Chapter Twenty-One: Harvest

“What?!” Both Yue Yunsheng and Yue Qi were stunned. They had expected Yang Yuqi to be weak but eventually regain consciousness, not fall into a deep sleep indefinitely. But now, with the world in such chaos, how could they possibly have the strength to protect a comatose patient?

“What about Yuqi’s nourishment?” Yue Yunsheng suddenly thought of something. “She can’t just sleep and starve to death, can she?”

“Don’t worry,” Bai Lian couldn’t help but find the situation amusing. “Leaving aside the effects of the medicine just now, as long as Yuqi is in deep sleep, her body will automatically adjust, lowering her metabolism. Simply put, you don’t need to worry about her starving to death—at least not for ten or twenty years!”

“Ten or twenty years? By then, I should be able to reach your level, Sister Lian, right?” Yue Qi asked curiously. His desire for strength had grown more urgent; if before he practiced cultivation only to give his parents a better life, now his goal was sheer survival. Don’t forget, aside from ordinary zombies, there were cultivators who had turned into zombies—their spiritual power hadn’t disappeared, and it seemed even stronger!

“Ten or twenty years?!” Bai Lian shot Yue Qi a look. “If it takes you that long to reach my realm, I’ll leave right now. You’re considered a genius—ten or twenty years, you should at least have formed a core if not reached the Nascent Soul stage!” As she spoke, Bai Lian muttered softly to herself, “I was once hailed as the one most likely to surpass the founder of the Qinghe Sword Sect… if not for all this trouble.”

Yue Qi didn’t hear that last part, but being called a genius made him quite happy. Still, there were more pressing matters, so Yue Qi continued, “We can’t just carry Yuqi with us everywhere—we need to go to Sanqing Mountain!”

“That’s not something you need to worry about. I can handle it myself!” Yue Yunsheng quickly interjected. Yue Qi and Bai Lian had already done so much for him; he was embarrassed to trouble them any further.

“Yunsheng, it’s not about that…” Yue Qi shook his head. “We’re not saying we won’t care for Yuqi. We just want to find a safe place to leave her. Since Sister Lian says her daily needs don’t require our attention, that’s the best solution…”

He paused, then added, “I know you’re reluctant, but this is for her own good! And we have so many survivors…” Yue Qi glanced at the relaxed crowd. “Everyone needs a safe place to settle down. Sister Lian and I will be leaving soon, but before we go, we have to make sure everyone is taken care of.”

“I agree that it’s inconvenient for Yuqi to follow us…” Bai Lian also spoke up. “If we’re present, it’s fine, but if you encounter a horde of zombies, you won’t have a chance to look after anyone else. Yuqi’s risk would only increase if she stays with you!”

Seeing Yue Yunsheng about to protest, Bai Lian continued, “I know you want to protect Yuqi, but if you’re in danger and your own life is at risk, do you really want her to face danger with you?”

“I…” Yue Yunsheng started to argue, then lowered his head. “You’re right. It’s more dangerous for Yuqi to travel with us.”

“Good…” Seeing Yue Yunsheng convinced, Yue Qi nodded in satisfaction, but then thought of something else. “Yunsheng, do you know any places nearby where we can settle everyone?”

“Let me think…” In the end, Yue Yunsheng was most familiar with the area, since he often traveled between Yue Family Village and Yang Family Village. He knew which places were sparsely populated and suitable for living.

“Yang Family Village is a good option. It’s small—only about a dozen households, so the population should be less than fifty. If we clear out the zombies there, it should be perfect for everyone. And, if possible, there might be survivors there. Honestly, our group is too weak.” Yue Yunsheng spoke, with a hint of personal motive—he wanted to see if anyone Yuqi knew had survived, making it easier to care for her.

“Yes, that’s a good idea. With only a dozen households, the population wouldn’t exceed fifty.” Yue Qi and Bai Lian exchanged glances. With his current strength, as long as the fifty zombies didn’t attack all at once, he was confident he could deal with them.

“By the way, I heard from the village chief that someone brought supplies from the town. Once we find them and rest a bit, we’ll head for Yang Family Village…” Yue Qi said excitedly, then gathered everyone together. It wasn’t wise to split up—even though it was fairly safe here, encountering a stray zombie could be dangerous. The supplies were probably left along the route that Boss Gao’s group took, or abandoned if they’d turned into zombies, so finding them shouldn’t be too difficult…

“Zombies don’t eat human food, do they?” Yue Qi and Bai Lian walked at the front, lost in thought. So far, they hadn’t seen zombies interested in anything but human flesh. Oddly enough, they could distinguish their own kind; Yue Qi had never seen zombies eat each other.

“Hey, there’s a vehicle over there!” Someone in the group, sharp-eyed, spotted a cart parked by the roadside.

As everyone approached, they saw it was a wooden cart, perfect for transporting goods. All it needed was a horse, and it could carry even the heaviest loads. But strangely, there was no horse—only reins tied to the cart and a few white bones scattered on the ground.

Yue Qi and Bai Lian exchanged wry smiles. The horse meant for hauling cargo had likely been eaten by the zombies. But at least no animals had turned into zombies yet—otherwise, wandering through the grass, a bite from a mutated insect could turn them into zombies.

“Alright, everyone, inventory the supplies. As usual, let the village chief distribute them—everyone take a little, nothing’s too heavy!” Seeing the group’s excitement, Yue Qi smiled quietly and gave instructions.

After counting, everyone was delighted—almost everything was useful: five razor-sharp machetes, three bags of white rice, some spices, and dried goods. Most importantly, there were several bolts of cloth, probably brought by Boss Gao for them.

“Yue Qi, how about this: let’s keep everything on the cart, no need to divide it yet. Once we find a safe place, we can distribute and manage the food together?” The village chief came forward with a suggestion.

Yue Qi paused—this was indeed a good management approach, but only if they found a safe place to live.

“Looks like the chief knows we’ll find a place to settle.” Yue Qi smiled, not exposing the implication, and continued, “Let’s have the chief distribute the machetes now, in case of emergencies on the road. Then we’ll discuss Yang Family Village—few people, probably few zombies. Shall we go there?”

“Yang Family Village sounds good, but…” The chief looked at Yue Qi with concern. The zombies might not be numerous, but he worried Yue Qi couldn’t handle them all alone.

“Don’t worry, leave the zombies to me. Or do you not trust me, chief?” Yue Qi smiled calmly.

“Well… alright!” The chief smiled bitterly. This wasn’t much of a discussion—they’d already decided and were only asking him as a formality.

But the chief wasn’t petty. In times like these, those with strength naturally have more influence. He felt a bit melancholy, but the world had changed.

Taking the five machetes from the bag, Yue Qi gathered everyone and announced, “The chief and I have decided: let’s check out Yang Family Village. With few people and probably few zombies, it should be a good place to live. If there are survivors, we can look out for each other!”

“Why don’t we go to the town? There should be more resources there.” Yue Er, unconcerned with Yue Qi’s authority, asked directly.

Seeing his straightforward second brother, Yue Qi smiled helplessly. “The town has more resources but also more people. I can’t kill that many zombies at once!”

“Moreover, as Yunsheng said, Yang Family Village is sparsely populated. As long as the land hasn’t been ruined, we can be self-sufficient. There’s a river nearby, so basic needs should be covered.” Yue Qi emphasized again—in a world full of zombies, the fewer people, the safer. In towns and cities, even if there are survivors, there’s the risk of cannibalism.

“No problem. We’ll do as Qi says and follow him!” a middle-aged man said, echoing the group’s sentiment.

“Alright, everyone, rest here, eat, and recover. We’ll aim to reach Yang Family Village before sunset. If it gets too late, dealing with zombies gets tricky!” Yue Qi made arrangements and then found Yue Yunsheng privately.

“Yunsheng, you’ll need to look after Yuqi for now. Once we settle, you’ll have it easier!”

Of course, Yunsheng nodded in agreement.

“Everything will get better!”

“It will…”

P.S.: Another chapter promised for tonight. Please add to your favorites and recommend!