Chapter 143: Bai Xiaochun's Father

Following Fang Xia all the way to the Demon City would offer more opportunities to grow stronger, and advancing to the fourth tier would be much faster. With his own superpower, he would certainly gain recognition as well. However, the journey to the Demon City would undoubtedly be far from easy. Even if they arrived safely, the situation there remained unknown; fifth-tier individuals might be as common as dirt.

All in all, no single path was foolproof. This was the problem Xiao Qiang needed to ponder. Should he take a gamble or simply muddle along? Xiao Qiang was extremely conflicted.

Regardless of what Xiao Qiang was thinking—which Fang Xia had no way of knowing anyway—Fang Xia was currently facing a completely different issue: Bai Xiaochun’s father had arrived. He claimed he was here to properly thank the benefactor who had saved both his daughter and himself. But from his inner thoughts, Fang Xia had already picked up on something rather different. It stemmed primarily from Guo Yu addressing Bai Xiaochun as "Sister-in-law Xiaochun," a matter Bai Xiaochun's eldest uncle had already reported to her father. This was the real purpose of his visit.

"Commander Fang, thank you so much for saving my family's lives." His tone was fraught with utmost respect. Although the young man was much younger than him, saving his daughter, his older brother, and his nephew was a debt of gratitude so immense that it commanded such reverence.

No one else around found anything amiss, save for Fang Xia, who could hear the inner monologue of Bai Xiaochun’s father clearly:

[This young man is indeed quite impressive. Xiaochun following him wouldn't be a bad choice, but isn't he surrounded by a few too many women?]

[With so many women, none of them look ordinary. Can Xiaochun hold her ground? Won't she end up getting the short end of the stick?]

[Even in this apocalypse, I've never seen an entire regiment made up of gorgeous women. Isn't this young man going a bit overboard?]

In a place where no one else noticed, cold sweat poured down Fang Xia’s back. Not even a fifth-tier zombie had ever made him this nervous.

Yet, Fang Xia suddenly realized something: he hadn't actually done anything with Bai Xiaochun. His conscience was clear and his hands were clean—what was he afraid of? Could it be that in his subconscious, he had already started treating Bai Xiaochun as his woman? Impossible, absolutely impossible. How could he possibly be that kind of person?

Fang Xia cast a stealthy glance at Bai Xiaochun. Well... fine features, fair skin, beautiful appearance, a fiery figure...

Damn it, what was he thinking? It seemed he really had let his imagination run wild.

Before Fang Xia could finish his thoughts, the inner monologue of Bai Xiaochun’s father shifted once again:

[There's definitely something going on. The moment we start talking, he keeps secretly glancing at my daughter.]

The pressure on Fang Xia was immense right now. This sensation felt entirely like meeting the parents of a girlfriend. Moreover, he was meeting the parents of one of his wives while secretly harboring a whole harem of them—this was simply too agonizing.

"Um, Uncle, you should get some good rest. We're setting off tomorrow, and Xiaochun probably already told you about that." Fang Xia desperately wanted to slap himself across the face; this address was about to cause trouble again.

[Xiaochun—understood.]

Just as expected.

"Commander Fang manages the entire regiment and has a thousand duties to attend to, so I won't disturb you any longer. Coming here today was just to pay my respects to Commander Fang, and in the future, I will have to trouble Commander Fang to look after us."

Bai Xiaochun’s father didn't linger. He felt he had learned enough for now; as for the rest, he could simply drop subtle hints to his daughter later.

"Uncle is too polite. With Xiaochun around, just treat the regiment like your own home."

The two had met for barely ten minutes, yet it felt to Fang Xia as though he had just fought an epic battle. Viewed this way, if today had been Liu Rui’s father... The thought alone was terrifying.

…………………

"Brother Fang, would you like to take a break?"

As expected, Liu Rui was observant and had long since noticed Fang Xia’s abnormal state. The moment Bai Xiaochun and her father left, Liu Rui hurried over to massage Fang Xia’s temples.

"I'm fine!" Fang Xia waved a hand. He just needed a moment to recover.

Bai Xiaochun’s father could be put aside for now; they would cross that bridge when they actually reached it. Right now, he needed to continue arranging the matters for the departure from the city. According to their experience in Yan City, their next stop was Chen City, where the population base was even smaller than Yan City's, meaning the zombies certainly wouldn't be stronger. Relatively speaking, the journey would be much easier. The real difficulties would only begin once they reached the Demon City.

"Have the routes been planned out?" Fang Xia asked.

Liu Rui nodded. There was an experienced veteran long-haul driver in Guo Yu’s team who was thoroughly familiar with the roads. Without the disruption of earthquakes, the roads ahead wouldn't be severely damaged, making travel much smoother.

"That's good. Have a hearty meal tomorrow morning, and we'll set off early."

While the two were still talking, the bodyguard lady downstairs suddenly walked up.

"Brother Fang, that Xiao Qiang is here again. He says he wants to see you."

Fang Xia was somewhat surprised. He had no lingering ties with the man, and since they were leaving tomorrow, he didn't believe Xiao Qiang hadn't caught wind of the news. After all, this was the man's territory; when a faction of such formidable strength entered, anyone would feel uneasy and naturally keep a close eye on them. It wasn't strange at all.

Fang Xia wasn't petty enough to mind; if Xiao Qiang wanted to watch, let him watch, since they were leaving immediately anyway. As for the people in this city, barring accidents, most would only last another half a year before meeting their end. By then, the stronger or luckier ones would head off to seek refuge in Dawn City, while the rest—the majority—would perish. Such was the apocalypse.

However, what did Xiao Qiang want by coming to see him now? After a moment of thought, Fang Xia decided to grant him an audience. At worst, it was just treating him to a late-night chat; he wasn't that petty.

Liu Rui had other matters to attend to, so this time, Bai Xing accompanied Fang Xia downstairs.

As soon as he reached the ground floor, he saw Xiao Qiang already sipping tea. The man had no sense of being an outsider; his skin was exceptionally thick. Upon seeing Fang Xia come down, Xiao Qiang hurriedly stood up. There was no help for it—the other party wielded absolute power, and since he was essentially here to throw his lot in with them, he had to put his best foot forward.

The moment Xiao Qiang’s mind stirred, Fang Xia had already completely seen through his background.

With a faint smile, Fang Xia walked over to the table and motioned for him to sit. In Yan City, Xiao Qiang was the city lord, but once outside Yan City, Xiao Qiang was merely a third-tier fighter. Fang Xia wasn't lacking in strength of that caliber. Moreover, ever since the apocalypse began, Xiao Qiang had always been the top dog in Yan City; expecting him to play second fiddle to someone else might work for a short while, but given time, who knew what tricks he might pull. Therefore, in his heart, Fang Xia had no intention of accepting Xiao Qiang into his ranks.

"What brings City Lord Xiao over so late?"

Fang Xia sat directly opposite Xiao Qiang, while Bai Xing stood quietly behind Fang Xia like a shadow, making herself entirely inconspicuous—something she had long since grown accustomed to.

"I wouldn't dare call it business. After I went back today, I pondered over it again and again. I truly believe that someone like Commander Fang is destined to accomplish great things."