Starforce Warriors-Chapter 591: Reunion

"Why?" asked Li Xiaofei, finding it a bit strange.

General Hua Zhongyue explained, "After confirming your identity, we immediately contacted Mistress Tan through our communication channel. She’s in a unique state right now and cannot meet you."

"Did she say that herself?" Li Xiaofei asked.

General Hua Zhongyue nodded. "Yes, those were Mistress Tan’s exact words."

"Oh, then it’s fine," Li Xiaofei said. "General, you just need to tell me where she is, and I’ll go find her myself."

"This..." The old general glanced at the other three Grand Commanders, looking somewhat troubled.

Tan Qingying was now of critical importance to all of Great Xia. Bluntly, she was even more important than Li Xiaofei, the newly ascended Saint Slayer. Her wishes had to be respected by everyone.

Li Xiaofei chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "General, if I may ask, have you ever been in a relationship? Do you have a girlfriend?"

"No," Hua Zhongyue replied with a darkened expression.

The old man’s face fell further as he muttered, "You brat... I’ve never married in my life, nor do I have any children."

"Well, there’s your problem," Li Xiaofei said with a mischievous grin. "Let me teach you something today. When it comes to what your girlfriend says, you have to think it through carefully. Don’t take it at face value, whether directly or oppositely. You’ve got to figure out what she truly means."

Hua Zhongyue asked, "And what exactly did you figure out?"

Li Xiaofei replied confidently, "I figured out that she wants to see me, but for some reason, she feels it’s inconvenient at the moment, so she’s hesitant. But as long as I know she wants to see me, nothing else matters."

Hua Zhongyue’s white eyebrows twitched. "You managed to deduce all that from just one sentence?"

Li Xiaofei grinned. "That’s what love is all about."

Hua Zhongyue was speechless.

In the end, after some deliberation among the four decision-makers, they gave Tan Qingying’s exact location to Li Xiaofei.

"Be careful," Hua Zhongyue reminded him repeatedly. "There are many traitors and schemers looking for Mistress Tan. If her location is exposed, she could be in grave danger."

Li Xiaofei nodded. "If I’m there, she won’t be in any danger."

He turned and left. In the meeting room, the four decision-makers exchanged glances, worry evident in their eyes. A young man, brimming with ambition and confidence, always believes he can defy any fate. But they often didn’t understand that defying fate is itself a part of fate.

Even the most invincible sovereigns, unrivaled across all ages, could not ultimately escape the grip of destiny. What kind of reaction would Li Xiaofei have upon meeting Tan Qingying?

Hopefully... Nothing will go wrong.

***

Whoosh.

Sword qi tore through the air as Li Xiaofei appeared outside the city. He had been here once before. He had still been a student of White Deer Academy, and had been undergoing a trial when he encountered a zombie tide. He had also assisted the Dragon Group in completing a mission in this very area.

Now, the region was overrun with zombies. The sea of undead stretched endlessly before him. The number of zombies had multiplied hundreds of times over compared to the last time he was here.

"So many zombies... If they lived in houses, I could build a few towers, sell them, and make a fortune," Li Xiaofei couldn't help but quip.

At the same time, he noticed that most of the zombies were humanoid. There were few animal zombies, and the ones present were primarily mutated from ordinary wild animals rather than star beasts.

Ahead lay the Corpse Emperor’s lair. Li Xiaofei hadn’t dared to venture too close in the past; it had been far too dangerous. But now that his strength had soared to new heights, even a dragon’s den no longer intimidated him.

Li Xiaofei arrived at the entrance of the Corpse Emperor’s lair with a single thought. The surrounding zombies stirred uneasily. There were even several Saint-level zombies who gave off an overwhelming aura of intimidation.

Li Xiaofei was slightly surprised. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that many of these Saint-level zombies resembled powerful Western experts from the Yiggs coalition forces. They had been dead for some time and their consciousness muddled, yet they growled at Li Xiaofei. This was the lowest stage of corpse transformation.

However, it was evident that they were being controlled by the mysterious energy emanating from the Corpse Emperor’s lair. While they growled in fury, they suppressed the bloodthirsty and murderous instincts typical of zombies and didn’t attack Li Xiaofei.

At that moment, the sound of something cutting through the air echoed. One of the Four Divine Generals, the White Tiger Corpse, appeared.

"Greetings, Young Master Li," he said.

The corpse was tall and muscular, clad in a white leather jacket. Despite his rough appearance, his manner of speaking was refined, and his eyes sparkled with intelligence. It was difficult to determine whether he was a corpse or a living being. Li Xiaofei sensed no hostility from him.

"By the command of my master, I have come to escort you, Young Master Li," said the White Tiger Corpse as he turned and gestured with a sweeping motion. "Please, follow me."

He led the way, and Li Xiaofei followed closely behind as they stepped into the Corpse Emperor’s lair. Unlike the eerie, narrow, and foul-smelling depictions in many light novels, the true Corpse Emperor’s lair carried a sense of ancient charm.

White jade steps and walls adorned with redwood panels lined the interior. Lanterns hung delicately, their soft glow creating a warm, misty ambiance. It resembled the interior of an ancient palace.

Humanoid zombies clad in traditional armor stood in orderly rows, resembling palace guards on duty. Li Xiaofei examined them carefully.

These guards, though they were zombies, had smooth and lustrous skin, akin to polished jade, far surpassing the rough, shriveled appearance of ordinary zombies. Even their facial features appeared more refined. In truth, apart from the lifeless pallor of their complexion, they resembled real humans.

The redwood staircase spiraled downward, layer upon layer, as if descending into the abyss at the heart of the earth. The Corpse Emperor’s lair resembled an ancient pagoda embedded within the earth’s crust.

Each level was guarded by corpse generals and soldiers. The deeper they descended, the stronger the zombie guards became. Five Spirits, Golden Body, Dao Union, Divine Realm...

There were even far more Saint-level zombies at the Transcendence Realm than Li Xiaofei had expected.

"Hmm?" Li Xiaofei suddenly paused mid-step.

He stopped in front of a towering, slender corpse general. The figure, clad in ancient armor, stood silently on the sixteenth level below ground with its eyes closed. But the features beneath the helmet had been perfectly preserved.

Li Xiaofei recognized him. It was Xiao Bieli, the Deputy Leader of the Dragon Group.

This renowned Saint of the Dragon Group is now a zombie? How could this be?

Li Xiaofei was utterly shocked as questions rose like a storm wave. He was grief-stricken as he stood before Xiao Bieli for a long time.

Some people, once parted, are gone forever.

Xiao Bieli had left a deep impression on Li Xiaofei as a formidable, extraordinarily skilled, and resourceful leader within the Dragon Group. Two years ago, when Li Xiaofei had left Xiajing City, he never imagined he would return to find someone like Xiao Bieli, a top-tier powerhouse, dead.

"Lord Xiao died in an Yiggs ambush," the White Tiger Corpse explained. "He had been betrayed by the Lin family, a martial arts clan in the city, during a special covert sniping mission." ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

"The Lin family?" Li Xiaofei committed the name to memory.

"The Lin family has already been eradicated," the White Tiger Corpse added. "The First Grand Commander personally took action."

They continued descending. Along the way, Li Xiaofei encountered dozens more Saint-level zombies.

"These are all Saints of Great Xia who died defending the city," the White Tiger Corpse explained.

This included many hidden Saints. Once obscure figures, they had lived quietly among the people. But when war broke out, they joined the defense of the city, fighting and dying to protect their loved ones.

Li Xiaofei also noticed an army of zombie soldiers. He didn’t need to ask. It was evident they were fallen Great Xia soldiers.

"The strong soldiers from both Great Xia and the Yiggs coalition who perished have largely been converted into battle zombies," the White Tiger Corpse continued. "The power of the zombie horde has multiplied thousands of times over."

"More than half of Xiajing City’s defensive strength comes from the contribution of the zombie horde. Most people simply aren’t aware of it. Since so many of Great Xia’s renowned warriors have been turned into zombies, this is not something that can be publicized."

The White Tiger Corpse’s words came more freely now, but there was a slight edge of emotion in his voice.

Li Xiaofei remained silent. Great Xia had always had the tradition of burying the dead for peace and honoring the deceased. To turn the dead into combat zombies and deny them their eternal rest was an act that defied these deeply held beliefs.

Even in the West, such acts were considered evil and the work of devils. But Li Xiaofei had already deduced who was responsible for all of this.

Soon, they reached the deepest part of the Corpse Emperor’s lair. The light was dim, casting long shadows on a meticulously adorned underground palace. The end of the corridor was marked by a crimson wooden door. To its right was an ancient peach tree, three meters tall, its branches heavy with blooming pink flowers. The air was filled with a faint, sweet aroma of peach blossoms.

To the left of the red wooden door was a white jade statue, that was about 1.2 meters tall, resembling a chubby child in a robe. Its round face bore an endearing, almost comical expression, its mouth wide open in a cheerful smile, exuding a festive air.

Yet, for some reason, Li Xiaofei felt a faint sense of unease when he examined the statue, as if there was something sinister hidden beneath its harmless appearance.

"The master is inside," said the White Tiger Corpse, stopping several paces away from the red wooden door, as if unwilling to approach it.

Li Xiaofei walked up to the door, raising his hand to push it open.

But just as he was about to touch it, the White Tiger Corpse suddenly spoke again. "Everything the master does is right."

Li Xiaofei paused, startled, and turned to look at him. The White Tiger Corpse met his gaze openly, his corpse-like eyes surprisingly filled with a rare hint of human-like concern and sincerity.

Without replying, Li Xiaofei turned back and pushed open the red wooden door. A stream of silver-white light spilled out like flowing water, flooding the room in brilliance.

Li Xiaofei stepped inside and closed the door behind him. The light within was bright, almost as if he had suddenly emerged onto the surface from deep underground. He had walked into a vast underground space. The sound of flowing water echoed softly as a small lake came into view.

A stone island that was roughly two acres in size rose out of the center of the lake. On the island stood an ancient, withered tree. Its trunk and branches emitted a faint glow, but it was completely devoid of leaves.

A lone figure sat on the sandy beach beneath the tree. Long black hair cascaded down their back, and though the figure faced away from him, Li Xiaofei recognized her instantly. It was the young lady he had missed for two years.

Whoosh!

Li Xiaofei leaped into the air and landed gracefully on the stone island without a moment’s hesitation.

"Little Ying," he called softly, his voice filled with emotion.

He reached out for Tan Qingying’s shoulder.

"Don’t move," Tan Qingying suddenly said.

Li Xiaofei’s hand froze midair.

"You really don’t listen, do you?" Without turning around, Tan Qingying said calmly, "I told you I didn’t want to see you, but you insisted on coming anyway."

Standing less than a meter away, Li Xiaofei obediently stopped moving but still retorted, "You’re the one who doesn't listen. Your husband returns after two years, and you refuse to see him? Haven’t you heard the saying, 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder'?"

Tan Qingying still didn’t turn to face him.

"It’s inconvenient right now," she said with a helpless sigh.

"Inconvenient? How so? Is it that time of the month?" Li Xiaofei asked with a teasing grin. "You know, there are a few positions in The Harmony of Yin and Yang that work even during—"

"Shut up!" Tan Qingying snapped. "You saw the ones outside, didn’t you?"

"I did," Li Xiaofei replied.

"And you have nothing to say about it?" She finally asked.

"Not at all," he answered.

"You don’t think I’m a witch who disturbs the peace of the dead?" she asked.

"Nope," he replied.

"Really?"

"Really," he confirmed, as he added, "I believe that anyone who died defending Xiajing City would never refuse the chance to fight for Great Xia again, even after death."

Li Xiaofei’s expression turned slightly annoyed. "Hey, hey, hey, little lady, what’s going on? You don’t trust your husband so much that you’re using this to test me?"

"Tch, who’s your wife?" Tan Qingying’s voice carried a hint of amusement.

At that moment, she slowly turned to face him. The smile on Li Xiaofei’s face froze the moment he saw her.

How could this be?

As he looked at the face so close to him, Li Xiaofei couldn’t believe—no, he didn’t want to believe—his eyes. She had changed.

In an instant, he understood why Tan Qingying hadn’t wanted to see him. If he had ended up like this, he might also have hesitated to face the girl in his heart.

"What happened to you?" He stepped forward, gently pulling the young lady into his arms. "How did this happen?"

Tan Qingying inhaled deeply, taking in the familiar yet foreign scent of the man before her. It was the same warmth she knew so well.

She chuckled softly, her hand wrapping around Li Xiaofei’s waist. She said quietly, "It’s nothing serious. My cultivation technique ran into some issues. I died once, and now I’m stuck half-dead like this."