Sister, I miss you so much.

Qin Sheng found the shirt collar somewhat familiar; she seemed to recall tearing it from Zhang Dong’s clothing. However, she could no longer remember exactly when that had happened.

She slipped her Tang sword smoothly back into the scabbard slung on her back, her gaze settling once more on the item wrapped in that collar—the so-called thing she’d been clutching in her hand all this time.

Carefully, Qin Sheng followed the folded edges of the fabric, unwrapping the rather crude package. But what on earth were these two large front teeth?

Stunned, she stared in confusion. When had she ever pulled out someone’s teeth? And whose teeth were these, anyway?

Perhaps noticing her dazed state, Lu Shenchen approached, still wiping his nose. He glanced over at the collar in her palm, caught sight of the two front teeth, and froze as well, momentarily forgetting to continue wiping his nose.

Qin Sheng tried to recall, and gradually, the memories became clearer. These had to be teeth she herself had extracted—and it seemed they were Zhang Dong’s.

“If I see him again, I’ll definitely pull out his two front teeth!” A’zhi’s resentful words echoed in her mind, circling again and again. Now, Qin Sheng understood why she had insisted on pulling Zhang Dong’s teeth even at the risk of her abilities backfiring—it was because she’d been influenced by that lingering resentment.

As for the backlash from her powers, a vague understanding began to form in her mind. Zhang Dong’s harassment and slander toward A’zhi had infuriated her, and it was this surge of anger that had given her abilities a chance to turn against her.

Step by step, her thoughts became more organized. The main reason for the backlash was her own emotional volatility; becoming agitated made it more likely for her powers to spiral out of control.

Qin Sheng didn’t even notice when Lu Shenchen had moved behind her—if not for the loud sniffling, she would have been lost in thought a while longer.

“So, where did you go that you ended up yanking out someone’s front teeth?” Lu Shenchen asked, unable to comprehend this form of revenge. If you killed someone, so be it, but why go to the trouble of pulling out their two big front teeth?

He doubted Qin Sheng had any odd hobbies like collecting other people’s teeth. Or could it be…?

Qin Sheng noticed the peculiar look in his eyes and quickly stowed the two front teeth away. Clearing her throat, she explained, “They’re not for me. They’re for a friend.”

Yes, for a friend, she affirmed to herself.

“Well, your friend has some unusual tastes…” Lu Shenchen muttered, trying to mask his obvious distaste.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll return to the Zombie Forest now. Until we meet again, Mr. Lu.”

“Safe travels, and take care.”

“Thank you.”

Lu Shenchen walked her out of the With Fate Shop. As Qin Sheng turned back to wave, she glanced toward Song Qing’an’s room, the corners of her lips lifting in a faint smile. She waved in that direction, calling softly, “Until we meet again.”

Then, turning briskly, Qin Sheng strode away.

Once outside the shop, she immediately chose to slip into her spatial realm and teleport directly to the Zombie Forest.

Within a few minutes, she arrived at her destination, marveling silently at the versatility of her powers—otherwise, traveling from the With Fate Shop to the Zombie Forest would have taken quite some time.

Qin Sheng’s sense of direction had always been excellent. Even without a map of the Zombie Forest, she had a rough idea of where the camp was. Taking a shortcut along the lakeshore—though not the easiest route—it was certainly much faster.

Since the apocalypse, most water sources had been contaminated, and the Zombie Forest was no exception. Although the water here was undrinkable, it wasn’t poisonous, so it could still be used for cleaning up the camp.

“Xiao Nuo, help Uncle fetch another bucket of water. This place still isn’t clean enough—we want our captain to have the cleanest quarters,” Yu Yong called out, sending Xiao Nuo to the lake with a pail and having Xiao Xiao go along to keep him safe.

Ever since they’d chosen to stay, Xiao Xiao and Yu Yong had begun calling Qin Sheng “Captain.” Wang Qiang and Chubby didn’t object either; as far as they were concerned, their group fully supported Qin Sheng as their leader.

That said, they still weren’t sure what Shen Shi thought about it.

After all, Shen Shi was quite capable, and if he wanted to contest for leadership, it wouldn’t be impossible. Some of those who had left had tried to vie for the position, but none of them believed Qin Sheng would lose. Only Shen Shi’s concerns might be more complicated.

“Is Shen Shi still asleep?” Wang Qiang asked quietly when he saw Chubby emerging from the tent.

Chubby nodded, indicating that Shen Shi was still sound asleep, showing no signs of waking soon.

After a moment’s thought, Wang Qiang walked over to Xun Feng, who had just returned from who-knows-where.

“Shen Shi still hasn’t woken up. Could you check on him again?” Wang Qiang’s concern was evident—Shen Shi had been drained yesterday, weighed down by his troubles. The stress must have been enormous.

He’d seen everything that happened. Though he didn’t understand all the twists and turns, it was clear that Shen Shi’s state wasn’t right.

“He’s fine; maybe he just doesn’t want to wake up,” Xun Feng replied after examining Shen Shi and finding no physical issues.

Wang Qiang shook his head helplessly, asking no more.

Qin Sheng soon caught sight of the camp, but before she could approach, the sound of children’s voices reached her ears.

“Brother Xiao Xiao, this water isn’t clean.”

Xiao Nuo hadn’t reached the age where his voice would change; it was still soft and sweet, the very image of a little boy. He stood on the riverbank with the pail, speaking to Xiao Xiao, who was bathing in the river.

“It’s okay, Xiao Nuo. We never got a chance to wash properly in the safe zone; even if the water isn’t clean, I still feel better after a wash,” Xiao Xiao replied, scrubbing his body quickly. Xiao Nuo stopped trying to dissuade him and found a spot under a tree to wait until Xiao Xiao finished.

Qin Sheng watched their actions from a distance. Seeing Xiao Xiao bathing, she tactfully averted her gaze—after all, peeking at little boys while they bathed was hardly polite.

She recognized that the pail belonged to the camp, and surmised that the two boys had come from the camp, sparking her curiosity.

With Xiao Xiao bathing, Qin Sheng’s attention turned to Xiao Nuo, who was sitting by the tree, absorbed in drawing patterns in the dirt with a stick.

Xiao Nuo seemed oblivious to her approach, completely engrossed in his drawing.

Not wanting to disturb his concentration, Qin Sheng softened her steps, stopping beside him.

Looking down, she saw that he was simply drawing circles in the dirt, which only piqued her curiosity further. She tilted her head, watching quietly for a while.

But all Xiao Nuo drew were circles.

They were remarkably round—like the perfect circles a math teacher might draw. Or perhaps a geography teacher’s map.

Qin Sheng chuckled softly and asked in a gentle voice, “You seem to really like drawing circles?”

Xiao Nuo had no idea when Qin Sheng had come to stand beside him, nor how long she’d been watching.

He froze, recognizing this pretty young woman as the Qin Sheng Uncle Yu Yong had mentioned. Nervous, he lowered his head, fiddling with his hands.

“I can only draw circles, big sister…” Xiao Nuo answered timidly, never daring to look up and meet her gaze.

Qin Sheng was the only woman in the Zombie Forest; perhaps she didn’t know Xiao Nuo, but he certainly knew who she was.

Out of courtesy, he called her “big sister.”

His voice was utterly adorable, and that single “big sister” made Qin Sheng’s heart melt, her smile growing brighter.

“Maybe you can try drawing other things in the future. But even if it’s just circles, I think you draw them very well.”

He was just a child, so Qin Sheng did her best to encourage his interests—fighting and killing were not for children; learning to draw was much more suitable.

The little boy thought for a moment, then nodded lightly, accepting her suggestion. He returned to his spot, picked up the stick, and drew a slightly lopsided circle, adding a few lines for hair—it seemed he was trying to draw Qin Sheng.

But when it came to the face, Xiao Nuo became flustered.

Noticing this, Qin Sheng raised her eyebrows, picked up another stick, and added eyes, a nose, and a smiling mouth to the circle.

Seeing the character take shape, Xiao Nuo smiled, and then picked up his stick again, sketching Qin Sheng’s Tang sword on the figure’s back.

Soon, a lifelike, cartoonish figure appeared on the ground—unmistakably Qin Sheng herself.

She was charmed by his cuteness and couldn’t resist ruffling Xiao Nuo’s hair, praising him, “That’s really adorable.”

“Thank you, big sister.” After being praised, Xiao Nuo beamed, his eyes curving into lovely crescents, his smile revealing a set of small, charming tiger teeth.

Seeing Xiao Nuo’s smile, Qin Sheng was momentarily moved—especially when she caught sight of those tiny tiger teeth. Her heart tightened with emotion.

“Xiao Nuo…” Qin Sheng’s brow furrowed slightly as she gently touched his cheek, her hand trembling, hesitant, almost disbelieving.

She hadn’t seen Qin Nuo in so long that she could hardly remember what he looked like now—her only memory was that smile, replayed countless times in her mind, and the sweet, clear call of “big sister.”

Her eyes gradually filled with tears; her hand, still resting on Xiao Nuo’s cheek, trembled.

“How did you know my name is Xiao Nuo?” Xiao Nuo asked in confusion, noticing her reddened eyes, his heart aching a little.

“Xiao Nuo?!” Shocked, Qin Sheng’s eyes widened, and the tears she’d been holding back finally spilled over, falling squarely into the palm of Xiao Nuo’s hand as he reached out to steady her.

The hot tears struck his cool hand, making it quiver, and his heart trembled in response. He had no experience comforting girls, no idea what to do.

In the next instant, Qin Sheng pulled him into her arms.

“Xiao Nuo, I’ve missed you so much…”

Embraced by Qin Sheng, Xiao Nuo blushed shyly. Her hug was warm—warmer than anything he’d ever felt.

For the first time, this orphaned boy knew what warmth truly was.

It almost made him believe that Qin Sheng really was his older sister.

Xiao Nuo couldn’t help but long for that warmth.