Afraid that living alone was unsafe, I bought a zombie online.
After a stalker broke in, he took my zombie – controlling bell and tried to control him.
The zombie was stunned for a moment, then kicked the stalker and said, “You think you can control me with a lousy bell?”
Me: “?”
So all this time I thought I was controlling him to take a bath for me, but he was just playing along?
1
Afraid that living alone was unsafe, I searched online for self – defense tools for girls.
Suddenly, a handsome man appeared on my online shopping page.
The cover read: “Are girls afraid of living alone? Your exclusive zombie will protect your safety.”
Attracted by this slogan, I clicked into the store.
I contacted the store owner, who promised that as long as I had the zombie – controlling bell he specially developed, I could freely control the zombie.
If someone broke in and robbed, the zombie, who was invulnerable to knives and guns, would beat up the bad guys for me.
My grandma used to conduct religious ceremonies. She had mentioned some things about zombies to me.
But I had never seen one and didn’t believe there were zombies in the world at all.
Out of curiosity and because the price wasn’t too high, I bought this handsome zombie.
When he was delivered, he was dressed in a suit, wearing gold – rimmed glasses, looking like a gentle scoundrel.
There was a note stuffed in his coat pocket, with the words “Fang Shiye” written on it. It should be his name.
Coincidentally, this zombie had the same surname as me.
I poked Fang Shiye’s face. It was a bit cold, without human body temperature or a heartbeat.
“Little zombie, we’re quite fated. You have the same surname as me.”
He didn’t react at all.
I tried shaking the zombie – controlling bell, and he mechanically took a step forward.
It seemed to be a real zombie.
At first, I was a bit afraid that he would come back to life, so I put many yellow talismans, peach – wood swords, and other things to ward off evil in his room.
Later, after my observation, except that the zombie – controlling bell could control him, he wouldn’t make any move and showed no sign of coming back to life at all.
I left him in the guest room, using him as a human – shaped laundry basket.
He was really useful. I could make him pose however I wanted.
Strangely, most of the clothes could be hung on him, but my underwear just couldn’t.
I clearly hung my underwear on his wrist, but it would always fall to the ground inexplicably the next day.
Several times, the underwear was even blown far away by the wind.
2
Recently, people in the company have been trying to arrange blind dates for me.
I refused several times, but they became even more enthusiastic.
To deal with them, I said I already had a boyfriend.
To make it believable, I cleaned up Fang Shiye in the corner.
This was the first time I tried to take him out of the house and make him pretend to be my boyfriend.
To make the people in the company believe that I really had a boyfriend, I took him to show off downstairs of the company.
I hung the zombie – controlling bell around my waist and secretly shook it: “Fang Shiye, put your hand on my waist.”
He paused for a long time and didn’t move.
I shook the bell again: “Fang Shiye.”
This time he moved, but his hand just hovered over my waist, not really touching it.
I looked at him curiously and saw that his ears were actually a bit red.
Later, I discovered more uses for Gu Shiye, such as cooking and doing housework.
After controlling him for a long time, he would automatically go to cook at dinner time and then sit at the table obediently waiting for me to come home.
I got off work as usual, wondering what delicious food Fang Shiye would make in the evening.
On the way, a car suddenly lost control and sped towards me.
I had no time to dodge and was hit several meters away.
The bell around my waist kept ringing.
I thought I was going to die, but I didn’t feel much pain.
The driver, seeing that he had hit someone, drove away.
I sat on the ground for a while, and the pain in my right arm gradually spread throughout my body.
I went to pick up the zombie – controlling bell that had been thrown out.
As soon as my hand touched the bell, Fang Shiye rushed over, with a hint of nervousness on his face.
“Fang Shiye, take me…”
Before I could finish speaking, he picked me up first and went straight to the hospital.
Fortunately, nothing serious happened. It was just a slight fracture of the wrist, and I couldn’t move it for a short time.
In the evening, I wanted to take a bath, so I told Fang Shiye to fill the water for me.
Probably because he was a zombie, I didn’t have any scruples. I directly took off my clothes and jumped into the bathtub.
His movement of filling water for me paused, and he slightly turned his eyes, not looking at me anymore.
I told him to scrub my back, but he didn’t agree.
I almost shook the zombie – controlling bell to pieces, but he still didn’t move.
Lying in the bathtub, I was extremely frustrated and started complaining:
“Work is not going well, I don’t have a boyfriend, and I got hit by a car. The owner escaped, and there’s no surveillance there. A check cost me half a month’s salary. I spent a lot of money to buy a zombie, but he doesn’t even listen to me. He doesn’t even want to scrub my back. What’s the point of me living?”
I vaguely heard a “no”.
But the voice was too small, and the sound of water was too loud, so I didn’t hear it clearly.
When I asked him again, he didn’t speak.
After a long time, he picked up the towel on his own and scrubbed my back.
After scrubbing, he quickly left the bathroom.
Through the mirror, I actually saw his face was so red that it seemed to be bleeding.
Unexpectedly, he was a pure – hearted zombie.
3
After my injury healed, I started going to work again.
Since I was hit by the car, I had been more cautious.
These days, I always felt that there was a pair of eyes staring at me closely from behind.
The leader suddenly assigned me a rather urgent task, and I worked overtime until late at night.
It was the first time I walked home alone at night, and the feeling of being stared at was even stronger.
As soon as I entered the elevator, someone followed me in.
I asked him which floor he was going to, and he said the same as me.
I deliberately pressed an extra floor, but he didn’t react at all.
I warily pressed the bell around my waist, silently comparing Fang Shiye’s and his body size in my mind, calculating Fang Shiye’s chances of winning.
But he probably wouldn’t be so bold as to break into the house illegally when he saw there was a man at home.
After I got off the elevator, he also followed me.
The distance between him and me was getting closer and closer, and I quickly ran downstairs.
That person also ran after me.
My hands were shaking as I tried to open the door, but I just couldn’t open it.
At this time, he suddenly pressed my hand and forced me to open the door with a smile.
I almost had no room to resist.
He pushed me into the door, quickly took out a small knife from his sleeve, and put it against my neck:
“Are you Fang Yue?”
I didn’t answer.
He continued, “Where did you hide Song Yao?”
I had never heard this name before.
I shook my head: “I don’t know him.”
He sneered: “It doesn’t matter if you don’t know him. When you die, he will die too.”
As he said that, he exerted more force on the knife in his hand, cutting off a red string around my neck.
That red string was originally a necklace given to me by my grandma. Later, the pendant was lost, so I only wore the red string.
If it hadn’t been for it just now, my neck would probably be bleeding now.
4
At this time, I had already touched the zombie – controlling bell around my waist.
But as soon as the bell rang, that person noticed it.
He snatched the bell away and shook it casually.
At this time, Fang Shiye came out of the kitchen.
That person smiled: “There’s a zombie hidden at home. Was it arranged for you by Song Yao?”
He shook the bell again: “Go back.”
Fang Shiye took a step back.
Oh no, Fang Shiye only listened to the zombie – controlling bell.
That person turned his head to look at me, and the knife came down heavily towards me: “Die!”
I closed my eyes in fear, but the next moment, I heard a muffled groan.
That person was kicked to the ground by Fang Shiye.
Fang Shiye stepped on his chest with one foot, snatched the bell from his hand, and threw it to me.
That person kept struggling, and Fang Shiye kicked him again.
“How can you break free from the control of the zombie – controlling bell?”
That person asked Fang Shiye unwillingly.
Fang Shiye turned his head to look at the bell in my hand, then looked up at me, and smiled at me, somewhat meaningfully: “You think a lousy bell can control me?”
These words seemed to be said to that person, and also seemed to be said to me.
That is to say, he was not controlled by the bell at all.
So all the things I made him do before, like doing housework, cooking for me, and scrubbing my back, he was conscious.
That person was a bit unwilling. His hand tightly grasped Fang Shiye’s ankle. After a while, he said, “It’s really a zombie. How could it not be affected by the zombie – controlling bell?”
But after a moment, he seemed to think of something terrifying. He opened his mouth wide and pointed at Fang Shiye: “Could you be?”
Fang Shiye slowly stood up, looking down at him: “You don’t even know what Song Yao looks like, yet you dare to come and die?”
He seemed to want to say something more, but Fang Shiye didn’t want to listen to his nonsense. He directly knocked him out and called the police to take him away.
After tossing and turning for most of the night, things finally quieted down.
He sat opposite me, lowering his head and playing with his fingers.
I straightened my back, cleared my throat, and said, “Explain. Who is Song Yao? What kind of zombie are you? Why do you have self – awareness?”
He slowly raised his head, his eyes staring at me tightly, with red corners.
“Don’t pretend to be wronged. Can a zombie like you cry?”
He shook his head, but I could feel the sadness in his eyes.
5
He refused to explain, just holding my hand and looking at me pitifully.
I ignored him and turned my head away.
He then gently turned my head back, shaking my arm: “Well, are you taking a bath tonight?”
Thinking of the time I forced him to scrub my back, I shook my head like a rattle.
Although it was a bit embarrassing, thinking that he had lied to me, I was still a bit angry: “If you don’t want to say other things, that’s fine. But since you have consciousness, why did you lie to me?”
He pretended to be wronged: “That night, I said no.”
He was the one acting wronged.
The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. Maybe I was a bit angry from embarrassment. I went to Taobao to find the store owner.
“”Your so – called zombie is not at all like what is described in the picture. I want to return it.””
It took a long time for the other side to reply: “”How do you know it’s not? Why not try it tonight?””
As he said that, he sent me a photo.
“”Are you still worried about not being able to relieve your loneliness because you don’t have a boyfriend? Choose our exclusive boyfriend zombie, and it will surely make you soft – hearted and weak – legged.””
The picture attached was of Fang Shiye.
Just then, Fang Shiye knocked on the door: “I heard you think I’m not good enough?”
I stopped breathing for a moment.
This store owner informed him too quickly.
I didn’t speak for a long time. He directly pushed the door open and looked at the running air – conditioner.
The next second, the air – conditioner stopped working without warning.
He raised his head, nodded with satisfaction.
I got up to find the air – conditioner remote control and kept pressing the power – on button. As expected, the air – conditioner couldn’t be used.
He stood there watching me, with a smile in his eyes.
I threw the remote control at him: “Fix the air – conditioner for me.”
He took a step back, dodged the remote control, pouted and snorted softly, then turned and left.
It was the hot summer. Without the air – conditioner, I tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.
6
I got up and took a look at his room.
He moved a chair to the door, crossed his legs, and held a bottle of water in his hand.
When he saw me, the corner of his mouth curled up, and the water in his hand instantly became foggy.
He casually threw the bottle, and it rolled to my feet, leaning against my ankle.
The cold touch spread throughout my body instantly.
He just wanted to tell me that his whole body was cold and make me take the initiative to go to him.
But I refused.
I picked up the bottle, held it in my arms, and turned to go out:
“I won’t come back tonight. I’m going out to find a bar. I might even find a couple of…”
Before I could say “handsome guys”, he grabbed my wrist, slightly exerted force, and pulled me into his arms.
He pressed me against the wall, and his cold body temperature spread to my auricle, neck, collarbone, and then throughout my body.
Only my cheeks remained warm.
He gently spoke in my ear:
“You clearly said I’m your boyfriend. We’ve done such intimate things. You can clearly use me. Why go out?
“Do I have to beg you to stay?”
He forced me to look at him: “Is it because I’m not alive?”
His face was getting closer and closer to mine, but when it was close to my lips, he forced himself to stop: “Fang Yue, am I scaring you?”
Obviously, he was the one forcing me, but the one trembling and scared was him.
I kind of feel sorry for him.
If there was a choice, who would want to be a zombie?
He put my hand on his chest. There was no heartbeat.
He smiled, looking like he was crying: “I’ve been with you for so long that I almost forgot I’m not human.”
He let go of my hand, but I held it back.
I put his hand on my chest, letting him feel my heartbeat:
“Then let me remind you. This is the heartbeat of a human.”
His originally turbid eyes became clear, looking at me with a hint of eagerness:
“Can you not abandon me?”
Although he had lied to me, I didn’t really want to throw him away. Telling the customer service that I wanted to return the product was just talk.
I raised my hand and pinched his face:
“I won’t abandon you.
“Thinking about it, it’s a bit exciting. I’ve never tried what it’s like to be with a zombie.”
After saying that, I kissed his lips.
His lips were cold, but they gradually became warm because of my body temperature.
He was a bit surprised at first, then slowly smiled, his eyes like sharp crescents.
He supported my head and gently responded to me.
I was still holding the bottle of cold water in my arms.
The cold water rolled up and down between our bodies as he hugged me. Finally, the bottle mouth burst open completely, drenching me all over, and the water flowed down my legs.
He looked down, smiled a bit shyly.
At night, I lay on him, starting to worry about how to get through the winter:
“If you’re this cold in winter, I won’t let you touch me at all.”
He was playing with my hair. When he heard this, he was a bit angry and wrapped my hair around his fingertips a few times:
“Don’t worry. In winter, I’ll stick warm baby all over my body and wrap myself around you like a ghost.”
I shivered in fear: “It’s already scary enough to lie with a zombie. And this zombie actually wants to pretend to be a ghost.”
He laughed so hard that his whole body was shaking, and his chest was rising and falling as if he had a heartbeat.
7
Because I was stalked, Fang Shiye didn’t feel at ease and sent me to and from work every day.
Now he didn’t pretend anymore and directly walked around downstairs of my company as my boyfriend every day.
When it was almost time to get off work, my boss called me to his office. Looking at Fang Shiye downstairs, he said earnestly: “Xiaoyue, you know me, right? I know a bit about that kind of thing. Your boyfriend, he’s not simple.”
My boss’s surname is Song. Usually, he hardly cares about the company’s affairs and just likes to study Taoism, metaphysics, and such things.
I smiled and glanced downstairs: “Mr. Song, I don’t believe in those things.”
He clicked his tongue and said: “You little girl, you have short – sighted vision. I’ve experienced more strange things than the rice you’ve eaten. If I say he has a problem, he definitely has a problem.”
After saying that, he took out a red cloth mysteriously and handed it to me: “If you don’t believe me, cover this cloth on him when he’s sleeping, and you’ll know everything.”
I took the red cloth and looked at Fang Shiye.
At this time, Fang Shiye was stretching his head to look at the people coming and going in the office building, constantly looking for my figure.
Mr. Song continued: “Normally, I would only handle this kind of thing after getting some benefits, otherwise it would shorten my lifespan. But you were recruited into the company by me personally. I can’t stand to see you get hurt, so I decided to help you.”
I shook my head and put the red cloth on the office desk: “Mr. Song, I trust him. He won’t hurt me.”
I brought him back, and I was willing to believe in him.
8
After work, I ran towards Fang Shiye with a smile and took his hand.
He subconsciously wanted to pull back.
Seeing my puzzled look, he touched my face and then held my hand again:
“What would you like to eat tonight? I’ll make it for you when we get back.”
Obviously, his tone was very relaxed, but I always felt that something was wrong with him.
After dinner, I took his hand.
He gasped in pain.
Only then did I notice that his hand was burned red.
“How did this happen?”
He hid his hand behind his back: “I accidentally burned it while cooking dinner.”
“Can a zombie be burned?”
He didn’t answer me, but just hugged me tightly.
After sending me to bed, he hurried back to his room.
Usually, he would gently kiss my forehead, then linger by my side for a while, and finally be forced to go back by me.
I walked to his door. Just as I raised my hand to knock, he spoke first.
“Fang Yue, do you believe me?”
I didn’t know why he asked this, but I still gave him an affirmative answer:
“I believe you.”
The door opened, and he looked pale, forcing a smile:
“Why are you willing to believe me? I’m not even human. Aren’t you afraid that I’m approaching you for some purpose?”
I thought for a long time.
I really didn’t know why I believed him.
But I was just willing to believe in him.
In my heart, he was never just a zombie.
I gently turned my head and looked at him: “Fang Shiye, if I say I seem to have seen you before, do you believe me?”
He looked at me. When our eyes met, he frowned, his expression bitter.
I thought if a zombie could cry, he would probably shed tears.
Perhaps, as a zombie, no one had ever trusted him like this.
That’s why he was so shocked.
He said softly: “I believe you. I believe that perhaps at some point in the past, we had an intersection, but you’ve forgotten.”
I tidied his messy hair: “You’ve forgotten too.”
He took a deep breath and gently flicked the bell around my waist: “You have to keep this bell with you all the time. Whenever you ring this bell and call my name, I’ll appear.”
I nodded: “Then don’t break your promise.”
“I never break my promise.”
9
The next day, Mr. Song called me to his office again.
He turned on the computer and showed me his email.
There was my resignation letter on it.
I had no intention of resigning.
Fang Shiye had secretly sent it using my computer.
Mr. Song pointed at the resignation letter: “What’s wrong? Are you not satisfied with working in the company? Why do you suddenly want to resign?
“After all, I recruited you into the company personally. I thought we had a connection at that time. With your educational background, you didn’t meet the company’s recruitment requirements, but I still insisted on keeping you. It will be difficult for you to enter a big company like Wansheng again if you resign now.”
I stared at the resignation letter, pondering Fang Shiye’s words from yesterday, and thought for a long time.
He was very abnormal yesterday. Was it because I did something that made him sense danger?
I had been working all day yesterday and only met Mr. Song when it was almost time to get off work.
Mr. Song suspected Fang Shiye’s identity and gave me a red cloth.
It was the red cloth!
That was definitely not an ordinary red cloth. At least, it made Fang Shiye sense danger.
After figuring it out, I smiled at Mr. Song: “Mr. Song, I was in a bad mood last night and didn’t feel like working. Today, I thought people still need to work, but I forgot to withdraw the email. Don’t mind it.”
After leaving Mr. Song’s office, I immediately called Fang Shiye: “Did you submit the resignation letter?”
He was very calm: “Yes.”
“Why?”
He didn’t speak.
“Did you sense danger? Do you think someone in the company knows your identity?”
He still didn’t speak.
“You won’t even explain a single word to me, and you want me to follow your arrangements. Just because you asked me to trust you, should I give up the best job I can find unconditionally?”
Under my questioning, he finally spoke:
“I’m afraid you’re in danger.”
“I’m doing well at the company. Why would I be in danger? Who exactly is Song Yao? When the stalker asked me if I had hidden Song Yao, why did he ask that? Is all my danger brought by this Song Yao?”
“Who Song Yao is doesn’t matter. What matters is…”
I was bumped by a colleague, and my phone dropped from my hand. I didn’t hear what he said later.
The bell around my waist was also thrown out. The colleague picked it up for me, shook it, but there was no sound.
She then looked at the bell curiously and asked in confusion: “Fang Yue, why are you hanging a bell that doesn’t make a sound?Eh? It seems to be blocked by something inside.”
I snatched the bell back and gently shook it. Clearly, there was a sound.
She was even more confused: “Look, I said there’s no sound. Don’t shake it anymore.”
It seemed that only I could hear this sound.
10
I looked inside the bell, and indeed, something was blocking it.
It was a very small jade pendant.
That pendant was mine.
My grandma hung it around my neck with her own hands before she passed away.
It was my thirteenth birthday. She mysteriously took out a box from the bottom of the cabinet.
Inside the box was a necklace.
Under the necklace was a photo.
There was a very beautiful girl in a red wedding dress. It was clearly a happy wedding day, but she was crying.
I asked grandma who that girl was.
Grandma sighed and it took a long time before she said: “That’s grandma.”
I asked her why she was crying, but she didn’t answer me.
She touched the pendant and said: “Our little Ayue will have some relationship problems in the future. There’s all my life’s power in this pendant. Our little Ayue will surely be happy in the future.”
My grandma was the most powerful person for conducting religious ceremonies in the neighboring villages. They all called her Song Xiangu.
I took the necklace to show off to my dad. My dad spat a few times and told grandma not to say such unlucky things on my birthday.
But my grandma just smiled.
The next day, my grandma passed away peacefully in her sleep.
I cherished this necklace very much. But on my seventeenth birthday, this pendant was lost.
It was lost in a very strange way.
That day, I suddenly got my period after taking a bath.
I remembered clearly that I put on the necklace and then went out. When I woke up in bed the next morning, the pendant was gone.
I couldn’t remember what had happened that night.
I couldn’t remember if I had bought sanitary pads, how I got home, or how the pendant was lost.
I searched along the way many times, but I still couldn’t find it.
The necklace was bare, but I still wore it around my neck.
11
I rushed back to the laboratory to look for the tweezers in a hurry, not caring that my phone was still on the ground.
I carefully took out the pendant and held it in my palm to examine it.
Something must have happened that night, but I couldn’t remember.
And I must have met Fang Shiye that day. Only this could explain why the pendant was in his zombie – controlling bell.
And last night he said that only I had forgotten. Maybe it was really only me who had forgotten.
I hung the pendant back on the necklace.
The stalker had cut it off last time. I had it repaired, but there was still a knot there, unable to erase the fact that it had been broken.
At this time, my colleague brought my phone over.
Fang Shiye was still on the phone.
I hid in the corridor, took a few deep breaths:
“I’ve decided to resign.”
“Why did you suddenly figure it out?”
I smiled helplessly: “They’ve been looking for someone named Song Yao. Coincidentally, my boss is Song Qinglian, and my grandma is Song Lingshu. They both have the surname Song. I can’t help but suspect that there’s some connection.
“My grandma was in the business of conducting religious ceremonies. Song Qinglian also likes to study these things. I don’t know who Song Yao is yet, but there’s a good chance they’re all from the same family.
“With my educational background, I don’t have the qualifications to enter Wansheng. But why did Song Qinglian insist on keeping me? It definitely wasn’t because we’re related. s far as I know, my grandmother broke off relations with her family of her natal family long ago.
“And you, Fang Shiye. When exactly did we meet? You’ve always been reluctant to say. Now I don’t have time to dig deeper with you. I choose to trust you one more time, not because of anything else, but because I believe in my grandma.
“Before she died, she said that this necklace had all her life’s power and would surely keep me safe. Since you picked it up, I’ll trust it for once. There must be some kind of fate that binds us together.”
He actually laughed: “Starting to believe in metaphysics?”
At this time, my mind finally calmed down a bit, and I even joked with him: “I’ve even slept with a zombie. Believing in some metaphysics isn’t a big deal.”
He snorted and said: “Did you see the pendant?”
“I saw it.”
After a moment of silence, he said: “Your birthday is in forty – nine days. Can I accompany you on your birthday?”
“That’s so far in the future. Let’s talk about it later.”
“Okay, then wait for me. I’ll come pick you up.”
12
After hanging up the phone, I went to Song Qinglian to resign.
He still tried to persuade me earnestly.
Seeing that my attitude was very firm, he finally gave in:
“Since you’ve decided, of course I support your decision. Look, you’ve been working in the company for five years. How about this? We’ll organize a dinner party tonight to see you off.”
I shook my head and refused: “No need. I have something to do tonight.”
I still hadn’t figured out the matter between me and Fang Shiye. Even if I had to force him tonight, I had to make him explain clearly.
Song Qinglian sighed and said: “Fang Yue, you won’t even give me this face, will you? To be fair, have I treated you well these years?”
I nodded: “Mr. Song has treated me very well, of course. But I really have something to do today. How about another day? I’ll definitely come.”
He stood up and stared straight at me: “Fang Yue, don’t be ungrateful!”
I looked up at him directly, and my hand unconsciously pressed on the zombie – controlling bell around my waist.
He curled his lips. Although he was smiling, it made me suddenly break out in a cold sweat: “Remember Song Yao?”
It was Song Yao again. Who exactly was Song Yao?
I shook my head: “I don’t know him.”
He shook his head a bit regretfully: “It doesn’t matter. Anyway, you don’t remember what happened that night. But you should remember what happens tonight.”
He suddenly took a step forward, grabbed my wrist, and snatched the zombie – controlling bell from my waist.
He kept shaking the bell, and the sound of the bell was sometimes passionate and sometimes low and hoarse as he moved.
Finally, the bell couldn’t bear the force and broke into two pieces.
Song Qinglian laughed a few “Jie Jie” sounds: “This is the zombie – controlling bell of the Song family in Western Hunan. Ordinary people can’t shake it. Only those who know some Taoism can.
“Although the Song family in the Northeast and the Song family in Western Hunan haven’t been in touch for many years, they are still from the same origin. I didn’t expect I could still control it.”
He looked at me: “Fang Yue, you’ll be twenty – seven years old in forty – nine days, right?”
As a leader, his concern for my birthday definitely meant no good.
Before I could speak, he directly grabbed my wrist and dragged me into a dim room.
13
He tied my hands and feet to a chair: “I’m being merciful today and will extend your life for a few days.”
He held a peach – wood sword in his hand. Although the blade wasn’t sharp, it easily cut through his palm.
Blood was absorbed by the peach – wood sword along his palm.
I cursed him, calling him a lunatic.
The next second, the sword stabbed directly towards my chest.
It didn’t penetrate deep, but I still felt a sharp pain in my body.
Song Qinglian’s blood flowed into my chest along the peach – wood sword, and I could feel my hair growing.
My hair, which was originally on my shoulders, instantly reached my waist.
I looked up at him and saw that as my hair grew, he aged rapidly.
He smiled at me, with a bitter expression: “I’m really risking my life this time. Today, it’s either success or death.”
The moment he pulled out the sword, his appearance was almost like that of a hundred – year – old man.
He used the peach – wood sword to draw on the ground.
Blood formed a pattern on the ground that I didn’t recognize.
“What exactly are you trying to do?”
He looked back at me, his eyes shining: “To live.”
Seeing my confusion, he asked again: “Do you believe in immortality?”
“Crazy!”
He didn’t care about my words and continued on his own: “Our Song family has an ancestor who was proficient in metaphysics. He accidentally obtained a dragon bone. It’s said that this dragon bone has the power to make people immortal.
“But the ancestor spent his whole life without figuring out the secret of the dragon bone. After his death, the Song family was divided into two factions. One faction thought that the idea of immortality with the dragon bone was just a fantasy, while the other thought that nothing in the world comes out of nowhere.
“The Song family split. One branch moved north, and the other moved south. And that dragon bone was also divided into two parts. The Song family in the south wanted to destroy the dragon bone, while the Song family in the north wanted to possess the power of the dragon bone.”
He sneered: “But it’s not that easy to study the dragon bone. After all these years, there’s only been one Song Yao.
“I don’t know by what method, but he didn’t destroy the dragon bone. Instead, he absorbed the power of the dragon bone. But it was only half of the dragon bone, not enough to make him immortal.
“And the other half of the dragon bone is in the hands of our Song family in the Northeast. In order to obtain the power of the dragon bone, we started hunting down Song Yao.”
He pointed the peach – wood sword at me: “Fang Yue, don’t you think it’s ridiculous? That day, you just happened to break into our formation. He was almost dead, but for some reason, he suddenly started to turn into a zombie.
14
“Your intrusion caused his power to completely burst out, and the power of the dragon bone scattered from his body and couldn’t gather. Since then, his life has been tied to yours. As long as you die, he will die too.
“That night, Song Yao forcefully took you away, and then he disappeared. I thought I had no chance. But strangely, the power of the dragon bone was gradually gathering in your body. I had someone calculate it, and it would take ten years for the power of the dragon bone to completely return.
“Probably when you were in college, Song Yao took you away. You disappeared for three days. After you came back, I couldn’t feel the power of the dragon bone anymore. I think Song Yao must have used some special method to hide the aura of the dragon bone.
“To avoid any accidents, I sealed all your memories about Song Yao. And right after you graduated, I recruited you into my company, just to keep you under my nose. Tying you up means tying up Song Yao. When you turn twenty – seven, it will be your death day.
“I should have waited until you were twenty – seven, but I saw Song Yao yesterday. And you want to resign today. He must have discovered something. I can’t wait any longer. I’m going to suck out the power of the dragon bone in your body today.
“By the way, you should have met the people from the Song family in Western Hunan. Over the years, I’ve done a lot to clear them away for you. But it’s not just me. Song Yao has also been secretly protecting you. The people from the Song family in Western Hunan don’t care about Song Yao’s life or death. They just want to destroy the dragon bone. As long as either of you dies, the power of the dragon bone won’t come back.”
So the stalker was sent by the Song family in Western Hunan.
Killing me was to completely disperse the power of the dragon bone.
15
After saying all this, Song Qinglian finished drawing.
I turned around and carefully observed it. Only then did I see that it was a huge Eight – Trigram Formation.
And I was sitting right at the center of the formation.
He gently patted my head: “To be more cautious, I have to bring out that thing.”
I instantly lost consciousness.
When I woke up, my head hurt terribly, and the wound on my chest was throbbing.
I looked down and found that I was wearing a bright red wedding dress. It was a very traditional style.
Noticing that I was awake, Song Qinglian turned to look at me.
He faced the window, and I didn’t know what was outside.
He said, “Don’t you think this wedding dress looks a bit familiar?”
By the dim candlelight, I carefully examined the wedding dress.
It was very familiar, but I couldn’t remember where I had seen it.
At this moment, someone broke through the window. It was Fang Shiye.
The glass shards flew over and tore the wedding dress on my body.
Song Qinglian was kicked by him and slid back a long way. He stood up hunched over.
Fang Shiye steadied himself and anxiously examined me, asking, “Fang Yue, are you hurt?”
I nodded. “Yes, that old man stabbed me with a sword in the chest. It hurts a lot.”
He lowered his eyes, looked at my chest, and the worry on his face deepened.
He turned to look at Song Qinglian. “Are you crazy?
“Using forty – nine years of your lifespan to make her lose forty – nine days of her life in just a few minutes and instantly absorb the remaining power of the dragon bone. You’re really heartless.”
Song Qinglian held the peach – wood sword and pointed it at me. “It’s all because of her. If it weren’t for her back then, do you think you’d be alive and standing here questioning me now?”
Fang Shiye didn’t waste any more words with him and immediately rushed forward to fight with him.
Now that he was already a hundred years old, he naturally couldn’t beat Fang Shiye.
Just as he was about to lose, the moon rose to the middle of the sky.
Song Qinglian slumped to the ground and laughed maniacally.
“Song Yao, even if you kill me, what’s the use? Now the formation has been activated, and she’s doomed.”
Moonlight poured down from a crack in the ceiling, shining on the Eight – Trigram Formation under my feet.
16
The Eight – Trigram Formation suddenly lit up, and it seemed that all the blood in my body was flowing backward, slowly gathering in my heart.
I called Fang Shiye’s name. “Fang Shiye, it hurts so much.”
He was about to step into the Eight – Trigram Formation, but Song Qinglian suddenly said,
“Song Yao, think carefully. Once you step in, you’ll die.”
Fang Shiye lowered his head, looking at the Eight – Trigram Formation at his feet.
If he took this step, he would die.
But for me, whether he came in or not, I was surely going to die.
Rather than having two people die, it would be better if only I died.
I endured the pain and shouted at him, “Don’t come in, please.”
I still wanted to be brave, but the blood in my chest uncontrollably surged up and flowed down from the corner of my mouth.
He still lowered his head and smiled gently. “If I don’t come in, you’ll die.”
After saying that, he resolutely walked towards me.
The closer he got to the center of the Eight – Trigram Formation, the slower he walked.
The skin on his face began to fall off and then heal.
Gradually, his fingers grew nails, and the skin on his face turned green – brown.
But it only showed for a moment, and then it returned to its original state.
He was getting injured and then healing like this.
It was only a few steps, but he seemed to take a century to walk.
For the last step, he fell at my feet and tried his best to move closer to me.
He slowly untied the rope on my wrist, gently held my face, and kissed me.
From his eyes, I saw myself.
Wearing a bright red wedding dress, the light – green jade pendant on my chest was shining.
There were tears on my face.
When my grandma gave me this necklace, I saw a photo.
It was this exact scene.
I remembered. This was my grandma’s wedding dress.
On her wedding day, she had also cried like this.
I asked her why she was crying. She was silent for a long time, and finally, she touched my head and said, “Some old things are better left unmentioned.”
I shouted at Song Qinglian, “This is my grandma’s wedding dress! Why is it in your hands?”
Song Qinglian coughed a few times and said, “You finally remembered. Speaking of which, Fang Yue, according to seniority, you should call me uncle.”
“You don’t deserve it.”
Song Qinglian wasn’t angry but laughed instead. “Indeed, I don’t deserve it.”
17
Fang Shiye wanted to touch the wedding dress on me, but finally stopped a few millimeters away from it.
He touched my face. “This is the wedding dress of the senior Song Lingshu from the Song family in the Northeast. It took three years to make. The fabric was dyed red with the blood of eighty – one black dogs, and then fixed with red spiders. Finally, to cover up the smell of blood, it was smoked with seventy – eight kinds of flower petals to make this one wedding dress.”
Hearing the way he described how it was made, I felt a bit nauseous and wanted to take it off.
Fang Shiye held my hand. “You can’t take it off.”
He suddenly hugged me tightly, imprisoning me in his arms.
The place where he touched the wedding dress instantly gave off a burning smell.
I tried to push him away, but it was useless.
Red hairs began to grow on his body.
He tried hard to suppress them, but they grew back the next second.
At this time, Song Qinglian said, “Do you know why this wedding dress was made? It was made to specifically restrain zombies.
“Once you put it on, you must absorb the corpse energy of a zombie, otherwise, you can’t take it off.”
As he spoke, he laughed. “Do you know whose corpse energy your grandma absorbed after putting it on?”
I knew. I knew without him telling me.
I had never seen my grandpa, and no one in my family had ever mentioned him.
That’s why my grandma cried on her wedding day.
That’s why there was no grandpa in that photo.
I tightly held Fang Shiye’s shoulders, trying to push him away.
Some old things couldn’t happen again.
I cried and begged him, “Fang Shiye, let me go. It doesn’t matter if I wear it for the rest of my life.”
He smiled, but his voice was weak. “Do you think senior Song Lingshu didn’t think like that?”
Yes, my grandma was so powerful. She dealt with metaphysics and supernatural things all her life. Even she couldn’t do anything about it. What could I do?
Fang Shiye rubbed his head against my face. “Fang Yue, ten years ago, you pulled me back from the gates of hell. This time, it’s my turn to save you.
“You said that all your dangers were brought by Song Yao. You’re not wrong. All of this is because I’m still alive. If that day could be turned back, I definitely wouldn’t make a sound and wouldn’t let you find me.”
I murmured, “Ten years ago, that night ten years ago…”
I couldn’t remember anything clearly, but I must have met him.
“I can’t remember anything. I’m sorry.”
His tears fell, sliding down my neck and onto my body.
Didn’t they say zombies couldn’t cry?
Books are all lies.
My zombie could cry for me, feel sad for me, just like an ordinary person.
18
I don’t know how long it passed. His strength was getting weaker and weaker, and finally, he couldn’t hold me tightly anymore and slipped out of my arms.
I wanted to hold him, but I was afraid that the wedding dress on me would hurt him.
I tried to take off the wedding dress, but it was like it had grown onto my body. Every time I pulled it, it was extremely painful, as if my whole skin was going to be torn off.
He touched my fingers and said, “When I die, you can take it off.”
He looked at his own fingers, and his expression became very flustered. He quickly withdrew his hand, touched his face, and turned his head to the side.
He raised his hand to block my sight, his voice choking. “Don’t look at me.
“Please, don’t look at me.
“I don’t want to face you with this face.
“I’m ugly. I’ll scare you.”
I held his face and forced him to look at me.
I tried to squeeze out a smile. “I’ve known you’re a zombie for a long time. I’m not stupid. I know everything.”
Only then did he carefully turn his head and examine my expression.
As if as soon as I showed the slightest bit of fear, he would immediately leave my sight.
He touched my head, pouted, and smiled. “Fang Yue, I love you.
“Since you broke into the formation ten years ago, I’ve been unable to extricate myself. But I’m so afraid. I’m afraid you’ll dislike my appearance. For these ten years, I didn’t dare to show up. I didn’t dare to face you. I could only hide in the dark.
“I worked so hard to cultivate. Finally, I could maintain my appearance and dared to come and see you.”
His tears fell like a string of beads. “I know I shouldn’t have any intersection with you. You should love a normal person, not me, this neither – human – nor – ghost thing. But I can’t control myself.
“I’m sorry, Fang Yue. I can’t control it. I can’t help but love you.”
He kept repeating “I’m sorry” and covered my eyes.
19
The next second, a peach – wood sword pierced through his chest, and the tip of the sword came out, scratching the skin on my chest.
I opened my eyes and saw that his hand was twisted at a strange angle, controlling the peach – wood sword to pierce through himself from behind.
Blood slowly flowed towards him, and the intense oppressive feeling in my body gradually weakened.
It was the power of the dragon bone being transferred.
I called his name, and he gently responded to me.
“Do you know why I named myself Fang Shiye? Because…
“Because, Fang is your surname, Shi is the ten – year time we agreed on, and as for Ye… “
He paused for a moment. The pain in his body made it difficult for him to speak smoothly.
“Only at night can you see the moon. I want to see my moon.”
At this time, Song Qinglian got up from the ground. “I admit that your relationship is very touching, but time’s up.”
He whispered a few incantations, and the Eight – Trigram pattern on the ground gradually became smaller, approaching Fang Shiye and me.
I looked at the unconscious Fang Shiye, recalling the days when I went out with my grandma to conduct religious ceremonies, trying to think of a way.
I formed a hand – sign and kept shouting “Break” at the Eight – Trigram Formation.
My throat was hoarse, but it was still of no use.
I stopped as if accepting my fate, and touched Fang Shiye’s face. “I can’t do it. I don’t know anything. I can’t do anything.”
Song Qinglian squatted beside me, holding a small box in his hand. “The year your grandpa died, I was still young, but I still clearly remember that Aunt Lingshu cried like this, saying she couldn’t do anything. At that time, she hadn’t learned the Metaphysical Arts and Spells yet. It’s a pity. Now you’re the same.”
That’s right, grandma!
The necklace she left me had all her life’s magic power in it.
I held the pendant of the necklace in my hand and silently prayed for grandma’s blessing.
I formed the hand – sign again and shouted “Break” at the formation.
A faint red light glowed in my palm, illuminating the whole room brightly.
A huge force rose from my palm and spread throughout my body. This force almost tore me apart.
But at the same time, the Eight – Trigram Formation stopped shrinking.
It was grandma helping me.
20
I endured the pain and kept holding the pendant without letting go.
The stalemate lasted for a long time, and Song Qinglian started to get anxious.
Because of the power confrontation, he couldn’t get close to me.
He hurriedly opened the wooden box in his hand.
Inside was a pitch – black bone.
It should be the dragon bone.
He took out the dragon bone, trying to release the power inside it.
In an instant, the power was absorbed by the pendant in my hand.
The dragon bone in Song Qinglian’s hand instantly turned into powder.
He stood there in a daze for a while, then knelt on the ground and laughed.
He pounded the ground while laughing bitterly. “My dear aunt! I didn’t expect the Song family to overlook a person like you who learned metaphysics halfway. No wonder the Song family framed Fang Cunli to death, and you could still live at home safely for three years. So you transferred the power of the dragon bone to another place.”
At this time, the Eight – Trigram Formation was completely shattered. Song Qinglian was backlashed and fell to the ground, vomiting blood continuously.
21
The sealing spell that Song Qinglian cast on me failed, and I finally remembered that missing memory.
That night, I went out to buy sanitary pads.
When I reached a bridge, I heard a faint sound.
I listened carefully. It was a painful groan.
I summoned up my courage and moved closer. I only saw a handsome man lying on the ground.
I asked him from a distance, “Hey, are you okay?”
Weeds blocked his body. He turned his head and looked at me painfully, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
I rushed towards him.
Just after running two steps, I felt something block me, but it disappeared in an instant.
When I ran over, he had no breath.
I tried to give him artificial respiration. The pendant transformed into an invisible force and transferred into his body through the place where we made contact.
And the power in his body was gradually transferred to me.
As the breath circulated, he suddenly opened his eyes, broke the barrier around him, and even injured the people who were ambushing him.
After that, he looked at me in confusion and then fainted.
I was also scared and fainted.
The next day, I woke up at home.
After that, Fang Shiye would occasionally wait downstairs of my house and send me some food.
I asked him to return the pendant to me. He always agreed readily, but then said he didn’t know how to take it out.
I can’t remember when it was. I was the first one to fall for him.
And I was the one who confessed first. He refused.
We ignored each other for a long time. Finally, he was the first to give in.
We were in an ambiguous relationship for a long time, but then I suddenly forgot about him.
I smiled bitterly and looked at Fang Shiye lying beside me.
“So, I was the one who took the initiative first, and I was also the one who forgot.”
22
I took off the necklace and put it on his chest. “If it could bring you back to life again, it wouldn’t matter if it stayed in your body.”
There was no response for a long time.
I picked up the necklace, sat on the ground dejectedly, and started crying, hugging my knees.
Suddenly, a hand was placed on my shoulder and gently patted me.
I looked up and saw Fang Shiye sitting beside me. The wounds on his body were healing quickly.
He touched my head. “Don’t cry. It’s not auspicious to cry in a wedding dress.”
I sniffled and tried to take off this wedding dress. This time, I took it off smoothly.
I threw myself into his arms and cried uncontrollably.
He touched my head. “Don’t you feel that my embrace is a bit different?”
I hugged him tightly and wiped my tears on his clothes. “No. It’s just a bit hot after hugging for a long time.”
As soon as I said that, I realized the difference.
He had human body temperature.
I touched his chest. There was a heartbeat.
“What’s going on?”
He looked at his chest and said, “I was originally dead. Because you used the power of the dragon bone, I became a zombie. But zombies can’t survive in the world. Probably because of the dragon bone, my life was tied to yours. Now that the power of the dragon bone you gathered has been transferred to me, I don’t have to die.”
“So now, is half of the dragon – bone power in your body and half in this pendant?”
He nodded.
“Does that mean we can be immortal?”
He patted my head. “Don’t think about such unrealistic things.”
“I just want to.”
He pinched my face. “I can’t be immortal. The power that turned me back from a zombie to an ordinary person has been used up. Maybe you can try.”
“Then I don’t want it. Being immortal alone is very lonely.”
I was still a bit strange. Why could I use the power of the dragon bone back then, and why could that power gather in my body?
After I asked my question, Fang Shiye pointed at the necklace around my neck.
“I think it’s probably because of it.”
Because it was left to me by my grandma.
She could use three years to use the power of the dragon bone, so naturally, she could use half of her life to make it possible for me to use the power of the dragon bone.
She said I would be happy in the future.
And this happiness was paved for me step by step by her.
(The End)
