CH 154

Chapter 154: Arriving safely

In the backseat of the Hummer, the bruised young man lowers his head to eat a mantou as large teardrops fall one by one from his eyes.

"Oi, can you not cry?" Long Zhanye glances at the rearview mirror and addresses the youngster. "Be careful not to choke. Escaping the clutches of a few undead only to choke to death on food is a rather embarrassing way to go."

"I…I don't wish to… But - but tears are falling against my will. Wuwu…when I think about my companions who sacrificed themselves to protect me, my tears just…wuwu…just keep falling…" Long Zhanye's words only serve to make him cry harder.

"Zhanye, don't provoke him anymore." Huo Zaiyuan sighs, removing a paper towel from his coat's outer pocket and hands it to the person in the backseat. "Dry your tears. A person cannot revive once they die. Since your companions exchanged their lives for your survival, then you must remember their sacrifice and live well."

"Un, thank you." Taking the offered napkin, the youth wipes his eyes before continuing to wolf down his food. It is not hard to tell that he is both tired and hungry. After finishing the mantou, he lifts his head to look at the two men in front. "Umm…can I possibly ask you a question?"

"Go ahead," Long Zhanye says.

"Have we met once before on 524 Huan Shan main street?" The young man inquires. "I was kidnapped by a bunch of gangsters and was rescued afterwards by someone…"

Hearing that, driver and passenger both exchange a mutual glance before turning as one to regard the bashful youngster. Beneath the purplish-blue bruises and scrapes, this person is pretty good-looking.

Huo Zaiyuan opens his mouth slowly. "I remember something like that, you were amongst them."

"Yes, yes. It really was you two. You guys saved me again. Thank you." A sincere gratefulness resounds in the youth's voice. "That's right, I haven't introduced myself. I am Cheng Mingcheng. Who are you?"

"I'm Long Zhanye, he is Zi Yuan."

"I'll be in your care." Cheng Mingcheng offers them a tired but bright grin.

"Likewise," Huo Zaiyuan replies curtly.

Besides this little incident of running into Cheng Mingcheng, the convoy enjoys an unobstructed passage from X City all the way to E City. Seeing E City from a distance, a few survivors are moved to tears.

E's safe zone is considered a safe place to rest. Now that the weather is colder, many survivors fell ill during this journey. However, the fact that there were no deaths can be considered a good fortune. With so many survivors gathered in the safe zone, the entire place bustles with activity. It is lucky that the squads in charge of escorting E City's residents have mostly already left for A City, or else there will be not enough room for everyone.

"Phew, so exhausted that I'm about to die…" Cooped up in a vehicle for nearly twenty days, even the most tolerant person would have found it unbearable. Upon entering his assigned room, Huo Zaiyuan can't resist throwing himself onto the soft, large bed.

"Staying in the car for so long in such cold conditions…best take a hot shower first before sleeping." Seeing him lazily sprawled over the mattress, Long Zhanye's mouth curves into an amused smile as he approaches the bed.

"Urgh…let me lie down for a little while…" Huo Zaiyuan murmurs as he rubs his cheek against the fluffy blanket and closes his eyes. Such adorable actions from someone normally so aloof and apathetic will make a person's heart flutter.

Long Zhanye is no exception. Lying down next to his little Yuan, the older man reaches out to caress a pale cheek, fingers leisurely moving downwards until they intertwine around the long strands and silky hair.

"Little Yuan, if you continue being like this, don't blame me for losing control and help you wash…" Leaning in, he kisses Huo Zaiyuan's ear.

~~~

"Wah — " (The tree spirit's wailing.)

Dragging a knitted top behind it, Liu Ying easily drifts over to the edge of the spring pool. Setting the clothes down, it sits beside the pool and stares at Huo Zaiyuan.

"Ai, Liu Ying…" Huo Zaiyuan surfaces from the pool and drifts over to the edge, gazing thoughtfully at the little sword spirit. "You…knew my ancestor…Huo Tianji for so long…umm…did he have anyone he liked?"

Hearing Huo Zaiyuan's question, Liu Ying's eyes widen and that chubby, adorable face abruptly falls.

Feeling rather bad due to putting that look on Liu Ying's face, Huo Zaiyuan struggles for a while before his curiosity wins. Leaning in, he asks, "He…he really has someone he liked?"

The little sword spirit closes its eyes, heaving a small sigh before nodding.

"Ah…it's true. He really did. What kind of person were they?" The youth's eyes sparkle inquisitively.

The babyish face becomes depressed once again, and even that shining white hair seems to droop. In a flash, the sword spirit morphs into a small, fire-breathing dragon[2].

"Arrgghh…grrr…! (That bastard. That super ultra bastard! Don't let me see him again or else I will hack him to death! Roar!)"

Body still dripping with water, clothes in disarray and damp hair clinging to his moist skin, Huo Zaiyuan resembles a drenched chicken.

Walking out of the bathroom, the first thing Long Zhanye sees is Huo Zaiyuan standing dazedly in the middle of the room in this sorry state.

"What happened to you?" He blinks in slight bewilderment before hurrying over to the youth's side, using the towel draped over his shoulder to dry Huo Zaiyuan's long, damp hair.

"Eh…oh, nothing. I asked Liu Ying a question that I shouldn't have, causing it to explode in rage," Huo Zaiyuan murmurs in reply as he enjoys Long Zhanye's gentle touch. His body subconsciously leans towards the soldier before a whiff of fragrant aroma makes him inhale deeply a couple of times. "Zhanye, you smell nice. Did you spray perfume?"

Long Zhanye smiles indulgingly as Huo Zaiyuan continues sniffing his body like a puppy. "Silly, I'm not a woman. What kind of perfume would I spray? Besides, it's the apocalypse now… Also, I just took a cold shower and didn't even use body foam. How would I smell nice? On the contrary, it's little Yuan who smells really fragrant…" Saying this, he ducks his head and kisses Huo Zaiyuan's neck.

"I - I also didn't use any body wash or perfume." Blushing, he shoves Long Zhanye away lightly.

"I know." Pulling the red-faced man back into his arms, he buries his nose in Huo Zaiyuan's hair. "Little Yuan…"

"Hmm?"

"Your cultivation…when will you reach the highest level?" Resting his chin on his lover's slender shoulder, Long Zhanye can't help the moping expression that surfaces.

"Eh? Why…I am only at the sixth level. What's up?" Turning his head slightly to look at Long Zhanye, Huo Zaiyuan asks, puzzled by this abrupt question.

Long Zhanye seldom ask him questions pertaining to his cultivation, so what made him inquire about it all of a sudden?

"Ah…I don't know why but I always feel that once you break through to the last level, we can…" Long Zhanye trails off uncertainly even as his expression remains deadly serious.

"We can do what?" Eyebrows rising, the puzzled look doesn't disappear.

What exactly is he trying to say? This silly person…

"We can finally make l –"

Footnotes:

[1] He's the youth who interacted with HZY + LZY after their fight with Mad Dog all those chapters back. One of the prisoners kept in the container of the truck.

[2] Chinese dragon. Something like this: