The next day, because Jiang Xiaosi had a bit of alcohol the night before, she slept soundly. Shen Mo didn’t wake her and quietly left.
Jiang Xiaosi woke up around noon and found a note on the table. It told her that she didn’t need to come by today, and she could eat and wander around as she pleased.
She felt a sweetness in her heart and thought he should’ve left a rose on the bed too, haha.
After washing up, there was a knock on the door. The hotel staff had brought her breakfast.
“It was ordered by Mr. Shen. He said after Miss Jiang eats, she should head to Sanshen Island to meet him.”
“Why is he over there? Did he finish work so quickly? Where is Sanshen Island?”
“Take a boat down the river for about ten kilometers, and you’ll reach it. The boatmen know the way.”
Jiang Xiaosi nodded, eating her meal while trying to call Shen Mo, but couldn’t get through. Could he be planning a surprise? Maybe he’s going to propose this soon? Jiang Xiaosi daydreamed as she smiled foolishly.
Shen Mo and the team were working on excavating a tomb, so there was no cell signal. A minor collapse occurred during the dig, trapping them inside. To avoid damaging the ancient tomb, they could only use small excavators and manual efforts to rescue them.
Shen Mo felt uneasy but reassured himself that Awei and Ayin, two shikigami, were with Jiang Xiaosi. They were powerful—Awei was a fire beast, and Ayin was a fox demon. Even if Mei Xin appeared, they should be more than capable of handling him.
Jiang Xiaosi didn’t suspect anything and made her way to Sanshen Island. Awei and Ayin found it strange that they couldn’t reach Shen Mo, as though someone was using magic to block their communication. Nevertheless, they continued to secretly follow Jiang Xiaosi.
Upon arriving at Sanshen Island, Jiang Xiaosi still couldn’t reach Shen Mo and had no idea where to find him. The island wasn’t large, and since it hadn’t been developed for tourism yet, it was mostly deserted. But surely, there should be at least a few people around, right?
She started sensing that something was off. After all, the message was just relayed by a hotel staff member—anyone could have lured her here. She immediately tried to leave, but found herself trapped in the forest. Someone had scattered black dog blood around the area.
Being half-human and half-zombie, with the protective pearl she carried and a millennium of experience, she wasn’t affected by things that would normally harm zombies, like black dog blood, sticky rice, sunlight, or talismans. In fact, physical attacks hurt her more than anything else. However, there was something mixed in with the blood that made her afraid to approach. If this were Mei Xin, he wouldn’t be capable of something like this—unless he had help from a powerful sorcerer.
Jiang Xiaosi leaned against a tree. Today, she felt unusually weak, and the direct sunlight made her dizzy. Could there have been something in the food she ate earlier?
Damn it, she realized she didn’t have anything useful in her bag since they were just out for fun. Even though she had learned some spells over the past few years under Shen Mo’s guidance, she still struggled to protect herself against stronger opponents.
The circle closing in around her grew smaller, and the pungent smell intensified. She nervously scanned her surroundings but couldn’t see anything through the illusion cast by her opponent.
Her body felt like it was burning, and the thirst for blood surged within her. Her nails grew long, leaving deep claw marks on the tree bark.
Suddenly, two figures—one red, one white—appeared in front of her, their backs facing her. The woman in white had strange fox ears and a tail, while the man in red had fiery red hair as well.
They took defensive stances, commanding the hidden foe to reveal themselves. Jiang Xiaosi guessed that these were the shikigami Shen Mo had mentioned, sent to protect her. She let out a small sigh of relief and concentrated on suppressing her bloodthirsty urges.
The person finally showed themselves, and both Jiang Xiaosi and Awei and Ayin were shocked—it was Yu Shuixin!
Awei and Ayin exchanged a glance, their faces showing unease. They respectfully greeted her, “Sister Shuixin, what are you doing?”
“What am I doing? Isn’t it obvious?” Yu Shuixin replied coldly.
“We were ordered by our master to protect Miss Xiaosi. Please don’t make this difficult for us.” they pleaded, assuming that Yu Shuixin was jealous of Shen Mo’s relationship with Jiang Xiaosi and had come to harm her.
“Protect her? Jiang Xiaosi is a thousand-year-old zombie—does she really need your protection?” Yu Shuixin sneered.
Awei and Ayin froze in shock. They turned to look at Jiang Xiaosi, seeing her writhing in pain, and couldn’t help but feel frightened.
“Move aside! Shen Mo has been blinded by her deceit. As a member of the Shen family, whose duty it is to subdue demons and exorcise ghosts, the last thing he should do is fall for a zombie’s tricks. I’m going to reveal her true form and make him see the truth!”
Awei and Ayin were stunned, unsure of what to do. If Jiang Xiaosi really was a zombie, why hadn’t they noticed anything after all this time guarding her? If their master found out, with his temperament, he’d be furious.
Yu Shuixin was from the Yu family, highly skilled in magic and known for her hatred of evil. She had always been close with Shen Mo, making her more trustworthy in their eyes. If Jiang Xiaosi truly was a zombie, this was no small matter, but they couldn’t disobey their master’s orders either.
Awei signaled Ayin, who quickly disappeared to inform Shen Mo.
Yu Shuixin stepped forward angrily, saying, “Move! Will you really turn against me for the sake of a zombie? Do you think you can defeat me or hold out until Shen Mo arrives?”
“I wouldn’t dare.” Awei replied, stepping back with sweat trickling down his forehead. “We just hope that Sister Shuixin can wait for our master. He will make the final decision.”
“He’s already been bewitched by this woman. I need to expose her before he gets here. Are you going to let me or not?”
“Sister Shuixin…” Awei began to speak, but seeing Jiang Xiaosi in agony, curled up on the ground with blood-red eyes, he couldn’t deny it any longer—she was indeed a zombie. Reluctantly, he stepped aside.
Yu Shuixin slowly approached Jiang Xiaosi, her expression filled with disgust as she took in the sight before her. Ever since Shen Liang’s death, she had suffered from severe depression, even more so than Shen Mo, and had become fiercely obsessed with eradicating all non-humans. Discovering that Jiang Xiaosi was a zombie and that Shen Mo had fallen in love with her felt like the ultimate betrayal.
If she were just an ordinary non-human, Yu Shuixin would have killed her without hesitation. But Jiang Xiaosi was someone she had known before, and her childlike face made it difficult to strike the final blow. However, no matter what, she had to reveal Jiang Xiaosi’s true form to Shen Mo.
“Sister Shuixin…” Jiang Xiaosi looked at her in fear. This woman in black leather, exuding an aura of killing intent, was completely different from the elegant and noble figure she usually knew. She looked more like a vengeful goddess.
“What’s your real motive for getting close to Shen Mo? Did Mei Xin send you?” Yu Shuixin asked, pointing a peachwood sword inscribed with talismans at her. Everywhere the sword touched, it burned Jiang Xiaosi’s skin, sending up wisps of smoke as if it were searing her flesh. Jiang Xiaosi trembled in pain, unable to escape.
“No, it’s not like that! I didn’t mean to deceive him…”
Jiang Xiaosi couldn’t describe the despair she felt. The thought of her zombie identity being exposed and Shen Mo seeing her in such a monstrous, wretched state terrified her. They had been so happy just moments ago, and she had worked so hard for two years to be with him. She couldn’t let it all be destroyed like this—she couldn’t!
Jiang Xiaosi began to cry, pleading in a low voice, “You can kill me, just please don’t tell him… Please…”
Yu Shuixin looked down at Jiang Xiaosi’s eyes, filled with fear and helplessness. For a moment, her heart softened. What was she doing? Jiang Xiaosi was just a child. But just as quickly, she scolded herself for her weakness—she couldn’t allow herself to be deceived by non-humans again!
Bending down, she searched Jiang Xiaosi and took away her protective pearl. Deprived of her last defense, Jiang Xiaosi began to lose her sanity, her vision turning blood-red.
She lashed out, leaving five deep claw marks on Yu Shuixin’s face before lunging at her neck.
Yu Shuixin struck her shoulder, sending her flying backward. She touched her face, enraged. “Shadow!”
The shadow split off from the darkness beneath her feet, forming a tangible figure that engaged in a fierce fight with the berserk Jiang Xiaosi.
Jiang Xiaosi’s zombie nature had fully emerged, and she attacked everything around her with instinctual ferocity. Although her powers weren’t as developed as Jiang Liu’s, she was still formidable.
Seeing that the shadow couldn’t contain her, Yu Shuixin threw out a talisman, and her peachwood sword pierced through the paper, driving through Jiang Xiaosi’s right shoulder and pinning her to a tree. Jiang Xiaosi let out a blood-curdling scream, as her human body still felt pain.
With Jiang Xiaosi finally subdued, Yu Shuixin let out a sigh of relief. However, the shadow suddenly pulled out the sword and ruthlessly stabbed it into Jiang Xiaosi’s heart.
“Shadow! What are you doing?” Yu Shuixin shouted in shock, trying to stop it, but it was too late.
The sword plunged into Jiang Xiaosi’s heart, and blood spurted everywhere. At that moment, a flash of silver lightning struck from above, like a thunderbolt cast down from the heavens. It exploded on the shadow, tearing it apart like shredded paper.
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