Zhou Quchuan looked at the cards in his hand and just gave a vague "okay" with a nod, as if he had to focus on his cards and was slightly distracted, not quite responding decidedly.
Zhao Lian didn't pay too much attention to it. She thought that after spending this time with him, she had some understanding of his character.
Although he didn't speak much, occasionally teased her, and had a bit of a teenage rebellious streak, she believed he was a good person, and certainly wouldn't deliberately deceive her. Even if he did lie in the future, it probably would be out of necessity.
She would try to avoid such a situation from happening.
They played another round, and because Zhou Quchuan seemed distracted, Zhao Lian won, and it was her turn to shuffle.
"Actually..." Zhou Quchuan seemed a bit hesitant as he started to speak. "I feel like..."
"Hmm?" Zhao Lian looked up at him as she shuffled the cards. "What is it? It's okay, just tell me."
"Yesterday, after seeing my cousin, I feel like I remembered some things..." He said, looking at her cautiously while testing the waters.
"Really?" Zhao Lian was pleasantly surprised. "What did you remember?"
"Um, I remember some things from before the apocalypse, but it's a bit confusing. I also remembered when my abilities awakened," he said, deliberately showing a pained expression while holding his head and furrowing his brow, as if he was in some kind of distress.
"If it's painful, don't think about it for now," Zhao Lian quickly said, "Remembering some things proves that your condition is improving. Don't be too anxious, take it slowly, and you'll definitely recover all your memories in the future."
Putting down his hand, Zhou Quchuan still wore a furrowed brow and looked at her with a hint of vulnerability in his eyes. "I'm a bit worried. If I recover my memory one day and become a different person, will you think I'm a liar, deceiving you all this time?"
Shaking her head, Zhao Lian smiled, "How could that be? Even if you recover your memory, you'll still be Achuan. It's not like you'll turn into a man-eating beast, right? Don't worry, okay?"
"Well... what do you think I was like before?"
"I don't know what you were like before," Zhao Lian said without hesitation as she sorted through her cards, "but I know you're a good person now."
A good person? Zhou Quchuan looked at her serious expression and thought to himself: except for those bastards who betrayed her, everyone else is a good person in your eyes, right?
In that moment, he was actually tempted to tell her his true identity, but he thought about how he had just said he was starting to recover some memories and couldn't immediately contradict himself.
And- when did he become so concerned about this woman's opinion?
Zhou Quchuan was suddenly startled, realizing that he seemed to have attached too much importance to Zhao Lian's opinion. Wasn't he planning to leave next spring, just helping her a bit as a reward for her assistance in his own training during these months?
What was he really worried about?
He couldn't be actually...
Thinking of what Ji Siyuan had said before leaving, Zhou Quchuan suddenly felt a little panicked, mainly because he couldn't possibly have feelings for this woman. This woman wasn't even...
Looking at her, hmm, she's actually quite beautiful!
But there are plenty of beautiful women, since he took on that position, how many beautiful women didn't he want? Ones more beautiful than her, gentler than her, smarter than her, as long as he spoke, there were plenty of women like that coming around him.
How could he possibly like her?
It's sheer kindness, and stupidity. He's been betrayed and still so easily believes others...
Zhou Quchuan felt his heart in a turmoil, but Zhao Lian seemed oblivious, prompting him after she had played her cards, "It's your turn to play."
"Oh." Looking at her oblivious expression, Zhou Quchuan felt a surge of frustration - this woman was really clueless! His heart was in turmoil, and yet she still wants to play cards!
Throwing down his cards, he said coldly, "I'm not playing anymore. It's stuffy in here, I'm going for a walk."
"Oh... then, don't go too far, it's snowing, wear more clothing..." Zhao Lian's words were interrupted by the sound of the door closing. She sighed slightly, thinking that Achuan was feeling uncomfortable due to remembering some past events, coupled with a headache.
To be honest, in the two months that they had spent together, she had gotten somewhat used to having him around. He was like a loyal comrade, which spared her from feeling so lonely and helpless during this time.
But if he recovers his memory and wants to leave, she wouldn't stop him, couldn't stop him, because she had no reason, and no position to.
The following days returned to a calm state, with snow falling one after another, seeming to have an unending momentum.
The farm was covered with a blanket of snow, truly becoming an isolated island during the long winter.
The two of them relied on each other in this environment, and their understanding seemed to grow stronger day by day.
Zhao Lian didn't know what Zhou Quchuan was thinking, but for her, Zhou Quchuan had already surpassed being just a partner, like a family member to her.
Even the longest of winters would eventually come to an end, so when one morning Zhao Lian stepped outside and saw a hint of green on the wall, she knew that spring had arrived.
In this winter, the two little wolves grew rapidly, now resembling large dogs, staying by Zhao Lian's side on the left and right, asserting an imposing presence. They appeared to be very strong.
During this winter, Ah Bao hadn't changed much. Although he had gone out hunting less frequently, each time he returned, it was with fresh meat for the two of them.
Seeing the weather getting warmer day by day, almost all the snow on the ground had melted.
Zhao Lian began to urge Zhou Quchuan to pack up their belongings, as they also needed to consider the matter of going to the new Chuan base.
Zhou Quchuan knew that this day would come sooner or later, but he hadn't expected it to come so quickly.
He lazily sat on the edge of the bed, and every time Zhao Lian urged him, he would make a move, feeling that things could be delayed for the moment.
Seeing him like this, Zhao Lian laughed out of annoyance and asked, "What, are you so comfortable living here that you don't want to leave? You want to live a secluded life with me here forever?" After spending so much time together, they were very easygoing in their conversations.
A secluded life?
Actually, that wouldn't be too bad, thought Zhou Quchuan.
During this time, every two to three days, he would go to the open space near the lake in the middle of the night to receive the letters sent by his subordinates. Therefore, even without returning to the base, he was well aware of the situation at the base.
Under his command, the new Chuan base had already absorbed the Tong Rong base, and several small and medium-sized bases had voluntarily submitted to his rule. This was due to the fact that news of him killing the Lava Behemoth had spread, scaring the leaders of those bases.
Being able to kill the Lava Behemoth meant that with Zhou Quchuan's strength, he could wipe out bases of their level with ease, hence when the "imperial envoy" from the new Chuan base arrived, the leaders of those small and medium-sized bases immediately surrendered.
It's fortunate for them that submission doesn't mean being annexed, and they can still be the leaders of their respective bases, and enjoy the benefits of being backed by a big tree that other bandit groups wouldn't dare to provoke. Therefore, these small and medium-sized bases weren't that resistant to recognizing the new Chuan base as their leader.
The only thing that gave the new Chuan base a slight sense of threat was the "Changnan base" in the northeast.
It was mentioned before that the leader's second wife of the Changnan base was the sister of Meng Zhibin, who was killed by Zhou Quchuan, and the Tong Rong base was also swallowed up by the new Chuan base. Whether in an effort to prevent the new Chuan base's expansion due to not wanting to see the resulting dominance, or out of personal grudges, the leaders of the Changnan base were definitely on guard against the new Chuan base, and trying to obstruct its growth.
However, both bases were superpowers, so even if they were in opposition, there wouldn't be any major commotion for a while. Zhou Quchuan didn't need to worry about anything for the time being, but just had to keep a close eye on each other's movements.
Having enjoyed a comfortable life on the farm for these months, the thought of having to face a pile of annoying trivial matters as soon as he returned made Zhou Quchuan feel sick to the core.
It's a good thing that he awakened his ability and had strong strength, otherwise, if he were like an emperor in ancient times, with his behavior, the "palace" probably would have tried to seize his power countless times already.
As Zhao Lian said, if possible, he really would like to continue living in this "secluded life" with her.
Of course, this was not possible. Not to mention that he had been missing for several months, causing unrest in various circles, if he didn't show up soon, with just a few of his captains he wouldn't be able to suppress the secret struggles from the underworld.
As for Zhao Lian, she still had a last bit of longing for the new Chuan base, this seemed to have become a kind of obsession for her, she was determined to go and see for herself, hoping to find a place that would restore her confidence in her kind.
Although Zhou Quchuan sneered at her persistence, because she wanted to go to the new Chuan base, the "post-apocalypse holy land" he had created single-handedly, he absolutely wouldn't allow her to see anything "bad."
This wasn't to save her obsession, only to prevent himself from being embarrassed.
After she had experienced the new Chuan base, if she still wanted to come back, he would continue to accompany her back; if she wanted to stay, he would secretly arrange for her to have a simple job, and it would be convenient for him to continue to be with her...
Of course, he wants to stay with her not for any other reason, but to improve his strength.
Although he had mastered his insights into fighting the Lava Behemoth over the past few months, as long as she was by his side, his training speed would increase, and his strength would also slowly grow. For him, there was nothing more attractive than this.
Zhou Quchuan kept reminding himself in his heart that "you're staying by her side just to improve your strength, there's no other reason." After silently repeating this several times, he finally began to pack up at Zhao Lian's urging.
The luggage consisted of nothing more than weapons, food and water for the road, a small amount of clothing, and the two little wolves Ah Leopard and Ah Er, which had grown in size but were still young. They had long recognized Zhao Lian as their master, and were definitely going to go with them. Despite their large size, they hadn't shown any characteristics of being mutant beasts, and in the post-apocalyptic world, it was very common for caravans to keep dogs, so bringing them wouldn't attract too much attention.
As for Ah Leopard, Zhao Lian had asked about its wishes, and it seemed more willing to stay in the mountains and forests, rather than going to the human world.
Zhao Lian respected its decision and also knew that staying in such a place was the best option for it.
You should know that mutant beasts are very precious and valuable in the apocalypse. In case they are targeted and attacked by some powerful mutants, even if Ah Bao is strong, it would probably be a dead end.
Finally, on the day of departure, Zhao Lian picked up the luggage, took another look at the courtyard where she had lived for several months, took a deep breath, and then quickened her pace to follow Zhou Quchuan.
Arriving outside the courtyard, they saw a pickup truck parked in the middle of the road, which they had found in the woods months ago after they were attacked by an unidentified convoy.
How did it end up here? It turned out that after deciding on the date to depart for the Xin Chuan base, the two of them discussed and felt that the Xin Chuan base was far away from here, and it would be difficult to walk there, and it would be hard to escape if they encountered danger.
Since there was a well-functioning pickup truck nearby, they decided to take the time to find some gasoline and drive it on the road.
Finding gasoline was quite easy. There was a highway about a few kilometers from the farm. There had been a very serious and explosive accident on the highway, and it had been blocked, but there were definitely many well-preserved vehicles along the way, and those vehicles would not lack gasoline unless they had been extensively scavenged.
With Ah Bao around, and both of them carrying guns, it wouldn't be difficult for them to escape if they encountered any danger.
So, on a clear day, they set out with Ah Bao towards the highway to find gasoline.
It was fortunate that this stretch of highway was quite remote, far from the city, and was crowded with a large number of vehicles, so it hadn't been swept by other survivors.
The two spent a whole day collecting a good amount of gasoline.
In total, they collected over twenty cans, all of which they had gathered from the farm and could be used.
It wasn't that they didn't want to collect more, but it wasn't necessary, as abandoned cars after the apocalypse were everywhere, and as long as they drove to any nearby town, there would be plenty of vehicles for them to collect.
Arriving next to the pickup truck, Zhao Lian turned and patted Ah Bao's head, then scratched its chin with both hands, listening to its familiar purring. She whispered, "Well, let's go. You take care of yourself and don't provoke anything that shouldn't be disturbed. If we're lucky, maybe we'll see each other again in a few months."
Ah Bao responded softly and nuzzled her face with its wet nose.
"Alright, let's get in the car," Zhao Lian said, sitting in the driver's seat and waving to Ah Bao.
Zhou Quchuan put Ah Da and Ah Er in the back of the car, where there were two large bones.
However, Ah Da and Ah Er did not rush to the bones as usual. Instead, they propped their front paws on the edge of the car frame, raised their heads, and let out a low growl.
The sound echoed over the farm and spread far into the distance.
For some reason, Zhao Lian felt a sourness in her nose. She quickly looked up at the sky, blinked rapidly, and suppressed the rising tears.
Zhou Quchuan glanced at her before starting the car and said, "Reluctant? It's okay. We'll be back. Look at the ewe, how calm she is."
Following his voice, Zhao Lian saw the nanny sheep who had always acted as a surrogate mother to the two lambs, leisurely grazing on the slope not far away.
This was the "nanny" of Ah Da and Ah Er, who had not become a meal for them in the end and had even been released by Zhao Lian.
However, probably due to being familiar with the area, the mother sheep did not leave. Without the restraint of the rope, it just grazed around nearby.
As the car started, Ah Da and Ah Er in the back of the car barked even louder, while Ah Bao ran alongside the car.
"Alright, stop following, go back!" Zhao Lian waved her hand to it.
Ah Bao didn't listen and continued to run alongside the car for several kilometers before gradually disappearing into the depths of the woods.
After searching the woods for a while to make sure they couldn't find Ah Bao's figure, Zhao Lian breathed a sigh of relief and sat back. After a while, she looked back at the car and saw Ah Da and Ah Er lying down through the rear window, with only a bit of fur visible.
Seeing her looking a bit listless, Zhou Quchuan comforted her, "Don't worry. We'll figure out the route in a while and come back to see. Don't worry, Ah Bao is strong. I doubt there are any mutant beasts in this area that can match it."
The area still held traces of its presence, and very few fearless mutant beasts dared to intrude, especially after the past few months, as he occasionally fed Ah Bao with pure "qi" to help it cultivate. Therefore, its strength was no longer the same as before, and it was already preparing to break through the threshold of the "third stage".
You see, even lava tyrannosaurs are only at the "fourth stage" level.
In this world, mutant beasts that can reach the third level are extremely rare.
As long as it can break through the third stage, then Ah Bao will truly be able to dominate as the ruler of mutant beasts in the area.
However, Zhao Lian didn't know all of this. She just thought that Zhou Quchuan was consoling her, so she also cheered up. After all, going to Xin Chuan base was something she had always insisted on doing, and being too disheartened at this point would seem overly dramatic.
Zhou Quchuan, of course, was very clear about the specific location of the Xin Chuan base, but he lied to Zhao Lian, claiming that he had awakened some memories and remembered that he had been to the Xin Chuan base before. So, as long as they found the place, they could move forward on the road along the routes from his memory.
Zhao Lian didn't doubt him. Even if Zhou Quchuan did not know, she could guide the way based on a general sense of direction. She was not directionally challenged and had spent a lot of effort on the map during the early days of the apocalypse to better ensure her survival.
They definitely couldn't go to the highway, so they drove along the normal road towards the nearby town.
This meant they had to pass through a small town.
This small town was the one Zhou Quchuan often went to for "wool-pulling" before the winter last year. He was very familiar with the terrain of the small town, knowing which roads were accessible and which roads, though wide, were not passable.
Just as he was about to pretend he was lucky to have not encountered a large number of zombies on the route, a sudden change occurred!
The next second, the relatively quiet small town was jolted awake by a loud blast. All the dormant zombies quickly awakened and madly charged towards the source of the sound.
It turned out that a large stone flew out of nowhere and hit the front of the pickup truck as it was moving forward. If Zhou Quchuan hadn't braked in time, the two of them would probably have been flattened by now!
Zhao Lian's face turned pale. She seemed to be oblivious to the zombies that would soon swarm from all directions. In her eyes, there was only the huge gorilla charging towards them at the end of the road like a truck.
It was a clearly a mutant beast!
"Go! Go! Reverse quickly!" Zhao Lian shouted.
"It's too late! Get out of the car!" Zhou Quchuan also shouted. It wasn't until this moment that Zhao Lian saw from the rearview mirror that countless zombies were charging from the other three roads at the intersection!
They had all been alerted by the loud noise just now.
She quickly got out of the car, and Ah Da and Ah Er had also jumped out, following her and growling fiercely.
Before she could decide how to deal with the situation, Zhou Quchuan suddenly grabbed her hand and pushed her into a nearby grocery store with a window tightly closed but a slightly open door. The two small wolves quickly rushed in as well.
He was too quick, and she only realized that the door, which he was holding closed with a stick, had been sealed as she tried to pull it back!
"Achuan, come in! Come in!" Zhao Lian slammed the door desperately, but there was no response from Zhou Quchuan outside, except for the sound of a large number of zombies approaching.
Zhao Lian was so frantic that she felt like her head was going to explode. Just as she was about to call out again, the door was suddenly slammed hard, and the outside was filled with the frantic howling of a large number of zombies.
She felt her heart sink and her lips tremble.
She dragged a metal cabinet and a chair from the side to block the door, then turned and ran upstairs to the shop with Ada and Aero!
Upstairs, she would definitely be able to see the situation outside, at least she could see... she could see Achuan's situation!
At this moment, Zhao Lian felt like she was trapped in an ice cellar, with every cell in her body frozen stiff, but her heart felt like it was thrown into molten lava, being divided and melted in the terrifying high temperature, suffering repeatedly!
This was not the first time Achuan had sacrificed himself to save her, but it made her even more resentful of her own weakness!
When she rushed to the second floor, she found that the windows had been boarded up by the previous owner, but fortunately she could go to the rooftop, and above was a terrace.
Zhao Lian rushed to the rooftop, and before she could reach the edge, she saw an incredibly unbelievable scene!
On the street not far away, Zhou Quchuan was actually engaged in a fierce battle with the mutant ape that had charged at him earlier!
A dull sound came, and Zhao Lian's heart felt like it had been hit hard with a hammer. Her pupils dilated, and the next moment, she saw the mutant beast, at least ten times larger than Zhou Quchuan, wail in a miserable manner as it flew backward, crashing into numerous car lights and lamp posts!
Ignoring the endless stream of zombies surging around him, Zhou Quchuan dashed forward and collided with the struggling giant ape again, and then the two of them rolled towards the corner of the street, out of Zhao Lian's sight.
Feeling anxious, Zhao Lian circled the rooftop platform, but no matter what, she couldn't see anything there, only hearing a series of muffled sounds like a fight, and the roar of the gorilla.
The sound came and went, and after a few minutes, it completely disappeared.
Stunned on the rooftop, Zhao Lian felt like her heart was alternately submerged in molten lava and frozen in extreme cold, the sensation of being caught between fire and ice made her feel extremely uncomfortable.
About ten minutes later, a figure suddenly jumped down from the adjacent rooftop and appeared in front of Zhao Lian.
It was Zhou Quchuan, he had returned safely!
As soon as Zhao Lian saw him, tears streamed down her face. Overwhelmed with joy, anger, excitement, and other emotions, she couldn't say anything, and suddenly her body went weak and she collapsed.
She had a high fever.
......
When Zhao Lian opened her eyes, she saw the familiar sight, they had returned to the farm again.
Zhou Quchuan was sitting at the small table, and when he saw her wake up, he hurried over and asked anxiously, "Are you okay?"
"Give me some water..." Zhao Lian looked at him and said with a complex expression.
"Okay!" Zhou Quchuan immediately poured her a bowl of water. It was warm, which was just right for her to drink.
After drinking most of it in one gulp, Zhao Lian sighed and looked at him as he put the bowl away and sat back down. She said, "You..." but then her face suddenly changed because she felt... her monthly period had come!
"You..." Zhou Quchuan also spoke at the same time, but immediately closed his mouth. Seeing her look somewhat unwell, as if she had remembered something, her throat seemed dry, and her face felt warm.
He asked in a low voice, "Did your... did it come?"
"How did you know!?" Zhao Lian looked up at him suddenly.
"When you fainted, I saw blood under you. At first, I thought you were injured, but later I realized and helped you deal with it..."
"You, you, you saw it! And helped me deal with it!?" Zhao Lian couldn't help raising her voice, blushing with embarrassment. "How can you... you didn't take..." she couldn't even speak the words out.
"No, no, no!" Zhou Quchuan knew she had misunderstood deeply. He jumped back as if propelled by a spring, shaking his hands frantically. "It's not what you think. I didn't take off your pants, just used clothes to wrap you up, and then brought you back, I was afraid of dirtying the bed, so I spread an oil paper on the sheets."
"Um... now that you're awake, I'll go out first, you can take care of yourself... um, I'll be outside, just call me if you need anything..."
After saying that, he immediately ran out like a rabbit that had been chased by a wolf.
Zhao Lian felt her face turn red, as if she had a fever.
She didn't expect her period, which hadn't come for months, to arrive now!
Whenever her period came back, her physical condition would deteriorate, and she would often fall ill. This time, her fainting was probably also due to this reason, mainly because she was too emotionally overwhelmed at the time, a double blow of physical and psychological shocks, resulting in a sudden fever and coma was quite normal.
She touched her forehead, it didn't feel too hot, but her whole body felt feverish and weak, and most importantly, it felt sticky and uncomfortable below, she urgently wanted to take a hot bath.
Although it was embarrassing, she still raised her voice to call Zhou Quchuan, asking him to help fetch water for a hot bath. In her current condition, she definitely couldn't go to the river to fetch water.
Zhou Quchuan heard her request outside and immediately went to fetch water without any hesitation.
Although she couldn't take a bath, it was very comfortable to wash with a bucket of hot water.
As for the soiled clothes and sheets, she packed them all and threw them away, anyway, in the post-apocalyptic world, these things were almost everywhere.
After tidying herself up, Zhao Lian sat on the bed and drank the porridge Zhou Quchuan had brewed, seeing him sitting silently at the table like a child who had done something wrong, she knew he was silently apologizing to her.
Thinking about the fierce battle he had experienced earlier, and then returning to find her faint, and then bringing her back to the farm, and after all the fuss, she must be very tired as well.
She sighed in her heart and said, "Your awakened ability isn't just 'recovery,' is it? With your strength, why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Zhou Quchuan quickly raised his head and explained, "I really didn't know at first. When I saw the gorilla charging at me, I thought I was finished, and suddenly it was as if I had awakened. Zhao Lian, I... really didn't mean to deceive you."
To be honest, when he returned to her, he fainted after seeing the emotions in her eyes, which made him panic. Subconsciously, he thought Zhao Lian had fainted from the shock of his concealment, and later saw bloodstains underneath her. At the time, it was like a landslide in his ears, almost making him lose his mind.
He almost went crazy, holding her and running back to the farmhouse. In a few breaths, he had already returned to the main house, where he had been separated shortly before, and then he put her on the bed and was about to help her take off her pants to see where she was injured, but when he was halfway through, he saw her fair thighs and the very plain white underwear, and he felt a "boom" in his mind.
It was as if an atomic bomb had exploded in his brain!
Then he wiped the top of his lips and found blood on his hand. It was then that he realized... he was actually... bleeding from his nose!
At that moment, he couldn't control his eyes at all, they were fixed on a certain area, and he could barely move his gaze away. He clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, veins popping on his forehead, forced himself to help Zhao Lian put on her pants, then rushed out of the room to the riverside, plunging his head into the icy cold river.
In the few minutes of sobering up in the icy water, he gradually recovered all his senses, and then thought of a possibility - Zhao Lian might be getting her period?
He had heard that when women are in this situation, their bodies become weak and prone to illness. Perhaps that was the reason Zhao Lian had a fever?
Yes! She was still feverish, so what was he doing? Leaving her alone in the house to run out to "put out the fire"?
Zhou Quchuan, oh Zhou Quchuan, are you even human!? You beast!
Scolding himself in his heart, he immediately rushed back, first using a towel dipped in cold water to apply to her forehead to lower her temperature, then padding several layers of things under her body, and then starting to boil water to make porridge.
During this process, he thought about how he would explain the previous events to Zhao Lian once she woke up.
That mutated gorilla, with at least the strength of the early fourth rank, it seems to have just advanced. Who knows when it came near here.
He suspected it was here to find that lava exploding dragon.
He wondered whether it was all luck. It's extremely rare for a mutated beast to reach the fourth rank, but he encountered two of them in such a short time and in such a close range.
Of course, with his current strength, that gorilla posed no threat to him. Instead, the challenge was how to deceive Zhao Lian's eyes.
Originally, he wanted to lock her in the room and then come up with a story like "he got lucky and escaped". Anyway, she couldn't see the strength of that gorilla.
Who would have expected that she would run up to the rooftop and directly witness the scene of him fighting the gorilla.
There's no way out now; he can only push all of this onto "sudden awakening".
Zhao Lian, with a towel on her head, stared at his expression, seeing that he looked very serious, as if his previous actions were all due to the sudden awakening of his abilities.
To be honest, she was somewhat skeptical, but when she remembered the moments they had spent together before, she felt that Achuan wouldn't lie to her.
Because what would he gain from lying to her? She was just an ordinary person, without any ability or wealth. If he had such terrifying strength from the beginning, deceiving her would not bring him any benefit at all. He surely wouldn't be naive enough to think it's fun to deceive a stranger in this way.
After realizing this, Zhao Lian's shoulders relaxed slightly, and she felt much lighter.
She smiled and said, "I believe you, Achuan. Congratulations, you've become so powerful, it's great!"
Zhou Quchuan looked at her smiling face and felt the strongest sense of guilt he had ever experienced. But he quickly suppressed this feeling and returned the smile, "Yes, it's great. Now I can protect you even better in the future."
After hearing his pledge-like words, Zhao Lian's face felt even warmer. She quickly changed the topic, "When I have my period, I often get a fever and cold. Don't worry, I'll be fine in a few days. I'll set off again when I'm feeling better."
Zhou Quchuan nodded, took care of her and let her rest, then sat on the edge of the bed, watching her slightly pale face, lost in thought.
His ability was of no use in treating illnesses. If they were at the Xinchuan base, he could have had someone with "healing abilities" come to treat her. For now, he can only let her recover slowly.
But that night, he still went to the open space near the lake. After emitting a sharp bird call, he heard the flapping of a bird's wings.
Soon, a giant albatross, twice or thrice the size of an ordinary one, flew over from the forest and landed on a tree branch in front of Zhou Quchuan. This was one of the mutated albatrosses bred by his fifth captain. They used these birds to send messages over long distances.
He had already sent a message back saying he was about to return, so there was no need to send any more messages. The albatross would wait here until sunrise tomorrow, then return the same way.
This was perfect for sending another message, asking them to send some fever-reducing medicine.
Yes, he was worried that Zhao Lian's fever wouldn't subside, so he also needed to prepare some medication.
Two more days passed, and under Zhou Quchuan's careful care, Zhao Lian's fever had completely subsided, but she was still on her period and needed to wait a little longer.
This wait lasted five days, and finally, they could set off again.
This time, their departure was not as sentimental as before. After a simple farewell to Ah Bao, the two of them set off in the car.
The car was secretly brought back by Zhou Quchuan one day, as he couldn't explain how he could have quickly brought Zhao Lian back from such a far distance.
Fortunately, this time the journey went much smoother, though they took some detours. They arrived at the "Haifu Province" just over a week later.