Chapter 133: A Promise Between Sisters
“Huff… huff…”
Lin Xiwan’s face was flushed, her lips pressed tightly together, her breathing heavy, as if trying to suppress something. Her arms were spread wide, gripping the edges of the vine-scoop. Her grip tightened, the vines crumbling under the pressure, water spilling out.
The dripping water momentarily distracted her. She looked down, only a hazy mist visible below.
At this height, the ground was obscured, the mist making it seem like they were floating among the clouds.
She wanted to talk to Huayibai, to distract herself, but Huayibai was lying limply at the bottom of the pool, its body swaying gently with the water, its limbs like jelly, as if boneless. If not for the occasional bubbles escaping its lips, Lin Xiwan would have thought something was wrong.
“Swish—”
Her sister’s hands emerged from the water.
Lin Xiwan instinctively reached out, supporting her sister’s waist and lifting her out of the water.
“Gasp—”
Lin Jiayao inhaled deeply, then took a few more breaths.
She couldn’t hold her breath for long yet, unless she used a tendril as a snorkel… but that seemed unnecessary and… strange.
After settling onto her sister’s lap, Lin Jiayao looked up and paused.
Her sister was leaning back against the vines, her head resting against the edge, her eyes closed, seemingly enjoying the sun.
Following her gaze, Lin Jiayao felt the warmth of the sun on her face.
Only the upper part of the scoop received direct sunlight; the lower part, shaded by the vines and the mist, was cooler.
Huayibai, however, seemed to enjoy the cool shade, its feelings of contentment and relaxation transmitted to Lin Jiayao through their connection.
“Does it hurt?” Lin Xiwan asked softly, her ears still red, her voice slightly hoarse, wanting to know if her sister was alright.
“Hmm? Oh… no, it doesn’t hurt,” Lin Xiwan replied, her mind slightly hazy, her sister’s voice echoing faintly.
“Then I’ll continue?” Lin Jiayao looked at her sister’s upper body; the healed skin was smooth and unblemished, no visible scars.
“Huh?” Lin Xiwan, her head still resting against the vines, looked at her sister, confused.
There was more?
After a moment, she nodded reluctantly. “Mm…”
“Really doesn’t hurt?” Seeing her sister’s expression, Lin Jiayao wasn’t convinced. If it did hurt, she could add a bit of numbing blood; a small amount shouldn’t affect her sister too much, not as an Awakened.
“It doesn’t hurt,” Lin Xiwan said, avoiding her sister’s gaze.
It didn’t hurt, but it was… itchy.
An unbearable itching, and the sensation varied depending on where her sister touched her.
A different kind of itch for every spot.
But she had endured it so far; she was developing a tolerance.
The rest should be easier.
Lin Jiayao, seeing her sister’s averted gaze, her eyes narrowed slightly.
“Maybe I should add a bit of neurotoxin then, just to be safe. It won’t hurt, just a slight tingling sensation,” she said.
By now, she was certain her sister was just being brave; she must still be feeling some pain.
“Gurgle—”
As she submerged herself, before she could even open her eyes underwater, she was suddenly lifted out of the water.
“No, no neurotoxin! It really doesn’t hurt!” Lin Xiwan said quickly.
Lin Jiayao, pushing her wet hair back, looked at her sister, puzzled.
Her sister’s expression… was that panic?
She seemed genuinely afraid of the neurotoxin.
Lin Xiwan was terrified of the neurotoxin.
The itching was already unbearable; adding numbness… she wasn’t sure she could handle it.
“Oh.” Lin Jiayao nodded and was about to submerge herself again when she realized her sister was still holding her.
“Really don’t need it?”
“Really.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
“Okay…”
After several reassurances, finally convinced her sister wouldn’t use the neurotoxin, Lin Xiwan carefully lowered her back into the water.
“Form is emptiness, emptiness is form…” she muttered, her eyes closed, steeling herself.
Like being at the dentist, hearing the drill whirring, never knowing when the next jolt of pain would come.
Her heightened senses amplified every sound, every ripple in the water as her sister moved.
Even the light touch of her sister’s hands on her thighs as she adjusted her position sent shivers down her spine.
She couldn’t help herself and peeked down.
Through the gap between… well, let’s just say her natural endowments, she could clearly see her sister’s face.
The sunlight, filtering through the water, reflected off her sister’s skin, making her seem almost… luminous.
A beautiful girl, bathing in the sunlight, a captivating sight.
But the location of her sister’s tongue… was… compromising.
Her inner thigh!
Even though she had been expecting it, bracing herself, she still couldn’t suppress a shudder as her sister’s tongue touched her, her legs instinctively clamping shut.
It wasn’t intentional, a purely involuntary reaction.
And her sister’s head was now… trapped…
Thankfully, she’d eased her grip in time, her C-rank strength not fully unleashed; otherwise… well, it could have been messy.
“Gurgle, gurgle—”
Lin Jiayao, startled by the sudden pressure, choked, the air escaping her lungs, forcing her to surface for air.
“Cough… sorry, it was an accident… won’t happen again…” Lin Xiwan said, seeing her sister’s slightly annoyed expression.
Lin Jiayao, seeing her sister apologize, didn’t say anything more and took a deep breath, submerging herself again.
She saw that her sister, to prevent another… accident, had placed her hands in the water, one on each knee, her legs slightly apart.
A… suggestive position.
But Lin Jiayao didn’t dwell on it, her eyes focusing on the next set of stitches.
She was also inspecting the system’s handiwork, ready to complain if she found any scars.
Time passed, even Huayibai, blissfully floating in the water, eventually surfaced.
Opening its eyes, it saw a strange sight.
What is Mommy doing?
It blinked, confused, scratching its head.
Is it something yummy?
It tilted its head, observing its Mommy’s actions, not daring to interrupt.
Finally, it understood.
Mommy is eating something yummy!
It could clearly see Mommy’s tongue licking those thin, thread-like things, seemingly… collecting them.
Yibai can do that too!
It swam over and tapped Mommy’s shoulder.
Mommy looked at it, a questioning look in her eyes.
Huayibai proudly puffed out its chest and pointed at the few remaining tendrils on Lin Xiwan’s thigh, offering its assistance.
But Mommy just shook her head and pushed it away.
“Huh?”
Confused, it didn’t understand.
Wouldn’t it be faster with two people working together?
It could even share some of its own tendrils with Mommy; they could do that.
But it quickly dismissed the thought.
Pushing off the soft vines with its small feet, it stood up, creating a splash.
“Yibai…”
Lin Xiwan, noticing it had surfaced, greeted it weakly.
“Sister Xi!”
Under Lin Xiwan’s persistent tutelage, although Huayibai hadn’t changed its way of addressing Lin Jiayao, it had finally learned to call her sister “Sister Xi.”
But it noticed that Sister Xi didn’t look well.
“Sister Xi, are you… okay?” it asked, concerned, taking a few steps towards her.
“I’m fine…” Lin Xiwan raised a hand dismissively.
But before she could finish, a sudden sharp intake of breath, as her sister’s fingers brushed against a particularly… sensitive… spot.
“Hmm?” Huayibai blinked.
Was Sister Xi really okay?
“Are you… done…?” Lin Xiwan asked, changing the subject.
“Yes!” Huayibai nodded.
It had let every tendril within its body absorb the water infused with its Mommy’s essence. It felt wonderful, revitalized.
And this place… it felt like home. The climate was perfect, the other fungi here docile and friendly.
“Sister Xi, I want to go… somewhere… I’ll be back soon.” Perhaps wanting to analyze the local fungi, to surprise its Mommy with a gift, Huayibai decided to find a fungal colony and study it.
“Be careful… and come back soon…”
Knowing Huayibai was a B-rank Awakened, Lin Xiwan wasn’t too worried about its safety.
And right now, she was slightly distracted.
“Mommy, I’ll be back soon~”
Huayibai called out to its submerged Mommy, and receiving no response, repeated it, this time underwater.
“Gurgle, gurgle…”
Although the words were muffled, Lin Jiayao understood, nodded, and then continued working.
Almost done. She wanted to finish quickly.
Her tongue was numb, almost to the point of cramping.
Having received permission from both parents, Huayibai climbed out of the vine-scoop, onto the platform, grabbed its dress, and put it on.
As it did, a pair of thin, white stockings and a pair of fungus-formed shoes materialized on its feet.
Dressed, Huayibai looked down at the mist below and jumped, its flexible body easily handling the impact, landing without injury, just a slight ripple as its form solidified.
Shortly after Huayibai left, Lin Jiayao’s arm emerged from the water, waving slightly.
Seeing her sister didn’t seem to notice, she pulled herself out, using her sister’s shoulder for support.
“Hoo… Done,” she said, sitting on her sister’s lap, her chest heaving from holding her breath underwater; she hadn’t yet evolved the ability to breathe underwater.
There had been a water-breathing evolution earlier, but she hadn’t chosen it.
Initially, because she’d been mostly inland, and it seemed unnecessary.
But now she realized these abilities had… hidden benefits.
For example, [Shallow Water Breathing Lv.1], although seemingly just about breathing underwater, would also enhance her lung capacity and stamina.
I have to consider these hidden benefits when choosing evolutions.
While thinking about this, she looked at her sister and paused.
Her sister’s arms were still spread wide, resting on the vines, but her eyes were unfocused, her lips slightly parted.
Like a broken doll.
“Sister?”
She’d never seen her sister like this. Hesitantly, she reached out and touched her cheek.
“Sister?”
She called out again, and her sister finally seemed to “reboot”.
“Fell asleep?” Lin Jiayao asked casually, splashing water on her sister’s face, cleaning the grime.
“Ah… mm… yes, I fell asleep,” Lin Xiwan said, her voice slightly drowsy, her sister’s soft voice having pulled her back.
She’d said “asleep,” and it was… sort of true… her soul had left her body, ascended to somewhere…
She’d never experienced anything like that before.
But she had completed the task without making any… unnecessary noises, her willpower rivaling that of Guan Yu undergoing surgery without anesthesia.
Seeing that her sister’s expression was normal, she relaxed, sliding slightly lower into the water.
“Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle…”
She didn’t play around any further but quickly finished cleaning both of them, then carried her sister to the vine platform and sat her down.
Then, taking their clothes, she rinsed them in the vine-scoop.
Without any detergent, it was just a quick rinse, removing the visible dirt, ash, and bloodstains.
After rinsing their clothes, the water in the scoop was now murky, mostly blood.
“Splash—”
Lin Jiayao, using her abilities, opened a small hole in the bottom of the vine-scoop, draining the dirty water.
Although dirty to them, to the building-trees and their vines, this was nutrient-rich fertilizer.
After hanging their clothes on some sunlit vines to dry, Lin Xiwan returned to her sister’s side.
They sat there in comfortable silence, watching their clothes swaying gently in the breeze, the sun warm on their faces.
After a while, Lin Xiwan sighed softly and smiled. “It’s been so long since I’ve felt this… relaxed.”
“Yes,” Lin Jiayao agreed.
It had been so long…
Perhaps the most relaxed she’d felt in the five years since the apocalypse began.
No worries about survival, no arduous exploration missions, no impending disasters, no relentless pursuers…
No fighting, no blood, no separation, just the two of them, enjoying the peace and quiet, the warmth of the sun, the lush greenery surrounding them.
And no one, besides Huayibai, would disturb them. They were alone in this city, the only sentient beings, as far as they knew.
Sitting there, naked, amidst the greenery, they were like… Eve and… Second Eve… in the Garden of Eden.
No Adam; there were no men here.
Lin Jiayao could create one from fungal tendrils, but it would be just a hollow shell, and she had no desire to create… that.
It was completely unnecessary.
Lin Xiwan, sitting on the vines, her legs dangling over the edge, the mist and the intertwined vines below creating a dreamlike landscape, looked at her sister.
“Is there any… food here…?” She took her sister’s hand.
“Food?” Lin Jiayao thought for a moment, then shook her head.
Although she had been here before, during a battle, she didn’t remember the details.
Whether there was food here… she wasn’t sure.
But she did remember seeing a place, on the other side of the city, untouched by the fire, its pink blossoms a stark contrast to the surrounding greenery.
A large sign, covered in thorns, with the words – Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
According to the information she’d gathered in Survivor’s Light, the largest germplasm resource bank in China was located within this institute.
They might find preserved seeds there… if it hadn’t been destroyed.
She told her sister about this, and Lin Xiwan’s eyes lit up.
“That’s… the place Survivor’s Light was planning to go to?” she asked, squeezing her sister’s hand excitedly. “Should we… go there… after our clothes are dry?”
“Okay,” Lin Jiayao nodded.
Even if her sister hadn’t suggested it, she would have gone there anyway.
And she could guess her sister’s reasoning.
She had always admired Survivor’s Light. Even though it had fallen, as long as it wasn’t officially declared dead, there was still… hope.
After all, she had listened to their broadcasts for almost four years.
Although their broadcasts were now just warnings, no one knew the true situation there; as long as the radio station was still active, there was still a glimmer of hope.
Knowing the seed bank hadn’t been destroyed made Lin Xiwan even more excited. “Hopefully, it’s still intact… I remember seeing a lot of agricultural universities near there when I was filling out my university applications. Maybe…”
“Oh, right, university applications… that’s what you do after the gaokao, you choose your preferred universities based on your scores… I don’t think I ever explained that to you, haha…”
Lin Jiayao smiled faintly, listening to her sister’s excited ramblings.
It was like… back in the resort camp, after a long exploration, her sister would tell her everything she’d seen and heard, pouring out all the things she’d kept bottled up.
“Yao.”
Lin Xiwan suddenly stopped talking and looked at her sister, her expression serious.
“What is it?”
“If… if we find wheat seeds there, or other seeds… let’s settle down here, okay?”
Although she was phrasing it as a question, the longing in her eyes was clear.
She wanted to find a safe place, a permanent home, for her, her sister, and Yibai. Even a simple life of farming and gardening would be better than constantly fighting for survival.
And this place seemed perfect.
No other humans, just a vast network of plants, and her sister could even control them.
If they could become self-sufficient here… it would be a true haven, a place where they could live in peace, forever.
“Okay,” Lin Jiayao said with a smile, readily agreeing.
A permanent home… that wasn’t a bad idea.
Staying in Kun City would be much safer than constantly traveling.
And with the system, she didn’t need to travel to find zombies and evolve; she just needed to log in and extract.
Distance was meaningless.
She could just live here with her sister, log in daily, exhaust her mental strength, and then sleep, her power steadily increasing.
Without any unforeseen circumstances, she could even reach the legendary A-rank in this peaceful environment.
And as for Japan… that shouldn’t affect them here. And there hadn’t been any news from the north, which was a good sign. And the smaller neighboring countries, with their lower population densities, were unlikely to produce any truly powerful mutated zombies.
Safe and sound.
Hearing her sister’s agreement, Lin Xiwan beamed, like a groom hearing “I do,” and kissed her sister’s cheek.
“So cheesy…” Lin Jiayao gently pushed her away, but her sister, exaggerating, fell backwards.
And her hand, still holding Lin Jiayao’s, pulled her down with her.
They lay there, side-by-side, their legs dangling over the edge of the platform, and laughed.
Suddenly, Lin Xiwan remembered something. “Where’s Huayibai? It hasn’t come back yet?”
She had been so engrossed in her conversation with her sister that she’d forgotten about the little girl.
Lin Jiayao activated Bone Spike Lurker.
“It’s nearby, don’t worry, it’s safe.”
Huayibai seemed to be crouching beside a building-tree, talking to… the white fungus growing on it?
“Good…”
They lay there, chatting, and as the sun rose higher, Lin Xiwan moved them to a shaded area.
Soon, their clothes were almost dry. After helping her sister dress, Lin Xiwan also put on her clothes.
Placing her sister back in the wheelchair, they descended, the vines gently lowering them.
Back on the ground, they saw Huayibai, still crouching near a building-tree.
Beneath the canopy, the sunlight wasn’t as intense, the air damp and cool.
Their hair was still slightly damp; it would probably take a while to dry completely in this humidity.
Lin Xiwan pushed the wheelchair towards Huayibai.
“It’s okay… your abilities are too weak, I won’t hurt you… oh… that little green one is stronger, I’ll talk to it next time…”
Huayibai, seemingly talking to a small white mushroom on the tree’s roots, stopped as they approached.
“I’ll talk to you later. Mommy is here.”
It stood up, smoothed its skirt, and turned, looking at Lin Xiwan and Lin Jiayao.
“Sister Xi! Mommy!”
It ran and hugged Lin Jiayao. Mommy, freshly bathed, smelled even better now.
Even among all the different fungi here, Mommy’s scent was the best.
“Don’t rub against me, be good…”
After petting Huayibai, Lin Jiayao looked at her sister and then pointed.
“It’s… over there.”
“Okay.” Lin Xiwan nodded, also petting Huayibai’s now dry, fluffy hair.
Pushing her sister’s wheelchair, she followed Lin Jiayao’s directions towards the seed bank.
It was quite far, and their current pace was slow; they might not reach the Institute of Botany until nightfall.
So they changed their mode of transport; Lin Jiayao abandoned the wheelchair and let her sister carry her, Huayibai clinging to her back, the three of them running now, much faster.
Finally, before sunset, they saw a different color, a pink hue amidst the greenery, and a stone stele they hadn’t seen before.
“Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences…”
Lin Xiwan read the inscription aloud and exchanged glances with her sister.
They had arrived. The largest seed bank in Asia.
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