Do You Have Lychees

“It’s 2014. New Huaxia was established many years ago.”

Yu Youhan stood frozen in place.

Lin Mo didn’t beat around the bush. He gave him a rough account of history and explained what had happened to him and Xian Zhou after their deaths.

The Nine Chrysanthemum Sect.

Corpse refinement.

Polluting the dragon vein.

Trapped remnant souls.

Each phrase was short, yet together they struck Yu Youhan so hard that he couldn’t speak for a long while.

He was already dead.

So was Xiao Xian.

But the land they had fought with their lives to protect had not fallen.

That was good.

But what, then, was this body of his?

Yu Youhan was just about to speak when his mouth opened on its own.

“Who are you? Wasn’t I dead?”

It was a completely different voice.

(Don’t get hung up on the vocal cords.)

The voice was younger and more urgent.

Yu Youhan’s entire body stiffened.

“Xiao Xian?”

“Huh? Brother Han? Why are you here too? Wait... why can I hear your voice?”

Liu Zheng’s expression fell apart on the spot.

He turned to Lin Mo and lowered his voice. “Two souls in one body? And they both regained consciousness at the same time? That can actually happen?”

Lin Mo’s answer was very straightforward.

“There aren’t any other bodies available. Besides, they’re both remnant souls. If I’d simply put one of them into the body, there was a chance neither of them would have been able to regain consciousness.”

Liu Zheng: “...”

It was indeed unavoidable. At least they had managed to come back to life.

Lin Mo continued explaining. “Since Xian Zhou’s body had already been destroyed, and there was nowhere else to put him for the time being, I placed Xian Zhou’s remnant soul in your body as well. With the two remnant souls complementing each other, the chances of awakening were actually higher.”

As he spoke, Lin Mo handed Yu Youhan and Xian Zhou’s photograph back to him.

Yu Youhan reached out and took it, much faster than before.

The photograph had faded, but it was still in fairly good condition. After all, Yu Youhan had kept it with him the entire time.

Two young men stood side by side in the picture. One wore a stern expression, while the other grinned without a care in the world.

Xian Zhou’s voice came from the same mouth.

“Brother Han, it’s a picture of the two of us.”

He fell silent for a long time.

“But it’s a shame... we’re both dead.”

No one answered.

The place suddenly fell quiet.

It wasn’t oppressive. There were simply some things that couldn’t be put into words.

Lin Mo stood to the side without urging them.

After a while, Yu Youhan raised his head and looked at him.

“What are we supposed to do now? You said I’ve become a zombie. I know the legends about zombies. They drink human blood. To prevent a disaster from happening...”

He didn’t finish the sentence.

But everyone present understood what he meant.

Liu Zheng’s lips moved, but he said nothing.

If he had been dealing with an ordinary zombie, he would not have hesitated to take action.

But the man standing before him had died once for this land.

Even after death, he had been tormented by the enemy.

Liu Zheng couldn’t bring himself to give the order to burn him.

Lin Mo raised a hand, cutting Yu Youhan off.

“It hasn’t come to that.”

Yu Youhan looked at him.

“There are plenty of ways to suppress you. Talismans and formations, packets of animal blood, physical restraints—we can use any of them. You’ll be placed under dedicated supervision and won’t be allowed to wander around. As for where you want to go, I imagine you and Xian Zhou can decide that yourselves.”

Xian Zhou’s voice emerged again. “We can choose?”

Lin Mo glanced at him.

“Of course. You’re intelligent zombies now, not bloodthirsty monsters. As long as you’re properly controlled, you shouldn’t be too much of a problem.”

Yu Youhan gripped the photograph and said nothing more.

Those words were more effective than any reassurance.

After hearing them, Liu Zheng straightened his back as well.

He stepped forward, his tone much more serious than before.

“Comrade Yu, come back with us to Yanhuang Awakening for now. It’s an official New Huaxia organization responsible for handling supernatural incidents. We’ll report your identity and experiences. You’ll receive all the respect you deserve.”

Yu Youhan suddenly interrupted him.

“Do you have lychees?”

Lin Mo stopped.

Liu Zheng stopped too.

Lin Mo looked at the battered face before him.

“Forget three hundred. I’ll get you three hundred jin of them.”

As he spoke, Lin Mo placed a hand on Yu Youhan’s body and used the Rejuvenation Arts to repair it.

The places that had been stitched together began to heal.

Apart from the fact that his heart did not beat and his blood did not flow, Yu Youhan now looked just like an ordinary person.

“Don’t worry too much. Yanhuang Awakening will find a way to help you. You may even be quite interested in the Huaxia of today.”

After saying that, Lin Mo left the rest to Liu Zheng and led the girls toward the direction they had come from.

He took two steps, then stopped and glanced back at Yu Youhan.

“Oh, right. Once you wake up, don’t get too emotional. A zombie’s body is different from a living person’s. You’ve only just regained your intelligence, so don’t try to tough it out. If you have any problems, ask Liu Zheng. He’s a chatterbox, but he gets things done.”

Liu Zheng: “Can you praise someone without slipping in an insult?”

“No.”

Lin Mo answered without the slightest hesitation.

The girls couldn’t help laughing.

Yu Youhan watched them leave, then lowered his head and looked at the photograph in his hand.

Xian Zhou was grinning carelessly in the picture.

Inside his body, Xian Zhou’s voice grew quieter.

“Brother Han.”

“Hmm?”

“New Huaxia... was really established?”

Yu Youhan remained silent for a long time.

“That’s what he said.”

“So the Japanese were driven out?”

“Probably.”

“Then we didn’t die for nothing.”

Standing nearby, Liu Zheng watched the scene unfold. The speech he had prepared suddenly became impossible to deliver.

In the end, he only raised a hand and pointed toward the exit.

“Comrades Yu and Xian, let’s leave this place first.”

Yu Youhan nodded.

When his stiff body took its first step, the broken bones beneath his feet let out a crisp crack.

He stopped for a moment, as though relearning how to walk.

Xian Zhou suddenly said, “Brother Han, your legs aren’t listening to you very well.”

Yu Youhan replied, “You’re in here too, so stop making snide remarks.”

Xian Zhou said, “What if I control one leg and you control the other? Wouldn’t we walk faster?”

Liu Zheng’s eyelid twitched.

“I don’t recommend trying that.”

“Why not?”

Liu Zheng’s expression remained blank.

“I’m worried you’ll do the splits on the spot.”

Walking behind them, Wang Keting couldn’t help covering his mouth as he laughed.

The gloom pressing down on everyone’s heads was dispelled by that one remark.

But amusing as it was, Liu Zheng knew there was still a great deal to deal with.

The dragon vein had to be reconnected.

The seal had to be undone.

The Nine Chrysanthemum Sect’s remnants had to be thoroughly investigated.

And arranging a place for Yu Youhan and Xian Zhou would require following a procedure that had never existed before.

Yanhuang Awakening was about to welcome its first zombie who had died fighting the Japanese invaders.

A dual-soul version, no less.

Liu Zheng had already begun to suffer a headache over how to write the report.

Then he quickly thought of another problem.

It was only January.

It wasn’t lychee season yet.

But by the time they brought Yu Youhan back to headquarters, the entire Yanhuang Awakening organization would probably be fuming.