Chapter 29: Following the Natural Way

Chapter 29: Following the Natural Way

Guan Yuanfeng woke up from meditation again, feeling extremely hungry.

His appetite had been enormous these past few days.

The aroma of food drifting from the kitchen made his stomach growl even more.

He held the handle and got onto the wheelchair, pulling a blanket to cover himself when he suddenly felt something unusual. He looked down at his legs.

Normally, when he sat on the wheelchair, the cross-section of his legs would be flush with the edge of the wheelchair, but today, it seemed that an extra part was sticking out.

He sat there for a moment, having forgotten the sharp pangs of hunger.

He examined it closely; the extra part of his leg had skin that was pale and delicate, almost like new growth, with fine pores and a texture identical to healthy skin, sensitive to the touch. Under the thin skin, the blood vessels pulsed vigorously.

The ugly, twisted scar had faded significantly, and the previous itchiness had lessened, though the muscles and bones were still sore. It was the kind of growing pain he had felt in his teenage years, lying in bed at midnight.

Were his legs actually regenerating against medical common sense?

He stared intently at the place that had once been horribly disfigured, where he had felt sharp pain before. He had also felt the pain and presence of his legs in dreams, only to see an empty space under the light, a huge disappointment.

He had suffered too many disappointments, so even though Zhou Yun had confidently said his legs would grow back, he had still thought it was just reassuring words. But now, Guan Yuanfeng realized that Zhou Yun wasn’t the kind of person to offer false hope, even out of kindness.

Zhou Yun was always meticulous and rational. If he said the legs might grow back, he probably had his reasons.

It was just that those reasons might violate existing scientific common sense, so he hadn’t explained them.

Come to think of it, since psychic powers had appeared, and he could command whirlwinds and lightning, why shouldn’t he believe his legs could grow back?

He pushed the wheelchair out and saw Zhou Yun in front of the stove in the kitchen, holding a pressure cooker in one hand and opening the lid with the other, the aroma of stewed chicken even more intense.

Zhou Yun seemed to have just taken a shower, his hair still damp, wearing a loose linen shirt. His broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs made even the simple act of pouring the chicken into a basin look powerful, with his back muscles and arms tensing with every movement.

On the table was already a large basin of tofu stewed fish. Zhou Yun turned around, saw Guan Yuanfeng come out, and brought over a basin of stewed chicken, placing it on the table with a smile. "Let's eat. Tonight it's Astragalus stewed chicken. It might have a bit of a medicinal taste, but Astragalus is a top-notch herb for replenishing qi. After your psychic powers awakened, did you feel your appetite increase?"

At this time, Guan Yuanfeng needed a lot of energy. He had sliced up the mutated Astragalus he had cultivated earlier to cook the chicken soup. Astragalus was very effective in treating limb atrophy. He had also added a few pieces of mutated eagle meat, and after tasting it, he could feel a significant energy entering his body, highly nourishing.

Guan Yuanfeng nodded and looked at him. "My legs seem to have really grown."

Zhou Yun showed no surprise. "Good thing. Absorb more energy from the crystal cores; I think it’ll help."

Guan Yuanfeng's eyes stayed on his face, not missing the subtle expression. Zhou Yun's demeanor was certainly affirmative, and he didn’t seem curious to immediately check the wound on his legs.

Guan Yuanfeng was full of doubt. "How can you be so sure it will grow back?"

How could he be sure? Of course, because he had treated this before.

Zhou Yun had already turned to take the washed red amaranth from the sink and put it into the heated wok. The aroma of garlic burst out. He said, "Psychics obviously have enhanced physical qualities, with strong cell vitality and a certain degree of self-healing ability."

The most severely injured psychic he had treated was a fourth-tier gold element psychic. His crystal core had been removed, his limbs cut off, his eyes blinded, his eardrums punctured, his tongue severed, locked in a cage, and submerged in a sewer for a month, yet he didn’t die.

Zhou Yun had been there on business at the time and, seeing him, decided to take him back as an experimental subject for limb regeneration.

With such severe injuries, even a fifth-tier light healer could only keep him alive, but not regenerate his limbs or organs without his crystal core.

Zhou Yun had only just advanced to fifth-tier at that time and took some wrong turns during the treatment.

But this psychic’s will to survive was unbreakable. No matter how much pain he endured, he never gave up.

It took him almost a year to fully recover, starting with the eardrums and tongue. After that, the limbs healed, and last of all came the eyes—the eyes truly are an incredibly complex organ.

Of course, that gold-element psychic was actually the first person on whom he successfully performed a crystal core graft. But only he and the gold-element psychic knew about this.

After the gold-element psychic recovered, he left Dark Valley, and before he went, he told him, "I'll go seek revenge first, and then I'll be at your service."

Unfortunately, not long after he left, he was framed and imprisoned. It's unknown whether he got his revenge in the end.

He drizzled a little sesame oil, finished stir-frying the dish, placed it on a plate, and brought it to the table. Sitting down, he grabbed his own chopsticks and said to Guan Yuanfeng, "Use your psychic powers until they're nearly depleted before absorbing a crystal core; it's most effective that way."

Guan Yuanfeng stared at him for a moment before picking up his chopsticks. "Alright." Zhou Yun's gaze shifted to the left, as if recalling something. He was a doctor, after all.

He asked Zhou Yun, "Did anything happen on the rooftop? Why did you shower so early today?"

Usually, Zhou Yun would shower after exercising post-meal because of the cooking fumes.

Zhou Yun knew that Guan Yuanfeng was always perceptive and sensitive to changes.

Now, in the apocalypse, Guan Yuanfeng was probably concerned that Zhou Yun had run into mutated animals or zombies. So, Zhou Yun explained, "I did an experiment today using materials that had a strong smell. My clothes and hair reeked, so I washed them."

Guan Yuanfeng's concerns were addressed, and he felt relieved. He then glanced at the plastic toy gun on the coffee table and asked, "What about that? Was it for the experiment too?"

Zhou Yun said, "That's a children's water pistol. I've prepared two types of agents, both with strong smells, to deal with zombies. One is a zombie-luring agent, and the other is a zombie-repelling agent..."

Guan Yuanfeng immediately understood. "You want to modify the water pistol to shoot bullets filled with the agents."

Zhou Yun said, "Exactly. It would be best if we could spread it over a large area within a zombie horde."

Guan Yuanfeng frowned. "It would be easier to modify an air gun or a flare gun. The water pistol... I'll give it a try."

Zhou Yun breathed a sigh of relief. "That would be perfect. I'm not good at this and have been struggling with it for a while."

Guan Yuanfeng asked, "Where did you get the water pistol?"

Zhou Yun said, "I found it during a sweep of a building a while ago. I thought it might be useful, so I took it."

Guan Yuanfeng nodded.

They began to focus on their meal, even Comet, their dog, was eating voraciously. Now that both of them and the dog had psychic abilities, their appetites were enormous. Zhou Yun had clearly increased the portion sizes for each meal, but they still finished everything every day.

Zhou Yun placed a small egg next to Guan Yuanfeng. "It's a first-laid egg, specially saved for you. You must eat it."

Guan Yuanfeng didn't refuse. He peeled the small egg, dipped it in soy sauce, and ate it in two bites.

He had previously thought Zhou Yun's constant nutritional supplements were a bit excessive since he didn't feel weak after the surgery. But now, seeing the new flesh and skin on his leg, he suddenly understood the importance of these nutrients.

Looking at the water pistol, he realized that Zhou Yun's sudden creation of zombie-targeting agents meant he was planning to hunt zombies. Guan Yuanfeng had been content staying high up in the building, growing vegetables and flowers, and wasn't particularly keen on hunting zombies. After all, the rooftop was safe and secure.

The zombie-repelling agent made sense, but why did he need a zombie-luring agent? Of course, it was to hunt zombies, to obtain more crystal cores. Zhou Yun no longer needed gray unattributed crystal cores for himself; he was clearly doing this for Guan Yuanfeng.

He needed to recover and grow strong as soon as possible.

After dinner, Zhou Yun fried sesame seeds and mixed them with melted donkey-hide gelatin, rose petals, and honey to form balls. The room was filled with the fragrance of sesame. Guan Yuanfeng ate two balls and drank a cup of warm milk.

Maybe the supplements were too much; Guan Yuanfeng woke up feeling parched in the middle of the night.

He heard some noise outside, so he got up and wheeled himself out. He saw Zhou Yun coming down from the rooftop and asked, surprised, "What’s going on?"

Zhou Yun had a smile on his face. "The mother rabbit has given birth to a litter of bunnies."

Guan Yuanfeng: “……”

Zhou Yun said, "I gave the mother rabbit some brown sugar and salt water after she gave birth. The mother rabbit gets easily startled after giving birth. We'll take you to see them tomorrow morning."

Guan Yuanfeng wasn't really interested in the livestock, but seeing Zhou Yun's happiness, he engaged in the conversation. "How did you know the mother rabbit gave birth?"

Zhou Yun said, "It's been about time for a few days. The rabbit was bringing grass and pulling fur to make a nest. She gave birth to a litter of bunnies in the middle of the night. Comet woke me up."

Guan Yuanfeng: “……” So, whose dog is this anyway?

Zhou Yun looked at him. "What's wrong? Is your leg hurting?"

Guan Yuanfeng shook his head. "It’s not painful, but I feel a bit overheated and dry. Is it because of the supplements?"

Zhou Yun came over and felt his pulse. "Should I boil some Ophiopogon water for you?"

Guan Yuanfeng suspected he was holding back his laughter. "It's too late. I'll just drink some water and go to sleep. We can do it tomorrow."

Zhou Yun said, "Then should I give you a couple of acupuncture needles to guide the fire back to its origin?"

Guan Yuanfeng waved his hand. "I'll just drink some water." He saw the amusement in Zhou Yun's eyes and felt a bit uncomfortable. "You should get some rest. Don’t worry about me."

Zhou Yun indeed left him alone. "Alright, then you should sleep early."

He poured himself some water, took a couple of sips, and headed back to his room to sleep.

The next day, he indeed saw the newborn bunnies. They were plump and hairless, like little bald mice nestled in soft gauze and cotton. Their eyes were closed, their ears drooping against their heads, huddled together. The mother rabbit was still licking off the fetal membranes.

Zhou Yun had carefully prepared chopped coriander and carrots for the mother rabbit and said to him enthusiastically, "Once they’re a bit older, I'll move some of the rabbits to the backyard at Yuexi Number 3. We can't keep them here; it's getting cold soon."

Guan Yuanfeng didn't have much attachment to that house and simply said, "Suit yourself."

Zhou Yun was still thinking about the mutated jasmine plant. He looked outside at the sunlight. It had only been two days since the rain stopped, and the sun was shining brightly again.

With fewer zombies at this time, it would be a good idea to go and collect that jasmine plant. In a few days, it would get colder, and there would be more zombies. He said, "I'll take Comet for a walk and tidy up the backyard of your house."

He seriously discussed with Guan Yuanfeng, "I noticed there's a storage room in your backyard. We can modify that room to keep the poultry and livestock in separate cages."

Guan Yuanfeng thought for a moment. "Winter is coming soon. While the villa downstairs is nice, it’s separated by thirty floors, and there are zombies around. It's not really safe to keep them down there. We could convert the two attic rooms into spaces for the extra livestock."

Zhou Yun was surprised. The second floor used to be Guan Yuanfeng's room. Although he had previously thought it was a bit unfair that Guan Yuanfeng had to live in the attic with poor lighting and ventilation while he occupied the villa, he hadn't said anything.

Guan Yuanfeng looked at him. "I've already taken over the master bedroom here. We won't be living here in the future, so we might as well use it for the animals. One room can be separated to keep pigs, sheep, and rabbits, and the other room can keep chickens, ducks, and geese."

Zhou Yun thought about it. This winter would be particularly cold, and Guan Yuanfeng's suggestion was actually quite good. His house was equipped with air conditioning. With a generator and some heaters, they could get through the winter.

Guan Yuanfeng continued, "Our appetites are big now. It's good to keep more chickens and ducks, just in case."

Zhou Yun said, "Alright. I planted some vegetables and dried dates in your backyard last time. I'll go down and water them first, then come back to move some furniture."

Guan Yuanfeng said, "There’s no need to move much. We can just break down the old furniture to build pens for the pigs and sheep." They were just old, worn-out furniture that he had kept for decades. The wood wasn't anything special, just ordinary pine boards.

Zhou Yun could see that Guan Yuanfeng had no attachment to that room. He smiled. "Alright. During our last sweep, I saw a house that was being renovated. There's a lot of wood there too. I can pick some from there, and there are also chicken and pet cages on the balconies. I'll bring them up."

Guan Yuanfeng nodded and reminded him, "Be careful. Take Comet with you. Don’t be greedy. Safety first."

Zhou Yun said, "Okay. There’s a tool shed in the attic. You can find any tools you need there. There’s a pot of meat stewing, and some mung bean paste in the pressure cooker. If you need something to drink, you can have the stew or the mung bean paste."

He paused, carefully considering his words before speaking tactfully, "Your legs are still in the process of healing, and your lower body is blocked, leading to qi stagnation and blood stasis."

"Now that you have psychic abilities, your qi and blood are recovering, but your body is too weak to handle tonics. Even a small amount of supplement could lead to an imbalance, causing excessive yang energy and restlessness."

"It's best to let nature take its course, and you should follow your desires to relieve and disperse the excess energy, aligning with the natural way."

Guan Yuanfeng was bombarded with medical terms and hadn't yet reacted when he saw Zhou Yun turning around to call Comet downstairs, his departure seeming hurried.

Guan Yuanfeng was stunned for a moment, "Go with the flow and let my body adjust naturally?"

Suddenly realizing, his ears slightly warming up, he recalled how Zhou Yun had seemed to be holding back laughter the previous night. Had he really not been mistaken?

Half-amused and half-frustrated, he wheeled himself out of the livestock pen and up to the attic, meticulously completing his exercise routine for the day. He also thought about the gym downstairs and decided to find time to modify it, trying to infuse lightning into the arrows. Unfortunately, testing it indoors wasn't an option. It would have to be outdoors, against zombies.

He caressed the bow, a carbon fiber composite bow, which must have been extremely expensive. In this apocalyptic world, it would probably be impossible to find another like it.

Thinking about it, the bow had almost always been used by himself. Zhou Yun didn't seem like the type to make impulsive purchases, so why would he spend so much on such an expensive bow? And it looked brand new, as if it had never been used.

Guan Yuanfeng felt that Zhou Yun often exhibited behaviors that didn't quite match his usual impressions, which was a bit strange, but it was Zhou Yun's personal freedom. He quickly cast the small doubt aside and put down the bow, starting to modify the water gun.

The living room was too narrow and not suitable for test firing, so Guan Yuanfeng took the water gun and the toolbox up to the rooftop. After disassembling the water gun for inspection, he decided it would be better to replace the barrel with a stainless steel one.

Remembering Zhou Yun's mention of the tool room in the attic, and having seen Zhou Yun drag an elevator out from there before, he went to the room opposite the gym and pushed the door open.

The door was indeed unlocked, and as soon as he entered, he was greeted by shelves full of various tools. Additionally, the room was dimly lit, but several large shelves were neatly stocked with various items.

Guan Yuanfeng flipped on the light and was taken aback.

The shelves were packed with all kinds of rice, flour, oil, salt, sugar, as well as various tissues, laundry detergent, and other household supplies. There were also storage bins, each clearly labeled, showing that every inch of space was maximized to store a variety of items. There were also several large, sealed oil drums.

There was also a freezer by the window in the middle. Without even looking, he knew it was packed with supplies. No wonder he never felt distressed when cooking. Even in this food-scarce world, he could still feed Comet, who ate as much as two adults combined.

Is this... Zhou Yun's personal storage warehouse? Although he had asked Zhou Yun to buy a lot of supplies from the supermarket during the rainwater flood disaster and stocked them at home, did Zhou Yun really stockpile this much on his own?

Or was it the stuff he collected during the sweep of the buildings some time ago? But they had always been together, and he hadn't seen Zhou Yun moving much stuff, apparently only transporting them to the empty rooms on the 29th floor.

He had seen the food in Zhou Yun's fridge neatly organized, almost obsessively, and knew there was a psychological condition called "hoarding syndrome." But that was usually found in older folks who had experienced hard times and had neurological issues.

He hadn't expected Zhou Yun to have stockpiled so much. With all these supplies, plus the vegetables, livestock, and fish he raised on the rooftop...

Including the various equipment on the rooftop: solar panels, rainwater collection and purification devices, wind turbines... and the iron door installed in the stairwell to prevent theft but ended up blocking zombies.

It was as if he had anticipated the apocalypse.

But that wasn't important.

Zhou Yun treated him with utmost sincerity.

Guan Yuanfeng suppressed his doubts and didn't go inside to check. Instead, he rummaged through the tool shelf, found a stainless steel thin water pipe, and selected some tools before closing the door. On the rooftop, he focused on modifying the water gun.

Zhou Yun led Comet downstairs, after taking out a few more zombies, he took a hoe and quickly dug up the mutated jasmine from the flower bed in the garden, wrapping it in soil and carrying it to Yuexi Number 3.

Entering the yard, he wasn't in a hurry to transplant it. Instead, he first inspected the previously planted vegetation inside and outside, and cast the growth spell. The already sprouting leaves became more robust.

Satisfied, Zhou Yun dug a hole near the front yard gate and divided the robust roots of the mutated jasmine into four plants. He planted one on each side of the front and back iron doors, adding some bone meal and compound fertilizer.

After thoroughly watering the roots, he cast the growth spell on the jasmine. The already lush mutated jasmine trembled, and its fragrance became more intense, enveloping the entire villa.

In a few days, it would grow larger and more luxuriant, with a stronger scent. Ordinary zombies, without specific stimuli, wouldn't approach this villa.

Unfortunately, winter will arrive soon, and this year it's going to be especially cold. Ordinary jasmine would likely freeze to death, but this is a mutated jasmine, so it should survive the winter without any major issues.

He also cast a growth spell on the mutated trumpet vine next to the jasmine and said with a smile, "You two, one red and one white, let's see which one grows faster. Yuexi Number 3 will rely on you both to guard it."

The newly transplanted mutated trumpet vine was still a small, delicate branch with tender leaves. After receiving the growth spell, the cluster of flowers trembled and vigorously climbed up the iron fence, determinedly shaking with its last bit of strength, as if competing for something.

Zhou Yun smiled and cast a round of growth spells on all the thorny tendrils surrounding the fence. During this final warm spell before winter, he was curious to see how much they would grow. These were all carefully selected, robust mutated thorny tendrils that had shown excellent growth, and they would surely be able to completely cover the walls by then.

Each villa in the area had a uniformly constructed storage room in the backyard. Zhou Yun cleaned it out and planned to bring some hardy poultry for free-range farming once the weather turned warmer in spring.

He watered the leeks, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and other crops he had planted and looked around. He considered installing the sprinkler system he had purchased earlier.

However, once winter sets in and the snow starts falling, the vegetables won't grow much. He could only cast as many growth spells as possible and harvest as much as he could before autumn. In winter, they would have to rely on what they had stored.

After tidying up inside and out, Zhou Yun returned to the 30th floor with Comet.

Guan Yuanfeng had just finished modifying the water pistol, replacing the barrel and trigger, and put it down. Seeing Zhou Yun return, Guan Yuanfeng smiled and said, "It's done. Give it a try."