Zhao Family Market Zombies

After Zhou Yan returned home, Ma Yan also arrived back shortly thereafter.

They did not say much, and Mother Zhou and Zhou Li did not ask, simply tending to the two younger ones.

"Is he alive or dead?" Zhou Yan asked.

Ma Yan's brows twitched slightly; he sensed a faint, detached indifference in his brother-in-law's tone.

It was not directed at San Kuazi, but rather at the world itself.

It was much like what the scholars spoke of—when one grows too disappointed with the world, their emotions become increasingly cold.

Ma Yan did not fully understand this, but he kept it firmly in his heart.

"That kid San Kuazi is lucky to have a tough life; there was still a breath left in him. The doctor said if we had waited until tomorrow to bring him in, he wouldn't have been saved," Ma Yan said, shaking his head slightly.

He had an impression of San Kuazi as well.

Back when Zhou Yan wanted to lend a hand, he had been the one to refuse, so he inevitably felt a strange sense of guilt.

Especially after witnessing the deaths of Old Qi and his wife, his heart felt somewhat heavy.

Zhou Yan nodded slightly and said, "Poisoned and starved, yet he didn't die after seven days. This kid has a tough life; even the Heavens aren't eager to claim him. Since that's the case, let him follow you and see what he can achieve in the future."

"You mean, let him become a constable?"

Ma Yan didn't catch it at first, but he soon understood, his face showing a hint of surprise.

Zhou Yan nodded: "San Kuazi is already thirteen; he just looks a bit small."

In this era, thirteen was considered an adult, old enough to support a household.

Ma Yan had initially wanted to refuse, as the number of constable positions was limited and he had a large group of brothers to look after.

But just as he was about to speak, he looked at Zhou Yan's indifferent expression and abruptly shut his mouth.

Unknowingly, a faint pressure radiated from Zhou Yan, causing his heart to shudder.

Zhou Yan was no longer the Zhou Yan he once knew!

In their previous interactions, due to family background and age, Ma Yan had always held the dominant position.

But now, the dynamic between them had undergone a subtle, invisible shift.

"Alright."

Ma Yan kept his expression natural and quickly agreed.

Zhou Yan did not notice these things; hearing Ma Yan's agreement, he simply nodded.

That night, for once, Zhou Yan did not return to the new house, choosing instead to stay at the old home and sleep with his third brother, Zhou Chuan.

Listening to Zhou Chuan's snoring, along with the sounds of Mother Zhou and his little sister, Zhou Yan felt as if his heart had been smoothed over. Much of his original restlessness and hostility gradually dissipated, and his taut nerves began to relax.

Without realizing it, Zhou Yan drifted off to sleep, his furrowed brows finally smoothing out.

Though the trip home had wasted quite a bit of time, Zhou Yan felt it was well worth it.

Moreover, when he practiced afterward, he found that his efficiency had greatly improved.

This made him realize that while "grinding" was necessary, one had to pay attention to methods and approaches.

Even in cultivation, one must balance tension and relaxation to achieve better results.

Therefore, based on the feedback from his system panel and his own physical sensations, Zhou Yan rearranged his daily cultivation schedule, filling his time from four in the morning until eleven at night.

Additionally, he picked up the Spring Leg technique again.

Not for the sake of martial arts, but to increase his blood and energy.

The Mystic Yin Art was too damaging to the body; while the Spring Leg technique also consumed blood and energy, breaking through its levels could raise his upper limits and strengthen his physique.

Beyond that, there was another reason: his means of self-preservation were too few.

That was why he needed to strengthen his own power, striving to bolster his most obvious weakness.

Under these circumstances, Zhou Yan's overall strength continued to rise...

"Second Brother, Second Brother..."

San Kuazi—no, he was now called Qi Ming, a name Zhou Yan had personally given him.

The moment Qi Ming came back to life, he had knelt before Zhou Yan, declaring that his life now belonged to him.

For this reason, he had insisted that Zhou Yan bestow a name upon him.

It was unclear where the kid had heard his storytelling, but he was dead set on it.

Zhou Yan hadn't cared much and casually named him Qi Ming.

Qi Ming hurried into the courtyard, stopping short of rushing into the room, and shouted from outside: "Second Brother, the Chief has something he needs you for!"

Soon, Zhou Yan emerged from the room.

"What happened?"

Qi Ming said hurriedly: "The Chief took us to Zhao Family Market to handle a case today. It seemed abnormal, and he suspects it's the work of an evil spirit, so he told me to come find you immediately."

Zhou Yan frowned. "Where is my brother-in-law?"

"Still at Zhao Family Market."

Zhou Yan's brow furrowed deeper. He glanced at the sky; it was already dusk.

Without another word, he hurried out of the residence with his zombie in tow.

"Why didn't he come back first?"

Zhou Yan asked in a low voice as he walked.

"Second Brother, the Chief was just promoted to investigator, which has stirred up quite a bit of jealousy. To secure his footing, the Chief needs to earn some merit," Qi Ming replied truthfully.

Zhou Yan was so angry he let out a dry laugh. "He spent two hundred silver dollars to buy that investigator position; is that money not real? He's shrewd at times, yet so stubborn at others. Does he really think the other investigators climbed the ranks through brute force alone?"

He knew in his heart that while Ma Yan was usually capable and generous, he was fundamentally headstrong and awkward.

Zhou Yan suppressed his irritation and continued to ask, "Do you suspect it's some kind of evil spirit?"

"It's a zombie," Qi Ming said quickly.

"The Chief took us to Zhao Family Market, and the first thing we did was examine the bodies. They had all died from blood loss. Furthermore, there were two puncture wounds on their necks..."

"Besides that, quite a few poultry and livestock in Zhao Family Market have also died after being drained of their blood..."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan's eyes lit up slightly. "A zombie."

If it were a zombie, he would be interested.

The Profound Yin Corpse Refining Technique contained secret arts that could directly refine wild zombies into a cultivator's thralls.

Although most wild zombies had limited potential, some possessed innate gifts, making them top-tier specimens that could not be crafted through ordinary refining methods.

According to the records in the Profound Yin Corpse Refining Technique, the zombie Zhou Yan had refined could only be considered average—barely mid-grade, not even reaching high-grade.

This was partly due to Zhou Yan's lack of familiarity with the refining process, but also because the materials used were common.

If he could find corpses with special fates and birth charts, the zombies he could refine would be extraordinary.

However, whether it was an ordinary zombie or a special one, Zhuang Hua was currently very interested in them...