Chapter Eight: Night Conversations

A few of them entered the house. Since the door was closed behind them, the room remained shrouded in darkness.

“How about covering the windows? I’ll start a fire—it’ll make things easier for us,” Yue Qi suggested as soon as he stepped inside. A wave of dampness and mustiness assailed his senses, something he hadn’t noticed before, but now found particularly unsettling.

“Um… alright. You two are the most capable among us anyway. If any zombies do show up, you’ll be on the front lines—I’ll just stand back and cheer you on!” Yue Yunsheng replied with a laugh. Truth be told, he was still a little afraid that the fire would attract those creatures, but seeing that Yue Qi was unafraid, he mustered his own courage as well.

“Go ahead and light the fire. I’ll have a surprise for you in a bit,” Yue Yunsheng added mysteriously.

Yue Qi smiled, not pressing for details, accustomed as he was to his old friend’s penchant for suspense. He glanced at Bai Lian, who stood quietly nearby—clearly not someone suited for chores—so he shook his head and made his way to the woodshed. There, he gathered some slightly dry firewood, then silently recited the Incantation of Fire Command. Instantly, the once pitch-black room was filled with warm light, and the musty odor was gradually swept away.

From the outside, the house appeared small, but inside it contained three rooms: one for firewood, another for storing food, and the area they had just entered, which could generously be called the sitting room.

“All right, come in and warm yourselves! Yunsheng, bring some food!” Yue Qi called out softly. Bai Lian was the first to enter, while Yue Yunsheng seemed to be busy preparing something and hadn’t yet returned.

The woodshed was cramped. Bai Lian looked around and then sat down beside Yue Qi. Of course, Yue Qi relished the moment—a beautiful woman at his side, even if he dared not act rashly, just inhaling her delicate fragrance was enough to lift his spirits. In these troubled times, who could still enjoy such good fortune?

“What are you grinning at?” Bai Lian shot him a cold glance and gave his arm a sharp tweak. For reasons she couldn’t quite explain, their interactions had grown markedly more intimate.

“Nothing, just feeling rather lucky, that’s all.” Yue Qi lay down, resting his head on his hands, gazing up at the dark ceiling with a faint smile playing at his lips.

Bai Lian pursed her lips, saying nothing, but her heart was sweet with delight. “Does he mean he’s happy to be with me?” she wondered.

Just then, footsteps broke the awkward silence. It was Yue Yunsheng, but to their surprise, he was accompanied by another woman.

“Yunsheng, who is this?” Yue Qi asked, puzzled. He suspected that this was the surprise Yue Yunsheng had mentioned, but the girl was a stranger—certainly not from Yue Village.

“Don’t rush, Qi. Let me introduce you—this is my fiancée, Yang Yuqi, the prettiest girl from Yang Village!” Yue Yunsheng declared proudly, but beside him, Yang Yuqi lowered her head in bashful embarrassment.

“Yang Yuqi. Yuqi—Rain’s Beginning… Yunsheng and Rain’s Beginning, what a perfect match, a pair of lovebirds!” Bai Lian, silent until now, suddenly remarked.

Everyone was taken aback. Yang Yuqi now noticed the woman at Yue Qi’s side—though she herself was comely, she paled in comparison to this elegant sister, and a pang of inferiority welled up within her.

Sensing her beloved’s mood, Yue Yunsheng pulled Yang Yuqi close, as if to declare to all that she alone held his heart.

With her lover’s reassurance, Yang Yuqi’s joy was unmistakable, though she tried to hide it. She turned to Bai Lian and said, “Let’s hope your blessing comes true, Sister. You’re so beautiful, like a goddess descended from the heavens…”

Her innocent flattery drew laughter from everyone, herself included, and the once-tense atmosphere began to relax.

“You rascal, you got married without telling me—already have a wife now…” Yue Qi teased Yue Yunsheng, though the envy in his eyes was unmistakable.

“Heh, we’re not married yet…” Yue Yunsheng replied, scratching his head in embarrassment.

“Look at you, calling her your wife before the wedding. Don’t take advantage of her just because she’s soft-spoken!” Yue Qi, being a year older, took on the role of an elder brother without hesitation.

Yue Yunsheng grinned sheepishly, and the group gathered around the fire, soon lost in lively conversation.

“What? Even your own sect…? Sigh, it seems there’s no hope left…” Yue Qi recounted all that had befallen the Qinghe Sword Sect to Yue Yunsheng. Yang Yuqi, listening in, grew pale—there was no good news here. It meant they could no longer rely on others for salvation; they would have to save themselves.

“So what do we do? Are we doomed to spend the rest of our lives among these hordes of zombies?” Yue Yunsheng’s face was ashen. He slumped to the ground, the crackling fire consuming his last vestige of hope.

Yang Yuqi sat obediently beside him, gently patting his back in comfort. Yue Yunsheng took her hand, and color slowly returned to his cheeks.

“Don’t worry. There’s a mountain in Shu called Sanqing Mountain, home to the Sanqing Sect, the leaders of all the righteous paths. If anyone can find a solution, it will be them,” Yue Qi said reassuringly. In truth, he and Bai Lian had discussed it and doubted Sanqing Sect could spare the strength to save them, but at least it offered Yue Yunsheng a glimmer of hope—the hope to live on.

“Ah, that’s wonderful!” Yue Yunsheng breathed a sigh of relief. Yue Qi and Bai Lian exchanged glances, both secretly worried. If even the Sanqing Sect had no way to save them, where in this vast world could they go?

“By the way, Yunsheng, are there any other survivors in the village?” Yue Qi asked the question that weighed on him most. If his parents and siblings were alive, he would stop at nothing to rescue them.

“I don’t know…” Yue Yunsheng shook his head. “I slipped out that night without my parents knowing, to visit Yuqi in Yang Village. That same night, disaster struck Yang Village, and I escaped with Yuqi, thinking we could hide at my place. But when we got back, we found things were just as bad here…” His voice grew bitter as he spoke, anxiety for his own parents gnawing at his heart.

“Later, I snuck back into the village for a look. Our families live near each other, on the edge of the settlement, but there were still many zombies. I didn’t dare go too far in, just watched from afar. But I can assure you, neither your family nor mine were at home, and none of the zombies around looked like them!” Yue Yunsheng declared firmly. Yue Qi, who had almost lost hope, felt a spark reignite within him.

“I’ll go to the village tomorrow. If our families aren’t at home, where else could they be?” Yue Qi wondered aloud.

“Wait, Qi—what day did it all happen?” Yunsheng suddenly asked.

“That day? It’s been so many days since the disaster… but that day, it was the fifteenth, wasn’t it? Fifteenth… you mean…?” Yue Qi’s eyes widened as he realized what Yunsheng was getting at.

“That’s it! Everyone must have been in the village square for the Heaven-Sacrificing Ceremony!” Yunsheng exclaimed confidently, his hope renewed.

Sacrificing to Heaven was a Yue Village tradition, meant to pray for bountiful harvests and favorable weather. It was held on the fifteenth of nearly every month.

The villagers of Yue were deeply devout; that was why everyone’s attitude toward Yue Qi had changed so dramatically once they learned he was cultivating the immortal path.

“What about eldest sister? Have you seen her?” Yue Qi pressed on.

“Eldest sister… oh, right! Your sixth sister just came of age a few days ago, didn’t she? They must have all gone to her coming-of-age ceremony on the fifteenth!” Yunsheng’s eyes lit up.

“Ah! Her birthday’s on the thirteenth, so that makes perfect sense!” Yue Qi clapped his hands in delight. That meant there was hope for all his loved ones.

“I’ll go tonight! If they’re alive, I’ll get them out!” Yue Qi stood up, excitement written all over his face.

“No!” Bai Lian interjected suddenly. Seeing the three of them staring in surprise, she blushed but continued, “I mean, it’s too dark now—even you might not see clearly. Why not come up with a plan tonight and go at first light?”

“Elder Bai is right. Let’s do that,” Yue Yunsheng agreed, not noticing anything odd in Bai Lian’s words.

Yue Qi hadn’t told Yue Yunsheng about the cultivators losing their powers—not because he distrusted him, but because in these turbulent times, if someone as beautiful as Bai Lian lost the protection of her identity as a cultivator, she might attract the wrong kind of attention. So, among ordinary folk, Yue Qi did all he could to help her keep up the ruse.

“All right… I remember there’s a slope on the eastern side of the village. There probably aren’t many zombies there, and it’s close to the square. Should I go down that way tomorrow?” Yue Qi asked. It had been a long time since he’d last been there, and he wasn’t sure whether the landscape had changed.

“Good idea. But Qi, I don’t mean to doubt you—it’s just those zombies are too dangerous. Last time I ran into one, if I hadn’t been quick on my feet, you wouldn’t be seeing me now…” Yunsheng said with a wry smile.

“Don’t worry…” Yue Qi forced a smile. He wasn’t particularly afraid of the zombies, but even an elephant can be killed by ants—he knew he had to be cautious.

“How about I go with you?” Bai Lian suggested, worried for Yue Qi. She could be of help.

“No need, Sister Lian. Stay here and protect Yunsheng and the others for me. I’ll just take a look—it’ll be fine…” Yue Qi grinned mischievously at Bai Lian, his gaze lingering meaningfully.

“Hmph… forget it, then!” Bai Lian gave his arm a hard pinch. Even as a cultivator, she couldn’t avoid this small pain. Yue Qi grimaced but let her have her way.

Night deepened and silence descended. Inside the humble hut, warmed by the fire, the group soon drifted into peaceful sleep…