White Lotus Chapter 33: Underlings and a Base

“Xiao Yuu. Come here, come here. I’ll treat you to some strawberries.” Lian Hua sat in front of He Yuu’s meager dwelling and messed around with other people’s kids.

“Big Brother.” The girl’s face was red, yet she still shyly approached.

“Good girl.” Lian Hua ruffled the little lady’s hair, extremely satisfied. Aiya, he didn’t have to fight zombies or get bullied. His days passed by happily.

Beside them, two boys, whose eyes seemed like they were about to shoot flames, practiced swinging bladed weapons. They aimed at straw targets, imagined them as Lian Hua, and swung hard enough to make noise on impact.

“Harder. Haven’t you eaten yet? You need to strike with enough force to behead someone with one blow.” Lian Hua pointed at one of them, “Zhao Xiao Long, practice 300 swings, then do 300 push ups.” Lian Hua dug in his ear and spoke lazily.

“You! Don’t get carried away.” Zhao Xiao Long practically shouted.

“Hey, you guys were the ones who asked me to train you. You can’t even endure this level of suffering?” Lian Hua didn’t even pay attention to Zhao Xiao Long’s attitude.

“Xiao Long, we’re the ones who came begging. You have to listen to brother Lian.” The nearby youth held back Zhao Xiao Long, who wanted to fight Lian Hua to the death. This firm and unwavering youth was He Yuu’s older brother, He Xu.

That night, as soon as Lian Hua woke up, he met He Xu. Lian Hua still remembered He Xu’s dirty appearance. His thin, weak, and feeble figure entered the tent, yet he faced Lian Hua earnestly and said, “You are an esper. Please help us. I want the power to protect my little sister.”

From this youth’s eyes, Lian Hua saw a firm resolution and absolute belief.

“You are just a normal human being. How do you plan to go up against evolved zombies or espers?” Lian Hua asked.

“Espers are also human. Human can be defeated. And aren’t zombies and mutated beasts also defeated by espers?!” The young He Xu spoke fearlessly.

Lian Hua had a good impression of this youth. He discussed with Lian Yu for a bit, then readily agreed. Zhao Xiao Long tagged along after He Xu. He Xu actually wanted to leave him behind, but he persisted.

“Xiao Xia, are you still training those two brats?” Several people arrived at the outskirts. Their clothes were clean and they didn’t look hungry. The person who greeted Lian Hua was none other than the person currently in charge of He village. He was a level two “gold elemental” esper. Everyone called him Boss Jin[1].

Boss Jin was a smart man. Before the apocalypse, he was the owner of a handbag corporation and had several employees. After the world ended, he quickly decided to take some supplies, leave town, and occupy this village as its king.

Boss Jin also understood the human psyche. The espers under him willingly served him. He cleared out the zombies and mutated beasts in this village and although the normal humans were chased out to the outskirts, they were still allowed to live. He still needed the normal humans to do manual labor for him, such as repairing fences or farming. In return, he gave them rations or clean water. Right now, the river water and ground water were both contaminated. Water was a precious commodity.

When the He siblings found Lian Hua and picked him up, Boss Jin already knew about it. However, he had no interest in a half dead guy. The He village outskirts just had another person.

Who could have thought that news would spread from the outskirts that the He siblings had picked up a powerful esper. This esper could induce the growth of fruits and vegetables. Boss Jin immediately slapped his thigh and paid a visit with a mountain of gifts. It wasn’t a bad idea to establish a relationship with such a powerful esper.

When Boss Jin got there, he did his utmost to invite Lian Hua to stay in the village proper, but Lian Hua declined. Consequently, he abandoned the objects and made conversation, trying to discreetly learn more about Lian Hua. At that time, Lian Hua was lying immobile in the tent. He only conjured up a few vegetables and gave them to Boss Jin, but Boss Jin was even more pleased. It would be great if he could recruit this high level esper with low attack power! He didn’t have a single wood elemental esper under him.

Boss Jin did his best to sell the finer points of this area, but Lian Hua pretended not to understand and let himself be fooled. After Boss Jin left, Lian Hua started digging through the various things he left behind. Out of the three children, Zhao Xiao Long was the oldest at just fifteen but even he didn’t dare to waste commodities. Lian Hua Lay on the ground and commanded the youngsters to wash up and change into new clothes. Now they finally looked like humans.

After putting the things away, Lian Hua finally realized that the He siblings were actually both beauties. No wonder they concealed their faces. They were still young, yet they had already developed like that. If some pervert took an interest in them, they wouldn’t have a good future. In general, He Xu was aware of this, so he wanted to get stronger so that he could protect his little sister.

“Boss Jin. Ay, yer bro’s leg has not recovered yet. Sorry that I can’t get up to personally welcome you. My bad, my bad.” Lian Hua cupped his hands and saluted[2] Boss Jin. He had been recovering for a week. His first priority was mending his broken ribs while his leg needed a bit more time.

He Yuu hid behind Lian Hua. She was terrified of Boss Jin. He Xu and Zhao Xiao Long simply nodded at Boss Jin, then continued attacking the target.

Lian Hua subtly changed his sitting position and completely hid He Yuu, who was squatting behind him. Ever since Boss Jin first saw He Yuu’s neat and tidy appearance, he started running over here. Lian Hua wasn’t stupid. He could tell see the scarlet glimmer of lust deep in Boss Jin’s eyes.

He Yuu was also aware of Boss Jin’s wicked desire. Every time she saw him, she hid. When Lian Hua recovered some of his power, he noticed that He Yuu was actually also an esper. Basically, her power had something to do with spiritual or mental manipulation. As a person who was especially sensitive, she could tell if someone wanted to kill her or had ill intentions. The He siblings rescued Lian Hua, so naturally Lian Hua wanted to take responsibility for them accordingly. He hoped that Boss Jin would be rational. Although his leg had not recovered yet, he could still deal with a level two esper. Boss Jin also had several level one espers, but it should be too big of a problem.

“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it. Xiao Xia, you should concentrate on recovering. If you need anything, let big brother know. Big brother will send it to you as soon as possible.” One of Boss Jin’s underlings brought him a chair to recline in. As soon as he sat down, a beautiful young woman massaged his shoulders.

“I don’t need anything right now. Boss Jin, you sure are enjoying yourself.” Lian Hua intentionally glanced at the young woman behind him.

“Heh, they’re premium goods.” Boss Jin pulled the woman into his arms and stroked her thighs. Although the young woman’s eyes were tearing up, she still obediently allowed him to grope her. “You want one? Big brother will give you one.” Boss Jin smiled in a way that all men would understand.

“No need.” Lian Hua repeatedly waved his hand to decline. “If my wife were to find out, I’d be finished.” Lian Hua put on a helpless display. The story Lian Hua told Boss Jin was that he left the capital to take care of business and his wife was waiting for him at home. He didn’t use his real name either, calling himself Lian Xia[3]. He was unlucky this time. If it wasn’t for that zombie hoard, he wouldn’t have lost contact with the main group. He really wanted to meet up at the capital soon.

Whether or not Boss Jin believed him, he didn’t intend to stay here for long. After arranging the He siblings’ safety, he intended to start painstakingly cultivating. Lian Yu had already racked its brains and charted a course of action. He only needed to enact it.

“Xiao Xia is a good man.” Boss Jin gave him a thumbs up.

“My wife is swift and agile.” Lian Hua shook his head. “My wife is also very serious.” Internally, Lian Hua said to himself that Xia Zhi despised cheating men the most. He ought to keep himself pure.

“In this time and age, there’s a shortage of good men, especially in this era. Women are all looking for one to depend on. If not, their days won’t pass easily.” Boss Jin shook his head and spoke.

“They don’t necessarily need to find a man. Women can also become powerful. Women aren’t all weak and delicate.” Lian Hua pretended not to understand what Boss Jin was hinting at. “Furthermore, I definitely won’t allow anyone I’m taking care of to become a useless parasite. If they’re useless, I will whip them into shape. That’s just my opinion. If anyone dares to bully my people, I’m not a pushover. I’ll get revenge.

Boss Jin’s face immediately became hard to look at, but now wasn’t the time to sever ties with a powerful esper over a little girl. No matter what he thought, he couldn’t let it show on his face.

“You aren’t bad, Xiao Xia. Your big brother admires you more every day.” The corner of Boss Jin’s mouth tilted up slightly and he tightened his grip on the hand that was groping the young woman’s thighs. The poor girl didn’t dare to move. She just silently endured it.

“Indeed!” Lian Hua seemed proud of himself, “Everyone who has met me has said that.”

The corner of Boss Jin’s mouth twitched. This guy was so shameless.

“Boss Jin, you didn’t come over today just to discuss what makes a man great, right?” Lian Hua impatiently asked jokingly.

“Oh. Actually, I have a favor to ask Xiao Xia.” Boss Jin paused for a bit. “My underlings crave fresh greens, so I wanted to trade with you. Whatever you want, as long as I have it, I’ll immediately prepare it for you.”

“What are you talking about? Boss Jin is taking care of me. It’s only a few vegetables. Don’t worry about it.” Lian Hua raised his hand and a pile of vegetable quickly formed on the ground.

Boss Jin wasn’t shy about it, “In that case, thanks Xiao Xia. If you need anything, come find me in the village.” He motioned for some people to come move the goods.

“Oh yea, Boss Jin. There actually is something I’ve been meaning to ask you.” Lian Hua called after the people who were ready to be on their way home. “This one wants to ask a few questions. What’s the nearest base to the He village? It’d be best if there’s law and order there.”

Boss Jin turned around and thought for a moment, then said, “The closest one that fulfills your prerequisite is Hua Yang Base. It’s a base under military control and the law is strictly enforced, however the fee for entering is high. Your big brother here doesn’t want to submit to others, so I won’t leave. Where else can I be free but in my own territory? Xiao Xia, if you want to leave, head straight north for thirty miles. It’s very easy to find.” After speaking, Boss Jin took his men and left.

Lian Hua thought to himself. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t just bring these youths with him on his journey. Hua Yang’s strict law and order just happened to be what he needed. It seemed that he needed to pay a visit to this base.

“Master, I don’t like that guy. He smells foul. And he looked at Xiao Yuu Er so sleazily.” Lian Yu said angrily.

Lian Hua burst out laughing, “How could you smell him? I don’t like him either, but what choice do we have? I’m still injured!”

“I could smell him!” Lian Yu yelled, “We have to hurry up. If I see him any more, I’ll feed him to Basket.”

“Oh yea, what happened to Basket? I still don’t see it around.” Lian Hua asked with deep concern.

“In order for us to save you back then, it expended quite a bit of power. As long as it stays in my body for a while, it will recover. Don’t worry, master.”

“Mm. It’s good that it’s alright. Xiao Yu Er, when will you be able to exit my body? It feels weird not being able to see you.”

“It will be beneficial to our recovery if I stay inside your dantian. Otherwise, I would have been able to go outside these past few days. Wah, when I get out, Xiao Yuu Er definitely has to hug me tightly. Xiao Yuu Er is so cute. This one really likes her. Xiao Yuu…” Lian Yu started to go crazy.

Lian Hua: “…”

It forgot about Big White so quickly? Big White, I’ll light some incense for you.

Big White in the distance: “Atchoo… Rawr?”

Xia Xingwen: “Does Big White have a cold?”

“Rawr…”

…

“Boss, that brat doesn’t know what’s up. Should we get rid of him?” Boss Jin’s right hand underling spoke with indignation.

“Humph! Our boss has his eye on that little girl. That’s her good fortune. The other brat is looking for death.” Underling #2 said.

Boss Jin was constantly flattered, so his anger subsided, “Don’t worry about him just yet. Although he’s a level three esper, he’s only got support powers. Furthermore, he’s crippled right now. He can’t stop us. Sooner or later, that girl is mine. How could I have not discovered this rare artifact sooner? Her older brother isn’t bad either. They should both come serve me.”

“Boss is a wise god!” The underlings climbed over each other to flatter him.

“But boss, you told him about the base. Aren’t you scared that he’ll run away?”

“What do you mean run?” Boss Jin looked at the speaker in disdain, “Although it’s only thirty miles, they don’t have a car. There are so many zombies and mutated beasts along the way. There are even harder to deal with mutated plants. It would be a miracle if they made it.”

“Boss is wise!”

“Humph! That brat is too young!”

Translator’s Notes:

[1]Jin means gold.

[2]We’ve gone so far into the future that we returned to the past:

[3]Yes, the Xia from Xia Zhi.

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Haizz… I can’t promise you guys anything. Chapters DO get longer, and I refuse to cut them up. Please bear with me.