After chatting for a while more, Bai Zemin left Shangguan Bing Xue’s house… Alone.
Meng Qi seemed to want to chat a bit more with Shangguan Bing Xue so instead of leaving together with Bai Zemin she asked the mistress of the house if she didn’t mind if she stayed another while, to which Shangguan Bing Xue shook her head as she also wanted to at least try to get along with Bai Zemin’s family and so far the sweet but smart Meng Qi had liked her.
After leaving Shangguan Bing Xue’s house, Bai Zemin’s destination was Zhong De’s house. There he met the young man who spoke only as much as necessary and rarely smiled acting like a little servant taking care of his mother.
The sight of Zhong De anxious to please brought a rare smile to the face of Bai Zemin and after wishing them both good luck he left so as not to disturb the reunion of the mother-son duo. Before leaving, however, Zhong De’s mother whose name was Xuan Ah tearfully thanked Bai Zemin for all he had done for her son all this time and because she knew that if it were not for him this reunion would probably never have been possible.
Bai Zemin simply shook his head and told Xuan Ah that there was nothing to thank him for, at the end of the day, Zhong De was no longer a mere subordinate and could be considered a rather close friend of his. Having fought together practically since the beginning of the apocalypse, regardless of the difference in power it was inevitable that some camaraderie would form between the two of them so helping Zhong De to be happy naturally was something Bai Zemin would do if it was possible.
Although Xuan Ah was a bit malnourished since before reuniting with her son she was barely able to maintain her existence by working in a workshop where they were in charge of making clothes using mutant beast hides, her problem was nothing that a bit of mutant meat soup couldn’t solve. In a couple of days, she would not only regain her former condition but would surely begin to improve and become stronger than her past self.
After leaving Zhong De’s residence, Bai Zemin also made sure to visit Cai Jingyi and Nangong Lingxin. Both girls lived together and like Shangguan Bing Xue and Zhong De they did not accept maids in their house. Having strangers continuously hanging around them would be bad considering they were “spies” trying to get as much information as possible about the base.
Finally, Bai Zemin tried to visit Chen He but the talented archer was not at home. Although Bai Zemin could not be sure if his guess was correct or not, knowing Chen He, he was probably hunting monsters or trying to break through the Second Order now that Shangguan Bing Xue had advanced and become countless times more powerful than before.
After making sure that everyone was fine and did not experience any major difficulties, Bai Zemin used his status to leave the base without too much hassle.
If he were a normal survivor it might be a bit problematic as he would surely have to explain where he was going and the reason behind his exit. After all, a normal survivor would definitely not survive for long outside the base walls so it would undoubtedly be suspicious that a weak person would want to abandon the only defense that kept his life safe.
Not to mention the fact that if a survivor were to get scratched or bitten by a zombie and then returned to the base, just by accident passing the entry check… The chaos that would definitely arise was not something the higher-ups or anyone else wanted to see.
After making sure that there was no one following him, even asserting himself with military-grade goggles with human heat-detecting features that Bai Zemin had casually borrowed from his father, his speed burst fully northward.
Bai Zemin even activated the effect of his boots and also used Lightning Movement, boosting his current speed to over 1300 kilometers per hour. In addition, he also made use of his strong legs, which pushed that speed to even higher levels.
“It’s amazing that even at this speed I can’t break the sound barrier.” He said with bated breath.
It was really hard to maintain this kind of speed for too long, even with his current Stamina but without using Overlap Regeneration he could only sustain it for five or six hours at most not to mention the muscle exhaustion his legs were facing.
“The sound barrier is one of the strongest barriers a world has… Even more now that this world is evolving.” Lilith appeared beside him and pointed calmly.
“Lilith, where have you been?” he asked immediately upon seeing her. She had been very silent the last few days, worrying him.
Lilith didn’t respond immediately but Bai Zemin noticed that she was hesitating about something.
“Lilith,” Bai Zemin stopped dead in his tracks, raising a huge cloud of dust which he casually slapped away. He walked over to her and looked into her eyes as he said in a soft voice, “I know there’s not much I can do for you, at the end of the day, no matter how strong I look to be I’m nothing more than a First Order existence. However, I hope that you can rely on me more… I can at least offer some advice or just serve as a shoulder of support for you… I don’t know.”
Lilith was still hesitant but as she felt the warmth transmitted to her cheek when he caressed her face, the worries in her heart began to subside. This made her not know whether to feel happy because she was experiencing strong emotions again or sad because her mood was strongly linked to the young man in front of her.
“It’s nothing serious… In fact, it might seem silly to you.” Lilith blushed as she said in a low voice, still enjoying the warmth his hand provided.
“Tell me, I promise not to laugh.”
“… Really?”
She looked at him with suspicious eyes, to which Bai Zemin responded with a strong nod.
Lilith blushed and dared not look at him, just like a young maiden in love about to profess her love. Then, she said in a whispering voice, “Actually… I’m feeling a little jealous.”
“Jealous?” Bai Zemin blinked in surprise and subconsciously the caressing movement stopped before he restarted it. Then he said with a frown, “Have I given you a reason to be jealous…? If so then I apologize, I really didn’t mean to…”
“No… It’s not that…” Lilith suddenly stepped forward and walked into his embrace, surprising him. She put his hands around her waist before wrapping her arms around his back and saying in embarrassment, “That little bit-… That woman with the surname Shangguan is becoming very strong, now she may even be the greatest helper on your development path. I, on the other hand, can do nothing but watch.”
Lilith had been feeling a bit sad the past few days because she was so strong that she was literally on completely different scales from Bai Zemin. However, in contrast to Lilith, Shangguan Bing Xue could and did walk at the same pace with him.
Lilith was already in heaven so it was difficult for her to interact with mortals… Shangguan Bing Xue could walk alongside Bai Zemin and walk the path of ascension together from start to finish.
While Bai Zemin was not Lilith’s first love, this was undoubtedly her first romantic experience. Regardless of her age, Lilith could not help but feel apprehensive when faced with the inevitable fact that the huge power difference between her and Bai Zemin would keep them apart.
“… You…” Bai Zemin was truly at a loss for words. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as he kissed the top of her head and remarked in a soft but clear voice, “Lilith, if it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t be where I am today. It is thanks to you that I was able to meet with my family, it is thanks to you that I am who I am right now. It is true that because you are a Higher Existence and I am a Lower Existence we cannot intervene in each other’s world physically, but that does not mean that you are not doing anything. Your presence alone is enough not to mention all the information and guidance you have been giving me all this time.”
“I was thinking…” Lilith hesitated for a moment after hearing Bai Zemin’s words before gritting her teeth and saying, “I was thinking if maybe I should become a Lower Existence in order to-“
“You can’t!”
Lilith didn’t have time to finish her words when Bai Zemin suddenly put both hands on her slender shoulders and shook her, pushing her off his body but keeping her within his reach. She froze and looked at him with wide eyes because this was the first time Bai Zemin had yelled at her like that and even pushed her away with such rudeness.
“You can’t!” He shouted again in a serious voice and said while looking into her eyes, “If you do that then you better never appear in my life ever again! I, Bai Zemin, am a man of my word and if I said I would help you then that is what I will do!”
Lilith had been thinking that since she was a Higher Existence but less than 100 years old, even if she was punished by the Soul Record and fell to a Lower Existence of the Fourth Order, time would practically not affect her at all since unlike the rest of the Higher Existences she was really young so she was far from dying. However, Bai Zemin’s words reminded her of something that amidst jealousy and insecurities she had forgotten.
Bai Zemin was desperately fighting to become stronger not only for his own sake but also in order to help Lilith achieve her goals and finally find some inner peace. If she lost a great deal of her power because of him, Bai Zemin would blame himself throughout his life and would probably never be able to forgive himself for it.
“…I understand… I…” Lilith lowered her head and said in a fading voice, “I’m sorry, I was being selfish.”
Bai Zemin took a deep breath and hearing the woman’s guilty voice before him the anger he felt a moment ago began to subside quickly. He drew Lilith back into his hug and said in a gentler voice, “Lilith… Even though I don’t know why my Stone Heart skill hasn’t evolved yet, I’m sure… I’m sure… I’m sure I really love you.”
Lilith’s body shuddered when she heard his words and subconsciously clung to him tightly. Even though she already knew it, this was the first time Bai Zemin said it out loud. Many times, even when we already knew something, hearing the right words would bring strong emotions that we could not control, and Lilith’s heart precisely began to beat strongly when she heard him openly state his feelings.
Bai Zemin ignored his own nerves and tried to speak in a firm voice. However, he was so nervous that his palms began to sweat as if he was facing an invincible enemy.
At the end of the day, this was the second time in his life that Bai Zemin confessed his feelings for a woman… Considering that his first experience was far from pleasant and ended with him returning home heartbroken and with his personality changing tremendously as a side effect, it was normal for him to be nervous and fearful even though he believed to know the feelings Lilith had for him.
With his heart heavy with anxiety, he bravely said, “I plan to take control over the Chinese Renaissance in a week at the most, and after that, I will focus 100% on ruling the rest of China… But before that, I want you to meet my parents and my sister.”
“Your parents?!”
Lilith tried to raise her head to look at him but Bai Zemin refused to let her see his slightly red face so she couldn’t do anything about it, and while she could have used a bit of strength subconsciously she also didn’t wish to abandon the warmth his embrace transmitted to her soul.
“Since you are the woman I love, it is only natural that my family meets you.” He said now feeling calmer. “We will spend eternity together… Right?”
Lilith seemed to lose all her strength and with a face as red as an apple she buried herself in his chest as she nodded weakly, “… Mm.”
Bai Zemin inadvertently let out a huge sigh of relief that washed away all the dark emotions that filled his system. The natural answer of Lilith, as well as her shyness, relieved Bai Zemin tremendously and the trepidation he felt finally disappeared almost without a trace except for the fear of waking up and realizing that it was all a dream of his.
When the fear vanished, Bai Zemin felt himself on the ninth cloud. The happiness was so great that he wanted to look up to the sky and howl like a wolf to release some of the joy he was feeling for fear that his body might explode because of happiness.
How could he not be happy when the woman he loved had just openly reciprocated his feelings? Even if Lilith hadn’t said the magic words, the fact that she affirmed that she would spend all eternity by his side exposed her heart completely!
Thousands of thoughts and memories flashed before Bai Zemin’s eyes as if a movie was playing in his brain. He never expected that the strange woman he met at that fateful moment when his life changed dramatically, would actually end up becoming the woman he would be willing to die for.
But little did Bai Zemin know that in a matter of hours, he would be facing that distant past that many years ago had caused him a lot of pain and suffering.
