Chapter Sixty-Five: The Mysterious Summons

Recently, it seemed that this was the best period Yue Qi had experienced in a long time.

The last gap in the camp’s wall had finally been patched, though Yue Qi had left a small door there—wide enough for four or five people to pass through at once. Naturally, the materials for this repair were provided by Qingzhou…

There was still some simple trade between the two camps, Qingzhou and Qinghe Town. For instance, the materials for the walls were negotiated by Yue San himself, and only a few useless weapons were exchanged for them. After all, Yue Qi still had plenty of such things stored in his mustard seed bracelet… But Qingzhou now had no so-called leader; all matters were decided by representatives together, and any disagreements were settled through voting. Of course, Yue Qi did not concern himself with such affairs.

Everyone in Qinghe Town seemed quite content with the current situation. At the very least, Yue Qi occasionally caught glimpses of genuine smiles on their faces—so different from before, when the camp had felt lifeless and devoid of vitality.

Time flew by. In these days, people no longer bothered to count the days, but judging by the weather, early summer had already turned to early autumn. There were occasional harvests in the fields, making it a rather pleasant season.

Cultivation was a daily discipline for Yue Qi, guided by Bai Lian. In addition to daily meditations to increase his spiritual power, Bai Lian also taught him various techniques for casting spells.

“By the way, do you find that when you reinforce your spells with mental power, you can recite the incantations much faster?” Bai Lian, dressed in a pale yellow gown, sat upon the bed. Beside her, Yue Qi sat cross-legged as droplets of water floated around him—a talent unique to the Water Nurture technique.

“It really is a bit faster,” Yue Qi replied, withdrawing his hand, causing the hovering droplets to dissipate. “But the improvement isn’t that noticeable. Still, in a critical moment, that tiny bit of speed could be the difference between life and death!”

“Exactly,” Bai Lian nodded. “If you practice more, you’ll get even faster. Remember, it’s all about practice.”

Yue Qi’s talents were impressive—not just in terms of mental power, but also in comprehension. Bai Lian herself was unsure why he hadn’t been valued more highly in the sect.

“Alright!” Yue Qi nodded, then stood and continued, “Let’s stop here for today. I feel like I’ve hit a bottleneck in my cultivation. With a bit more effort, I’ll advance to the mid Foundation Establishment stage…”

Bai Lian nodded. There wasn’t much fundamental difference between the early and middle stages of Foundation Establishment, but at least his stores of spiritual power would increase, and casting second-tier spells would become much quicker.

“Haha, once I reach the middle stage, and then the late stage, after my breakthrough to Integration, I’ll finally be able to learn the legendary art of sword flight!” Yue Qi grew more excited as he spoke, shaking his fists. This had been his dream since childhood—to soar through the sky on a sword. What an exhilarating thought!

“Foolish! You think sword flight is that easy?” Bai Lian chided him bluntly. “For starters, your current weapon isn’t suitable, and my sword is barely passable. Without a proper magical tool, how can you hope to fly on a sword?”

“What? I need a proper sword as well?” Yue Qi was stunned. Finding a high-quality sword these days was as hard as reaching the heavens. The chances of finding one in the mundane world were slim, and if he ventured into the cultivation sects, the zombies there were far more dangerous than those outside.

“Of course. But don’t worry about it just yet. You still have some time before you reach Integration,” Bai Lian said, reaching out to brush the hair from Yue Qi’s brow.

“You’re right! There’s no rush, after all.” Yue Qi smiled, took Bai Lian’s hand, and teased, “The weather’s lovely today. My dear wife, would you join your husband for a stroll among the mountains and rivers?”

“Who’s your wife…” Bai Lian blushed, her voice barely more than a whisper. Her reaction only made Yue Qi feel all the more triumphant, and he promptly planted two hearty kisses on her cheek, then took her by the hand and led her outside.

Life in the camp continued as usual, with people diligently tending the fields. With nothing else to occupy their time, this was their main task. After Hong Ye’s death, Yue Liang had taken over teaching martial arts.

Yue Liang’s foundation was nothing special—he had never trained seriously before. But his ability to understand new techniques was strong, and after being personally instructed by Yue Qi and Bai Lian, he had become something of an expert—more than capable of training others in the camp.

The two walked between the fields, the autumn breeze refreshing and cool. Occasionally they met acquaintances on the way, and each exchanged a knowing smile before returning to their own tasks. It had been a long time since any zombies had appeared in the area. Back then, Wang Jian had done a thorough job clearing them out—a deed for which he deserved credit.

“Seventh Brother, when do you think we’ll leave this place…” Bai Lian suddenly asked as they walked.

“Leave…” Yue Qi’s gaze grew distant. He cherished the months of peace they’d enjoyed here, and the thought of leaving filled him with reluctance.

“After the Mid-Autumn Festival… I still want to search nearby for any trace of Big Sister and Fifth Brother.” He sighed and forced a bitter smile. “Father and Mother’s last wishes… but I still have no clue at all…”

“It’s alright, we’ll take it slow,” Bai Lian comforted him upon seeing his expression.

“I’m fine!” Yue Qi tried to smile, but suddenly his face contorted in pain.

“What’s wrong?!” Bai Lian panicked. Could it be that the strain of previous battles had left some lasting injury?

“No… it’s nothing!” Yue Qi rubbed his forehead. “Over there… it feels like something is calling to me…”

“Calling you?” Bai Lian’s heart tightened. “What is it?”

“I don’t know…” Yue Qi shook his head, exhaustion clear on his face. “It feels like that piece of paper from before—the Five Spirits Universe Toss…”

“That one?” Bai Lian was shocked. “The possibly incomplete manual? Do you think it could be another part of it?”

Yue Qi’s heart leapt with joy. If that were true, the Five Spirits Universe Toss within him might be far more extraordinary than he’d imagined—perhaps even a legacy left by an ascended cultivator…

“It’s to the southwest! Why don’t I go take a look? Lian’er, wait here for me?” Yue Qi was already trembling with excitement.

“No! I’m coming with you!” Bai Lian refused to give him the chance to argue.

This gave Yue Qi pause. Truth be told, he was worried about Bai Lian. He’d never ventured southwest before and had no idea what dangers awaited them…

But as he hesitated, that strange call in his mind surged again.

“Wait a moment…” Yue Qi said, then suddenly closed his eyes, focusing on the pull.

“What’s wrong?” Bai Lian pressed close, worried. She’d already decided—if it was truly too dangerous, she wouldn’t let him go, no matter what.

“That call is moving!” Yue Qi opened his eyes, puzzled.

“Moving?” Bai Lian’s eyes lit up as she looked at him. In unison, the two exclaimed, “There’s a survivor!”

Excitement flashed in Yue Qi’s eyes. “Lian’er, wait here for me. The call is moving quickly—I think someone’s being chased by zombies. If I hurry, I might be able to save them!”

Now it was Bai Lian’s turn to hesitate. If she insisted on following him, it would only slow them both down, and losing track of the survivor would be a real risk…

“Don’t worry. There are no cultivator zombies nearby, and ordinary ones are nothing to me,” Yue Qi said confidently, kissing Bai Lian’s forehead.

“Alright… but take this with you!” Bai Lian produced a superior spirit stone—the one Yue Qi had given her last time, and which she’d carried ever since.

“I still have some left…” Yue Qi said, touching his bracelet. Since all the food had been moved to the camp storehouse, his mustard seed bracelet was mostly empty—just a few scrolls and spirit stones.

“Take it, just to be safe,” Bai Lian insisted, pressing the stone into his hand. “Come back soon. I’ll wait for you at home.”

Seeing her so sweet and gentle, Yue Qi longed to pull her into his arms and kiss her passionately, but there was no time for that now. He nodded, empowered his legs with the Wind Riding Spell, and sped off toward the southwest.

The sense of being summoned grew ever stronger. Yue Qi knew the other party couldn’t be far. They were still on the move, but Yue Qi’s speed was greater…

“Where is it?” He stopped among the trees. The dense canopy filtered out the sunlight, leaving the woods dim and shadowed—but Yue Qi could still see well enough.

“It should be around here…” he thought, scanning the surroundings, but found nothing—only the occasional scurrying animal startling him now and then.

Rubbing his nose, Yue Qi pressed onward. Suddenly, from his right, a chorus of zombie roars erupted.

“There!” Wind howled at his feet as the trees blurred past, and soon he caught sight of several figures up ahead.

“Ah!” A scream tore through the air. Yue Qi’s heart leapt as he sped up.

A clearing opened before him, and he saw it clearly. A man was being attacked by four zombies at once.

The man had already fallen to the ground, and the four zombies lunged at him from all sides—the situation was dire!