A Fake Holy Mother in the Zombie Apocalypse

Lu Xingchi didn't look at Bei Nuan again, only gazing indifferently at Xie Yuanqing.

"If you weren't hiding someone about to turn into a zombie in your cellar, I wouldn't have anything to worry about."

Xie Yuanqing smiled, picked up the teapot, and poured the brewed tea into three cups.

He asked with a smile, "You figured it out? You're right. I had my men pretend to rescue Luo Da, the eldest Luo brother, and then hid him in my cellar. Letting him run around outside is too dangerous. It's better to keep him under my watch."

He used tea tongs to hold a cup and rinsed it in the tea.

He said, "I had no other choice. The people of Yao Town are too stubborn. They wouldn't let my men guard the gate unless they witnessed the dangers of zombies firsthand."

Xie Yuanqing snorted softly.

"At first, they dared to let people in without even examining their injuries. It was only after I caught a couple of zombies and showed them that they finally agreed."

"I know that even now, the guards at the town gate are still extorting money. As long as you pay them, they'll falsely claim someone is a relative of a townsperson and let them in."

Xie Yuanqing looked up at Lu Xingchi. "That's how you all got in, right? With those people guarding the gate, Yao Town won't last a few days."

Lu Xingchi understood.

Xie Yuanqing knew where Luo Da was hidden, yet he still put on that act during the meeting. First, it was to gain control of Yao Town, and second, it was to establish his authority and intimidate others.

He wanted to warn those gatekeepers who were messing around that if something really went wrong, not only would no one be able to save them, but their wives and children would also suffer the consequences.

Xie Yuanqing continued, "I was planning to have my men bring him over when the time was right, but Bei Nuan beat me to it."

Xie Yuanqing looked up at Bei Nuan and smiled slightly.

This man appeared gentle and easygoing, but in reality, he was deeply calculating and ruthless.

Xie Yuanqing brewed another pot of tea and poured the boiling water into the tea wash basin.

Lu Xingchi asked him, his tone casual, "Isn't it dangerous to keep Luo Da in your cellar?"

"Oh, I've already had someone give him medication."

Xie Yuanqing's tone was relaxed.

"I've tried it before. After taking the medicine, the person becomes weak and powerless. Even after turning into a zombie, they still can't run fast and are easy to deal with. Besides, this courtyard is guarded day and night."

Lu Xingchi recalled that when they were escorting Luo Da to the open space that day, he was indeed slow, as if his legs were weak and he had no strength.

"What about her?" Lu Xingchi asked. "Is her current state also a result of the medication?"

Xie Yuanqing, having brewed the third pot of tea, smiled. "Exactly."

He gestured for Bei Nuan to take a teacup.

"She loves the tea I brew."

The small, thin white porcelain cup was almost transparent, the tea inside swirling, golden in color, and incredibly fragrant, with wisps of steam rising.

Bei Nuan obediently reached out, picked up the teacup, and sipped the tea in small mouthfuls.

Xie Yuanqing also offered a cup to Lu Xingchi.

His eyes were filled with amusement, waiting to see what excuse Lu Xingchi would use to refuse.

Lu Xingchi asked directly and indifferently, "Is there something in the tea?"

"Yes. Something that makes people very obedient after they drink it," Xie Yuanqing replied frankly, his eyes curving into a smile. "Obedient to me."

Lu Xingchi, who had been observing his expression, snorted softly, picked up the teacup, and took a few sips.

Xie Yuanqing hadn't expected Lu Xingchi to actually drink it.

The smile that had been constantly on his face disappeared.

Lu Xingchi calmly finished the tea in his cup. "It's easy to tell if someone is lying, even if they're an experienced liar."

"You've been leading me on, trying to make me think her current state is due to the medication, but your own expressions and tone have already given you away."

Lu Xingchi put down the cup.

Lu Xingchi continued, "If it's not medication, then what could it be? I've heard of a type of witchcraft where the practitioner can bewitch people, making them obey their every command. The way to break the witchcraft is also very simple…"

In that instant, Xie Yuanqing was completely unaware of what was happening.

By the time he came to his senses a second later, he was already far away from the flower trellis in the courtyard.

He was pinned to the wall.

The iron frame used for drying clothes had been broken into individual bars, bent into horseshoe shapes, and clamped around Xie Yuanqing's limbs and neck.

He was spread-eagled and fixed to the wall, locked in place.

The curves of the iron bars were perfect and natural, as if the wall had always had such a device for locking people up.

Lu Xingchi also held a half-foot-long iron bar in his hand, which he was slowly lengthening.

The thumb-thick iron bar was like putty in his hands, slowly extending and forming a sharp point.

Lu Xingchi finished the second half of his sentence, "…the way to break the witchcraft is very simple: kill the witch. I'd like to try it."

Xie Yuanqing's men had arrived but didn't dare approach.

Because Lu Xingchi had already released his hand, yet the pointed cone floated in the air, hovering a few millimeters from Xie Yuanqing's eyes.

Lu Xingchi smiled. "Come on, use your bewitching methods on me and see if you're faster or I'm faster."

Xie Yuanqing was so shocked by Lu Xingchi's ability that he couldn't speak.

He had anticipated someone coming for Bei Nuan. He originally thought it would be the refined man who had taken care of Bei Nuan when she was injured in the previous life, a man named Jiang Fei, it seemed. He hadn't expected it to be Lu Xingchi.

But Lu Xingchi being here was fine too.

Xie Yuanqing had already arranged for plenty of manpower. No matter how fast Lu Xingchi's arrows were, they couldn't be faster than bullets.

He hadn't expected to face a Lu Xingchi with supernatural abilities, not just a crossbow.

And such fierce and domineering abilities at that.

After a long while, Xie Yuanqing signaled to his men, "Step back, it's fine here."

Then, glancing at Bei Nuan, who was unresponsive under the distant flower trellis, he asked Lu Xingchi a question in a low voice.

"You have abilities too. Are you reborn?"

This was both a question and a confession.

It indirectly admitted that he, too, was reborn.

Lu Xingchi understood immediately.

Xie Yuanqing had been reborn, and he must have gained that bewitching ability upon his rebirth.

He had lived through this once before, which was why he knew that Luo Da was hidden in the cellar of the abandoned old house and was able to find him in advance and bring him to his own home.

Xie Yuanqing looked at Lu Xingchi, this time not intending to use any of his abilities.

His ability to bewitch people was a slow process, requiring repeated suggestions in a relaxed setting, like hypnosis.

He was no match for Lu Xingchi.

His expression turned serious. "Lu Xingchi, let me keep her."

Lu Xingchi remained expressionless, as if wanting to hear what he had to say.

"Whether you believe it or not, I have my reasons for wanting to keep her."

Xie Yuanqing said, "I died in the seventh year of the apocalypse. By then, the entire human world had completely fallen."

"The zombie virus had mutated, and the few remaining human bases were being conquered one after another."

"I heard something from a friend. This friend held a high position and was very reliable. He said there was a girl named Bei Nuan, who looked like an angel, but she destroyed humanity's only hope of turning things around."

"I've seen the information. That person is her."

Xie Yuanqing met Lu Xingchi's gaze frankly.

"I saw you before and let you go, so when I saw her again, my first thought was to find a chance to kill her."

"I tempted her to my house several times, but seeing her innocent and pure appearance, I couldn't bring myself to do it."

"Later, I thought, forget it, I'll keep her, keep her under my control, maybe this time the outcome will be different."

"I'm saving myself, and I'm saving everyone."

Xie Yuanqing glanced at Bei Nuan in the distance, his tone sincere.

"Don't worry, if I keep her, I'll take good care of her, just like I do Dahua."

Lu Xingchi stared at him, knowing full well that he wasn't lying.

As the two men talked in low voices, Bei Nuan in the distance, as if in slow motion, finally focused her gaze in their direction.

She gave them a brilliant smile and waved. "Hi!"

Then she tilted her head curiously, her face full of confusion. "What are you two playing? Why is Xie Yuanqing hanging on the wall?"

Lu Xingchi: "…"

Xie Yuanqing: "…"

When Bei Nuan regained consciousness, she was in Xiao Ji's courtyard.

She was sitting hunched over on a small stool, head bowed, with a basin of water on a stand in front of her. A stream of pleasantly warm water was gently pouring over her head.

Bei Nuan was startled. "Lu Xingchi, why are you washing my hair?"

"Don't move."

Lu Xingchi held her still, poured the remaining water from the ladle, then wrapped a towel around her head and helped her sit up.

"Because your hair has become wavy, I wanted to see if I could wash it straight."

Lu Xingchi carefully dried her hair, asking, "Why is your hair wavy? Did someone give you a perm?"

His voice was as calm as ever, but Bei Nuan couldn't shake the feeling that there was an indescribable sourness to it.

Bei Nuan's mind was a bit foggy.

Everything that had happened in the past two days felt like a dream, hazy and indistinct.

"What happened to me? Was I sick?" Bei Nuan asked.

Lu Xingchi said lightly, "You were bewitched by that cat-loving Xie Yuanqing with his abilities. You became silly and insisted on staying in Yao Town with him."

There was such a thing?

Lu Xingchi briefly explained what had happened to Bei Nuan, giving her a general overview without mentioning his private conversation with Xie Yuanqing.

Bei Nuan was shocked. Thinking carefully, although her memory was blurry, she could recall something like that happening.

Bei Nuan quickly asked, "Then what about Xie Yuanqing?"

"So concerned about him? Don't worry, he's not dead. He's still up on the mountain."

This was strange. After such an incident, the big boss's little bunny almost being abducted, he actually showed mercy.

Bei Nuan pondered for a moment, then suddenly understood. Xie Yuanqing was capable and resourceful; Yao Town needed someone like him.

With only those few clan leaders, this place wouldn't last a few days.

He probably did it for the greater good.

"You haven't told me yet, was it Xie Yuanqing who had someone perm your hair?" Lu Xingchi asked, continuing to dry Bei Nuan's soft and shiny hair.

He seemed very unhappy with the bunny's new hairstyle.

Bei Nuan thought hard for a long time and finally remembered.

"No. It was Xiao Ji's mom. I washed my hair yesterday, and while it was still wet, she braided it into two pigtails. After it dried, it became all wavy!"

Lu Xingchi's hand, which was rubbing her head, paused, as if a little embarrassed.

"Then what about that printed shawl of yours? Did Xie Yuanqing give it to you?"

"Shawl? Of course not. It was a gift from Xiao Ji's mom. By the way, where's my big shawl?" Bei Nuan wondered.

Lu Xingchi's expression became even more awkward, and he mumbled, "Uh… it probably fell off on the road… I'll help you find it later…"

Xiao Ji's mom came out of the house at that moment and passed by them, smiling. "Isn't wavy hair nice? It looks so good."

As she was speaking, an aunt came to the courtyard gate and waved to Xiao Ji's mom.

"Li Dahua, we just made some noodles. Do you want to come over and get some?"

Huh?

What did she just say?

Li Dahua?

Li Dahua??

Bei Nuan abruptly stood up, knocking over the stand holding the water basin with a bang, splashing water all over herself and the ground, startling Lu Xingchi beside her.

Bei Nuan ignored this and asked Xiao Ji's mom incredulously, "What did she call you?"

Xiao Ji's mom smiled shyly. "Li Dahua, it's my real name. I don't like it at all; I think it sounds bad. My grandfather gave it to me when I was little. He said names don't need to be fancy, just easy to live with."

Bei Nuan remembered. Xiao Ji's mom was there that day when they were drawing names on the steps.

So the Li Dahua drawn from the system might not have been the cat at all, but this living person in front of her.

Bei Nuan was devastated.

So what had she been busy with these past few days?

Li Dahua was far away in the sky, yet close at hand.

Bei Nuan glanced at the little remaining time on the countdown timer, and the (0/3) after Li Dahua's name.

"Auntie," Bei Nuan said, "we'll be leaving soon. I made a wish recently to choose a few people and grant them three wishes. Do you have any wishes?"

"Wishes?" Xiao Ji's mom shook her head. "In these times, as long as the family can be together, safe and sound, with food and shelter, I have nothing else to ask for."

Bei Nuan encouraged her, "Just tell me three. I'll try my best to fulfill them."

Xiao Ji's mom smiled. "Then help me find where Huangpang laid her eggs today. I've been looking all over the yard and haven't found them."

Huangpang was the family's hen.

Bei Nuan: "…"

Bei Nuan tried to persuade her, "That's such a waste of a wish. Choose something else."

Xiao Ji's mom insisted, "Finding eggs is important!"

So Bei Nuan rummaged around the yard and actually found the eggs Huangpang had hidden in a nook in the bushes.

Bei Nuan handed the precious eggs to Xiao Ji's mom and quickly checked the task list.

Behind Li Dahua's name, it had indeed changed to (1/3).

Bei Nuan wanted to cry.

Xiao Ji's mom's second wish was for Bei Nuan to chat with her while she chopped vegetables, which was also easily fulfilled.

"So what's your last wish?" Bei Nuan asked her after dinner.

Xiao Ji's mom said, "Nothing else. You're leaving tomorrow, so my wish is for you to be safe and sound."

Bei Nuan's nose tingled.

She didn't know how to fulfill this wish, so Bei Nuan consulted Little Three.

Little Three answered quickly, "As long as you are safe and sound when the countdown ends, the task is considered successful."

Early the next morning, the team set off.

Bei Nuan left food and supplies for Xiao Ji's family in their room, secretly hidden under the quilt on her bed.

This time, Bei Nuan didn't tell Lu Xingchi, nor did she plan to take a picture to show him.

For some reason, Bei Nuan didn't really want to use this to increase her Saintess Points. She just wanted to leave something for Xiao Ji's family.

When they reached the town gate, Xie Yuanqing was unexpectedly there, holding his little princess in his arms.

His eyes met Lu Xingchi's, and both of them paused for a second, but neither spoke.

Xie Yuanqing took out a string of emerald green jade beads.

Each bead was carved with strange characters, each a vibrant, pure green, like a pool of water, clearly of the highest quality.

He handed the beads to Bei Nuan. "Are you planning to head west? The Salt River ahead might be impassable. If you want to detour to the border, taking my things might be of some use."

This string of beads looked worth at least tens of millions. Bei Nuan didn't take it.

Xie Yuanqing put the beads on Bei Nuan's wrist. "It's nothing valuable. In these times, jewelry isn't as useful as food. But many people at the border recognize this; it's a sort of token."

Then he handed the cat to Bei Nuan. "Dahua wants another hug."

The little princess didn't want "another hug" and looked very reluctant, but she still grudgingly let Bei Nuan hold and pet her before quickly scrambling back into Xie Yuanqing's arms.

"Have a safe journey," Xie Yuanqing said.

He glanced at Lu Xingchi again and opened his mouth.

Lu Xingchi spoke first, "I know what I'm doing."

Xie Yuanqing nodded, not saying anything more.

The town gate opened, and Bei Nuan and the others, carrying their backpacks, walked out of ancient Yao Town in the morning mist.

Before the gate closed again, Bei Nuan suddenly remembered something and quickly turned back.

"Xie Yuanqing, I forgot to tell you, your little princess doesn't need veal, foie gras, and caviar, or a three-story playground. She loves to eat dried sweet potatoes soaked in hot water, and you can play with her using foxtail grass. She loves that!"

Xie Yuanqing: ???

The little princess, forced off her pedestal: "Meow?"

Back down the mountain and in the SUV, Lu Xingchi glanced sideways at the jade beads on Bei Nuan's wrist.

"Reluctant to take them off? Don't you want to drip a drop of blood on them? Maybe you can open up another space."

His words sounded rather sour.

Bei Nuan quickly took off the beads and carefully put them into her space.

Not long after the car started, the Saintess Wish countdown ended.

Just as Little Three had said, because they were still "safe and sound," Li Dahua's name changed to (3/3).

Her Saintess Points soared again, and Bei Nuan was delighted.

Little Three had said that as long as her Saintess Points were full before the plot ended, when she returned to her original world, the fate of the car accident would automatically change, and Bei Nuan would no longer be crushed by a truck.

The Saintess Points progress bar was now green and looked very promising.

Before Bei Nuan could finish admiring her soaring Saintess Points, the name-drawing wheel popped up again.

This time, there were fewer names, and the wheel slowed down after only a couple of rotations.

Bei Nuan saw Tang Tang's name slide upwards, Jiang Fei's name slide upwards, and then it slowly stopped on the two characters "Du Ruo."

Bei Nuan practically wanted to cheer.

Fulfilling Du Ruo's wishes was too easy.

Without asking, she knew his wish would definitely be to eat all kinds of delicious food.

However, the wheel was still turning slowly, almost imperceptibly upwards, then suddenly clicked and jumped to the next slot.

This time it really stopped, and quite steadily.

Three characters were displayed: Lu Xingchi.

Bei Nuan: "…"

Bei Nuan turned to look at Big Boss Lu, who was driving.

Bei Nuan could guess what his wish would be with her knees.

This was a complete setup.

Bei Nuan glanced at the countdown timer again.

About three days, which was long enough.

They had woken up early that morning for the departure, and Du Ruo, Jiang Fei, and the others were catching up on sleep in the back seat. Tang Tang was lying down horizontally, snoring loudly.

Bei Nuan looked back at them and tugged lightly on Lu Xingchi's clothes.

"What's wrong?" Lu Xingchi asked.

"Lu Xingchi," Bei Nuan said softly, carefully choosing her words, "you saved me again yesterday. To express my gratitude, I've decided to grant you three wishes as well."

Before she could finish, Lu Xingchi smiled.

A smile that didn't look very innocent.

"You don't want me to kiss you three times in a row, do you?" Bei Nuan muttered softly.

Lu Xingchi glanced at her, raised an eyebrow slightly, and didn't say anything.

Judging by his expression, Bei Nuan guessed wrong.

"What indecent things are you thinking about?" Bei Nuan became alert. "No excessive requests. And no asking for a girlfriend or anything like that."

"Okay. No."

Lu Xingchi glanced at Du Ruo and the others in the rearview mirror. His hand was still on the steering wheel as he leaned closer to Bei Nuan and lowered his voice.

"Even without 'indecent' requests, like you said, if I wanted to kiss you, your guess isn't quite right."

Bei Nuan didn't understand.

Lu Xingchi continued, "The first two wishes would be to kiss you, and the third wish would be to give me three more wishes."

Bei Nuan said sincerely, "You might as well pull over and take a nap. You can have anything in your dreams. I'm telling you, kissing is out of the question. Think of three normal ones, like helping you wash and iron your clothes."

Lu Xingchi laughed. "Why are you so eager to iron my clothes? You always want to iron my clothes."

Bei Nuan put on a brave face. "I'm really good at ironing clothes. I used to iron my own school uniform when I was little. Don't you want to try it?"

Lu Xingchi glanced at her and said calmly, "If even kissing is out of the question, then I don't want these three wishes."

Bei Nuan: ?!

He couldn't not want them.

If he didn't want them, how could Bei Nuan complete the task?

The task was two-thirds done, with only him left. Giving up now would mean losing half of her space, which would be a great pity.

After much deliberation, Bei Nuan mumbled in a voice so low it was almost inaudible, "Fine, you can kiss me. Isn't it enough to let you kiss me?"

Lu Xingchi didn't turn his head, his eyes on the road ahead, the corners of his mouth curving upwards.

At noon, when the team stopped by a forest for lunch, Lu Xingchi had already thought of his first wish.

As Bei Nuan expected, the first one was "strawberry-flavored."

Lu Xingchi used the excuse of being tired from driving and wanting to take a walk, and led Bei Nuan away from the SUV.

They walked forward for a while, until they felt that Du Ruo and the others couldn't see them, and then stopped.

Bei Nuan asked him, "Strawberry-flavored?" As she searched everywhere in her space for strawberry-flavored candy.

Lu Xingchi reached out, wrapped his arm around her waist, pulled her into his embrace, and looked down at her, his gaze like that of a hunter looking at prey already caught.

The hunter was quite generous to his prey. "It doesn't have to be strawberry-flavored. Any flavor you choose is fine with me."

Those were your words.

Bei Nuan discreetly rummaged through her space, found a box of candy, tore off the wrapper inside her space, and took out a piece.

Bei Nuan held out her hand, a nondescript candy resting in her palm.

"Come here, closer," Bei Nuan said, blushing slightly.

Lu Xingchi gazed at her, his voice a little hoarse. "Okay."

He leaned down, really close, his lips almost touching hers.

Bei Nuan closed her eyes, made up her mind, resolutely put the candy in her mouth, and swiftly kissed Lu Xingchi.

Author's Note:

Meow version of Li Dahua: You ask me for three wishes? First, make that woman leave, second, make that woman leave, and third, still make that woman leave. Hurry up. Meow~~

Werewolf Game Cast List:

Lu Xingchi: Seer

Bei Nuan: Hidden Wolf

Little Three: Cupid

Zhou Cang: Silenced Elder (Eliminated)

Jiang Fei: Guardian

Du Ruo: Hybrid

Xie Yuanqing: Piper

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