By 8:15 a.m. the next day, they were on the New Jersey Turnpike, heading west. Rui drove, her hands steady on the wheel of her SUV, while Ye sat in the passenger seat, flipping through a tattered copy of Xuanqing Taoist Spells. The book's pages were yellowed, filled with hand-drawn sketches of talismans and notes in Master Qingyunzi's messy handwriting. Dao Feng snores filled the backseat, his head leaning against the window, the Xuanqing Whisk—wrapped in red silk—resting on his lap.
The radio played a mix of Chinese folk songs and American pop, Ye's carefully curated playlist. He'd added a few of Rui's favorites, including a jazz cover of "Fly Me to the Moon," and she smiled as he hummed along, his foot tapping to the beat.
"Tell me more about Earth Zombies," Rui said, glancing at him. The book was open to a page with a sketch of a gray-skinned figure, its nails black, its eyes empty. "How are they different from the Corpse Fiends we fought in the upper state bunker?"
Ye leaned forward, pointing to the sketch. "Corpse Fiends are fast, but they're weak to peachwood and holy water. Earth Zombies are slower, but their skin is like stone—swords barely scratch them. They feed on Yin energy, but the real danger is the packages. The zombie blood in the terracotta warriors doesn't just turn you—it binds your soul to the statue. You can't escape, even if someone kills the zombie body." He paused, his voice softening. "Dao Feng was there when they escaped. He was 18, fresh from the mountain, and he thought he could handle it alone. He let three get away. This case… it's his chance to fix that mistake."
Rui glanced in the rearview mirror. Dao Feng's eyes were open now, his face somber. He'd heard every word, and she could see the guilt in his expression. "I was stupid," he said, his voice quiet. "I thought I was stronger than I was. I let Master down. Let Shaoyang down."
Ye turned around, shaking his head. "You were a kid, Dao Feng. Zhou Lin tricked you—he said he wanted to help, but he was working with the zombies the whole time. This isn't your fault. We're fixing it together."
Rui nodded, reaching back to pat Dao Feng's arm. "Ye's right. We're a team. Teams don't blame each other—they help each other."
They stopped at a rest stop in Pennsylvania around noon, a small diner with a neon sign that read "Joe's Burgers & Pie." The parking lot was mostly empty, save for a few trucks and a family with a golden retriever. Inside, the air smelled like grilled beef and apple pie, and a jukebox in the corner played old Elvis songs.
They sat in a booth by the window, ordering burgers and fries. Dao Feng talked about his time in the Yin Nest, how he'd survived on rainwater and moss, how he'd hidden the whisk fragment from Feng Xinyu. Ye teased him about the time he'd tried to catch a fish in the Yin Nest's blood pool ("You fell in and smelled like rot for a week"). Rui listened, laughing, her heart warm at the sound of their banter.
Halfway through their meal, a man in a black cloak walked in. His hood was pulled low over his face, his hands tucked into his sleeves, and when he glanced up, Rui saw his eyes—bright red, the telltale sign of a vampire. She tensed, her hand drifting to the cross around her neck (a gift from her grandmother, blessed by an Irish priest).
"Vampire remnant," she murmured, her voice low.
Ye stood, his hand resting on the peachwood sword strapped to his waist, hidden under his hoodie. The man's gaze locked on them, and he smiled—a cold, sharp thing that didn't reach his eyes. "You're the ones who killed my brother. The one in Brooklyn, at the church."
Dao Feng stood, grabbing a metal fork from the table. "We're the ones who'll stop you too. What do you want with the Earth Zombies?"
The man lunged at Rui, but Ye stepped in front of her, swinging his sword. The blade cut the man's arm, and black blood oozed out, smoking when it hit the floor. The man screamed, grabbing a chair and throwing it at Ye. Rui ducked, pulling out her cross and holding it high. The vampire hissed, stepping back—holy symbols burned his skin, leaving red marks.
"He's working with Zhou Lin," Dao Feng said, swinging the fork like a weapon. "He mentioned 'the packages'—he knows about Sichuan."
The man turned, running out of the diner. Ye chased him, but he vanished into the nearby woods, leaving only a tattered black cloak behind. Ye picked it up, sniffing it. "Yin energy, mixed with zombie blood. He's been near the packages. He knows where they're being made."
Rui walked over, pulling a first-aid kit from her bag. Ye had scraped his arm on the chair, and blood was seeping through his hoodie. She dabbed iodine on the wound, her fingers gentle. "Careful. I don't want you getting hurt before we even reach Sichuan."
Ye smiled, letting her wrap a bandage around his arm. "I have you to patch me up. What's the worst that could happen?"
Dao Feng rolled his eyes, sitting back down to finish his burger. "Don't jinx us. Last time you said that, we ended up in a Yin Nest with a vengeful ghost."
They got back in the car, the vampire's cloak folded in the trunk. The sun was setting now, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple. Rui felt a cold tingle on her neck—Yin energy, faint but persistent. "He's following us," she said, gripping the wheel tighter.
Ye nodded, pulling a talisman from his bag. It was a Binding Talisman, drawn in cinnabar mixed with his blood. "I'll lay a trap. When he gets close, the talisman will glow red and bind him. We'll catch him and make him talk."
Sure enough, an hour later, a black truck appeared in the rearview mirror. The driver's window was down, and the vampire was staring at them, his red eyes glowing in the dusk. Ye rolled down his window, throwing the talisman at the truck. It stuck to the windshield, glowing bright red, and the truck swerved, crashing into a ditch.
They pulled over, and Ye and Dao Feng approached the truck. The vampire was unconscious, his head hitting the steering wheel. Ye tied his hands with rope, his expression serious. "We'll take him to Sichuan. He knows about the zombies, about Zhou Lin. He'll tell us where the packages are coming from."
Rui helped them load the vampire into the SUV's trunk, making sure he was secure. As they drove on, the stars came out, bright and clear. Dao Feng fell asleep again, his head resting on the window. Ye took Rui's hand, squeezing it.
"Thank you," she said, quietly.
"For what?" he asked.
"For coming back. For letting me be part of this. I don't want to do this alone anymore."
Ye turned to her, his eyes soft. "You'll never have to. You're not 'part of this'—you're my partner. My person. I couldn't do this without you."
Rui's cheeks heated. "I'm your person?"
Ye grinned, squeezing her hand. "Always."
They drove through the night, the road stretching ahead of them. The vampire in the trunk stayed unconscious, and Dao Feng snored softly. Rui thought about the days ahead—the zombies, the vampire, Zhou Lin—but she wasn't scared. She had Ye. She had Dao Feng. She had family.
And together, they could face anything.