This celestial master cultivates both physical and magical arts; why did you provoke him?

Three days after the matter was resolved.

Xia En originally thought that after killing more than a hundred zombies and a thousand-year-old zombie king in one go, the broken place in the eastern suburbs would finally be quiet for a few days.

As it turned out, he was too naive.

Chen Guodong's phone rang at five o'clock in the morning on the third day, the ringing urgent like a death knell.

"Master Xia, something has happened again."

Chen Guodong's voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't slept all night. "In the eastern suburbs, in the area around the Chu King's tomb, another one has appeared."

Xia En closed his eyes and held the phone to his ear. "Didn't we just take one down?"

"This one is different. This one... is wearing Qing Dynasty official robes."

Xia En opened his eyes.

"He wore an official hat with a peacock feather on his head, a robe with a qilin emblem on his body, and court beads hanging from his waist. He also held a rusty waist knife in his hand. He stood in the center of the ruins, surrounded by more than thirty zombies kneeling around him, all dressed in Qing soldiers' clothes."

Xia En paused for a moment, then said, "You mean he was kneeling?"

"It wasn't him kneeling, it was the zombies kneeling before him. He stood, and they knelt. All in perfect order, like a court session."

Xia En sat up and took the lollipop out from under her pillow.

This is a habit he developed.

Hide one under your pillow before bed, and you can eat it when you wake up.

"I'm going there now."

He put on his coat and left the room.

Fang Zijian was already waiting in the corridor, holding his phone, his eyes shining like light bulbs.

"Another large shipment?"

"Yes. From the Qing Dynasty."

Fang Zijian was taken aback. "The Qing Dynasty? Zombies have different dynasties?"

"Zombies are not bound by dynasties, but they are bound by official robes."

Xia En popped a lollipop into his mouth. "This time, it might be a general."

Fang Zijian's eyes lit up even more.

Liu Ruyan came out of the house, carrying a backpack, her expression calm. "The car is at the door."

Shen Ye emerged from the corner, carrying a porcelain jar, a cold glint flashing in his silvery-white eyes.

"I'll go with you."

Xia En glanced at him and nodded.

The group got into the car and drove towards the eastern suburbs.

Before dawn, the ruins in the eastern suburbs were shrouded in a thick fog.

The searchlight beams appeared dim and weak in the fog, like candles about to go out.

Chen Guodong and dozens of police officers stood guard behind the defensive line, and everyone looked rather grim.

Xia En crossed the defensive line and walked to the front. Through the mist, he saw those figures.

More than thirty zombies, dressed in Qing soldiers' uniforms, knelt neatly on the ground.

They had their heads down and their bodies stiff, but their kneeling posture was so perfect it was appalling.

His back was straight, his hands were on his knees, and his head was slightly lowered.

Even if he has been dead for hundreds of years, even if his body has rotted, even if he has become a zombie that only eats people.

They remain kneeling, maintaining the posture they had in life.

And in front of them stood a tall figure.

The figure was at least two meters tall, wearing a blue robe embroidered with a qilin, the embroidered patch on the chest depicting a fierce-looking qilin.

He wore an official hat with a peacock feather on his head, which, although decayed, still revealed his former majesty.

A string of prayer beads hung from his waist; part of the string had broken off, and the remaining beads swayed gently in the wind.

He held a rusty waist knife in his hand, with indistinct inscriptions engraved on the blade.

His face was mostly rotten, revealing the white bones underneath.

But those eyes were still there, blood red, without pupils, only two burning lights.

He stood there, motionless, like a statue.

Xia En walked to within ten meters of him and stopped.

With a lollipop in his mouth and his hands in his pockets, he looked like he was just strolling in the park.

The zombie general stared at Xia En with his blood-red eyes and spoke.

His voice was hoarse and shrill, like a rusty iron gate turning, but his enunciation was surprisingly clear.

"Who are you? Why don't you kneel before this general?"

Xia En took the lollipop out of his mouth and looked at the sugar residue left on the stick.

Why should I kneel?

"I am a second-rank general of the Qing Dynasty, commanding 30,000 troops and guarding this region. You are just a commoner, and you should kneel before me."

Xia En looked at him and remained silent for two seconds.

Then he laughed.

"Brother, the Qing Dynasty is gone, why are you still kneeling?"

A flicker of emotion crossed the zombie general's blood-red eyes. "What did you say?"

"I said, the Qing Dynasty is gone. It's been gone for over a hundred years. Your emperor abdicated long ago. Your court is long gone. You commanded 30,000 troops? All 30,000 are dead. You were guarding a region? That region already belongs to someone else."

The zombie general's body trembled slightly.

He lowered his head, looking at the knife in his hand, and then at the soldiers kneeling on the ground.

Silent for a long time.

"You...you're lying."

I wasn't lying.

Xia En took out his phone from his pocket, opened a webpage, and pointed the screen at Zombie General. "Look, this is a history textbook. It says that in the third year of the Xuantong reign of the Qing Dynasty, the Xinhai Revolution broke out. In the fourth year of the Xuantong reign, Empress Dowager Longyu issued the abdication edict, and the Qing Dynasty perished."

"It is now the year 2026, 114 years since the fall of the Qing Dynasty."

The zombie general stared at the glowing screen.

He didn't understand what it was, but he could make out the words on it.

His body began to tremble violently, and the knife in his hand fell to the ground with a clang.

His body began to tremble violently, and the knife in his hand fell to the ground with a clang.

"No...impossible...my court...my emperor..."

"They're all dead."

Xia En put his phone away. "The emperor is dead, the court is gone, and even the world you served has disappeared."

"In this world today, there are no emperors, no kneeling, and none of what you know."

The zombie general raised his head, his blood-red eyes filled with pain and confusion.

"Then... then what is this general?"

"You are a zombie. A zombie that has been dead for hundreds of years and crawled out of its grave."

The zombie general fell silent.

He lowered his head, looking at his rotting hands and the tattered official robes he wore.

He looked at the soldiers kneeling on the ground, already unconscious. Then he laughed, a shrill and grating laugh.

"This general...this general guarded this city for three hundred years, waited for this person for three hundred years...and in the end...everything is gone?"

"Yes. Everything is gone."

The zombie general's laughter stopped abruptly.

He suddenly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes filled with murderous intent.

"Then why did you tell me? Wouldn't it have been better for me to continue guarding and waiting?"

Xia En looked at him, "Because you're hurting people."

"This general has not harmed anyone!"

"You crawled out of your grave with over thirty zombies, terrifying everyone within a ten-mile radius. And you say you didn't harm anyone?"

The zombie general was stunned.

"This general... just wanted to come back and see... see the city I was guarding..."

"That city is long gone. Now it's a residential area with a few thousand ordinary people. If you bring these zombies in, they'll die."

A flicker of struggle flashed in the zombie general's blood-red eyes.

"This general...this general does not want to harm anyone..."

"I know."

Shane took a step forward. "So I'm talking to you, not attacking you directly."

The zombie general looked at him. "You...you're willing to listen to me?"

"You've already said quite a bit."

The zombie general remained silent for a long time.

Then he spoke, his voice no longer hoarse and harsh.

Instead, it carried a desolate and sorrowful tone that tugged at the heartstrings.

"My surname is E, my given name is Teng, and I am a Manchu of the Plain Red Banner. In the third year of the Xianfeng Emperor's reign, the Taiping Army launched its Northern Expedition, and I was ordered to defend this city. After three months of defense, we ran out of ammunition and food, and no reinforcements arrived."

"On the last day, the Taiping army breached the city gates. I led my last soldiers in a street battle, but was captured after exhausting my strength. The Taiping army urged me to surrender, but I refused. They said that the Qing Dynasty was rotten to the core and not worth my loyalty."

"I said, whether the Qing Dynasty is corrupt or not is my business. Whether I am loyal or not is my choice. They killed me and buried my body in the mass grave outside the city."

He paused.

"This general has no regrets. No regrets about defending the city, no regrets about dying in battle, no regrets about not surrendering. But this general wants to know, what happened to the city I defended?"

Xia En paused for a moment, then added, "Later, the Taiping Rebellion failed. The city was recaptured by the Qing army."

A glint flashed in the zombie general's eyes. "Really?"

"real."

"And...what happened next?"

"Later, the Qing Dynasty still fell. That city was demolished and a new city was built. Now it's called Jiangzhou City, a very prosperous city."

The zombie general fell silent. Then he smiled—not a stern smile, but a relieved, gentle one.

"Good. Good. The city I defended is still here. The men I defended are still here. That's enough."

He lowered his head and looked at the soldiers kneeling on the ground.

"Brothers, get up. No need to kneel anymore. The Qing Dynasty is over, the emperor is gone, and we no longer need to defend it."

The kneeling zombies raised their heads, a hint of confusion flashing in their blood-red eyes.

Then they slowly stood up, one after another, like rusty machines restarting.

The zombie general turned around and looked at Xia En.

"Young man, thank you for telling this to me."

"I have nothing to repay you with, but this saber has been with me my whole life. I'll give it to you."

He bent down, picked up the rusty knife, and handed it to Xia En.

Xia En took the waist knife.

The knife was heavy and rusted, but the inscription on the blade was still faintly visible—"Kill the enemy and serve the country."

"This general is leaving."

The zombie general turned and walked towards the ruins. "Brothers, come home with me."

He led the Qing soldiers and zombies, step by step, deeper into the ruins.

Their bodies began to dissipate, turning into ashes inch by inch from their feet to their heads, and being scattered by the wind.

In the end, only the Zombie General remained standing in the center of the ruins.

He glanced back at Xia En and smiled.

That smile wasn't the savage grin of a zombie, but the relieved, proud smile of a general.

Then he disappeared.

Xia En stood there, holding the rusty waist knife in his hand, and remained silent for a long time.

Fang Zijian walked over from behind, his eyes red.

"He...he's gone?"

"I'm gone."

"You're not going to kill him?"

"He didn't want to hurt anyone. He just wanted to come back and take one last look."

Xia En tucked his sword into his waistband. "A general who defended the city, died on the battlefield, and refused to surrender should not die under a palm-sized thunderbolt."

Fang Zijian fell silent.

He looked at Shane's profile.

Suddenly, I realized that this person understood compassion better than anyone else I had ever met.

"Let's go. Let's go back to sleep."

He turned and walked towards the car.

After walking a few steps, he suddenly stopped and looked back at the ruins.

The fog dissipated, and sunlight peeked out from behind the clouds, shining golden and warmly on the ruins.

"The Qing Dynasty is gone, and you're still kneeling?"

He muttered to himself, "After kneeling for hundreds of years, it's time to stand up."

He turned around and strode forward.

Back at Qingheju, Xia En hung the waist knife on the wall.

Fang Zijian stood to the side, looking at the knife.

"You're planning to keep it?"

"Um."

Why?

"Because it's a good knife."

Xia En said, "I've killed the enemy, served my country, and defended the city. Though I'm worn out, my spirit remains."

Fang Zijian looked at the knife and suddenly realized that Xia En was talking about more than just the knife.

That evening, Fang Zijian posted a message on his WeChat Moments:

"Today, Xia En encountered a zombie general from the Qing Dynasty. He didn't use lightning magic or fists; he just said a few words to him: 'The Qing Dynasty is gone, yet you're still kneeling? You've been kneeling for hundreds of years; it's time to stand up.' The general is gone; he's turned to ashes."

"Shane hung his saber on the wall. He said it was a good knife. It had killed enemies, served the country, and defended the city. Although it was rusty, its essence remained."

The comments section exploded.

"I was moved to tears. A general who defended the city, died on the battlefield, and refused to surrender deserves our respect."

"Shane didn't kill him because he didn't want to harm anyone. He just wanted to come back and take one last look. This kind of compassion is more powerful than any magic."

"After kneeling for hundreds of years, it's time to stand up. That's a very good saying."

When the news reached Longhu Mountain, Zhang Jingxuan was meditating in the back hall.

Zhang Jingqing walked in with her phone and read the post on her WeChat Moments to him.

After listening, the old Celestial Master Zhang Jingxuan remained silent for a long time.

Then he opened his eyes and smiled.

"This kid is becoming more and more like a Taoist master."

Zhang Jingqing was taken aback. "Master, didn't you say before that Junior Brother had already surpassed you?"

"Surpassing me doesn't mean being like a Taoist master. A Taoist master is not only good at fighting, but also has compassion."

Zhang Jingxuan stood up and walked to the window. "He used to only have fists, but now he has compassion. He is now a true Celestial Master."

He looked out the window at Longhu Mountain, where the sun was setting.

"A general from the Qing Dynasty had been kneeling for centuries. He helped him stand up. This isn't something that fists can do; it's something that comes from the heart."

Zhang Jingqing fell silent. Looking at his master's retreating figure, he suddenly realized that his master was right.

The next day.

Xia En slept in late, a rare occurrence for him. Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, casting a golden line on his face.

He rolled over, buried his face in the pillow, and prepared to stay in bed for another ten minutes.

Then his phone rang, not as a phone call, but as a WeChat voice message.

It was a call from Zhang Jingxuan.

Xia En took it with his eyes closed. "Feed? Master?"

"Are you still sleeping?"

Zhang Jingxuan's voice came from the other end of the phone, filled with an indescribable excitement, "Get up quickly, your junior sister has arrived."

Xia En opened his eyes. "What, junior sister?"

"Ma Xiaoling. Your martial uncle Ma Santong's daughter, she's been practicing in another place and just returned to Longhu Mountain today. She said she wants to meet you, the top salesperson of the Celestial Master's Mansion."

Xia En remained silent for two seconds.

"Master, are you sure she's not here to cause me trouble?"

"What trouble are you causing? She's here to pay her respects to her senior brother. Hurry up, don't keep her waiting."

The phone hangs up.

Xia En stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, then sighed, rolled over, and got out of bed.

Fang Zijian was already waiting in the corridor, holding his phone, his eyes shining like light bulbs.

"I heard everything! Ma Xiaoling! Your junior sister! What does she look like?"

"How would I know? I've never seen it."

"Then hurry up! Don't keep them waiting!"

Xia En glared at him, put on her coat, and went out the door with a lollipop in her mouth.