owing his head.My mom's last name was indeed Shen, but she passed away a long time ago. I don't even remember what she looked like... And over all these years, I haven't met any relatives on her side...I thought I was seeing things. It's morning, how could there be a ghost

And that alleyway was a bit strange.

From where I stand, it looks like an ordinary straight alley. However, at the end there's a sharp right-angle turn, like a maze, with some confusing designs inside.

"Come up here." Long Ge stood tall on a stilt house, he pulled open the floorboards of the ladder, and we looked up at him from below.

He was still gloomy, his eyes sweeping over us. I guessed he was checking if Jiang Qiyun was following me.

Such a well-like staircase is too challenging for me, a pregnant woman. Although I'm thin, my protruding belly is quite noticeable, and climbing this vertical well-like stairwell is very strenuous.

My brother went up and bent over to reach out his hand to me. Long Xiao also crouched by the well and stretched out a hand to me.

The moment my fingertips brushed against Long Xiaoge's, a chill ran through me.

Unlike Jiang Qiyun's icy body temperature, his possessed a deathly chill and an oppressive gloom.

I recall the look in his eyes at the Grim Reaper's Inn, those emerald flames flickering beneath the dim lights.

He was extraordinary...

My brother and Long ge took me out of the well. After we went up to the third floor platform, the scenery was completely different.

Beneath my feet lay the densely packed buildings of Miao Wang City. Before me stretched an expanse of emptiness. On the clear, wide river surface, fishing rafts glided past, and on either bank, stilt houses rose one after another.

If it weren't for a towering, hulking zombie standing in front of me, I'd think I was in paradise.

The gigantic zombie was about two meters tall, too big to fit through the small door. It could only be tethered with an iron chain, standing in the shadowy darkness just outside the doorway with its back to the light.

The zombies were dressed in Miao people's clothes, their heads covered with thin veils. They probably looked terrifying and we were afraid they would scare us.

The mountain wind carried the heavy stench of death, and I watched from afar at this creature that had been kept captive, my heart pounding in my chest.

Unlike the frenzied Zombies, the Zombies controlled by a Revenant are forced into action through magical spells and incantations.

But the people in this village seem to be able to make these undead "monsters" obey.

Obedience demanded willingly is far more terrifying than compulsion by spells.

Can they communicate with these undead creatures

"Don't be afraid, as long as you don't make any aggressive moves, he won't randomly attack guests... Besides, I'm here, he wouldn't dare to come over." Long Ge reassured us lightly.

I always feel that he has an amazing spiritual awareness, like he has mind reading abilities. Every time I feel very uneasy, he will speak up just in time.

When we encountered a water spirit on the ship, Jiang Qiyun saw I was scared and prepared to subdue it. Just as he was about to perform the first move, he immediately spoke up to stop him, explaining that not only could he see Jiang Qiyun, but he could also feel his movements in real time.

"Long Xiaoge," I asked softly, "Can you communicate with the walking dead"

"Zombies" He lifted an eyelid, glancing at me with a gloomy expression, and said slowly, "We call them Covkwvtij, which means brothers."

I don't understand the Miao language, but I understand the word "brothers".

They are the ones who truly keep company with corpses, aren't they

The elder wore typical black Miao clothing, with a head wrap. Beside him was a young Miao woman, adorned with elaborate silver jewelry, her hat topped with horns that reached for the sky, proud and beautiful.

The young woman reached out and gently supported the elder's arm, showing deep respect.

Two people were waiting for us at the door. I was a little nervous. My brother had already learned how to greet with a bow and in Miao language, so I followed him and bowed to the elder.

The head elder's Mandarin had a very heavy accent, making it a bit difficult to understand. Thankfully, Long Ge was there to help translate for us.

After taking her seat, the young Miao woman immediately leaned onto Long Xiao's back, wanting to get close to him coquettishly.

My brother twitched the corner of his mouth, turned to me and whispered in my ear, "See Men with power are naturally attractive to women! They're all practically throwing themselves at him!"

The maiden seemed to have heard my brother's words and chuckled softly, "This is my fiancé, of course I want to be intimate with him. He's been gone for so long."

"Wow..." my brother said enviously.

Long Xiaogē's face didn't show any reaction at all, he just faintly said: "Sister, pour me some tea."

Their customs differ from ours. When getting married, they generally prefer older women and younger men. Miaolian women have a high social status and are beautiful and vivacious, possessing a bold and fiery nature. Generally, couples address each other as "elder brother," "elder sister," or "younger sister."

Long Xiaogé's "elder sister" was beautiful, but her eyes lacked the innocence and purity of a girl from Peach Blossom Spring. Instead, they were full of sharp, calculating intelligence, making us hesitate to make lighthearted jokes.

The High Elder stared at me for a while, then asked, "Was it you who broke through the Wan Gui Cave"

I nodded, hesitating before adding, “...to be precise, it should be a spirit child.”

He nodded slightly, his aged voice tinged with envy: "To be able to nurture a child of the gods, this is a great fortune... Can you tell us in detail about your affair with the Situ family"

This kind of task is my brother's job. I just sit here, sipping tea and listening to my brother talk with the Elder. He gave a detailed account of our encounters with the zombies, deliberately glossing over Jiang Qiyun's involvement, so that the other party wouldn't use me to get Jiang Qiyun involved.

I accidentally glanced across the way. That older sister was sticking to Long Xiaog's back, her hands nervously touching his arms.

If we weren't sitting right across from each other, I'd say her hand was already reaching for Long Gege's crotch.

With such a fiery fiancée, will Brother Long's gloomy personality be able to handle it

He didn't seem to react at all, letting the woman flirt with him. He just remained calm and collected.

That's some real patience.

Men who are truly powerful, capable of achieving great things and taking responsibility, tend to have exceptional self-reliance.

They won't be swayed by base desires unless they choose to be. To them, women are merely tools.

My gaze caught his, and Long Xiaogē's eyelids lifted darkly as he glanced at me. I was so startled that I immediately averted my eyes, pretending not to have seen anything!

The words of the Grand Elder reached my ears: “Our Great Corpse King, is the crystallization of the blood and sweat of dozens of generations… Over time, it has inevitably absorbed too much darkness and resentment. Lately, he’s become increasingly violent. We don't even dare approach him during rituals…”

"Sītú Lín said that if we told him the secret method of refining a corpse king, he could find someone to help us dispel the resentment in Dàshī Wáng's body, making Dàshī Wáng more docile... His family has connections everywhere, and we hesitated..."

I felt a surge of anxiety and blurted out, "Grandmaster, you can't cooperate with him—" in the distance was still glowing, but there was no one there.Where is everyoneI covered my mouth, stifling a scream.A cloud of black mist suddenly burst forth, transforming into a skull that charged...