A thousand years later.
In Taoyuan City, formerly known as Taoyuan City, there were numerous mass graves due to its strategic location, which had made it a battleground for armies since ancient times. To appease the restless spirits, peach trees were planted everywhere to ward off evil, yet all kinds of non-human beings still loved to gather there. In fact, the annual bloom of peach blossoms in March filled the city with petals, attracting considerable tourism revenue for Taoyuan City.
At 3 a.m., a riverside street in the city center was still bustling with noise and activity. This was the famous bar street, where people came and went even in the middle of the night. At the very end of the street was a small shop. Unlike the bars next door, which were either luxurious, quirky, or unique in their decoration to attract customers, this shop had a simple lightbox at the door with the words “Adult Products Store” written on it, along with a red sign reading “脱骨香” (Tuogu Xiang).
Most adult stores were located near residential areas, where the rent was cheaper. This store was in an expensive area and didn’t seem to have many customers, so people wondered how it managed to stay in business. Occasionally, when people got tired of the loud music from the bars, they would wander into this shop out of curiosity.
The shop offered a wide range of products, from condoms and lingerie to various aphrodisiacs. Customers could even place orders over the phone for delivery.
The shopkeeper was never around, and the store usually opened in the evening, run by a girl around fourteen or fifteen years old. If shy young customers saw that the person selling such items was just a little girl, they couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. If sleazy uncles or drunks from the nearby bars tried to cause trouble, as soon as they entered the shop and smelled the incense burning in the gold incense burner nearby, they would inexplicably pull out their money, buy a bunch of things, and then stagger out happily.
At this moment, the door to Tuogu Xiang was pushed open again, and the wind chimes at the entrance jingled pleasantly. The visitor couldn’t help but look up. The chimes were white, each piece delicate and thin, and he couldn’t tell what they were made of. They looked a bit like a string of bones, and a chill ran down his spine.
The little girl behind the counter was focused on the computer screen, playing Plants vs. Zombies. Her bangs were messily pinned up with a pen cap, and her eyes were particularly large with long, thick eyelashes. Even though she heard the customer come in, she didn’t lift her head.
“Hi… hello…”
“Hello, sir. We have various imported adult products from Europe, the US, and Japan. Our latest arrivals include vibrating eggs, fun gags, and inflatable dolls. What would you like?”
The little girl spoke without even raising her eyelids, reciting the words as if she had them memorized.
The young man was mortified, his face turning bright red.
“No, no… Miao Yan sent me. She said I could pick up some goods here.”
The girl finally lifted her head and raised an eyebrow. “Do you want fresh or expired? Fresh is eight hundred, expired is two hundred. Special blood types cost extra. Each bag contains 200cc. If you buy ten bags, you get a five percent discount. Twenty bags get you a ten percent discount.”
“What? That’s robbery! Fine, fifty bags of fresh type A blood… Is that okay?” He thought to himself that he wouldn’t be coming back here again. If any of the girls—no, even if a female zombie or vampire—saw him walking into this store, he’d be so embarrassed.
“We only have type O and AB in stock. The rest are out. If you keep it too long, it won’t be fresh anymore. How about this: I’ll give you ten bags of each. Use them sparingly; it should last you more than a month. Stock is tight right now, so come back when you’re done.”
She went into the back room, packed a large bag, and handed it to him.
“Can I get a different bag?” Seeing the colorful plastic bag with “脱骨香 Adult Products Store” printed on it, along with a blonde woman in a bikini striking a pose, the man’s face turned even redder.
The girl grabbed a black plastic bag, placed it over the other one, and handed it back to him.
“Card or cash?”
“Card…”
Finally finishing the transaction, the man glanced around nervously before quickly running out.
“Please come again.” The girl sat back down and resumed playing on her computer.
Just as she got comfortable, a man wearing a red vest, tattered shoes, and with a long braid hanging down his back rushed into the store. He was carrying a large burlap sack. To an outsider, it might have looked like a scene from a period drama set in the Qing Dynasty.
Before the girl, Jiang Xiaosi, could even greet him and introduce the store’s products, the man dumped the sack onto the counter with a thud.
“Where’s the owner? Where’s the owner?”
The girl squinted and smiled, “Hello, I’m the owner. What would you like to buy?”
“I’m not here to buy anything. I’m here to sell something. I heard you buy these?”
The man opened the sack, revealing a porcelain vase inside.
“I just got out. My family’s not well-off, so I don’t have many burial items. But this vase is a family heirloom!”
The girl took the vase and examined it carefully. It was a tangled lotus dragon-eared vase, with a rich glaze, elegant luster, and high transparency. Under the light, it looked especially beautiful.
The girl sighed softly and shook her head slowly. “What a pity, what a pity…”
“Pity? What do you mean?”
“The body is coarse, the craftsmanship is stiff. It’s a fake.”
“What!” The man was so angry his braid nearly stood on end. He held the vase, looking at it from all angles, as if it had somehow changed since the last time he saw it.
“That wretched woman! I told her to bury the vase with me, but she dared to replace it with a fake! If I had known, I would’ve dragged her into the grave with me!”
He was about to smash the vase on the ground.
“Wait, wait, wait!” The girl quickly stopped him. “Even though it’s a fake, it’s still from the Kangxi era. It’s worth some money. It would be a shame to break it. I’ll give you thirty thousand.”
“Thirty thousand? Is that enough to buy a house here and marry a few concubines?”
The girl was speechless. “It might not be enough, but it should be more than enough to buy yourself a new outfit and shoes.”
Newly risen zombies trying to reintegrate into society and live like ordinary people wasn’t easy. The slightest wrongdoing, like harming someone for blood, would bring down a whole team of hidden hunters and enforcers from the city, ready to capture or deal with them.
So, the man took the money, stuffed it into the burlap sack, and eagerly went off to the mall to shop.
Not long after, the door opened again. This time, the girl jumped up excitedly and bounced over to greet the newcomer.
“Dad, you’re back!”
The man in front of her was handsome, with an elegant smile that, although clear, held unfathomable depth. He exuded a natural coldness and determination. Dressed in a black trench coat, his tall, slender frame carried a calm but carefree demeanor. This was none other than Jiang Liu, who had been resurrected a thousand years ago.
He looked down at his daughter with gentle eyes that sparkled like stars in an autumn night washed by dew.
“Xiaosi, still playing games? Are you tired? You have school tomorrow. You should go to bed.”
“I’m not tired at all.”
“Your teacher has called me several times, saying that you’re always dozing off in class.”
“Well, I already know everything they’re teaching. It’s so boring that I’d rather sleep.”
“If it’s that boring, then you don’t have to go.”
“Classes are boring, but school is still fun. And Yue Yi keeps me company. I don’t want to stay home all day alone.”
“Sorry, Dad’s been busy lately and hasn’t had time to spend with you.”
“It’s fine, you do your thing, and I’ll do mine,” Jiang Xiaosi said casually, tilting her head.
“What did you have for dinner?”
“I haven’t eaten yet.”
“Too busy playing games again?” Jiang Liu handed her a small black duffel bag.
Jiang Xiaosi opened the bag, looked inside, and pouted. “Why is it full of type O blood again? I’m sick of it. Most of it is expired, too. Dad, you’re running out of different blood types.”
Jiang Liu walked over to the sofa and sat down.
“Type O is the most common. The hospital’s blood supply has been tight lately, and other blood types are urgently needed for patients.”
“You promised that if I behaved, I’d get 100cc of RH blood every month! You’re not keeping your word!”
“Do you want expired blood?”
“No.” Jiang Xiaosi pouted. “Then I want steak for dinner today.”
“Alright, I’ll make it.” Jiang Liu took off his coat, put on an apron, and quickly transformed into a gentle and caring father.
Soon, dinner was ready. Xiaosi was a picky eater, and Jiang Liu had been cooking for a thousand years. There wasn’t a dish from any country or cuisine that he couldn’t prepare—he was practically a culinary master.
The two of them sat at the table. Xiaosi poured a glass of fresh blood into a goblet and poured it over her medium-rare steak, listening to the sizzling sound as her mouth watered.
“Xiaosi, I haven’t seen your classmate picking you up for school lately.”
“I chased him away. It’s annoying to have someone following me around all the time.”
“He likes you. I don’t mind if you date someone. You should go out more, meet people, go to the movies, and not just sit in front of the computer.”
“Dad, think about it. Even though your daughter is beautiful, I’m almost a thousand years old. How could I be interested in teenage boys? That would be like old grass eating young cows!”
Jiang Liu shook his head and laughed helplessly. “But your mind is still stuck at that teenage level. Have you really matured over the years?”
Jiang Xiaosi was half-human, half-zombie, so she aged very slowly. Even after nearly a thousand years, she still looked like this.
“Anyway, I want to find a boyfriend with RH blood! Dad, when are you going to find me a new mom? Mom’s been dead for so many years.”
Jiang Liu fell silent for a moment before changing the subject. “There’s been some trouble at Aiya Maternity Hospital. I need to go check it out tomorrow.”
“Is it something supernatural?”
“Not sure yet. This month, more than a dozen women who had abortions there have died, and newborns keep dying as well.”
“Do you want me to go with you?”
“No need. You watch the store. I’ll go over there. Someone also asked for help with a stillborn baby.”
By day, Jiang Liu worked as a surgeon at a hospital, but at night, his job was that of a death makeup artist. Because of his own suffering, he didn’t want to see others of his kind survive by harming humans for blood, so he opened the Tuogu Xiang store. On the surface, it was an adult products shop, but in reality, it sold blood and dealt in antiques, as well as selling Tuogu Xiang.
There were many underground blood markets in the dark world, but there was only one place that sold Tuogu Xiang because Jiang Liu had created it himself. Although it sounded like a love potion, it was actually a medicine for treating non-human bites.
Werewolves, vampires, zombies, half-beasts, and the creatures people often referred to as monsters or those with supernatural abilities were collectively known as the “non-humans.” They had their own world and society, such as Baili Street in Taoyuan City, one of the most famous dark world locations.
For years, Jiang Liu had been studying this, trying to solve the mystery of his resurrection as a zombie. He believed that non-human beings might be caused by viruses or genetic mutations, while ghosts could be the result of magnetic fields or brainwaves.
Science had now progressed to the point where some experiments had confirmed the existence of souls by measuring the weight lost at the moment of death. The acupuncture points and meridians that couldn’t be seen through Western anatomy could now be seen emitting hundreds of tiny lights under special instruments, corresponding precisely to the acupuncture points. He believed that everything had a rational scientific explanation; it was only a matter of time.
For example, acupuncture used for weight loss could make a person lose two to five pounds within half an hour of the first needle, even though the person was lying there without breaking a sweat. This effect was even more miraculous than the weight lost at the moment of death. While the Western medical community had identified glycerol triglycerides as part of the loss, how acupuncture accomplished this remained a mystery.
The reason Jiang Liu had been so focused on these things was ultimately because of Jiang Xiaosi. He feared that her half-zombie, half-human state would eventually cause problems.
Thinking of this, Jiang Liu sighed softly. “Xiaosi.”
“What?”
“Next Monday is your mother’s death anniversary. I’ll take you back to pay respects.”
“Dad, you’ve been going back every year for a thousand years. You’re so busy right now. Just light some incense at home to honor her. Mom won’t blame you.”
Jiang Liu smiled without answering, quietly eating his steak. The plate was bloody, but his movements were elegant as always.
“Finish eating and go to bed.”
“Okay. Goodnight, Dad.” Xiaosi stretched out her neck and gave him a peck on the cheek before hopping upstairs to bed.
Jiang Liu sat alone on the riverbank railing, a lollipop with an apple flavor in his mouth. He looked up at the stars, then took out a coin from his pocket and carefully rubbed it. The characters “Tianxi Tongbao” had long since faded, and after years of being handled, the coin had become smooth and warm, with the edges worn sharp. The square hole was threaded with a thin silver chain, imbued with his thousand years of power, capable of easily cutting through gold and jade.
He returned to the room to cover Xiaosi with her blanket, gently kissing her forehead as she slept in a crooked position.
A thousand years had passed in the blink of an eye. Without Xiaosi, his life would have been like that of a walking corpse. He had failed to protect Liu Zhi in the past, and now, all he could do was protect Xiaosi well, ensuring that no harm came to her.
Back in his own room, Jiang Liu lay down in his coffin. Although so much time had passed, he still wasn’t used to sleeping in a bed. The confined, enclosed space of the coffin gave him a greater sense of security and peace. As he closed the coffin lid, the world plunged into darkness, and his body seemed to slowly sink to the bottom of a lake.
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