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The suggestion suited them all perfectly, so naturally no one objected. They poured the Corpse Crystals they had obtained that day out of the bag and counted a surprising hundred and eighty-nine. Including rent, their daily expenses would come to nearly forty Corpse Crystals at a minimum, so they set aside eighty-nine and divided the remaining hundred equally among the three of them. Meat Tower Chen had not gone zombie hunting, so of course he received no share. Each person got thirty-three, and Zhang Yi gave the extra one to Nan Shao because he had contributed the most. It was only one crystal, and none of them thought much of it; either objecting or declining would have been a waste of energy. After consulting the others, Zhang Yi entrusted the communal Corpse Crystals to Li Muran for safekeeping, because women tended to be more attentive and better at planning in such matters.

"From now on, use my Corpse Crystals to train until you can go out hunting zombies," Zhang Yi told Meat Tower Chen, who was watching them longingly from the side. He then took ten crystals from his own share and handed them over, enough for him to absorb for several days.

"Thanks, Brother Yi." Meat Tower Chen accepted them with a beaming smile. Ever since meeting Zhang Yi, he had never stood on ceremony with him. Their relationship had always been mutually beneficial.

Nan Shao gave him a long, searching look, then took out a Corpse Crystal, closed his eyes, and began cultivating.

The look made Meat Tower Chen shudder, leaving him somewhat baffled. Master Shao is getting stranger and stranger.

This was where the advantage of ability users became apparent. After absorbing Corpse Crystals, both Nan Shao and Li Muran quickly regained their stamina, and their fatigued muscles recovered considerably as well. Even if several dozen more zombies came now, they could handle them. Zhang Yi, however, could only rely on rest to restore his stamina and let his tired muscles recover. It was a slow process, and even going hunting the next day might prove a problem.

Nan Shao, who recovered the fastest, made dinner. He cooked a large pot of congee, but his lack of practice led to him scorching it. Although it tasted strange, that was no problem at all for people who were already used to all kinds of barely edible food. They each ate two or three bran cakes with their congee, showing no extravagance just because there was still quite a lot of food stored in the cave behind them. After all, they could not live on that little stockpile for the rest of their lives. To them, being able to eat their fill now, without having to break a single bran cake into several portions as they had before, was already quite good.

After dinner, Zhang Yi still wanted to exercise a little more, but he simply lacked the strength, so he could only sit there resting against the wall.

"Daddy, do your legs hurt?" Zhang Ruiyang squeezed in beside him and sat down. Had he not noticed during dinner that Zhang Yi seemed a little uncomfortable, he would probably have already burrowed into his arms as usual.

"No." Apart from both arms aching so badly they were almost numb, Zhang Yi was in a very good mood. What he had experienced that day had shown him hope that people without abilities could survive in the world as it was now.

"Then where does it hurt, Daddy?" When Zhang Yi did not stroke his head as usual, Zhang Ruiyang was a little unwilling to give up. He squeezed closer, his large, dark eyes filled with worry, puzzlement, and anticipation.

"Daddy doesn't hurt anywhere..." Zhang Yi answered absently, but when he saw the child's eyes, he paused and suddenly understood, unsure whether to laugh or cry. "Daddy's arms are a little sore." With that, he lowered his head and kissed his son on the head, fulfilling his obligation.

Sure enough, the kiss made Zhang Ruiyang happy. Instead of pressing tightly against Zhang Yi, he moved back a little, raised his little fists, and began tapping his arms. "Daddy, I'll pound them for you, and then they won't be sore."

The little fists barely registered against his body, but Zhang Yi found it indescribably gratifying, and it showed on his face without his realizing. The other three watched with great envy, wondering why they did not have such a dutiful, well-behaved son themselves.

"Sweet little Yangyang, with that tiny bit of strength, you can barely even tickle your dad. Let Uncle Fatty do it." Meat Tower Chen watched those little hands thump away for a long while, while Zhang Yi merely smiled dotingly without any other reaction. He knew it was not doing much good beyond making the onlookers envious, so he could not help saying, "Brother Yi, come over here. I'll give you a massage, or you won't even be able to lift those arms tomorrow."

Zhang Yi clearly knew this too and was just about to agree when Nan Shao, who had been resting with his eyes closed at the other end, suddenly stood and walked over.

"I'll do it." That was all he said before lifting Zhang Ruiyang, whose tapping was growing steadily weaker, off to the side and gesturing for Zhang Yi to lie face down on the bamboo mat.

Zhang Yi paused, then smiled. Without making a fuss about refusing, he slowly lay down. The instant he stretched out flat, the immense fatigue that came from the muscles and bones of his shoulders and back left him feeling that time spared no one. He really was getting old.

Nan Shao had originally intended to sit on his waist, but after a moment's hesitation, he knelt beside him instead. Zhang Ruiyang crouched curiously on the other side, watching his movements without blinking.

Well-defined fingers skillfully worked over the tense muscles of his shoulders and neck, applying slightly heavy pressure that felt both painful and soothing. Zhang Yi could not help moaning aloud. The hands sliding toward his back stiffened for a moment before continuing.

"Daddy, does it feel really bad?" Hearing his nonstop moans and groans, Zhang Ruiyang rose from his crouch, crouched down again, and finally lay down directly in front of Zhang Yi. He studied the odd expression on his face for a long while, then at last could not resist stealing a glance at the focused Nan Shao before leaning close to his father's ear and whispering his question.

"Mm... ah!" Zhang Yi had his eyes closed and was feeling so comfortable that he did not take in his son's words at all, merely answering absently. Unexpectedly, at that response, the pressure kneading his unbearably sore arm muscles suddenly increased, making him cry out in pain. But the pain was followed by an indescribably soothing sensation, and he began moaning again.

Zhang Ruiyang jumped, but seeing that Zhang Yi made no move to resist Nan Shao's continued torment, he asked another question. "Daddy, does it feel really good?"

"Mm... mm." Zhang Yi answered haphazardly.

So does it feel good or bad? Zhang Ruiyang was thoroughly bewildered. He stared blankly at his father's conflicted expression, his own little face growing conflicted too.