Huang Wen and Ding Yun jogged toward Yuan Ge village, Huan Weng might had higher speed but Ding Yun had better strength and stamina, burdened with his plate armors, he still able to match his speed with Huang Wen's.
"That's Yuan Ge village.", said Huang Wen as he pointed toward Yuan Ge village below.
They were standing on the small hill near Yuan Ge village.
Ding Yun who slowly thought about his circumstances, grabbed Huang Wen's hand and asked. "What... about.. me... zombie.."
Huang Wen nodded his head, he had thought about it too along the way. People from Nan An just escaped from the demon lord's servant Wang Shi, who had the ability to control zombies. If he brought a zombie to them now, it might caused a ruckus among them.
"Hmm... I'm not sure how they're going to accept you...", said Huang Wen.
"... so...what should... I ... do...?", Ding Yun asked.
He saw Huang Wen's troubled expression and Ding Yun imagined how difficult the situation would be for him. Huang Wen stroke a good luck since the incident, he got himself a girlfriend and his going to be father in law was someone who had a good position. He did many heroic deed and people looked up to him. How would people reacted if he brought over a zombie to them? Even if it didn't taint his reputation, there would be incidents in the future, wherever you went, you would find someone who abused the minority, racist and closed minded people and Ding Yun as a zombie would be their target of hatred. If such conflict arose it would put Huang Wen as his friend on difficult position.
"Hmm... let's see...", Huang Wen hesitated, there was part of him that worried about all the difficulties that going to come, by bringing Ding Yun with him.
Ding Yun saw his hesitation and silently he turned his eyes toward the horizon. Many thoughts passed his mind as he gazed at the horizon. When he began to regain his consciousness, slowly transformed from a nameless zombie into a man with name, with past, from nothingness into an existence, he felt happy. For days, he watched survivors from distance, wondering if he should try to approach them but at the end he realized he was no longer human. His meeting with Huang Wen was a blessing for him, to meet someone from his past. Even happier when Huang Wen received him warmly but now....
Huang Wen looked at his friend who stood next to him, Ding Yun seemed so lonely, alone in the world, neither human nor exactly a zombie. As a zombie, Ding Yun didn't have rich expression, but as he gazed into the horizon, deep within his own mind, his sadness was well written on his face. It became more tragic, since Huang Wen could see that Ding Yun was giving up. He wasn't struggling, nagging anyone or protesting fate for his bad luck. It could be said that he accepted it, but he didn't like it or saw anything positive out of it. He wasn't grateful nor hateful.
"Bro... let's not worry about that. Just come with me.", Huang Wen said, he suddenly regretted the fact that he was hesitating before.
Ding Yun surprised and turned to look at him, "Are you... sure..?"
Huang Wen nodded his head confidently, "People would understand."
Ding Yun stared at Huang Wen and after a while, it seemed there was a glimpse of hope grew within his heart.
Ding Yun smiled and said, "No... not now... you go... I... will roam... the land... see things..."
Huang Wen regretted his hesitation even more, "Bro.. wait... I'm sorry, for a moment there, I'm being selfish and coward. Sincerely, come, I'll introduce you to them. I'll stand by your side. We'll show them, that you're just fine."
Ding Yun shook his head, "No... the time...is bad... People... still... on edge... I'm happy you know.... as long as I still have friend like you."
"Bro..., if you're not coming with me, then where are you going to go? If anyone dare to insult you, then I'll kick their ass.", Huang Wen grabbed him.
Ding Yun slowly took Huang Wen's hands off him, "I know... if anyone... dare... to give you trouble... I'll... kick.. their ass... too... but just now... let me... go on... my own way..."
Huang Wen didn't let him go, he stared at Ding Yun's determined eyes. There he no longer saw desperation, Ding Yun wasn't giving up on his life. He wanted to do something. Although both of them didn't know what it was, but they knew he wasn't giving up. Slowly Huang Wen nodded his head.
"Okay ... we go on our own way for now...", he was ready to let him go when an idea struck him, "Listen, how about we swear an oath and become sworn brother?"
"Sworn brother... huh... ha.. hah... ha.. like Zhou Yu... and Sun Ce...?", said Ding Yun while laughing awkwardly.
Huang Wen grinned, "Well, yes probably like them. Why aren't you thinking about Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei?"
Ding Yun shook his head, "Need... one more.. then... and... I think... I rather handsome... like... Zhou Yu... not like ... Guan Yu... or ... Zhang Fei..."
"Handsome my a**..", Huang Wen swore and laughed.
"So how are we going to do it?", Huang Wen looked around.
They were on the top of the hill, which rather a nice place to swear an oath of brotherhood but they didn't have any utensils with them.
Ding Yun shook his head, "What.. so important... about... rituals?"
Huang Wen turned to look at him and as their eyes met, each understood the other was clearly. Ding Yun put forth his hand and Huang Wen grabbed it. With hand clasped, they nodded.
"Brother.", said Huang Wen.
"Brother.", said Ding Yun.
There, they didn't use a long and flowery words for their oaths. The word that they just said, "brother" it already contained all the words they wanted to say. They stood silently, for a long time. There were no wines or peach garden. They didn't burn incense. Their mind and heart though, rose high to the heaven and deeply entrenched to the earth.
"I'm... leaving... now...", said Ding Yun.
Huang Wen nodded his head, "When you think you find what you're looking for. Or when you're in trouble. Find me."
Ding Yun nodded his head and left.
He had no certain goal in mind. He just walked and left, his heart filled with joy. He no longer alone, he had a sworn brother. Just this morning, he didn't have any clear memories of his families or friends. Only vague events in his past and even that memories was overlapping with other people memories. It could be said that, it was even worse than being mindless zombies. Before he had no past, no sense of identity and self, just a tool for a demon.
Then he regained his mind, his consciousness, vaguely he knew his name and the fact that he had history of his life but along with that consciousness came the agony from knowing that he lost all that previously his. He no longer a human. He knew nothing of his family's fate. He didn't know where to go from this point onward.
He killed and absorbed more zombies. Once he fought a demon and got his equipment. His spirit stat was getting higher and came along with it, all the anxiousness that came from having a mind to think.
Now he had at least one person who confirmed his existence. He might never be accepted by other human. He might never had a place he could call home. In the whole world, he might be the only one of his kind but it didn't matter any longer because now, at least, he had one who called him brother. He trusted Huang Wen completely, not even an ion of doubts in his heart of Huang Wen's sincerity. Never crossed his mind, that perhaps Huang Wen would betray him some day or maybe Huang Wen wanted to use him selfishly.
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Perhaps because he wasn't bright enough to think such possibility. Or perhaps because deep inside he knew he couldn't bear it if that was the case.
For now, Ding Yun was supported by Huang Wen's sincerity and walked with new found confidence toward his future. He walked for hours before he suddenly realized that he was walking back to Fuzhou.
Ding Yun stood dumbfounded in the middle of the street, "Ugh... what I'm... going to do now...?"
He stood silently for about a minute then said, "Let's... check... current stat."
"Name : Ding Yun"
"Level: 26″
"Class: Ghoul Warrior."
"Title: - "
"Strength: 27
Agility: 23 (18)
Vitality: 22
Stamina: 40/40
Spirit: 6/6
Health: 36/36"
"Active Skills : Intimidate Lvl.2."
"Passive Skills : Feast lvl. 2."
"Equipment :
- Dark Barbute (+10 defense).
- Chain mail (+10 defense, -2 Agility).
- Iron breastplate (+15 defense, -2 Agility)
- Spiked metal gauntlet (+10 defense, +5 Attack).
- Dragon scaled Greaves (+10 defense, -1 Agility).
- Steel heavy mace (+40 Attack)"
"Hmm... I guess... I should...improve my spirit...more... ", he thought to himself.
Back then he focused on his agility, since his first priority was to survive and his speed hindered him in a fight but as he killed zombies and demons, he got good protective items, which boost his defense, but unfortunately reduced his speed. That was why he ended up neglecting his spirit. Zombies by nature was slow to think, he needed high spirit point to overcome that natural obstacle.
"Now.. what...uhm...? , Ding Yun carefully thought his situation for more than ten minutes and then his face brightened as he conclude something.
"Ah... let's ... check... their condition...", Ding Yun said to himself as he took his armors one by one and inspected them.
His face was calm and after he carefully checked all of his armor he sighed sadly, "Just... as... I guessed..."
Most of his armor's durability were close to zero by now. The chain mail was torn in many place, the barbute and breastplate dented and cracked. Fortunately his gauntlet and greaves condition wasn't that bad. Ding Yun thought of this situation for another half an hour before he threw away his chain mail and breastplate. He kept the barbute since it would hid his face. Although soon if he got knocked on his head several times more, it would be nothing but a mask. Now he freed himself from -4 penalty that was accumulated from wearing the armors and his current stat was.
"Name : Ding Yun"
"Level: 26″
"Class: Ghoul Warrior."
"Title: - "
"Strength: 27
Agility: 23 (22)
Vitality: 22
Stamina: 40/40
Spirit: 6/6
Health: 36/36"
"Active Skills : Intimidate Lvl.2."
"Passive Skills : Feast lvl. 2."
"Equipment :
- Dark Barbute (+10 defense).
- Spiked metal gauntlet (+10 defense, +5 Attack).
- Dragon scaled Greaves (+10 defense, -1 Agility).
- Steel heavy mace (+40 Attack)"
Ding Yun straightened his back and looked around, "Now... where... should... I go...?"
"I.. can't go... back...", Ding Yun stared at the direction to Fuzhou.
"Can't... go there too...", he turned to look toward Yuan Ge village.
"That... way...?", he looked at south west.
If he went that way, he will passed the Changsha demon lord's territory, but only at the skirt. Based on Huang Wen's story, the power of that demon lord should already stretched thing around Quanzhou and if he kept going he would reached Guangzhou, his hometown was north of Guangzhou city.
Ding Yun hesitated, since he was unconsciously walking toward Fuzhou, he would backtracked his previous walk. Beside now, after he left Huang Wen to roam the land, it would be weird if he met him again.
"I would... go south... first...", Ding Yun said to himself.
"Hmm... okay... south...", Ding Yun smiled and walked, little that he thought how far it would be from Fuzhou to Guangzhou.
Even if he walked through and chose the shortest road to Guangzhou, it would be more than 850 km. On foot, without a map and rather blindly made a guess, who knows how long it would take for Ding Yun to reach Guangzhou.
It wasn't a big problem for Ding Yun though. He wanted to go to Guangzhou, so he went to Guangzhou.
---- o ----
Mean while, Huang Wen hastily went to Yuan Ge village to report his findings.