Seeking the Tao in the Mortal World - Chapter 161: Bond

A poor orphan, who lost both parents, stumbles upon a mysterious space and embarks on the path of cultivating immortality. From then on, he cultivates spiritual herbs, refines immortal pills, opens a shop, practices military formations, and establishes an immortal kingdom…This story is about cultivating immortality and farming, with a focus on ordinary people, not horses.

Anyone who could construct a stable Spell Model could become a Wizard — that was the Wizards’ ultimate secret! Having been given a new life as the son of an aristocrat and armed with a super quantum computer from his past life, Spell Models came as easily as breathing to Merlin. With this overwhelmingly huge advantage, would Merlin become the greatest Grand Wizard of all time?

- Description from Novelupdates

Betrayed. Ridiculed. Killed.That was my past life.I trusted the wrong people, and they buried me for it. But fate wasn’t done with me yet. When I opened my eyes again, it wasn’t in my old body—it was in a world overrun by the undead. And this time, I was one of them.A fucking zombie!But I’m not like the others. I think. I feel. I remember.What’s this voice in my head?[Welcome to the Silent Requiem System!]The system feeds me power, unlocking missions and skill buried within this body. I have one goal: rise in rank, take control, and make sure no one ever tramples me again.The humans I move with have no idea what I really am. To them, I’m just another survivor, clawing my way to the top. But in battle, I use my abilities in secret—manipulating the undead, eliminating threats, and turning every fight in my favor.But rumors are spreading. There’s talk of an undead hiding among them, unseen and unstoppable. If they find out the truth, they’ll hunt me down like a monster.And my past? It’s here too. The people who betrayed me in my last life are standing right beside me, unaware of who I am. But I remember them. They turned on me once—I won’t give them the chance to do it again.Then there’s him. The commander of the city, sharp-eyed and ruthless. He’s watching me too closely, asking too many questions. If he figures out the truth, I’ll have to make a choice: eliminate him, outplay him… or pull him into my trap before he can destroy me.Because in this world, power is the only thing that matters. And this time, I refuse to be at the bottom.***“How did you survive when everyone else died?”I guess death just didn’t want me.“Why do the zombies ignore you?”Maybe I just have a face they don’t like.“You were just a nobody yesterday—how are you suddenly so strong?”Hard work, luck… and a little bit of hex.“Why do I feel like I've seen you somewhere before?”Déjà vu’s a funny thing, isn’t it?“What are you?”Wouldn’t you like to know?

I possessed a minor character who marries the prince. I’m not thrilled about it. The prince is a scumbag who flirts with the heroine despite being engaged and eventually gets defeated by the original male lead. In the epilogue, all he does is apologize to his fiancée and marry her, with barely a line to his name. Well, his personality is twisted, but at least he’s handsome. And since he’s the third prince, he doesn’t have to shoulder the burden of ruling the kingdom. That’s decent husband material, I suppose. Go ahead, make a fool of yourself. You’re going to marry me anyway. I’ll just sit back and enjoy watching your embarrassing history unfold. “Doris Redfield. Don’t expect me to ask you to dance at this ball. Maybe not at the next one either. Or the one after that.” “Yes, Your Highness. As you wish.” “Even though we’re engaged… wait, what?” “It’s just a joke proposal our parents once tossed around, isn’t it? You don’t need to take it seriously, Your Highness. I’m really fine with it.” “…Is that so? Yes, that’s… fine, right?” Why are you panicking, prince? You started spouting nonsense first. Where’s your conscience? But then, this guy really has the audacity to ask something outrageous. “…Do you, perhaps, have another man?” The guy who flirted with the original heroine is saying this now? Calm down. He’ll regret this later. All I need to do is remain a devoted fiancée until then. “What are you talking about? A woman like me… plain, not beautiful, with a gloomy personality, what man would even—” “What? Who dared to say that about you?” …You did, in the original story. This guy is acting weird. But he’s not the only problem. “My dear little sister Doris, that dress you’re wearing today is dreadful. No wonder there are rumors His Highness has abandoned you.” “Well, it can’t be helped. His Highness is too good for me anyway.” “…Hold on. Too good? Who said that? Wait, were you really dumped?” The original villainess, who also happens to be my older sister, Natalie, is suddenly interested in my love life. Why are all the original tr*shy characters growling at each other over me now?!