I found it unbelievable that I agreed to Zhou Liangliang’s strange request. As a guardian of the righteous path and a zombie hunter, my duty was to deal with any undead that appeared in this world. Yet here I was, agreeing to something so absurd and bizarre, something that even went against the very spirit of the Ghost Sect.
If I actually went through with this, I might very well become a disgrace to the sect. Our founder, Dong Lingzi, might even rise from the underworld to disown me. Despite the countless negative consequences, I still agreed.
Perhaps it was because my own love life had been so unfulfilled. I wanted to help Zhou Liangliang achieve what I couldn’t—to make his love story a little more complete. If he was willing to risk everything to be with Guo Furong, then I couldn’t refuse him.
I had already made up my mind—I’d catch them and let them go, over and over again.
Zhou Liangliang was decisive. The moment I agreed, he sprang into action. A black Mercedes was already waiting by the roadside. Guo Furong was a fragrant corpse, discovered in an old building. The aftermath had been handled by Yi Miao, and I had no idea what exactly had transpired. Later, I heard from Chen Tutu that Guo Furong had been sent for cremation. But apparently, it hadn’t worked. The Guo family had gone to great lengths to cultivate this fragrant corpse in the metropolis of Jiangcheng—they would never let it be burned so easily.
Zhou Liangliang drove skillfully and swiftly.
On the road, Hua Changsheng called me, saying that heavy rain in Xi’an had delayed his flight to Hong Kong by a day. I told him to be careful. After a moment’s hesitation, I asked how many people were coming with him.
Hua Changsheng replied that Hammer Master would be joining, as would his great-grandfather.
I muttered to myself before hanging up.
Zhou Liangliang asked what was going on. I said, “Looks like something big is about to happen.”
Of course, there were things I didn’t pry into too deeply. But Lord Hua’s strange demeanor suggested he might be an unusual type of zombie, one not even recorded in *The Compendium*. Combined with Dai Zhong, Xie Xiaoyu, Guo Furong, and Lord Hua Chongyang, that made four formidable zombies already.
It was as if a lightbulb had gone off in my head.
When I first encountered the phrase *”Seven corpses emerge, immortality is achieved,”* I had imagined that if there really were seven, they would have to be extraordinarily powerful zombies. Now, with mysterious messages being sent and four already present—three more to go—could this prophecy be coming true?
It seemed that in recent days, Hong Kong’s entry ports had become a stage for all sorts of smuggling tricks—ways to bring zombies into the city.
Would all the secrets be unraveled in Hong Kong? The mysteries of the bronze jar, the silver jar, and the golden jar—would they all be revealed?
And who was the messenger? All I could say was that things were getting more and more interesting. After tormenting me for a year, the truth was finally about to be unveiled.
Zhou Liangliang, being an outsider, didn’t press further. He had a professional’s discretion—he didn’t pry into others’ secrets. In the assassin trade, he was known for his integrity and prospects.
After a pause, I asked, “Was Shi Dake killed by you?”
Zhou Liangliang nodded. “Yes. Someone paid for his life.”
I didn’t ask further—he wouldn’t reveal who had hired him. His icy aura was well-hidden, almost imperceptible, giving off only a composed, ruthless vibe.
The car sped forward. Xie Xiaoyu rolled down the window, stretching her hand out as if reliving the green forests of Zheyin Mountain.
Zhou Liangliang led me briskly to Guo Furong’s hotel. Xie Xiaoyu followed silently behind. I had packed the puppy and Little Rascal into two cardboard boxes, which Xie Xiaoyu carried.
Zhou Liangliang acted with precision. We reached Room 808, where he pointed and said, “This is it.” He pulled out a spare keycard, pushed open the door, and entered, a pistol tucked under his arm.
The moment we stepped inside, there was movement in the room.
Zhou Liangliang advanced, gun raised.
“Where are the others?” he barked.
A man, calm and composed, replied, “I’m alone.”
I recognized him—the man who had been with the woman in the red mask. I stepped forward and slapped him hard across the face. “Talk.”
Two of his teeth clattered to the floor.
Rubbing his jaw, the man said, “I know who you are. But even if you kill me, I won’t talk.”
Zhou Liangliang fired a silenced shot into the man’s foot.
The man gasped. “You—”
Zhou Liangliang clamped a hand over his mouth.
I leaned in and whispered, “If you scream again, I won’t stop him from killing you.”
Sweat beaded on the man’s forehead as he met Zhou Liangliang’s gaze—the eyes of someone who had killed many.
Swallowing hard, the man said, “The young mistress isn’t here. She went to Ocean Park to meet someone.”
Glancing at the vacant-eyed Xie Xiaoyu behind me, he added, “So you’ve brought a zombie too.”
Zhou Liangliang knocked him out with a swift chop to the neck.
I suddenly shoved Zhou Liangliang aside as two black brain-eating worms slithered from under the bed. Had they burrowed into Zhou’s head, he’d have been dead instantly. I burned them with a lighter, filling the room with a foul stench.
We left the room and headed straight for Ocean Park.
The park closed at 8 p.m.—we still had a few hours. Zhou Liangliang drove like a man possessed, his anxiety palpable. I was tense too. The man’s words made it clear—the woman in the red mask was a member of the Guo family, and she had brought Guo Furong with her.
That meant she might have two zombies with her.
The first was the fragrant corpse, Guo Furong. The second was likely the stone coffin unearthed from the coal mine in Lügang Town—the one the red-masked woman had taken, while Xue Youniang had only managed to retrieve the empty coffin, later staging that bizarre river-crossing stunt with Xie Xiaoyu that nearly scared Shen Yihu to death.
And she was here to meet someone. Who?
If Guo Furong had been brought by the red-masked woman, why hadn’t Guo Qiqi and Guo Weixin come? Was there infighting within the Guo family that had left them imprisoned?
After a moment’s thought, I said, “Liang, this might be more complicated than we thought.”
Zhou Liangliang nodded. “I know. Master Xiao, when the time comes, I’ll rescue Furong and turn into a zombie myself. I’ve already accepted that I might die. If things get dangerous, you should escape first.”
He pulled a Black Star pistol from the car and handed it to me. The weight of the gun in my hand sent a rush of adrenaline through my veins, filling me with a reckless sense of invincibility.
I tucked it into my waistband, covering it with my shirt. Glancing at Xie Xiaoyu, my unease deepened.
Ocean Park was vast. Finding the red-masked woman would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. But I remembered she moved stiffly—a possible clue.
Zhou Liangliang assured me he had a way. Like a lone wolf in a crowd, he had a knack for spotting his targets.
At the *Aquarium*, we saw her—still masked, watching the dolphin show. The mountain breeze carried no hint of her expression.
Zhou Liangliang said, “I’m going in.”
I shook my head. “Wait. She’s here to meet someone. Let’s see if she’s hidden Guo Furong somewhere.”
We took seats on the opposite side. I studied the red-masked woman, wondering what secrets lay behind that mask.
Suddenly, she turned her head—directly at us. Rising swiftly, her movements were mechanical but quick.
“Damn, she’s spotted us,” I muttered.
Zhou Liangliang stood. I grabbed Xie Xiaoyu’s hand and gave chase.
The park was crowded, yet the animals seemed lonely. The cable cars ascending and descending the distant mountains looked equally desolate.
We lost her in the throng.
“Don’t move.” Zhou Liangliang froze as a gun pressed against his back.
The red-masked woman disarmed him. I shouted, “Too many people here. Let’s talk somewhere else.”
She nodded. “You’re Xiao Qi. I’ve seen you before. I didn’t expect you to track me down.”
I demanded, “Who are you?”
Ignoring my question, she pulled several masks from her bag—a black one for me, a white one for Zhou Liangliang, and a green one for Xie Xiaoyu.
She kept her red mask.
“Regardless of who I am,” she said, “I never intended to harm you. I know you’re a good man.”
Zhou Liangliang, a seasoned assassin, had been outmaneuvered. I had seen the red-masked woman’s power firsthand. If she truly was from the Guo family, my Three-Corpse Worms might not be enough. This was bad.
Zhou Liangliang gave me a subtle shake of his head. Masked, we followed her.
In the distance, I spotted *Laughing*, collar raised, boarding a cable car. His gaze was vacant yet subtly observant. Wasn’t he a triad boss? What was he doing here?
The red-masked woman led us to a tree in the park. Evening was approaching.
Then, a figure in a tailored suit appeared—a purple mask covering his face. His posture and attire screamed elegance, likely a handsome young man.
The purple-masked man approached.
The red-masked woman warned, “Behave.”
His style reminded me of Gu Xiulian. We had a deal—I’d give him my teeth, and he’d place a curse on me—all to deal with the red-masked woman.
She spoke first. “You wanted to see me?”
The purple mask replied, “These are your companions? Quite the colorful bunch—red, white, black, green.”
“That’s right,” she said.
He nodded. “Good. I was planning to eliminate you today. Since you’ve brought so many zombies, I’ll take them with me.”
She asked, “Were you invited too?”
He said, “Hand over your zombies. That’ll give me an edge.”
Everything clicked. Nearly all the pieces were in place. I had one. Hua Changsheng had one. Dai Hao had one. The red-masked woman had two. The purple-masked man had one. That made six.
Suddenly, the purple-masked man drew a pistol from his breast pocket and fired at the red-masked woman.
Zhou Liangliang lunged. “Furong! Look out!”
He shoved her aside. Blood bloomed on his chest like a crimson rose.
Stunningly beautiful.
We all knew—red roses symbolized love.
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