Chapter 50: My Work, Baking Bread

The so-called Soul-Summoning Bell is one of the essential spells for every Miao sorceress. With its ringing, it can bewilder a person’s mind, rendering them completely at her mercy. However, this technique only works on virgins. I might not know all the details, but if even an expert like Wang Sheng didn’t understand, then Uncle Mao’s efforts would be completely wasted.

Fortunately, Wang Sheng was well-versed in the Soul-Summoning Bell that Tong Xuan used. He hurriedly put down what he was doing and began chanting Daoist incantations to counteract the effects of the bell. I saw that each chime from the bell was like a shockwave, colliding with the defensive wall formed by Wang Sheng’s Daoist mantras.

Though the power of the Soul-Summoning Bell was not to be underestimated, Wang Sheng’s orthodox Maoshan Daoist arts were formidable in their own right.

As for me, being no ordinary person, the Soul-Summoning Bell had minimal effect. If I were to be controlled by this little girl, wouldn’t that be a disgrace to my title as the world’s foremost Zombie Ancestor, Jiang Chen?

I quietly crept behind Tong Xuan, spread my large wings, and shrouded the entire room in darkness. Then, grinning mischievously behind her, I said, “Not so clever now, are you?” Immediately, Tong Xuan let out a sharp scream, “Ah! Pervert!” She stopped shaking the bell, covered her chest with both arms, and tried to spin around to slap me.

I just chuckled at her, which only led to another scream: “Help! There’s a zombie!” She backed away toward Wang Sheng, clung to his arm, and pointed at me. “Quick, subdue him, he’s a zombie!”

Wang Sheng’s face was flushed and hot—after all, a beautiful woman’s soft chest was pressed against his arm. Who could remain unmoved under such circumstances?

He managed an “Oh!” and forced himself out of his daze, saying, “Did you know? I’m actually a zombie too.” With that, he struck a pose, and who knows when he had slipped in a pair of fake fangs. Tong Xuan fainted from fright.

I urged Wang Sheng to get back to business and seal away the two ghosts first. After that, I set out to carry Tong Xuan on my back while Wang Sheng carried Er Peng. But to my surprise, he insisted on switching with me, so I ended up carrying Er Peng while he carried Tong Xuan. We lugged them all the way back to Er Peng’s office before the matter was settled.

At dawn the next day, the staff began arriving for work. Er Peng had already recovered from his fright, but Tong Xuan remained unconscious.

Er Peng asked me about what happened the previous night. Wang Sheng and I feigned ignorance, so Wang Sheng replied, “You were just hallucinating. From now on, your Ran Corporation will never be haunted again—it was all an illusion.”

After Wang Sheng finished, I asked Er Peng to arrange a car for me; I needed to visit Uncle Mao. As for Tong Xuan, naturally, she was packed into a large box and sent off to the suburbs along with us.

Er Peng was as generous as ever—just for this short trip, he sent us off in his Ferrari. The box was stowed in the trunk. After bidding farewell to Er Peng, his personal driver took us straight to the outskirts, stopping a hundred meters from Uncle Mao’s house as I instructed.

Once there, the driver turned back. Since Wang Sheng was so eager to carry Tong Xuan, he was naturally the one to haul the box. Even with just a hundred meters to go, he was panting heavily—after all, it’s no small feat to carry a girl weighing over ninety pounds.

When we arrived, Uncle Mao greeted me with a big hug and asked about the cargo on Wang Sheng’s back. I recounted everything that had happened over the past few days. Uncle Mao’s little mustache twitched in surprise. Then he said, “I never expected Miao sorcery to have survived. Back in the day, our ancestors suffered greatly from their tricks during the corpse-herding days. Alright, let’s deal with the ghosts first, then settle accounts with this Miao girl.”

Just as he finished speaking, we heard movement from inside the box. Tong Xuan’s voice came: “If you dare harm them, you’ll regret it—I’m not done with you yet!”

Uncle Mao stroked his mustache and signaled to Wang Sheng to open the box. It turned out the girl had been awake since she got out of the car.

Wang Sheng hauled Tong Xuan out, putting on a fierce expression as he stared down at the lovely girl.

I could tell Tong Xuan was not yet twenty. Her natural charm even made the elderly Uncle Mao pity her. But Uncle Mao, at his age, was only briefly distracted. In that fleeting moment, though, I sensed a touch of sorrow on his brow—as if some memory had surfaced.

Uncle Mao took the jar from Wang Sheng, affixed another talisman, and set it in a corner with several similar jars. Some looked old and worn, while others, like this one, were new.

After this, Uncle Mao turned to Wang Sheng. “Keep a close eye on these jars. If the ones on top break, ancient evil spirits could wreak havoc on the world. If the middle ones break, you’ll unleash a misfortune for the ages. If the bottom ones break, restless souls will never be laid to rest. In short, do not let them break. If they do, disaster will follow.” As he spoke, he edged closer to Wang Sheng, as if specifically warning him.

And rightly so—ever since yesterday, Wang Sheng had been acting a little off, his eyes always sneaking glances at Tong Xuan. If she were to harbor any wicked thoughts, I feared Wang Sheng would be all too willing to join her in mischief.

With that, the matter was more or less settled. Since I had work in the city, I couldn’t linger. I walked over to Tong Xuan and said, “Miss Tong, shall I escort you home?”

She pursed her lips and replied, “No need, Mr. Zombie. I’m afraid you’ll drink my blood on the way. I’ll stay here with my... aunt. You go on home.”

I didn’t understand why she corrected herself from “mother” to “aunt,” but I didn’t dwell on it. After bidding Uncle Mao farewell, I left.

As I departed, I noticed Uncle Mao’s gaze lingering on that jar, as if he had something left unsaid. But just then, my phone rang—work was calling me back. I didn’t have time to ponder further and flagged down a taxi straight to the city’s upscale bakery.

When I arrived, five young women were already bustling about. I hurried into the changing room, put on my work uniform, and got to it. As soon as the boss lady caught sight of me, I got a full ten-minute scolding, leaving me utterly embarrassed in front of the girls. All I could do was bow my head and say, “Sorry, boss. I won’t be late next time.” Luckily, she was forgiving and let it go.

The girls, all quite pretty, laughed and teased, their bright smiles like blooming flowers. The six of us made up the entire staff of this upscale bakery.

Despite being only two stories tall, this little bakery was the best in the city. The number of returning customers was astonishing—I could hardly believe it, yet it was true.

Back among the girls, my real life resumed. They wore ultra-short skirts and colorful knee-high socks, making my face flush red and my heart pound wildly.

Just then, someone played a trendy song, adding a burst of energy to our baking and cake-making. Our efficiency soared, and trays of steaming bread were snatched up as soon as they came out, right up till closing time in the afternoon.