Joining Tiandao Company: Starting by mending a zombie world

Chu Sheng leaned against the door frame, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, and looked at Duanmu Ying, whose hands were covered in charcoal ash and whose nose was smeared with black, and wanted to laugh, finding it amusing.

"What are you looking at?" Duanmu Ying noticed his gaze and subconsciously rubbed her face with the back of her hand, only to end up rubbing all the charcoal ash from her hand onto her face.

"Because you're good-looking," Chu Sheng said in a serious tone.

Duanmu Ying rolled her eyes at him, turned around and continued tending the fire, but the tips of her ears quietly turned red.

The porridge was finally cooked.

Although the bottom of the pot was burnt black and the porridge was as thick as paste, when Duanmu Ying served it to Chu Sheng, she had the pride of serving a Manchu Han Imperial Feast on her face.

Chu Sheng scooped up a spoonful and put it in his mouth, chewed it, and frowned.

Duanmu Ying stared at him nervously: "How is it?"

"The sand wasn't washed clean," Chu Sheng said. Duanmu Ying's shoulders slumped.

"It's cloyingly salty," Chu Sheng said again. Duanmu Ying's shoulders slumped again.

"The burnt taste is stronger than the porridge taste," Chu Sheng continued. Duanmu Ying's lips were already pouting.

"But—" Chu Sheng finished the porridge in one gulp, put the empty bowl on the table, grinned, "It tastes better than what I cook myself."

Duanmu Ying was stunned for a moment, then reached out to hit him: "You're playing me!"

Chu Sheng didn't dodge, letting her punch his chest twice, and then took her left hand and pulled her closer.

The stone house was extremely quiet, with only the tinkling sound of a mountain spring coming from behind it.

That night, Duanmu Ying said she wanted to take a bath.

Chu Sheng boiled a large pot of water and moved a few flat stones from the mountain spring to build a simple bathtub in the stone house.

It's called a bath, but it's really just a pool surrounded by stones, with a layer of smooth pebbles at the bottom, then several layers of clean pine needles, and then hot water and spring water are mixed together and poured in.

He hung a straw curtain he had woven himself outside the stone house, and then hung his Taoist robe on the curtain as a door curtain, covering everything completely.

After finishing all that, he went outside and sat down under the old walnut tree, his back to the stone house, idly fiddling with a pine branch.

The sound of the water was very soft, but in this quiet valley, every sound was exceptionally clear.

Chu Sheng had never realized that the sound of water could be so loud in his life.

He broke the pine branches into pieces, and then into more pieces, until all that was left in his hand were a handful of crumbs.

"Chu Sheng." Duanmu Ying's voice came from inside the stone house.

"Um?"

"Could you teach me your gravity spell?"

Chu Sheng was taken aback for a moment, then laughed. This girl, even while taking a bath, is still thinking about learning magic.

"Didn't I say last time that this spell can only be passed on to my daughter-in-law?" he answered loudly.

There was a few seconds of silence in the stone house.

Chu Sheng thought she was angry and was about to speak to make amends when he heard Duanmu Ying's voice again, much softer than before, almost drowned out by the sound of water:

"Once I finish learning, won't I be like your father's daughter-in-law?"

Now it was Chu Sheng's turn to be stunned, thinking he had misheard.

"Chu Sheng?" Duanmu Ying's voice came again, barely concealing her smugness. "Did you hear that?"

"I heard you." Chu Sheng cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound calm.

"Then you're still teaching, aren't you?"

Chu Sheng said guiltily, "Are you sure...? My father might have a lot of daughters-in-law..."

Well, how should I put it?

He has quite a few women now.

Although there is only one legal wife, Duanmu Ying's meaning is in line with the level of conservatism among women in this world.

The other person didn't just intend to talk about being friends with him.

After a long time, Duanmu Ying's voice came from the stone house. Her voice was filled with laughter, but also had a slight nasal tone:

"Fool."

"He has a wife, yet he still came to rescue me!"

Chu Sheng didn't know how to answer, "You... have moved my heart, so naturally I won't stand by and watch you die."

He mustered his courage and continued, "Besides, wasn't it normal to have multiple wives and concubines during the Republic of China era?"

Duanmu Ying stopped her jade-like fingers that were resting on her chest. After thinking for a moment, she realized that having three wives and four concubines was normal.

only…

"Do you have that much betrothal gift?"

Chu Sheng awkwardly covered half of his face, gritted his teeth, and shouted, "The betrothal gifts will naturally be provided."

"It depends on when you want it."

Duanmu Ying ignored Chu Sheng and started humming a little tune.

Some more days passed.

Duanmu Ying's arm injury is almost fully healed, and Zhang Zhiwei's gourd-shaped medicinal wine is indeed an extraordinary product.

With the splint removed, her right hand could move freely, though she couldn't lift heavy objects. She scooped water from the mountain spring to drink, then turned and smiled at Chu Sheng:

"I can use both hands now."

Chu Sheng looked at her, his gaze moving down her face. Because she had bent over to scoop up water, a large area of ​​her clothes was soaked, the thin fabric clinging to her chest and outlining her clear silhouette.

Duanmu Ying glanced down at her chest, then looked up at Chu Sheng, a half-smile on her face: "Have you seen enough?"

"Winter clothes are thick, so you can't tell," Chu Sheng said without changing his expression.

Duanmu Ying squatted by the spring, scooped up a handful of water with her left hand, and splashed it at Chu Sheng's face. Chu Sheng dodged to the side, reached out with his right hand, grabbed her waist, and pulled her up from the spring.

Duanmu Ying crashed into his arms, her right hand instinctively bracing against his chest. The warmth of her palm seeped through the thin fabric, burning hot.

Chu Sheng's hands were large, and through the damp, thin cloth, he could feel the warmth and smoothness of her skin around her waist.

Chu Sheng's hands were large, and through the damp, thin cloth, he could feel the warmth and smoothness of her skin around her waist.

Duanmu Ying did not dodge, but simply raised her face slightly to look at him. Her almond-shaped eyes shone brightly in the moonlight, and her breathing became more rapid than before.

"Chu Sheng." Her voice was very soft.

Chu Sheng looked down at her and slowly approached.

Duanmu Ying did not close her eyes, but stared straight at him until his lips touched her forehead.

It was very light, like a feather landing on his forehead. Then Chu Sheng released her, took a half step back, and cleared his throat:

"The water's cold, go back and put on some clothes."

A light flashed in Duanmu Ying's eyes—not shyness, but something gentler and more resolute. She smiled, her eyes crinkling, and said softly, "Okay."

When they walked back to the stone house, Duanmu Ying walked in front, and Chu Sheng followed behind.

As she approached the door, Duanmu Ying suddenly stopped, as if she had made a great decision.

She turned around, stood on tiptoe, and planted a quick, light kiss on Chu Sheng's lips, like a mountain breeze brushing across water. Then she turned and ran into the stone house.

Chu Sheng stood under the walnut tree, dappled moonlight falling on his face. He raised his hand to touch his lips, unable to suppress the smile at the corners of his mouth.

That night, Duanmu Ying slept soundly in the inner room of the stone house, her breathing calm and even.

Chu Sheng leaned against the stone wall and threw the broken pine branches into the half-extinguished campfire beside him. Sparks flew and then exploded again, making a banging sound.

"Take Duanmu Ying with you."

This idea took root that night in Qing Shi Town, and now it has grown into a gnarled old tree, with every root tightly gripping his heart.

But how?

Taking someone across the world is not as simple as buying a train ticket and just taking them away whenever you want.

Nor should we try to take Ren Tingting away like we would with her, by putting her in a coffin.

Dead and living.

They are not comparable at all.

"It seems I need to go back to the main world first and ask the group leader or the Emperor's son; perhaps they have a solution." Chu Sheng muttered to himself, a thought flashing through his mind, and a text immediately appeared:

"Confirm return to the main world?"