Chapter 113: The Daughter of the Chieftain

Facing the two zombies, Yue Qi secretly applied two Wind-Riding Spells to his feet and swung his sword forward!

"He's too fast! At this rate, he's going to collide with them!" Xue Hong had been watching Yue Qi's every move. Seeing his incredible, almost supernatural speed, she was certain he was a master, not an ordinary person. Yet, she had not expected him to charge so recklessly at two zombies. Was he actually planning to take them both on in close combat?

Just as Xue Hong began to worry, Yue Qi suddenly leaped forward, executed a 180-degree mid-air flip, and slipped right between the two zombies. He then whipped his sword backward, sending two white streaks of sword energy whistling toward the creatures' heads!

"What?!" Xue Hong was stunned. These movements defied common logic; even if she could perform them under normal circumstances, she couldn't match that speed. She hadn't realized that the man she had accidentally encountered possessed such unfathomable strength.

It dawned on her that this man and the woman with him were clearly not from any village near Fengzhou. She had searched the surrounding areas extensively and found no survivors. Finding them here meant they must have traveled a great distance to reach this place.

In this apocalyptic world, a man and a woman daring to travel so recklessly? Xue Hong doubted even her own father could be this formidable, especially if they encountered the dreaded "Cultivator Zombies," which would surely mean certain death.

Observing Yue Qi, she noticed a shift in his technique. His movements weren't fluid; they were slightly stiff, as if he hadn't been wielding a sword for very long. This would never be the case for a peerless swordsman. Yet, since he could clearly project sword energy, he couldn't possibly be a novice.

"Could this be a sword style he created himself?" The more Xue Hong pondered, the more confused she became. He was undeniably powerful, but the sword style itself was questionable. It wasn't ineffective, but there was something strange about watching a grown man practice it—it looked like something meant for a woman.

"Could his master have been a woman?" She thought it over, and the possibility seemed increasingly likely.

If Yue Qi knew what Xue Hong was thinking, he would be shocked. Her deduction was slightly off, but surprisingly close to the truth. He had indeed learned this sword style from Bai Lian; it was a feminine style. However, what Xue Hong didn't know was that his teacher was his wife, not a master in the traditional sense.

The battle was drawing to a close. Yue Qi’s footwork was bizarre, but while it seemed strange to Xue Hong, Yue Qi knew it was merely a byproduct of his high speed, creating an illusory effect for onlookers.

"Alright, playtime is over!" Seeing the zombies covered in wounds, Yue Qi smiled. He unleashed one final wave of sword energy, then stepped back instead of pursuing.

"Is he going to use magic?" Qin Luo frowned. She knew using magic would end the fight faster, but doing so in front of a stranger could lead to unforeseen complications.

A moment later, she realized she was overthinking it. Yue Qi hadn't performed any hand signs, ruling out Tier 2 spells, and he hadn't used any Tier 1 spells throughout the fight, so she doubted he would start now.

"Here goes!" Yue Qi lunged again. In any other situation, Xue Hong would have deemed this a brainless attack, but coming from this swordsman, it seemed anything but ordinary.

Suddenly, while Xue Hong was distracted, Yue Qi’s left hand formed a seal. The movement was so subtle that his body blocked it from her view, but Qin Luo saw it clearly.

A thin layer of ice formed on Yue Qi’s left hand, and atop that ice, a faint ring of flame appeared. It was so thin that Qin Luo would have missed it if not for her spiritual sense.

He punched a wound on one of the zombies, and the "Ice-Fire Duality" surged into its body. The zombie was sent flying backward, landing on the ground. Even more bizarrely, it didn't try to rise; it lay curled up, trembling violently as if enduring excruciating agony.

"You go join it, too..." Yue Qi muttered, his sword flashing toward the other zombie’s temple.

The mutated zombie was fast; it tried to protect its vital point the moment it sensed danger, but it was too late. Yue Qi exerted a sudden burst of mental energy, causing the zombie to freeze in its tracks.

With a soft thud, the sword pierced the creature’s skull without resistance. As the second zombie fell, the first one, still writhing on the ground, finally stopped moving.

"That... it's dead?" Xue Hong couldn't believe her eyes. She couldn't understand how these two mutated zombies, which had driven her to the brink of death, had been slain so easily by this lone wolf.

It had all happened in the blink of an eye—what felt like a long ordeal had lasted no more than a few minutes.

Qin Luo, looking as carefree as ever, walked over to Yue Qi. Seeing he was uninjured, albeit a bit ruffled, she patted his shoulder. "Junior brother, you've made great progress."

Yue Qi wasn't sure if it was a compliment or a jab, so he just offered a bitter smile. But he wasn't the only one who could speak.

"You... you're his senior sister?" Initially, Xue Hong had assumed Qin Luo was just a pretty girl clinging to a strong man for protection. She hadn't expected her to be the senior of such a master, which implied her own strength was even greater.

"What? Is that a problem?" Qin Luo gave Xue Hong a curious look, suddenly remembering the stranger standing there. "Pardon my manners, I haven't asked your name. My junior brother and I escaped after a virus outbreak in our home, and we happened upon you!"

*So, they really aren't from around here,* Xue Hong thought. "My name is Xue Hong. I'm from the nearby city of Fengzhou. We have a camp there. My two companions and I were out searching for survivors today when we encountered these mutated zombies. My companions were weaker and were killed. As for the rest, you both saw it..."

"I see," Qin Luo said, enlightened. She glanced at Yue Qi, but he seemed lost in thought and didn't speak, leaving the conversation hanging.

In truth, the moment Xue Hong mentioned her companions were killed by zombies, Yue Qi had become suspicious. He had seen the two bodies, and they had clearly been half-eaten by the two zombies they just fought—they hadn't died in the heat of battle.

Though he didn't know why Xue Hong was lying, Yue Qi didn't press the matter. He only wanted to see if Bai Lian and the others had reached Fengzhou. If not, they would only stay for a few days before moving on.

"So, you have a camp in Fengzhou?" Yue Qi suddenly asked, startling Xue Hong.

"Yes, my father established the camp, and he currently manages it," she said, her face filled with pride.

"Your father?" Yue Qi was surprised. He hadn't expected to save the daughter of the leader of Fengzhou. But why would a leader's daughter be out in the wilderness searching for survivors? It seemed implausible.

Noticing his doubt, Xue Hong explained, "My martial arts skills are considered strong in the camp, but there are few truly skilled fighters. Besides, everyone is equal in the camp; there’s no need for special treatment."

Since she put it that way, it would be rude to argue, so Yue Qi remained silent, though he noticed Qin Luo seemed quite interested in Xue Hong.

The three chatted for a while. Yue Qi took charge of roasting some food. They had already learned that Fengzhou wasn't far; if they ate and set off, they would arrive before sunset.

"Are there many people in your camp?" Yue Qi handed a piece of roasted meat to Xue Hong and asked casually.

Xue Hong hesitated, wondering if she should eat it—what if they had ill intentions? But then she reasoned that with this man’s strength, he had no need for such petty tricks, so she ate it and replied, "It's not bad. We've gathered most of the survivors from nearby. It's not as populated as Fengzhou was, but at least half the original population is there."

"That's quite a lot," Yue Qi remarked. He calculated that Fengzhou must have had hundreds of thousands of people; a hundred thousand survivors wasn't surprising. The real question was how many of them were capable fighters.

"By the way," Yue Qi asked after a moment, "do large hordes of zombies often 'visit' your camp?"