Chapter 37: Embarrassment

When Mo Yu returned, she brought him a set of brand-new clothes and a bath towel. After drying him off, she blushed and asked him to shrink himself.

Qing Xuan shuffled his left foot over his right, bashfully hesitating and refusing to act.

Mo Yu looked at him questioningly, and he muttered under his breath.

“It’s not... done yet...”

Mo Yu narrowed her eyes, making sure she wouldn’t see anything inappropriate, and cautiously leaned in.

“The part between my legs hasn’t been wiped yet…”

With a loud smack, Mo Yu, infuriated, threw the towel right in the face of the shameless fellow.

Then, head steaming, she stormed out.

Qing Xuan realized he was in trouble and hurriedly dressed, chasing after her.

Outside, Mo Yu covered her flushed face with both hands, trying to cool down, when she saw a small figure running toward her.

She studied him carefully and soon noticed something was off.

Qing Xuan seemed to have grown a year or two older! He was noticeably taller, and the clothes now looked tight on him.

Qing Xuan appeared completely oblivious.

The two stood there, eye to eye, saying nothing, letting time flow in silence.

Just as the awkwardness peaked (for Mo Yu at least, who thought harboring ambiguous feelings for a child was courting disaster), she decided to return to the inn. Qing Xuan, eager for any advantage, had no objections, though he would rather not see that man named Cheng again.

Mo Yu found the space comfortable, but since no one saw her enter it, she figured Ling Zi and the others might be worried. She believed, no matter how good the space was, it couldn’t be her lifelong home.

Humans are social creatures. Even company with zombies is better than being alone. Otherwise, one would go mad.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The two reappeared at the corner where they had arrived. The ground was littered with severed limbs, likely left behind by unfortunate souls who met their end after Mo Yu and Qing Xuan had gone.

But what startled Mo Yu wasn’t that; it was that now, deep into the night, nearly midnight, the sky was utterly dark, not a glimmer in sight, and a torrential rain was pouring down.

Thunder rumbled. Mo Yu shrank her neck and bent low, holding Qing Xuan close, scanning ahead for any sign of danger.

Walking was treacherous in the rain, especially a storm. Every step seemed to slide back two, wind roaring and rain pelting her body and face, making her uncomfortable. They had to constantly avoid prowling zombies.

Due to Qing Xuan’s age and height, it was no longer appropriate for Mo Yu to carry him. She handed him a long knife she’d scavenged from her space. The blade was about fifty centimeters, but heavy enough to challenge Mo Yu, yet in Qing Xuan’s hands, it seemed weightless.

Mo Yu instructed him to stay close behind her as she gripped her silenced pistol, leading the way.

The rain stung painfully as it struck, and lightning intermittently flooded the world in stark, ghostly white, as if they were trapped in a horror film’s negative. Even the thunder shook their ears.

Another blinding flash. Mo Yu froze, staring at a zombie mere steps away. She could see its ruined face, its rolling white eyes, hear its low growl, and the frantic pounding of her own heart.

Mo Yu felt she was staring into the Abyssal Hell—not even hell could rival the horror before her.

The white light faded swiftly, plunging everything back into darkness. Mo Yu waited for death to claim her.

Time seemed to slow to a standstill.

Until another flash of lightning came.

She saw Qing Xuan’s small form blocking her, the zombie’s head already rolling far away.

Mo Yu pressed her hand to her mouth and slid down against the wall, fighting the urge to scream and cry.

Thunder boomed again. A warm, familiar little hand gently pulled her up and held hers tightly.

It felt like encouragement, like a transfer of strength.

At last, Mo Yu’s frenzied heart began to settle.

Now Qing Xuan took the lead, his silhouette resembling a wolf fiercely guarding its beloved mate.

Wait—how odd did that sound?

Mo Yu shook her head, banishing the bizarre thought, and focused more intently on her surroundings.

She mused—she could have shot the careless zombie herself, so why had she faltered? Lost her nerve? She was far too unprepared! Dropped the ball at a critical moment! What a disgrace for someone reborn!