Chapter 23: Heading to Machibo's Camp

The day of Ma Qibo’s banquet quickly arrived. Fang Yun had barely slept all night and rose early in the morning. Silently, she gathered her belongings, tossing the inconspicuous supplies into her space pocket.

Before she finished packing, Li Wangcheng and the others woke up as well. Someone sighed nearby, causing Fang Yun to pause, a strange mixture of emotions welling up inside her.

The day before, Li Wangcheng had once again petitioned the military for permission to collect supplies today, only to be rejected again.

Fang Yun said nothing when she learned this, but upon seeing the look in Li Wangcheng’s eyes, she understood his unspoken meaning.

Shang Xingbing and two younger brothers stood with Li Wangcheng. Their families had gone missing in Dongming Mountain.

No one dared say they were all dead; perhaps somewhere else they still clung to life. Yet deep down, everyone knew such thoughts were mere comfort for the heart.

Even if one were fortunate enough to find a refuge from disaster, the plunging temperatures made survival impossible without proper cold protection.

Just in Dongming Mountain alone, a single cold snap had claimed many lives. Even when Fang Yun stayed inside her tent these past days, she faintly heard distant cries at night.

After a simple meal, with daylight breaking, they left the tent and headed toward the Ma family’s camp.

Following the first harsh cold snap, nights arrived unusually early. With no electricity, lighting relied solely on firelight.

But fire required flammable materials—firewood and coal, precious and scarce resources.

Even Ma Qibo wouldn’t lavishly burn such valuable supplies just to host a banquet; thus, the event was moved to daytime.

Along the way, many hid inside their tents, watching them pass. Their eyes fixated on their clothes, filled with longing, greed, numbness—a spectrum of expressions.

Fang Yun’s face remained cold and indifferent; she felt no sympathy for these people.

At this point, no one had truly reached the brink of exhaustion; morality still restrained them.

But if time dragged on, desperation would take hold, and Dongming Mountain would become a living hell.

Humans appeared fragile and insignificant before nature’s might, yet their life force and will to survive were tenacious.

Some would abandon their principles just to live; some acted selfishly, others selflessly—human nature was indeed complex.

Originally, Li Wangcheng walked ahead, but sensing something, his pace slowed until he walked alongside Fang Yun.

After leaving the platform where they had stayed for days, Fang Yun came back to her senses and noticed Li Wangcheng walking beside her.

“Are you nervous?” he asked.

Upon reaching the Xia family’s and other controlling clans’ platforms, Li Wangcheng visibly relaxed and even found the mood to chat.

“No, just seeing those people stirred some feelings,” Fang Yun replied casually.

Her excuse seemed convincing enough, for Li Wangcheng said no more.

They encountered no one else on the road; those who could had gone to the Xia family or elsewhere, and those who couldn’t were not foolishly wandering in the cold.

When they reached Ma Qibo’s territory, a group awaited on the main path. Fang Yun recognized the leader—Hong Li, one of Ma Qibo’s right hands and his lover.

Seeing her, Fang Yun’s already expressionless face paled slightly. She lowered her gaze to hide the coldness in her eyes.

In her past life, she had been sent to Ma Qibo’s side, and Hong Li was the first person she encountered. But this woman had feigned the role of a caring, understanding elder sister to win her trust.

At the time, Fang Yun was shaken by Chen Yuanlin’s cruelty and, having heard of Ma Qibo’s brutal methods, was naturally frightened and anxious.

After gaining her trust, Hong Li revealed her true self.

Under the pretense of training newcomers for Ma Qibo, she subjected Fang Yun to devastating torment, sometimes even inviting Ma Zhen to vent frustrations on her.

Insults and beatings became routine; Hong Li’s cruelty was only a fraction of what Fang Yun later learned Ma Qibo himself was capable of.

“President Li, I’ve long heard of your reputation. Master Ma has been waiting for you some time,” Hong Li said, her name matching her fierce, striking beauty. Her flamboyant makeup and radiant smile held considerable allure for men.

But Li Wangcheng, who had seen all manner of people—especially women of Hong Li’s type—was immune.

He faced her with a calm expression, his eyes betraying no emotion.

This left Hong Li feeling somewhat defeated and doubtful. Her beauty was usually an invincible weapon, yet here it suffered a humiliating defeat.

She had worked so hard for this opportunity, braving the cold wind to wait for him, only to be met with his cold indifference.

“Since you’ve waited so long, what’s the hesitation?” Li Wangcheng snapped without sparing her any courtesy.

Her smile faded noticeably. Fang Yun caught the change in her expression and couldn’t help but smirk inwardly.

How old was she now? Didn’t she realize no charm could sway Li Wangcheng? If Ma Zhen knew her thoughts, would her days be any easier?

In her previous life, Hong Li had spent much effort on Fang Yun, so she understood her well enough to guess some of her schemes.

Ma Qibo was not easy to get along with. Despite Hong Li’s decade-plus presence by his side, he had long grown weary of her.

If it weren’t for her cunning and involvement in Ma Qibo’s private enterprises—holding leverage over him—she would have been discarded long ago.

Now that she was focusing on Li Wangcheng, it was likely because her influence over Ma Qibo was waning after arriving at Dongming Mountain.

Her position was threatened, and even her life might be at stake. How could she not be anxious?

No one knew Li Wangcheng’s current strength, but before the apocalypse, his status and power were unmatched.

Not to mention Ma Qibo; even if several families united, they were unlikely to be his equal.

With the apocalypse upon them, Ma Qibo and his followers still held some resources. Someone like Li Wangcheng being unprepared was unthinkable—even if the king himself descended.

“Please follow me, everyone,” Hong Li said, drawing a deep breath, knowing she must not rush things. She turned to lead them.

Following Hong Li through a narrow path, they soon reached the outskirts of the Ma family camp.

Ma Qibo was paranoid and cautious. His residence lay at the innermost part, surrounded by numerous guards. Behind him was a cliff, ensuring that if attacked, his men could hold off assailants, giving him time to escape.

Many had arrived today, and patrols were heightened. As Fang Yun and the others made their way, they encountered patrols of three to five men every five steps, a testament to Ma Qibo’s considerable followers.