Chapter Ten: The Rescue

The house in the courtyard was separated from the zombies outside by only a single wall, so it was no wonder the survivors inside were under immense psychological pressure. At every moment, they could hear the terrifying howls of the undead, and even stepping out for a breath of fresh air meant seeing the corpses of the fallen monsters lying in the yard.

Yue Qi did not recklessly burst into the house. Instead, he stood quietly at the doorway, secretly listening to the conversation inside.

“Hmph, even if your seventh brother comes, what difference does it make? There’s not enough food here for more than twenty people. By the time he arrives, we’ll likely have starved to death. And even if we haven’t, those things are right outside—do you really think we could rest easy?” a man’s voice said bluntly. Yue Qi frowned at this, but he could not deny the logic in those words.

From their conversation, Yue Qi learned that there were now more than twenty survivors. Unless something unexpected had happened, his family should still be safe.

“So what do you suggest? We can’t just sit here and wait for death. Even if Seventh Brother doesn’t come, we need to try and save ourselves! The Qinghe Sword Sect isn’t close by; even if those immortals get word, it will take time,” came another voice, weaker, but familiar. Yue Qi’s heart leapt—if he wasn’t mistaken, that was his third brother.

“Save ourselves? How? Even if we somehow get past all those zombies outside, do you expect us to risk our lives just so your decrepit parents can benefit? They’re both seriously injured. I don’t know what stroke of luck your family had, but not a single one of you mutated,” the first man, whose name Yue Qi soon learned was Yue Lei, said with undisguised malice.

“What? Father and mother are injured?!” Yue Qi’s heart clenched, and he was about to rush in, but reason restrained him. He forced himself to stay at the door and keep listening.

“You! Yue Lei! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!” A deep, robust voice cut through the tension—it had to be Yue Qi’s second brother.

“Hmph…” Yue Lei seemed to fear the second son of the Yue family and dared not offer a retort, only grunting coldly.

“All right, that’s enough! Everyone, quiet down and let’s hear what the manor lord has to say,” an elderly voice interjected. Yue Qi thought it sounded familiar, though he could not recall to whom it belonged. In any case, it seemed the manor lord was still alive, which was good news; at least the remaining members of Yue Manor would not scatter to the winds just yet.

“Sigh, we are all people of Yue Manor. No matter what disagreements we had before, now is the time to unite as one!” Though the manor lord’s voice sounded weak, it was still firm. “Second Brother, don’t worry. Though your parents are injured, they weren’t bitten by those things—that’s a blessing. If there’s any way to save them, we’ll do everything we can.”

Second Brother nodded silently. When disaster struck, their father had fought desperately, killing a zombie to save Third Brother, but twisted his ankle while fleeing. Their mother, carrying their father back, was struck on the head amid the chaos and lost consciousness. Had Second and Third Brothers not carried their parents home, the consequences would have been dire.

“There’s enough food for three or four more days. Here’s what we’ll do: if your Seventh Brother hasn’t returned in three days, we’ll have to venture out and search for supplies ourselves. I imagine the other households have some stores left,” the manor lord decided.

“But, master, what if some scoundrels are hoarding food for themselves? What can we do about that?” Yue Lei interjected again.

“Who are you calling a scoundrel?!” Second Brother shot to his feet, ready to fight.

“I said nothing—those who are guilty know who they are. I’m just saying, master, that we need to take precautions. If someone finds enough food and doesn’t come back, that would be a problem,” Yue Lei replied, clearly targeting Second Brother, but his words were not unreasonable.

“Don’t worry. I’ll stay here to look after the children’s mother. These rascals will come back for us!” said the father with a hearty laugh, trying to ease the tension.

“Hmm…” The manor lord paused, then spoke. “Very well, we’ll do it this way. I have several trustworthy men here. They can lead each group when we go out—how does that sound?” Seeing no objections, the manor lord nodded and closed his eyes to rest.

Yue Lei, seeing his provocations were ineffective, shot a glare at Second Brother and then subtly edged away, as if trying to avoid something.

Having listened from outside, Yue Qi now understood the composition of the remaining survivors: apart from his own family, there were the manor lord’s kin and some subordinates, and a few others whose relatives had all turned into zombies, leaving them alone.

He knocked softly on the door.

“Who’s there? Could it be those things? Why would there be knocking?” someone exclaimed from within, making Yue Qi nearly laugh aloud.

“If it were one of those things, would it knock? It would have broken in by now! Go open the door—maybe there’s another survivor out there!” the manor lord said, frowning at the speaker.

The door remained closed for some time, as if everyone inside had vanished. Yue Qi found this odd—were they really so afraid that they were hiding from zombies even now?

He raised his hand to knock again, but just as he was about to touch the red-lacquered wooden door, it creaked open.

“Second Brother!” The one who opened the door was none other than Second Brother himself. The others had hesitated, but Second Brother, with a look of disdain, had picked up a hatchet and was about to open the door when a pale figure leapt into his arms.

“Ah?! Seventh... Seventh Brother?” Second Brother had been ready to swing his blade, but the moment the figure spoke, he let his hands fall slack.

“What? Seventh Brother?!” The others in the house finally realized who it was, with Third and Sixth Siblings rushing forward.

“Is that really Yue Qi?”

“Yes, the cultivators have come to save us! We’re saved!”

Yue Qi hugged his sixth sister and third brother in turn, then signaled them with a glance that they should speak inside. Born of the same parents, they understood immediately. Though full of questions, they followed Yue Qi into the house.

Inside, the scene was worse than he’d imagined. Many people, not just his parents, were injured or traumatized.

“Ah! Qi, you’re back!” His father, overjoyed, tried to rise but had to sit back down, unable to move because of his injury.

“Father!” Seeing his father safe, Yue Qi nearly burst into tears. He had almost lost hope, never imagining he would see his family again.

“Ha ha, Qi, you’re all right, that’s all that matters!” His father tried to pat his shoulder but, unable to move well, withdrew his hand halfway, beads of sweat forming on his brow.

“Father, are you all right?” Yue Qi’s heart tightened. He had heard his father was injured, but had not expected the injury to be so serious.

“I’m fine, truly. But your eldest sister and fifth brother…” His father’s eyes dimmed, turning red.

“What? Eldest Sister and Fifth Brother?” Yue Qi looked around—sure enough, aside from Second Brother, Third Brother, Fourth Sister, and Sixth Sister, they were missing.

“Qi, don’t worry. Maybe they just got separated from us and are still somewhere in the manor…” His father’s eyes were red as he spoke, but even he didn’t believe his own words.

“Don’t worry, Father! As long as they’re alive, I’ll search every inch of Yue Manor until I find them!” Tears streamed down Yue Qi’s cheeks. The loss of his eldest sister and fifth brother struck him hard, especially his sister, who had always protected him since childhood.

Father nodded, then glanced at his wife lying on the ground, worry in his eyes.

Yue Qi had already noticed his mother. He didn’t know exactly how she’d been hurt, but she seemed unconscious—either from fright or from a blow to the head.

“Father, please step aside. Let me try to heal Mother.” Yue Qi helped his father to one side and asked Second Brother for details. As he’d guessed, Mother had been struck on the head.

Yue Qi was no healer, but among the five spiritual elements, the Water Spirit could be used for healing—a technique called Soothing Waters. Usually, it worked only on external wounds, and he wasn’t sure it would help with a head injury.

He could only try. Normally, he could only use basic spells, but after recent practice and having studied the incantation for Soothing Waters, he decided to attempt it.

The process was arduous. Yue Qi spent half his spiritual energy to complete the spell, but the result was not as he’d hoped—his mother did not wake.

“Qi, don’t worry. Perhaps it will just take time,” his father comforted him, seeing his despondent look. The fact that his son could use even the spells of the immortals was already a source of pride for him.

Yue Qi shook his head, took a deep breath, and said firmly to his father, “Don’t worry, I will get us out of here!”