But she still didn't dare relax her guard. So late at night—how could any normal person be running around outside?

When that Taoist came in, the Wolf Fang Club in her hand was more or less pointed straight at him.

Qingyang swept his eyes around the room. All the windows were sealed, only the stairs leading to the second floor were still open.

In the middle there was a small flame burning. A pot was hanging over the fire, something seemed to be stewing inside.

Five or six people were squatting by the fire. When they saw him come in, they, together with the six or seven who had just gone out, all stared at him fixedly.

They all held various homemade weapons in their hands, their eyes full of doubt and wariness.

Qingyang hadn't expected there to be people in here at all, and this many besides. Charging into someone's place in the middle of the night was indeed a bit abrupt.

So he gave them a Taoist salute, then said somewhat awkwardly, "I am the poor Taoist Qingyang. I truly apologize for disturbing you so late at night. I originally thought there was no one in this courtyard, so I ran in. Sorry, sorry."

The woman in the lead heard this, but still didn't relax her vigilance. In times like these, there were all kinds of people; she'd seen too many with human faces and beastly hearts.

She stared straight at him and asked, "Where did you come from? Why did you suddenly appear here?"

The Taoist Qingyang pondered for a few seconds at her words, then opened his mouth and said, "I came down from Sanqing Mountain. I'm looking for my senior brothers right now. Um, may I ask if you've seen anyone wearing a Taoist robe?"

"We haven't seen anyone in a Taoist robe. This is our place. Please leave." Hearing the Taoist's words, a burly man with a full beard stepped forward, displeasure in his eyes as he spoke.

A stranger turning up in the middle of the night saying he's looking for someone, dressed in a tattered Taoist robe—that was way too strange.

Sharing a room with him—if this Taoist had bad intentions, that would be dangerous. You couldn't trust strangers; if you ran into them, you tried to avoid contact and stay away.

"Niu Gao! Don't be impulsive!" The woman in the lead saw Niu Gao about to kick this Taoist out and quickly spoke up.

There were Zombies all over outside right now. If they drove this Taoist out, he'd only attract Zombies over, which did them no good at all.

"Hmph!" Niu Gao snorted coldly, turned his head away, and said nothing more.

"I'll leave at daybreak tomorrow. Sorry again."

With that, the Taoist Qingyang awkwardly lowered his hand, then consciously stood in a small corner to the side. It seemed the people here weren't very happy about his arrival.

He naturally wasn't going to go over and pester them with small talk. Since coming down the mountain and suffering a few losses, he'd also learned how to protect himself.

Seeing that he didn't seem hostile, everyone relaxed a little. The few who had stood up slowly sat back down in their original spots, though their eyes still flicked toward him from time to time, full of vigilance.

The woman in the lead lowered her Wolf Fang Club and walked a few steps toward the fire. After hesitating for a moment, she turned her head and carefully sized up the Taoist Qingyang again.

She saw Qingyang standing at the doorway, looking out, as if worried that Zombies might rush in.

"Hey, little Taoist, you're alone? Aren't you afraid of running into Zombies?" the woman in the lead asked, a bit curious.

At her words, Qingyang turned his head and said slowly, "Yes, I'm alone. There aren't many Zombies in the daytime, so it's not a big problem."

A thoughtful look flashed in the woman's eyes, and she tried to reassure him. "Don't worry, Zombies can't get in. That wall should be enough to keep them out."

Qingyang somewhat awkwardly stretched out his hand, still smeared with wet cement, and said, "Was that wall just built? I accidentally…"

The woman said generously, "It's fine, only the outer layer is wet, the inside should be okay. You said you're looking for your senior brothers—do you know where they are?"

At that, Qingyang's mood sank a lot. He shook his head and sighed. "I don't know…"

"Hahaha, you don't know and you're still running around. Be careful the Zombies don't gnaw you to the bone." The man called Niu Gao spoke with a trace of mockery after hearing the Taoist's words.

Qingyang could only give a bitter smile and shake his head. Faced with this burly man's taunts, he didn't know how to respond.

Instead, the woman beside him turned her head and glared at Niu Gao. After seeing Sister Lan's look, Niu Gao muttered a couple of words and then shut his mouth.

Sister Lan had already warned him earlier—if he really made her mad, he'd be the one to suffer.

Sister Lan looked at the little Taoist. She didn't know why, but she inexplicably felt this Taoist was a decent person, even though he was disheveled and his Taoist robe was all torn up.

But the aura about him, and those clear eyes of his, and the way he remained calm in the face of Niu Gao's mockery—he was completely different from most people in the Doomsday who drew a blade at the slightest disagreement.

So Sister Lan thought for a moment and said gently, "What are you planning to do next?"

Feeling the goodwill Sister Lan was extending, Qingyang looked up, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he said, "Keep looking. I'll find them sooner or later."

In the firelight, Qingyang's smile looked very nice.

Sister Lan's heart stirred slightly, and the corners of her own mouth couldn't help but lift as she said with a smile, "You're remarkably optimistic." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Qingyang hesitated for a few seconds, then pointed in the direction of Oil City and asked, "When I came over, I saw lights over there. What's going on in that direction?"