Zuo Xiong, seeing that Zhu Xianhou had settled everything, nodded and didn't say much more. However, he couldn't help but mutter to Zhu Xianhou, "See, spending half the day moving those zombie corpses was pointless. I told you, just throw them here and make those two kids suffer a bit, but you didn't agree. Now look, we did it all for nothing! Made everyone work so hard for no reason!
Now, thanks to them, we got hurt and have to explain ourselves to the convoy. No matter how we explain, our people might start doubting our strength. Sigh!"
Zhu Xianhou's face darkened at his words. How could he have known those young men would be so difficult? He had hoped to win them over with goodwill, but they completely rejected it, leaving him to bear all the blame.
However, he was smart enough to know that now wasn't the best time to argue with Zuo Xiong. Given the situation, Zuo Xiong would likely hold some resentment against him.
If he kept dwelling on it, it might trigger more conflicts. So, he simply glanced at Zuo Xiong and said nothing, turning back to their resting area.
Seeing Zhu Xianhou's reaction, Zuo Xiong felt a bit smug. Usually, he followed Zhu Xianhou's lead, as Zhu Xianhou was better at strategizing.
But now, his earlier suggestion had proven to be more suitable. Despite the embarrassment they faced, Zhu Xianhou was clearly more injured, and he felt he had regained some face. His bad mood lifted a bit, and he followed Zhu Xianhou to rest, grinning widely.
Meanwhile, Park Su, who had been observing the situation from the door, felt disappointed with their choice. He had seen Xu Nuo setting up formations in the yard the day before.
Park Su had only seen Xu Nuo's formations once before, but their effectiveness had left a deep impression on him, making him eager to see more. He had thought that Zuo Xiong's impulsive nature would lead him to charge into the yard and trigger Xu Nuo's formations, giving him a good show. But Zhu Xianhou had ruined it all, leaving Park Su to sigh in disappointment.
Just as he sighed, he heard Xu Nuo's cold voice from behind, "What, haven't you seen enough?"
Park Su turned, sensing Xu Nuo's anger, and saw his gloomy expression. He couldn't help but shrink back a bit, "Well, with you around, I don't need to handle anything. I just watch the show. But don't worry, if you need me to step up, I won't hesitate."
Though he said this, inwardly he was thinking, Of course, I haven't seen enough. I missed the formation show! But outwardly, he maintained a respectful demeanor.
Xu Nuo used to be quite receptive to Park Su's antics, but now he was furious, not buying it at all. Seeing Park Su's clueless expression only made him angrier.
He grabbed Park Su and pulled him in front of him, his face cold. "You still want to charge forward? Even if you're just watching, you need to be aware of your situation. If his knife had gone a bit deeper, would you still be standing here with that smug look on your face? Charge forward? Are you out of your mind? I'm regretting agreeing to teach you Taoist techniques because you might not live long enough to learn them. What a waste of time!"
Park Su hadn't expected Xu Nuo's anger to stem from concern for him. Xu Nuo was voicing his deepest fears, yet Park Su felt a strange warmth instead of sadness. He quickly explained, "I wouldn't have let him get the chance to hurt me.
Green Ivy was always on his wrist. I didn't sense any killing intent from him, so I wanted to see what he would do. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gotten close enough to touch me without getting cut by Green Ivy.
If he hadn't withdrawn the knife, it wouldn't have been my neck getting cut but his wrist. I wasn't putting myself in danger. I promised not to drag you down, so how could I be careless?"
Xu Nuo's expression softened slightly, but his tone remained stern. "If you were prepared, you should have cut his wrist the moment he touched you. Watching the show? What if he suddenly decided to kill you? Are you brainless? If he had changed his mind, you wouldn't have had time to react. Do you want to lose your life?"
Park Su nodded quickly. "It won't happen again. Next time, I'll deal with him before he makes a move. I trusted you completely, knowing you wouldn't let him hurt me, right?"
Xu Nuo, finally appeased by Park Su's promise and flattery, left him with a stern warning, "I can't always protect you. You need to rely on yourself. Otherwise, why did you beg me to teach you Taoist techniques? Remember, there won't be a next time!"
Park Su, sensing Xu Nuo's anger had subsided, breathed a sigh of relief. Xu Nuo's earlier outburst had been terrifying. He quickly nodded in agreement.
Xu Nuo handed him a talisman and said, "They're gone. You don't need to worry about the situation outside. Lock the door and put up the talisman. I'm going upstairs to rest."
Park Su eagerly took the talisman and went to lock the door. Having been busy with the convoy's issues, he realized he was quite hungry, having missed three meals. With some time on his hands, he decided to cook a nice meal to celebrate his breakthrough and perhaps please Xu Nuo.
Maybe if Xu Nuo was in a good mood, he'd explain the formations he had set up in the yard. Although he was unsure how to deal with the blood intentionally thrown into the yard, Xu Nuo's calm demeanor reassured him. He decided to focus on cooking instead.
Seeing the dishes on the table, Xu Nuo understood Park Su's intentions but merely raised an eyebrow without commenting. He had said all he needed to. If Park Su repeated his mistakes, Xu Nuo would ensure he learned a harsh lesson. For now, he let it slide, considering it a first offense, and not because of the lavish dinner.
After dinner, Park Su packed a meal for Chen Jingxuan, who was caring for his mother.
Chen Jingxuan had heard the commotion outside, though he didn't know what had happened. He could tell there had been some conflict.
But this didn't stop him from continuing to care for his mother. He didn't even worry about what was happening outside since Xu Nuo and Park Su had told him to just focus on his mother and not worry about anything else.
He trusted those two completely, so as long as he didn't cause any trouble for them and give them an excuse to abandon him and his mother, he was content. Before heading upstairs, Xu Nuo checked on Lǚ Xia again. She was still burning with fever and unconscious, so he told Chen Jingxuan not to sleep in the same room as his mother that night. After all, no one could predict if she might turn into a zombie and attack him in his sleep.
Chen Jingxuan, though worried and reluctant to leave his mother's side, knew that Xu Nuo and Park Su were acting in his best interest. He tearfully nodded and clung to his mother's hand, reluctant to part.
Xu Nuo went outside to deal with the blood in the yard but left the zombie corpses outside untouched. Because of the blood, Park Su and Xu Nuo could hear the zombies wandering around outside all night, creating a ghastly atmosphere.
Already traumatized by zombies, Xu Nuo couldn't sleep, his hair standing on end. Chen Jingxuan, only ten years old, had an even worse night, kept awake by nightmares of his mother turning into a zombie. He went downstairs several times to check on her.
As dawn approached, he found his mother had broken her fever, filling him with joy. He quickly fetched Park Su to check on her.
After examining Lǚ Xia, Park Su breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed she had made it through the worst and might even awaken an ability. Depending on what kind of ability she developed, they might no longer need to rely on Xu Nuo and him for protection.
This would remove a burden from him, and maybe Xu Nuo would have less reason to blame him. Still, the thought of parting from Chen Jingxuan left him a bit sad.
Meanwhile, Xu Nuo, after absorbing the morning's violet energy, stood on the second floor, watching the zombies wandering outside their gate.
He hadn't expected there to be so many more zombies than he initially thought. He sneered, thinking that those who tried to trick him would pay the price.
They thought that leading the zombies to their gate, leaving blood in the yard, and stealing the talisman from the door would suffice?
If it weren't for the purification talismans he had placed around the yard and the walls, dispersing the blood scent, the night would have been far more than just listening to zombie howls.
He knew the convoy had moved further away, trying to avoid the zombies' attention.
They probably believed there was no way to escape from such a large horde of zombies. If they ran out of food before the zombies dispersed, they'd starve. If they managed to escape, they'd likely be injured, making them less of a threat. Unable to get what they wanted, they aimed to destroy it instead.