Journey to the West: Building a Celestial Empire Starting from Lion Camel Ridge

As they approached the ruins, Ali suddenly stopped.

He didn't make a sound, but just tilted his ear to listen for a moment, then pointed his chin slightly towards the direction of the broken wall in front of him.

Chen Ping'an looked over and lowered his voice.

"What's wrong?"

"There's someone there."

Chen Ping'an was stunned for a moment. He originally thought that he and Ali were the only two living people left in the entire ruins of White Bone Town, but it seemed that this was not the case.

Thinking about it carefully, it makes sense.

With so many residents in the town, it's normal for a few more people to survive even after a massacre.

Ali placed the wild boar's hind leg on a nearby tree branch and took out the short dagger from her waist.

Then I took two steps forward and looked through the cracks in the ruins from a different angle.

Chen Pingan followed and glanced inside.

To the south of the shelter, there is a half-remains of a wall.

At this moment, a person was sitting by the wall, looking up at the barrier.

The two exchanged a glance, then slowed their pace and approached the pile of rubble and debris.

---

This was the first time Chen Ping'an had seen other surviving humans in the ruins, so he looked at them with great interest.

The newcomer looked to be seventeen or eighteen years old, a bit older than Ali. He was dressed in thick hunter's clothes with several patches, a short knife hanging at his waist, and a rather large bundle on his back, which he slowly took off from his shoulder and placed at his feet.

Chen Ping'an thought for a moment and concluded that it probably wasn't a disguised demon.

Although there are powerful demons in Journey to the West who are good at transformation, those demons could raze this sanctuary to the ground with a single slap.

There's no need to circle around outside the barrier.

Chen Ping'an looked around carefully but couldn't see anything unusual, but Ali beside him stopped in her tracks.

He felt slightly puzzled and turned his gaze to Ali beside him.

Ali's face looked terrible.

It's not fear.

Rather, it's the kind of unpleasant look that comes from hiding all emotions after seeing someone you don't want to see.

It was obvious that Ali recognized the person in front of her.

Chen Ping'an didn't ask any questions, but simply stepped aside to make way for him.

Ali stood there for a while, then went outside.

---

The footsteps startled the young man who was about to reach out and touch the barrier.

He turned his head and looked this way.

When he saw Ali walk out, he froze.

It wasn't just surprise, it was shock.

It seems they think it's impossible for Ali to be here, or rather, it's impossible for Ali to still be alive?

Chen Pingan pondered for a moment, then stood up and stood in front of Ali.

Just like before, he stood between Ali and the wolf demon.

"Ah... Li?"

The young man's voice was a little hoarse, his mouth was open, and his face was still full of surprise.

Ali stood by the pile of rubble, not approaching, her expression as blank as a sheet of paper.

"Liu Cheng".

Liu Cheng stood up from the crumbling wall and stood there blankly.

His gaze lingered on Ali's face for a long time before finally turning to Chen Ping'an.

"Who are you?"

Liu Cheng scrutinized Chen Ping'an, noticing that the latter's exposed arms showed little sign of training, and a hint of suspicion flashed in his eyes. But when his gaze fell on the spear in Chen Ping'an's hand, he was startled.

What a weapon!

After White Bone Town was reduced to ruins, Liu Cheng never saw such a powerful weapon again.

"Chen Ping'an".

Chen Ping'an introduced himself, and as he got closer, he noticed an old scar on the other person's face, running from the left cheekbone down to the jaw. It had healed but hadn't disappeared, indicating that it had been cut by some sharp weapon.

This is a formidable person who fought demons head-on and survived.

Liu Cheng nodded, which was a greeting, but he clearly didn't take Chen Ping'an seriously.

It's still too weak!

Chen Ping'an noticed the disdain in the other person's eyes and slowly tightened his grip on the spear.

Liu Cheng's gaze lingered on Chen Ping'an's face for only a moment before turning back to Ali.

"You're still alive, I thought..."

"They thought I was dead."

Ali continued for him, her tone flat, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, you didn't die."

As she spoke, she pointed to Chen Ping'an standing in front of her.

"It was him who saved me."

That's not wrong.

If it weren't for the golden light from the sanctuary cutting the wolf demon in half, the two of them would have already perished here.

Liu Cheng opened his mouth but couldn't say anything. He pursed his lips and spoke again.

"Your death aura—"

"Cleared."

Liu Cheng glanced at her arm; where the dark lines had disappeared, there was now clean skin.

"And this is...?"

"His refuge."

Ali said, her tone still icy, "He's more capable of dealing with death than your entire local temple."

Liu Cheng finally turned his gaze to Chen Ping'an's face again, the contempt in his eyes lessening slightly. He nodded solemnly and clasped his hands in a salute.

Thank you.

Chen Pingan planted the spear in the ground and calmly nodded back.

"You came here not just to see Ali, right?"

Liu Cheng took out an oil paper package from his bundle and handed it to Ali, but Ali didn't touch it.

Chen Ping'an did not answer.

Feeling embarrassed, Liu Cheng had no choice but to place it on the broken bricks next to him.

"The rainy season is coming," he said. "It's earlier this year than usual. Brother Fan estimates it will be at least ten days, or at most half a month. The deathly aura around White Bone Town will seep down with the rainwater, and the density of bone demons will increase several times over at night. It will be difficult to survive."

Chen Ping'an felt a chill run down his spine and secretly memorized the information without interrupting.

"Our shelter is located in the southwest of the town. It's an abandoned local temple that's been standing for almost two years. There are eleven people living there now. It has a protective barrier, food supplies, and a doctor."

Liu Cheng paused for a moment, then said, "Brother Fan asked me to come here to ask you if you want to move over and help us get through this period before the rainy season."

There was a brief silence around the dilapidated house.

Chen Ping'an didn't reply immediately, but just glanced at Ali.

The latter's expression remained unchanged, his gaze lingering on the oil paper package resting on the broken bricks beside him.

"If you need manpower, just come and ask."

Ali's voice was calm, but there was a hint of anger in it.

"Last time I was a burden, this time I'm a necessity, so what am I—someone to check the weather?"

Liu Cheng didn't speak immediately, so Chen Ping'an took over for him.

"Ah Li was kicked out by you. Now you're inviting her back, is it because of the rainy season?"

Something appeared on Liu Cheng's face, not entirely embarrassment, but more like a hint of self-reproach.

"What happened back then...we made a mistake." He began, his voice lowering slightly. "The death aura had reached that point, and Brother Fan judged that staying would be a burden, and I didn't object at the time—but later we found a way to expel the death aura, a method that works, but the necessary materials are in the ruins north of the town, and we haven't been able to retrieve them..."

"Alright."

Ah Li spoke, his voice not loud, but he cut off his words.

"I found the prescription, but I didn't pick it up," she said, her tone flat. "That's your business."

Liu Cheng swallowed the rest of his words.

Chen Ping'an didn't speak up for her, nor did he urge her to make a statement; he simply waited.

"How long will the rainy season last?" Chen Ping'an asked Liu Cheng.

The memories of the previous incarnation were scattered and fragmented, containing no useful information whatsoever.

"It can take anywhere from one month to four or five months."

"Can your barrier withstand this?"

"It's possible now, but we're not sure if we can hold out during the peak of the rainy season," Liu Cheng said directly. "That's why Brother Fan wants to recruit a few more people—the more people there are, the more shifts there will be during night watch."

Chen Pingan turned his head and looked at Ali.

What do you think?

Ali remained silent for a longer time than Chen Ping'an had anticipated.

She finally walked to the broken bricks, picked up the oil paper package, opened it, and took a look.

It was a small piece of compressed dry food, wrapped in two layers of oil paper, with worn edges.

It was ground and carried with him, not specially prepared—it was Liu Cheng's own rations for the journey.

In other words, when he set off, he never thought that Ali was still alive, and he didn't prepare anything for her.

He only took out his own provisions after seeing that she was alive.

Ali rewrapped the oil paper package, held it in her hand, stood for a while, and then spoke:

"I'm not going."

"That's your shelter, not mine."

Liu Cheng did not try to persuade him further.

He glanced at Ali, his lips moved, but he didn't say anything.

If it were him, he wouldn't go back so easily after being ruthlessly kicked out.

What do you take people for?

"Besides Brother Fan, who you mentioned, are there any other capable fighters on your side?"

Liu Cheng was taken aback by the question before realizing what Chen Ping'an was asking, and answered truthfully:

"There are two, both from hunter backgrounds. My bow still works, and Hunter Wang has an axe; he's quite good at it. The rest are a mix of old and young, and one is still recovering from an injury."

Chen Ping'an nodded, but did not speak immediately.

He mentally processed all this information.

Eleven people, two capable fighters, one injured, the density of bone demons has increased dramatically during the rainy season—this is a shelter that is walking a tightrope. Whether it can get through or not may only depend on the combat strength of one or two people.

Chen Ping'an did not make a decision immediately, but simply said...

"I'll go check on the situation there before the rainy season starts. We'll see what happens after that."

Chen Ping'an was very interested in the barrier over there.

Liu Cheng took a moment to process the answer, looked up at him, and nodded.

"it is good."

He slung the bundle back over his shoulder, stood still, and took one last look at Ali.

Ali didn't look up.

Liu Cheng paused for a moment, then turned and walked back the way he came.

The area around the dilapidated house fell silent again, with only the low, deep sound of the wind whistling through the distant ruins, like something breathing from a deep place.

Ali stood still, not moving immediately.

She watched Liu Cheng walk out of the ruins around the corner and disappear behind the broken walls. She stood there for a while before turning her gaze away.

Chen Pingan remained silent, waiting.

Ali lowered her head, glanced at the oil paper package in her hand again, stuffed it into her pocket, and patted it.

"Why not take it if it's free?"

Chen Ping'an nodded; food is innocent.

"Go back and get the pig."

Ah Li spoke, his voice returning to normal, "It's not good to leave a pig on a tree branch for too long."