Chapter Twenty-Nine: A Rare Moment of Tranquility

Under Wang Jian’s guidance, Yue Qi and Bai Lian soon arrived at their main base. Along the way, Wang Jian explained the general situation of their camp to Yue Qi, but he deliberately left out the part about his elder brother, Wang Chao, merely saying he was from Qingzhou and wanted to establish a stronghold in Qinghe Town.

In the end, Wang Jian still held some reservations about the two of them—no one would reveal all their secrets at a first meeting. Naturally, Yue Qi didn’t fully believe Wang Jian’s words either. Throughout the journey, he barely spoke, quietly listening to whatever Wang Jian shared. Bai Lian was even more silent, her nature cold to begin with, especially in front of strangers.

“Brother Yue Qi, this is our camp!” Wang Jian pointed ahead, where lights blazed brightly, and a lone zombie wandered near the entrance, seemingly trying to get in.

The sight of the camp shocked Yue Qi. Compared to the hastily built defenses at Yang Family Village, this was nothing short of a massive fortress!

Leaving aside the vastness of the interior, the defenses alone were impressive. The outermost barrier was a fence of sharpened logs, all slanting outward, reaching the height of an average man. Any attacking zombie would likely impale itself on the spikes and perish.

Most importantly, the stakes were deeply embedded in the earth. Unless an overwhelming horde assaulted the fence, these stakes would hardly budge.

Behind the stakes was a bare no-man’s-land, whose purpose Yue Qi could not quite fathom. But beyond that, a wall rose, more than twice the height of a person, its exterior coated with some unknown, slippery substance that made it impossible for zombies to climb. Set into the middle of the wall were many small hidden slits—Yue Qi guessed they were for defenders to shoot arrows from cover.

“What a flawless defense!” Yue Qi couldn’t help but exclaim, wondering how these people had managed to build such a system in so short a time.

“Haha, you flatter me, Brother Yue. What you see here is just one side of the wall—the rest is mostly open ground, still without defenses…” Wang Jian was confident as he spoke about his fortifications, but he knew the walls remained unfinished. Sooner or later, Yue Qi would discover this, so he might as well mention it now.

“To me, Brother Wang, this is practically a small city. Zombies would find it impossible to break through!” Yue Qi praised again, already deciding that upon his return to Yang Family Village, he too must build such a fortress.

Yet, constructing such defenses was no easy feat. Even Wang Jian only managed it with his brother’s help, having cleared out most of the zombies and used a great deal of resources from Qingzhou. For Yue Qi and the handful of survivors at Yang Family Village, such an undertaking was pure fantasy.

“Before we settled, we had already cleared out most of the zombies here. The reason you saw the five of us patrolling tonight was to hunt down any remaining stragglers—otherwise, everyone would have to live in constant fear!” Wang Jian admitted, though he glossed over the details of how the zombies were cleared.

Yue Qi did not press further, laughing heartily. “With a fortress like yours, Brother Wang, even a horde of zombies would pose little threat. The few stragglers won’t cause much trouble…”

“Still, it’s always safer to be cautious…” Wang Jian shook his head, then approached the zombie at the gate, drew a dagger from his breast, and stabbed it through the head.

“This way, please. There’s only a small gate over there—after all, there aren’t many people in the camp yet…” Wang Jian said, leading them along the wall.

They walked for about one or two hundred meters as the wall grew lower and eventually disappeared altogether, though not far off a mountain rose steeply.

“So it’s true—a defensive gap here, but built against the mountain. Smart…” Yue Qi muttered under his breath. Wang Jian didn’t hear, but Bai Lian, still holding Yue Qi’s arm, did and gave him a curious look.

“Let’s go in here, Brother Yue. Sorry for the inconvenience tonight…” Wang Jian gestured toward a gap in the wall, wide enough for four or five people to enter at once. Being close to the mountain, it was unlikely zombies would come this way.

“No need to apologize, Brother Wang. In fact, we must thank you for taking us in—otherwise, my wife and I would have drawn countless zombies to that broken-down house…” Yue Qi clasped his hands in gratitude. Wang Jian simply nodded, then glanced at Bai Lian before leading the way inside.

From outside, the fortress was imposing, but inside, it was a different world. Though the camp didn’t seem large from the outside, there were many cultivated fields, and in the center stood clusters of brightly lit houses, clearly inhabited.

“If I may ask, Brother Wang, how many people are in your camp?” Yue Qi asked in astonishment.

“To be honest, barely fifty. Most are women, children, or the elderly—barely a dozen able-bodied men among them,” Wang Jian replied. In fact, most of the noncombatants were people his brother Wang Chao had foisted on him, but they were useful for farming and labor.

“Brother Wang, you have a truly compassionate heart to take in so many women, children, and elders!” Yue Qi instantly felt respect. Had he been in Wang Jian’s position, he might not have done the same. Taking in so many who could not fight meant huge expenses and a drag on the entire camp.

“It’s nothing. In times of disaster, we must help one another as much as we can—if we let these things rule the world, I dread to imagine what would become of humanity…” Wang Jian frowned, his eyes full of disgust.

Yue Qi said nothing, but he could see Wang Jian’s loathing for the zombies. He exchanged a glance with Bai Lian, and the two nodded before following Wang Jian further into the camp.

“You’ll have to make do tonight, Brother Yue. These houses are usually empty, kept clean just in case survivors like you arrive and need a place to stay,” Wang Jian said with a smile, his tone apologetic.

“You’re too kind, Brother Wang. Were it not for my ailing mother at home, I’d truly wish to stay here…” Yue Qi again gave thanks with a clasped fist.

“Then why not bring your family here, so we can all look after each other?” Wang Jian’s heart leapt—he saw a real chance to keep them at the camp.

“Alas, my family is not just my mother—there are many kin as well. If we all came, it would surely trouble you, Brother Wang…” Yue Qi actually wished to accept the invitation; a stable camp with secure food supplies was a paradise in this world of catastrophe!

But he felt he did not yet fully understand Wang Jian. Besides, with only a dozen fighters, it was impossible to clear all the zombies from Qinghe Town. He suspected Wang Jian had other backers, perhaps more help than he let on.

“No trouble at all—there’s plenty of space. As you saw, many rooms are unlit and empty; even if you brought fifty more people, we could accommodate them all! With your skills and your wife’s medical expertise, you’d be a great help to the camp!” Wang Jian pressed on, unwilling to give up.

“Let’s do this. I’ll discuss it with my clan—if most agree, we may come to trouble you after all. I hope you won’t mind…” Yue Qi replied, still not giving a direct answer.

“Very well. Rest well tonight, Brother Yue. Tomorrow, just tell me what herbs you need, and I’ll see to it. After all, your mother’s health is most important!” Realizing he could not persuade Yue Qi for now, Wang Jian found an excuse to take his leave.

“Thank you, Brother Wang. You’ve been most kind,” Yue Qi replied with a faint smile.

Wang Jian nodded, then bowed slightly to Bai Lian, who was nestled at Yue Qi’s side, and quietly left, closing the door behind him.

“At last, we’re free!” Only after Wang Jian had gone did Bai Lian release Yue Qi’s arm. Yue Qi flopped onto the bed, sighing with relief.

“What’s wrong? Is pretending to be my wife so exhausting?” Bai Lian shot Yue Qi a look that suggested a single wrong word would earn him a kick.

“Er… let’s not talk about that. Anyway, this place really is good—at least we don’t have to fear zombie attacks.” Yue Qi, seeing her unfriendly gaze, promptly changed the subject.

“Good? If we run into those cultivator zombies, these defenses wouldn’t last the time it takes to burn a stick of incense. If you ask me, the Qinghe Sword Sect’s defenses are better. Up in the mountains, with their protection array—of course, if you want to use that as a base, you’ll have to drive out all the zombie cultivators first!” Bai Lian replied, half-smiling as she watched him.

“If I had that ability, I’d be king of this region!” Yue Qi replied, helpless. Bai Lian thought too highly of him. The Qinghe Sword Sect had a few Core Formation elders after all—if he faced them as zombies, he’d be dead in an instant.

Bai Lian said nothing, but suddenly dragged Yue Qi up from the bed.

“What are you doing?” Yue Qi grumbled but stood obediently.

“I’m sleeping on the bed, you on the floor! If you don’t like it, you can sleep with me!” Bai Lian glared, but then seemed to realize something was amiss in what she’d said. Her face reddened, and her bravado faded.

“Well, um, I think you should take the bed…” Yue Qi struggled inwardly but finally gave up what might have been a golden opportunity. Who knew what tricks this little devil might play in the middle of the night?

“Coward…”

Night deepened. The lamp was gently blown out. Neither spoke again. Though a trace of awkwardness lingered in the room, both soon fell asleep, savoring this rare tranquility.