The well in Ku Sheng's memory is deep and dark.
More than a hundred years ago, a woman who was pregnant and about to give birth was killed by a well and her body was thrown into the bottom of the well. Kusheng was the child in the woman's belly. His head was cut off by the knife that pierced the woman's belly. Therefore, he died before he was born.
However, he was a divine fetus who was supposed to be immortal, but even in that state, his body was still growing in the well. His mother rotted in the well, and he grew into a weird corpse in the well, which is called a zombie.
Year after year, his body grew bigger, his head and body separated, and he could only move his eyes and fingers in the well, unable to get up and leave the well on his own.
He had been in that well for twenty years, from the time he regained consciousness.
For twenty years, the outside world was just a round wellhead to him.
He loved rain and snow the most, because only rain and snow would pass through the well and fall on him, and he could really touch it. Especially snow, when heavy snow covered the sky and the earth, even the well would be covered with a layer of white snow.
The thick white snow covering his body was the only tenderness given to him in this world.
His master, Taoist Whitebeard, brought him out of the well, sewed his head and body together, and sealed his zombie mouth, eyes, and hands, telling him that although he was born a zombie, he could not act like a zombie.
The master pitied him, but also feared him. He was a disciple of the White Crane Temple, and also a taboo of the White Crane Temple.
He knew all those complicated emotions, after all, the divine fetus was born knowing them. Whether he was the original divine fetus or a zombie that was created by accident, he was an alien.
During the nearly one hundred years of practicing in Baihe Temple and walking in the human world, the number of evil spirits he killed continued to increase, and the number of zombies and ghosts he eliminated was countless. His magic skills also continued to grow. The only thing that did not change was his fear and disgust for the "well".
Luo Yujing sat at the mouth of the well, brushed off the dust on her clothes, picked up the Zhuxie Sword, walked to Kusheng, and put the Zhuxie Sword and the black hair ball strung on the sword into his hand.
Kusheng pulled his hair and said, "Why would the Sword of Evil Slaying obey you?!"
Luo Yujing said: "This is your sword."
Kusheng: "So why does my sword listen to you?"
Luo Yujing: "It's your sword, how would I know why?"
"…" Kusheng choked and shook the Zhuxie Sword angrily, "Zhuxie Sword, you say!"
Luo Yujing watched him torture Jian, walked behind him expressionlessly, and sat on his rattan chair with familiarity. He took out a piece of soul-soothing incense, lit it, and took a breath to calm himself.
After Kusheng finished his sword training, he carried her back to the front and met the father and daughter from Zhuangshang. He briefly explained to them the origin of the black ball.
"Your daughter is bedridden because of this evil spirit. People who worry too much are prone to bad luck, and bad luck comes from their hair. Over time, it gathers into this ball hidden in the pillow, causing nightmares and physical decay."
"I see! Thank you so much, Taoist Priest! Thank you so much, Taoist Priest!"
After seeing Ku Sheng burn the wriggling ball with the talisman fire with his own eyes, the old man felt relieved. He led them to the front of the hall and prepared wine and food for them.
"This... Taoist priest, your mask has no gaps at all. You should take it off to eat, right?" The old man was holding the wine, and it looked like he must drink two glasses with him to show his gratitude.
Kusheng never gave any explanation for this kind of situation. No matter how enthusiastically people urged him to eat and drink, he would just wave his hand and refuse. Otherwise, if he told the truth, these people would hear that he was a zombie, which would add a lot of trouble to him.
Luo Yujing was sitting at the table, and suddenly took over the old man's conversation and said, "He practices fasting and doesn't eat."
The old man suddenly understood, his face lit up with smiles, and his words were filled with awe: "No wonder I can tell from the first glance that this Taoist priest is extraordinary, he looks like a living god, and he has even reached the state of fasting!"
As the snowstorm got heavier in the evening, they stayed at the farm for the night. The host treated them very well, and Luo Yujing slept in the guest room covered with a thick quilt.
Through the bed curtains, she saw the shadow of Ku Sheng sitting by the window, holding a sword. He didn't need to sleep, so he sat by the window, half of it open and the other half blocked by him.
In the second half of the night, most of Kusheng's body was covered with snow as he leaned out of the window. He had no temperature, so the snow wouldn't melt even if it piled on him. He was motionless like a stone sculpture.
Suddenly, the person sleeping behind him uttered a sound in his sleep, and Ku Sheng was aroused. He jumped down from the window lightly, with half of his body covered in snow, and lifted the bed curtain to take a look.
She had another nightmare.
The fingers wearing the iron gloves picked up a piece of incense and lit it beside the bed. After a while, the person who was sobbing in the dream gradually quieted down. She herself probably didn't know that she often made such noises after falling asleep in the middle of the night, but Kusheng knew it clearly.
When he first took Luo Yujing with him, she would always fall asleep when she was extremely tired, and she would not sleep soundly even after falling asleep. Kusheng was used to being alone. In the past, there was no difference between night and day, as they were both on the road. Wherever he went alone, it was quiet.
After bringing her along, Kusheng felt extremely distressed whenever he heard her crying. He would either stay away from her or cover his ears.
At first, I was most afraid of her hysterical crying because I thought it was noisy. Now I am even more afraid of her unconscious sobbing. I feel uneasy every time I hear it.
The incense was indeed useful to her, but at this rate, it would not be long before the incense he had made would run out. He had no choice but to go find a nearby clan god and find new wood for the soul-soothing wood.
On the second day, it was still snowing heavily. Luo Yujing did not ask to continue resting here, but set off again.
As soon as the snow fell, the world seemed even quieter, and there were few people on the road. When they entered the forest, there were only the two of them. Kusheng pushed the umbrella tied to the rattan chair back and covered Luo Yujing's head.
Before long, a thick layer of snow piled up on his head and shoulders.
Kusheng felt something soft brushing against his head. It was Luo Yujing, who was standing behind him, reaching out to brush away the snow that had fallen on his head. He paused and shrank his head in shock: "What are you doing!"
Luo Yujing: “…”
She was silent for a moment, then hit Kusheng on the back of the head with her fist.
Kusheng was even more confused by her beating. He was a zombie, and his head was harder than iron, so he naturally didn't feel any pain, so he just asked curiously: "What are you doing!"
Luo Yujing: "There was too much snow on your head, and it slipped down and fell into my collar. I was very cold."
Kusheng: “…”
Therefore, when the two of them were walking, Luo Yujing would reach out and brush his head when she saw the snow piled up, brushing away the accumulated snow, and also clearing away some of the fine snow particles mixed in his hair.
A trail of footprints extended forward, and suddenly the head was covered with snow and then turned into a head covered with fallen flowers. Winter passed, spring came, and the weather began to warm up.
Ku Sheng asked Zhuxie Jian every day: "Zhuxie Jian, why can't you find any trace of evil spirits recently?"
"Move aside." Luo Yujing said.
Kusheng moved away holding the sword and let her hang the freshly washed quilt on the rope between two trees.
Today is a rare good day after winter. Luo Yujing asked to wash all her quilts, pots, pans, and other sundries, so the two of them stopped here to rest in the morning.
Even the rattan chair was washed and hung out to dry in the open space. The areas where the sun could shine were filled with miscellaneous items. Kusheng was forced to retreat again and again, and finally squatted in the corner.
"It's been two months since I last encountered an evil spirit." He said to the sword that was inserted in front of him in the corner.
The Zhuxie Sword naturally ignored him. Kusheng said a few words to himself, and suddenly the Zhuxie Sword was pulled out by Luo Yujing and taken away.
Her action was natural. Ku Sheng looked at the empty space in front of him. It took him a moment to react and stretched out his hand to stop her: "My sword! What are you going to cut with it?"
Luo Yujing: "Wash it."
Kusheng: "This is the sword to kill evil!"
Luo Yujing: "Will the Zhuxie Sword break if it comes in contact with water?"
Kusheng: "No... but I have never washed it!" How can the Sword of Extermination be washed
Luo Yujing: "How can I expect you to wash your sword if you don't even wash yourself?"
Ku Sheng couldn't stop it, and the Zhuxie Sword itself didn't object, so he just watched Luo Yujing scrub the Zhuxie Sword until it was shiny and put it aside to bask in the sun.
This sword has been with him as he kills evil spirits, chops monsters, and stabs zombies... He has done everything. His whole body is weathered, with old bloodstains on the hilt, and a heavy aura of killing. But now all traces have been washed away, and he looks as if he has "rejuvenated", so clean that Kusheng is a little uncomfortable.
Squatting beside the shining Zhuxie Sword, Kusheng reached out to grab it, but saw the Zhuxie Sword move and turn over to avoid his hand.
Kusheng: "Why won't you let me touch the Sword of Evil Slaying? Could it be that it got damaged after washing?"
Luo Yujing said in a faint voice: "It means that you haven't washed your hands, so don't touch its clean scabbard."
Kusheng: “???!”
He couldn't believe it and shouted "Damn it".
Luo Yujing was not afraid of his anger, and suddenly said, "I smell a fragrance. The fragrance on your body is a little stronger today. Do we have to sleep with you for a whole night like last time?"
Ku Sheng recalled the tragedy that happened last time when he fell into a deep sleep due to the weakening of the seal, and he immediately forgot about what happened just now. He warned: "Don't abuse the sword of extermination again! Cover your ears when you sleep, and don't care about the things that are attracted to you."
As it got dark, they rested in this deserted house. Kusheng sat alone at a long table with one leg missing.
Luo Yujing picked up firewood to make a fire, and then went out to fetch water. There was a well in the yard that could be used for drinking water, but Kusheng only looked at it from a distance and refused to go near it, so Luo Yujing had to go by herself.
She had been gone for a while and had not returned yet, when Kusheng noticed that the sword that was neatly placed beside him suddenly vibrated.
"Hmm?" He frowned, sensing a demonic aura approaching. He remembered that Luo Yujing was still in the yard. He jumped off the table and grabbed the Sword of Zhuxie and was about to go out when a figure walked in from the door.
The familiar plain white clothes, the seductive smile on the face that rarely shows its expression, the soft swaying waist... It is a wild fox monster that has transformed into the appearance of Luo Yujing! It is quite good, and it must have been attracted by the divine fragrance.
Ku Sheng recognized at a glance that she was not human, but he was still shocked by her strange appearance. He was inexplicably frightened and subconsciously took a step back.
The wild fox sniffed its nose, sniffed the fragrance in the air intoxicatedly, giggled, and twisted its waist to move closer. At this moment, Luo Yujing came back with water and saw something exactly like herself approaching Kusheng.
"It's a wild fox!" Kusheng said loudly.
Luo Yujing carried the water and walked silently to the fire, pouring water and boiling it, as if she didn't see this strange scene.
Seeing that she didn't respond, Kusheng pointed at the wild fox and said, "There is a wild fox monster here!"
Luo Yujing: "Then kill it quickly, I'll boil water to remove the hair."