6 Profanity

Qin Zhen certainly knew that humans would die from injuries, but she didn’t understand why Fu Qi suddenly reminded her of this. She had no time to ponder, as the sound of explosions echoed through the tomb, causing rubble to fall, some pieces striking near the coffin.

“Husband!” Qin Zhen shouted, hurriedly gathering the pile of bones on the ground.

Though she wasn’t sure what relationship she had with these bones, they had been inseparable for so long. Even if they couldn’t be husband and wife, the affection remained.

Clutching the bones, Qin Zhen shouted loudly over the thunderous blasts, “Your friends are tearing apart my home!”

Fu Qi crouched down to help gather the bones, apologizing, “Sorry.”

“It’s okay!”

“When we get out, I’ll give you pants.”

“...It’s not about the pants!”

In truth, Qin Zhen felt a flicker of warmth.

At this point, the tomb was likely collapsing; whether they could escape was no longer up to her. There were many clothes outside, but she had no money. Before she could earn enough to buy clothes, she needed at least one complete outfit to maintain the dignity of a zombie.

However, after recent events, Qin Zhen was uncertain who the tomb truly belonged to—her or her “husband.” What if it was his? How could she easily forgive the one responsible for their home’s collapse and decide where to place those bones?

“You, you…”

Before she could question Fu Qi further, another explosion shook the entire tomb.

Qin Zhen lost her footing and fell to the ground with a startled cry. The skull she held slipped and rolled toward jagged stones, but a hand caught it just in time.

“Anything else important?” Fu Qi asked, holding a hastily bundled pile of scattered bones in one hand while placing the retrieved skull into Qin Zhen’s hands.

Well, for now, she would forgive him.

Silently repeating this in her mind, Qin Zhen answered loudly, “The coffin! The illumination pearl!”

“If it holds no special meaning, leave it,” Fu Qi said, grabbing her arm and guiding her through the tomb filled with dust and debris. “You and your husband are the most important.”

Qin Zhen felt touched, though the words sounded strange. There was no time to think further. She followed Fu Qi, stumbling as they crossed the tomb passage to a side chamber containing a pool. To her astonishment, the chamber’s stone walls had collapsed, and the once-still water was rapidly rising, nearly flooding the tomb.

“This, this…”

“The presence of a deep pool here means the river must be nearby,” Fu Qi explained quickly. “The large-scale explosions above loosened the soil beneath, allowing river water to burst through the mud and flood in. Let’s go!”

His explanation came so swiftly it seemed he had anticipated this while inspecting the water earlier. Qin Zhen had no time to question him before Fu Qi pulled her arm into the rushing water.

---

The current was turbulent and murky, pressing in from all directions, blinding Qin Zhen to everything. Additionally, a powerful whirlpool dragged her downward.

Fortunately, she didn’t need to breathe, but she had no idea where to go. Luckily, Fu Qi held tightly to her wrist, never letting go.

Qin Zhen did nothing but clutch her “husband’s” head, like a rag doll being tossed by the whirlpool and Fu Qi.

The underwater turmoil lasted a long time—long enough for Qin Zhen to wonder: if Fu Qi ran out of breath and she couldn’t escape, would she become an underwater zombie?

That would be something new for zombies.

Though letting the skull she held slip away in the water was a bit inconvenient.

If only she could tie herself with water plants, but that would feel like walking a dog, which would be disrespectful to her “husband”...

Lost in such thoughts, she suddenly noticed a glimmer of light. The next moment, Fu Qi’s hand left hers and moved to her waist, lifting her forcefully upward.

“Splash!”

They broke through the water’s surface.

Qin Zhen had imagined many scenarios upon leaving the tomb: running into Fu Qi’s tomb-raiding comrades coming to rescue him, heavy snow outside, unfortunate passersby screaming at the sight of her undead form, or towering skyscrapers and mecha vehicles roaring overhead. But never had she imagined the first thing she’d see would be the cold barrel of a gun.

“P-people…”

Fu Qi was beside her but facing another direction. Hearing the voice, he wiped water from his face and turned, correcting, “These two gentlemen are international friends from Country A. Be polite. Come on, darling, say hello.”

On the riverbank, two burly men with blond hair and blue eyes pointed guns at them. As Fu Qi finished speaking, one of the men cursed, “Fuck!”

The sunlight was so strong it refracted off the water droplets on Fu Qi’s face, momentarily blinding the other man, who was slower to recognize him.

The other man’s expression also changed abruptly. Aiming his gun, he angrily cursed the same profanity.

“Fu-Fuck!” Qin Zhen stammered, joining the curse.

She was cursing Fu Qi too.

Now she understood everything.

Fu Qi had never outright said these were his friends, nor that they came to rescue him. He only said they would come for him.

So this was not a rescue from friends but enemies seeking revenge.

No wonder he kept asking if she was immortal and reminded her that humans die from gunshot wounds... He wanted her to take the bullets for him!

---

Qin Zhen felt a pang of sadness.

If Fu Qi had been honest—telling her that bad people were coming and asking her to look after him and shield him from harm when necessary—she could have agreed. After all, aside from Taoists, no one could truly hurt her; bullets and blades were ineffective, causing neither pain nor death.

Though Fu Qi was cunning and irritating, he had never truly harmed her. On the contrary, he had cared for her “husband” and, as promised, brought her out from underground.

He was the first human she had encountered after a long isolation from the world. They had endured hardships together, and as long as his requests weren’t too extreme, Qin Zhen was willing to comply.

So why did he have to deceive her?

Qin Zhen had thought they were barely friends.

Zombies could be quite heartbroken.

The sun was bright, and Qin Zhen suddenly found herself unable to adjust, seeing Fu Qi only through a narrow slit of her eyes. She spoke seriously, “I…”

Before she could finish the word, Fu Qi suddenly raised his hand and pushed her.

Only her shoulders and head were above water; she was leaning against Fu Qi’s shoulder, too lazy to tread water. The sudden push sent her backward a short distance.

Before she could regain balance, a gunshot rang out, the bullet striking where she had been moments before, splashing water all over her face.

Qin Zhen hadn’t even processed what had happened before another bullet whistled toward her.

This time, Fu Qi was too far to reach her and could only watch helplessly as the cold bullet pierced Qin Zhen’s left heart.

Qin Zhen stared blankly at Fu Qi, an arm’s length away. His thick brows furrowed as he tried to reach her, but another bullet forced him back.

Qin Zhen followed the bullet’s path toward the riverbank and saw the two foul-mouthed men, their guns still smoking.

“Bang!” One fired again, the bullet splashing water as it struck Qin Zhen’s heart once more.

She looked down in a daze, watching the dark red blood spread slowly from the wound in thin threads.

The words Fu Qi spoke before leaving the tomb echoed in her mind once more. Qin Zhen finally closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and fell backward with force.