A Fake Holy Mother in the Zombie Apocalypse

Bei Nuan, respectfully escorted by Dan Sui, arrived at her newly assigned living quarters and immediately realized her treatment had drastically improved.

She no longer had to squeeze into a flimsy, drafty tent with a bunch of other people.

Bei Nuan had been given a newly built house.

It consisted of several rooms, forming a small courtyard with its own kitchen and servants' quarters. All the buildings were raised on stilts, and Bei Nuan resided in the main house.

The scent of fresh wood still lingered in the air. The meticulously polished floorboards gleamed.

Large bouquets of vibrant flowers adorned the surfaces, their fragrance filling the air. Most importantly, oil lamps were lit everywhere, eliminating the need to stumble around in the dark like an early bird forced to roost.

This place was larger and more comfortable than even Jia Han’s own residence.

Not only did Bei Nuan have a place to stay, but the "Sacred Monkey" also had its own room, right next to Bei Nuan's bedroom.

The room was furnished with a bed, table, and chairs. Fresh flowers and a large basket of fruit graced the table.

The "Sacred Monkey" promptly buried itself in the fruit.

Mangoes, dragon fruit, avocados, and a whole assortment of tropical fruits filled the basket, making Bei Nuan quite envious.

The astute Dan Sui, noticing Bei Nuan's gaze, quickly said, "If the Holy Maiden desires fruit, I'll have someone bring more."

With the fruit came Bei Nuan's designated "attendant."

Lu Xing Chi entered inconspicuously alongside a steady stream of plates piled high with washed and cut fruit. He glanced at Bei Nuan but said nothing.

Dan Sui, puzzled, hesitated, then reminded him, "Shouldn't you greet the Holy Maiden Jia De?"

Lu Xing Chi lowered his eyes and bowed, offering Bei Nuan a proper, respectful salute.

This was the correct greeting for the Holy Maiden. The big boss, naturally gifted, performed it flawlessly.

Bei Nuan quickly instructed Dan Sui, "Dan Sui, you may leave. I'll call you if I need anything."

Dan Sui bowed and retreated, sneaking a curious glance at the two of them before closing the door.

Rumors had been circulating within the tribe, whispering that the Holy Maiden Ya Wen would specifically choose handsome, young men to serve her, taking advantage of her position.

Unexpectedly, this new Holy Maiden, with her innocent appearance and seemingly young age, had also summoned a man on her first day—and such a devastatingly handsome one at that.

Dan Sui left.

Only after she closed the door did Lu Xing Chi sigh and walk over.

He held Bei Nuan's shoulders, carefully examining her from head to toe, confirming she was unharmed.

"I only haven't seen you for a few hours."

His tone was laced with exasperation.

In the blink of an eye, she could stir up trouble, even managing to become the tribe's Holy Maiden.

Bei Nuan also knew her talent for causing mischief was second to none.

This time, however, there was a scapegoat, allowing her to shift the blame.

Bei Nuan complained, "It's all that Holy Maiden Ya Wen's fault. For some reason, she took a dislike to me, found an excuse to lock me up, and even tried to throw me into the Salt River. That's why all this happened."

Bei Nuan omitted the part about setting the fire but recounted the rest truthfully.

Bei Nuan analyzed, "Maybe she saw me with you, and you weren't willing to be her attendant, so she got upset?"

Lu Xing Chi pondered for a moment. "Not necessarily. Could it be because Chief Jia Han paid special attention to you today, spoke to you, and even bowed to you? Perhaps she found out and became jealous?"

So Lu Xing Chi also suspected something was going on between Jia Han and Ya Wen.

A chief paired with a Holy Maiden—it would be unusual if there wasn't an affair.

Although Jia Han appeared abstinent and respectable, Bei Nuan didn't believe it for a second.

Didn't Lu Xing Chi seem even more aloof and otherworldly? But having overheard his thoughts last time, Bei Nuan felt too embarrassed to listen again.

Therefore, judging by appearances alone was utterly unreliable.

Attendants had their own quarters outside for the night, but Bei Nuan didn't want him to leave.

Since Bei Nuan wasn't sending him away, Lu Xing Chi didn't mention it, seamlessly staying behind.

Dan Sui brought in several women to attend to Bei Nuan, but she declined their services. After washing up and bolting the door from the inside, Bei Nuan retrieved bedding and made a floor bed for Lu Xing Chi.

Lu Xing Chi glanced at it. "You're not letting me sleep on the bed?"

This attendant clearly lacked the self-awareness of a servant.

Bei Nuan quickly offered the bed to the big boss. "Otherwise, you sleep on the bed, and I'll take the floor?"

Lu Xing Chi smiled and sat down on the floor bed.

With him there, she had nothing to fear. Bei Nuan comfortably stretched out on the soft bed and opened her task list.

Today's pyrokinesis incident had been a close call.

She had initially thought that displaying fire abilities in a tribe that worshipped water would be fatal, but it turned out not to be so disastrous.

Bei Nuan felt much more confident and was curious about the next fun little task's ability.

Bei Nuan spun the scroll wheel.

The wheel turned smoothly for a moment before stopping on a new task.

The name of the task, unlike the previous two, was "Utmost Sincerity."

The task description was written like a poem: Moonlight purifies a maiden's tears in the dead of night, crafting a peerless potion to anoint your fingertips.

It was currently the dead of night. Bei Nuan climbed out of bed.

"Let's bask in the moonlight," Bei Nuan said, opening the curtains and glancing outside.

Lu Xing Chi smiled. "As you wish."

The moon was beautiful tonight.

Large and bright, it hung in the sky. As soon as the curtains opened, moonlight spilled onto the windowsill, easily fulfilling the condition.

As for the maiden, Bei Nuan herself was right there.

Now only the tears remained.

So she needed to cry now.

Lu Xing Chi was by the bed, meticulously smoothing out the wrinkles in the bedding Bei Nuan had carelessly tossed onto the floor bed.

It would be too embarrassing if he saw her crying for no apparent reason.

Bei Nuan scurried back to bed, pulled the covers over her head, and then took out a large, painted porcelain dish from her space, placing it in front of her to catch her tears.

So much had happened today, so much excitement, that it was difficult to summon the emotion needed to cry.

Bei Nuan desperately searched the corners of her memory for anything that could bring tears to her eyes.

It was so hard.

Before a single tear could be squeezed out, the covers were pulled off her head.

Bei Nuan nearly jumped out of her skin. "Lu Xing Chi, how can you just pull a girl's covers off?!"

Lu Xing Chi calmly replied, "You're not undressed."

Then, looking at Bei Nuan lying on the bed and the dish placed squarely in front of her, he asked, "What are you sneaking again?"

Bei Nuan: "…"

Lu Xing Chi's handsome brows furrowed. He continued, "Did you sneak pickled peppers again?"

Pickled peppers?

That gave Bei Nuan an idea.

She pulled a bag of pickled pepper chicken feet from her space and ripped it open. Before Lu Xing Chi could snatch it away, her fingers brushed against the juice that had just oozed out of the bag.

Ignoring the chicken feet Lu Xing Chi confiscated, Bei Nuan steeled herself and rubbed her eyes.

A searing pain shot through her.

For a moment, Bei Nuan genuinely thought she had gone blind.

The pickled peppers were incredibly effective. Her eyes stung so badly she couldn't open them.

This time, there was no need to worry about tears. They flowed freely and uncontrollably.

Even in such pain, Bei Nuan remembered to keep her head positioned over the large porcelain dish to catch the tears.

Lu Xing Chi froze for a second before pulling Bei Nuan up and grabbing the water glass from the table to rinse her eyes.

After rinsing them a few times, he opened the door and called for Dan Sui, asking her to bring in a basin of water.

Lu Xing Chi held Bei Nuan over the basin and rinsed her eyes with clean water for a long time until the stinging subsided.

However, one eye remained as red as a rabbit's.

"Silly, how could you think of rubbing your eyes with hands that just touched pickled peppers?"

Lu Xing Chi gently dried her water-streaked face with a large towel.

Regardless, despite the ordeal, she had tears. Now, as long as she placed the large porcelain dish filled with tears by the window to bask in the moonlight, the task would be complete.

Bei Nuan glanced back at the bed.

???

Where was the dish?

The bedding on the bed was neatly arranged, but the dish containing her precious tears was gone…

Gone…

"Dan Sui!" Bei Nuan yelled.

Dan Sui appeared as if teleporting, materializing in a second. "Holy Maiden?"

Bei Nuan pleaded, "Where's the large dish I just had on the bed? Where did it go?"

Dan Sui quickly replied, "Don't worry, Holy Maiden, the dish isn't lost. I saw it was empty when I was tidying up the bed, so I washed and dried it. It's on the cabinet."

Dan Sui turned and picked up the dish from the cabinet, presenting it to Bei Nuan with both hands.

The dish was sparkling clean, gleaming without a single water spot.

Bei Nuan: "…"

Jia Han was right. Dan Sui was indeed diligent, perhaps a little… overly diligent.

So her eyes had stung for nothing?

This time, Bei Nuan really wanted to cry.

Dan Sui, observing Bei Nuan's expression, sensed something was wrong and asked anxiously, holding the dish, "Holy Maiden… did I… do something wrong?"

"No, it's nothing," Bei Nuan said.

Although Bei Nuan didn't elaborate, Dan Sui knew she must have done something wrong, and she panicked.

"Holy Maiden, I truly didn't know I shouldn't touch that dish."

"Holy Maiden, I won't dare to do it again!"

"Holy Maiden, please forgive me this time, don't lock me in a cage!"

Huh?

Bei Nuan was startled and quickly clarified, "Why would I lock you in a cage? Don't worry, I would never lock you in a cage."

Dan Sui didn't believe her and started crying.

"But Holy Maiden Ya Wen would lock people in cages. If anyone made a mistake, she would lock them up and not give them food."

Large teardrops splattered onto the dish in Dan Sui's hands.

Bei Nuan stared at the teardrops in the dish, stunned, then snatched it.

Holding the precious dish, Bei Nuan comforted Dan Sui, "It's okay, it's really nothing. I just made a wish that I wouldn't have to wash this dish twice tonight. You've only washed it once, it's not a big deal."

Bei Nuan carried the dish to the window, placing it on the moonlit sill, and casually touched a teardrop with her right index finger.

"Just leave it here. As long as you don't wash it again before tomorrow morning, it'll be fine, right?"

Bei Nuan's words sounded sincere, and Dan Sui finally stopped crying.

Bei Nuan opened her task list and checked.

The "Utmost Sincerity" task was marked as complete. The task description read: Your finger now possesses the ability to compel anyone you touch to speak the truth for three minutes (you are immune).

Bei Nuan thought, It's a good thing I'm immune, otherwise, this hand would be useless, I wouldn't even be able to touch myself.

Bei Nuan washed and dried her hands with a tissue, thinking this ability was even better than hearing thoughts.

Last time, she could only hear Lu Xing Chi's thoughts. This time, it seemed she could make anyone she touched tell the truth.

Bei Nuan wanted to try it out.

There were only three people in the room. Bei Nuan already knew what Lu Xing Chi was thinking and didn't want to tease him anymore.

Besides, Lu Xing Chi was too alert. Forcing him to tell the truth might make him suspicious.

Bei Nuan decided to test it on Dan Sui.

Dan Sui was still standing there, looking foolish, her eyes redder than Bei Nuan's after the pickled pepper incident.

Bei Nuan walked over and asked, "Dan Sui, does Ya Wen often lock people in cages?"

She casually touched Dan Sui's arm.

"Yes, Holy Maiden Ya Wen would lock people in cages and not give them food. Last time, because someone spilled a glass of water, she locked them up for several days, almost starving them to death. It was Chief Jia Han who pleaded for their release."

Dan Sui continued without hesitation, "She's incredibly wicked. She calls herself the Holy Maiden, but I think she's just a woman controlled by Xiu Ye's evil fire."

After saying this, Dan Sui abruptly covered her mouth, her face filled with terror.

The ability had worked.

Dan Sui had successfully entered the three-minute truth-telling period.

Bei Nuan was very satisfied.

Moreover, Bei Nuan felt Dan Sui was absolutely right. Great minds think alike.

Bei Nuan reassured her, "It's okay, you can say anything. There's no one else here anyway."

Dan Sui tried to stop herself from speaking further, but her mouth seemed to have a mind of its own, automatically opening without prompting.

She continued, "Everyone is saying that the true Holy Maiden has appeared. Ya Wen, that imposter, should go back to her village and continue raising monkeys."

Dan Sui was in despair.

Bei Nuan smiled and asked directly, "So, did Jia Han send you to monitor me, or did Ya Wen force you to?"

"Of course not. Chief Jia Han said he wanted to choose someone efficient. He looked around, and everyone recommended me, saying I was the most diligent, so I came."

Dan Sui answered without hesitation.

"I was also willing to come because the treatment here is better than at Chief Jia Han's, the work is lighter, it's more relaxing, and there's time to play."

Dan Sui was puzzled. Bei Nuan had asked so directly, and for some reason, she had answered just as directly.

Bei Nuan nodded. "Good. It's late, you should go to sleep."

Dan Sui bowed and turned to leave.

Just as she opened the door, she blurted out uncontrollably, "Why is that attendant sleeping on the floor?"

After saying that, as if frightened by her own words, she froze.

Bei Nuan suppressed a laugh. "What else?"

Dan Sui stated bluntly, "I thought he would sleep in the bed with you."

After saying that, she bowed again in a panic and fled.

Bei Nuan glanced at Lu Xing Chi, who had been leaning against the low cabinet, expressionless.

Seeing Dan Sui leave, he slowly said, "I think her assumption was quite reasonable."

"Reasonable, my foot." Bei Nuan flopped back onto the bed.

Lu Xing Chi, with one hand in his pocket, walked over, glanced at her still-red eyes, then picked up the dish from the windowsill and examined it.

"You've been making a lot of wishes lately."

"Of course," Bei Nuan retorted. "Isn't this kind of unsettling time the easiest time to be superstitious?"

Bei Nuan stretched comfortably. "Making a wish is nothing. I often set rules for myself, like I have to step out with my left foot first, otherwise it's bad luck. Shoes have to be placed neatly, putting them the wrong way is bad luck. I have to take an even number of steps on the stairs, and if it ends up odd, I hop down. There are tons of them."

Lu Xing Chi sat down beside her bed and stroked her hair.

"Don't be so afraid. Even if you are superstitious, you should believe in karma and that good fortune favors the virtuous. Haven't you always turned misfortune into blessings?"

He had a point.

Bei Nuan made a mental note.

This finger was unparalleled, able to force people to tell the truth, a powerful tool for interrogation.

Tomorrow, she just needed to find Ya Wen and ask her about the mysterious person directly. Ya Wen would surely spill everything she knew.

Then Bei Nuan wouldn't have to be the Holy Maiden anymore, and they could say goodbye to this strange tribe.

With her plan set, Bei Nuan closed her eyes contentedly.

Hearing no further sound, Lu Xing Chi looked down to see her already asleep, a smile playing on her lips.

Falling asleep just like that, she really was like a little pig.

She had been bouncing around all day, causing trouble, her mind brimming with ideas, and now she was finally settled down.

Quiet and asleep, she looked like an angel.

Lu Xing Chi carefully moved her further into the bed, sat down beside her, leaning against the headboard, and gently smoothed her soft hair.

Bei Nuan murmured and snuggled closer to Lu Xing Chi, burying her face comfortably in his clothes.

Lu Xing Chi's heart melted.

He pulled up the covers she had kicked off, carefully tucking her in. He found one of her hands and held it under the covers, closing his eyes as well.

However, he barely closed his eyes for a second.

"What she said about making a wish must be nonsense again."

Lu Xing Chi heard himself speaking automatically.

Lu Xing Chi: ?

"There must be something strange about that dish. What was she doing under the covers? And Dan Sui's behavior was also unusual…"

He wasn't just talking; his voice was loud, as if giving a speech, making sure everyone could hear, talking non-stop.

He couldn't stop, completely unable to control it.

Bei Nuan stirred and mumbled sleepily, "Lu Xing Chi, you're so noisy."

She seemed to be waking up.

Lu Xing Chi shot up and retreated to the floor bed in an instant.

His uncontrollable chatter continued for a short while before stopping abruptly.

Bei Nuan simply rolled over, kicking all the covers off, and went back to sleep, even starting to snore softly.

Lu Xing Chi tiptoed back, pulled the covers over her, and adjusted her head's position.

Bei Nuan remained pliable, showing no signs of waking.

The alarm lifted, Lu Xing Chi sat back down on her bed, pulled another pillow behind him, and reached for her right hand, intertwining their fingers.

"It's a good thing she didn't wake up. Sleeping like this, she wouldn't even know if she was being sold, oblivious to the man in the room."

His mouth started talking again automatically.

Lu Xing Chi: ???

He glanced down at their clasped hands, this time not moving, only releasing her hand.

His automatically talking mouth rambled for a while before stopping again.

Lu Xing Chi paused, then took her hand again.

It started again.

Lu Xing Chi let go of her right hand and tucked it back under the covers. Still not quite reconciled, once he was quiet again, he pulled her left arm out from under the covers.

He carefully poked her left hand.

Nothing strange happened.

He tentatively held it, still safe.

Relieved, Lu Xing Chi held her left hand, staring down at her sleeping face, pondering:

Bei Nuan, what new trick have you come up with this time?

ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ

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