Chapter Twenty-Two: Yang Family Village

After several hours of rest, everyone’s spirits had visibly improved; even those walking at the back were laughing and chatting. After all, they hadn’t seen any trace of zombies along the way, and with Yue Qi and Bai Lian leading at the front, everyone felt more at ease. Of course, Bai Lian had little interest in conversing with Yue Qi, but he shamelessly tried to chat her up from time to time, insisting that beautiful women deserved to be teased.

The route was chosen by Yue Yunsheng, who had been to Yang Village more times than anyone else present. Although the two villages were close, they rarely interacted. In truth, Yang Village’s living conditions were far inferior to Yue Village’s. After all, Yue Village was a branch of the Yue family from central Ji, and even the poorest family, like Yue Qi’s own, lived at least at the average standard of Yang Village. The contrast was like that between a wealthy landlord and a poor farmer—naturally, they had little in common.

“Yunsheng, I heard Rain Qi’s family is pretty well off?” Yue Qi was always curious about gossip. But since Bai Lian at the front was reluctant to talk to him, and a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy couldn’t stay quiet on such a tedious journey, he sidled up next to Yunsheng to continue his questioning.

“Not bad,” Yunsheng replied. “Rain Qi said his family’s considered well-off in Yang Village, and his father is a good man. Some families there are so poor they can’t even afford food, but his father would generously help them out.” As he spoke, admiration shone on Yue Yunsheng’s face.

“I see! I really hope Rain Qi’s father is still alive. Kind souls like him are rare…” Yue Qi sighed in admiration, but Yunsheng hung his head.

“If Rain Qi’s father were still alive and saw what I’ve let happen to his son, he’d surely blame me…” Yunsheng’s voice grew softer, his sorrow clear.

“Ah? No, Yunsheng… That’s not what I meant… Uh, you go on ahead, I’ll check on my mother!” Yue Qi hastily excused himself, leaving Yunsheng alone. Comforting others was not his strong suit.

Yue Qi’s mother and Yang Yuqi were both placed on the cart loaded with grain, which was being pulled by Yue Er. The road to Yue Village was fairly smooth, with few ruts, so hauling the two-wheeled cart wasn’t too exhausting.

“Second Brother, you’re working hard!” Yue Qi walked back to the middle of the group, where the grain cart was, in case of emergencies.

“It’s nothing, I’ve been helping our parents with work like this since I was little…” Yue Er wiped the sweat from his brow, though the cart must have weighed several hundred pounds. Claiming it wasn’t tiring was impossible.

“But Father is gone now… I wonder how Mother will take it when she wakes up…” Yue Er’s voice grew heavy with sorrow.

Now it was Yue Qi’s turn to feel awkward. It seemed wherever he went, people grew sad. Was he a harbinger of bad luck? He wondered, but quickly changed the subject: “Don’t worry, Mother will be fine when she wakes up! Let me check on her and see why she hasn’t regained consciousness…”

His diversion worked. Yue Er immediately perked up. “Should I stop the cart so you can work your magic?”

“No need, keep going. I’ll just take a look. We’ll do something more once we reach Yang Village.” Yue Qi laughed it off. In truth, he’d already checked on his mother. The wound on her leg had scabbed over, but she wouldn’t wake up. He’d even used his spiritual sense to examine her, but found nothing wrong in her mind, nor any sign of mutation.

“Never mind, something’s still wrong. I’ll consult Sister Lian when we get to Yang Village,” Yue Qi thought. He knew it wasn’t good for his mother to stay unconscious, especially since she couldn’t go without food and water like Yuqi. If she didn’t wake soon, he feared something dreadful might happen.

Suddenly, a shout from the front jolted him from his thoughts, “Look! Zombies! Zombies are coming!”

“Zombies? We must be close,” Yue Qi thought, hurrying to the front.

Two zombies, attracted by the living, came charging at the group, but Bai Lian swiftly drew her sword and intercepted them.

Bai Lian was truly formidable—at least in Yue Qi’s eyes. The first time ordinary people see zombies, they’re usually paralyzed with fear, but not Bai Lian. He remembered his first glimpse of her: she was locked in battle with two cultivator zombies, scattering their spells with her water-and-fire-resistant sword.

Most remarkable was that Bai Lian had no spiritual power within her. Yue Qi wondered if, at a certain level, cultivators needed to learn advanced techniques—perhaps like Bai Lian, whose graceful sword forms were as beautiful as they were deadly. He had never encountered such techniques before. Most cultivators focused solely on their spiritual power and neglected martial skills, but Bai Lian clearly excelled at both. So young, yet already at the level of Convergence, and each move so practiced. Yue Qi was sure that, if he fought her without using spiritual power, he’d lose—and lose badly.

He didn’t worry about Bai Lian at all and didn’t step in to help; the two zombies were no threat to her. The only time she’d struggled on the mountain was because they’d been running for so long and were exhausted. In earlier battles with zombies, she’d expended a lot of strength.

As expected, in just a few swift moves, Bai Lian dispatched the zombies, her sword piercing their skulls—a weapon even finer than Yue Qi’s own.

“Are you all right?” Yue Qi asked gently as she returned. She looked nearly unchanged, except for her quickened breath and a few strands of hair slipping free.

“I’m fine… But since there are zombies here, it means we’re not far from Yang Village. Have everyone stay alert, so no one gets caught by stragglers,” Bai Lian said, her tone detached, as if the world had nothing to do with her.

“All right, Yunsheng and I will lead from here. You just took care of two zombies; don’t waste your strength. Why don’t you bring up the rear and keep an eye out? That way, we can cover both ends,” Yue Qi suggested. He genuinely didn’t like having a young woman at the front, exposed to the first wave of danger.

“Fine. But if there are too many zombies for you to handle, call me at once! And don’t use your second-tier spells too often—your spiritual power is limited. Save it for when you really need it,” Bai Lian said, giving him a long look.

“I know, don’t worry…” Yue Qi grinned, oddly pleased by her concern—a rare occurrence in his experience.

“We’re almost there. Once we cross this hill, Yang Village is just at the foot, with a small river nearby. It’s lovely and cool in summer,” said Yue Yunsheng, walking beside him, voice tinged with nostalgia.

“Haha, don’t worry. When we settle down, you can stay as long as you like!” Yue Qi smiled. Yunsheng really had a connection with Yang Village; if not for their early arrival and discovery of the mutations, Yunsheng might have already been bitten and turned into a zombie himself…

The village at the foot of the mountain stood silent and still. The sun was nearly set. Normally, a village like this would be filled with the gentle smoke of evening fires and a peaceful air, but now all that remained were a few smoldering ruins; the rest was deathly quiet. Between the houses, a few zombies wandered aimlessly.

“Wait here. I’ll clear the zombies first, then call everyone down. Bai Lian, I’ll leave things here to you,” Yue Qi said. The hillside was much safer, and any zombies they’d met on the way had been dealt with by Yue Qi.

Bai Lian knew her abilities were limited against a horde, and Yue Qi, capable of second-tier spells, could handle several zombies at once. She nodded her agreement.

“Qi, let me go with you!” Suddenly, Yue Yunsheng spoke up.

“Yunsheng? What are you thinking? This is zombie killing, not a sightseeing trip!” Yue Qi exclaimed, surprised at his volunteering.

“I’m not too familiar with Yang Village, but I’ve been here a few times and remember some of the layout. Let me lead the way,” Yunsheng said, determination flashing in his eyes. “Besides, I can’t always hide behind your protection. Sooner or later, when you’re gone, I’ll have to face these monsters alone.”

“Very well, come with me,” Yue Qi replied, a hint of approval in his tone. This was his greatest fear: one day, he’d have to leave, and he worried whether these people would be able to survive on their own.

Yunsheng nodded eagerly, surprised by Yue Qi’s ready agreement.

“Let’s hurry—once the sun’s down, things will get difficult.” Yue Qi slung an arm around Yunsheng’s shoulders, and together they strode toward Yang Village in the fading light…