Chapter 2, This toy does not obey

She felt a bit scared, yet she consciously moved closer to it, but it turned its head away and no longer paid her any attention

When Qiao'er looked up and met those deep green eyes, she was startled and quickly pulled her finger back. Its mouth was devoid of saliva and carried a slight fishy smell

That little path called Xiao Si still does not understand: "I have never heard of a zombie that can read."

In the end, the two (one person and one corpse) returned together to the front of the coffin. Qiao'er climbed in by herself, and he fell on top of her, still pressing her down into a pancake shape

She stayed at the Liu family for five or six years, and the servants all knew that she was somewhat slow-witted, so they always liked to assign the dirty and laborious tasks to her

Qiao Er cleaned herself thoroughly, and seeing that it still had no intention of leaving, she untied her braid, took off her shoes, rolled up her pant legs, and washed herself well in the water

The coffin lid was placed back on, and the sky gradually brightened

Under the moonlight, the zombie's fangs were menacing, evoking a sense of terror. She stared at it for a long time, her fear gradually accumulating, but by the time she realized it, she was already unable to scream

The zombie stared at her for quite a while, its pair of eyes glowing with a flickering green light, which was quite terrifying. Qiao'er thought for a long time and finally pulled its hand to lead it out. The zombie then followed her. After searching for a while, they finally found a mountain spring by following the sound. Only then did Qiao'er release its hand, crouch down, wet her clothes, and scrub them vigorously

The air holes in the coffin were not large, and Qiao'er cried out, feeling uncomfortable and having to quiet down. By the time the zombie opened the coffin and entered, it was just dawn, and he seemed to have been outside, with fresh mud still on his feet

In the mountains, at half past ten at night, it is tranquil; the full moon hangs like a disc, casting a silver glow all around. The spring water gurgles, occasionally startling a resting bird, while a few low calls can be heard in the forest

Qiao'er was both anxious and flustered, having no choice but to huddle tightly in the coffin. She roared for a while, then attempted to close the coffin lid. Smelling the sour odor of her own sweat on her body, she clutched her dirty clothes. Summer naturally brings about sweating, and thinking about having to endure this for an unknown number of days made her nose tingle with sadness, leading her to sit in the coffin and wipe her tears.

Qiao'er then realized what she was doing and hurriedly wiped her fingers on the coffin. However, it did not make any other movements, appearing to be in a drowsy state, squinting at her for a moment before closing its eyes again, remaining completely still.

The mountain spring carries a unique purity and coolness, something she has never experienced despite her long history of doing rough work. She was originally a servant girl at the residence of the Liu family in the western village. Perhaps due to having damaged her brain and being slow to react, her parents sold her away and never came to visit her again.

The mood of the old Daoist Chongling was indeed very good, to the extent that on this night, Qiao'er unexpectedly discovered two sets of women's clothing next to the water and food.

The old Daoist Chongling was in a very good mood and was quite willing to explain to his inferior disciple and *Tu* book: "The higher the cultivation of these things, the easier it is to communicate. Look at those black and white corpses; they are all lifeless. However, things that possess true spirituality have some level of cultivation." He reached out to touch the zombie in the coffin, his appreciation evident: "Treasure, a rare gem!"

In light of the recent disappearance, the Liu family naturally reported it to the authorities. However, considering it was merely a servant girl, it was possible that she had simply run away. Thus, after a few days, everyone gradually began to forget about her.

She mustered her courage and suddenly dashed out; that moment was already the limit of her actions. However, before she could fully exit the cave, she felt a tight grip around the collar at the back of her neck, as something had already seized her.

The zombie stayed beside her for a while, and seeing that she did not flee, it raised its head and continued to absorb the abundant spiritual energy of the mountains.

Qiao'er rushed out while holding the clothes, only to be thrown back into the coffin. The zombie, propping itself up at the coffin's opening, roared with great anger. In its fury, its ten fingers elongated, with nails growing to about an inch long, sharp and a ghastly gray, looking exceedingly terrifying

The zombie remained blocked at the entrance. Qiao'er hugged her clothes and attempted to communicate with it: "You..." She tugged at it. After a while, the zombie turned its head to look at her. She raised the clothes in her hand and mimicked the action of washing clothes: "I am looking for a place to wash clothes. Wash—do you understand?"

Before the coffin, it placed Qiao'er down. This time, Qiao'er had learned to be clever, leading it to a spot where the branches were sparse and low, hanging all the wet clothes to dry. It watched from the side, not knowing what it was thinking.

Until the hour of Yin, it finally moved slightly, lifting Qiao'er onto its shoulder and returning to the cave

The zombie turned its head to absorb the moonlight, clearly not understanding

Qiao Er climbed back in front of it and still tugged at it, saying softly: "I will not run away, I want to do the laundry, I want to take a bath, I am really too dirty..."

Qiao'er looked at that face and, for some reason, thought of the big yellow dog at the village entrance, which also looked like this before it bit someone

Qiao'er does not take much time to wash a set of clothes; she wrings out all the garments and only feels an unbearable itch on her body

Thus, after taking five steps away from it, it turned its head. Its facial skin had long since stiffened, making any expression impossible. However, Qiao'er only felt that the green light in its eyes surged greatly, as if it were glaring at her

She reached out curiously to touch its face, which still felt cold. As she thought about its fangs, she looked at its lips again; the tightly pressed lips showed no protrusions, and she wondered where the fangs had retracted to

The zombie was clearly unusually angry, continuously baring its teeth and growling at her

The zombie caught her and roared for a while, then quickly turned and lifted her in front of the coffin, tossing her inside with a swift motion. As he turned around, Qiao'er managed to climb up, just as she was about to flip out again. However, the zombie had also learned quickly; with one hand, he pushed the coffin lid down with a loud bang, sealing it tightly.

Crying for a while, she noticed that the zombie was quite curious about her, reaching out to wipe away the tears hanging on her eyelids, and scrutinizing her carefully for a moment

The zombie did not know when it had opened its eyes; it was noon, and the sun was at its zenith. It lazily could not muster any energy and simply gazed at her.

Then, with a sly smile, Xiao Si did not trouble her any further and simply left

At the end, he opened the coffin and took a look inside. The zombie was still asleep, of course. He smiled and reached out to pat Qiao'er on the face, and naturally, she had no time to evade. It was only when that cool fingertip, like a snake, touched her face that she hurriedly tried to hide beneath the zombie.

In this manner of thought, she unexpectedly inserted her finger into his mouth, exploring around but finding nothing of significance

The coffin was stiflingly hot, yet it still pressed down on Qiao'er as she lay inside. The lid was not tightly closed, allowing air to circulate in a timely manner, which made Qiao'er feel somewhat better. However, it was still too heavy, making it difficult for her to breathe.

Upon waking again, the drinking water and food outside had been replaced, and the old Daoist priest of Chongling was so delighted that he danced with joy: "Last night, Hedong Village was truly haunted; it could actually understand the script of destruction. This time, we have struck gold!"

She had not changed her clothes for many days, so she hurriedly took some and, in the shadows of the cave where the moonlight barely reached, she fumbled to change. However, she found it difficult to deal with the set she had taken off—after all, it even included her undergarments; she certainly could not just leave them there

She still cannot see it and has foolishly gone through so many years

After stealing a few glances at it and noticing that it seemed indifferent to his presence, he quietly unfastened his clothing and began to wipe his body with the damp fabric.

Qiao'er moved around in the cave for a while, ate two steamed buns, drank some water, and later felt bored. She peeked out of the cave entrance, tried several times, but the zombie did not respond.

After a long time without sleep, this time Qiao'er dozed off in a daze, but felt as if a heavy stone was pressing down on her chest, making her feel extremely uncomfortable

Xiao Si remained half-convinced, seeing that the corpse in the coffin was still lying motionless on Qiao Er. He reached out to touch the cold, hard skin, which looked no different from an ordinary zombie: "I wonder if it's real..."

After she had dried her hair, the zombie continued to consume the moonlight. She cautiously shifted to the left and, seeing that it showed no reaction, she stealthily moved a little more.

By morning, someone came to replace the drinking water and food. Qiao'er looked through the gap in the coffin lid that was not tightly closed, and it was the little Taoist priest known as Xiao Si.

Qiao'er kept stealing glances, waiting until he had left before finally peeking her head out from under the zombie's neck. The coffin lid was not closed, and the light was good. She could clearly see the appearance of the zombie; at this moment, its fangs were not visible, and its face did not appear particularly fierce. However, its muscles were too stiff, making it somewhat unlike a real person.