Chapter 33 - 23: The Zombie Next Door Is Coming of Age
February, with fragrance in the air.
Inside the Funeral Shop, a small, skinny gray mouse with a tuft of white fur on its head was squatting in a dish, holding a piece of dried, hardened sashimi and gnawing away.
A ray of sunlight broke through the window seam, landing on the edge of the quiet table, with dust particles floating in the air.
In this serene and silent moment, the dark wood coffin at the table, which had been still, suddenly made a light sound, and the dusty coffin lid revealed a clear gap.
The gray mouse, caught in the act, instantly froze its chewing motion, staring with beady black eyes in the direction of the sound like a sculpture.
"Bang!" The sound of the coffin lid being lifted and falling to the ground echoed, followed by a slender hand, as if newly born, reaching out from the coffin.
On the five protruding fingers, there were elongated, sharp nails, resembling the nail guards worn by Empress Dowagers.
"Hiss—" The long-missed sound of breathing was heard.
Xu Qing, who had been asleep for a long time, seemed to have had a dream, in which he became a cocoon hanging on an ancient green tree deep in the mountains, surrounded by serene scenery, chirping birds, and shadowy flowers.
As days and seasons passed, when the spring sun shone warmly, he broke out of the cocoon and transformed into an insect or butterfly.
At that moment, he felt extraordinarily light, as if gently flapping his wings would lift him to the clouds.