The Return of the Zombie King ④

Chapter 5 Fellow Senior Sister Kuang Tianyou was startled. The person coming could actually tell that Ma Tianling was a zombie, so her magical power must be considerable. He secretly began to worry about his daughter. Si Xi was also surprised: “Little sister is actually a zombie! It seems the ghosts have come to the demons. Turns out they are of the same family. So, Mr. Kuang is... But no, the Ma family has been ghost hunters for generations. How could they be involved with zombies... It's complicated. Forget it, I won't think about it. In this world, only they are willing to help me.” Kuang Tianyou speculated correctly. The woman named Yuan Yue was indeed formidable. After dozens of moves, Ma Tianling was slightly at a disadvantage. Ma Tianling felt a bit annoyed. This woman appeared to be about the same age, but her magical skills were far superior. He could only regret focusing on earning money in the past instead of training properly. Now he had to make a fool of himself in front of others. With no other choice—resolutely—Ma Tianling raised his head and let out a long howl, wildly transforming into a zombie. Yuan Yue was also greatly surprised. She had only determined that Ma Tianling was a zombie from the faint traces of corpse energy emanating from him—which was already quite impressive, as not many could detect it. Originally, not many had high cultivation, but unexpectedly, the wildly transformed zombie turned out to be of a high level. The man behind him was unfathomable—it seemed she had gotten herself into trouble! Instinctively, she added more strength to her hands, deliberately intending to capture Ma Tianling. Ma Tianling was a zombie, naturally possessing some divine power, and combined with his spells, he immediately reversed his previous disadvantage and fought Yuan Yue to a draw. One was a zombie mage, needing to save face and not lose, and the other intentionally wanted to capture the zombie to cultivate and elevate her skills. Both fought fiercely without progress. Time passed little by little, and the situation showed no change. “Mr. Kuang, what should we do?” Seeing that Ma Tianling had actually fought this woman to a standstill, Si Xi realized there was hope for her own matter, but they couldn't just keep it up indefinitely. She grew a bit anxious. Kuang Tianyou took a step forward and spoke in a loud voice: “Everyone stop.” Hearing this, the two separated, standing twenty steps apart. “Miss Yuan, I want to ask you: what is He Zhiqiu to you?” “He Zhiqiu is my ancestral master's uncle. What have you done to my ancestral master's uncle?” Yuan Yue thought Kuang Tianyou had captured or killed her ancestral master's uncle. “Oh, we are good friends.”“We are friends of different generations!” Kuang Tianyou said, “He passed away three years ago.”

“Friends of different generations?” Yuan Yue pondered, “You are that zombie! Your surname is Kuang!”

“That's right, I am Kuang Tianyou. How did the young lady find out?” Kuang Tianyou asked in surprise.

“Twenty years ago, my master's uncle sent a letter to my master, saying that he had befriended a zombie and felt very happy. He mentioned that the zombie's surname was Kuang and advised that in the future, if the zombie with the surname Kuang is encountered, one should not trouble him. He also said that the zombie had interacted with the Ma family descendant, apparently to live together. Therefore, he said the world was becoming increasingly unpredictable, and he developed the idea of retiring from it. Unexpectedly, decades later, I ran into you. According to ancestral instructions, I will not trouble you, so you may go!”

After speaking, she faced Ma Tianling and said, “It seems that you are the descendant of the Ma family, no wonder you understand the Ma family's magic. Although you are a zombie, you are also considered a fellow disciple. You can leave as well. But Si Xi Liqi must stay!”

“What?! You want me to keep Ma Tianling here, ask whether the sword in my hand agrees or not!”

Seeing signs that a great battle was about to break out again, Kuang Tianyou quickly scolded, “Tianling, do not be rude!” Then he turned to Yuan Yue and said, “Miss Yuan, He Shu and I have known each other for many years, and our feelings are deep. To not disgrace He Shu's spirit in heaven, I certainly would not trouble the descendants of the Mao family. However, Miss Yuan may not know: Miss Si Xi's life is tragic, wandering in another world and suffering untold torment. This time she came to me only to enter the cycle of reincarnation and be reborn. As a cultivator, letting a wronged soul return to the right path is an act of boundless merit. Miss Yuan, why do you think what we are doing is improper?”

“This…” Yuan Yue hesitated. Back then, her master only instructed her to watch over Si Xi Liqi's soul and said nothing else. From what she heard, it was to return this female ghost to the path of reincarnation. It did not violate morality. Now that her master has passed away, and there is no one to ask, what should she do?

Seeing Miss Yuan silent for a long time, Kuang Tianyou said, “Miss Yuan, your master…?”

“Not satisfied, Mr. Kuang, my master has passed away. Before passing, my master only instructed me to watch over Si Xi Liqi's wronged soul and said nothing else. I truly do not know what to do.”

“Yue'er,” suddenly a ghost appeared; he was an elderly man.

“Master!” Yuan Yue knelt down.“Yue'er, this matter should also come to a conclusion.” The elder said, facing everyone, then continued, “Years ago, Sīxǐ Lìqǐ's father, Sīxǐ Fènqí, came to me asking for help: he wanted a female ghost to carry out a ghost marriage, preferably with a sickly ghost, and he also said that she must never be reborn. I was very surprised at the time and wondered what kind of person he could hate so intensely. But doing such a thing is truly against the natural way, so I advised him to think twice before acting, yet he insisted. Only because I have benefited greatly from him over the decades and could not bear his persistent pleading, I agreed. He gave me the birth date and time of the female ghost, and I secretly made calculations, confirming that this female ghost was related to him. I couldn't bear to see such heartlessness, so I tampered with it, ensuring that the male ghost could never reach the female ghost. At the same time, I predicted that this female ghost would face a disaster three years later. Fearing interference, I instructed Yue'er to strictly guard the soul of this female ghost. It wasn't until Sīxǐ Lìqǐ's spirit came looking for trouble that I understood the full story. Now, the three-year period has passed. Yue'er, perform the ritual to remove the soul-binding curse from the urn!”

“Yes.” Yuan Yue chanted the words. The urn glowed briefly with golden light and then returned to normal.

“Sīxǐ Lìqǐ,” the elder said, “you have suffered over these years. I hope you will not repay hatred with hatred.” The elder turned and walked away, ignoring Yuan Yue's calls. “Revenge can never end, do not let emotional entanglements cloud your wisdom.” The elder's voice resounded, but his figure vanished.

“Master, you've gone, what should Yue'er do? I have no relatives or support.” Yuan Yue began to cry.

Suddenly, a pair of hands fell on her shoulders. Turning around, she saw Kuàng Tiānyòu. “Miss Yuan, come with us. I will take good care of you.”

“You can go. I've always been a lonely person; I don't need anyone's pity!” Yuan Yue refused.

“Miss Yuan—” Kuàng Tiānyòu still wanted to persuade her but was interrupted: “Go away.” Suddenly, Kuàng Tiānyòu struck, knocking Yuan Yue unconscious, and she collapsed into his arms.

Mǎ Tiānlíng was astonished. “Daddy?” Sīxǐ said, “Mr. Kuàng……”

Kuàng Tiānyòu picked up Yuan Yue and said, “If Uncle Hé knew this from heaven, seeing me abandon the heir of the Mao family, he would surely scold me. In that case, my heart would not feel at ease, and I would feel unworthy of Uncle Hé's kindness.”Looking at Ma Tianling, Ma Tianling said again, “Tianling, I want you to definitely treat Yuan Yue as your younger sister and not bully her. Otherwise, I won't let you off. Do you understand?” After all, Kuang Tianyou knew that his daughter had fought with Yuan Yue and would surely hold a grudge in her heart, especially since Yuan Yue almost embarrassed her, and his daughter was indeed vengeful.

Seeing her father being fierce, Ma Tianling felt a shiver in her heart and said, “I understand.” She was obviously a bit aggrieved.

“Mr. Kuang…” Si Xiliqi found it somewhat unbearable.

Seeing his daughter's expression, Kuang Tianyou also softened and said, “Tianling, don't be mad that Daddy is being strict with you. You're just helping a little and fulfilling my gratitude to Uncle He, okay?”

“Daddy, I… I understand. I will treat her as my little sister,” said Ma Tianling.

“Uncle He, now you can feel relieved,” Kuang Tianyou cried to the sky. At this moment, Si Xi shed tears, thinking, “What a man of deep affection! If only I had met such a devoted person back then!”

Returning to the city, of course, Kuang Tianyou reminded Si Xiliqi not to tell anyone about everything that happened tonight, and Si Xiliqi naturally agreed. Furthermore, it was stipulated that Si Xiliqi could not appear publicly at will, except when summoned by Kuang Tianyou or Ma Tianling. If necessary, she would stay in the mirror and accompany them. Si Xiliqi agreed to all of this one by one.

“Coming back this late?!” Looking at her daughter Ma Tianling opening the door, Ma Xiaoling scolded. Seeing Kuang Tianyou carrying a woman, she asked curiously, “Who is she?”

“A Lin Sister fell from the sky! Daddy has found a treasure.” Ma Tianling originally meant she was her own “Lin Sister,” but Ma Xiaoling misunderstood, thinking it was Kuang Tianyou's. “How could this happen? We just got rid of one bomb, and now here comes another threat. Is that undead going to suffer a peach blossom calamity?!” Ma Xiaoling thought to herself angrily and asked, “Which Lin Sister is this?”

“Don't overthink it! Find a place for her to rest properly,” said Kuang Tianyou.

Although Ma Xiaoling was not happy in her heart, she still obeyed. Looking at the sleeping—probably unconscious—Yuan Yue, Kuang Tianyou said, “She is Yuan Yue, the thirty-third-generation heir of the Mao family. By generation, she is Uncle He's adopted granddaughter. Now she is lonely and helpless, with no one to take care of her, so I brought her back. This is also a way to settle accounts with Uncle He.”Turning to Ma Xiaoling, he said, "This little girl is really stubborn. At first, she didn't want to come with us. I had to knock her out to bring her back. She also had a fight with Tianling and made Tianling suffer some losses. She's a bit troublesome; it's going to require your attention in the future!"

Ma Xiaoling naturally understood Kuang Tianyou's intentions. "I understand. I will take care of her just like Uncle He did for me back then, to comfort Uncle He's spirit in heaven."

Looking at Yuan Yue on the bed, Ma Xiaoling thought to herself: Uncle He, we two in the world are really entangled, but don't worry, I will take good care of Yuan Yue.

"Tianyou, I'm thinking of letting her go with me to run the flower shop. What do you think?"

"I agree. Let her slowly get familiar with us and accept us, then future matters will be easier. During this period, try to avoid having Tianling meet her."

"I'll keep an eye on Tianling and prevent her from causing trouble. Tianyou, let's go out."

"Mommy, I want to learn magic from Sister Yuan Yue! Can I have her come to my company?" Ma Tianling said.

How could a mother not know her daughter's little scheme? Of course, Ma Xiaoling thought her daughter wanted to cause trouble, but Ma Tianling was someone who kept her word. Once she promised Daddy, she naturally wouldn't go back on it. Her original intention was to use Yuan Yue as a 'forerunner': Yuan Yue would do the work, and she would reap the benefits. Anyway, now is not the time to talk about 'the capable taking the lead,' 'the capable doing more work,' 'giving talented people a place to use their skills—everyone making the best use of their talents'.

"Alright, let your little Sister Yue have a good rest. She earns her living with real skills, while you rely on deceit and a life of getting everything handed to you. Don't you want to compare yourself with her and reflect a bit?"

Faced with her mother's scolding, Ma Tianling felt embarrassed and turned to Kuang Tianyou for help. "Daddy…"

"Your Mommy is right. Tianling, you cannot be too willful. You should learn from Sister Yue!" Kuang Tianyou said.

"You only think she's good and that I'm not! I'm leaving!" With that, Ma Tianling cried and rushed out of the room.

"Tianling!" Kuang Tianyou was about to go after her, but Ma Xiaoling said, "Don't worry about her."

"Do you think maybe we were a bit too harsh on her?" Kuang Tianyou asked.

"A little scolding is good. Sometimes she's too willful, a bit arrogant and self-satisfied, stuck in her old ways. Experiencing some setbacks might be better for her," Ma Xiaoling said.

"I'll talk to her again tomorrow.""All right."

Downstairs. Ma Tianling kicked the soda can on the ground hard. She felt very disappointed that her family hadn't chased after her just now. She didn't understand why her parents suddenly became so heartless. 'Sister Liqi, my parents don't love me anymore.'

'How could that be, silly girl!'

'You don't know, just now they kept praising Yuan Yue, saying I'm not as good as her! Isn't it just that my magic is a little weaker? Everything else—Dad and Mom are meeting Yuan Yue for the first time; how could they know she's better than me in everything!'

Si Xu Liqi, being so shrewd, guessed the gist of the situation from these few words. 'Silly girl, your parents were trying to motivate you, to push you to surpass Yuan Yue. My Tianling sister is so clever and capable, how could she lose to Yuan Yue? I, Sister Liqi, have absolute confidence in you!'

'Is Sister Liqi lying to me?'

'I'm telling the truth.'

'Sister Liqi is still the best!' Ma Tianling's face was full of sunshine.

'Little girl, wandering alone so late, don't you feel lonely? How about letting us accompany you?' At some point, a few hooligans had followed along.