Chapter 2 Upstairs

Second floor,

next to the freezer,

Zhou Ze stood for about half an hour.

Madam Bai was still lying inside, exactly the same as when Zhou Ze got up and left in the morning, without the slightest change, but the scene recorded in the surveillance camera couldn't be wrong.

Especially,

that glass of water,

he had felt it was a little sweet when he first started drinking it.

This wasn't a psychological effect because he hadn't watched the video before drinking the water.

In fact, Zhou Ze didn't feel too disgusted about drinking the other party's saliva. After all, he had just seen Xu Qinglang eat so many "delicacies" last night.

Compared to Xu Qinglang, his situation was just a drop in the bucket.

Of course, he wouldn't feel it was "sensual" either.

The woman in front of him, no matter how beautiful, was just a corpse, lying underground, a two-hundred-year-old corpse.

The thought that she hadn't brushed her teeth for two hundred years made Zhou Ze, who had a slight obsession with cleanliness, find it a little hard to accept.

She could move, and she went downstairs to drink water and then came back up.

Madam Bai hadn't told him the truth?

Or there was another possibility: because of his fingernails last night, this corpse had also undergone some changes.

Right now, Madam Bai's soul had already gone to hell to report. She probably wouldn't deliberately drop any bombs in the human world.

Little Loli had said that ghosts in the yang world had to keep their tails between their legs and "behave." Anyone who wanted to mess things up was just tired of living and feeling too comfortable.

However, having a corpse on his second floor was a completely different feeling for Zhou Ze than having a moving corpse on his second floor. No one wanted a dangerous and unstable factor beside their bed.

"Hey, big sister, why don't you wake up and we can chat?"

Zhou Ze said, leaning against the edge of the freezer.

He hoped that this female corpse would open her eyes at this moment, either fight with him or chat with him. They could seek common ground while reserving differences, at least break the window paper and stop playing mystery.

However, the female corpse remained unmoved, still lying there.

Zhou Ze took a deep breath and then reached in, his hand beginning to wander over the female corpse's body,

only hoping that the female corpse couldn't stand this "flirtation" and would angrily open her eyes.

Unfortunately,

the female corpse was still lying there, cold and unmoving,

unmoved.

Zhou Ze guessed that even if he really took off his pants and went up there, the female corpse would still maintain this state.

Withdrawing his hand, Zhou Ze pursed his lips, feeling a little unsure of what to do.

You can't wake up someone who's pretending to be asleep.

The next moment, Zhou Ze's fingernails began to grow longer. Then, Zhou Ze pierced the female corpse's arm with his index fingernail and began to slowly exert force.

"Pfft..."

The fingernail was like a sharp blade, piercing into the female corpse's arm. The female corpse didn't bleed, but a cloud of black gas began to spread out. For a moment, the entire second-floor room became eerie.

"Zhou Ze, what are you doing!"

Xu Qinglang's shout came from downstairs.

Then, Xu Qinglang rushed up to the second floor without regard for anything. Zhou Ze withdrew his hand at this moment. His fingernail seemed to be stained with a layer of frost, a little stiff, and a little bit painful.

"You're crazy!" Xu Qinglang looked at the narrow wound on the female corpse's arm and roared, "Do you know that a *hanba* appearing will bring drought for a thousand miles!

This female corpse is definitely not as powerful as a *hanba*, but once the aura stored in her body leaks out, it's enough to start a plague in Tong City!"

Zhou Ze wasn't in a hurry to pay attention to the exasperated Xu Qinglang but continued to stare at the female corpse's arm. The wound that he had just pierced was actually slowly healing.

This female corpse,

apart from her body still being cold and not breathing, everything else was really no different from a living person, or even more active than a living person's body!

"Hey, this thing was dug up by you and me together. If this thing causes any trouble, I'll also suffer the consequences, lose my lifespan, and even bring disaster to my descendants!

It's the same for you. If you make things big, even if you're a ghost messenger now, you won't be able to handle it."

The little bit of black gas that had just leaked out of the female corpse slowly dissipated. Because the amount was relatively small, and there were only Zhou Ze and Xu Qinglang here, their resistance was relatively strong, so it wouldn't cause any harm.

But what had just leaked out was only the tip of the iceberg of what was in the female corpse's body.

Zhou Ze sighed, "Xu Qinglang."

"What?"

"Put your wife at your place. Didn't your parents just leave? Let her go and keep you company. After all, you married her with an eight-carried sedan, officially and properly."

"What, what do you mean by this?" Xu Qinglang was confused.

"This thing can move on her own." Zhou Ze said the reason, "Today, she went downstairs by herself and even drank a mouthful of water."

Xu Qinglang's face also showed a look of horror, and the corner of his mouth twitched as he took two steps back.

Last night, he had said that if this corpse had an accident, it would become a zombie, and not the weak chicken in European and American movies who only knew how to "woo-wah woo-wah" and could be easily headshot, but a true zombie who "drank blood" and might even possess some supernatural powers.

"Thank you, I'm getting used to being alone."

What a joke! How could Xu Qinglang take over this hot potato, no, this hot atomic bomb?

"Don't you have some paper talismans? Stick them on her?" Zhou Ze asked.

"The talismans on my two knives can only have the opposite effect if they're stuck on her, stimulating her," Xu Qinglang said with a wry smile.

"Then what do we do?" Zhou Ze felt a headache. "Ship her out to sea and dump her? Even if she turns into a zombie, let her go and make trouble with the Dragon King."

"She can't leave Tong City. She was a Tong City native when she was alive, and she's a Tong City ghost after death. Once her body leaves the Tong City area, she'll have problems as well. Otherwise, why didn't Madam Bai deal with her before she completed her merits and went to the underworld?"

"Snap!"

Zhou Ze directly closed the freezer lid. Obviously, this question was unsolvable.

They couldn't burn her,

they couldn't transport her,

they were afraid of accidents if they dumped her somewhere else,

so they could only put her in his house and let him watch her at his own risk?

Zhou Ze now seemed to understand why Little Loli had gone to hell with a "biu" sound. Being a civil servant in the underworld wasn't that easy either.

Even after entering the system, those who worked at the grassroots level were always the most miserable.

Just like himself now.

"Take it easy, I'll make you some more plum juice tonight," Xu Qinglang comforted.

"And then?"

"And then I'll move. Didn't I say I was going to open a shop in a county town down below? I plan to move the plan forward," Xu Qinglang said with an attitude of sacrificing a friend for his own benefit.

After locking the freezer, Zhou Ze and Xu Qinglang walked downstairs together.

Xu Qinglang instructed Zhou Ze not to mess around and went back to the noodle shop. He should have been busy with his own affairs just now, but he sensed the leakage of baleful aura and was so startled that he ran over.

Zhou Ze sat behind the counter,

picked up the water glass and shook it in front of him.

The phone rang. He took it out and saw that it was an unfamiliar number.

"Hello, is this Mr. Xu Le? We're from the Chongchuan Traffic Police Brigade."

"Yes, this is me. What's the matter?"

"Is Xu Dachuan a relative of yours? He just had a car accident and is being sent to the People's Hospital."

"Okay, I'll come right away."

Zhou Ze closed his eyes and let out a dissatisfied hum. He was already annoyed enough, but something else had happened. Xu Dachuan should be the uncle he had treated to lunch.

But he couldn't not go. Although the man had specifically come to the city to visit Xu Le, not him, Zhou Ze, the local products he had brought had been given by Zhou Ze to Xu Qinglang as ingredients.

Zhou Ze looked at his fingernails.

If Xu Dachuan was really in mortal danger,

should he save him or not?

Thinking of the backlash and pain he had suffered after saving Little Loli last time, Zhou Ze felt a chill in his heart. Forget it, he hoped he wasn't in any serious trouble.

Walking out of the shop, he took a taxi. In the car, Zhou Ze sent a WeChat message to Xu Qinglang, saying that he was going out for a while and asked him to watch the shop.

By the time he arrived at the People's Hospital, it was already eight o'clock in the evening. Zhou Ze asked at the front desk and learned that Xu Dachuan wasn't in mortal danger and had already been transferred to a ward, so he felt relieved.

Pushing open the ward door, Zhou Ze paused when he walked in. He saw Doctor Lin standing next to Xu Dachuan's hospital bed, keeping him company.

One of Xu Dachuan's legs was propped up, probably fractured. There were also a few abrasions on his face, but he was in good spirits, chatting with his niece-in-law with great energy.

Zhou Ze came over and exchanged glances with Doctor Lin.

"Thank you, I appreciate it," Zhou Ze said.

"It's what I should do." Doctor Lin stood up and explained, "I wasn't home during the day, I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Zhou Ze waved his hand.

Doctor Lin walked out of the ward. Zhou Ze stayed with his uncle and said a few words. The long-distance bus had a car accident before it even left the urban area. Only Xu Dachuan was a bit unlucky, falling and fracturing his left leg. The other passengers only had some abrasions and minor problems.

Xu Dachuan didn't seem to care much about his injury but repeatedly said, "My niece-in-law is still a good person."

Zhou Ze smiled, told Xu Dachuan to rest well, and then walked out of the ward.

Doctor Lin was standing next to the front desk, where a nurse was sitting, looking uncomfortable.

Zhou Ze was about to leave, but he had to say goodbye to Doctor Lin. The two of them hadn't been in contact for a long time, but he had to do the polite thing.

However, as he approached, Zhou Ze heard the cry of an infant, very weak, like a kitten.

Zhou Ze didn't take it seriously at first, but as he got closer to Doctor Lin, he found that the infant's cry became clearer.

Could it be that Doctor Lin was being haunted by a little ghost?

Zhou Ze was still sizing things up, deliberately standing behind Doctor Lin and looking around.

"It's okay, Sister Lin, I have a stomach problem, an old ailment. I'll be fine after I take some medicine later." The nurse thanked Doctor Lin for her concern.

"Take care of yourself." Doctor Lin comforted.

At this time, Doctor Lin noticed Zhou Ze, who was standing behind her somewhat... "suspiciously."

"You..."

"Wait." Zhou Ze raised his hand and listened carefully again. Finally, he looked at the nurse's stomach.

The sound wasn't coming from Doctor Lin but from inside the nurse's body.

Zhou Ze, who used to be a doctor, immediately understood what was going on.

"You're pregnant," Zhou Ze said to the nurse. At this time, Zhou Ze couldn't afford to be subtle and considerate of her feelings.

"What?" The nurse looked confused.

"Don't talk nonsense. Xiao Chen isn't married and doesn't have a boyfriend," Doctor Lin glared at her "husband."

"I don't know who you got pregnant with, but you'd better get checked out now. Also, I'll remind you that you're at risk of miscarriage," Zhou Ze said with certainty.

The fetus was very unstable, and the cry in the dark represented the instinctive sadness of an unborn little guy. This was also why Zhou Ze didn't care about the other party's feelings.

A human life was a matter of life and death.

The nurse, Xiao Chen, stood up abruptly with a look of anxiety on her face. Obviously, she didn't know that she was pregnant, but she knew that she had engaged in "high-risk" behavior, so the possibility of conception was high.

Doctor Lin also saw what was happening and immediately took Xiao Chen away in a hurry.

Zhou Ze stretched and thought it was a pity that Xu Le had studied civil engineering. If Xu Le had studied medicine, then he estimated that he would soon become the most famous doctor not only in Tong City but even in the entire Su province.

Going downstairs, he bought a box of milk and some daily necessities for Xu Dachuan. After Zhou Ze delivered them to Xu Dachuan's ward, he walked out again, this time really planning to leave. After all, the woman at home really made him feel uneasy.

Coincidentally, Doctor Lin walked out of the elevator. She looked a little heavy.

"What's wrong?"

"How did you know Xiao Chen was pregnant?" Doctor Lin asked.

"I studied some traditional Chinese medicine," Zhou Ze lied. "How's the situation over there?"

"Xiao Chen plans to keep the child, but it's hard to say whether she can keep it. She didn't pay attention at all before." After Doctor Lin finished speaking, she said to Zhou Ze, "Are you going back? Wait for me to change my clothes, and I'll drive you."

Just like that, Zhou Ze left the hospital in Doctor Lin's Cayenne.

Along the way, the two of them didn't say much. Their "marital" relationship had also dropped to freezing point because of what had happened last time.

When they were almost at the bookstore, Zhou Ze felt that he should find a topic to chat about, otherwise it would be too depressing. He said, "You've posted a lot of photos of *hanfu* in your WeChat Moments. Do you like them very much?"

"Yeah." Doctor Lin nodded.

"I like them too." Zhou Ze touched his nose. "Do you have any *hanfu*? Can you wear them for me to see someday?"

Doctor Lin didn't answer, seemingly too lazy to take up the topic.

The car stopped in front of the bookstore. Zhou Ze got out of the car. To Zhou Ze's surprise, Doctor Lin also got out of the car, seemingly planning to go into the bookstore with him.

Heh, this woman is really strong. Isn't she afraid of being like last time and having me do that to her?

"I'm going to get a few magazines to read at work," Doctor Lin said.

"Yeah." Zhou Ze nodded. He knew that this was also Doctor Lin expressing a desire for reconciliation in a disguised way. This woman was really not easy.

In the style of Lu Xun: This woman has once again bowed her head to feudal ethics, that is, to this nominal "husband."

In ancient times, Doctor Lin would have been a typical pitiful woman who was deeply poisoned and persecuted by feudal ethics.

Pushing open the bookstore door, Zhou Ze was surprised to find Xu Qinglang sitting on a plastic stool reading a book, but the book in his hand was clearly upside down. What the hell was he reading?

Xu Qinglang squeezed out a smile for Zhou Ze with difficulty, but it looked worse than crying.

Doctor Lin took a few more glances at this man who was even better-looking than most women and then went straight to the bookshelf to pick out magazines.

Zhou Ze handed Xu Qinglang a cigarette and said in a low voice, "What's wrong with you? You're out of your mind."

Just then,

footsteps came from the stairwell. A woman wearing an ancient white dress walked down gracefully, her figure slender and carrying a gentle aura.

When she saw Zhou Ze,

she bowed slightly,

and said very respectfully,

"You're back."

The magazine that Doctor Lin was holding in her hand

fell to the ground.

At the same time, she said coldly,

"It seems, I don't need to wear it for you to see."