Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Good Samaritan

The two of them chose a clean house at random to settle in. Though it was said to be clean, a thick layer of dust covered everything; at least, there was no filthy trace of zombie blood or corpses within...

The firewood on the floor crackled and snapped as it burned, the dampness in the wood causing it to spit and hiss. Yue Qi and Bai Lian seemed determined to draw the zombies’ attention, not even bothering to shield the light. The fire blazed openly within the house, making the interior bright and visible from outside.

Yet, zombies seemed particularly uncooperative tonight. Aside from the two they had encountered at the town’s entrance—both swiftly dispatched by Bai Lian—they had not seen another. Yue Qi found himself deprived of the chance to display his valor before the beautiful Bai Lian.

The two sat quietly by the fire, the air growing ever more ambiguous and tender. Yue Qi kept silent, Bai Lian brooded as well; both stared blankly at the flames, lost in their own thoughts...

Suddenly, a guttural howl broke the stillness outside. A zombie, attracted by the firelight in Yue Qi’s room, began to slam itself against the window with furious force!

The unexpected noise startled them both. Yue Qi, however, quickly regained his composure. “No need to worry—looks like just one zombie. I’ll go and take a look,” he said.

In fact, the zombie’s appearance was perfectly timed—the tension between them had grown awkward, and this gave Yue Qi an excuse to slip out. He hurried to the door and left. Only after he’d gone did Bai Lian let out a quiet breath, patting her chest in relief. She glanced at the shadowy figure of the zombie outside and muttered to herself, “What’s happening to me? Could I really be falling for him?”

She touched her cheeks, flushed from the fire and perhaps from something else, feeling the heat intensify.

“What a troublesome man...” Bai Lian thought, her mind drifting back to when they first met.

At first, she had barely paid him any attention. But Yue Qi was the type who was thick-skinned and talkative, always chattering in her ear, constantly finding chances to praise himself. To be honest, Bai Lian rather liked this sort of character. She had spent so many years at the Qinghe Sword Sect—had any boy there ever dared treat her this way?

As time passed, their relationship grew closer. She wasn’t sure when she started kicking him or twisting his arm for fun... Their camaraderie had been strong, but ever since coming to Yue Manor, Bai Lian found herself holding back, even unconsciously distancing herself from Yue Qi.

She was proud by nature, unwilling to show or express her feelings in front of others. Even a simple greeting would require careful deliberation, only for her to ultimately feign coldness and indifference. As for Yue Qi, perhaps burdened with increasing responsibility, he seemed not to mind her distance, continuing to lead their group in search of a place to survive, unaffected by her mood.

Bai Lian shook her head, trying to scatter these tangled thoughts. She hugged her knees tighter, curling into herself—whether out of fear or some other emotion, she could not tell.

Yue Qi stepped outside but saw no zombie. He knew it was lurking on the other side of the house, but he wasn’t eager to deal with it right away and then return to Bai Lian’s impassive expression. Besides, lately, even talking to her required caution to avoid another awkward silence.

With this in mind, Yue Qi didn’t bother to draw his sword. He simply took it, still sheathed, and tapped it against the fence outside.

The knocking was not loud, but in the stillness of the night, it was especially conspicuous. The zombie was quickly drawn over. If, at first, the zombie had only been interested in the firelight, it was now entirely focused on the living man before it—its only thought to devour him.

Yue Qi retreated at a steady, unhurried pace, but the zombie soon caught up. When they were just a dozen meters from the house, the zombie lunged at him. Still, Yue Qi did not unsheathe his sword but struck the zombie’s head with the scabbard.

As a cultivator, Yue Qi was reasonably strong, but the impact sent a jolt of numbness up his arm. It seemed that once humans mutated into zombies, their skulls grew harder as well—another sign of their enhanced attributes.

Though the blow did little to affect the zombie, Yue Qi noticed a small, barely discernible bump on its head. “Looks like I’m pretty strong after all!” he thought, continuing to maneuver around the creature.

Watching Bai Lian fight always made it seem easy, but doing it himself was much harder—one careless move, and he could end up in a deadly embrace with a zombie. Bai Lian never relied on brute force; her swordplay was light and graceful, almost like a dance, yet she could cleave a zombie’s skull in two with each gentle stroke. While good weapons helped, her skill was undeniable.

How strong were zombies after mutating? Even Yue Qi could not guarantee he could split one’s head open with sheer force. Each time he watched Bai Lian fight, he felt a quiet envy—if only he could master her techniques, his strength would increase tenfold.

Still, he had no intention of secretly learning from her. If Bai Lian wanted to teach him, that was one thing; but if she caught him trying to steal her techniques, their relationship would only grow more strained.

Just as Yue Qi’s thoughts began to wander, a sudden noise came from nearby.

“Boss, there’s something over there—could be a zombie,” rasped a voice.

“Stay alert, everyone. One or two zombies are nothing, but if there are more, keep them occupied and send someone for reinforcements!” The leader quickly devised a plan, evidently no stranger to such situations.

The newcomers were none other than Wang Jian and his group of survivors, whom Yue Qi had met earlier. They patrolled the town with torches every night, their purpose being to hunt zombies—so it made sense for them to attract their attention.

Several figures emerged from the shadows. Yue Qi stepped back, drawing his sword in a single smooth motion. He recognized them from earlier that evening and thought, if they saw him fight zombies without using his sword, they’d probably think he was mad...

Seeing someone else here surprised Wang Jian’s group. They had assumed all survivors were at their temporary camp, not expecting to find anyone alone.

Yet Wang Jian wasted no time. He saw that Yue Qi had been fighting the zombie for some time. Holding out this long without injury meant he was stronger than any of Wang Jian’s men, none of whom would dare take on a zombie alone.

Wang Jian joined the fray. Immediately, Yue Qi felt the pressure lift and stepped back, sure that the fight was now in capable hands. Wang Jian alone would suffice.

“A true expert!” Yue Qi thought in admiration. He had observed this man from afar before, but seeing his skills up close was even more impressive.

Wang Jian wielded his broadsword with wide, sweeping motions, yet every so often he would make subtle adjustments—a flick of the wrist, a shift in his stance—that made each strike more powerful. The zombie, relying on its formidable defense, took blow after blow without much effect.

The fight ended swiftly. Wang Jian seized an opening and embedded his blade deep into the zombie’s skull. The creature thrashed a couple of times before falling still.

“Boss, you’re amazing!” exclaimed a burly man with a beard. Yue Qi remembered him; his name was Ergou—a rather endearing name, despite his fierce appearance.

Wang Jian nodded, then turned to look Yue Qi over. “You’re not local, are you? My name’s Wang Jian,” he introduced himself.

His straightforward manner only increased Yue Qi’s goodwill. Though they hadn’t spoken much, everything about Wang Jian’s bearing suggested he was a decent man.

“Hello, I’m Yue Qi, from— from Yue Manor near Qinghe Town,” Yue Qi said, deciding not to reveal his sect and only mentioning his family estate.

“Ah, from Yue Manor! No wonder I haven’t seen you before!” Wang Jian nodded in understanding. “Are there any other survivors at Yue Manor, or are you the only one left?”

“There’s my elderly mother, but she’s a little injured. I came to town to find some medicine...” Yue Qi glossed over the details, feeling it unwise to expose everything to someone he’d just met, even if Wang Jian seemed trustworthy.

“I see!” Wang Jian smiled, clearly picking up on Yue Qi’s reticence. But in this world, who didn’t have their guard up? It was understandable.

“So you came alone? You seem quite capable, making it here from Yue Manor by yourself,” Wang Jian pressed, still probing for information.

“Damn!” Yue Qi cursed inwardly. This was the question he’d been dreading, because Bai Lian was still inside. If he said he came alone and she was discovered, it would be hard to explain. Thinking quickly, he replied, “My wife came with me. She knows a bit about medicine, so I brought her to help identify herbs.”

“Medicine?” Wang Jian’s eyes lit up as if he’d found a treasure. He laughed warmly. “To tell you the truth, we’ve already collected all the medicine in town. If you need some, why not come back with us? Tomorrow, I’ll send some over to you—how does that sound?” There was genuine sincerity in his words.