Chapter 23
After locating Tian Qiao, Cheng Zhiyu felt a significant weight lift from his shoulders. There was no longer an urgent need to rush; their hometowns were a considerable distance away, making an immediate return impossible.
Given the circumstances, there was no point in hurrying. It was better to rest for a couple of days. Tian Qiao appeared outwardly fine, but having been surrounded by zombies and narrowly escaping death the previous day, he was undoubtedly shaken.
Tian Qiao was too embarrassed to admit it, and Cheng Zhiyu didn't press him, instead allowing him the time to gradually recover.
“Hey, speaking of which, you’re just wearing a short-sleeved shirt—aren’t you cold?” Tian Qiao reached out and touched Cheng Zhiyu’s exposed arm. *Heh*, it was warm.
He felt a pang of envy, guessing that Cheng Zhiyu’s resistance to cold might be due to his ability.
Tian Qiao himself was quite sensitive to the cold. Even with his ice ability, nights were still uncomfortable, which was why he was currently bundled in a down jacket.
Cheng Zhiyu, discerning his thoughts, explained, “It’s not because of an ability. Besides, I don’t have any abilities.”
Tian Qiao, who had been on the verge of drifting off, immediately snapped awake, convinced Cheng Zhiyu was joking. “How is that possible?”
Cheng Zhiyu offered no further explanation. “You’ll find out in time. If you’re cold, eat something.”
He had no intention of concealing what had happened to him from Tian Qiao; the other man was trustworthy.
He had been so caught up in the joy of finding Tian Qiao that he’d almost forgotten how unbearable the nighttime temperatures were for many.
He slapped his forehead. “Wait for me.”
With that, he vanished before Tian Qiao’s eyes. Witnessing this for the first time, Tian Qiao’s eyes widened in shock as he looked around. “Where did he go?”
He couldn’t help but call out a few times: “Orange? Orange?”
Little Black, lying nearby, cast an impatient glance his way. Tian Qiao caught his gaze, which clearly conveyed: *Shut up!*
Tian Qiao: “…”
For some reason, despite it being just a small dog, that look instilled a certain fear in him, and he instinctively fell silent.
Remembering Cheng Zhiyu’s instruction to wait before he disappeared, he finally calmed down a bit and waited patiently in place.
A moment later, Cheng Zhiyu reappeared before him, holding a peculiar-looking red cabbage.
Why peculiar? Because this cabbage was, in fact, red.
Cheng Zhiyu sighed helplessly, “I don’t have any prepared red cabbage here, but raw cabbage is edible too. Just make do with a couple of bites.”
Tian Qiao: “?”
He was somewhat bewildered as to why Cheng Zhiyu suddenly wanted him to gnaw on this strange cabbage, and also: “What were you doing just now? How did you come back with this?”
Cheng Zhiyu then explained his system space. Tian Qiao listened, his face a picture of disbelief. “I thought people having abilities was already defying all logic.”
Cheng Zhiyu smiled. “Since the apocalypse began, what logic remains?”
Tian Qiao nodded at that. “You’re right.”
“Will eating this red cabbage really make me warm?” If Tian Qiao hadn’t been full, he might have taken a few bites of the red cabbage—after all, it was still a vegetable, and vegetables were scarce resources now. But he was quite full at the moment.
Still, after hearing Cheng Zhiyu describe the effects of the red cabbage, he picked it up, intending to take a bite.
Then, Little Black, who had approached unnoticed, smacked Tian Qiao’s forehead with his paw.
“Ow.” Tian Qiao clutched his forehead. “Orange, your dog hits people?”
Cheng Zhiyu looked at Little Black, puzzled.
Little Black: “Tell him to tear it off piece by piece to eat.”
Cheng Zhiyu chuckled. Little Black was being protective of the red cabbage—if Tian Qiao took a direct bite, the rest would be inedible.
Cheng Zhiyu relayed this to Tian Qiao, who, having only received a light tap, didn’t take it personally and began nibbling on a cabbage leaf.
It tasted surprisingly good—crisp and sweet. If this were before the apocalypse, its flavor alone could have propelled it into the high-end market.
Beyond that, the red cabbage’s juice was warm, like a comforting current flowing down his throat and into his stomach. Soon, his belly felt warm, and the warmth spread throughout his entire body.
Tian Qiao became so warm that he quickly shed his down jacket, his eyes gleaming as he looked at the red cabbage. “Orange, this is truly amazing stuff. Not only does it make you feel warm, but your whole body feels incredibly comfortable. I was exhausted earlier, but after eating it, I don’t feel nearly as tired.”
Cheng Zhiyu nodded. “Red cabbage is rich in energy. It truly can restore stamina.”
Tian Qiao gazed at the red cabbage, confirming it wasn’t his imagination, and felt like revering the thing. He sighed, “With this, I’ll never have to worry about running out of energy after freezing just a handful of zombies.”
Cheng Zhiyu: “…”
He didn’t know what to say. Tian Qiao’s combat style left him rather speechless.
Though he wasn’t an expert, he suspected ice abilities weren’t meant to be used quite like that.
Little Black chuckled, likely mocking Tian Qiao.
Cheng Zhiyu pinched his ear. “Little Black, you know how to use ice abilities, right? Tell me about it.”
Little Black flicked his ear. *Seriously, couldn’t Cheng Zhiyu stop being so handsy all the time?*
As he was thinking this, Cheng Zhiyu, finding Little Black’s twitching ears adorable, leaned down and kissed him. “Come on, tell me.”
Little Black stiffened: “…” *Really… just really…*
Tian Qiao burst out laughing. “Why do you talk to your dog in such a… *flirty* way? No, no, I’m dying here, hahaha.”
Cheng Zhiyu ignored him, for Little Black was speaking to him: “Let him practice like this for now. He’ll figure out the rest on his own.”
Cheng Zhiyu nodded. “Okay, all thanks to you, Little Black. I really wouldn’t have thought of it otherwise.”
Little Black awkwardly mumbled, “And next time, don’t…” *get so handsy.*
Cheng Zhiyu: “What?”
Little Black glanced at him. “Nothing.”
Cheng Zhiyu: “?”
He shrugged and looked at Tian Qiao, who was still doubled over with laughter. “Are you tired right now?”
Tian Qiao shook his head. “Not tired, not tired at all.”
Cheng Zhiyu then took him outside to train using the method Little Black had suggested.
The more Tian Qiao listened, the brighter his eyes became. Although he hadn’t tried it yet, he had a hunch Cheng Zhiyu’s method would work—it was definitely better than simply freezing zombie heads.
“Orange, you’re pretty sharp!” Tian Qiao clapped him on the shoulder.
Cheng Zhiyu shook his head. “No, Little Black told me about it.”
“Haha, alright, alright, your Little Black is something else,” Tian Qiao said, not taking Cheng Zhiyu’s words seriously. Little Black just seemed like an ordinary little dog, albeit a bit intelligent.
Tian Qiao quickly began training according to Cheng Zhiyu’s instructions. The method sounded simple, but in practice, it was quite challenging.
He had to transform solid ice into countless ice blades and control them to pierce through the zombies’ heads.
But that was the ultimate goal. For now, he just needed to create a single ice blade first.
Thinking this, Tian Qiao activated his ability and produced a round ice ball. The second ice ball he created was slightly sharper…
While Tian Qiao was busy training, Cheng Zhiyu wasn’t idle either. He practiced his fist techniques a few times and then moved on to cultivating his inner energy.
This inner energy method was profound, and each time he practiced, he gained new insights.
Speaking of the inner energy method, Cheng Zhiyu asked Little Black, “Can Tian Qiao use this method?”
Little Black: “It wouldn’t work for him.”
The inner energy method he gave Cheng Zhiyu wasn’t chosen randomly—it was specifically selected to suit him. Otherwise, how could he practice so smoothly?
Of course, it also had to do with Cheng Zhiyu’s natural aptitude. Ordinary people wouldn’t be able to adapt to the Winged Tribe’s inner energy method.
Hearing Little Black’s words, Cheng Zhiyu nodded and didn’t ask further. He closed his eyes and entered a truly profound state.
——
Over the next few days, Tian Qiao finally managed to create sharp ice and could simultaneously control three ice arrows to pierce through zombies’ heads.
Though it was still far from what Cheng Zhiyu had described, he was making progress. Compared to his previous clumsy method, this was a significant improvement.
During this time, Tian Qiao met Little Two and Little Iron, which astonished him—he had never seen such amazing plants before.
Of course, what shocked him even more was Little Black. One day, Tian Qiao felt an urge to pet Little Black’s fur, but before his hand could even touch him, a water droplet hit his finger. Tian Qiao yelped and pulled his hand back.
Only then did he realize that Little Black actually possessed a water ability!
But later, during battles, Tian Qiao was even more speechless: “…”
*Seriously, how could a dog be so much more powerful than him?!*
Tian Qiao almost cried. What could he do? He just had to accept it.
Both he and Cheng Zhiyu planned to head home to their families. There wasn’t much to discuss, so after taking a couple of days to rest, they set off.
“There’s a small supermarket over there. Let’s check it out,” Cheng Zhiyu said.
They wanted to find a generator, but generators were generally bulky and a pain to haul around. After some thought, they decided to temporarily put that plan on hold.
Cheng Zhiyu and Little Black already ate a lot, and now with Tian Qiao added to the group, their food supplies were depleting even faster. Cheng Zhiyu wanted to grab more supplies.
Hearing there was a supermarket, Little Black immediately perked up to look.
Cheng Zhiyu smiled and patted him, then went inside with Tian Qiao. Unfortunately, it seemed someone had already been there—the supermarket had very little left, with only a few items that might have been too much trouble to take.
Cheng Zhiyu grabbed some snacks that Little Black liked. There was no meat, but fortunately, he still had some put away in his space that would last a while. They could take their time searching—sooner or later, they’d find more.
“Brother Black, here are some chips for you.” At some point, Tian Qiao had started calling him Brother Black, acting particularly subservient.
Little Black wagged his tail, shot a sidelong glance at Cheng Zhiyu not far away, and motioned for Tian Qiao to crouch down. He then patted Tian Qiao’s backpack.
Tian Qiao gave an “okay” sign: “Got it, I’ll carry it for you. I promise I won’t tell Orange.”
Little Black wagged his tail contentedly: *This guy knows how things work.*
Just as Cheng Zhiyu was about to ask what the two were whispering about, he heard movement outside the supermarket.
Little Black instantly bolted over and leaped onto Cheng Zhiyu’s shoulder. Tian Qiao also went on alert, his expression serious.
Little Black’s ears perked up: “There are people outside.”
A moment later, Cheng Zhiyu saw the people outside and raised a brow. He hadn’t expected such a coincidence—among the group outside was Old Scar, whom he had met before. Old Scar was following behind someone else, clearly taking orders from that guy.