Chapter 166: Separated by the Flood
Lu Weiyi took out dry clothes and some medicine from his space. Lu Xi and Xi Shi helped each other apply ointment to their bruises, changed clothes, and took some cold medicine as a preventive measure before finally breathing a sigh of relief.
“Brother Shi, lie down on the bed and rest for a bit,” Lu Xi said. Being a power user and still young, he didn’t look too bad, but Xi Shi looked completely drained.
“Alright,” Xi Shi nodded, glancing worriedly out the window. “I wonder when they’ll manage to get word back.”
Xiong Jie had seen him fall. Xi Shi was a bit worried about him.
“Li Zhuang saw me go to save someone, it should be fine,” Lu Weiyi said—though even he wasn’t sure, he still tried to comfort him.
“Don’t worry. Just rest for a while. We’ll head back soon,” Lu Xi said.
There wasn’t much else they could do at the moment, so Xi Shi nodded and lay down on the bed.
“Ai Yi? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?” Lu Xi asked, worried about the still-silent Zhuang Ai Yi.
Zhuang Ai Yi shook his head, still clinging to Lu Weiyi’s neck, unwilling to let go.
“Weiyi, did you bring a gas canister? Do you have ginger?” Xi Shi asked.
“Yes,” Lu Weiyi replied. Most of their supplies were still in his spatial storage.
“Take them out. I’ll make some ginger soup. Everyone should drink a bit. We’ve been soaked and tossed around in this weather—if the cold gets in, we’ll definitely fall sick,” Xi Shi said, getting ready to get up.
Lu Xi quickly stopped him. “I’ll do it. I know how. You just chop the ginger and boil it in water, right? Easy. You should rest a bit. If Brother Xiong sees your pale face, he’ll probably think I bullied you.”
Xi Shi smiled and lay back down.
Lu Xi squinted as he chopped two large pieces of ginger. Meanwhile, Lu Weiyi took out a few mutated peaches from his space and handed one to Xi Shi, bringing another to Zhuang Ai Yi’s mouth. “Eat some mutated fruit. They contain trace amounts of energy—good for your body.”
Zhuang Ai Yi shrank away, burying his face in Lu Weiyi’s chest.
“Just eat one, okay?” Lu Weiyi had never coaxed a child before. Though he had grown closer to Zhuang Ai Yi over the past few months, there was still a small emotional distance between them.
Zhuang Ai Yi had always been well-behaved in front of him. This was the first time he was showing any kind of childish petulance.
Lu Weiyi found it strange, but mostly he felt heartache. The little one was a soft bundle in his arms, clinging tightly to him as if he were his only support. His face, which had finally regained a bit of color, now looked pale again, softening Lu Weiyi’s voice.
Zhuang Ai Yi hesitated for a moment, then slowly raised his head and took a reluctant bite from Lu Weiyi’s hand.
“Good boy. We’ll go find Daddy soon,” Lu Weiyi said, sitting Zhuang Ai Yi on his lap. Seeing him eat gave him a bit of relief, and he coaxed him gently. But after just a few bites, Zhuang Ai Yi coughed and then started vomiting all over the place.
Lu Weiyi panicked immediately, holding the boy in his arms, unsure what to do. It was Xi Shi who got off the bed and bent Zhuang Ai Yi forward, gently patting his back to help him vomit more comfortably.
“What… What’s happening?”
“It’s okay, it’s okay. It’s normal for kids to throw up when they’re not feeling well,” Xi Shi reassured quickly. As the only “adult” in the room, he knew Lu Weiyi, barely in his twenties himself, had been overly sheltered by Zhuang Mingxu in his past life. Despite his experiences, his first instinct when overwhelmed was still to look for someone older to rely on.
Lu Xi handed over a warm cup of water for Zhuang Ai Yi to rinse his mouth and quickly cleaned up the vomit, looking at the child with concern.
A small child, raised without parents around, was already timid by nature. Even though he was clearly sick, aside from a few instinctive tears during vomiting, he didn’t shed a single tear afterward—something that made Lu Xi’s heart ache.
After vomiting three times, Zhuang Ai Yi started to burn with fever and grew lethargic, which left the three inexperienced young men frantic.
“Xiao Xi, go find a doctor,” Lu Weiyi suddenly remembered that Zhuang Ai Yi was the result of double sperm fertilization and had always been in poor health. He became increasingly anxious.
Lu Xi opened the door and shouted for help. Lin Mo arrived quickly. When he heard the child was sick, he frowned and immediately sent someone to call the military doctor. He said to them, “We only have military doctors here. Most are surgeons, but we’ll let him take a look first.”
“Alright,” Lu Xi replied, pointing to the pot nearby. “I just finished boiling ginger soup. Distribute it so everyone can have a bowl to warm up.”
“Thanks,” Lin Mo said, and had someone carry the pot away.
Soon, a man with glasses and a scholarly appearance came in, carrying a medical kit and walking briskly. “Lin Mo, who’s hurt?” he asked as soon as he entered.
“Sun Cheng, this child isn’t feeling well, and we don’t have a proper pediatrician. Can you take a look?” Lin Mo said as he stepped aside to let him through.
“The child suddenly started vomiting and has a fever. He’s already a bit out of it now,” Xi Shi explained. He wasn’t feeling well himself, but compared to the child, he could endure it better. Especially seeing Lu Weiyi so flustered, he knew he couldn’t rest either.
Sun Cheng raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. He stepped forward and gave Zhuang Ai Yi a brief check-up. After asking a few questions, he said, “He’s probably just scared. Give him some fever medicine first. He’s been drenched in the rain and swept through the water—some cold medicine for prevention would be good too.” As he spoke, he opened the medical kit and looked inside, clicking his tongue.
“Doctor, what is it? Are you missing something?” Lu Xi asked.
“I only have medicine for adults here, nothing for fever or colds that’s safe for children…”
“I have medicine. Just tell me the names,” Lu Weiyi said.
Sun Cheng listed a few child-appropriate medicines. Lu Weiyi used his mental energy to sort through his space-stored medicine cabinet and soon took out a bunch of children’s medicine.
Sun Cheng was briefly surprised but didn’t show much expression. He flipped through them and picked out a few types. “Give these to him for now and monitor his condition.”
“When the child wakes up, feed him something warm—like rice porridge or rice cereal. Avoid anything raw or cold,” Sun Cheng added. He glanced around at the room full of men and asked, “Where’s the child’s mother? You guys are all men—taking care of a child like this, you’re bound to miss things. It’d be best to find a woman to help.”
“Mm,” Lu Weiyi responded.
“Alright, give him the medicine first. If anything comes up, call me,” Sun Cheng said.
“Got it. Thank you so much,” Lu Xi expressed his gratitude and walked him to the door. Just as they reached it, Sun Cheng turned back and looked at Xi Shi. “You’ve got a fever too, don’t you? Take some medicine as well. In times like these, even a minor illness can turn deadly.”
Lu Xi turned to look and saw Xi Shi’s cheeks were flushed and his expression looked bad. He reached out to touch his forehead—it was indeed hot.
Lu Weiyi fetched fever and cold medicine for Xi Shi too. Adults could take medicine easily, but it was far harder for the child. Especially since Zhuang Ai Yi was still unconscious, and they couldn’t wake him up. No matter what they tried, they couldn’t get the medicine down his throat. All the men ended up drenched in sweat from the effort.
“Xiao Xi, can you drive the motorboat? Brother Xi needs rest. We can’t manage everything on our own—go bring a few people to help,” Lu Weiyi said. Xi Shi was clearly holding on by sheer will, and without Zhuang Mingxu there, Weiyi felt unanchored—especially in the unfamiliar role of caring for a child.
“…I’ll ask Brother Liu to arrange for someone to take me,” Lu Xi said. He then asked Weiyi for some millet. “I’ll get porridge started. That way, when Aiyi wakes up hungry, it’ll be ready. Xi-ge, you rest too. I’ll bring people back as quickly as I can.”
“Alright. Be careful. If it’s too dangerous, don’t force it,” Xi Shi said.
“Got it,” Lu Xi replied.
*
Silence.
On the rooftop of Longmen Villa, aside from the pattering rain, there was no other sound.
A dozen or so men were either standing or sitting, their eyes all fixed in the direction the floodwaters had flowed. As time passed, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.
“I’m going to look for Xi Shi,” Xiong Jie finally said, now calm. He called out to the men guarding nearby.
“But… where would you even look?” Xu Sa couldn’t even say “just wait a bit longer” anymore—it had been too long.
“I’ll follow the water. I’ll find him, somehow…” Xiong Jie looked dazed as he spoke. He glanced around and muttered, “I need something that can float on water…”
Zhuang Mingxu opened his mouth, wanting to say “I’ll go too,” but when he looked at his paralyzed legs, he couldn’t utter a single word.
At that moment, he deeply regretted not treating his legs sooner. Potatoes could’ve been left with someone else to care for—only his legs were truly his own. For the first time, he realized he might’ve lost his sense of priorities.
Sensing the helplessness on Zhuang Mingxu’s face, Ning Yuan stepped up. “I’ll go with you,” he said, then turned toward the rushing water and activated his power. A proper-looking ice boat formed on the surface.
Xiong Jie’s eyes lit up, and he jumped on immediately. The ice boat wobbled but stabilized under Ning Yuan’s control.
“I’m coming too. When your powers run low, I can help hold things together,” Gu Qingyue said.
“I’ll come too,” Gu Qingji added.
“I…”
“Just the four of us,” Ning Yuan interrupted others who wanted to join. “The more people we take, the more energy it’ll cost.” He wiped rain off his face and said to Zhuang Mingxu, “Mingxu, go wait at home. I will bring them back.”
Zhuang Mingxu looked up at Ning Yuan, his eyes instantly reddening. His partner and child were missing, and he was powerless. That kind of torment, with no outlet for relief, was unbearable.
Ning Yuan’s words made all that emotion surge uncontrollably. He reached out and heavily patted Ning Yuan’s shoulder. “I’m counting on you.”
“Mm. Don’t stay out in the rain—go back inside,” Ning Yuan said to the others, then prepared to set out.
“You guys…” Li Zhuang spoke up. “Did you think about how you’re going to get back?”
The four of them looked at each other in stunned silence. The ice boat could carry them away—but it had no way of going against the current to return.
“Then we just won’t come back,” Xiong Jie snapped, nearly unhinged. Seeing the others hesitate, he said, “I’ll go alone.”
