"Master Nine?"
Master Ren greeted him with a warm smile.
"Why are you here so early today?"
Master Nine's face was tense with concern.
"Master Ren, I came to ask if anything unusual happened at your house last night?"
"Something happened? No, nothing at all."
Master Ren instinctively denied it—after all, family matters were best kept private.
"Really?"
Master Nine looked inside suspiciously and spotted Ren Tingting and Fenric standing together.
Seeing that both Master Ren and his daughter were perfectly fine, Master Nine frowned in confusion.
"That doesn't make sense... Where did that thing go?" he muttered to himself.
Master Ren raised a brow.
"Master Nine, what exactly is going on?"
Master Nine no longer kept it a secret.
"I won't hide it. The corpse of Old Master Ren was kept in Spirit Hall. But last night, it transformed."
"What?!"
Master Ren was shocked.
Master Nine continued, "By all logic, a newly risen corpse would return to the place it remembers best—its home. It should've come here first."
Then he looked seriously at Master Ren.
"Are you sure nothing strange happened last night?"
Master Ren hesitated for a moment before sighing.
"Well... since you've asked so many times, I won't hide it anymore. Yes, a zombie did show up at my house last night."
"What?! Where is it now?" Master Nine asked anxiously.
At that moment, Master Ren glanced at Fenric, who stepped forward casually.
"I drove it away," Fenric said with a faint smile.
Master Nine looked at him in surprise.
"And you are…?"
Master Ren quickly introduced him, "This is my brilliant nephew I mentioned to you before. He's been wanting to become your disciple and learn the Taoist arts."
"Huh?"
Master Nine examined Fenric carefully.
"With skills like yours, why do you want to learn Daoism from me?"
"I'm just genuinely interested," Fenric replied lightly.
Master Nine fell silent for a moment, then shook his head.
"My teachings aren't something I can pass on so easily."
Fenric didn't mind.
"No need to explain, Master Nine. I won't force it."
In truth, Fenric didn't care too much about becoming a disciple. If he could learn something useful, great. If not, it wasn't a loss. He wasn't about to spend three to five years in this world studying Taoism.
He had more important goals—like becoming a god in the Samsara Tower!
Master Nine changed the subject.
"Mr. Fen, can you tell me where the zombie went?"
He was genuinely worried that the creature might still be roaming, posing a threat to others. Zombies like that, once awakened, had tremendous potential for growth—especially after feeding on human blood.
Fenric shrugged.
"I don't know exactly. I tried to destroy it last night outside Renjia Town, but it was harder to kill than expected. It couldn't beat me, so it ran off."
Of course, Fenric couldn't say he was keeping Old Man Ren like a pet.
Nor could he claim he'd killed it—there was no body to show for it. If Master Nine asked about the remains, what would he say? Burned it? Then where were the ashes?
So saying it fled was the safest option.
Monmoi, standing nearby, couldn't help but mutter, "You sure like to brag... You beat a zombie?"
Though his voice wasn't loud, they were all close enough to hear.
Master Nine scolded immediately, "Monmoi! Shut up!"
Fenric didn't even bother responding to someone like him.
But Ren Tingting wasn't having it.
"Why are you talking like that about my teacher? He saved me last night! I saw it with my own eyes—he punched the zombie and sent it flying!"
Hearing this, even Master Nine found it hard to believe.
In their experience, zombies had thick skin and were incredibly hard to injure—let alone knock into the air with a single punch.
"..?."
Monmoi looked utterly heartbroken as he watched Ren Tingting cling to Fenric's arm.
His first love was crushed before it even began.
Master Nine sighed.
"Master Ren, I have to go. I need to track that zombie before it hurts anyone else."
"Alright, alright. Master Nine, take care," Master Ren said, seeing him off.
After Master Nine left, Master Ren turned to Fenric and asked quietly,
"Nephew… did the zombie really run away?"
Fenric shook his head.
"No, Uncle. That was just a story I told to brush off Master Nine. I buried the zombie deep underground. It won't be harming anyone."
He didn't explain further, but Master Ren understood immediately.
He gave Fenric a grateful look.
"You're very thoughtful, nephew. Thank you."
"You're too kind, Uncle."
Then Master Ren smiled and said,
"You know, calling me 'Master Ren' all the time feels distant. If you don't mind… why not just call me Uncle?"
"Sure, Uncle," Fenric replied.
The bond between them grew even closer.
Master Ren laughed heartily.
"Good! From now on, this is your home too. What happened last night—my family owes you everything."
"Uncle, you don't have to say that. We're all family now—no need for thanks."
"Haha! Well said!"
Then Master Ren's expression changed subtly, and he asked,
"By the way, nephew… are you married?"
"I'm not," Fenric replied without hesitation—conveniently forgetting about his engagement to Commander Lin Mei.
Master Ren let out a sigh of relief.
He had been a bit worried about how close Fenric and his daughter had become. But now that he knew Fenric was still single, he had no objections.
"!!"
Ren Tingting's eyes sparkled with joy, her pretty face lighting up with a bright smile.
"By the way, Dad," she suddenly asked, "are there any really wicked people in the poor areas of Renjia Town? Like people who only do bad things?"
Fenric had clearly asked her to inquire on his behalf.
Master Ren blinked.
"Why do you want to know?"
"Ahh, don't ask so many questions! Just tell me, please?" Ren Tingting said, tugging at his arm like a spoiled child.
Unable to resist her charms, Master Ren gave in.
"Alright, alright! If I had to name the worst scumbag in town, it'd be Old Wu. He runs both a casino and a brothel. Ruined countless families."
He answered honestly—unaware that his words would seal Old Wu's fate.
Tonight, Old Wu would unknowingly become a sacrifice... for a certain zombie old man's appetite.