In the days that followed, Qiao’er remained exceedingly cautious. Consequently, the green-eyed zombie no longer guarded her with such constant vigilance. Occasionally, at daybreak, when she was driven by the call of nature and struggled to climb out of the coffin, it would allow her to leave. However, her movements were restricted to the confines of the cave; she was not permitted to take a single step outside.
Yet, compared to the habitually cunning human race, its intelligence was still a level lower.
Qiao’er often basked in the sun at the cave’s mouth, always returning obediently. Initially, the creature remained on guard, but eventually, it began to doze with half-closed eyes, no longer watching her so intently.
Thus, on this particular day, Qiao’er basked at the entrance as usual. Glancing back to ensure it truly wasn't paying attention, she suddenly spun around and bolted out of the cave.
Under the bright sky and the scorching sun, the creature’s roars echoed faintly from within the cave. Qiao’er didn't even look back, stumbling and scrambling as she fled down the mountain.
The roars quickly alerted Old Priest Chongling. He first rushed into the cave to investigate and immediately discovered the cause of the creature's rage.
Losing Qiao’er was a minor matter, but if she ran down the mountain and started talking, it would likely deal a significant blow to the reputation of both his temple and himself.
His pace was naturally much faster than Qiao’er’s. Following the trail she left behind, he soon caught up to her.
A plan formed in his mind. This girl truly could not be allowed to live, but if he were to kill her openly here, it would arouse suspicion in others.
It would be better to simply feed her to the red-eyed zombie. If she were discovered, people would only assume it was the work of a monster—and it might even bring him another piece of business.
Coincidentally, the two zombies charred by lightning the previous night could serve as proof of the "monsters" he had captured, further bolstering his prestige.
With this thought, he hoisted Qiao’er onto his shoulder and quickly arrived at the red-eyed zombie’s cave. The atmosphere inside was slightly different from the green-eyed zombie’s lair; evidently, this creature was even more averse to light, for the cave was deep and profoundly dark.
Old Priest Chongling pried open the coffin and threw Qiao’er inside. Still feeling uneasy, he sliced a small wound into her neck. Only after the blood began to flow did he reseal the coffin and depart the cave.
Qiao’er kicked and struggled inside the coffin, but the heavy wood remained immovable.
The zombie within the coffin possessed not a shred of the vitality of a living being, yet Qiao’er remembered its previous battle with the green-eyed one, and her heart hammered in panic. The cave was deep and the coffin was no different from the dead of night; as soon as the creature opened its eyes, it was drawn by the scent of fresh blood.
It stared fixedly at Qiao’er before finally licking the small cut on her neck. It quickly discovered that this was something it could consume!
Qiao’er screamed and struggled, but how could her strength possibly compare to its? It pinned her down ruthlessly, its fangs sinking bit by bit into her artery.
Life inside a coffin was dreadfully dull, so it did not intend to kill Qiao’er all at once. It sipped her blood with a strange sort of refinement, listening to her screams. For the time being, it treated her as a refreshing summer beverage, amusing itself in this manner to pass the tedious daylight hours.
Qiao’er had no idea how long she had been in the coffin. The pain at the wound on her neck grew fainter and fainter, gradually turning into numbness. More terrifyingly, this numbness began to spread. Her consciousness grew hazy and heavy.
She had heard people say that those bitten by zombies would become zombies themselves. She wondered vaguely if it were true.
What she did not know was that a zombie was a creature of yin and malice, formed when the resentment and hatred of the deceased absorbed the essence of the living. The conditions for a zombie to form required the perfect alignment of time, place, and circumstance. Thus, while legends of zombies were many, the actual creatures were exceedingly rare.
Just as Qiao’er was drifting into a stupor, the coffin lid was suddenly flung open. Before she could see the situation outside, she was hoisted up. The red-eyed zombie reacted much faster than she did, letting out a low growl that was thick with both shock and fury.
Qiao’er was slung over a shoulder. In the darkness of the cave, she could only see that familiar pair of green eyes. The red-eyed zombie was equally ferocious, lunging forward immediately to reclaim its prize.
The two zombies clashed once more. In the darkness, only the dull thuds of them colliding with the coffin could be heard, sounding like the beating of a muffled drum.
Qiao’er clung tightly to the green-eyed zombie’s neck. With one arm, it swatted the red-eyed zombie away, but it did not retreat. Instead, it slowly forced the other creature toward the cave entrance.
As the red-eyed zombie began to lose ground, Qiao’er realized that the sun was still blazing outside. The closer they got to the entrance, the brighter the light became. The green-eyed zombie’s combat strength began to wane, but the red-eyed zombie was clearly in a much worse state.
Every movement it made was a struggle as it fought desperately to break back into the depths of the cave. The green-eyed zombie, still carrying Qiao’er, also grew sluggish. Qiao’er felt as though her entire neck had turned to wood, devoid of all sensation. Watching the struggle, her mind was a fog of confusion and disordered thoughts.
The green-eyed zombie leaned her against the wall and engaged the red-eyed zombie once more. The roars of the two creatures shook the rough cave walls, sending dust and stones cascading down. A zombie’s skin was normally incredibly tough, but in this disadvantageous broad daylight where both were weakened, their bodies were covered in gashes. Patches of flesh were torn open, looking as withered and dry as sliced leather.
The brutality of the fight was no less than that of wild beasts fighting over prey.
Qiao’er leaned against the wall, gasping for breath. By the light filtering in from outside, she finally saw a large, charred burn mark on the green-eyed zombie’s back. Only then did she realize it had braved the sun to come from its own cave.
No wonder it didn't flee, but instead sought every way possible to drive the red-eyed zombie out.
After another bout of fighting, the green-eyed zombie’s claws tore a long gash across the red-eyed zombie’s neck. The flesh curled back, bloodless and exceptionally ghastly.
The red-eyed zombie let out a long howl and suddenly bolted toward the entrance. It charged into the sunlight with all its might; its body began to smoke, and accompanied by a wretched wail, it quickly vanished into the mountain forest.
The murderous aura surrounding the green-eyed zombie dissipated instantly. This ordeal had exhausted it no less than its rival.
It picked Qiao’er up again and headed into the depths of the cave. It quickly discovered that this cavern was more comfortable than its previous one, and so it lay down in the other creature's coffin with a sense of entitlement.
Qiao’er was still pinned beneath it. It lacked the energy to discipline her, so it simply pressed her flat, clearly intending to record this as a major offense to be settled later.
It closed its eyes to sleep. Aside from the faint scent of brine, Qiao’er could smell the odor of scorched flesh. It had many other wounds, but it was too exhausted to care for them.
The numbness in her neck began to spread from her chest downward. Qiao’er felt cold and burrowed desperately into its embrace, but its body was naturally icy. This only made her feel colder.
In the afternoon, Old Priest Chongling came to collect Qiao’er’s body. When he opened the coffin, he was incensed—when had *this* zombie started sleeping here?!
Before the sun had set, he led his three disciples across the mountains to find the red-eyed zombie. They finally located it in the cave where the green-eyed zombie had originally lived.
That cave was shallower; even hiding in the deepest part, one could still see the sunlight. It lay in that coffin, its entire body covered in charred scars from the sun. The gash on its neck was the deepest; had the force been any greater, its head might have fallen off.
Old Priest Chongling had seen zombies fight before; these things were fierce and often came to blows over food or mates, much like male beasts. However, he had never seen a zombie wounded so tragically, nor had he ever seen one brave the daylight to seize another’s lair.
He inscribed a Spirit-Attracting Talisman on the coffin to make the spiritual energy more abundant for its recovery. Then he went back to the green-eyed zombie’s new home. Seeing that it was also injured, he carved a Spirit-Attracting Talisman on its coffin as well.
After finishing, he glanced at Qiao’er in the coffin. Seeing that the deathly grey of the corpse poison had already spread to her face, he asked no more questions. He simply assumed he would return the next day to collect her corpse.
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