Chapter 115: Entering Qingyuan City
As they entered, a warm, fragrant steam filled the air, along with the smell of food. It immediately made everyone feel at ease, both in body and mind.
“Finally back! Hurry up and drink a bowl of bone soup to warm up!” Xi Shi quickly ladled four bowls of pale bone broth from the pot and set them on the table.
Zhuang Ai Yi immediately stuck close to Zhuang Mingxu as they entered, holding his hand. Zhuang Mingxu felt guilty and heartbroken, softly asking him what he had eaten and what he had been doing at home.
“Have you eaten yet?” Lu Weiyi asked as he handed Zhuang Mingxu a bowl before turning to the others.
“We’ve eaten already,” Gu Qingyue said, brushing the snow from Gu Qingji’s hair. “Why are you so late? Did something happen?”
“No, we just went a bit farther,” Gu Qingji answered softly, lowering his head slightly as Gu Qingyue tidied his hair.
“There wasn’t a single zombie on the way here. We didn’t encounter anything,” Lu Xi said, sipping half a bowl of soup with a contented look.
“Not a single one even yesterday…” Li Zhuang murmured, looking at Lei Zi. “Did you guys encounter any on your way?”
Lei Zi shook his head. “Not a single one.”
“Did they disappear?” Ning Yuan asked, chuckling.
“They might be hiding, getting stronger, just like how humans have awakened abilities,” Zhuang Mingxu said, feeding a spoonful of soup to Zhuang Ai Yi.
“Let’s hope not, because if that happens, we’re all finished,” Ning Yuan reclined against the back of the sofa with a look of helplessness.
“Maybe, but after all, animals can turn into zombies just like humans. Who’s to say they won’t also have abilities?” Li Qing, sitting beside Lin Yimu, had originally been talking with him, but now he turned to Lu Weiyi. “When are you going to the Qingyuan base?”
He had already asked this earlier today, and everyone had agreed to wait for Lu Weiyi to return and discuss it. But Li Qing noticed that they were really just waiting for his input, which meant…
The guy hadn’t even realized yet that he was slowly becoming the leader of this group.
“We’ll leave once the snow stops,” Lu Weiyi answered. “Once the snow stops, the weather will warm up, and if we wait until it completely melts, the roads will be nothing but mud, making it even harder to travel. I plan to leave while the snow is still melting but hasn’t fully melted yet. How about you guys?”
“We?” Li Qing shrugged. “I was planning to find a car, but since you came back with a truck, how about we hitch a ride with you?”
“As you wish,” Lu Weiyi said, not refusing because of Lin Yimu’s presence.
“Then thank you. We may have to trouble you for a few more days. I’ll have the military send over supplies to make up for it,” Li Qing openly mentioned the supplies, knowing that the daily consumption of seven people wasn’t a small amount, and they always had a hearty meal with no shortage of variety.
“Captain Li, you helped us before, so it’s no trouble for us to feed everyone for a few more meals. Don’t be so polite,” Zhuang Mingxu, who was afraid Lu Weiyi might actually accept, spoke up on his behalf. After all, Li Qing was the son of Li Mu, and the military was entirely under his control now. Maintaining a good relationship wouldn’t hurt.
“Then I won’t be polite. Just let me know if you need anything,” Li Qing said, initially thinking that Lu Weiyi made all the decisions, but seeing Zhuang Mingxu speak and no one opposing him, he was a little confused. He and Zhuang Mingxu were old acquaintances, so there was no need for formalities.
“Okay,” Zhuang Mingxu replied.
The next day, after breakfast, Lu Weiyi went out again, this time bringing Zhuang Mingxu and Zhuang Ai Yi along. Zhuang Ai Yi was obviously thrilled, his chubby little face lit up with a big smile.
“How about letting him sit in the back? Is your leg okay?” Lu Weiyi asked, seeing Zhuang Mingxu holding Zhuang Ai Yi on his lap and feeling concerned.
“It’s just my knee. It doesn’t hurt anymore. It’s safer for him to sit up front with me rather than in the back,” Zhuang Mingxu replied.
“Little Dad, Ai Yi will sit on the chair, it won’t press on Big Dad,” Zhuang Ai Yi said, still subconsciously a bit scared of Lu Weiyi who didn’t respond to him much.
Lu Weiyi glanced at him and saw Zhuang Mingxu spread his legs to let him sit between them. The small space was enough for the little one to sit comfortably.
“Alright, tell me when you’re hungry, I brought some milk for you.”
“Okay,” Zhuang Ai Yi replied obediently.
Lu Weiyi drove onto a different road and took out some candies, chocolates, yogurt, and jelly from his space, handing them all to Zhuang Ai Yi.
“Take whatever you want,” he said.
“Thank you, Little Dad,” Zhuang Ai Yi said, his eyes sparkling as he handed a piece to Zhuang Mingxu. “Big Dad, you eat.”
“Dad doesn’t eat it. Ai Yi can eat it all, but you can’t drink the yogurt. It’s too cold and might upset your stomach. Let Grandpa Xi Shi warm it up for you later, okay?” Zhuang Mingxu explained, stuffing everything into a small bag that Xi Shi had sewn for Zhuang Ai Yi.
“Okay,” Zhuang Ai Yi said, unwrapping a candy and offering it to Lu Weiyi, “Little Dad, eat.”
Lu Weiyi was momentarily stunned. He wasn’t used to this kind of intimacy. The last time a child interacted with him like this was when Lu Xi was a child, which was more than a decade ago. He met Zhuang Ai Yi’s clear eyes and Zhuang Mingxu’s gentle smile.
Lu Weiyi bit his lip and leaned forward to take the candy. It was sweet, with a hint of milkiness, an indescribable sensation.
“Thank you, Ai Yi,” Lu Weiyi said, looking ahead.
“You’re welcome,” Zhuang Ai Yi replied happily, turning to give Zhuang Mingxu another candy before beginning to eat.
“The candy Ai Yi picked is really sweet,” Zhuang Mingxu praised.
“It’s the candy Little Dad picked,” Zhuang Ai Yi said, burying his head in Zhuang Mingxu’s chest, his face flushed as he smiled.
Lu Weiyi turned his head and glanced at the two of them, suddenly understanding why Zhuang Mingxu wanted a child that belonged to the two of them.
The connection and continuation of bloodlines—they were the witnesses of their most intimate bond.
After teasing Zhuang Ai Yi for a while, Zhuang Mingxu finally asked the question he had been wanting to ask but hadn’t had the chance to.
“Xiao Yi, have you thought about what to do with these people after we get to the base?”
“Antonio and Li Zhuang said they want to follow me. The others didn’t mention anything, so I don’t know where they’re going,” Lu Weiyi recalled what Antonio and Li Zhuang had said, unsure if it was true. “Xu Sa should also follow me, after all, he doesn’t have any other relatives or friends.”
“Have you considered forming a team of abilities users with them? When I left, the Qingyuan base was already forming teams centered around the major families. I heard from Ning Yuan that now, Li’s and Gu’s families are leading.”
Lu Weiyi shook his head. He had no clear goal. “Them?”
“Li Zhuang, Liu Rui, and Antonio are all strong abilities users, and now Gu Qingji also has abilities. There aren’t any weak links among the others, and they’ve all proven themselves along the way. The team’s strength and cooperation should be good,” Zhuang Mingxu explained.
“Right now, Wu Yue has a batch of supplies. If we don’t have a capable team to deter people, we might easily attract unwanted attention, especially if your space is too big. We don’t know if it’s leaked. If it does, it could cause suspicion. Without someone backing you, it could be a disaster for you.”
Zhuang Mingxu thought about these factors, but as soon as he mentioned it, Lu Weiyi realized there was more to consider. Not just his space, but also Dean’s abilities—his healing powers. In the last life, there were only three people at Qingyuan Base with healing abilities.
Zhuang Mingxu’s team had over a hundred people, and even then, there were still those who secretly targeted Dean. Now, they were practically sitting ducks.
“Alright,” Lu Weiyi agreed. “Antonio, Li Zhuang, and Xu Sa will probably follow me. Gu Qingyue and his brother have no relatives or friends, so it’s likely they’ll follow us too. As for Xiong Jie… He’s good with his hands, but with Xi Shi’s health problems, he’ll likely come with us. Should I talk to them about it when we get back?”
“No, let them bring it up themselves,” Zhuang Mingxu said casually, giving Lu Weiyi a few tips on how to make them voluntarily offer their assistance.
The heavy snow lasted for three days and nights. Lu Weiyi had driven around, clearing up the surrounding snow, and the accumulated snow took up a quarter of the space.
On the fourth morning, the snow stopped, and the temperature rapidly began to rise.
By the time they had breakfast, the snow in the courtyard had melted into little streams.
They quickly set off for the Qingyuan base, hoping to reach it before the mud made the road impassable.
By midday, the car, covered in mud and water, finally arrived at their destination.
After bidding farewell to Li Qing and the others, the group stood in front of the large gate with the words Qingyuan Safe Base written on it. They remained silent for quite a while.
Zhuang Mingxu exchanged a glance with Lu Weiyi, who immediately understood. He turned to Ning Yuan, who had a happy look on his face, and said, “Ning Yuan, ask if the entry fee to the base has increased and what they are accepting in exchange.”
“We already registered our names earlier. Although we can’t use our own, they can go straight in, right?” Ning Yuan said, taking out a card from his pocket. It was a temporary residence permit for the Qingyuan Base, clearly labeled with the names Liu Rui and Xu Sa…
“Why does that name look so familiar?” Xu Sa leaned in to take a closer look, but Ning Yuan quickly shoved it back into his pocket. “You’re mistaken.”
“We still shouldn’t use it. Let’s avoid having anyone connect Li Ji and his group’s deaths to us,” Zhuang Mingxu said cautiously. “We two have the base records, so we can enter. The others need to pay again.”
“Alright, then I’ll ask about the price,” Ning Yuan said carefully, stepping around the puddles as he walked toward the base gate.
Lu Weiyi turned to the others. “I’ll pay for your entry fees, and I’ll also provide additional supplies so that you can live in the base temporarily. Are there any places you want to go?”
“Dean and I are sticking with you, as long as you feed us,” Antonio said, putting his arm around Dean and speaking up first.
“Mm.” Dean nodded seriously and made a hugging gesture with both hands. “Hug… the leg,” which made everyone burst into laughter.
Li Zhuang, who had been leaning against the car smoking, flicked the ash off his cigarette, blew out a smoke ring, and through the swirling smoke, turned back to look at Lu Weiyi. His lips curled into a nonchalant smile. “Guess we’re relying on you to support us.”
Lu Weiyi gave an OK gesture and looked at the others.
I wish them the best, hope his legs get healed soon