End-Times Taoist Temple: Stockpiling Supplies to Survive

[Reckless, wild ghost general x cold-faced, adorable lotus-flower little Daoist]

Before the apocalypse arrived, An Ziqing's sect went down the mountain together to save the world.

All they left their newly initiated little apprentice was a leaky Taoist temple, a spring that could purify viruses, and a tea pet that had been kept for a thousand years.

A few days later, black smoke rose from the tea pet.

An evil ghost sealed away for a thousand years burst through the formation, grabbed An Ziqing by the throat, and laughed wildly.

“So you're the little lotus that old Daoist raised for me?”

An Ziqing: o-o?

The next second, a restraining talisman smacked onto the evil ghost's forehead.

So the apocalypse really had come. Even things like this dared to come out and scare people.

His master sent a message, telling An Ziqing to guard the temple and keep an eye on that thousand-year-old ghost.

So while everyone else was busy fleeing, An Ziqing was busy farming, building houses, drawing talismans, and beating zombies.

As for the notorious ghost general?

He fixed the roof, carried lumber, drove off zombie hordes, and occasionally had to serve tea to the little Daoist.

As time went by, the dilapidated Taoist temple became the most sought-after safe house in the apocalypse.

Demon vines bore cream strawberries, ghost soldiers patrolled in formation, and even man-eating willows had been trained to serve as clotheslines.

The spirit spring purified viruses, while mountain spirits and monsters started running doomsday delivery services. More and more survivors fought tooth and nail to get a residence pass.

An Ziqing took people in, but he never made a loss-making deal.

Some traded gold for one safe night. Others only had to hand over a hair tie.

As for what he wanted to collect that day, even the survivors staying there couldn't guess.

Everyone thought Master An's greatest hobby was running the Taoist temple.

Only Xiao Jin knew that this little Daoist, who seemed to have no worldly desires, would stand in front of strangers when zombies besieged the city, and would coldly redraw a talisman for him when he was injured.

And the ghost general who had once crawled out of a sea of corpses, his heart full of hatred, had somehow learned to rein in his murderous intent for one person.

He tied An Ziqing's Taoist robe for him, then leaned down and whispered in his ear with a mischievous, flirty smile.

“My dear, can I come into your room tonight?”

An Ziqing's ears turned red. Without changing expression, he pushed the man out.

...This is bad.

When Master gets back, won't he really break my legs?

Volume One: Zombies Besiege the City

The zombie horde drew near, and the crumbling Taoist temple was in grave danger.

Xiao Jin waved his sleeve and summoned ghost soldiers, then turned to ask the little Daoist for a reward: “I fixed the house for you, and I saved people for you. Little lotus, it wouldn't be too much to ask for an arm to eat, would it?”

Volume Two: Mutating Plants

Zombie corpses nourished crazily growing mutant plants, turning the whole mountain into a man-eating forest.

An Ziqing was busy drawing talismans and rescuing people, while Xiao Jin was always trying to ask for a different kind of reward.

“My dear, I saved so many people today. How are you going to reward me?”

“Go pick some wild vegetables.”

The ghost general looked at the man-eating vines covering the mountainside and fell into deep thought.

Volume Three: The Mobile Taoist Temple

After the natural disasters came one man-made disaster after another. Various factions coveted the temple, so An Ziqing decided to run away with the entire thing.

And so, the apocalypse gained a mobile castle, as well as a pair of cultivator partners who went around causing trouble.

As hellfire consumed the infected, Xiao Jin played with a lock of An Ziqing's hair and chuckled softly:

“You protect the people. I'll protect you.”

An Ziqing: “What exactly is burning? Stop being so dramatic. If you're bored, go plow the fields.”

Ghost general: QAQ

Reader's guide

* Apocalypse farming and management, from a dilapidated Taoist temple to a mobile castle. The safe house keeps upgrading.

* Cold-faced, adorable little Daoist x crazy, devoted ghost general. Fight monsters, build up the base, gather underlings, and fall in love along the way.

* Happy ending, one-on-one. Angst in the past life, sweeter in this life.

* Both grow: one goes from being socially clueless to caring about the world, while the other goes from being full of hatred to willingly reining in his sharp edges for one person.

Theme: Persevere and survive against all odds.