Wang Jue slept soundly until dawn broke. When he woke, he found that Xiao Shu was gone, the bed empty. He searched everywhere for a long while but couldn't find a trace of him. He quietly checked the tents belonging to Old He and Li Xiaohao, again to no avail. He slapped his thigh, realizing with a jolt: Damn it! He’d fallen for the trick last night, plugging his ears with soundproof earplugs, allowing the other to slip away. Now, heaven knew which direction he’d gone. Based on the faint memories from the day before, he recalled a female spirit and a man had been with Xiao Shu, and the woman had said quite a bit; they should be searchable within the refuge.

So, Wang Jue perked up his ears and circled the refuge three times before finally catching the sound of Zhang Yuqiu’s voice inside Sakura’s tent. Wang Jue had never met Sakura. When he lifted the flap and entered, Sakura and Zhang Yuqiu were talking. Both froze momentarily upon seeing a strange man enter. Then, Zhang Yuqiu snapped at him like a cornered tigress: “This is where women stay! No idlers allowed!”

Wang Jue paid her no mind, instead grinning sheepishly. “I circled around three times just to find you. Come out quickly; I need your help with something.”

“Whatever help you need, say it here. Auntie isn’t the type to be ordered around willy-nilly.” Zhang Yuqiu’s face hardened, and she gave Wang Jue the cold shoulder.

“That…” Seeing how assertive she was and how unwilling she was to cooperate, Wang Jue felt awkward. “About that young man you two rescued yesterday, are you going to deal with it or not?”

Hearing Wang Jue mention Xiao Shu, Zhang Yuqiu suddenly grew agitated and pulled him towards the outside of the tent. But she wasn't the only agitated one; Sakura also became uneasy when she heard Xiao Shu was in trouble. Seeing Zhang Yuqiu drag the newcomer outside to talk, clearly hiding something from her, she quietly crawled near the tent flap, straining her ears to eavesdrop.

“What do you mean Xiao Shu is missing?” Zhang Yuqiu demanded.

“He’s gone!” Wang Jue admitted, looking slightly sheepish.

“Gone! How could he be gone?” In reality, Sakura didn't need to be eavesdropping by the flap; Zhang Yuqiu’s shocked cry was loud enough for half the refuge to hear, causing numerous heads to poke out of tents to watch the commotion.

Seeing the crowd gather, Zhang Yuqiu blushed, realizing she had overreacted. She quickly pulled Wang Jue to a secluded spot and lowered her voice. “How could he disappear? Where do you think he went?”

Wang Jue also lowered his voice, adopting a conspiratorial tone. “If I’m guessing right, he went looking for Ming Xiaoyu.”

“Heavens…” Zhang Yuqiu gasped again, catching herself before she became hysterical. She quickly clamped a hand over her mouth. Once she composed herself, she said to Wang Jue, “We have to find him quickly, or something terrible will happen. All the living dead in the city are hunting him.”

“That’s exactly what I mean,” Wang Jue nodded, then added, “I need backup. Even if I find him alone, I won’t make it back.”

Hearing Wang Jue’s words, Zhang Yuqiu immediately understood his meaning. She clapped him on the shoulder. “Wait here, I’ll go tell Xiaohao!” However, just as she turned, Wang Jue pulled her back. “Don’t tell Li Xiaohao. I suspect he left alone precisely because he didn't want to go with Li Xiaohao. If I bring him along now, Xiao Shu might lose face completely when he sees him.”

“Sigh!” Zhang Yuqiu sighed heavily. “With a knife at his throat, why are we still worrying about saving face!”