Chapter Four: The Obedient Zombie Minion, Auntie Returns!

"What is happening!?" Qin Feng was dumbstruck.

Could it be that these two zombies had also gained sentience and, realizing they were no match for him, were prostrating themselves to beg for mercy? That did not seem right, either. If they had sentience, they showed absolutely no signs of it, doing nothing but bowing incessantly. If he did not tell them to stop, they seemed capable of bowing forever.

"Stop. You two, stand up," Qin Feng said, testing the zombies.

The next second, both zombies straightened their arms and stood obediently in place.

"So obedient?" Qin Feng’s heart skipped a beat. Suppressing his restless agitation, he tentatively commanded, "Jump once."

"Thump, thump..." The two zombies jumped in unison.

"Turn left!"

"Turn right!"

"Jump and spin around!"

"Get down!"

Qin Feng continued to issue commands. The zombies acted like programs in a computer, and Qin Feng was the computer itself. When the computer issued a command, they executed it unconditionally.

"They really are obedient. It seems that those infected by my zombie venom not only undergo a rapid transformation but also obey my every command. In that case, couldn't I build an army of zombies? An army that obeys orders unconditionally, without any fear of betrayal, and one that doesn't even require food or money," Qin Feng thought to himself.

He had become a zombie, a creature reviled by everyone. Knowing that there were practitioners of the Taoist arts in this world who hunted demons and exterminated ghosts, he had to plan ahead. Although he had his aunt's help, she was only one person, and even the strongest fist could struggle against many hands. It would be different if he had an army of zombies. With a single command, the army would swarm—who wouldn't be terrified at the sight of that? He could even lead them to exact his revenge.

This ability of his was practically designed for building a zombie army. It would be a total waste not to utilize it.

"You two, follow me." Qin Feng led the two zombies toward the cave. The three of them hopped in a single file, moving in an orderly fashion under the moonlight. If an ordinary person were to see this, they would surely be scared out of their wits.

After entering the cave, Qin Feng had them stand still and removed all the magical artifacts from their bodies. These items were highly damaging to zombies; the only reason they hadn't caused harm was likely because they were separated by clothing. It was safer to take them off. Since he only had two zombie subordinates for now, he had to cherish them.

After removing the artifacts, Qin Feng rummaged through their belongings and found five talismans—three on the senior brother and two on the junior sister. They were quite poor, he thought; he had expected more. Holding the five yellow talismans, Qin Feng hopped to the side and stuffed them all into his mouth at once. He didn't know what kind of talismans they were, but he was certain none of them were "zombie-binding" talismans. They were talismans anyway, and they smelled fragrant, so they should be edible.

As he consumed the talismans, they instantly transformed into a surge of immense energy. This energy flooded his limbs, bones, and meridians, strengthening his physical form and boosting his power.

"Boom!" Qin Feng’s entire body shook. Immediately after, a dense, black miasma leaked out, swirling around him. Qin Feng could clearly feel the changes in his body. His previously rigid shoulders could now move slightly. His scarlet vision receded further, and his grayish-white zombie eyes turned a deep, inky black.

Even though he didn't know much about zombies, he knew he had broken through again. In just this short time, he had advanced through several realms. He tentatively moved his shoulders; they felt like rusted machinery, stiff and uncoordinated, but they were moving. It wouldn't be long before he could move them completely. Once they were fully functional, his arms would be as flexible as a normal person's, which would surely further increase his combat capability.

He wondered what the stages of zombie evolution were and what level he was currently at. He also needed to learn more about those Taoist practitioners; they were his mortal enemies. Even if he didn't kill them, they would never let him go. Therefore, he had to know both himself and his enemy to win every battle.

"It seems I have to wait for my aunt to return," Qin Feng thought. His aunt was a disciple of the White Cloud Temple and a Taoist practitioner; she should know these things.

Time ticked by. About half an hour later, as Qin Feng stood at the cave entrance, facing the moon and absorbing its essence, he suddenly caught a tempting scent. It was his aunt's scent. Qin Feng felt a surge of joy. She was back!

He took a deep breath, swallowed a wisp of lunar essence, and stood at the entrance to wait. He had been trying to sunbathe in the moonlight, finding it very comfortable. He had discovered by accident that he could absorb the moon's essence, which also increased his strength, though the progress was slow. Absorbing it for a whole night was less effective than drinking the blood of a wild beast, but it was better than nothing—every little bit helped. He had to improve his strength as much as possible; he couldn't wait to take his revenge, and he needed the strength to protect himself against the Taoists. Had the senior brother and sister not been careless tonight, he would never have been able to kill them.

He didn't have to wait long. Mu Xue, his aunt, wearing a gray knit dress with her long hair draped over her shoulders, walked toward the cave with a bucket, moving as swiftly as the wind. The dress was somewhat tight, accentuating her tall, curvaceous figure. With her fair, beautiful face, she looked like a fairy who had stepped out of a painting. Compared to her, any movie star or model would pale in comparison. If he could rate her, she would be perfect, flawless.

"Feng'er?" Mu Xue looked at Qin Feng standing at the entrance, her pretty face full of astonishment. "Weren't you restrained by my zombie-binding talisman? How are you at the entrance? And your cultivation—how did you jump from the early stage of a White Zombie to the early stage of a Black Zombie so quickly?"

"Aunt..." A low, guttural sound escaped Qin Feng's throat.

Mu Xue took a step back, putting distance between them. In her eyes, Qin Feng still lacked sentience, and the low sound was a sign that he was about to attack. She flicked her right hand, producing another zombie-binding talisman. She couldn't bear to hurt him, so she could only use the talisman to restrain him.

"Snap!" The talisman flew like lightning, sticking precisely to the center of Qin Feng's forehead.

However, to Mu Xue's disbelief, Qin Feng reached up and tore the talisman off. He then rummaged through his own body, retrieved the previous talisman, pinched it between two fingers, and held it out to her.