Chapter Twenty-Three: A Brief Encounter

Yue Qi and Yue Yunsheng encountered no major problems along the way. Whenever they came across a lone zombie, Yue Qi would deliberately let Yunsheng handle it alone, only stepping in if Yunsheng was truly in dire straits. Otherwise, Yue Qi would refrain from helping at all.

“Huff…” Once again, Yue Yunsheng cleaved a zombie’s head in two with the hatchet in his hand, utterly exhausted and close to collapse. He had faced three solitary zombies on his own, never once asking for Yue Qi’s assistance. The hatchet he wielded had originally been borrowed from Yue San, a brand-new blade taken from that last shipment, but now it was chipped in several places—a testament to the ferocity of these creatures.

“Well done, Yunsheng!” Yue Qi, seeing Yunsheng’s state, felt a surge of excitement himself. Deep down, he didn’t wish for Yunsheng to take such risks, but he knew it was necessary—not just for Yunsheng’s sake, but for Yuqi, should she awaken.

Seeing Yunsheng’s exhaustion, Yue Qi didn’t hesitate to draw upon his own spiritual energy, murmuring a few incantations. Moisture condensed into tiny beads of water, which entered Yunsheng’s body. Instantly, Yunsheng’s fatigue vanished, replaced by a refreshing sensation, as if he were breathing in the crisp mountain air at dawn.

“That feels amazing! Qi, thank you so much!” Yunsheng, though not a cultivator, knew well enough that such magic consumed a great deal of spiritual energy. He hadn’t expected Yue Qi to use his powers so freely for him, healing his wounds without a second thought.

“Haha, brother! What’s with all this gratitude? Whether it’s for you or for all of us, improving our strength is necessary. No need to thank me!” Yue Qi disliked sentimentality, quickly breaking into hearty laughter.

“Mm.” Yunsheng understood Yue Qi’s character—outwardly boisterous, inwardly shy—and said nothing more, though he was deeply moved.

Whenever they encountered a horde of zombies, Yue Qi would handle it alone, doing his best to avoid using magic unless absolutely necessary. Of course, sometimes he’d show off a little for his friend, but to him, the consumption of first-level spells was negligible. This behavior, unsurprisingly, earned him quite a few eye rolls from Yunsheng.

“Seems there are no survivors around here…” Yue Qi sighed. Their group was still small; even if he killed all the zombies, cleaning up the corpses would be a daunting task. With so few people, it would be difficult, and if the zombie bodies were left to rot, who knew if they would pollute the crops or the arable land…

“Well, it is what it is. I remember seeing a few people from afar the other day who hadn’t turned yet, but by now, they’ve probably been bitten…” Yunsheng sighed. He’d hoped that if Yuqi’s parents survived, he could surprise her when she woke. Now, it seemed impossible.

Thud, thud, thud… A sporadic, knocking sound reached them. Yue Qi was certain he’d killed all the nearby zombies. Could this be a ghost?

“What is that?” Yue Qi and Yunsheng stood back-to-back, scanning their surroundings, but saw nothing. Still, the sound persisted.

“It seems to be coming from under that rubble. Could a zombie be buried beneath?” Yunsheng, ever sharp-eared, quickly located the source.

The sun had not yet set, but the western sky was already blood red, as if the world was awash in hellish seas of crimson.

“This is it!” The two approached the ruins. The knocking grew louder.

“Maybe it’s a zombie… Should we just leave it? If it’s a zombie, it’ll starve without food anyway…” Yunsheng suggested.

“No… Let’s clear it and see. If it is a zombie, we’ll kill it. Better that than risking an accident if our people run into it later,” Yue Qi decided after a moment’s thought.

Yunsheng nodded, but left the heavy lifting to himself. Yue Qi stood ready—if it was a zombie, he’d deliver the killing blow.

But as Yunsheng moved the largest stone, the knocking ceased.

“Maybe it’s not a zombie? Could it just be some animal?” Yunsheng wiped sweat from his brow, frustrated at the thought of wasted effort.

“Help… me…” Suddenly, a feeble human voice emerged from beneath the rubble!

“There’s someone?!” The two exchanged glances, dropped their weapons, and began digging frantically. They couldn’t help but wonder how the house had collapsed—surely their own homes weren’t so shoddily built…

By now, the sun had sunk behind the hills, the western sky ablaze with fire. In the fading light, the two men’s shadows could be seen digging.

When they finally cleared the debris, what they saw shocked them. The man who had spoken was barely recognizable. His lower body, from the thighs down, had been severed, and not far away, two bloodied legs lay quietly beside a large stone.

“Help… me…” The voice came again, dry and hoarse, as if he hadn’t tasted water in days.

Yue Qi glanced at Yunsheng and shook his head. There was nothing to be done. It was a miracle the man had survived this long; the moment his last breath left him, he’d be gone. Without some mythical elixir that could return flesh to bone, there was no hope.

“Wait! Take it slow. What do you want to say?” Unable to let the man die without hearing him out, perhaps moved by his will to live, Yue Qi cast a moisturizing spell on him.

The man immediately looked better. Perhaps it was a final spark of life, but his eyes suddenly shone with startling clarity.

“Wait… Are you… Yuqi’s brother? Are you her brother?” Yunsheng, having gotten a good look, exclaimed in shock.

“Yuqi’s brother? What’s going on?” Yue Qi sensed something was off and quickly asked.

“This is Yuqi’s brother! She’s told me about him—he’s always been good to her, spoiled her since childhood, even more than her parents!” Yunsheng explained, glancing at the man lying on the ground.

Hearing Yunsheng, the man struggled to lift his head, staring at Yunsheng in disbelief.

“You… You’re Yue Yunsheng? From Yue Family Village? My sister… Where is my sister? Is she alright?” Grabbing Yunsheng’s leg, the man pleaded desperately.

“Don’t worry, she’s fine! She’s with me!” Yunsheng replied at once. He dared not tell Yuqi’s brother the truth, so he lied.

“That’s good… That’s good! I’m relieved. Yue Yunsheng, I know you, I trust you. I leave Yuqi in your care. Take good care of her!” Yuqi’s brother released Yunsheng’s leg and lay back, laughing aloud.

“Our woodshed… Move all the firewood… Cough, cough… Remember, there’s a cellar beneath it, with food inside—you’ll need it… Cough… But my key is lost, my sister has another…” He spoke softly, satisfaction shining in his eyes even as death drew near.

“Father! Mother! Don’t worry—my sister is well! I’m coming to join you! Wait for me! In the next life, I’ll still be your son!” He gave the two no chance to reply, his words trailing off as his eyes closed forever.

“He’s gone,” Yue Qi said, shaking his head. He looked at Yunsheng, who stared blankly at Yuqi’s brother, lost in thought.

“Yunsheng, pull yourself together. The dead can’t return,” Yue Qi said, mistaking the impact the death had on him for grief.

Yunsheng shook his head. “I was just thinking of Yuqi. She always said her brother was the best to her. When the disaster struck, she begged me to come back and find him, but I refused. I said fate would look after him… I never thought, seeing him again would be farewell forever.”

Yue Qi patted Yunsheng’s shoulder, saying nothing, but letting him know his brother would always be there for him.

“Qi!” Yunsheng suddenly looked up. “I want to give Yuqi’s brother a proper burial…”

Yue Qi smiled and nodded. He had no reason to refuse his friend’s request. If their positions were reversed, he’d want the same for his own brother-in-law.

In this apocalypse, a proper burial was simply returning the dead to the earth. Yue Qi found a wooden tablet, but after a long struggle over what to inscribe, he simply placed it atop the mound.

“Let’s go. There shouldn’t be any more zombies. Let’s head back…” Yue Qi said to Yunsheng. Even as a cultivator, he felt weary—not just in body, but in soul.

“Let’s go…” Yunsheng took one last look at the nameless grave, then turned and bowed deeply. A man who had held on for his sister’s sake deserved his respect.

The sun in the west had finally disappeared, the last trace of red fading from the sky. As darkness descended, Yue Qi returned to the group, only to be greeted by even more thrilling news—his mother had awakened!