At first, Liu Shuixian thought she was still dreaming. It was only after she rubbed her eyes vigorously that she realized she was wide awake. There was indeed a man sitting on her bed. The light in the room was dim, allowing her to see only his long, silver-white hair and emerald-green eyes. Unaware of the terror he inspired, the green-eyed zombie looked up and offered her what he believed to be a tender smile, revealing fangs an inch long.
"Qiao'er," he called out softly.
Liu Shuixian let out a piercing scream that summoned every guard in Squire Liu’s manor. A crowd of servants in green robes and black hats surrounded her room. The Sixth Concubine, worried for her daughter, was the first to push open the door. Instinctively, the green-eyed zombie pulled Liu Shuixian into his arms. As she struggled wildly, Squire Liu, standing outside the door, felt his lungs nearly burst with rage.
"Bold lecher! How dare you defile my daughter’s virtue!"
Liu Shuixian cried out for her father, her struggles growing more frantic. The green-eyed zombie could not understand why she was so afraid; it was as if she had no memory of him at all.
The servants rushed forward with clubs and staves. Not wishing to fight them, and fearing he might hurt Qiao'er in the chaos, the zombie used one hand to ward them off and released his hold on her. The moment she was free, Liu Shuixian threw herself into her father’s arms, not daring to spare the creature another glance.
"Qiao'er! Qiao'er!" the green-eyed zombie called out again and again.
She simply hid behind Squire Liu, refusing to look at him.
The blows from the wooden clubs caused him no real harm, and since he had no desire to hurt anyone, he realized that explanation was impossible for now. He whispered softly, "You have only drunk the Soup of Oblivion and forgotten me for a time. Do not be afraid. I will come for you again. I will wait until you remember."
As soon as the words left his lips, he vanished into thin air. The servants who had been swarming him suddenly lost their target and stood frozen in shock. It took a long moment before Squire Liu finally reacted.
"A monster! There is a monster!"
Squire Liu did not dare make a public outcry about the supernatural occurrence in his manor. One had to remember that the Prince of Pingnan’s household was of royal blood; they already looked down upon the Liu family’s merchant status. If word got out that a monster had compromised Liu Shuixian’s virtue, the marriage alliance would likely fall through.
Though Squire Liu handed out silver to silence the servants, the entire manor was gripped by panic. That monster’s fangs were so long; who knew which mass grave the old demon had crawled out of? Now that it had set its sights on the Ninth Miss, it was unlikely to let the matter rest.
Squire Liu understood this all too well. He began plotting to find a Taoist priest to exorcise the demon and avert disaster. At that time, the two most famous Taoist institutions were Guantian Court and Cuiwei Mountain. After weighing his options, he eventually chose to invite the priests from Cuiwei Mountain. Though their prices were higher, they were a prestigious sect with a reputation for discretion and excellent "after-sales service."
When the green-eyed zombie entered Liu Shuixian’s room again, the Sixth Concubine was staying with her daughter. She knew the monster would surely return. By now, everyone in the manor was terrified, and no one dared enter Shuixian’s room lightly. Even the First Wife only came and went in a hurry, terrified of bumping into the creature. The Sixth Concubine was merely the daughter of a minor family, and she was naturally terrified of such unholy things, but Shuixian was her daughter. No matter how afraid she was, she had to stand guard.
Seeing the green-eyed zombie enter, she ignored the difficulty of walking on her bound feet and moved to shield Shuixian behind her. The terror in her eyes was unmistakable, yet she did not yield an inch.
"Great Immortal, I beg of you, do not harm my daughter! I will give you anything you want, just please, let her go!"
Behind her, Liu Shuixian held onto her mother as they retreated step by step until they hit the bed, with nowhere left to turn. She pressed her lips together, her voice very soft. "Sixth Mother, this has nothing to do with you. Please, step aside."
She pushed the Sixth Concubine onto the bed and turned to face the green-eyed zombie. Her body was trembling slightly, but her voice was unnervingly steady. "Who are you? What do you want?"
The green-eyed zombie studied her. Her features no longer resembled the face in his memories, but there was one thing that made him certain she was Qiao'er—her eyes. That gaze, clear yet infused with fortitude, was exactly the same. She was clearly terrified, just as she had been when she first met him.
When she first met him, she had been just like this—scared, yet thinking only of how to escape.
"I am Hou," he said, his voice low for fear of startling her. "Qiao'er, I have come to take you home."
But Liu Shuixian only shook her head. "My surname is Liu. My name is Liu Shuixian, not Qiao'er. This manor is my home."
The green-eyed zombie took a step forward. Suddenly, the chamber doors were flung open. Several ink-fountain lines lashed out, binding him tightly. Turning his head slightly, he saw over a dozen Taoist priests who had already laid out a Seven Star Array, intending to trap him within. His internal injuries were severe; ten years of secluded healing had not fully restored him, only temporarily suppressed the damage. Even so, he did not fear these dozen or so priests.
He irritably tore at the ink lines on his body, his gaze still fixed on Liu Shuixian. "Come with me, Qiao'er."
Liu Shuixian shook her head slowly, her expression resolute. "I am a human. How could I possibly live with a monster like you?"
The green-eyed zombie flung the dozen priests away and strode toward her, arguing with a look of confusion. "I already have a body temperature. I have a heartbeat and a pulse. I am just like you now. How can I be a monster?"
He reached out to grab her, but Shuixian struggled desperately. The priests tried many methods but felt their faces burning with shame. Cuiwei Mountain had assumed this was a common demon and had not sent their elite disciples; they hadn't expected that the creature would be immune to their Taoist treasures.
Fortunately, the green-eyed zombie had no interest in dealing with them. "Come back with me, Qiao'er. Don't be angry anymore. I'll carry you on my back to pick apples. We'll go to the seaside to gather shells, alright?"
His eyes were too sorrowful. Liu Shuixian turned her body to avoid his hand. "I really am not Qiao'er. You have the wrong person."
That day, the Taoist masters of Cuiwei Mountain failed to subdue the demon, and the green-eyed zombie failed to take Liu Shuixian away. Word came from Cuiwei Mountain that the Sect Leader had issued an order to dispatch elite disciples.
The green-eyed zombie sat by Liu Shuixian’s bed. He had cultivated for many years, but he had very little experience dealing with humans and knew next to nothing of worldly affairs. Qiao'er had always been easy to please; he had never needed to spend effort coaxing her in the past, so he naturally had no idea how to win over Liu Shuixian now. He used a spell to freeze her, leaving her unable to move or speak.
The terror in her eyes made him hesitate, but he did not release the spell. He remembered the River of Forgetfulness long ago, when she told him that after ten years, Qiao'er would also forget Hou.
His heart felt heavy. "Don't be afraid. If you have forgotten, I will tell you everything until you remember. In your past life, you were called Qiao'er. You lived in Guantian Court and were a female Taoist with high cultivation. I am Hou, a zombie..."
He rambled on in her ear about the events of their past life, but the fear in Liu Shuixian’s eyes only deepened. He began to panic. "Don't be afraid, Qiao'er. I won't hurt you..."
The cultivation of the Cuiwei Mountain priests was not particularly high, but because Fan Shaohuang had passed down many formations and ingenious techniques, they had always been feared by demons. The green-eyed zombie suffered because of this. At first, he hadn't taken the dozen priests seriously, but once the formation was complete, he found it incredibly difficult to break through despite his many attempts.
The injuries he had sustained while storming the Demon Realm were too heavy; a full recovery would take at least a century. But he couldn't wait, and so he had come to find Qiao'er after only ten years. Currently, his cultivation was not even a hundredth of its peak, and he suffered for it the moment they clashed. His old wounds had not healed, and now new ones were added. By the time he broke through the array and fled, a pool of fresh blood was left behind in Liu Shuixian’s bedchamber.
The news that the Ninth Miss of the Liu family was being haunted by a monster eventually leaked out. The Prince of Pingnan’s manor sent people to inquire several times, but Squire Liu managed to smooth things over. Finally, the Heir to the Prince of Pingnan came in person.
Since their engagement, he and Liu Shuixian had rarely met. Having heard secret reports from his subordinates that Squire Liu had repeatedly invited Cuiwei Mountain priests into the manor, coupled with the recent rumors, he felt deeply uneasy.
As an engaged couple, it was not proper for them to meet alone. However, given his status, Squire Liu was only too eager for Shuixian to marry into the Prince’s manor as soon as possible to avoid further complications. Liu Shuixian met him accompanied by the First Wife. Since they had only met a few times and were already betrothed, both were somewhat shy.
The Heir, however, did not forget the purpose of his visit. "These past few days, I have felt a sense of unease. How about... I ask my father to let you marry into the house sooner? Would that be alright?"
Liu Shuixian blushed and didn't dare look at him, but the First Wife beside her took up the offer. "Marriage has been a matter of parental command and matchmaker’s words since ancient times. If the Heir truly has this intention, please have the Prince discuss it with my Master."
The Heir, however, only looked at Liu Shuixian. Seeing that the two seemed to have things to say, the First Wife used the excuse of checking on the refreshments to leave temporarily. Liu Shuixian’s face flushed; she felt awkward whether standing or sitting. Watching her shy demeanor, the Heir grew more enamored.
"Shuixian..." he called softly. "Are you willing?"
Liu Shuixian lowered her head and toyed with the silk handkerchief in her hands, still harboring concerns. "Heir, the things you have heard recently... I fear they are true. I..."
The Heir stood up. "Call me Zixuan. I don't care about any damn monster. If it dares to come again, I will invite the State Preceptor. The grand Manor of the Prince of Pingnan will not fear it."
The next day, the Prince’s manor indeed sent people to negotiate, setting the wedding for the nearest auspicious date to hold a grand celebration.
The green-eyed zombie spent most of his time at the Liu manor. His old wounds had been compounded by new ones, and the Cuiwei Mountain priests had laid an array around Liu Shuixian’s room. He didn't dare force his way in again, yet he couldn't bear to leave. He often circled her room, staring longingly at her silhouette on the window paper—sometimes she was embroidering her trousseau, sometimes chatting with the Sixth Concubine, and sometimes playing the zither.
He naturally knew what was happening in the Liu manor. Once he learned of the wedding date set between Liu Shuixian and the Heir, he specifically sought out a fortune-teller to ask. The man told him there were less than ten days left.
He finally grew desperate.
On that day, the monster once again stormed the room of the Ninth Miss of the Liu manor and carried off Liu Shuixian while she was embroidering her trousseau. A dozen priests fought with all their might, forcing it to reveal its true form—it was a zombie. Its long hair was withered like tangled grass, its body gaunt, its face green with protruding fangs. It was terrifying to behold.
Ignoring Liu Shuixian’s screams and struggles, it carried her on its back, broke through the formations left by the priests, and vanished. The formations passed down by Fan Shaohuang were not to be trifled with; the zombie broke through soaked in blood, though fortunately, it had not tasted human blood.
This incident finally caught the attention of Cuiwei Mountain. The Sect Leader ordered the entire sect to immediately hunt down this high-level zombie of unknown origin and ensure the return of the Liu family’s Ninth Miss!
To this end, everyone from the Sect Leader down to the apprentices was utterly baffled. Since ancient times, they had heard of zombies biting people and drinking blood, but they had never heard of a zombie kidnapping a wife...
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Lover's Tears: The End of Time | Chapter 60 | The Zombie's Bridal Abduction | Novela.app | Novela.app
