Just as Li Bingyu stood there in a daze, Fan Jia caught up, shoving her to the outside of the circle of the Living Dead, casting a disdainful glance her way: "You are useless now, wait for the Master to deal with you." The other Living Dead fixed her with the same look, staring until her face flushed crimson, bright as a Fuji apple.

Everyone was preparing to fight Xiao Shu, but she squeezed back in from the outside of the ring, picked up the dagger from the ground, and shouted at them, "I just accidentally dropped my dagger, don't make such a fuss. Since Fan Jia says I'm useless, I am determined to claim this first merit myself. None of you are to move—this person is mine, and I will naturally take him down."

No sooner had the words fallen than Li Bingyu lunged toward Xiao Shu with the gleaming dagger, aiming a diagonal thrust. Xiao Shu was already prepared, deftly dodging to the side. As the dagger reached his ribs, he clamped both hands down, forcing the blade sharply downward. Li Bingyu was not to be outdone; she spun back, retrieving the dagger with a flick, and before it had cleared Xiao Shu’s body by half an inch, swept it horizontally, aiming to slash him across the waist. Seeing how quickly her moves shifted, Xiao Shu dared not meet the blow head-on. He executed a dramatic backward somersault, planting his hands on the ground, and when he rose again, he was nearly two meters away from Li Bingyu, far beyond the dagger's striking range.

However, just as he escaped Li Bingyu, Fan Jia rushed in from behind. He gripped his dagger, aiming a thrust straight at Xiao Shu’s lower back. Unable to see what was happening behind him, Xiao Shu only caught a glimpse of a sharp, cold light flashing from the side. Sensing that Fan Jia was about to stab him, he performed another forward somersault and, relying on instinct, kicked out. The kick landed precisely on Fan Jia’s wrist, causing the dagger to clatter onto the ground.

Just as Fan Jia bent to retrieve it, Hou Dayong burst forth. With speed too swift for the eye to follow, he snatched up the fallen dagger, leaped onto Fan Jia’s back, and brutally stabbed downward into his spine.

Fan Jia let out a piercing scream. The surrounding Living Dead onlookers could hold back no longer, surging forward with a roar. They split into two groups: one engaging Xiao Shu, the other facing Hou Dayong. A flurry of fists, kicks, stabs, and chops quickly overwhelmed Xiao Shu and Hou Dayong. They were reduced to covering their heads defensively, with no opportunity to counterattack. Xiao Shu thought that today was truly the end, resigning himself to the thought of waiting twenty years to become a formidable figure again.

Just as he thought this, he suddenly heard screams erupting from the Living Dead around them. One by one, they broke formation, and the quicker ones threw down their daggers and vanished instantly. Xiao Shu finally had a moment to breathe. When he looked up again, the surroundings were filled with stiff, vacant-eyed Zombies, all standing rigidly. Whenever a Living Dead approached, the Zombies swung the scythes in their hands wildly, hacking until the seven or eight Living Dead couldn't hold on and fled in a panicked rush.

Xiao Shu counted the Zombies—there were about twenty or thirty of them. The enemy was few, the defenders many; even the Undead were not entirely foolish. Seeing the situation, would the Living Dead remain to be captured? Yet, there were indeed some foolish Living Dead, and Li Bingyu was one of them. She stood quietly on the ground half a meter from Xiao Shu, having automatically dropped her dagger. She remained silent, made no move, and stared fixedly at Xiao Shu, her eyes brimming with despair.

Xiao Shu looked at her, then at the Zombies surrounding them. He saw Li Xiaohao standing alone outside the circle, gazing at his own kin with a look of helplessness. “When will you ever let me stop worrying about you?”