Qin Dynasty: They've all turned into zombies, what's there to fear about a rebellion?

The purple flame flickered for only a moment in the night before turning into a wisp of smoke.

The paper crane carrying the highest command of the Yin-Yang School turned into a pile of meaningless ashes right under Su Ming's nose, and drifted away on the cold stone road of Xianyang Palace.

Su Ming leaned against the door frame, still holding half an uneaten apple in his hand, his mouth slightly open, his expression as interesting as if he had just swallowed a fly.

"Um... Lady Shao Siming?"

Su Ming swallowed hard, pointed to the small clump of black ash on the ground, and said, "If I'm not mistaken, that was an urgent order from your Eastern Emperor, wasn't it? You just... scattered it like that?"

"If your elders found out, wouldn't they think I turned you to the other side? I won't take the blame for that. Although we have a bit of a 'fluid exchange' relationship, it's purely academic research and doesn't involve any political stance!"

Shao Siming slowly turned around.

The night breeze ruffled her long purple hair, a few strands brushing against her cool and stunning face. She ignored Su Ming's incessant chatter, not even lifting her eyelids, and simply walked past him with her long, beautiful legs encased in white stockings.

A delicate, orchid-like fragrance wafted over, followed by a muffled "bang".

The exquisite bundle embroidered with Yin-Yang totems that she had been carrying on her back was casually tossed into a corner of the alchemy room, making a dull thud.

That was the sound of luggage hitting the ground, and also a declaration of some kind of determination.

Su Ming raised an eyebrow, looking at the figure who had already walked to the lab table and sat down on his own, a sense of absurdity welling up in his heart.

"Hey, hey, hey, what do you mean?"

Su Ming walked over in a few steps, placed his hands on the table, and looked down at her. "Your family called you back for dinner, and you didn't go back. Why are you staying here? This is a Buddhist temple; we don't take in runaway girls."

"Let's go, let's go quickly."

Su Ming waved his hand as if shooing away flies, "So that old charlatan Donghuang Taiyi won't think I'm trafficking people and come smashing my windows with his astrolabe tomorrow."

Shao Siming remained silent.

She simply raised her head quietly, her pale purple eyes staring intently at Su Ming.

The next second, she did something that left Su Ming speechless.

She skillfully rolled up her wide sleeves, revealing a section of her fair wrist, and then extended her arm in front of Su Ming, palm up, fingers slightly hooked.

The meaning couldn't be clearer:

Blood draw, dressing change.

"I……"

Su Ming almost laughed out of anger. "So you're just refusing to leave because you think I'm a free energy resupply station? Sister, that [Corpse God Stabilizer] is very expensive! It's made from rare and precious ingredients, not something that just falls from the sky!"

Shao Siming frowned slightly, seemingly displeased with Su Ming's dawdling.

The purple light in her eyes flickered slightly, and her originally aloof and restrained gaze now held a hint of inexplicable...resentment.

She even pouted slightly, looking like a little girl who hadn't gotten any candy, silently whining to her parents.

"..."

Su Ming felt as if his heart had been violently struck.

Is this really Shao Siming?

Where did the aloof goddess go? Where did the ruthless killer go? How come her image has completely collapsed after just a few days?

This isn't being coquettish at all; it's blatant threatening—if you don't give me the medicine, I'll stay here and "kill" you with my eyes!

"Fine, fine, you win."

Su Ming helplessly raised his hands in surrender, then turned to rummage through the shelves for syringes and reagents. "Consider it a debt I owed you in my past life. But let's get this straight: this medicine can't be taken for nothing, and the blood can't be drawn for nothing."

He returned with the syringe, skillfully inserting needles into Shao Siming's body while muttering to himself:

"Since you're not leaving, you're now one of my people, the Great Qin. I don't keep idle people here. From today onwards, you'll be my personal bodyguard."

"You're usually responsible for protecting my safety, and occasionally you'll cooperate with me in conducting human experiments... Don't glare, these are legitimate experiments! Also, if those old fogies from the Yin-Yang School come knocking on my door, you're responsible for fighting them off."

Dark red blood flowed out of the tube, followed by green medicine being injected into the vein.

As that familiar, cool energy surged into her limbs and bones, Shao Siming let out a satisfied groan, her tense body instantly relaxing, and an almost intoxicated expression appearing on her face.

The exhilarating feeling of power coursing through the meridians and every cell evolving is more addictive than any poison in the world.

She can never go back.

Having experienced this fast track of "corpse cultivation", who would want to go back to the arduous task of meditation and qi cultivation?

"Tsk tsk, look at you now."

Su Ming pulled out the needle, pressed the injection site with a cotton swab, and looked at Shao Siming, who was slumped in the chair, with disgust. "Where is the slightest bit of the dignity of the Yin Yang School's protector? She's just a drug addict."

Shao Siming slowly opened her eyes, the purple light in them becoming even more profound and eerie.

She flexed her wrists, feeling the surging power within her, a faint smile playing on her lips. She stood up, straightened her clothes, and silently walked behind Su Ming, standing like a shadow.

Although she didn't speak, her actions made her stance clear:

Transaction.

"Alright, having such a good-looking bodyguard will make me look good when I go out with him."

Su Ming sighed and carefully put away the test tube containing Shao Siming's blood. This was the core material for making high-level corpse puppets, more precious than gold.

He turned around, looked at the stunningly beautiful woman behind him who was half a head taller than him, and suddenly remembered something. He then solemnly raised one finger:

"However, we need to agree on three rules."

"First, you are not allowed to show any murderous intent towards me. I am timid and easily frightened."

"Second, you're not allowed to peek at me while I'm showering. Although I know I'm handsome, I'm a man of principle."

"Third, and most importantly..."

Su Ming paused, his gaze sweeping over Shao Siming's shapely figure before finally settling on her unwavering eyes, and said solemnly:

"Although you're my personal bodyguard, our relationship is purely professional. I only sell my skills, not my body!"

In response, Shao Siming gave him an extremely elegant yet disdainful eye roll.