Jiang Liu had fallen from great heights before, but this time, it wasn’t just the fall that mattered—it was the cascade of boulders, coffins, weapons, treasure chests, and unknown objects raining down with him. To make things worse, there was also a girl falling along with him.
As he plummeted like an arrow, he skillfully dodged the falling debris. His eyes glowed red in the darkness, clearly seeing everything. Just as he was about to grab the copper coin, he caught sight of Shen Koudan falling nearby. With no other choice, he twisted in midair. Using a falling rock for leverage, he propelled himself upward and caught her in his arms.
Watching the copper coin disappear into the black void, Jiang Liu still wasn’t willing to give up. Holding Shen Koudan tightly, he continued his descent, determined to pursue it.
Shen Koudan’s face turned pale. She didn’t know what that copper coin was, but it must have been extremely important to Jiang Liu.
“Watch out!”
A boulder came crashing down. Jiang Liu was inches away from grabbing the coin, unwilling to let it slip away. He didn’t bother to dodge, keeping one arm securely around Shen Koudan while the other reached out, finally catching the copper coin.
However, the impact from the boulder hit him hard, causing him to cough up blood. The copper coin slipped from his grasp once more, falling into the endless abyss. Jiang Liu, exhausted, could no longer chase after it. He took a deep breath and spotted a protruding platform on the cliffside. With a quick leap, he landed on it. As more debris continued to fall, he rolled to the side, finding shelter in a narrow cave, just as a series of loud crashes sealed the entrance with rocks.
Shen Koudan was still catching her breath, shaken by the experience. She realized that her impulsive jump had been reckless—Jiang Liu was a zombie, after all. Even if he fell, he likely wouldn’t be harmed. Meanwhile, she, with her mortal body, had only added to his burden. Yet, at that moment, she hadn’t thought of anything else, only the overwhelming urge to help him. Now that she reflected on it, she was terrified.
Looking around in the pitch blackness, she searched for Jiang Liu. The cave was silent and dark, and the only sounds she could hear were her own breathing and heartbeat.
“Jiang Liu…”
Jiang Liu raised his head, and suddenly, she saw a pair of blood-red eyes staring back at her. She flinched in surprise.
“That copper coin…”
“It was given to me by Xiaosi’s mother.” Jiang Liu said, opening his palm to look at it. He couldn’t believe he had lost it—something so small, and he couldn’t even hold onto it.
“I’m sorry.” Shen Koudan said softly, now understanding Xiaosi’s identity as a fellow zombie and perhaps glimpsing the unusual relationship Jiang Liu had with Xiaosi’s mother.
“It’s fine. If it’s lost, it’s lost. It’s just an object.” Jiang Liu reassured her. “This place is relatively safe. I’m tired. Let me sleep for a while, and then I’ll figure out how to get us out of here.”
Jiang Liu didn’t ask her why she had followed him down here. Shen Koudan silently sighed in relief—she didn’t have an answer, not even for herself.
With her mind at ease knowing Jiang Liu and Shen Koudan were safe, Jiang Xiaosi excitedly called Li Yueyi and invited her out. The two sat in a café, sipping sodas.
“Xiaosi, why are we here? I wanted to go to McDonald’s for a burger…” Li Yueyi asked, biting her straw with wide eyes.
“The atmosphere here is nice and peaceful. It’s perfect for sharing some girl talk.” Jiang Xiaosi said, blowing bubbles into her soda.
“Girl talk? What’s so secret?”
“I have two things to tell you!” Jiang Xiaosi leaned in close to Li Yueyi’s ear.
“Ooh, so mysterious?” Li Yueyi perked up, intrigued.
“First, I broke up with Zhang Qi!”
“What?!” Li Yueyi practically screamed, drawing the attention of everyone around them. “You two weren’t even together that long! How could you break up so quickly? Weren’t you really into him?”
Jiang Xiaosi frowned. “I wasn’t that into him. Besides, I didn’t break up with him—he dumped me. Now, for the second piece of news!”
“Don’t tell me you’re planning revenge or something?” Li Yueyi grabbed Jiang Xiaosi’s hand excitedly. That would be totally in character for Jiang Xiaosi.
“Nope. I kissed my professor!” Jiang Xiaosi covered her face in mock shyness.
Li Yueyi was stunned for a moment before letting out a loud scream, causing everyone to stare at them again.
“What?! That stern, old professor?! Xiaosi! You finally gave away your first kiss?” Li Yueyi was practically tearing up from excitement.
Jiang Xiaosi quickly covered her mouth. “My first kiss was given away hundreds of years ago to my dad, okay? When I was little, I used to kiss him all the time. But when I got older, he wouldn’t let me kiss him on the lips anymore.”
Li Yueyi nearly had a nosebleed. “That doesn’t count as a first kiss!”
“Why not? When I was a kid, I even wanted to marry my dad! Where else could you find such a loving, devoted man? But, unfortunately, he only has eyes for my mother.” Jiang Xiaosi said, gazing wistfully at the sky at a 45-degree angle.
Li Yueyi shrugged. “Weren’t you doing fine with Zhang Qi? How did you end up kissing your professor? Last time I asked, you stubbornly denied liking him.”
Jiang Xiaosi huffed. “It’s complicated. At first, I didn’t even know.”
“You’re just slow…”
“This has nothing to do with being slow! He didn’t want me to know.”
“I’m getting confused now. So, are you two together? Did he kiss you first?”
“Of course not. I kissed him while he was sick.” Jiang Xiaosi continued to hide her face in embarrassment.
Li Yueyi’s mouth twitched. “You even dared to kiss him? Weren’t you afraid of him?”
“I was just too excited in the moment. I figured, if I didn’t kiss him then, I’d miss my chance.”
“So, how did it feel?”
“My mind went blank at the time, so I can’t remember. I’ll let you know how it feels after I kiss him again.”
“You’re still daring enough to kiss him again? You really are fearless!”
“Come on, be serious! I called you out to help me shop. I need to buy some mature, sexy clothes—he thinks I’m too childish.” Jiang Xiaosi complained, pouting.
“It’s winter! How are you supposed to dress sexy in this weather?” Li Yueyi sighed helplessly as Jiang Xiaosi dragged her to the mall. Clearly, she had been brought along just to carry bags.
Jiang Liu slept for two full days. Meanwhile, Shen Koudan found herself bored out of her mind in the pitch-black cave. She was starting to feel hungry and dreamed of drinking some of Qianlizui’s old wine and eating some braised beef. Thankfully, the little ghost cat kept her company, so she didn’t go insane from the isolation. Otherwise, being trapped in such a sealed space, with no sky above and no ground below, would have driven anyone mad.
They were deep underground, close to the volcano’s mouth. The cave was unbearably hot, like a sauna. If Jiang Liu didn’t wake up soon, she planned to kick him awake—otherwise, if she didn’t starve to death, she would die of dehydration.
When Jiang Liu finally woke up, his minor injuries had healed completely. He pulled out the bead, trying to contact Xiaosi, but there was no response.
“Is it really that hot?” he asked, noticing Shen Koudan huddled in a corner, wearing nothing but a T-shirt and underwear, drenched in sweat. He was surprised—he didn’t feel the heat at all.
Shen Koudan shot him a glare. Of course, he wouldn’t feel a thing.
Jiang Liu studied her pale, clear face for a long moment. “Is this your real appearance?”
After two days in this heat, her makeup surely wouldn’t have lasted.
Shen Koudan nodded, then shook her head.
Jiang Liu, concerned she might be a little delirious from exhaustion, helped her to her feet. He realized he should have cleared the rocks from the entrance before sleeping; it wouldn’t have been so stuffy and hot in the cave. Perhaps, subconsciously, he had treated the cave like a tomb, preferring it to be sealed for a sense of security. But why had he slept so deeply when he usually remained vigilant? Maybe it was because Shen Koudan had been there, and he had let his guard down.
Jiang Liu began to clear the boulders blocking the cave entrance. It took a considerable amount of effort.
Shen Koudan, feeling drained, watched him listlessly. “Other tombs are filled with yin energy, haunted by spirits, but this place is full of yang energy. I don’t know what kind of layout this is, but it’s making it difficult to use my powers. I even had the ghost cat try, but it couldn’t get out either.”
Jiang Liu finally noticed the ghost cat hovering nearby, its soul almost faded to the point of invisibility.
He tested his own abilities and found that he, too, was struggling to fly.
“No worries, I’ll carry you up.”
Jiang Liu hoisted her onto his back and began climbing the rock walls. Based on their fall time and distance, it would take at least a day to climb back up. He couldn’t fly with both of them, but he was confident he could carry her the whole way.
“Sorry for being a burden.”
“It’s fine. Close your eyes and rest.” He knew she hadn’t slept at all while watching over him in the cave.
Shen Koudan smiled weakly from his back. “When I was little, people called me ‘Little Bad Luck.’ Wherever I went, misfortune followed. Anyone I got close to would be met with disaster. And the more I cared about someone, the worse their luck would be. When my family was wiped out, my uncle always blamed himself, but I knew it was my fault.”
Jiang Liu remembered the first time he saw her, tossing the ghost baby like a ball, and couldn’t help but smile. It must have been terrible to always feel like she was ruining everything. Xiaosi could be clumsy, but at least she didn’t bring misfortune to those around her.
“You’re overthinking it.” His hands seemed to cling effortlessly to the wall as he climbed with speed and precision.
“For years, my uncle has been trying to help me change my fate, but whenever I care about someone or something, things still go wrong. That’s why I moved out early on and don’t see him much anymore.”
“I know someone who’s very skilled in this area. When we get out, I’ll introduce you.”
“Okay, but that’s only if we get out of here. Let’s just hope my bad luck doesn’t make you fall.”
As soon as she said that, Jiang Liu’s right hand slipped, causing them to slide a good distance down. Shen Koudan tightened her grip around his neck, gasping in fear.
But Jiang Liu just laughed. “Silly girl, I was only joking. Do you think anyone in this world can mess with my fate? I’m already dead—there’s no one who can curse me!”
Jiang Liu was usually so calm and composed, so hearing him laugh so freely was a first for Shen Koudan. It put her at ease, and she smiled as she finally drifted off to sleep on his back.
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