When night falls, the zombies either concealing themselves in dimmer places or openly wandering the small town start to become more active. Everywhere is filled with the sound of constant shuffling, endless low growling and howlings rumbling deep in throats, the noises mixing together in a bone-chilling chorus.
A single lit candle sits in the middle of the house, dim candlelight enough to chase away a bit of darkness but not enough to attract the eyes of the undead. Using the pile of firewood sitting in the kitchen, Huo Zaiyuan manages to whip up a delicious dinner for everyone, allowing them to shower and rest on a satisfied stomach.
Travelling for a number of days by car, each of them is seriously exhausted even if they did catch some shut-eye inside the vehicle. After coming out from the bathroom, Li Qing drags Qin Jun to look for a suitable bedroom to sleep in.
"Don't forget to wake me up so I can take the second shift." Li Qing says before closing the bedroom door behind him.
Very quickly, silence settles in the house. When Long Zhanye finishes showering and walks out, the first thing he sees is Huo Zaiyuan sitting cross-legged on the sofa, preparing to meditate.
"Why don't you go into the room to meditate?" He questions as he settles down beside the younger man and flashes a smile. He volunteered to take the first watch so that the others can rest sooner.
"Keeping you company."
"I'm touched." The smile comes back on his face, this time much brighter as he reaches over to rub Huo Zaiyuan's head. "Your body hasn't recuperated fully. Be good and enter your space to meditate. Tomorrow, older brother will give you a lollipop."
He hasn't forgotten the kid fainted from spiritual energy exhaustion again not long ago. Although he has regained consciousness but his body has not completely recovered yet. Also, Long Zhanye feels that if Huo Zaiyuan enters his space to meditate, the results will be many times better than if he mediates outside.
"I'm not a child. Don't try persuading me with lollipops." Huo Zaiyuan scoffs and flicks his hand, causing a bag of melon seeds and a few fruits to appear before stuffing them all into Long Zhanye's arms. Only after that does Huo Zaiyuan disappear into his space.
Shifting his gaze from the youth who disappeared to the food in his arms, Long Zhanye blinks, then tosses his head back and laughs heartily.
Aiyo...goodness...this kid is honestly too adorable!
In his space, Huo Zaiyuan fumes silently with an extremely red face, not knowing if it is due to anger or shyness. Standing in the bamboo house for a while, he walks out towards the plantation and finds that most of the fruits and vegetables he planted have already grown. The scenery of various shades of green crops and multiple of colours scattered across the field makes a beautiful sight. The smell of sweet corn fills his nose, little red cherry tomatoes cutely peeking out between green leaves. Picking up a basket, he walks between the crops, taking a few Chinese cabbages, corn and cherry tomatoes in preparation for bringing them out tomorrow and share with the others.
Carrying the basket back to the bamboo house, he sets it down and lifts his head, only to gasp in surprise when he sees the Holy Nine Dragon Spring Pool. The water level of the pool has reduced so much that it only reaches halfway.
It seems that when he was creating the seal around the poisonous swamp, he actually used up half the water in the pool. No wonder he exhausted nearly all of his spiritual energy.
From the looks of it, he really needs to put more effort into cultivating, or else when they face more poisonous swamps in the future, his little life will be in danger.
Returning to the house, Huo Zaiyuan sits on the bed, absorbing the potent natural energy flowing around him with every breath, refining it into inner spiritual energy. Slowly, he can feel his body recuperating. Guiding his inner energy to circulate through his entire body, he then directs it into his meridian before exiting it again. After a few rounds, Huo Zaiyuan opens his mouth and exhales a lungful of dirtied air.
'Youngster, you've finally come. This elderly has been waiting for you for so long.'
Suddenly, an old voice echoes in his mind, causing Huo Zaiyuan's heart to jerk in alarm. Sensing nothing is off with the current of warm energy still flowing through his body, he forces himself to calm down and respond to the voice.
'Who are you? Why were you waiting for me?"
'This elderly is an old shaman in Y town's fringe village. I've been waiting for you, esteemed Taoist, to arrive before I extended my consciousness towards you to seek help.'
'Seek help? What kind of help?' Huo Zaiyuan never expected the other party will use this kind of method to ask for help.
'Seeking help to rescue the trapped villagers.' The old voice beseeches in a voice that can move even a black-hearted person, let alone Huo Zaiyuan.
'Where are they trapped?'
'There is a small ancestral shrine in the village, and it is surrounded by monsters. After you, esteemed Taoist, have saved the villagers, this elderly will definitely repay you generously...'
After her voice fades, Huo Zaiyuan tries reaching out mentally to inquire more about the situation but receives no answer.
When his eyes open, it is already early the next morning. His entire body feels extremely light and comfortable, and his inner energy is overflowing once more.