Chapter Sixty-Three: The Ordinary Peace of Home

“When you left, why didn’t you tell me? Do you have any idea how worried I was? You bastard.” Liu Wen’s lips began to tremble, her beautiful face twisting with emotion as her slender arms wrapped tightly around Ma Yi’s neck, and she burst into sobs once again.

Ma Yi stood there quietly, lifting a hand to gently pat Liu Wen’s back.

“Huh? You’re my brother-in-law?” Only now did Liu Xue react to her sister’s words. Thinking it over, of course—if someone was important enough for Ruhua to personally bring home, it couldn’t be just anyone. Especially recalling that strange smile on Ruhua’s face when she opened the door; this little man was actually Ma Yi. But wasn’t he supposed to be a burly, almost monstrous fellow? Liu Xue stared in surprise.

She jumped up from the sofa and ran over, circling the pair embracing each other, scrutinizing Ma Yi. Bald, no eyebrows, no beard—looking closely, she realized that although his features hadn’t changed much from his former hulking self, he was much more handsome now. But his height... Liu Xue gestured with her hand—the difference was almost a head, and with Liu Xue herself now standing at 1.85 meters, Ma Yi seemed almost comically short. She used to look up when speaking to him, and now she had to lower her gaze.

Ma Yi looked at this equally lovely young woman—this was doubtless Liu Xue, especially as she approached and made a mischievous gesture comparing their heights. Some things never changed; she was still that lively, impish soul.

“Ahem, if you two want to snuggle, do it later. Let’s sit down first,” Ruhua interjected, unable to watch any longer, forgetting how excited she herself had been when first seeing Ma Yi.

“Yes, let’s sit,” Liu Wen agreed, releasing Ma Yi and hurriedly dabbing the tears from her cheeks, fingers intertwined with his as she led him to the sofa.

“And who are you?” Liu Xue finally noticed Li Li, frowning suspiciously, as if she were the real mistress of the house.

“I am the master’s maid. My name is Li Li.” From her refined features, Li Li could tell that the elder sister was elegant and composed, while the younger one was obviously spirited and fond of mischief.

“Oh? So you’ve got a maid after just a few months away?” Liu Xue grew more and more annoyed, her lips jutting out as she sat sulking as far away from Ma Yi as possible. By now, Liu Wen’s parents had quietly gone upstairs—since the trouble outside had been settled, there was no reason for the old couple to linger downstairs watching the younger generation’s little jealousies play out.

Liu Wen and Ma Yi both heard Liu Xue, but Liu Wen said nothing, simply gazing at Ma Yi, drinking in every detail. At this moment, nothing else mattered—he was home, and that was enough.

“How have you been, out there?” Liu Wen asked softly, her eyes tinged with longing and reproach.

“I managed. I just missed home,” Ma Yi replied, studying her face. She really was beautiful; her features overlapped perfectly with the hazy image in his mind. She seemed a bit thinner, though.

“How could you not be well? With a little maid taking care of you every day, you must have been in heaven,” Liu Xue muttered sarcastically, looking more jealous than Liu Wen herself, her pout almost reaching the back of her head. Her expression left no doubt—she was not happy.

“Tell me what happened.” Liu Wen leaned against Ma Yi. As for Ruhua sitting on his other side, they had spent enough time together to have built a bond. As for the so-called little maid, Liu Wen didn’t care. In her heart, the worst she could imagine was that Ma Yi might have taken wives and concubines while away; a single maid was already a relief.

—

“That day, I realized something was wrong with my body, and I almost hurt Ruhua,” Ma Yi said, steadying his emotions before looking apologetically at Ruhua.

Ruhua just smiled and leaned against him, her expression calm as Ma Yi continued.

“So I decided to leave. In truth, I lied. When I left, I had no intention of coming back. If something strange happened to my body, I’d rather die out there than return and endanger all of you. I wandered in a haze for who knows how long.” The whole room fell silent as the women listened; even Li Li was hearing Ma Yi recount his own experiences for the first time. Liu Xue, still full of inexplicable anger, also quieted, her big eyes fixed on Ma Yi, hanging on his every word.

When Ma Yi described the bizarre creature that had possessed him, trying to seize control of his body, everyone stared at him in shock. It was almost unbelievable. If he had failed, would the one who returned have still been Ma Yi? The thought sent a chill through them.

“It was all of you who gave me the courage to hold on,” Ma Yi said, kissing Liu Wen’s cheek, making her blush fiercely, suddenly aware of the others in the room.

Hearing Ma Yi speak of his resolve to win or die against the strange lifeform, Liu Wen anxiously grabbed his arm, only relaxing when she saw there were no wounds left behind.

“Hmph,” Liu Xue snorted for reasons known only to herself.

As for that bizarre creature, Liu Wen actually had some recollection—she remembered a time when Ma Yi had been badly hurt, and as he returned, muscle fibers sprang forth from his wounds, rebuilding muscle and skin right in front of her and Liu Xue.

“I ate it,” Ma Yi continued, recounting his journey. From that strange being, he had gained tremendous powers of recovery, even greater strength, and a sturdier body.

“I became a child,” Ma Yi said, and Li Li realized this must have been when they first encountered him—Ma Yi, now in the form of a boy.

“There’s such a thing?” Liu Xue’s eyes sparkled when she heard Ma Yi mention Soul Fragments. She had been frustrated at her own lack of power, but now, knowing there was such a thing, her eyes widened with hope.

“Amazing!” Liu Wen exclaimed when she heard that a fourth-stage evolver could unleash sword-like energy slashes. It all sounded like a fantasy turned martial arts epic; Ma Yi’s experiences were truly extraordinary, and he had suffered much along the way.

When he finished his story, the room grew quiet. The three women now understood Li Li’s identity and pitied her for her hardships, even though she was older than both Liu Wen and Liu Xue.

“Wow, so those are Soul Fragments?” Liu Xue was no longer sulking; her eyes glimmered as she gazed at the backpack on the table, as if she were a mythical creature enchanted by something shiny in a movie.

Only a small portion of those fragments were in the pack, yet there were still hundreds. Ma Yi assigned Li Li to explain to Liu Xue how to use them and what precautions to take. Hearing Li Li’s story quickly dissolved any lingering hostility, and harmony returned to the room.

—

The car that had been parked outside the corpse horde was brought back by Ma Yi’s orders, with Iron Pillar taking care of it. The combat uniforms and other gear were neatly stowed in the underground warehouse. Previously, Ma Yi had stocked up on food, but the girls’ consumption was minimal, and Iron Pillar and the others could feed on captive mutant beasts, so only Liu Wen’s family and Ruhua were actually drawing from the stores. The supplies scarcely seemed to diminish.

After sharing her longing with Ma Yi, Ruhua went out to arrange the newly loyal warriors as he had instructed. Those high-ranking fighters who had taken Ma Yi’s blood had fallen into deep sleep, absorbing its immense energy and continuously breaking through in strength.

Iron Pillar would have been lying if he said he wasn’t envious. As soon as Erha fell asleep, his aura soared, and it was still rising. But Ma Yi had told him clearly: apart from saving Chasing Wind and the others, the blood would never allow anyone to surpass him—no matter what, they would always be capped at a level below his. Ma Yi regarded Iron Pillar as a brother, and with his solid foundation, he might one day surpass the rest. With so much praise, even the honest Iron Pillar felt embarrassed.

Still, envy was inevitable. Others could now grow stronger without effort, while Iron Pillar could only stand by, smacking his lips, unable to complain, watching as those once weaker than him overtook him.

Ruhua looked over the reorganized ranks: all the Violet-Gold warriors were still in a deep sleep. Erha’s side had fourteen in total—almost half again as many as the villa’s side. There were hundreds of Gold-ranked warriors, evenly matched with the villa. But after the battle, the villa lost nearly ten thousand Silver-ranked fighters, with only about seven thousand left. Thankfully, more than twenty thousand Silvers had been recruited, so in comparison, Erha’s side had lost even more. Beneath Silver, both sides lost over 150,000—eighty percent of whom had originally served under Erha.

Back at the villa, Ma Yi finally felt at ease. Liu Wen stayed close, accompanying him as he inspected various places around the mountain.

Once Ruhua had finished organizing Erha’s troops, she joined Ma Yi and Liu Wen, the three wandering the hills together. The weather, now late autumn, was cool and refreshing; the trees on the slopes were shedding their dense greenery, and yellow and orange leaves adorned the villa district in striking beauty.

“Without realizing it, winter is almost here,” Ma Yi remarked, marveling at how, in just a few more months, he would have known these people for nearly a year.

“Four months left,” Liu Wen replied, holding tightly to his arm, as if fearing he might vanish again. In four months, it would be a year since she met Ma Yi. Time had flown by so quickly.

“Yes, it’s hard to believe—the world has changed so much in less than a year.” Ma Yi stood on the mountaintop viewing platform, looking off into the distance. The once-bustling city had vanished overnight. Now, those who survived were either striving to grow stronger or worrying about their next meal. Ordinary people remained ordinary people; no matter how the world changed, food and warmth were always their greatest concerns.

“It really has changed. You’ve gone in a circle and ended up almost the same as when we first met,” Liu Wen said, looking at Ma Yi’s figure. He looked just as he had the first time she saw him—though his features were more handsome now, and his bald head was quite comical.