Chapter 147: To Spare the Obsessive-Compulsive.

Chapter 147: To Spare the Obsessive-Compulsive.

Chi Shen tilted his head towards Ji Xingchen, as if asking, 'What have you done to him?'

Ji Xingchen stepped out from the shadows, slowly closed his eyes, diminishing the red from them, then casually put on his glasses. He shook his head, "I did nothing. He became like this just by seeing me."

"Something horrifying must have happened to you, and you've distanced yourself from it," Chi Shen loosened his grip on the spectral blade, adding, "Questioning him now seems futile."

The moment Chi Shen released the blade, the old zombie didn't rush at him. His fangs slowly retracted, and he even hopped backward, seemingly longing to return to his coffin.

Chi Shen: ...I've never seen a zombie so desperately eager to lie down and give up.

"Brother, might you want to straighten up a bit?" Chi Shen couldn't help but ask.

The old zombie took another hop backward. He seemed to want to continue, yet he suddenly halted.

He Lianhai, lying on the ground, sensing that he was going unnoticed, began to fervently clutch the talisman in his hand, chanting, "Emperor Jade, Three Pure Ones, lend me your..."

As the chant continued, the once-subdued old zombie began to agitate again. Its retracted fangs emerged once more, returning it to a frenzied state.

However, Chi Shen didn't let this state last long. With a swift arc of his blade, the knife edge sliced through the talisman in He Lianhai's hand. A bright ghostly flame arose, incinerating the talisman. Ashes swirled in the wind of the blade, as green spectral fires danced in the air.

Any ordinary passerby would likely be scared out of their wits, but there were no ordinary people here. Only He Lianhai exclaimed in horror, "So you're not truly alive either!"

Chi Shen didn't respond to the statement. He had other matters to attend to. He just raised an eyebrow and, with another swing of his blade, sent candles scattering in all directions. The green flames were instantly extinguished.

"You are free now," Chi Shen declared. Dragging his blade, he walked past them, not sparing He Lianhai another glance.

Ji Xingchen began to melt, turning once more into black smoke, following and merging into Chi Shen's shadow.

He Lianhai stared stiffly at the ashes of the talisman in his hand, a fleeting look of confusion crossing his aged face.

What had Wen Qin told him before they set out?

"My son's ghostly powers are sealed within him. The specter following the Bai's son is merely a powerless spirit, nothing to fear. I've encountered the young Bai before; he is law-abiding — though he wields abilities unknown to us, as long as he adheres to the law, he won't harm you."

Wen Qin had looked at him then, a gentle smile crossing his cultured face, "You are well-acquainted with the other spirits in the old mansion. You've guarded that entrance for years; you know how to deal with them."

"If you wish to go, then go."

"You owe a debt of gratitude to the Bai family. It's your duty to be there."

He trusted Wen Qin, but Wen Qin deceived him!

Wen Qin claimed that Wen Xingchen was merely an ordinary spirit. How could an ordinary spirit touch a living person? They might even dissipate in places filled with yang energy. How could they lift him and toss him out?

Recalling the recent events, he was still shaken to his core.

As soon as Chi Shen approached, heeded by Huang Lingling's warning, he began to awaken the old zombie sleeping in the coffin. Knowing how difficult this zombie was to rouse, he had Huang Lingling wait ahead to signal Chi Shen's arrival, allowing him to prepare in advance.

He chanted his spell multiple times. At long last, the old zombie inside the coffin stirred, daring to emerge. Later, after swallowing two control talismans, the zombie was fully agitated, set to attack Chi Shen.

He felt a chill down his spine but assumed it was the cost of employing the ancient zombie. He didn't pay it much mind; age comes with desires outstripping one's capabilities.

It wasn't until a hand, cold as death, settled on his shoulder, its icy touch penetrating even his thick winter coat, that he realized something lurked behind him.

He Lianhai spun around, coming face-to-face with haunting blood-red eyes, the very eyes possessed only by vengeful spirits. And those eyes belonged to the son Wen Qin claimed to have only a soul and no spectral powers.

At that moment, terror overwhelmed He Lianhai, causing him to fall backward. He knew that the hand on his shoulder could effortlessly snap his neck. Being this close to such a spirit meant certain doom.

Wen Qin had deceived him! He was doomed!

Just as this thought consumed him, he was suddenly lifted by his neck and thrown aside.

Yet, Wen Qin did tell him one truth.

Lying on the ground, watching Chi Shen and Ji Xingchen disappearing into the darkness, He Lianhai reflected, "At least Wen Qin was right about one thing: Chi Shen is law-abiding and wouldn’t harm me."

The zombie, freed from the spell's control, stood still. He Lianhai glanced at it, taking another batch of talisman papers from the pouch hidden inside his coat. Keeping an eye on the zombie, he slowly stood up, simultaneously reaching into his pocket to retrieve his phone.

Chi Shen may have spared him, but He Lianhai had no intention of returning the favor. He needed to inform the Bai family about certain things—the zombie's reaction to Chi Shen, and the fact that Chi Shen wasn't the ghost they believed him to be, or at least, not in the way they understood.

Suddenly, a giggle reminiscent of a little girl echoed.

He Lianhai froze, recalling that it was a ghost child who informed them about Chi Shen. But now it seemed that Chi Shen wasn't entirely a ghost. They had been deceived by that ghost child!

And the one who conveyed this information from the ghost child was Huang Lingling, who had come to relay messages for him.

Instantly, He Lianhai turned towards the source of the laughter. Simultaneously, his phone's screen flickered twice and then went dark, refusing to light up again, while the talisman papers in his hand burst into an eerie green flame.

He looked up, and in the pitch-black night, Huang Lingling's spirit glowed dimly. She sat atop the rock He Lianhai had previously hidden behind, hands cupping her face, laughing silently at the old man. Her lips moved wordlessly, "You. Are. Dead."

Panicking, He Lianhai's gaze darted to the old zombie, which stood facing the direction Chi Shen had left. Only then did he realize that this zombie was not immobile. An ancient creature, it could act without being controlled.

He was fairly confident around this zombie. Despite its power, it was lazy and often remained inert in its coffin. Zombies discerned the living from the dead by scent. As long as he held his breath, the zombie would be too lazy to search for him and would simply return to its coffin.

But why hadn't the zombie moved? Why hadn't it gone back to its coffin?

In the split second of this realization, as Chi Shen vanished from their sight, the old zombie stirred to life.

Combining Huang Lingling's words with this movement, realization dawned on He Lianhai. The zombie's inactivity

"Is it because of Chi Shen or Ji Xingchen?"

What was the old zombie truly afraid of?

Before He Lianhai could figure it out, the zombie lunged at him. He immediately held his breath, glaring at the amused Huang Lingling beside him. He wanted to declare confidently that nothing would happen to him, having guarded the Bai family mansion for decades, he knew the habits of every ghost inside out. If only he could speak at that moment, he would have surely mocked this naive little specter.

But the zombie didn't behave as He Lianhai expected, not returning to its coffin. Instead, it let out an enraged roar that He Lianhai hadn't anticipated, a rage only seen after it had swallowed two of his talismans earlier!

"He's right here."

Huang Lingling suddenly leapt down from her perch on the rocks, landing lightly next to He Lianhai. With the innocent voice of a child, she pointed out, "He's right here."

The zombie instantly turned its head, and to He Lianhai's disbelief, pounced on him!

— Not only can the breath of the living attract zombies, but noise can as well.

Just before the zombie pierced his neck, He Lianhai reached out in the direction where Chi Shen had left, crying out in desperation, "Save me—"

He Lianhai was sure that Chi Shen hadn't gone far. But before he could see him turn around, the zombie bit through his windpipe. He tried to open his mouth widely, but only managed to produce a wheezing sound.

Wen Qin hadn't lied; Chi Shen was indeed law-abiding and wouldn't harm him. But by the same token, Chi Shen wouldn't lift a finger to save him either.

The words of Wen Qin flashed across He Lianhai's mind. Just before his death, he heard the emotionless voice of Huang Lingling, "It's useless. He won't kill you because there's no need. Compared to his ordinary life, you're insignificant."

"Naturally, there's no need for him to save you either."

Amidst He Lianhai's disbelief, Huang Lingling giggled, "You're probably wondering why I betrayed him. Is it because he doesn't care, so I have no reservations?"

"Not at all."

"It's because no matter what a daughter does, her father will always forgive her."

"Especially when I'm just trying to survive."

"Am I right?"

Eventually, amidst Huang Lingling's laughter,

the old zombie bit down on He Lianhai. It didn't spare a glance for Huang Lingling. Instead, it hopped back to its coffin. The creature seemed troubled, for without its coffin lid, its resting place no longer felt private, robbing him of his sense of security.

Huang Lingling looked at the old zombie, asking, "Do you want to come with me?"

The zombie didn't respond. Instead, it reached out, stiffly lifting its coffin and looked in the direction where Chi Shen had departed. After hesitating for a couple of seconds with its coffin, it suddenly turned around and hopped away in the opposite direction!

Huang Lingling blinked and cast a slightly disdainful glance at the bloodstain on the ground before leisurely drifting away.

——

With a creak, Chi Shen stepped on a piece of wood. It was the coffin lid of the old zombie that had been sent flying earlier. Due to the zombie's immense strength, the lid had landed almost a hundred meters away.

Chi Shen didn't dwell on it. Without giving it a second glance, he stepped onto the coffin lid, pulled out his phone, and adeptly dialed the emergency number.

"I'd like to report an incident, on the expressway leading from the airport..."

He then continued on his way, stepping off the coffin lid.

The pitch-black lid appeared extremely durable. Even after being thrown a significant distance, it lay intact on the ground.

The inner wooden side of the coffin lid faced upwards. Aside from a single footprint, there were large characters written in blood: "Death to the one who opens the coffin!"