Li Yingxue could not see.
He did not know whether the sky after the apocalypse was still the deep blue of his memories, or whether it had already been stained into some eerie color by dust and pollution. He also did not know whether the trees by the roadside were still vibrant green, or had mutated into unnatural purples and other grotesque shades.
He could only perceive the world through his body. The daytime wind was hot and dry, carrying dust and the stench of decay. The night wind was bone-chillingly cold.
And right now, the most direct sensation was heat.
The sun blazed down without any obstruction, scorching the earth and every inch of skin exposed on his body.
He was sweating constantly. His fringe was damp and stuck to his cheeks and forehead, making him look as if he had just been pulled out of water.
He blinked uncomfortably, but salty sweat slipped into his eyes, stinging until they turned red. He could only futilely wipe at them with his sleeve.
He lifted his face in confusion, looking around into the eternal darkness that defined his world. There was nothing but blackness—and this suffocating heat that could not be ignored.
Especially now that he was being carried on Lu Yun’s back.
His chest was pressed tightly against Lu Yun’s slightly rising and falling back, while his legs were supported firmly by strong arms. Every point of contact between them was slick with sweat, sticky and damp, uncomfortably hot and itchy.
His face, already pale and sickly, was now flushed into a deeper, unhealthy red. He looked like a wilted little plant under the sun, weak and exhausted, and for the first time even felt that walking on his own might not be so bad—at least he wouldn’t be melting like this.
Just as that thought surfaced, something suddenly passed above them, casting a patch of cool shade. A gentle wave of moisture brushed across his face, instantly easing some of the heat.
Li Yingxue let out a soft, relieved sigh and asked blankly, “Darling… did a cloud pass by? Is it raining?”
Of course it was neither a cloud nor rain.
It was Lu Yun, who had been multitasking—using his water-type Supernatural Ability to form a thin water veil overhead, while also holding up a huge leaf torn from some mutated plant. The leaf, large enough to resemble a parasol, hovered above them and moved along with them.
Sustained use of a Supernatural Ability, even a basic one, would normally drain a user’s stamina over time.
But Lu Yun’s physical constitution far exceeded that of ordinary people. More importantly, this level of C-rank water manipulation was nothing compared to the constant strain of his mental energy, which was scanning the surroundings like a net.
Li Yingxue did not wait for an answer. He had woken early and walked a long distance. Now that the heat had eased slightly, exhaustion overwhelmed him. His eyelids grew heavy, and slowly, he drifted asleep on Lu Yun’s broad and steady back.
When he regained awareness again, he found himself already set down.
He was lying on grass, and the sound of crackling fire filled his ears.
Startled, he realized he had fallen asleep on Lu Yun’s back—and had no idea how long he had slept.
He quickly pushed himself up. A wave of familiar dizziness hit him, and he paused with his eyes closed until it passed. His throat felt painfully dry, and even his lips had begun to crack.
“Darling?” he called instinctively, his voice hoarse.
Not far away, Lu Yun sat quietly and watched him go through the entire process of waking—confused, then struggling to sit up, then coughing lightly.
At the call, he gave a low “Mm” in response and casually handed over a warmed thermos and a heated can.
Judging from the light, it was around 2 PM. Li Yingxue had slept for quite a long time, and his stomach was already painfully empty.
He accepted the food and quietly said “thank you,” then lowered his head and began eating in small bites.
While eating, he suddenly remembered something and looked in Lu Yun’s direction, his gaze unfocused but thoughtful.
“Darling… our journey seems too quiet. We haven’t run into any zombies or anything else.”
The overly smooth and peaceful travel made him uneasy. In a world like this, things should not be this calm.
Quite a smart NPC, Lu Yun thought. It seemed Li Yingxue was not so easily fooled.
Of course there were zombies. In fact, for some reason, all zombies and low-level mutated species had begun to stir strangely, as if drawn by something, slowly converging toward their location.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Lu Yun had been using his mental ability to detect them early and silently sever their heads or destroy their ability to move before they could even enter Li Yingxue’s awareness range.
But now, to maintain his cover story, he might need to deliberately let a few weak, slow zombies get close—just enough to confirm his explanation.
Li Yingxue was still speaking seriously, worry in his voice: “…I just feel like everything has been too smooth.”
At that moment, Lu Yun’s attention drifted again to the small red tear mole beneath Li Yingxue’s left eye.
It stood out vividly on his pale face, like the only red plum blossom in a field of snow, or a drop of cinnabar that had fallen by accident.
Almost unconsciously, Lu Yun raised his hand and lightly touched it with his fingertip.
Li Yingxue paused mid-sentence, blinking in confusion. “What’s wrong?”
His eyelashes brushed against Lu Yun’s fingertip—soft, faintly ticklish.
Lu Yun withdrew his hand as if burned. His fingers rubbed together slightly, though his voice remained calm. “Nothing.”
He then answered the earlier question, pushing down the strange ripple in his thoughts.
“There are zombies. They’re just slow. My speed is enough to avoid them.”
The explanation was reasonable. As the shadow guard personally trained by his father, it made sense that Lu Yun’s physical abilities exceeded normal humans.
Li Yingxue thought about it and accepted the explanation, slightly relieved.
After finishing the meal and resting briefly, Lu Yun once again carried him.
This time, Li Yingxue stayed awake. Curiously, he tilted his head, sensing the persistent cool shade above them.
“Darling, what exactly is blocking the sun for us?” he asked.
Lu Yun briefly explained that it was a large leaf controlled with his Supernatural Ability.
As he spoke, he deliberately took a slight detour, extending his mental perception outward like an invisible web, searching for any uncontaminated edible plants or grain nearby.
At the same time, he sensed a low-level zombie wandering in the distance, moving sluggishly. With a thought, he removed the mental suppression around it, allowing it to slowly drift closer—an “evidence piece” to confirm his earlier explanation.