"White zombie, a low-level corpse. Their skin is pale, they fear sunlight, and they're not particularly dangerous. But why did such a large number suddenly appear here?"
The crimson treasure-hunting mouse leapt back onto Pei Xianqiao's shoulder, squeaking rapidly. At this moment, she was only a step away from the Tang family's ancestral hall.
In front of the spirit tablets, Yao Ranran suddenly turned her head toward the white mist outside. "Miss Tang, did you hear something just now?"
Tang Xiangyin snapped out of her daze and shook her head blankly. "Fairy, did you hear something?"
Yao Ranran stared at the fog for a while, then withdrew her gaze. "Perhaps I was overthinking."
-
Outside the ancestral hall.
Pei Xianqiao swiftly tossed several talismans. The Taihuang Talismans slapped against the white zombies, making them let out guttural roars, yet their stiff limbs still staggered forward stubbornly.
The dense horde began to encircle her. Pei Xianqiao's expression remained composed, her eyes steady as she stayed alert to every side.
She drew the Cangling Snow Sword. A flash of chilling brilliance erupted, filling the air with a bleak, killing intent.
The Taihuang Talismans flared and fell away as Pei Xianqiao stepped forward. The Snow Sword carved dazzling arcs in the air, sword blossoms glittering coldly in the white zombies' ashen eyes before piercing through one's brow and slitting another's throat.
Light as a swallow, she landed, her brows showing a touch of calm determination. "There are too many zombies. Alone, it's difficult to wipe them all out quickly. Fortunately, I prepared several third-grade talismans for this trip."
"Thunderclap Talisman, break!"
A spark of starlight flickered at her jade-white fingertip. With a flash of her storage ring, several Thunderclap Talismans shot out. The white zombies threw themselves forward, unafraid of death.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Several charred corpses collapsed onto the ground.
The few that remained were quickly dispatched.
Pei Xianqiao let out a small breath. "Even if another wave comes, I still have strength left to deal with them."
If her master were here, surely he would be pleased at her progress.
She pressed her lips into a faint smile.
—
By the ancient well.
"Another unidentified woman? When did she appear?" The woman at the well sounded slightly puzzled. With a casual gesture, nine green-skinned zombies leapt out from within.
They moved with shocking speed, leaving afterimages in the thick fog.
In moments, the back door of the Tang ancestral hall was smashed open.
Yao Ranran looked at the seven green-skinned intruders who had barged in and said sympathetically, "Brothers, did you used to live on the Great Grass Plains? What do the grasses there have to do with you?"
The seven zombies glanced at one another, then leapt forward in unison. "We hate green!"
A guttural growl rolled from their throats.
Yao Ranran nodded seriously. "I understand. This must be your last wish before becoming neither alive nor dead. Don't worry, I'll help you fulfill it."
The moment her words fell, a hazy holy light burst forward, striking the zombies' ghastly green pupils. Thick, oozing liquid dripped from their eye sockets. Their dull minds struggled to recall the command given by the woman at the well.
"Kill her! Kill her!"
"We can't kill her!" One zombie's eyeball dropped to the ground and rolled away. "Ah! My eyes! I'm blind!"
The foremost zombie hadn't even seen clearly what that light was before his iron-hard body instantly melted into sludge, collapsing at Yao Ranran's feet.
What kind of monster was this woman?
Forcing his eyes open even as they dissolved into pus, the zombie mustered all his strength to pry a needle-thin slit.
He couldn't accept this. Even turned into a corpse puppet after death, he was the strongest King of Green Zombies!
"You… who are… you?"
With his dying will, the Green Zombie King tried to contact his master. Even if it meant burning away his remaining life, he had to reveal this woman's true face!
Yao Ranran blinked, then shook her head. "Good deeds should be done without leaving a name…
I am the warmhearted citizen who helps grandmothers cross the road, donates spare coins to Waterdrop Fund, picks up litter to toss into bins, and works diligently, dutifully, and selflessly in every post!"
"…"
The Green Zombie King was already dead.
He never heard her final declaration.
"Heh heh heh… but I heard it!" A severed arm twitched in a pool of blood, then melted into pus.
"Her name… Warmhearted Citizen—" The zombie's final thought echoed into the mind of the woman at the well.
Her brows furrowed tightly, her heart thundering with alarm. "Warmhearted Citizen? Which clan or sect carries such a surname?"
—
Outside the ancestral hall.
Sweat dampened Pei Xianqiao's brow as she cut down two green zombies with ferocious swordplay. She tossed out a formation disk, swallowed a Spirit-Replenishing Pill, and sat cross-legged.
"These two weren't especially high in cultivation, but their bodies were hard as vajra and their speed was terrifying. An ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator wouldn't even spot their openings. Just these two alone cost me considerable effort."
"Zhi zhi zhi—" The crimson treasure-hunting mouse squeaked anxiously on her shoulder.
Pei Xianqiao stroked its head in reassurance. "Don't worry, I only spent some spiritual power. A short rest and I'll recover."
She tilted her head back, gazing at the sky. "Only by pushing forward, overcoming trial after trial, can I truly be worthy of standing by Brother Fu's side…"
—
At the ancient well.
"This Warmhearted Citizen is far too fast!" The woman suddenly snapped her eyes open. Her connection with the last two green zombies had also been severed.
"Very well. If you're that capable, then I'll unleash my final technique!"
A bitter wind howled, its chill piercing to the bone.
Tang Xiangyin shivered violently, clutching Yao Ranran's hand. "Fairy, she's making her move!"
Yao Ranran tilted her head curiously. "Who exactly is she?"
Tang Xiangyin pressed her lips shut and shook her head. "I cannot say…"
Yao Ranran frowned slightly. Just a name, or perhaps a title—why would she guard it so carefully, unwilling to utter even a single syllable? Could someone be threatening her?
Cold moonlight spilled down as the woman rose from the ancient well, floating into the air. She bore Tang Xiangyin's exact face, yet it was now veiled in a sinister black aura.
"All guests must die. Night is for sleeping obediently. Tang Xiangyin, you disobeyed!"
Her robes swirled like a phantom's, fluttering as she raised her hands toward the moon. Her jade-like face turned icy, rippling with watery distortions until a mirror's sheen glimmered across her skin. The full moon's light poured entirely into her body.
"I am the Mirror Princess. Hypocritical humans, I shall tear away your false masks and lay your fears bare before me!
Mirror Curse, arise! Chaos across the world!"
The air shrieked like clashing blades.
A fierce wind battered the old locust tree behind her, making its branches thrash wildly.
Tang Xiangyin gripped Yao Ranran's hand tightly, refusing to let go. "Fairy, quickly, shut your eyes! No matter what happens, you must not open them!"
"Why?" Yao Ranran frowned, uncomprehending.
She was not used to entrusting her life to another.
All the more so when…
The girl before her looked so delicate and fragile.
Tang Xiangyin's grip tightened as she swept the surroundings warily. "She is coming!"