Chapter 349: Ju Wuying and Xiao Ling

"There's something I'm very curious about—whose martial arts did you learn? I can't tell the style, but your combat skills are extremely strong and impressive!"

Zhang Su readily acknowledged the strength of the other.

But after hearing this question, Ju Wuying fell silent, gazing out the window for a long while before speaking again.

"She said… it's a family-transmitted sword art."

"Sword art? Don't joke. I've seen Japanese swordsmanship—what you just used isn't anything like it."

Zhang Su shook his head, not believing Ju Wuying's words; unconsciously, a green-haired head popped into his mind. Leaving anime aside, even real-life movies had depicted Japanese swordsmanship, and it was nothing like this.

"She said… I'm not lying. This is an internal tradition of the Katsura family. You've never seen it before, so it's normal—but calling it just 'sword art' isn't right. It should be called Katsura Martial Art."

After hearing this, Zhang Su sneered. Here we go again with the family-secret nonsense—especially since the woman was dead serious, sounding like some cult leader. He decided not to press further; as long as he knew she was powerful, that was enough. What mattered was how to learn her skills!

Soon, the car reached the village entrance. A broken, bloodstained stone stele bore three large characters: Huang Jiatian. Whether by coincidence or not, the characters "Jiatian" were blurred, but the word "Huang" looked as if soaked in fresh blood—vivid and stark.

It was a very small village, and the villagers here clearly lived in poor conditions. Most households still had old earthen houses, mostly built after the Tangcheng earthquake, with only a handful having newer concrete homes.

Following Ju Wuying's directions, Zhang Su moved forward cautiously. The entire village was desolate; corpses lay by the roadside, half-rotted and frozen—some human, some zombies, the latter preserved almost perfectly.

Throughout the journey, he kept observing carefully, never forgetting the purpose of this trip: to find the Venom Zombie. Unfortunately, whether alive or dead, he found no trace of it.

When the car pulled up beside a two-story house, Ju Wuying called for it to stop.

"Damn, what kind of formation is this…?"

Zhang Su stared at the courtyard wall, half-amused, half-repulsed. Zombies, their skulls pierced through, hung by the neck outside the wall, feet hovering three to five centimeters above the ground, arms limp and dangling—utterly sinister.

"She said… hanging zombies outside reduces the chance of being detected by them."

"Is that so?"

Zhang Su doubted this conclusion. Even if it worked somewhat, unless it was 100% effective, it was useless. Maybe helpful for lone survivors or tiny groups, but meaningless for large settlements.

"This just tells everyone else there are survivors here. It's completely unnecessary."

After three months of post-apocalyptic life, Zhang Su believed humans were more terrifying than zombies—not counting the modified monsters like Zero Zero Three and Four.

Hearing Zhang Su's words, Ju Wuying pressed her lips tightly, thought for a moment, then spoke just a few short words.

"She said… it makes sense…" Su Xiaoya muttered, her expression odd.

"Come on, get out. Let's see how your companion is doing."

Zhang Su dropped the issue of the hung zombies, opened the door, and stepped out.

Everyone reached the courtyard gate. Zhang Su pulled a set of keys from Ju Wuying's bag and tossed them to her—the meaning was clear: open it.

He could've opened it himself, but seeing the zombies drying outside the gate, he felt this person was deeply eerie—maybe there were some Japanese-style sinister traps inside. Better let her do it.

Although her wrists were bound, Ju Wuying could still use the keys to unlock the door. As she turned the lock, she spoke.

"She said… I hope she knows it's me returning. I don't want to startle her. If you're afraid I've set traps, you can speak to her in your language."

"You're really thorough, huh…" Lu Yubo muttered sarcastically—he couldn't stand Ju Wuying.

Zhang Su smirked slightly and shook his head. "A little shock won't hurt. How do I know what secret code you two have? What if hearing your voice is the signal? Just open the door—no more delay."

Hearing Zhang Su, Ju Wuying frowned, her eyebrows sharp as sword blades, and turned the lock to open the gate.

Everyone peered inside—the courtyard's interior was utterly different from the outside: clean…

Outside, zombies hung every few meters like a scene from hell; inside, in this post-apocalyptic world, it might as well have been a paradise.

Zhang Su had expected to struggle for footing, constantly wary of traps—but instead, everything was tidy. The cement floor revealed everything clearly.

"You two have set this place up nicely. Planning to stay long-term?"

The group entered the courtyard. Zhang Su remained alert, scanning everywhere, but internally, he had already ruled out danger.

Not only were there no traps, but outside the windows sat rows of plastic potted plants, and beautiful paper cutouts adorned the glass, adding a warm, lived-in atmosphere.

"She said… Xiao Ling's injuries are severe. She can't be moved. They plan to spend the winter here."

"Xiao Ling…" Zhang Su murmured the name, pointing at the house. "Come on, take us to your companion."

Ju Wuying led the six toward the west wing. They entered the room through the living area—a lavish space with a sofa, coffee table, TV stand, and all other furniture intact. Clearly, this family had money. The large TV was a hundred inches, and even in a living room of at least thirty to forty square meters, it didn't look out of place.

What stood out most wasn't the furniture, but the massive pile of empty bottles and liquor boxes in the corner, along with several-liter barrels of grain liquor.

"Xiao Ju…"

As the group stepped into the living room, Zhang Su's ears twitched—he heard a faint call from the adjacent room. He clearly saw his companions showed no reaction, but Ju Wuying's eyes lit up—her hearing was clearly superior to normal humans!

"This woman's got some serious skills…" Zhang Su thought, watching Ju Wuying's first faint smile.

"She said… it's me. I've brought back a few nearby survivors. They've agreed to treat your injuries."

As she spoke, Ju Wuying pushed open the bedroom door. A wave of warmth hit their faces—the room had heating.

"You… your hands… why are they tied?"

The woman in the room sat propped against the kang, and the moment she saw Ju Wuying enter, she immediately noticed the anomaly.

Ju Wuying pointed to Zhang Su, who had followed her in, and spoke briefly in Japanese to the woman on the bed: they didn't trust me, so they bound me—it's necessary caution, but they mean no harm; they're here to heal you…

Having lived together for some time, Xiao Ling understood some Japanese. After hearing the explanation, the tension on her pale face slowly faded. Her lifeless eyes turned to Zhang Su and the others, her lips—nearly bloodless—moved slightly.

"Thank you."

Zhang Su said nothing, studying the woman on the bed. She leaned weakly against the wall, appearing around thirty, though in the apocalypse, everyone looked older than their real age—she was probably five or six years younger.

Her hair was greasy, loosely tied back to look neat. She was covered in quilts; her upper body seemed fine, so the problem must be her lower half—that's why Ju Wuying said she couldn't be moved.

Feeling the room's warmth, Zhang Su noted the temperature difference between inside and outside exceeded forty degrees. He slowly unbuttoned his coat, walked to the center of the room, sniffed—the air carried the scent of disinfectant mixed with alcohol. Even though she couldn't move, there was no foul odor—clearly, Ju Wuying had cared for Xiao Ling well.

(End of Chapter)