Chapter 30: Visitors from Qingzhou

Early the next morning...

For the first time, Yue Qi woke up unusually late. Perhaps it was because he had slept so soundly the night before; even though he’d spent the night on the floor, there was none of that constant fear of a sudden zombie attack gnawing at his mind.

When he finally stirred, Bai Lian was still on the bed. She sat at the edge, watching Yue Qi wake with an expression of amused curiosity.

“Are you some kind of pervert? Enjoy watching people sleep?” Yue Qi grumbled, wiping a bit of drool from the corner of his mouth before getting up.

Bai Lian smiled but said nothing. Then she stood and walked toward him.

“What are you doing? Don’t you dare! If you come any closer, I’ll scream!” Yue Qi clutched his chest, eyeing her warily as she approached.

“Go ahead, shout all you want. Even if you scream your throat raw, no one will come...” Bai Lian’s gaze was teasing at first, but after a moment, she added more seriously, “Alright, enough joking. I meant to tell you: someone knocked on the door earlier. I didn’t answer, but I think it was that Wang Jian fellow looking for you...”

“This early? What time is it?” Yue Qi scratched his head.

“It’s mid-morning, almost noon...” Bai Lian replied with a gentle smile, a stray lock of hair falling across her forehead, lending her an even greater air of enchanting beauty.

“This late already?!” Yue Qi was shocked to realize he’d slept so long. “Wait, what about the medicine? Didn’t Wang Jian bring it?” The thought finally struck him, and he slapped his forehead.

Bai Lian thought for a moment. “I imagine he came by to talk about the medicine, but you were asleep...”

“Ah! That’s it, we won’t make it back today!” Yue Qi stamped his foot anxiously. Bai Lian, meanwhile, simply smiled at him as if watching a clown, which only made him more frustrated. But he was helpless against this little witch with her mercurial moods.

“Why not just stay a few more days? There’s plenty of resources here, and they’ve even diverted a mountain stream into the camp, so there’s no shortage of water. Besides, your mother needs more rest for her recovery anyway, and the longer she recovers, the more confident I am in my treatment.” Bai Lian shrugged.

Yue Qi made a face but said nothing. He’d never heard Bai Lian say his mother needed so much rest before, but he was long used to her temperament and let it go.

“By the way, how do you know they’ve diverted a stream here? I looked around last night and never saw one.” Yue Qi suddenly thought of this.

“I couldn’t sleep last night, so I went out for a walk. No one noticed me anyway...” Bai Lian’s cheeks reddened as she recalled something.

“Really?” Yue Qi eyed her suspiciously. He didn’t quite buy her story.

“Fine, don’t believe me!” Realizing her secret might have been discovered, Bai Lian flew into a huff and kicked at Yue Qi.

“Hey! Can’t we talk this out? A good woman doesn’t fight a man—ow!” Yue Qi yelped and rubbed the spot where she’d kicked him, shooting her a look full of wounded indignation.

Bai Lian hadn’t lied; she really did sneak out the night before.

At first, both of them had settled in comfortably. Yue Qi, of course, slept obediently on the floor and kept his hands to himself, but Bai Lian couldn’t help feeling restless—after all, she was a young woman sharing a room with a man in the middle of the night. Still, exhaustion eventually claimed her, and she drifted off.

But just as she was dozing, Yue Qi suddenly began to snore. After that, it was impossible for her to sleep. Her thoughts were heavy to begin with, and now sleep was out of reach...

She’d considered kicking him awake, but watching him sleep so peacefully, his quiet snores oddly endearing, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. So, instead, she slipped out for a walk. Aside from a few night guards, surely no one else would be wandering the camp at that hour...

“We should go find Wang Jian first. Even if my mother needs rest, we should be by her side. Our own camp isn’t nearly as safe as this one, and I didn’t clear out every last zombie—if any slipped through, it would be bad...” When it came to his mother, Yue Qi’s expression grew serious.

Bai Lian nodded silently, looking for all the world like a demure little wife—which, for now, she more or less was.

“You should wash up first. I fetched some water for you, here—use this.” Bai Lian, remembering something, pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve and handed it to him, her cheeks coloring again.

“So there really is a water source...” Yue Qi took the handkerchief, oblivious to her embarrassment, and quickly washed up. Then, together, they stepped outside.

There were more people up and about, though few were actually tending crops. Whatever the others were busy with, Yue Qi suspected it had something to do with camp defenses.

When the two of them emerged, most of the people stared with curiosity—especially at Bai Lian. In a world ravaged by a virus, none expected to see someone so beautiful, and their eyes brimmed with wonder and admiration.

Apparently, Wang Jian had already told everyone about their arrival, so there was no particular surprise. Not knowing where to go, Yue Qi simply approached an old woman mending clothes and asked, “Excuse me, madam, do you know where Wang Jian is?”

The old woman eyed him up and down, as if trying to see right through him, then glanced at Bai Lian, her eyes betraying a flicker of amazement. “He’s over there, in the largest house. That’s where they usually hold meetings.”

“Thank you!” Yue Qi felt the old woman was a bit rude but didn’t take offense. He nodded in gratitude and led Bai Lian toward the building.

There was a lively atmosphere in camp, and Yue Qi couldn’t help feeling there were more than fifty people here. Perhaps new survivors had been found and brought back? He decided there was no point speculating—he’d be leaving soon, so new arrivals had little to do with him.

“Second Young Master, you’ve worked hard. If the Eldest Young Master knew you’d built such a fortress-like camp in so short a time, he’d surely send even more resources!” As Yue Qi reached the door, a hearty elder’s voice rang out.

Eldest Young Master? Second Young Master? Are they talking about Wang Jian? Yue Qi wondered as he stepped inside.

The sudden appearance of Yue Qi and Bai Lian brought the room to a standstill—even Wang Jian was briefly taken aback, and the others even more so. Yet Yue Qi was quickly ignored; all eyes fixed on Bai Lian. She seemed much more spirited after a night’s rest, the fatigue of the previous day gone. Her natural beauty left the entire gathering momentarily dazed.

“Ah, Brother Yue, you’ve come at the perfect time. Let me introduce you—this is Liu Wealth, the Wang family’s chief steward before the disaster. Steward Liu is a good man!” Wang Jian said, then turned to Liu Wealth, “These are the two survivors I mentioned yesterday. Brother Yue is a skilled fighter, and his wife is well-versed in medicine!” For some reason, Wang Jian seemed to place special emphasis on the word “wife.”

“Ah, greetings, Brother Yue...” Noticing Wang Jian had deliberately skipped over mention of his elder brother, Steward Liu bowed slightly in respect to Yue Qi, yet when his eyes flickered to Bai Lian, they were filled with lecherous intent.

“By the way, Brother Yue, your mother is still ill. How about you tell me what medicines you need now, and I’ll have someone fetch them for you...” Wang Jian offered.

Yue Qi nodded to Bai Lian, then recited the list of medicines, bowing to Wang Jian. “Thank you, Brother Wang. My mother’s case is urgent, so once we have the medicine, we must hurry home—there’s no time to delay. If fate allows, we will visit again.”

“You’ve only just arrived, but your filial piety moves even the heavens—I’d feel ashamed to urge you to stay...” Wang Jian’s face fell, but after a reluctant glance at Bai Lian, he sighed and gave in.

“Thank you for your understanding, Brother Wang. Once everything’s settled at home, I’ll be sure to visit again!” Yue Qi felt a weight lift from his heart. He’d always sensed a certain oppression at Wang Jian’s camp—after all, this wasn’t his own domain.

“Ah, but that won’t do! Second Young Master, this is your fault!” Steward Liu, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up. “Brother Yue has only just arrived. If your mother needs medicine, let us deliver it for you. That way, you can stay a few more days and we can be proper hosts!”

“This... I don’t think that’s appropriate...” Yue Qi frowned at Liu Wealth. He’d made it quite clear he wanted to leave, yet this man insisted on making him stay. What was his motive?

“This is a much better idea—it was thoughtless of me not to suggest it sooner. Brother Yue, just give us the address of Yue Manor and I’ll send someone with the medicine right away. As you’ve seen, we have horses here, so it won’t delay you at all!” Wang Jian’s eyes lit up and he hurried to agree.

Yue Qi glanced at Bai Lian, who simply looked unconcerned, as though his mother’s illness was not so pressing after all. After wrestling with himself, Yue Qi made up his mind.

“Very well, I’ll trouble you, Brother Wang. But tomorrow, no matter what, I must return home—there are other matters I must attend to...” Yue Qi bowed to Wang Jian.

“No matter! Since you’re staying today—someone, prepare a feast! I won’t let Brother Yue leave until we’ve drunk our fill!” Wang Jian laughed heartily.

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