My words have become law; I truly have no desire to display my divine power before others.

The steward thanked them and directed the guards to set up camp on another flat area not far away, where they lit their own campfires.

The carriage came to a stop, the curtain was lifted, and the girl in the moon-white dress—Lin Suwei—stepped down with the help of her maid.

Her gaze swept over the two people by the campfire, lingering for a moment on Ye Qingfeng's calm face.

He then nodded slightly in greeting with a graceful demeanor, said nothing more, and headed towards his own camp.

They began to discuss matters in hushed tones with the butler, and words such as "medicinal records," "pulse diagnosis," and "medicinal herbs" could be vaguely heard.

The old Taoist priest merely glanced over there, clicked his tongue, and said, "Oh, looks like a lady from a wealthy family, even bringing a doctor? In this desolate wilderness..."

He shook his head, seemingly uninterested, and continued working on his rabbit meat.

Ye Qingfeng also withdrew his gaze, sat down again, and silently ate his sweet potato, seemingly uninterested in anything over there.

Before long, Lin Suwei seemed to have settled in, and she gave a few instructions to her maid.

A moment later, the maid in the light green dress came over carrying a tray with several plates of delicate pastries, a small pot of wine, and two clean ceramic cups.

The maidservant gave a curtsy to Ye Qingfeng and the old Taoist priest, her voice clear and melodious.

"My young lady says that meeting in the mountains is fate. The food and wine are simple, please don't mind, it's just to ward off the cold."

The old Taoist priest's eyes lit up. He took the wine pot without hesitation, smelled it, and praised it.

"Excellent wine! Yuquanchun! Your young lady is so generous! Please thank her for me!"

He poured himself a glass and savored it with relish.

Ye Qingfeng accepted the pastries and thanked her, saying, "Thank you, benefactor. I thank your young lady for her kindness on my behalf."

He took a piece of pastry and savored it slowly, his movements still elegant.

The maid returned home after delivering the items.

The old Taoist priest seemed to talk more after having some good wine, but most of his conversation revolved around wine and wild game.

Ye Qingfeng remained quiet, only occasionally echoing a few words, and mostly listening attentively.

Listen to the sound of the campfire, the sound of the wind, and the whispers of the Lin family camp in the distance.

As night deepened, at the Lin family camp, apart from the guards on night watch, everyone else seemed to have already gone to bed.

After the old Taoist priest had eaten and drunk his fill, he leaned against his luggage and began to doze off, his snores gradually rising.

Ye Qingfeng sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, seemingly regulating his breathing.

However, there was some activity at the Lin family camp.

One of the guards whispered to his companion, "I need to relieve myself," and then, carrying his knife, walked toward a thicket of bushes at the rear of the camp.

Time passed slowly, but the guard still hadn't returned.

At first, the others didn't pay any attention, but the guard leader, a burly man with a scar on his face, gradually frowned.

He glanced at the sky, then looked towards the dark thicket, where it was eerily quiet.

"Wang Wu? Wang Wu!"

The leader called out twice, but there was no response.

Alarm bells rang in his mind, and he abruptly drew his steel knife, giving a wink to the remaining two guards.

The three of them, arranged in a triangular formation, cautiously approached the bushes.

"Wang Wu! Stop playing tricks! Come out!"

The leader shouted sternly, his voice carrying far through the silent forest and startling several night birds in the distance.

Just then, from deep within the bushes came a rustling, dragging sound of footsteps, along with a low, guttural whine, like that of a wild beast.

Immediately afterwards, a stiff, slow figure staggered out of the shadows.

The moonlight and the faint glow of the distant campfire barely illuminated its outline—tattered clothes, a stiff body, and skin that appeared eerily bluish-black and mottled with dark red in the dim light.

It lowered its head, making a "hoarse...hoarse..." sound from its throat, and an indescribable stench of decay permeated the air.

"Wh...what is that?" a young guard asked, his voice trembling.

"Whatever it is! Playing tricks, take this!"

The leader was quite bold. Seeing that the opponent was alone and moving slowly, he gritted his teeth and swung his sword! The blow was powerful and heavy, aimed straight at the opponent's neck!

"clang--!!"

A sickening clang of metal rang out, sparks flying!

The leader felt a tremendous force of recoil from the blade, his hand went numb, and the steel blade was deflected.

The "thing" was only shaken by the chop, leaving only a shallow white mark on its neck, without even breaking the skin!

The leader's pupils constricted sharply, and he was horrified.

The "thing" seemed to be enraged, slowly raising its head to reveal distorted and blurry features and eerie green lights pulsating in its deep-set eye sockets. It roared and its stiff arm swept out suddenly!

"Watch out!" Another guard hurriedly raised his knife to block.

With a "crack," the seemingly slow arm contained immense force, bending the guard's sword and causing him to stagger backward.

"Invulnerable to swords and spears... It's a zombie! The legendary zombie!" the young guard finally shouted in terror.

The three guards were immediately thrown into disarray. They were skilled in martial arts, but had never seen such a monster before.

It cannot be cut by a knife, possesses immense strength, and feels no pain.

They could only fight and retreat, in a sorry state, and were soon forced back to their own campfire, disturbing the others who had just fallen asleep.

Lin Suwei, along with the housekeeper and maid, rushed out and were horrified to see the approaching "zombie," which looked even more ferocious in the firelight.

The butler was in a panic, pacing back and forth: "Miss, what... what should we do?"

Lin Suwei forced herself to remain calm, her beautiful eyes fixed on the dark red mottled marks on the zombie's body. She quickly said, "Uncle Wang, don't panic! Ordinary swords and knives won't hurt it, perhaps... perhaps it's afraid of fire!"

"Fire?" Upon hearing this, one of the guards immediately pulled a burning branch from the campfire, tied it to an arrow, and drew his bow.

"Let me try!"

"Whoosh—!"

A rocket streaked across the night sky, hurtling towards the approaching zombie. However, just before the rocket was about to strike the zombie's chest—

Another extremely faint, almost imperceptible, pale golden light struck the rocket's arrowhead silently.

"boom!"

The rocket struck the zombie's chest, and instead of simply burning it, it suddenly exploded into a burst of light brighter than ordinary flames, carrying a hint of purification!

The zombie let out a shrill scream as a small patch of its chest was blasted open, charred and emitting a foul stench mixed with black and red smoke. Its forward steps faltered.

Previously, Ye Qingfeng had already slowly opened his eyes, his gaze clear and sharp as he looked at the chaotic Lin family camp.

He also noticed that the old Taoist priest beside him, though not immediately getting up, had changed his reclining posture.

Those eyes, which had been half-closed, now opened a crack in the shadows, their sharp light concealed as they quietly observed.

He frowned slightly and muttered something to himself.

"Tsk, there really are some blind fools disturbing my peaceful sleep..." His tone was impatient at being disturbed, but not much panic.

What followed happened in the blink of an eye.

The guard leader's powerful slash was easily deflected, while another guard's blade was bent. The roars of the zombies mingled with the screams of the guards.

One of the guards reacted extremely quickly, lighting a fire and nocking an arrow—

Just as the rocket left the bowstring and pierced the night sky!

Out of the corner of his eye, Ye Qingfeng clearly caught the old Taoist priest beside him, his right hand that had been casually resting on his knee.

With an extremely slight and swift flick of the index and middle fingers, he guided the fire towards his own campfire!

The movements were so small they were almost illusory, yet they carried a subtle rhythm and a sense of power.

In the campfire, a most concentrated and intensely hot crimson line of fire seemed to be precisely "pinched" out by invisible fingertips.

It arrived late but arrived early, as fast as a streak of light, yet it caught up with and perfectly blended into the flying rocket arrow without making a sound!

Throughout the entire process, there were no incantations or dazzling lights; only the campfire seemed to flicker slightly as a result.

If Ye Qingfeng hadn't been fully aware of the situation and hadn't noticed it beforehand, he would almost have thought it was an illusion caused by the flickering firelight.

"boom!"

The rocket struck the zombie in the chest, exploding into an exceptionally bright purifying fireball, causing the zombie to scream and stagger backward.

The Lin family cheered, thinking they had found a way to control the situation. Their emotions were high, and some even prepared to fight with torches.

Only then did the old Taoist priest slowly sit up, as if he had just been completely awakened.

He even rubbed his eyes exaggeratedly and yawned.

However, a fleeting glance from the corner of his eye revealed a mixture of scrutiny and subtle anticipation as he quickly looked at Ye Qingfeng beside him.

He deliberately displayed his exquisite fire control skills, mentally rehearsing several possible reactions from his opponent.

Surprise and questions, awe and requests for guidance... After all, true magic has a fatal attraction for anyone seeking miracles.

However, what he saw was an excessively calm young profile.