The Ghost Carriage had been driven away, but Qiao’er found herself in a predicament. Ever since she could remember, she had been sold into the household of Squire Liu. What little she knew of such intimate matters came from the hushed gossip of neighborhood busybodies; as for the actual mechanics of it, she was utterly clueless.
Though the green-eyed zombie had lived for thousands of years, it understood these things even less than she did.
The two of them spent a long time in the coffin researching the matter. Qiao’er’s face was flushed crimson, and the green-eyed zombie, terrified of hurting her, didn’t dare move recklessly. After trying for a while, the zombie finally grew anxious and wrote: *See, I told you not to act blindly. You’re bleeding! Tomorrow, I will go see how other humans do it!*
Qiao’er agreed, and the matter was dropped for the time being.
The next day, the green-eyed zombie began to move about the beach. Every zombie that caught sight of its "distinguished" features broke into tears—was the ancestor of their zombie race destined to be this ugly?
The green-eyed zombie had no time for them. It went to the back chamber to see Fan Shaohuang. His injuries had stabilized, but without Ba’s assistance, his recovery had slowed significantly; he remained unconscious to this day.
The green-eyed zombie drew a drop of zombie blood from its fingertip and flicked it. The blood bead rolled over Fan Shaohuang’s body, gradually enveloping all the demonic energy he had absorbed within a surface layer. From a distance, it looked like a pearl from the vast sea, exceptionally dazzling. Once the demonic energy was fully contained, the green-eyed zombie formed a hand seal and broke the restriction between itself and Fan Shaohuang. Though its current strength did not match Ba in her prime, it was already far more formidable than before.
With the restriction broken, Fan Shaohuang suffered another heavy shock. Qiao’er stepped forward hurriedly, but the green-eyed zombie blocked her path and wrote: *Set up a Soul Array to trap his spirit.*
Qiao’er was puzzled. Although Fan Shaohuang wasn’t exactly a good person, he had no real enmity with Guantian Temple. "Why?"
The green-eyed zombie patted her head and wrote again: *He is the reincarnation of the ancient god Yinglong, descended to the mortal realm to undergo a tribulation. He looks harmless now, but once his tribulation is complete and he returns to his divine seat, he will remember Ba. He will be difficult to deal with then.*
Qiao’er had heard Ba call him Yinglong before, but she hadn’t realized he truly was the god himself. "If we trap him, won't the Divine Realm take action?"
The green-eyed zombie shook its head. *For any god undergoing a tribulation, all hardships and fortunes are matters of fate. Even gods cannot interfere with destiny. The Divine Realm will not pay it any mind.*
Since Yinglong had not yet returned to his station, trapping his soul was not difficult. Qiao’er laid out a formation beneath Guantian Temple. Once Yinglong’s soul left his body, he actually regained consciousness.
"Do you truly think this array can trap me?" he sneered. "You’ve forgotten—most of your formation and seal-binding techniques were taught to you by me."
Qiao’er felt quite guilty. "Regarding Ba... in the end, we owe you. Rest and recover for now, and try to break the array before I think of a better one." She turned to leave, but finally asked one last question: "If you manage to return to your divine seat, will you let us go?"
Within the array, Yinglong gave a cold laugh. "I suspect not."
Qiao’er pondered for a moment and said softly, "In that case, I can only do my best to trap you until the day I feel you are no longer a threat to him. Take care."
Yinglong clearly looked down on her, offering only a cold snort. "You certainly think highly of yourself."
Guantian Temple remained popular with worshippers, but in the shadows, a deep grudge had been formed with Cuiwei Mountain. Qiao’er drove out all the Taoists left behind by the current sect leader, Fan Shaojing. When Fan Shaojing learned that Gong Xi was "consorting with monsters" and had imprisoned his junior brother’s soul, he was utterly incensed.
Fan Shaojing was different from Fan Shaohuang; he was fair and just in his dealings, which was why he had never previously viewed Qiao’er as an enemy. But the imprisonment of Fan Shaohuang had enraged him, sparking a determination to level Guantian Temple.
While Fan Fuqing was in secluded meditation, Fan Shaojing arrived at Guantian Temple at noon that day. The young Taoists Fan Shaohuang had left behind were still there; they were never loyal to Qiao’er, and naturally, they secretly leaked the situation of the temple to Fan Shaojing.
Fan Shaojing specifically chose high noon to enter the temple. The sun was at its peak, the moment when the power of all demons and zombies was at its weakest.
The green-eyed zombie was in the small wooden hut, and Qiao’er could not let Fan Shaojing enter. She deeply regretted not moving the zombie to a safer place. Ever since its injury, it loved to stay by her side, and neither of them had expected Fan Shaojing to arrive so quickly within just two days.
Fan Shaojing had only recently recovered from his own injuries, but his cultivation and Fan Fuqing’s came from the same source. With Fan Fuqing’s entire life’s power now within him, he was even more formidable than before. Though Qiao’er had obtained most of his previous cultivation, she was no match for the man he was now.
Within three rounds of their exchange, Qiao’er already showed signs of defeat. The pilgrims realized that this challenger was no ordinary person and scattered at once.
The Taoists of Cuiwei Mountain did not stop them. They were a righteous sect; though they had come for a private grudge, they would not harm the innocent.
In less than ten moves, Fan Shaojing restrained Qiao’er. His voice rang out across the entire Guantian Temple: "Still unwilling to come out? Then at sunset, you can collect her corpse!"
He knew what he was doing. The current strength of the green-eyed zombie was not to be underestimated. If it were Fan Shaohuang, he would certainly have used this method—it was somewhat despicable, but it was the most efficient and permanent solution. Even if the green-eyed zombie valued its life and refused to appear, he could at least rescue Fan Shaohuang.
Qiao’er’s combat experience was far inferior to his, but with the zombie’s life at stake, she could only do her best. "Priest Hao Ren, do you intend to keep watching from the shadows?"
She struggled to dodge the edge of Fan Shaojing’s sword, but her voice remained clear. "You should think carefully. The Hou has already inherited the power of the Goddess Ba and has become the second ancestor of zombies. If you help us today, you gain the support of Guantian Temple, and the zombie race will no longer trouble the Hao family. But if Gong Xi is killed or injured here today, the Hou will never let the matter rest with you. You were already on bad terms with Priest Fan Shaohuang; I fear the Hao clan will find it difficult to withstand the zombies' revenge."
Hao Ren gave a dry cough and walked out from the back hall. He was followed by many Taoists, but Fan Shaojing had come prepared, and the Hao family’s specialty was catching zombies. He judged his chances of winning to be low, which was why he had been watching from the sidelines.
Now that Qiao’er had called him out, he could no longer hide and emerged from the shadows. Seeing this complication, Fan Shaojing paused his attack. Qiao’er knew exactly why Hao Ren was hesitant. She stepped back slightly and whispered in his ear, "He won't kill you. You only need to cover my escape."
Hao Ren realized her plan and quickly stepped forward, still chuckling dryly. "Sect Leader Fan, why such a temper? We can talk this out, let's talk it out..."
Fan Shaojing had nothing to say to him and glared at him. "Do you also intend to assist the wicked and make an enemy of the entire Taoist world?"
Hao Ren continued to laugh dryly; he didn't want to offend either side. "Not at all, not at all. This humble priest wouldn't dare, nor do I wish to. It’s just that things haven't reached the point of drawing blades yet. In my opinion, we should all sit down, brew a pot of Tieguanyin, and chat about the details..."
As he rambled, Qiao’er immediately took flight. Fan Shaojing had been guarding against her escape; worried for Fan Shaohuang’s safety, he instantly summoned his flying sword.
Qiao’er’s speed could never outrun the sword. When the blade shot forth, even Hao Ren closed his eyes. Unexpectedly, the tightly shut door of the wooden hut burst open, and a figure clutching a door panel came charging out desperately.
Just as the flying sword was about to strike Qiao’er, the figure hurled the door panel with immense force. The impact knocked the sword off course, and it merely grazed Qiao’er’s shoulder.
Qiao’er looked back, and all the Taoists stood frozen in shock. The figure ran toward her, its entire body exposed to the autumn sun. Wisps of blue-gray smoke rose from its skin, every step kicking up dust that was once its own flesh.
The bloodline of the ancient fallen god burned fiercely under the blazing sun, carrying colors as brilliant as flames.
Qiao’er’s vision blurred with tears. Through the haze, she felt it wrap its arms firmly around her waist and leap toward the sea. Only then did the Taoists snap out of their shock and rush forward.
The green-eyed zombie still hadn't learned how to swim, but it could not sink to the bottom—Qiao’er needed to breathe. Only when she spoke did Qiao’er realize she was crying. She hammered her fists against its shoulder. "Go! Just go!"
The green-eyed zombie was submerged in the water. Its speed was much faster than any of the Taoists, yet the slivers of sunlight piercing through the waves still scorched its flesh.
The Taoists could not catch up, but it could not dive into the deep sea either. Occasionally, a flying sword would slash across its back. As it endured Qiao’er’s blows, it managed to reply:
"I cannot leave. I have cultivated for thousands of years, but besides you, I have nothing."
***
