Fan Shaohuang was meditating. Qiao’er stood before the formation for a long while. He was waiting for her to ask a question, but in the end, she asked nothing.
After the Daoist of the Hao family finished his lessons, the crowd of zombies, shrimps, and crabs continued to follow Qiao’er’s instructions. They traveled to distant places to fetch fresh water for the local residents, ensuring every household had an ample supply of drinking water. The nearby inhabitants had a vague inkling that these beings were not mortal, but most remained deeply grateful. As time passed, the number of devout believers coming to Guantian Court to pray for rain gradually increased, and the front gates regained their former hustle and bustle.
However, the rain never came. Qiao’er knew in her heart that as long as four Ba and a Zombie Ancestor resided in Guantian Court, the drought would persist.
There is a common human saying: *A land of spiritual grace produces talented people.* This "spiritual energy" is actually the vitality of all things between heaven and earth; it is inextricably linked to the lifespan of the world and its inhabitants. Where spiritual energy is strong, the soil is fertile, and the people are stable and prosperous. Where it is weak, the land is barren, the residents are destitute, and diseases and disasters arise easily.
Fan Shaojing made no move against Guantian Court. Likely, both he and Fan Shaohuang had calculated that if the Green-Eyed Zombie remained in the mortal realm for long, it would inevitably trigger a catastrophe. Over time, the natural order of the Heavens would be obstructed, and the Divine Realm would be forced to intervene.
Qiao’er sat on a mountain rock before Fan Shaohuang’s formation for a long time. After much thought, the only solution seemed to be for the Green-Eyed Zombie and the four Ba to either reside deep in the ocean or travel far and wide. The world was vast; the spiritual energy they absorbed would slowly recover, and over many years, their presence would not have such a devastating impact on the mortal realm.
However, since the Green-Eyed Zombie had absorbed the blood of a Ba, it had vaguely taken on a fire attribute. This clashed with the Five Elements of the ocean, and its cultivation progress would be hindered if it stayed beneath the waves. Living in the deep sea was clearly not a viable long-term option.
But that wasn't what made the Green-Eyed Zombie unhappy. Inside the small wooden hut, it sprawled beside Qiao’er, refusing to leave no matter what. Qiao’er had exhausted a basketful of kind words and several wagonloads of logic, but it simply turned its head away and ignored her. Eventually, Qiao’er lost her patience and grabbed its face, forcing it to look at her. "Are you even listening to me?"
Only then did it huff indignantly, "From today on, I’m staying right here. I’m not going anywhere."
Qiao’er mimicked its posture and lay down, whispering soothingly, "Then how about we travel the world together? I’ll stay with you forever."
The Green-Eyed Zombie was furious. "You’re lying to a zombie! Human lifespans are a hundred years at most. You’re already this big; if you don't achieve immortality, you’ll be dead before long."
Qiao’er got angry too. "Then you can just hang my ashes around your neck! That’s basically the same as me staying by your side!"
The Green-Eyed Zombie seriously considered the feasibility of this plan. But once it figured out what "ashes" actually were, it refused to say another word, sulking silently in its coffin.
Qiao’er spent a long time trying to comfort it to no avail. In the end, she had to repeatedly promise that she would work hard at her cultivation and definitely wouldn't die early.
The next day, Guantian Court was as lively as ever. Countless believers came to divine the cause of the drought. Yaoguang was the best at bluffing; he spoke a load of nonsense about leading people toward virtue, successfully hoodwinking the crowd into absolute belief.
In the evening, Qiao’er still led the zombies and shrimp-monsters to dig wells and carry water. The Green-Eyed Zombie, true to its word, stayed in the wooden hut throwing a tantrum. No matter how Qiao’er tried to coax or entice it, it clung tightly to the coffin and refused to budge. Unable to win the argument, Qiao’er had no choice but to let it be.
Aside from Yaoguang, Tianquan, and Kaiyang, the only one left in Guantian Court was the Green-Eyed Zombie. That night, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse. A guest arrived at Guantian Court.
Lying in its coffin, the Green-Eyed Zombie had already sensed this person’s aura. It sat up alertly. Outside the hut, the visitor spoke: "Tu Su, King of the Underworld, pays his respects to the new generation of the Zombie Ancestor."
The Green-Eyed Zombie had never heard the name Tu Su, but it knew of the King of the Underworld. Because he had been tainted by the turbid energy of the Netherworld, he too had been banished by the Divine Realm to the Path of Demons in the Wilderness. Perhaps when the Ba broke the seal of the Path of Demons, he had slipped out as well. Consequently, he was very well-informed about the Ba and the Green-Eyed Zombie.
The Green-Eyed Zombie didn't want to deal with him. In its own mind, it felt that while it was a zombie and perhaps not "good," it wasn't "bad" either, and it shouldn't associate with demons. Tu Su, however, seemed to see through its thoughts. "No need to be in such a hurry to refuse. After all, your troubles and desires are the same as mine."
The Green-Eyed Zombie opened the door. The King of the Underworld stood outside, clad in a black hooded robe. Half his face was obscured by the hood, but where his eyes should have been were only two black pits. His exposed hands were nothing but bleached white bone. His physical body had been sealed in the Path of Demons for too long; he had turned into a skeleton.
The Green-Eyed Zombie found this puzzling—they were both in the Path of Demons, so why had the King of the Underworld withered into a rack of bones while the female Ba had grown as fat as a water bucket?
"No need for curiosity, Zombie Ancestor." Tu Su’s voice seemed to come from all directions. He slightly raised a hand of withered bone; the skeletal gleam looked cold and dismal under the moonlight. "You will soon be banished to the Path of Demons by those people in the Divine Realm. At that time, you will be no different from me. Yet I shall be luckier than you, for my race is accepted by the Netherworld for reincarnation, while your race exists outside the Three Realms and the Five Elements—an existence that the Divine Realm will never acknowledge."
Seeing that the Green-Eyed Zombie remained silent, Tu Su continued his instigation: "And then there is the woman you love. A human’s life is like the morning dew or a night-blooming cereus. Are you willing to be parted from her?"
***
It wasn't until the fourth watch of the night that Qiao’er returned with the zombies and small monsters. The Green-Eyed Zombie was lying in its coffin and actually ignored her. Qiao’er poked it curiously, but it remained motionless. Qiao’er was both annoyed and amused. "Doesn't it hurt to just lie there like that?"
The Green-Eyed Zombie still didn't speak. Qiao’er forcibly turned it over and pressed her face against its chest. "What’s wrong?"
Only after a long pause did it say petulantly, "Can't you see I'm angry?"
Qiao’er collapsed onto it, shaking with laughter, before rubbing her chin against its jaw. "What are you angry about? Slacking off here instead of going out to work in the middle of the night."
After being busy for most of the night, she was truly exhausted. She snuggled into its embrace and fell asleep.
The Green-Eyed Zombie waited a while longer, then opened its eyes to look. She was fast asleep, eyes closed peacefully. It reached out and poked her carefully, realizing she really was out cold. It felt rather depressed—how was it supposed to start a fight if she wouldn't stay awake?
The following night, the Green-Eyed Zombie sat on a mountain crag. Gui Che stood before it, trembling with fear. "Boss, you were looking for me?"
The green light in the zombie’s eyes darkened. Gui Che immediately knelt on the ground, all nine heads begging for mercy at once. "Boss, I’ve been framed! I didn't peep at you and Qiao’er sleeping last night! I didn't peep at you bathing the night before! I didn't secretly eat the boiled fish Qiao’er made three nights ago! And I definitely didn't say bad things about you four nights ago! When I bought buns for you today, I definitely didn't drop them on the ground! Wuwu, Boss, believe me, I’m innocent..."
Green-Eyed Zombie: ... = =!
What followed was a fifteen-minute martial arts sequence. Because the scene was too bloody and violent, eight hundred words have been omitted here.
Fifteen minutes later, the Green-Eyed Zombie sat back down on the crag. "Tell me, how do you make a girl break off a relationship with a boy she likes?"
Gui Che’s nine heads tilted in unison. After thinking for a long time, he finally had an answer. "That’s easy, Boss. You just have to make the girl think the boy is a total jerk. For example, you could do this... or you could do that..."
After passing on his experience, he started gossiping. "Boss, which girl have you set your sights on? Are you going to steal someone’s love? Wahaha, that girl must be very pretty, mmm—"
The Green-Eyed Zombie had no time for his nonsense and turned to leave. Behind him, Gui Che suddenly felt something was wrong. "Boss! If the *real* Boss finds out, you better watch your—"
At noon, Qiao’er made steamed pork with rice flour. When she brought it into the hut, the Green-Eyed Zombie was practicing its writing. This time, seeing the food didn't bring its usual joy. It took only one bite before spitting it out. "The things you make are getting harder and harder to eat!"
Confused, Qiao’er picked up a piece with her chopsticks and tasted it. "It’s fine. What’s wrong with you?"
The Green-Eyed Zombie poked at her with its brush. "And you’re getting uglier and uglier!"
"Furthermore!" The Green-Eyed Zombie looked Qiao’er up and down. "Your waist is getting thicker and thicker!"
"Yaoguang, tell the others to come eat." Qiao’er expressionlessly picked up the plate of steamed pork and walked out. Before the Green-Eyed Zombie could rush forward to snatch a piece, she was already out the door. The daylight outside was bright; it didn't dare go out.
And so, it sat alone in the small wooden hut, sulking. *What the heck? She actually got angry after just two sentences. Fine, be angry, but why take the steamed pork too? Even if you take it, you could at least leave me a few pieces...*
It rubbed its stomach sorrowfully. *Wuwu, my steamed pork...*
***
