with conviction. Then, turning to the others, she added, “Anyway, I’m going with Qi. The rest of you make your own decision…”

“Let the village head decide; there are only a handful of us left,” someone piped up, shifting the burden to the headman.

The headman forced a wry smile, but he’d already made up his mind. “We should go with Yue Qi—at least he can look after us. If we stay, we’re defenseless, and if more zombies come, we’re finished.”

His reasoning was sound, and everyone nodded. Yue Qi smiled, steeling himself, and led the way toward the mountain.

“Wait a moment…” The headman suddenly called from behind, his eyes fixed on one of the zombies Yue Qi had slain, as if something had occurred to him.

“What is it, Headman?” Yue Qi asked, curious about his reaction. Dead zombies near Yue Village weren’t unusual—one could easily have been an old acquaintance. But since Yue Qi was certain these weren’t locals, he found the headman’s interest intriguing.

“Wait, this one looks familiar… I think I’ve seen him somewhere before…” The headman scrutinized the corpse. The zombie was well and truly dead—Yue Qi’s sword had pierced its left eye—and though not completely unrecognizable, it was badly disfigured.

“That’s it! He looks just like the general store owner from Qinghe Town!” the headman exclaimed, then turned to Yue Liang. “Liang, come take a look—you’ve been to the town recently. Is this the shopkeeper you traded with?”

“The shopkeeper? Who’s that?” Yue Qi, who hadn’t been back in years, asked in confusion.

“He’s an old friend to us all. Whenever anyone from Yue Village went to Qinghe Town to sell goods, he always offered a good price. You know there’s plenty of game around here, and we’d often take our catch to the town to sell…” Yue Liang explained, approaching the corpse for a closer look.

Page 3 of 3

Yue Qi nodded silently, but felt puzzled. Why would townsfolk come all the way to this remote mountain?

“It does look like him, but why would Boss Gao be here?” Yue Liang wondered. Boss Gao was, of course, the dead zombie.

“This goes back about a month…” The headman began, his tone tinged with bitterness. “I went to town to trade with Boss Gao as usual, and in passing, I mentioned the upcoming festival. Boss Gao said he wanted to bring his family to see it, and that we shouldn’t trouble ourselves to come to town that month—he’d bring the goods here himself. Who would have thought… sigh!”

The headman grew somber. He and Boss Gao had been friends, and he hadn’t expected a casual remark to inadvertently lead to his friend’s death.

“Wait—a moment ago you said he’d bring supplies to trade? What did you usually exchange for the game you brought to town?” Yue Qi pressed, sensing something important.

“Ah! Do you mean…?” The headman’s eyes lit up. “Usually rice and sweet potatoes—since we don’t grow those ourselves—and everyday necessities. Oh, and several machetes as well!”

The more the headman spoke, the more excited he became, as if those supplies were already within reach. But Yue Qi quickly calmed him. “If I remember correctly, there’s a road behind the mountain that leads to town. Since Boss Gao ended up here, he must have come that way!”

“Yes, yes! That must be it!” someone chimed in eagerly; their food supplies were low, and nobody wished to go hungry.

“Good! In that case, let’s find Yunsheng and the others first, then search for the supplies. You have enough food for a few days, don’t you?” Yue Qi said, his concern for their safety evident.

“All right, Brother Qi, we’ll follow your lead!” a voice called out, and the others quickly agreed.

Yue Qi nodded. “Let’s move quickly—I fear they’ll be in danger if we’re too late.” With that, he took the lead, and the group hurried up the mountain.