A Time-Traveling Zombie Romance (GL) - Chapter 5

“Bang!~” Just as the blade was about to cut my neck, suddenly, a strong force struck the back of the knife, sending it flying. Instinctively, I turned to look.

Yunxi was leaning against the door, covering her mouth with her hand, tears streaming down her face. Behind her stood a tall middle-aged man.

Master?!!

I froze. Yunxi noticed me looking at the person behind her and quickly turned, seeing her master. She ran to his side and said, “Master! You’re back! Please save my junior brother! She’s turned into a zombie!”

Suddenly, my body trembled. My eyes turned red, and I started walking toward my master, a bloodthirsty smile curling my lips…

The master said nothing, only frowning slightly. Yunxi quickly hid behind him. I launched a sudden attack, pressing toward him.

The master moved like a shadow, appearing behind me, and struck the back of my head. My vision went black, and I collapsed to the ground.

When I woke up, I found myself in a medicinal vat. Relief flooded through me—my master had returned. I was saved…

After a short while, Yunxi entered the room and saw me awake. She ran to me and said, “Junior Brother! You’re awake! You scared me to death! Do you know how terrifying you looked as a zombie?”

I felt filled with guilt and shed a few tears. “Sob… Sister Yunxi, I’m sorry. I promised I wouldn’t bite you. Sob~~” (Though Xiaoqi is 23 in modern age, she still behaves like a childish kid.)

“You silly junior brother, I’m fine. Don’t blame yourself. If you’re upset, I’ll be upset too.” Yunxi gently wiped my tears away.

Uh… the first sentence was fine, but the second part… (Some thought: Ah, this kid is overthinking again.) I blushed.

Seeing she had said the latter half, Yunxi blushed too. “I… I’ll go call Master,” she stammered, quickly escaping the awkward moment.

“Hehe, such a cute girl,” I chuckled, thinking of her as my little sister, even if she was technically my senior.

“Qi’er, you’re awake,” the master smiled as he entered the room and spoke to me.

“Yes, thank you, Master, for saving my life,” I said gratefully.

“Hehe, no need, no need,” he replied.

“Master, have you delivered the message?” I asked.

“Yes,” he nodded.

“Hehe, you little rascal, turns out you’re a ‘little prince.’ Quite a prestigious identity,” he teased.

“Hehe, I’m humbled. By the way, how did my parents react?” I asked, pretending to be embarrassed.

“Well, when I delivered the message, your parents had already anxiously returned to the capital. They immediately dispatched many people to search for you. This even caught the emperor’s attention, and he also sent people. Your mother cried in her room every day, and your father was restless, hardly eating or sleeping. So I rushed to the capital myself to deliver your message to the prince’s residence. At first, your father was skeptical, but upon seeing the jade pendant you sent, he immediately believed. After ten years of temporary separation, they agreed. Don’t worry, I know what you’re going to ask—I didn’t tell them you were bitten by a zombie and infected with corpse poison,” the master explained slowly.

“Thank you, Master. Ten years… ten long years…” I sighed.

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Thus, I stayed in the medicinal vat for roughly half a year. Gradually, the episodes of the corpse poison weakened, which made me happy. Soon, I would be able to come out. The master said he would teach me and Sister Yunxi martial arts for self-defense. With my internal energy, I could better control the corpse poison when it flared up.

Every day, I had to wake up at six in the morning to run—from the mountains down and back again. Heavy sandbags were tied to my legs each time. Initially, I was annoyed at being forced to run so early, and even more so with the heavy sandbags. Within a hundred meters downhill, I was already gasping for breath. After one and a half hours of alternating running and walking, I returned to the bamboo house, complaining, “Master, it’s unfair! You teach me and Sister Yunxi martial arts, but she doesn’t have to run while I do!”

The answer? I got a hard smack on the head, not even from the master’s room.

It turned out the master said Sister Yunxi had already completed her running at the “Yin hour” (3–5 a.m.) and was doing her exercises. I was speechless. That’s impressive.

After several days of running with heavy sandbags, my strength increased significantly. My endurance improved, and the sandbags seemed light. I could run up and down the mountain within an hour. Unexpectedly, the master added even heavier sandbags. At first, it was uncomfortable, but gradually I adapted. Within one to two months, I could easily run, even with the increased weight. When the bags were removed, my body felt light as a feather. I realized the master was training me in lightness skill. I became even more diligent—lightness skill was essential for escaping fights, a crucial survival skill for anyone traveling through worlds.

Three months later, the master added a new task to my schedule—daily meditation for two hours, cultivating internal energy. After learning and applying the internal skill method, “Po Yan Heart Method,” I could feel two forces circulating repeatedly in my meridians. Observing internally, the small white circle in my dantian grew larger. The master envied my progress, as I cultivated quickly, surpassing him in some aspects.

After internal energy, the master added martial arts training. My real hardship began here. Sister Yunxi, however, had prior experience, so she sometimes completed her tasks earlier while I was still holding horse stance. When sweat dripped from my forehead, she carefully wiped it away; when I was thirsty, she fetched water; when I was hot, she fanned me. During other times, she silently sat beside me, watching attentively. I took all her actions as expressions of familial care. For these ten years, life was both painful and joyful.

Day after day, year after year, Sister Yunxi and I gradually grew up…