Chapter 25: Zombie-Raising Holy Artifact, Heavenly Lady Ba (Seeking Monthly Tickets, Seeking Follow-up Reads)

Jiang Yan finally understood what it meant to see something you haven't seen in a long time.

Living too long indeed makes it easy to encounter all sorts of strange things.

Zombies and talismans could actually coexist, and could even be made into earrings and hanging ornaments to be worn on the body.

That is simply too disrespectful to talismans!

After all, talismans use yellow paper as a carrier and are inscribed with cinnabar; especially the talismans of the Celestial Master Sect, which are manifestations of pure Yang and represent the brilliant, righteous Dao.

Yet zombies are beings of extreme Yin and extreme evil.

The only connection he had ever seen was in novels, where it was written that Celestial Masters were buried in purple robes and had a chance of becoming Zombie Kings, but that was fiction.

Because Celestial Masters do not wear purple robes; the ceremonial robes of a Celestial Master are primarily yellow, symbolizing nobility and sanctity, representing "Virtue in harmony with Heaven and Earth, the Dao transforming all things."

Purple robes are worn by Great Masters or former officials of the Celestial Master, and are generally only used during rituals and ceremonies.

A true Celestial Master must receive the register from the Heavens to complete their great undertaking.

For example, the first Ancestral Celestial Master, while in the Shu region, followed the orders of the Supreme Venerable, entered the nether prison alone, swept away demons with his own strength, subdued the ancient ghosts of the Six Heavens, and established the Twenty-Four Governing Districts.

In the end, because he slaughtered too many ghosts and gods, the killing intent polluted the void, achieving a state where even the Old Lord would not come near him.

Afterward, in various legends, every generation of Celestial Masters, upon death, basically went to serve in the Heavenly Court or the Underworld, ranking among the immortals, and basically never became zombies.

But if they were to transform into zombies, it is indeed possible for them to continue using talismans.

Could it be that due to historical pathology, zombies have evolved?

"Not every zombie can use talismans; it's just that I am a bit special."

Zhao Yinman explained: "Because after I woke up from the coffin, I could master talismans. As for why... I don't know either, it's just that they make me feel very at ease."

Jiang Yan breathed a sigh of relief; if a zombie wasn't afraid of talismans, it likely wouldn't fear pure Yang either, becoming a perfect life form with no weaknesses.

If it was just a special case, then that was fine.

Jiang Yan asked curiously: "You said you woke up from a coffin? Wasn't it a historical gift obtained in a pathological domain?"

"I forgot."

Zhao Yinman said with a calm expression: "In any case, since I woke up, I haven't had any memories of the past. I only know some common sense and that my name is Zhao Yinman."

"The History Correction Bureau told me they dug me out of an ancient tomb, saying I was an artificially transformed zombie. It was likely a backup plan made by an ancient cultivator to extend their life, but it's a pity, she must have failed in the end."

Even though she was telling her own story, Zhao Yinman had no emotional fluctuations, possessing a sense of detachment as if she were an outsider.

Zhao Yinman said calmly: "Later, the History Correction Bureau determined that I was not aggressive and was not the reincarnation of some great figure, so they accepted me and helped me integrate into this era."

"Zhao Yinman? Could it be from the mausoleum of the Qin Dynasty?" Jiang Yan immediately thought of the daughter of the First Emperor.

That was a truly great figure, the daughter of the Ancestral Dragon!

"I wish it were, but unfortunately, it was just a tomb from the Ming Dynasty. Only some rituals and weathered altars remained; other than that, there was nothing."

Zhao Yinman's tone was flat, shattering Jiang Yan's conjecture.

Jiang Yan thought it made sense; after all, the Qin Dynasty was over two thousand years ago. A zombie nurtured by such long years would have to be at least of the Old Register level or even higher.

The strength didn't match.

As for the name... it is quite reasonable for later generations to take the names of their predecessors.

Perhaps it was just a branch of the Qin royal bloodline passed down, missing the glory of their ancestors.

It's just that this name is not auspicious.

Moreover, why could Zhao Yinman not fear Celestial Master talismans and not need to drink blood?

It was a bit like the original zombie...

The Heavenly Lady Ba.

The daughter of the Yellow Emperor became Ba after her death, helping him win the war, but because she brought drought, she was feared by the people.

Over time, this Heavenly Lady, who possessed divinity, was gradually stigmatized and evolved into a monster.

But she was still somewhat different from those zombies of the Ming and Qing dynasties that were stiff but not dead.

"Wait, you said I smell good, is that literal?"

Jiang Yan realized, his scalp tingling. How could there be so many people in this world craving his body?

As the words fell, Zhao Yinman quickly took a step back, but soon realized such behavior was not good, and apologized:

"Sorry, I... have a cleanliness obsession."

Although her expression didn't change, Jiang Yan could feel her disgust, which went deep into her bones.

You, a zombie, are disgusted by the blood of a naturally born spiritual body?

If the zombie ancestors knew, they would be so angry they'd crawl out of their coffins!

Not having to worry about colleagues treating him as a blood bag—Jiang Yan didn't know if he should be glad or not.

"Not my blood, which means..."

Jiang Yan patted his pants pocket.

The next second, two small ash-colored hands instantly reached out from inside, and then with a shove, *whoosh*, the upper half of the Coffin Spirit's body drilled out, its eyes looking around curiously:

"Master, is there anything you need me for?"

"Little Coffin is ready at any time!"

'So cute, so fragrant!'

The moment Zhao Yinman saw the Coffin Spirit, her eyes lit up, and ripples stirred in her cold, moon-like red pupils.

"Her reaction is the same as an ordinary girl meeting a cute kitten." Jiang Yan raised an eyebrow, almost thinking she had truly reached the state of forgetting emotions.

For a zombie, a coffin is equivalent to the relationship between a bed and a human; it is a daily necessity.

Not to mention this kind of Coffin Spirit, which belongs to the rarest of spirits; there are only a few such legends in the current world.

If it weren't for the gestation of a Demon God embryo, it's estimated that one wouldn't find many in the entire river of history.

Especially since the Coffin Spirit also has the ability to bury all things, combined with a zombie...

It is completely a holy artifact for raising zombies!

"That... I have an impertinent request..." Zhao Yinman spoke hesitantly.

"If it's an impertinent request, then don't say it. It is a very important partner to me."

Jiang Yan blocked her mouth in advance.

He didn't need to think to know she wanted to trade something for the Coffin Spirit.

But that was impossible.

The Coffin Spirit was the first offspring he nurtured with his own flesh and blood; it was equivalent to his family, even closer.

Anyone might betray him, but only the Coffin Spirit would not.

In Jiang Yan's heart, it was not an item that could be exchanged at will.

"I only let Master lie in me!"

The Coffin Spirit realized this bad woman was actually craving its body and immediately stated its stance.

It just sounded... weird.

"Sorry, it was my presumption."

Zhao Yinman apologized calmly; although she wanted to show emotional fluctuations, she couldn't.

"It's fine, we're all colleagues. It's getting late, I'll go first, you should rest early too."

Jiang Yan nodded, just about to turn and leave, when he was called back by Zhao Yinman, who handed him a thick black notebook, the cover also featuring talismans.

"I am very sorry, these are notes I wrote while learning about modern and extraordinary knowledge from the teachers at the History Correction Bureau. The content inside should be able to provide you with help, as compensation for my intrusion."

After speaking, Zhao Yinman bowed slightly to show her apology; her figure was too "e"-stounding, causing waves to surge and revealing a bit of fair skin.

Jiang Yan glanced at it, quickly moved his gaze away, and looked down at the black notebook in his hand, his expression complex.

"...Thank you."

By the time he returned to his room, it was already three in the morning.

Opening the notebook, what came into view were elegant, regular traditional Chinese characters.

[August 7, 2022. I crossed hundreds of years and came to a place called the Tianxia Alliance. There is no emperor here, no era name, and they do not record years by the Yellow Emperor's birthday.

They use the symbols of the Franks as numbers, calling it something... cultural integration.

The imperial court here is the Tianxia Alliance, and the Imperial Observatory (crossed out) History Correction Bureau within it accepted me and taught me knowledge, saying it would help me integrate into the modern era, but... why am I here? Who exactly am I?]

Through the text, Jiang Yan could feel her confusion after losing her memory and arriving in a strange place.

Flipping through the pages, most of them recorded Zhao Yinman's daily life after entering the History Correction Bureau, as well as the process of learning modern characters and Mandarin. During this time, the handwriting also began to change from traditional characters to crooked, strange-looking ones, though it became regular again after a day.

What was mentioned most often was the television and the cartoons on it, which had a huge impact on her.

The diary also wrote: The new world is so interesting.

On the bottom right of the first page, she even drew a Q-version little zombie with a talisman stuck on it, though the expression was still cold.

In addition to a large amount of daily life, Zhao Yinman categorized and recorded the extraordinary common sense told to her by the History Correction Bureau, making it very easy to read.

It mentioned information about many factions, and sure enough, the History Correction Bureau was indeed the largest faction in the Tianxia Alliance, bar none.

It was just that because the territory was too large, there weren't enough personnel to manage it.

So the authorities allowed these extraordinary factions to exist, but the premise was that they had to sweep away historical pathologies and maintain order.

Among those mentioned were the Wandering God Society of Minnan, the Shaman Sorcerers outside Shanhai Pass, etc., most of whose abilities were related to local legends.

The reason it was so consistent with stereotypes was that when the river of history washed over, the pathological domains and pathological creatures that appeared were all related to the legends of the region; this is what is called an anchor point.

Zhao Yinman's notes mentioned that pathological domains anchor to the present world; using flesh and blood is only the most basic method. It can also be legends, stories, or the panic in people's hearts, etc. The methods are diverse.

This is also the fundamental reason why the authorities prevent the spread of extraordinary information to ordinary people.

If not controlled, it would accelerate the surfacing of pathological domains and trigger chaos.

This notebook recorded a large amount of basic knowledge that Jiang Yan lacked; without realizing it, he became engrossed in reading it.

Ding-dong.

The vibration of his phone brought Jiang Yan back to his senses; he glanced at the phone and realized it was already nine-thirty in the morning.

There was a WeChat friend request, and he knew it was Ba Lie just by looking at the profile picture.

Because it was a close-up photo of old Ba, and the timestamp showed it was from last night.

After he accepted, the other party sent a message instantly.

"Come to the first floor quickly, otherwise it will be too late!"

(End of chapter)