"Last time our village was besieged by zombies, you witnessed it yourselves. Thanks to your timely arrival, you helped us eliminate them.
Since then, the villagers have taken this matter seriously and built a wall at the village entrance. You've seen it; it's to guard against zombies, not to impede normal passage.
But truthfully, having people on guard duty day and night is exhausting, and there's always the risk of being bitten by zombies, which frightens everyone.
So, you ask if zombies affect our lives? Of course, they do," Liao Qing said earnestly.
"Therefore, if we want to completely eradicate the zombies and restore normalcy to people's lives, I can only say that this virus originated from Prince Xia's mansion. Yin Zhiping has the materials we need. If we find him, we might find a way to eliminate the zombies.
Of course, this is a top secret. Until we find a way to deal with the zombies, do not reveal the content of our conversation.
Also, Prince Xia's mansion, as you know, is royal and has immense influence. If they find out you leaked this information, they will likely come after you. So, for your own good and the village's, please keep this a secret. After all, you are now the village chief," Gu Zhaobei said in one breath.
If he didn't tell the truth, Liao Qing, as village chief, wouldn't reveal Yin Zhiping's whereabouts even if they were his saviors. Gu Zhaobei could only tell him what was permissible.
Indeed, upon hearing this news, Liao Qing's expression could only be described as stunned.
He never imagined that the evil zombies came from Prince Xia's mansion. This was truly terrifying.
"Don't worry, benefactor. Ever since the zombie siege, the villagers elected me as chief because I handled the zombie situation with great composure.
Our former village chief was unfortunately bitten and died during the last zombie attack, so they chose me.
Liao Qing casually mentioned his new identity, not to brag, but to explain why he was cautious and unwilling to reveal Yin Zhiping's whereabouts. After all, as the village chief, he was responsible for the villagers.
In simple terms, he had to protect his own people. A village chief who doesn't protect his villagers won't be trusted.
"Congratulations on becoming the village chief at such a young age and taking on the important responsibility of protecting the village. Truly young and promising," Gu Zhaobei offered a few complimentary remarks.
Liao Qing quickly waved his hands, "I dare not accept such praise. If it weren't for your guidance on how to deal with zombies, how could I have handled it so smoothly?
Although we won that day, there were subsequent reports of scattered zombies in the wilderness. They might have wandered from other places, or perhaps they weren't completely eliminated and escaped.
Although zombies are less aggressive during the day, ordinary villagers still fear attacking them alone. It's not their fault, especially the elderly, weak, women, and children, who are terrified at the sight of zombies and avoid them at all costs.
It's precisely because of these wandering zombies that the villagers elected someone as young as me to be their chief. I cannot betray their trust."
Liao Qing's explanation was also to clarify why he was hesitant about Yin Zhiping's whereabouts; he couldn't let down the villagers' trust.
"I see you've handled it very well," Gu Zhaobei praised. "As soon as we entered the village and saw the walls and defensive rockets, we felt the strong fighting spirit. This is not easy for a village."
"It's mainly because of your excellent teaching. Based on the inside information you provided, I understood that even one zombie is a threat. If it can infiltrate the village, bite a few villagers, and turn them into its companions, the entire village is doomed," Liao Qing said with concern.
"So your strict vigilance is correct," Gu Zhaobei agreed. "What you're doing is not just protecting yourself but also the people of the surrounding villages.
To be honest, we are already researching an antidote for zombie bites. And Yin Zhiping holds a crucial piece of the puzzle for successfully developing the antidote, which is why we came to inquire about him." Gu Zhaobei continued to reveal more information.
Liao Qing was also a clever person. Seeing that Gu Zhaobei had said so much, he replied, "I see. Then I must support you, benefactors. Even if the villagers scold me, I will accept it. After all, compared to the greater good of saving the world, just protecting one person would be a betrayal of that greater good."
It turned out that Yin Zhiping was indeed a resident of Liantang Village and was currently at home. After Liao Qing was elected village chief, he had visited Yin Zhiping. Yin Zhiping had mentioned that there was a flood in the northern region, which had even submerged Prince Xia's mansion in Jinsha City, resulting in many deaths. He had been swept away in the chaos and later miraculously encountered two ships willing to rescue people, by which he was saved and his life spared.
Due to the current flooding disaster, Yin Zhiping had lost contact with Prince Xia's mansion and did not wish to return for the time being, deciding to stay at home for a while.
The Gu family was overjoyed upon hearing this. This was good news; Yin Zhiping was in the village.
Gu Zhaobei then asked Liao Qing to lead them to visit Yin Zhiping.
After being assured that the Gu family would not harm Yin Zhiping, Liao Qing led them to the Yin residence.
The Yin family residence was located at the western end of the village, near the tail end. The house was grand and magnificent. Although it was a two-courtyard house, four smaller courtyards were added to the sides, giving it a total of over 30 rooms. It was clearly the home of a prominent family in the village.
As they approached the Yin family courtyard, a sturdy man walked out, seemingly to inquire about their purpose.
However, upon seeing the Gu family, his face lit up with surprise and excitement. "Master Gu, Young Master Gu, what brings you here? I've been looking everywhere for you!"
The Gu family was taken aback. It was Da Peng?
After parting ways at the Jinsha City waters last time, the Da Peng and Xiao Peng brothers continued their rescue efforts and ended up rescuing Yin Zhiping.
When they traveled south, they searched the surrounding waters but never encountered them. In fact, Gu Qingcheng had sent people to try and contact them several times without success. They never expected them to be staying in Liantang Village.
"How are you here? We've been searching everywhere for you," Gu Qingcheng quickly said.
"Alas, it's all our fault. We stopped to rescue refugees along the way, and unknowingly missed the time to meet up with you. We sailed south inquiring, but no one knew of Phoenix Village. Coincidentally, one of the people we rescued, an elder named Yin Zhiping, warmly invited us to stay at his home and said he would help us inquire."
As Da Peng said this, Xiao Peng also emerged from a side room. Seeing the Gu family, he was equally overjoyed.
Gu Qingcheng smiled, "What a coincidence! We've come to see Elder Yin today on important business."