A Fake Holy Mother in the Zombie Apocalypse

Everyone looked at each other.

Lu Xingchi understood. Bei Nuan had stored all the explosives in the upper level of her space where time stood still.

With time frozen, the countdown was fixed and wouldn't continue ticking.

Now the upper level of her space had completely become a hazardous materials storage warehouse, holding not only a gas station's worth of gasoline but also the newly added explosives and detonators that were about to explode.

Bei Nuan, however, acted as if nothing had happened and said cheerfully, "Alright, all done."

In front of everyone, Bei Nuan placed her hand on the explosives, and all the threats vanished into thin air, like a miracle.

Bei Nuan didn't explain, nor did she intend to.

Her identity as a "goddess" could perfectly explain everything.

A crisis that almost wiped out the entire tribe was easily resolved by the "Saintess of Jiadé."

Jia Han gazed at Bei Nuan for a long time, his Adam's apple bobbing, but ultimately, he didn't say anything.

He simply bowed deeply to Bei Nuan in his usual manner.

The people in the tent, who had been completely despairing, had escaped death. Only now did they remember to move, following their chieftain and bowing to Bei Nuan.

Bei Nuan thought that with Huo Ren's "real men never look back at explosions" attitude, he probably wouldn't come back.

Everyone could finally go back to sleep.

Lu Xingchi said to Jia Han, "Chieftain, there's something I'd like to ask you."

Lu Xingchi had a distinguished air and had entered the tribe with Bei Nuan. It was clear he was her friend. Jia Han looked at him and unexpectedly agreed.

Bei Nuan knew what he intended to ask and hurried over to listen.

Boss Lu naturally wanted to ask Jia Han about Huo Ren's LBD organization.

Huo Ren planting the bomb meant a falling out with the tribe, and Bei Nuan had just saved everyone. This was the perfect opportunity to ask Jia Han.

As expected, Jia Han answered every question willingly and thoroughly.

He knew that LBD was a charitable organization under a multinational corporation, extremely wealthy and influential. For years, they had been deeply involved in this region of Country N, meddling in everything from economics to politics.

Huo Ren was a young and promising individual, highly valued by the organization.

Bei Nuan suddenly asked Jia Han, "How long have you known Huo Ren? Has he always been like this?"

Lu Xingchi seemed to glance at Bei Nuan, but she didn't pay much attention to him, waiting quietly for Jia Han's answer.

Jia Han thought for a moment. "I think he was much calmer a few years ago, not as arrogant as he is now. For some reason, he seems like a different person."

As expected.

Bei Nuan became even more certain that Huo Ren might also be a transmigrator.

After Jia Han had told them everything he knew, Bei Nuan and Lu Xingchi walked back to their lodging without needing an escort.

"Be careful when taking things from the upper level of your space," Lu Xingchi cautioned.

Bei Nuan knew what he was worried about.

"I know. If I accidentally bring out a bomb, we're done for."

Bei Nuan suddenly remembered the last time she did the Saintess' Heart mission and almost caused the upper level of her space to have time flow.

Next time she encountered such a mission, she would finish it no matter what.

Otherwise, it would be disastrous. She didn't know if a bomb exploding in her space would affect the outside world.

But for now, it was safe. The pile of explosives was placed far away in a corner of the upper level of her space, so she didn't need to worry about it for the time being.

The tribe was quiet. Everyone was still sound asleep, unaware that they had almost experienced a catastrophe in their dreams.

There was no one on the road. Lu Xingchi reached out and held Bei Nuan's hand in his palm.

The moon hadn't risen yet, so her blush wasn't visible. Bei Nuan didn't pull away.

It was too dark, and with roads and houses being built everywhere, walking was difficult. The two of them were like kindergarten children, holding hands and stumbling along.

"Walking like this feels like your name," Bei Nuan said.

Lu Xingchi's voice came from the darkness, "That's right. Xíng dào chí chí."

In this book, zombies conquered the world through teeth and close combat. Modern armies capable of long-range combat were nowhere to be seen. England, France, Germany, and Italy had all been swallowed by the author. Fortunately, the Classic of Poetry still existed.

Xíng dào chí chí, zài kě zài jī (The road is long and winding, I am thirsty and hungry).

Lu Xingchi suddenly chuckled. "With you here, I won't be 'thirsty and hungry.'"

Bei Nuan thought, That's right. His space is filled with all kinds of delicious food and drinks. He can't possibly be thirsty or hungry.

No matter how difficult, the road wasn't long, and they soon reached their destination.

Seeing a glimmer of light in the distance, Bei Nuan let go of his hand and quickened her pace.

Lu Xingchi was reluctant, caught up with her in long strides, and firmly grasped her hand again, refusing to let go.

Ahead was Bei Nuan's lodging. A lamp was lit inside, and the warm light shone out, illuminating the surrounding darkness.

Jia Han had already told them everything he knew. There was nothing more to be gained here, so Bei Nuan discussed with Lu Xingchi, "Shall we leave tomorrow?"

Lu Xingchi hesitated.

"Why don't we stay one more day and leave the day after tomorrow?"

Bei Nuan's ability to analyze speech had improved. She immediately caught the implication in his word "stay"—he just wanted to stay in her room.

"Lu Xingchi, Ya Wen is dead, even Huo Ren is gone, and there's no danger in the camp now. Can you move out and sleep tonight?"

Lu Xingchi held her hand, thinking, This little thing is so heartless. This is what they call discarding someone after use.

Unsure whether he was the dog or the donkey in the idiom, Boss Lu calmly asked, "The other rooms are far away from yours. In this wilderness, aren't you afraid of something else?"

Bei Nuan: "…"

So despicable.

The tribal camp was surrounded by desolate mountains, dark and shadowy in the night.

Even when they camped outdoors these past few days, Lu Xingchi and the others were nearby.

The few times they had houses, Bei Nuan slept in a separate room, and Lu Xingchi always stayed next door. She really didn't know if she could sleep alone.

Even though she knew he was deliberately trying to scare her, she still felt a little apprehensive.

Forget it, just let him sleep on the floor again.

Lu Xingchi was anxiously waiting for her to say something like, "I want Little Monkey to sleep with me," but she completely forgot about it.

"This is the last time," Bei Nuan said.

Lu Xingchi smiled and led her by the hand into the courtyard, thinking, I can hold her while I sleep again tonight.

Unexpectedly, as they reached the main house, they saw someone coming out.

Du Ruo was holding a slice of dragon fruit in his left hand, a slice of pineapple in his right, and a mango in his mouth. Seeing Bei Nuan and Lu Xingchi, he quickly swallowed the mango.

"You're back? You two are so inconsiderate, hiding away and enjoying yourselves while we've been eating cassava for the past two days!"

Laughter filled the room. Jiang Fei, Tang Tang, and the others were all there, playing with Da Sheng.

Dan Sui brought out several plates of fruit. Seeing Bei Nuan return, she quickly said, "Chieftain Jia Han sent them over to be servants. They arrived shortly after you left."

Du Ruo quickly added, "I've seen the servants' rooms. It's two people to a room."

He put his arm around Lu Xingchi's shoulder. "Let's make this clear, Lu Xingchi, I want to room with you. You have no idea, last night we slept in the same tent, and Tang Tang was laughing and singing in his sleep. He kept me up all night."

Tang Tang retorted, "It's the same for you, Brother Du Ruo! You were yelling in the middle of the night, 'Who dares approach? Taste my Minghong Blade!' You were about to chop someone in half. Why do you care what their name is? Brother Lu, I want to sleep with you."

Lu Xingchi didn't speak, but Bei Nuan thought she saw him grind his teeth.

There was light here, not pitch black. Du Ruo was happy. "Everyone's here. Let's play cards tonight?"

Tang Tang immediately agreed. "All night?"

Lu Xingchi said calmly, "All night? We're leaving tomorrow. Get a good night's sleep."

Bei Nuan looked up at him: Huh? He's willing to leave now?

In the end, Du Ruo became Boss Lu's roommate. Bei Nuan called Dan Sui in to sleep with her, and the night passed peacefully.

The next morning, after breakfast, Bei Nuan, with her exceptional luck, drew another great fortune for the entire tribe, then spoke with Jia Han privately.

Bei Nuan came clean, saying she had other matters to attend to and couldn't stay in the tribe any longer. She had to leave.

A flicker of disappointment crossed Jia Han's eyes.

However, he still said, "If the Saintess has decided, I dare not object."

He glanced at Bei Nuan and asked, "What does the Saintess plan to do?"

Of course, follow Boss Lu and continue accumulating Saintess Points.

Bei Nuan blinked. "Uh… save… the world?"

Actually, save myself.

A hint of a smile appeared on Jia Han's usually expressionless face. He took her seriously. "Then go, Saintess. Take care."

Bei Nuan nodded in agreement, then suddenly remembered something.

"If I leave, can the little monkey stay in the tribe?"

Bei Nuan felt a little embarrassed. "I actually picked it up on the road. Its real owner is Wen Qin, who is also in the tribe and is currently taking care of it."

Jia Han nodded. "Don't worry, Saintess. Let Wen Qin continue to care for it."

He called someone in and whispered instructions.

Soon, someone came in carrying a small brocade box.

Jia Han took the box and presented it to Bei Nuan with both hands.

"May the Saintess carry this with her for good fortune."

Bei Nuan opened the box. On the black velvet lining lay a huge sapphire.

It was rectangular and cut, the longer side even longer than Bei Nuan's pinky finger.

It was a cornflower blue, as rich and pure as the ocean, drawing the gaze into its bottomless depths.

"This is one of a set of seven sapphires."

Jia Han showed the gem to Bei Nuan.

"The six smaller ones were taken during the colonial era to be set in crowns. The largest one was hidden by my ancestors, to be presented to the true Saintess when she appeared."

Bei Nuan quickly returned the box. "This is your treasure. I can't accept it."

"Yesterday, the Saintess saved the entire tribe. This is an offering to the Saintess."

Jia Han's expression was solemn.

"A god cannot refuse offerings. Not accepting our offering is the same as saying you will no longer protect us."

Bei Nuan: "…"

While talking to Jia Han and pushing the box back towards him, Bei Nuan's fingertip accidentally brushed against his.

Jia Han said, "Please keep it, Saintess. The sapphire is a gift from the Water God, bringing peace. With you carrying it, I can feel more at ease."

Bei Nuan: ?

Why does that sound a bit off?

Bei Nuan suddenly realized something and raised her right hand, the one with the cheat.

She saw that because she had taken the band-aid on and off so many times, it had lost its stickiness and fallen off at some point.

Oh no.

Jia Han also realized what he had said. His handsome and aloof face remained unchanged, but his ears began to redden.

However, he couldn't control his words.

"I know your relationship with the man you chose as your servant is unusual. I don't dare to have any extravagant hopes for the Saintess. I only hope you will live well. If this disaster passes safely, please come back to the tribe when you have time."

In such an abstinent and ritualistic tribe that treated romantic love like a flood, the chieftain suddenly blurted out these words that sounded like a confession.

Bei Nuan quickly looked around.

Fortunately, because they were talking, everyone else had retreated outside, so no one should have heard.

Bei Nuan stood up.

"Chieftain Jia Han, you might be feeling a little unwell. You should rest. I…"

"No need," Jia Han said calmly. "It's alright to say it. I don't mind."

Jia Han continued, "The rules of this tribe for so many years have been unreasonable. The leaders openly break the rules, and everyone else does so secretly. Few truly abide by them. I've long wanted to change them."

Jia Han also stood up and handed the box to Bei Nuan.

"Take it. You are the beloved daughter of the gods. You will surely be safe and have a smooth journey."

Bei Nuan returned to her lodging, took off the long dress and veil, changed back into her own clothes, and removed her makeup. She immediately felt her eyelids lighter, as if a three-pound weight had been lifted.

It was time to leave, and she was most reluctant to part with Da Sheng.

Bei Nuan played with Da Sheng for a while, fed it a few pieces of roasted cassava, and left all the remaining cassava in her space for it.

Tang Tang laughed. "Sister Nuan Nuan, it's the sacred monkey of the tribe now. It can have as much roasted cassava as it wants."

Bei Nuan retorted, "Da Sheng thinks my roasted cassava is the best, right, Da Sheng?"

Da Sheng squeaked twice, as if in complete agreement.

After bidding a reluctant farewell to Da Sheng, the sun was already high when they left the tribe.

All the people in the tribe were waiting at the entrance.

The story of how Bei Nuan saved everyone yesterday had already spread throughout the tribe. When Bei Nuan appeared, everyone bowed to her.

Jia Han took out a large piece of white silk.

Countless identical symbols were drawn on the white silk with blue ink, each a circle with three wavy lines inside.

"Just now, the entire tribe prayed for the Saintess before the gods. This symbol represents each of us willing to give half of our lives to protect the Saintess."

The symbols on the white silk were drawn by different people. Some were large, some small, some neat, and some crooked, like a child's drawing.

Bei Nuan wasn't superstitious.

But she knew that the people of the tribe sincerely believed in this, and they had truly prayed for her before their god.

Pair after pair of eyes looked at their Saintess.

Bei Nuan accepted the white silk, her throat tightening.

"Let's go," Lu Xingchi said.

Bei Nuan nodded and, breaking protocol, returned a formal bow to the crowd seeing her off, mirroring their gesture towards her.

It wasn't the first time she had performed an incorrect ritual.

After leaving the tribe's gate, Bei Nuan immediately took out the SUV.

They had all seen her store a warehouse full of things yesterday, so no one was too surprised by the sudden appearance of a car.

The sun beat down on the land with a melting heat.

Even after driving a long distance, Bei Nuan could still see Jia Han watching them from the tribe's sentry post, his white robes billowing in the wind.

He watched as the Saintess in his heart rode away to save the world.

The tribal camp gradually disappeared from view. Bei Nuan sat properly in the passenger seat and looked at the white silk in her hand again.

"Sister Nuan Nuan," Tang Tang said, "they say cats have nine lives, so they're very resilient. You have so many lives now, you definitely won't die easily."

Jiang Fei reached out from the back seat and slapped him. "What are you talking about, dying and living? Don't talk nonsense."

Bei Nuan smiled and carefully stored the white silk in her space.

Bei Nuan had touched the forehead of every person in the tribe, from the youngest toddlers to the elderly.

For some reason, since giving them her blessing, she felt a strange connection with them.

It was as if it truly was a place blessed and protected by her.

"Little Three," Bei Nuan called out, "after the plot of the book ends, will this world still exist?"

Little Three answered without hesitation, "Of course, it will. This world and the one you came from are actually no different. You can think of it as what you call a parallel universe."

So the world was real, and the people in it were real.

All the joy and pain, hatred and love, were real.

Bei Nuan remembered the ending of the book. At that time, the zombie virus was still rampant.

She hoped this disaster would pass quickly, that everyone would be safe and sound, and that life would return to normal.

Bei Nuan turned to look at Lu Xingchi.

Lu Xingchi noticed her gaze and turned to ask, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Bei Nuan shook her head.

For the first time, under the scorching sun south of the Tropic of Cancer, Bei Nuan felt a genuine sense of reality towards this similar yet different world.

"Bei Nuan…" Little Three began.

Bei Nuan replied, "I know."

It was time to continue the mission. Bei Nuan opened the mission panel.

The countdown for "Utmost Sincerity" had long ended. Bei Nuan spun the wheel.

The wheel stopped on a new mission. This time, the mission name was "Obedience."

Obedience?

Seeing these two words, Bei Nuan immediately perked up.

This was clearly an ability to make others do whatever she commanded.

The mission description was: Snake venom, man's sweat, mix evenly, draw a circle on a mirror, and a miracle will happen.

It was another witch-like task of gathering ingredients.

Snake venom.

Bei Nuan: "…"

Let's put that terrifying thing aside for now.

Man's sweat.

Last time it was a girl's tears, this time it was a man's sweat. A perfect pair.

Bei Nuan looked around.

There were four men in the car, which was quite a few, but how could she make them sweat?

Lu Xingchi, dressed in a crisp white shirt, was driving.

Bei Nuan thought back and realized she had never seen him sweat.

He always seemed cool and collected, no matter how hot it was. At most, he would roll up his sleeves, revealing a section of his forearm, but he never seemed to sweat.

Not just him, but the others as well.

Bei Nuan felt a headache coming on.

Sweat wasn't like tears, which could be collected with a pickled pepper.

And it had to be mixed with venom.

Since she didn't know where to find snake venom yet, she had to collect the sweat first and keep it until the day it met the venom.

Bei Nuan quickly came up with an idea and pulled out a small white towel from her space.

If Lu Xingchi sweated, she could naturally reach out and wipe it for him, and he certainly wouldn't object.

Then she could put the small towel in the upper level of her space, where it wouldn't dry out. When she found the venom, she could drip it onto the towel, find a mirror, draw a circle, and it would be done.

The Salt River snaked across the land.

The team followed the riverbank, winding around Mount Manluo against the current, turning north with the river as it made a V-shaped bend.

The sun beat down directly on the roof of the car, getting hotter and hotter. Lu Xingchi asked for everyone's opinion: "Should we turn on the air conditioning?"

Bei Nuan immediately refused. "No!"

Lu Xingchi was puzzled. "Aren't you always the first to complain about the heat and ask for the AC?"

Bei Nuan said seriously, "Occasionally, I also want to feel the warmth of the natural sunlight."

The car roof was being baked by the sun, and it was excessively warm.

Bei Nuan herself was as hot as a dog, practically panting, but Lu Xingchi beside her still looked cool and sweat-free.

This left the small towel clutched in Bei Nuan's hand useless.

Bei Nuan thought for a moment and pulled out a bag of spicy beef jerky.

She ate a piece herself first.

The beef jerky was authentic, both numbingly spicy and burning hot, making her eyes water and her mouth feel like it was on fire.

Bei Nuan quickly offered a piece to Lu Xingchi and watched him eat it before passing the bag to Du Ruo and the others in the back seat.

Even Du Ruo refused. "Eating something so spicy in this heat?"

It didn't matter if they didn't eat it, as long as Boss Lu was willing.

There was a fork in the road not far ahead, and Lu Xingchi was considering which way to go.

He chewed on the beef jerky while looking at the road. After finishing the piece, he turned his head and opened his mouth slightly.

Bei Nuan understood. He was signaling for her to continue feeding him.

Bei Nuan looked down at the bag, picked out a larger piece covered in more red chili powder, and held it to his lips.

He took the beef jerky.

Bei Nuan distinctly felt him press his lips against her fingers and run his tongue over her fingertips.

Soft, with a hint of warmth.

Bei Nuan: "…"

He was definitely doing it on purpose.

Bei Nuan suddenly remembered the other uses of his tongue, and her mind was instantly filled with all sorts of thoughts, causing her to blush uncontrollably.

Wasn't Boss Lu seriously considering the driving route?

He was multitasking, his left brain figuring out how to drive, and his right brain not forgetting to tease her.

Lu Xingchi had finished the piece and turned to smile at Bei Nuan. "More."

His tongue brushed against her fingers again and again. In a blink of an eye, half the bag of beef jerky was gone. Bei Nuan's throat burned, and she took a bottle of mineral water from her space and gulped it down.

However, Lu Xingchi's expression remained unchanged, showing no reaction at all.

Lu Xingchi glanced at Bei Nuan.

"Really not turning on the AC? And you insist on eating such spicy things. Your nose is sweating."

Bei Nuan was in agony: What's the use of my nose sweating? The problem is you're not!

Lu Xingchi glanced at the small towel in her hand. "Aren't you going to wipe it?"

Too much! He was rubbing salt in the wound.

Lu Xingchi smiled. "Bei Nuan, a calm mind brings coolness."

Bei Nuan: "…"

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