Zombie Life Begins in Hongxi Village

After everyone left, Ren Tingting threw herself into his arms like a swallow returning to its nest and asked, "Ayi, what about me and Sister Lian? Can we become gods?"

Lin Yi pinched her cheek and smiled, "Don't worry, I've saved some for you guys."

Michelin stood to the side with a smile, saying nothing.

Looking at Michelle's gentle face, Lin Yi suddenly remembered something.

He was short of talent, and he appointed Long Ci as the judge in charge of rewarding good deeds, but the positions of judge in charge of punishing evil, investigating, and registering were all vacant.

Uncle Nine is not only highly skilled in Taoist magic, but also has a wide range of interests. He even knows a bit about how the Underworld Bank operates.

More importantly, Uncle Nine is an upright and incorruptible man, a natural-born judge.

Once he becomes a god, his Maoshan Taoist magic will surely increase several levels under the blessing of divine power, just like Uncle Qiu in later generations.

He grasped Michelin's hand, his tone becoming more serious:

"Sister Lian, as you can see, I'm short of talent here."

Your senior brother Lin Fengjiao is wasting his talents by working as a mortuary caretaker in Renjia Town. Why don't you ask him to come and help me?

The position of the head of the underworld bank is a sham job where you have to take the blame and get ripped off sooner or later.

"If he comes, I'll appoint him as a judge; that's a hundred times better than him guarding a few coffins in Renjia Town."

Michelle paused for a moment upon hearing this, then a gentle smile slowly bloomed on her lips as she softly said, "Alright, I'll have Amei go and invite him over."

Lin Yi nodded, about to say something, when she suddenly heard footsteps coming from the courtyard.

Mi Nianying held Qingqing's hand, and the two little girls skipped and hopped back from outside.

Nianying ran up to the group, let go of Qingqing's hand, took Michelle's arm, wrinkled her nose, and said:

"Sister, brother-in-law. Qingqing said we're moving to Hong Kong Island, but I haven't graduated yet."

Michelin gently stroked her hair, her tone as patient as ever:

"There are schools over there too, so you can continue your studies there. I've heard that secondary schools on Hong Kong Island are even better than here, with English and music classes."

"But I can't bear to part with Ayu and Xiaoyun." Nianying's expression was somewhat downcast.

Ayu and Xiaoyun were her two best friends at the girls' high school.

Seeing Nianying's sullen expression, Lin Yi had an idea and said to her:

"Nianying, don't you like Eileen Chang? She's studying at Hong Kong Island University now. If you go, you might even meet her in person."

Nianying, being a child at heart, forgot all about Ayu and Xiaoyun the moment she heard news about her idol, even though she was still reluctant to part with her friends.

She suddenly raised her head, her eyes wide open, and grabbed Lin Yi's sleeve, shaking it violently:

"Really? Really? Eileen Chang is really in Hong Kong Island? Brother-in-law, you're not lying to me?"

"Why would I lie to you? She's in the Department of Literature at Hong Kong Island University right now."

"Let's go to Hong Kong Island then!"

Nianying immediately jumped up, completely losing her previous reluctant demeanor.

Michelle and Lin Yi exchanged a glance and couldn't help but laugh.

Lin Yi then looked at Qingqing and asked gently, "Qingqing, can you contact your master, Master Yixiu?"

Qingqing nodded: "Master sent me a letter last week saying that he would be coming to see me in the next few days. Judging from the dates, it should be in the next day or two."

Lin Yi nodded.

Master Ikkyu was a talent he had long been eyeing—his profound Buddhist teachings, compassionate heart, and meditative skills far surpassed those of ordinary monks.

Lin Yi planned to make him the lord of the City of the Wrongfully Dead.

……

At 3 p.m., Zuo Lan visited again.

Zuo Lan wore a plain white short-sleeved shirt today, her hair was clipped behind her ears, and she was not wearing any makeup. She looked more tired than last time.

Lin Yi leaned back in her armchair and asked bluntly:

"Sister Lian told me you've come looking for me several times. Is there something you need?"

Zuo Lan stood up, bowed slightly to Lin Yi, and spoke sincerely:

"General Lin, first of all, on behalf of the organization, I would like to thank you for the weapons and gold you donated earlier."

Lin Yi waved her hand, gesturing for her to sit down, and didn't respond to the conversation.

After thanking him, Zuo Lan remained silent for a moment, then looked directly into Lin Yi's eyes and revealed her true purpose for coming today—

She hoped that Lin Yi could join them, lead the Independent Regiment in an uprising, or at least lay down her arms and accept reorganization.

Lin Yi listened to the conversation while holding her teacup, but did not answer immediately.

He leaned back in his armchair and remained silent for a moment, then slowly asked:

"If I join you, what will happen to my two concubines? How will I take care of them?"

Zuo Lan was taken aback, clearly not expecting Lin Yi to ask this.

She hesitated for a moment, carefully choosing her words, and said:

"General Lin, you are an open-minded and progressive young man. You should know that gender equality is a historical trend and an unstoppable force."

The status of a concubine is a product of the feudal marriage system in the old society and is inconsistent with the concept of gender equality.

The organization's position on marriage issues is clear—

"Okay, I understand." Zuo Lan was interrupted by Lin Yi before she could finish speaking.

He placed the teacup on the coffee table, leaned back in his armchair, and his expression was ambiguous, neither one of disappointment nor expectation.

Seeing Lin Yi's cold attitude, Zuo Lan became a little anxious.

She leaned forward, her tone urgent and sincere:

"My lord, if you truly love them, you should..."

"We should not give up on them even more," Lin Yi interrupted her again.

He put down his teacup and looked at Zuo Lan. "You're not them, how do you know they're not happy now?"

How do you know they'll be happy after they leave me?

"You're just a little girl who's never been in a relationship, you don't even understand what love is, yet you're trying to teach me how to be a person?"

"You—General Lin, I'm trying to reason with you!"

Zuo Lan was struck hard by the phrase "a little girl who's never been in a relationship," and her cheeks flushed red.

"Okay, then I'll reason with you." Lin Yi sat up straight, folded her hands on her knees, and spoke with a rare seriousness in her tone.

"You are not a fish, how can you know the joy of fish?"

This is a principle spoken by Zhuangzi, a Taoist sage from thousands of years ago. Since you have read books, you should know the meaning of this sentence.

You are not that fish, how do you know if it is happy or unhappy in the water?

Judging other people's lives by your own standards is a form of moral bullying.

"you--"

Zuo Lan opened her mouth, wanting to refute something, but the words got stuck in her throat.

Zuo Lan took a deep breath, suppressing the tightness in her chest.

She knew she had lost the argument, but she didn't give up.

The organization sent her to work on Lin Yi, which was not a task that could be accomplished overnight.

Ideological work relies on perseverance and patience. If you can't reach an agreement the first time, try again, or even three times, until you are convinced.

She stood up, intending to say goodbye to Lin Yi.

"Your father is dead," Lin Yi suddenly said. "I killed him."

Zuo Lan was stunned.

She looked at Lin Yi, her eyes instantly reddening. "You... what did you say?"

Her relationship with Shen Wei was indeed very bad. Shen Wei favored boys over girls and had always treated her badly. He even treated her like a commodity to be mortgaged in front of Lin Yi.

But a father and daughter are still a father and daughter. After being family for more than a decade, the bonds of blood cannot be severed with just a few words.

Her voice trembled as she questioned, "Why did you kill him? Didn't you get along well with him? Why?"

"He tried to kill me, but I killed him instead."

Lin Yi shrugged.

"It's that simple. Your father, that bastard, I kindly helped him deal with Cao Shaolin, and not only did he not thank me, he even tried to shoot me while drunk."

Tell me, should I fight back?

Zuo Lan fell completely silent.

She knew her father's character all too well.

Once Shen Wei gets drunk, he becomes a completely different person—violent, paranoid, and reckless.

When she was a child, she witnessed Shen Wei getting drunk and whipping the servants in the mansion.

Later, she heard from her mother that he had accidentally killed a concubine while drunk.

Therefore, she had no doubt that Lin Yi would make up lies to deceive her.

Given her father's personality, he was perfectly capable of pulling a gun on Lin Yi while drunk.

Killing someone in self-defense is justifiable under the laws of any era.

She couldn't blame Lin Yi, and she couldn't even speak up for her father.

This realization made her feel as if something was pressing down on her heart, grinding against her repeatedly.

She wiped away her tears, turned and walked towards the door. When she reached the door, she said without turning her head, "I'll take my leave now," her voice hoarse and low.

"Don't come again," Lin Yi said to her retreating figure. "I plan to move my whole family to Hong Kong Island in ten days."

As for the Yunxian Independent Regiment, I will make them lay down their weapons and accept your incorporation.

"Okay, I understand."

Zuo Lan paused for a moment, replied in a hoarse voice, and then quickly walked out of the main hall.

Also leaving was the budding thought in her heart, which was uprooted just as it was about to sprout.

Lin Yi leaned back in her armchair, holding her teacup, and looked in the direction where Zuo Lan had disappeared, then slowly shook her head.

The reason he revealed Shen Wei's cause of death to Zuo Lan was partly because he didn't want to hide it from her.

The news of Shen Wei's death would reach her ears sooner or later. It would be better for him to tell her the truth himself than for her to hear an embellished version from someone else.

On the other hand, there was also a desire to dispel this goodwill.

Zuo Lan is a good girl with firm beliefs and a pure will, but her path and his path are destined to be two parallel lines that will never intersect.

Rather than letting her harbor illusions, it's better to end this thought sooner rather than later; it's better for both of them.

……

Night fell, and the darkness was as black as ink.

Master Xu stood outside the wall of the Marshal's Mansion, followed by Zhang Dadan pushing a cart.

Although Qian Youcai did not take Master Tan's order, money talks, and Master Tan still found a sorcerer to harm Zhang Dadan.

However, he still became a disciple of Master Xu.

"Be bold, raise the altar, the higher the better."

"I'll have the Monkey King possess you in a moment, then you can go in and see what the problem is."

"Yes, Master."