Chapter 20: Encountering the Undead

"Are you serious?"

The beast-husbands had no patience for Gu Sihui's mockery. Their eyes sparkling, they pressed, "Are you truly going to take us to the Frita Mountains to hunt exotic beasts and zombies to level up?"

"Of course..." *Depending on my mood, anyway.*

Gu Sihui left the second half of the thought unsaid. Smiling, she painted a rosy picture for them, mixing truth with fabrication. "After that brush with death yesterday, I suddenly understood a lot of things."

She looked at her four beast-husbands from left to right, then pressed her palms together in a show of feigned piety. "I know I was a jerk and inconsiderate in the past. I did a lot of things to hurt you all for the sake of that scumbag and that green-tea bitch. But I’m different now. After all, you are all my husbands; it’s only right that I treat you all equally and be better to each of you. Only when you are strong can you protect me better, right?"

"Tch." Ying Nian turned his head away awkwardly, sneering, "Don’t tell me that after running away from home for so many years, your brain suddenly reset just because you mentioned divorce?"

"Exactly. Do you think we’ll believe your sweet talk?" A flicker of struggle crossed Shao Feichen's eyes. "Divorce! Even without a wife, I can still level up by taking on odd jobs issued by the Yuta!"

Gu Sihui gritted her teeth, forcing herself to keep up the charade. "Odd jobs are scarce and competition is fierce. How is a little puppy like you supposed to fight them for it?"

"You, you, you..." Shao Feichen pointed at her, his fur standing on end. "Didn't you just say you would change?"

Gu Sihui impatiently slapped his hand down. "Didn't I change? I have changed! Look, I’m not making you kneel right now, am I?"

Shao Feichen: ...

He fell silent, looking toward the quiet Teng Qu and Gong Zhengqing, hoping for some backup. To his disappointment, Teng Qu ignored his plea, keeping his head down and lost in thought. Gong Zhengqing, however, blinked his innocent eyes, looking between Shao Feichen and Gu Sihui, and reacted.

But it wasn't the reaction Shao Feichen had hoped for.

Gong Zhengqing stood by Gu Sihui’s side without hesitation, tucking his head obediently into her open palm. "I believe you."

*So obedient! How can there be such a cute little thing in this world? That supporting female character really deserved to die!*

Gu Sihui’s heart melted into a puddle. She patted Gong Zhengqing’s cheek and said, "Good boy, you’re the most obedient. We’ll team up later and go in without them. Hmph, let them stay home to sulk, sweep the floors, do the dishes, and wash the clothes—let them regret it to death!"

As she spoke, she stealthily observed the reactions of the other three. Shao Feichen, true to her expectations, was the first one who couldn't sit still.

"No way, I’m going too." He blustered, forcibly dragging Ying Nian and Teng Qu along. "You guys are coming too. Let’s see what kind of tricks this wicked woman is trying to pull."

Gu Sihui wasn't pulling any tricks at all. She had genuinely used the terminal on her wrist, connected to the Yuta, to apply for the duration to hunt in the Frita Mountains.

Standing on the solid ground outside the Frita Mountains, Shao Feichen dropped to his knees with a thud. He prostrated himself, his backside in the air, sniffing the fragrance of the soil. Unexpectedly, he burst into tears. "Ah! The fragrant earth! I don't even remember how long it's been since I smelled the scent of freedom!"

Shao Feichen's exaggerated dramatics attracted the attention of many people preparing to enter the mountains. Gu Sihui covered her face and began to inch away. *How embarrassing! If I’d known he was such a drama queen, I wouldn't have brought him!*

Seemingly oblivious to her body language, which screamed "I don't know him," Shao Feichen grabbed her and pulled her to his side. He didn't forget to lecture her: "It’s very dangerous here. A female like you without any skills shouldn't run around. You must stay close to us, you hear?"

Gu Sihui, her escape thwarted: ...

She said weakly, "Really? But why do I feel like being near you is the real misfortune?"

Shao Feichen: ?

The small diversion didn't dampen the beast-husbands' enthusiasm for leveling up. The group entered the Frita Mountains with the supplies provided by the Yuta. Once inside, Gu Sihui realized that the Frita Mountains, which looked peaceful and serene from the outside, were actually filled with hidden dangers.

The towering trees blocked out the sun, and the air was cold and damp, as if they had entered a snake's den. Gu Sihui snuck a glance at Teng Qu and didn't miss the look of comfort and contentment in his eyes.

The deeper they went, the thicker the toxic miasma in the air became. Everything was a hazy white, and it was easy to get separated from one's companions if one wasn't careful. Gu Sihui felt a bit of fear and instinctively looked toward the most steady one, Gong Zhengqing.

"Ah, Ah-Qing."

Gu Sihui struggled to widen her eyes, trying to distinguish his silhouette through the mist, and slowly approached him. She tapped him on the back, her voice trembling. "Is that you? Don't walk so fast, I... Ah!!!"

"Gong Zhengqing" turned around, revealing a decayed, twisted face.

Rotten bone poked through the gaps in flesh crawling with maggots, and in the hollow black eye sockets, half-eaten tissue and fascia hung in tatters. Half of this "person's" face had been torn away by something; his gums were exposed, and his single remaining eye was filled with a vengeful, bloodshot glare.

It was a zombie!

Gu Sihui’s mind went blank for a second. Facing the zombie’s clawing hands and snapping jaws, only one thought remained in her mind: *I'm dead!*

Although this zombie looked very old, with half its teeth falling out, Gu Sihui was sure that snapping her neck would be no more trouble for it than eating a boneless chicken foot.

*Clang—*

A hard, dark turtle shell unfolded in front of Gu Sihui. A white blade flashed, and the zombie’s head rolled away to the base of a tree.

The silent tree moved without wind; its massive trunk swayed and lifted, causing the ground to shake instantly. Before Gu Sihui’s brain could register that she had been saved, her legs went weak and she tumbled to the ground.

A second later, she was scooped up by a firm arm and pulled into a cold embrace.

The tree lifted its "feet," which had been rooted in the soil, and wrapped them around the zombie’s head, burying it deep underground. Through the gaps in the tangled tree roots, Gu Sihui saw other skulls, large and small, staring back at her with wide, unblinking eyes of despair.

She gasped for air, pushed away the person beside her, and bent over to retch violently.

Having seen the tree suddenly move and hunt for food, Gu Sihui would no longer be naive enough to think that the other trees here were ordinary, just perhaps a bit overgrown. She didn't dare lean against any of them, propping herself up on her legs and vomiting until the world spun.

*Rustle—*

The sound of wind blowing through leaves should have been peaceful, but at this moment, it made Gu Sihui’s blood freeze and sent a chill down her spine.

*Rustle—*

The life-claiming sound rose again, as if dissatisfied with being ignored by Gu Sihui.