Zhou Huan was instantly thrown into a panic upon hearing the news of another zombie. Had the case just closed only for this to begin? A shadow crossed Zhou Huan’s brow. What was Tian Lang trying to accomplish? He hadn't wronged Tian Lang in any way, so why was he now being treated like an enemy, seemingly intent on causing trouble?

“Master, perhaps we should open the Purple Jade Gourd and question him again?” Shi Bingyuan, being older and more experienced, had seen right through Zhou Huan’s thoughts and posed the question.

Zhou Huan shook his head. “Let’s not. Let him stay inside. Besides, it might not even be him who conjured the zombie. Take me to see the site first, after we eat.” After everyone had eaten, Tian Xiong led Zhou Huan and Shi Bingyuan to the location where the incident occurred, while Dongzi and Hong Kun took the three women back to rest.

The site of the incident was a courtyard surrounding ancient, mud-plastered houses with thatched roofs—a sight that genuinely surprised Zhou Huan.

“Tian Xiong, are you sure this is the place?”

“Yes, Master, I am certain. Especially that house. Tell me, where else in this day and age can you find a structure like that? It’s completely absurd.” Tian Xiong shared Zhou Huan’s disbelief.

Shi Bingyuan interjected, “Master, these houses here are strange enough. And they talk about supernatural occurrences—it’s been obviously abnormal since we entered this area.”

“Hahaha!” Zhou Huan threw his head back and laughed. “That’s even better! We are already within someone’s control zone, so what’s there to worry about? Let’s go inside and take a look!”

The master and his disciples were thinking along the same lines. In this modern society, especially so close to the city, how could there still be a thatched cottage? This fact alone sparked suspicion. In ancient times, this would be normal, but now, there was no conceivable reason for it. Therefore, the three decided to play along and let nature take its course, saving themselves unnecessary exertion.

The trio entered the courtyard. The moment they stepped inside, Zhou Huan noticed a thick miasma of death covering the ground—black smoke rising, accompanied by waves of intensely foul, fishy odor.

A sudden gust of wind blew open the door of the thatched cottage, and an old woman emerged. Her face was ravaged with sores, her graying hair matted with greasy residue, and a thin, viscous fluid perpetually dripped from the corners of her mouth.

“Master, what is that smell? It’s killing me!” Tian Xiong was nearly overwhelmed by the odor wafting from the house. He covered his mouth. “It wasn’t here when we first arrived. And where did this old woman come from?”

“What?” Hearing Tian Xiong’s words, Zhou Huan immediately became suspicious of the old woman. Her appearance and attire were profoundly unnatural; such a person shouldn't exist, and if they did, someone would surely have dealt with them already.

The old woman noticed the wariness of the three men and suddenly burst into laughter. “You three little pawns, you actually dare to come here to investigate something?” She followed this with a bout of maniacal laughter, and as she did, her teeth suddenly elongated grotesquely. “Let me tell you, the fact that you can see my house, the fact that you can see me, proves you have an affinity with me. If you want to know what’s truly going on, hmph, then follow me. Otherwise, you’ll have more zombies here.”

As she spoke, the old woman retreated back into the house and gently closed the door behind her.

Seeing this, Zhou Huan and the other two immediately tried to follow, reaching out to push the door open. However, for some inexplicable reason, the door refused to budge, even against the combined force and skill of the three formidable martial artists. They resorted to pounding and kicking, but the door remained sealed.

“Crack!” A bolt of lightning, seemingly from nowhere, instantly ignited the dry thatch of the cottage. With a passing breeze, the house began to burn fiercely.

“Ma’am, come out quickly, or you’ll be burned alive! We can discuss our business another time!” Zhou Huan shouted, but there was no response from inside.

The fire raged higher and higher, threatening to collapse the structure. The three men, helpless, turned and fled. They managed to run several dozen meters away before turning back, only to freeze in stunned silence. The house that had been engulfed in roaring flames had vanished without a trace. All that remained was pitch darkness. Where they had been standing was now a cemetery, and the site of the fire was a lone, isolated grave, marked only by a half-broken tombstone.

“What is this?” Zhou Huan asked Tian Xiong.

Tian Xiong struggled to recall the events when they first arrived to handle the situation; something had felt off. He concentrated fiercely, then turned back. “That’s right, Master. When I received the call earlier, I felt the phone number was strange, but I didn’t think much of it at the time and agreed. I found this location based on the address given over the phone. Initially, I didn't even know this place existed; I had to ask around just to locate it. Who knew it would turn into this?”

“Who did you ask?” Zhou Huan pressed.

“I asked several people, and they all pointed to this spot. But now that I think about it, the people who gave me directions all seemed… peculiar.”

“That makes sense,” Zhou Huan analyzed. “Look around you. This is a mass burial ground, and only this one lonely grave stands here. The highway is down the mountain where our car is parked. Did no one give us a toll card when we entered the expressway?” He patted his pockets and after a moment pulled out a card, then shook his head. “Damn it. I don’t even remember when they gave me this card, or when we even got onto the highway.” A headache was starting to form.

Shi Bingyuan slowly approached the isolated grave, crouching down near the headstone to examine it closely. Then he called out, “Master, Tian Xiong, come look at this quickly.”

The three gathered together, looking at the marker. Shi Bingyuan read aloud, “Master, why do the characters on this stele look so familiar?”

“Strange. Didn't I write these characters?” Zhou Huan suddenly realized the writing on the tombstone was his own handiwork. It read: “Tomb of the Deceased Friend, Mr. Wu.” Furthermore, the date inscribed was the 30th year of the Qianlong era, which was precisely the year Zhou Huan achieved his current spiritual state.

“Master, this…” Shi Bingyuan and Tian Xiong were utterly bewildered.

Zhou Huan strained to remember. It felt vaguely familiar. However, he had inscribed thousands of tombstones over the years. But this Mr. Wu gave him a slight impression because the funeral rites for Mr. Wu were the very first task Zhou Huan undertook after achieving his spiritual rank. At that time, Zhou Huan had committed no errors; he had simply handled the matter while bringing Tian Lang along. Therefore, the merit for that service should be split fifty-fifty. But Tian Lang had passed away long ago, and Zhou Huan had been reborn. Could it truly be such a coincidence that he encountered this matter again?

“This situation… Ah, let’s do this. First, we’ll help refill the earth around her grave, wipe down her tombstone, and burn some paper money and ingots. We can discuss that zombie business later.” In truth, Zhou Huan wanted to buy time, giving himself space to properly reflect on the events of that time. This matter was inextricably linked to both him and Tian Lang. The fact that it could find him even after his reincarnation made no logical sense.

Shi Bingyuan and Tian Xiong followed Zhou Huan’s instructions. Turning back, the master and disciples headed down the mountain. Once in the car, Zhou Huan hesitated to start the engine, sitting instead and dwelling deeply on his past. Yet, the details felt distant—the transition between his past and present lives, two different eras, all tangled and difficult to recall clearly.

“Master, do we have other errands?”

“Oh, nothing else. Let’s go back first so the family doesn’t worry. We’ll finalize the wedding ceremony tomorrow, have Hong Kun prepare through the night, and the three of us will return here the day after tomorrow.” As he spoke, Zhou Huan seemed to have formed a plan in his mind.

Shi Bingyuan casually inquired, “Master, why are we returning here?”

“To dig up the grave. I want to excavate it and see exactly what trickery is buried within. After so long, not only has the soul not departed, but it’s causing trouble. That is definitely not normal.” Zhou Huan seemed to have grasped the core issue. He sensed the complexity of the situation. If any foul play was involved, it must have occurred during the initial burial, deep within the vault itself.