When Hou Mingzhu said these words, she closed her eyes, a self-mocking smile on her lips. Perhaps she truly believed her life was nearing its end, which accounted for such a compassionate smile.
Perhaps forgetting everything, completely abandoning pain, and facing death with a smile was Hou Mingzhu's way of self-relief.
"Don't say that. If I, the dignified Ye Tiancheng, were to die at the hands of these scurrying rats, and people heard about it, they would laugh me to death. So, if I have to die, let it be a glorious death. I absolutely cannot be eaten by these zombie rats."
Ye Tiancheng gathered his strength and reinforced his true qi. However, after completing the action of reinforcing his true qi, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Ye Tiancheng, how are you? Are you alright?"
Hou Mingzhu was genuinely concerned about Ye Tiancheng. When Ye Tiancheng was powerful before, Hou Mingzhu had no opportunity to care for him. Ye Tiancheng caused trouble everywhere, and countless people were dealt with by him. But now, Ye Tiancheng had become weak.
Perhaps all women in the world possess a trace of maternal instinct. When they encounter the weak, they involuntarily develop a sense of pity.
"I'm fine. Don't speak to me with such a pitiful tone. I'm doing great. Even if I die, I won't die at the hands of these disgusting things. They are not worthy of mention!"
After speaking, Ye Tiancheng circulated his true qi again, sending out a ball of light that directly killed over a dozen zombie rats. However, new zombie rats kept coming, which was incredibly troublesome. This wave of attacks seemed endless, and it was unknown when it would end.
Yet, Ye Tiancheng spat out another mouthful of blood. The main reason was that he was a bit unable to sustain himself. He had consumed too much true qi in the past few days. Before, there were always people around to help, and he didn't realize its significance. But now, he understood how pathetic it was to be isolated and helpless, to be beaten down without any room for resistance.
"Ye Tiancheng, you're spitting blood again. You should rest a bit. Don't push yourself so hard. We are both in a weak position now and cannot have things as we pleased before. You need to recognize this and absolutely cannot get yourself killed."
Previously, it was Ye Tiancheng who advised Hou Mingzhu with a lot of words. Now, it was Hou Mingzhu advising Ye Tiancheng. Seeing Ye Tiancheng like this, she was truly anxious, fearing that if he became desperate, she would completely lose him.
"I'm fine. For me, spitting blood is just expelling toxins. If I were to be killed by these few zombie rats, then I truly wouldn't deserve to live in this world."
Ye Tiancheng was full of confidence in himself and never thought that such small creatures could harm him. Although his strength had indeed decreased a bit, in Ye Tiancheng's heart, he still felt quite formidable. He simply hadn't adapted to becoming a weakling.
"Ye Tiancheng, I've pulled myself together for you. You must also promise me not to be reckless. Your health is important. I won't allow you to be harmed, and I certainly don't want you to die. If you die, then I will die with you."
The meaning of their conversation now felt like that of a couple facing death together. In any case, they had both expressed their feelings, not wanting the other to be harmed because of them.
"But I must protect you. These dead rats have already bullied their way to my doorstep. I really cannot pretend not to see them. Even if I have to fight these dead rats to the death, I must protect my dignity as a man. If I cannot even protect the woman I love, then I might as well die."
Even now, Ye Tiancheng could not back down. Even if it cost him his life, he would absolutely not lose his dignity. This was the most important foundation for his existence in this world.
"Alright, stop saying such disheartening things. If we can't beat them, let's run quickly. There's nothing shameful about it. Let's not talk about anything else. Let's leave here quickly. Our priority is to save our lives. As for so-called face, it's utter nonsense. I won't care about it."
Before, she had indeed lost hope of survival, but now things had suddenly changed. She felt that as long as she was with Ye Tiancheng, she should live well. Only with life could there be more possibilities. Hou Mingzhu wouldn't be so foolish. No matter how ugly she had become, she wanted to live tenaciously. In any case, she didn't want to be manipulated by others.
"Okay, it seems this true qi protective layer won't last much longer. Escaping now is indeed the most sensible choice. I don't care about face anymore. I'll take you and run quickly."
Ye Tiancheng dared not think of anything else. Saving his life was more important. He grabbed Hou Mingzhu's hand and ran wildly, finally managing to get her away. However, the zombie rats behind them were relentlessly pursuing them.
Seeing a large black mass following behind them, after running for only a few minutes, both Ye Tiancheng and Hou Mingzhu broke out in a cold sweat. The tension in their hearts combined with physical exhaustion created a dual effect, making them feel as if they were in a state of ice and fire, making it extremely agonizing.
Finally, the two saw an opening, which looked like a collapsed cave. The entrance to the cave currently appeared to have only a small gap. It was not easy for even one person to fit through, so at this moment, they had to force their way in.
To save their lives, there was nothing they wouldn't do. At the critical moment, they realized that living was the primary goal. Everything else was insignificant and laughable.
"My arm hurts so much. Can you check it for me? Did I scrape my arm while squeezing into this cave opening earlier?"
Hou Mingzhu had previously hidden her injuries mainly because she didn't want Ye Tiancheng to worry. Another reason was that Hou Mingzhu had already resigned herself to death, believing she was beyond saving.
But now, Hou Mingzhu considered Ye Tiancheng as one of her own. They were like grasshoppers tied to the same rope, sharing the same boat. Therefore, Hou Mingzhu no longer held back from Ye Tiancheng.
"There are indeed some scratches, just abrasions. Wait a moment, I'll use your true qi to treat it. It will stop hurting soon, and it will also reduce inflammation and swelling."
Ye Tiancheng gathered a surge of true qi from his dantian. This was usually an easy task for him, but for some reason, it suddenly became extremely difficult. He truly exerted a lot of effort, but the true qi in his dantian just wouldn't gather. No matter how hard he tried, the outcome remained miserable.
Ye Tiancheng clenched his fists and angrily pounded the stone wall. Perhaps because his mood was too bad, he used a bit too much force, causing the entire stone wall to tremble.
"I'm really useless. I can't even heal a small abrasion for you. I don't deserve to be a cultivator at all. I'm a disgrace to all cultivators. I can't even do this small thing. I'm such an idiot."
As Ye Tiancheng was filled with remorse, Hou Mingzhu couldn't help but smile. "It's rare for you to have this self-awareness and finally admit that you are an ordinary person. This kind of you is actually quite good, much better than the arrogant you before. Before, when I saw you, I felt like arguing with you, but now I can't help but give you a thumbs-up. Someone who dares to mock themselves is a brave person. I quite support your statement."
Hou Mingzhu's current appearance was extremely ugly, even worse than an old woman. After all, an old woman ages naturally and looks quite comfortable, not giving people an uncomfortable feeling.
However, Hou Mingzhu's current appearance had a sense of premature aging. Her eyes and nose still had the tightness of youth, but other parts had sagged and wrinkled. In short, it looked very uncomfortable, a feeling of disgust from the bottom of one's heart.
"You look quite ugly now too, but you look beautiful when you smile. You're as beautiful as ever, even more captivating than I remember. It seems that having a kind heart is the most important thing, and it makes the whole person look better."
Before, the two always treated each other with courtesy, being polite to each other, but in reality, they were also very unfamiliar. But now, it was different. This way, they looked a bit like friends. Perhaps if their relationship had developed from here from the beginning, they wouldn't have had so many grievances and entanglements, nor would they have had to endure so much hardship and sorrow.
"Hahahaha..."
The two of them laughed together. Ye Tiancheng couldn't quite understand it. When he was in a high position before, he had never laughed as happily as he did now. Perhaps this was the legendary return to simplicity. Perhaps after going through this, they would both become stronger.
After laughing heartily, they discovered that extreme joy could lead to sorrow. The rats were actually scrambling to get out of the cave opening. This startled the two of them. They thought they had temporarily escaped danger, only to realize they were too naive. These zombie rats had evolved and were more powerful than before.
Seeing the stones at the cave entrance being gnawed to pieces by their sharp teeth, Ye Tiancheng and Hou Mingzhu were dumbfounded. What kind of monsters were these? Ye Tiancheng couldn't help but curse. If they wanted to survive like this, it would be very difficult, to be honest.
"These guys are really indiscriminate. I saw it clearly just now. Those guys actually chewed through stones and ate them. Are you kidding me? They don't even spare stones. They are simply driven to madness."
Thinking about it made his head ache. After the stones were turned into powder and swallowed, their bones were certainly not harder than stones. If it weren't for the last shred of true qi that kept him holding on, Ye Tiancheng constantly suspected that the zombie rats would rush in and bite them to death.
"Hou Mingzhu, I'm sorry. It seems I really can't protect you this time. No matter how much I try to be strong, it's useless. The reality of the difficulties is here. The zombie rats are about to rush in, and I don't think I can stop them."
It was only now that Ye Tiancheng realized a problem. It seemed they had once again pushed themselves into a desperate situation. Currently, it looked like a dead end with no way to alleviate it. No matter how confident they were or how optimistic they tried to be, when faced with practical problems, they could only watch foolishly. There was no good solution in sight.
"If we die, we die. It's as if I'm afraid of death. To die together with you is also a shallow connection between us. At least it's a form of fate. Let's accept this arrangement from heaven."
Sometimes, fate loved to play jokes. When you wanted to die, fate would try its best to stop you. When you finally regained your confidence and decided to live well, you suddenly couldn't live anymore. People wanted to kill you.
"Then don't you blame me? Before, you thought I could stay and take care of your parents and our daughter. But I'm also leaving this world. We still have many responsibilities to fulfill, many things left undone."
"Heaven's will is hard to defy. It's just that dying at the hands of these zombie rats, I feel it's because we have committed too many sins, and thus we are being punished. It's a bit tragic."