Lian Hua stayed at He village and rested for another week, finally healing his entire body. The silver lining of this incident was that he rose to level four. Life was good. During this time, Lian Hua aggressively drilled Zhao Xiao Long with exercises until he was on the verge of tears. It was indescribably excruciating. In the end, the brat properly called him brother Lian. Lian Hua expelled the negative emotions he was carrying and felt like his soul was cleansed.

“Xiao Yuu, call your brother and Zhao Xiao Long back. I have something to tell everyone.” Lian Hua started a conversation with He Yuu while he was messing around with her in front of the tent.

Recently, Lian Hua supplied them with ample food. The little girl's face became rosier, and although she was still a little thin, she was a lot livelier.

Lian Hua was aware that Boss Jin had sent someone to spy on them for a while now. Most likely, he wouldn't allow the young lady to leave his sight.

“Alright, big brother!” He Yuu happily responded and skipped to the small brook.

Lian Hua looked at the people hiding outside who were poking their heads out around the tent and revealed a cold smile.

“Brother Lian, why did you call us?” He Xu asked solemnly.

Lian Hua waved his hands and various greenery grew strand by strand. He covered every nook and cranny of the tent with wood energy as well as mist. This would also prevent their conversation from being heard.

Lian Hua looked at He Xu's serious, upright face and couldn't help but rub his cheeks. Mm. This was really fun.

He Xu: “…” In the end, the corner of his lips twitched.

“A brat should look like a brat. You look so serious all the time. In the future, any potential girlfriends will be scared off.” Lian Hua spoke maliciously and changed that expressionless face into something really interesting.

“Big brother, you can't just bully my brother!” He Yuu, the girl with the brother complex, couldn't watch any more and denounced Lian Hua.

Lian Hua was reluctant to let go and He Xu's face was casually pulled on by Lian Hua until it turned red.

“Brother!” He Yuu was so upset that tears formed in her eyes.

“Cough, cough…” Lian Hua composed himself. His fingers brushed He Xu's cheeks and the rosy glow vanished.

“Alright, big brother won't waste his breath.” Lian Hua got serious. “Let me tell you guys now, my injuries have recovered. I can't keep staying here. Therefore, I have decided to leave after a few days.”

“Big brother!” He Yuu was shocked, and Zhao Xiao Long also stared at him with eyes wide open. He Yuu's tears started trickling down. “Big brother, do you really have to go?” He Yuu lay in Lian Hua's embrace and carefully asked him word by word.

“Xiao Yuu.” He Xu pulled He Yuu back, “Brother Lian has decided to go. He can't keep staying here to take care of us. We can't force him to. We can't burden Brother Lian.” He Xu spoke very seriously. He was already aware that Lian Hua did not belong to this tiny He family village.

“If you're gonna leave, just go already. I don't need to be teased by you every morning! Humph! I won't miss you or remember you at all, you stupid b.a.s.t.a.r.d.” Zhao Xiao Long roared loudly, but Lian Hua still saw the corners of his eyes turn red.

“I knew you couldn't bear to part with me, Xiao Long.” Lian Hua wanted to pet Zhao Xiao Long's puppy dog head, but Zhao Xiao Long dodged him.

“Don't worry, I won't leave you guys behind. Do you guys want to come with me?” Lian Hua lowered his voice and asked.

“Really? I wanna! I wanna! Let's go with big brother!” He Yuu was the first to express her opinion.

He Xu also earnestly nodded. The He family only consisted of the two siblings. They was nothing holding them back. He Yuu and He Xu simultaneously looked at Zhao Xiao Long.

“I… I…” Zhao Xiao Long gripped the hem of his clothes, “I-I think I should wait for my father.” When he finished speaking, his eyes reddened.

“Your father?” Lian Hua felt like something was off. He never asked these kids about their personal matters because he didn't want them to remember anything upsetting.

“Xiao Long.” He Xu patted his shoulder, “Your father abandoned you here. He won't come back for you. Your father doesn't want you any more.” He Xu spoke ruthlessly.

“Nonsense! My father agreed that he would come back for me.” Zhao Xiao Long was very agitated. It even seemed as if he would hit He Xu.

“Xiao Long!” He Xu tone grew stern, “Your father left, following that vixen! He doesn't need you any more!” He Xu emphasized each word.

Zhao Xiao Long's whole body seemed to lose strength, and he sank numbly to the floor, “Father doesn't need me anymore. Father left with the vixen…” Zhao Xiao Long reiterated hysterically.

Lian Hua suddenly felt a bit chilly. Wisps of dark energy erupted from Zhao Xiao Long's body. Lian Hua notice that there was something wrong with Zhao Xiao Long's mental state, so he hastily pulled the He siblings behind him to protect them.

“Big brother, I feel so cold. It's so scary.” He Yuu stuck to Lian Hua and clutched at his clothes. She could sense the emotions too clearly. Right now, there was something wrong with Zhao Xiao Long.

“Master! It seems like that brat is awakening, but there's some kind of problem.” Lian Yu said.

“A problem? Why do I feel like he's being possessed by the devil or something?” Lian Hua asked objectively.

Lian Yu: “…” How was that possible?

“Master, knock him out as soon as possible! This child's mental state is about to collapse!” Lian Yu raised its voice.

“What?” Lian Hua was shocked. He didn't think that this brat who was just arguing with him and fighting back would have such a weak mental state. Lian Hua threw out a hand chop and Zhao Xiao Long immediately crashed into his lap. Lian Hua carried him and lay him on the ground, then used his wood elemental energy to treat him for a while.

“Big brother, what's wrong with Brother Xiao Long?” He Yuu came up to him and looked at the unconscious Zhao Xiao Long.

“Nothing. There was just a problem when his powers were awakening. It's not a big deal.” Lian Hua patted He Yuu's head.

“Awakening?!” He Yuu's eyes sparkled, “That's great! Brother Xiao Long can return to his father's side. What a relief.”

Lian Hua was confused. What did awakening have anything to do with returning to his father's side?

“In the end, what exactly happened? Tell me, He Xu.” Lian Hua turned and asked He Xu.

He Xu was obviously envious of Zhao Xiao Long's awakening. When Lian Hua called out to him, he finally came to his senses. After sorting his feelings, He Xu began to tell them everything he knew.

Originally, Zhao Xiao Long was escaping to the capital's base with his father. His mother wasn't someone from the capital. As soon as the apocalypse started, she turned into a zombie. His father had a distant relative in the capital, so he decided to seek asylum with the home owner. Halfway there, Zhao Xiao Long's father unexpectedly hooked up with a high ranking official's daughter. The woman's family sent someone to escort her to the capital, so Zhao Xiao Long's father made use of his connections. However, Zhao Xiao Long was an eyesore to them. Zhao Xiao Long was only an ordinary person. That woman didn't want an additional burden, so she had Zhao Xiao Long's father leave him behind.

Zhao Xiao Long's father was afraid that he would also be left behind, so he convinced Zhao Xiao Long to stay behind in He village and even promised that he would be back to pick him up. Unfortunately, these kinds of promises couldn't be trusted in the apocalypse. Zhao Xiao Long stayed here and when he met the He siblings, he became their comrade in the fight for survival.

At first, Zhao Xiao Long would mention that his father would be back for him every day. After several months, he stopped repeating that like a mantra, but he still displayed a cheerful disposition so that the He siblings wouldn't worry. Today, He Xu's words evoked the wounds in Zhao Xiao Long's heart, inducing his awakening. That could be seen as the silver lining in this situation.

Lian Hua was heartbroken after he heard everything. Zhao Xiao Long's father was the worst.

“Aahh! Xiao Long is so pitiful! This won't do. This one will do its best to comfort him in the future! Poor little Long Long…” When Lian Yu finished listening, it started yelling to express its dissatisfaction.

“Calm down, calm down!” Lian Hua quickly prevented Lian Yu from poisoning his ears, “You can talk about it once he wakes up. Are there any issues?” Lian Hua was a little worried.

“No issues. He'll be fine once he gets some sleep.”

“Alright. We should let Zhao Xiao Long sleep before anything else.”

Lian Hua turned and faced the He family siblings, “First, we should discuss our plans.”

The two siblings got serious.

“First of all, I intend to bring you to the Hua Yang Base for a short amount of time. I need to cultivate by myself for a while.”

“Big brother, you aren't going to the base?” He Yuu asked nervously.

“You all should go first. I'll come get you guys. Be good. Remember to stay in the base, alright?”

“But…” He Yuu wanted to say something, but Lian Hua interrupted her.

“I will take you to the capital's base. Hua Yang Base is just a pit stop. Don't worry. At most, I'll be away for a month or two and then I'll come back for you immediately. You won't have to worry about your safety in the base. You might not be able to eat well, but as long as you're an esper, you should be fine.”

“I'm not an esper.” He Xu spoke up and Lian Hua sensed that he was feeling embarra.s.sed.

“Don't worry, I have a method.” Lian Hua comforted him.

“Really? You can turn me into an esper?” He Xu immediately got excited.

“Mhm! However, none of you can speak of it to anyone, got it? If anyone else knows, big brother will have a lot of headaches. I could even get cut into pieces and examined!” Lian Hua threatened the two children.

He Yuu covered her mouth and shook her head in fear to show that she absolutely wouldn't say anything. He Xu also expressed that even if he were to die, he would not tell a soul.

It was always Lian Hua's intention to induce powers in the children. Over the past few days, he had been observing their characteristics. Although Zhao Xiao Long had a poisonous tongue, he would share a portion of his meals with the young and elderly in the shantytown outskirts at meal times. The He family siblings would also occasionally take care of the people in this area. Although they were only small things, it was enough to see that they were honest and kind. However, when they faced Boss Jin's men, the youths were capable of discerning good and evil. Lian Hua didn't want them to be unable to distinguish between right and wrong. Lian Hua was very satisfied with the kids' performances. Then again, there was still the super weapon Lian Yu. It could sense whether or not they were telling the truth with a single reaction.

Lian Hua also wanted to collect a few followers of his own. These kids were all pretty good.

“Anyway, in the future, you all belong to me. I absolutely won't allow any of my people to betray me.” Lian Hua still had to display his awesomeness before them. He hoped that he wouldn't raise any ruthless backstabbers.

“In the future, my life belongs to Brother Lian.” He Xu thrust out his chest and spoke.

“That's right! In the future, we will listen to big brother.”

“Ugh, I don't need your lives…” Lian Hua's head was filled with back lines. He felt like an evil organization recruiting henchmen.

“Here, eat this.” Lian Hua took out a bizarre black mushroom. This was a spiritual awakening mushroom that Lian Yu prepared. It could initialize the body's ability to stimulate its potential capacity.

He Xu didn't hesitate in the slightest and swallowed it down in one gulp.

“Cross your legs and meditate. It might hurt a little.” Lian Yu observed them from the sidelines.

In a short while, sweat drenched He Xu's forehead. His small face was as white as a sheet and he bit his lips to shreds. Lian Yu said that eating this would be incredibly painful, but He Xu didn't scream or make any noise. What a real man. Lian Hua nodded.

The night stretched on. Finally, He Xu was able to attain spiritual awakening, after which, he immediately fainted. He Yuu was incredibly worried, and she only calmed down when Lian Hua pacified her.

“Tomorrow, I will test you to see what your powers are and tell you how you should cultivate it. For now, just go to sleep.” Lian Hua covered He Xu with a blanket.

He Yuu nodded off and fell asleep next to He Xu.

…

The next day, after the three minors woke up, Lian Hua carefully laid out his plans.

Zhao Xiao Long's complexion was particularly good today, but he still traded verbal blows with Lian Hua. However, it was still dark in the depth of his eyes. He needed to rely on himself to escape the darkness. There was nothing Lian Hua could do.

“Cheer up, kid. Our goal is the capital. If your father was able to safely reach the capital, we will meet him there.” Lian Hua patted Zhao Xiao Long's head to comfort him.

“Don't pat my head or I won't get taller.” Zhao Xiao Long rudely swatted Lian Hua's hand away.

“In any case, I need to figure out what your power is first.”

One by one, Lian Hua stroked each of their heads in turn, allowing Lian Yu to minutely examine them.

“Master… You really struck gold.” Lian Yu said dumbfoundedly.

“What's that? (⊙_⊙)”

“Each one is obviously a rare esper. Rare, do you understand?” Lian Yu was excited.

Lian Hua: “…” He randomly picked up a few kids, and they just happened to be powerful?

“What are you trying to say?”

“Let's fight now, talk later!”

Lian Hua: “…”

He really wanted to squeeze Lian Yu into pieces.

Translator's Notes:

… sorry, real life's a b.i.t.c.h. I've had to work overtime and I'm still not caught up. Slow updates, but we'll get there eventually.