“Xiao Bai, how do you think these walking dead got here? Why do their footprints lead out from the river?” Su Mo mused between bites of a plump, juicy fruit.
Xiao Bai—the name he’d given the white-furred monkey—had become his closest companion, the kind of friend who’d fight alongside him without hesitation.
“Wa-wa-wa! Ji-ji-ji! Ou hou—” Xiao Bai gestured wildly, a chaotic performance Su Mo couldn’t decipher. He could only guess.
“You mean they swam here?”
Xiao Bai nodded.
“That makes sense. They leave wet trails everywhere after coming ashore. Flying or teleporting would’ve been less plausible.” He tossed the fruit core into the river, instantly sparking a frenzy among the fish. The outcome? Small fish fought for the core—while Su Mo feasted on the small fish.
This river was full of oddities. The creatures here weren’t just larger than usual but also unnaturally aggressive.
Just two days ago, a young monkey had been drained dry by leeches while playing too close to the water. By the time the troop found it, the poor thing was already a desiccated husk. If not for Su Mo’s quick reflexes, hauling it back to shore, even its corpse might’ve been lost.
For these reasons, Su Mo still hadn’t found a way to cross the river.
But recently, he’d noticed something new.
The walking dead only crossed the river at night—specifically around dawn. Though he’d never witnessed it firsthand, all signs pointed to his theory being correct.
Was there something different about the river at dawn?
The only explanation Su Mo could think of was the temperature drop before sunrise, but that seemed irrelevant.
To gather more clues, he’d even begun staking out the riverbank at predawn hours, where the undead frequently appeared. Yet after several nights, he’d found nothing—as if they’d never come at all.
Just as he and Xiao Bai sat side by side, lamenting the woes of human (and monkey) life, a bolt of lightning struck the river’s surface out of nowhere.
Under the assault of high-voltage current, a layer of dead fish floated up—some charred to ash, others perfectly cooked for a meal.
Su Mo gulped, unsure whether it was fear or hunger.
Before he could react, the fish carcasses dissolved into streams of mist, coalescing into a two-meter-wide vortex above the river.
Xiao Bai’s reaction was instantaneous: the monkey’s face twisted into something Su Mo had never seen on a non-human—tears of joy.
A violent suction yanked them both into the vortex.
After a disorienting whirl of light and color, they were flung onto solid ground.
“Tss—” Su Mo clutched his chest, wincing. “Damn, that hurt…”
Xiao Bai, limping but undeterred, scrambled toward a fruit tree as if reuniting with a long-lost friend, eyes brimming with emotion.
Su Mo took his time, scanning the area for threats before approaching.
The red fruits hung high. After considerable effort, he plucked the first one.
Heavy as an apple but far more vibrant, its sweetness lingered on his tongue. Not quite “immortal fruit,” but the effects were undeniable.
“So good!” He devoured even the core, unwilling to waste a bite.
Four fruits later, heat surged through his body. Something was very wrong.
Overdose!
He dropped into meditation, struggling to stabilize—but the scorching energy refused to fade.
Damn you, Xiao Bai! Couldn’t you warn me these things are this potent?
Blood trickled from his nose, unstoppable. To burn off the excess energy, he drew a blade from his white jade ring and slashed at the air until sweat drenched him, finally bringing relief.
“A bath would be perfect right now,” he grumbled, wiping sticky skin.
His gaze drifted to the river, frustration mounting. If only he were stronger, dangers be damned.
Remembering Xiao Bai, he searched and found the monkey slumped under a tree, clutching two more red fruits—stuffing them in despite being stuffed already.
“Bro, how many did you eat? You’re wasted.” Su Mo snatched the fruits away.
Xiao Bai’s drunken glare softened upon recognizing him. But then its eyes glazed over, drool dripping as it stared at Su Mo with unsettling intensity.
“The hell’s wrong with you?” A slap snapped the monkey back to reality. “Our deal’s done, got it?”
Xiao Bai nodded vaguely, a flicker of shrewdness hidden behind its daze.
Su Mo eyed the opposite riverbank. “You’ve been here before. Know how to get back?”
The monkey nodded and trotted toward the water, Su Mo following.
But at the river’s edge, they hit an invisible barrier separating the two worlds—the water now out of reach.
“Guess we’re stuck for now.” Su Mo theorized the passage might reopen at dawn, like the undead’s crossings.
With no way back, he decided to explore. Curiosity led him inward, Xiao Bai trailing like a well-behaved pet.
The silence unnerved him. “Did that fruit unlock your brain or something? You’re acting off.”
Xiao Bai grinned wordlessly.
Or maybe it had spoken—just in a language Su Mo couldn’t understand.
Before leaving, Su Mo stocked his jade ring with red fruits—for the journey, and to share later with Ye Qingyi, Xia Qingqing, and, if possible, his parents. Not for power, just health and longevity.
But happiness was fleeting. A rustle alerted him: ahead, a horde of walking dead shuffled closer, scanning the area as if searching for prey.