On the way, there were some unusual sights.
The market that was bustling with people yesterday now had only a few stray cats, and even the shops weren’t open for business, with straw curtains still down.
The Cao Sisters arrived at Wanglai Inn, puzzled, only to find it equally deserted.
“Shopkeeper, where did everyone go?” Originally intending to discuss the rumors of ghosts with the owner, they first asked about the strange situation.
“Heh heh,” the shopkeeper smirked, “Miss, you didn’t believe in zombies yesterday.
Let me tell you, last night, disciples from Bi Xuan Palace actually captured one.
It’s locked up in the west of the city, and everyone wants to see what a zombie looks like, so they’re all there for the excitement.”
“Really?” Cao Er was a bit surprised.
Could there really be zombies?
“If you don’t believe it, you can go see for yourself,” the shopkeeper shrugged.
Cao Er hesitated as she stepped out of the inn.
Mu Er immediately came forward to ask, and she relayed the shopkeeper’s words.
Mu Er was also surprised, while Xi Fuhong turned pale, and Xue Baihua showed no reaction.
Zombies are monsters that humans turn into after death.
Cao Er always thought that once people died, that was it.
How could they turn into something else? Now hearing that there really was a zombie, she was curious to find out more.
“Master, shall we go take a look?” Cao Er looked at Xue Baihua expectantly.
“No! No! It’s a monster, what’s there to see?” Xi Fuhong immediately shook her head in refusal.
Cao Er glared at her, annoyed, “I’m talking to Master! Who asked you?”
“…Let’s go see,” Xue Baihua ignored Xi Fuhong, finding it quite interesting herself.
Xi Fuhong’s protests were in vain, as she was dragged by the Cao Sisters to the west of the city to see the zombie.
As soon as they turned the corner, they heard the noisy chatter.
The street was packed, not a single gap to squeeze through.
This was just a residential area, not as spacious as the market, and with the whole city gathered, it was impossible to get through.
Cao Er quickly parked the carriage in a secluded spot and ran into the crowd with Mu Er.
Seeing so many people, Xue Baihua’s initial interest in seeing the zombie faded.
She lazily leaned against the carriage door, sitting on the steps, and noticed Xi Fuhong standing by the horse, lost in thought.
“…Ah Fu, not going to see?” she asked softly, with a slight smile.
“No, I don’t like those ghostly things,” she frowned, recalling how her grandmother used to tell ghost stories that scared her so much she didn’t dare go to the bathroom alone at night, often wetting the bed and getting teased for being timid.
She avoided hearing such stories whenever possible, preferring not to hear about ghosts at all.
Now there’s a zombie? Of course, she wouldn’t look! In contrast, the Cao Sisters were bold.
Their small bodies squeezed through the crowd, finally reaching the front row.
There, a sword was stuck in the ground, surrounded by a circle of people who dared not get too close.
The sword hilt was covered in talismans, and the blade was half-buried in the ground, with an iron chain attached.
At the other end of the chain was the zombie everyone was eager to see.
The zombie’s face was half-decayed, with a bluish-white complexion.
It wore what seemed to be expensive clothing, likely belonging to a wealthy family.
Gold jewelry adorned its wrists and neck.
Perhaps afraid of the light, it stayed in the shadows, growling and shaking the chain, trying to escape.
“This is a zombie?” Cao Er raised an eyebrow, “It’s just a half-rotten corpse.”
“It should have been laid to rest, but standing here makes it a zombie,” Mu Er said calmly.
Suddenly, a middle-aged man fell to his knees in front of the zombie.
Seeing a person, the zombie bared its teeth, ready to bite.
The man was pulled back by a woman, narrowly avoiding injury.
The woman cried, her makeup smeared, while the man kept kowtowing and crying to the zombie.
“Father! I’m unfilial! If you have grievances, come to me in a dream.
Why torment us like this, Father!” The man’s forehead was bloody from kowtowing, and the woman beside him quickly stopped him, crying in his arms.
Hearing the gossip around her, Cao Er listened closely and learned that the couple was from a well-known scholarly family in Tonghui City, and the zombie was Xu Dangjia’s father, Xu He.
Xu He, though a successful scholar in life, never found a patron to help him achieve glory for his ancestors.
A few years ago, he caught a cold and died.
Since then, the Xu family’s business declined, nearly bankrupt.
Rumors of ghosts in the city led Bi Xuan Palace to investigate the cemetery outside the city, discovering Xu He’s grave was desecrated, and his body was missing from the coffin.
Last night, they tracked the zombie and found the culprit terrorizing Tonghui City was Xu He.
“Enough! There’s no dream to be had.
Your father’s soul has long reincarnated.
This body is just a malicious ghost!” A crisp, assertive voice interrupted the man’s cries.
A young girl in black emerged from the crowd, petite and charming, captivating the young men with her smile.
But she wasn’t smiling at them; she was smiling at her approaching senior sisters.
“Qi Yu Senior Sister! Ke Yun Senior Sister!” Fang Qi Er waved her arms, calling out.
Two more women emerged from the crowd, also in black, but with very different auras.
One had a jade-like face, dignified and graceful, her long hair neatly tied with a blue crown, exuding warmth with her every smile.
The other moved with precision and clarity, her eyes not showing hostility but not gentle either, giving a serious and reserved impression.
“Daoist, please save my father! He died so tragically… How did he become a zombie after death…” Xu Dangjia cried, stepping forward, with the woman beside him wiping her tears, “Please help my father, Daoist.”
“Please calm down, the Bi Xuan Palace will handle this matter properly,” Qin Ke Yun stepped forward, cupping her hands.
As soon as she finished speaking, a sharp horse neigh was heard.
Suddenly, a fierce horse galloped through the alley.
Seeing the crowd blocking the way, the rider leaped into the air, somersaulting and landing beside Xiao Qiyu and Qin Ke Yun.
The newcomer wore fiery red clothes, her eyes cold as a frozen lake.
Her long hair was braided over her left shoulder, exuding an imposing aura.
Though stunningly beautiful, her intimidating presence kept people at a distance.
“Luo Family Head,” Qin Ke Yun greeted the newcomer with a bow.
“No need for formalities.
What’s the situation?” She flicked her sleeve, turning to look at Xu He in the shadows.
“It’s related to the Baili ancestral tomb.
We might need to borrow it,” Xiao Qiyu whispered, only loud enough for Luo Qingcheng to hear.
Nodding, Luo Qingcheng glanced at Xiao Qiyu, seeing her still smiling gently, “We’ll discuss it later.”
At this moment, standing in the crowd, Cao Er saw the group discussing something privately but wasn’t interested.
She turned to pull Mu Er, ready to leave, but was suddenly drawn back by the townspeople’s screams. She was shocked to see the chain that had been secured by the sword was now loose, and the zombie was charging towards the crowd, causing people to flee in panic.
Fang Qi Er held the sword in her hand, spun twice to grab the end of the iron chain, and yanked it hard, causing the zombie to fall to the ground with a thud.
Fortunately, it was just a false alarm.
“Take it back,” Qin Ke Yun said, and as soon as she finished speaking, four women in black clothing immediately brought over a coffin on a cart.
Mu Er saw this and tugged on Cao Er, saying, “Let’s hurry back, don’t keep Master waiting.” They squeezed through the crowd, catching their breath as they returned to the carriage.
They saw Xi Fuhong and Xue Baihua snuggled up together again, which made Cao Er unhappy on the spot.
She pouted, ready to scold Xi Fuhong, but Mu Er tugged on her sleeve from behind, shaking her head to signal her not to speak nonsense.
Seeing this, Cao Er had no choice but to hold her tongue.
“Was the zombie interesting to look at?” Xue Baihua asked, hugging Xi Fuhong from behind and looking up.
“It was just a rotting corpse,” Mu Er replied honestly.
Xue Baihua nodded at this, releasing Xi Fuhong and turning to get into the carriage herself.
Seeing her master leave, Cao Er stepped forward and kicked the carriage.
