Liaozhai: Immortality Begins with Becoming Yan Chixia's Apprentice

Chapter 23 The Aftermath of the Corpse Reanimation

In the early morning, a thin mist enveloped Lanruo Temple.

Zhou Ning was practicing his sword on the back mountain. The Qingfeng sword in his hand transformed into a streak of green light, flying left and right, up and down.

After months of arduous training, his swordsmanship has improved dramatically. Every move he makes is now methodical, and although his sword energy is not particularly fierce, it is already capable of splitting tree branches as thick as a bowl.

"stop."

Yan Chixia's voice came from behind.

Zhou Ning sheathed his sword and turned around, only to see his master standing with his hands behind his back by the pine forest, his expression more solemn than ever before.

"Master, what are your orders?"

Yan Chixia walked up to him, took a letter from his sleeve, and handed it to him:

"People from Baihe Village have come again."

Zhou Ning took the letter, unfolded it, and saw that the handwriting was crooked and messy, clearly written in haste:

"Immortal Master Yan, a urgent report from Baihe Village: Recently, the corpses in the village have resurfaced, with the dead rising from the dead one after another, hiding by day and venturing out at night. Three people have already been injured. The villagers are terrified and earnestly request that you send someone to rescue them. Village head Li Laoshuan kowtows."

Zhou Ning frowned:

"Master, wasn't the Corpse King supposed to have left? How come there are still corpses turning into zombies?"

Yan Chixia shook his head:

"Although the Corpse King is gone, its corpse energy has seeped into the bones underground and will not dissipate in a short time. On days when the yin energy is heavy, those contaminated bones will undergo corpse transformation."

He paused, then continued:

"You handle this matter."

Zhou Ning felt a chill run down his spine:

"Is this disciple alone?"

Yan Chixia glanced at him:

"What? Scared?"

Zhou Ning shook his head:

"This disciple is not afraid. It's just... if that man in black robes from last time were to appear again..."

"No," Yan Chixia interrupted him.

"That man in black robes is seriously injured and won't be back anytime soon. The zombies in Baihe Village are just the lowest-level zombies; with your current strength, you can handle them."

He took out a jade talisman from his sleeve and handed it to Zhou Ning:

"This is the last time. Once it's used up, there won't be any left."

Zhou Ning accepted the jade talisman and solemnly said:

"Disciple understands."

"And..." Yan Chixia continued:

"This trip to Baihe Village is not only to deal with the zombie outbreak, but also to find the source of the zombie aura. If the problem isn't addressed at its root, the zombie outbreak will continue to occur."

Zhou Ning nodded:

"I have noted it down."

He returned to his lodgings, packed his bags, took his Qingfeng sword and talismans, and hurriedly went down the mountain.

It is about 30 li (approximately 15 kilometers) of mountain road from Lanruo Temple to Baihe Village.

Zhou Ning used his lightness technique to move swiftly, and arrived at the village entrance in less than two hours.

Baihe Village looks much more desolate than when I last visited.

The dirt road at the entrance of the village was overgrown with weeds, and there were no farmers working in the fields.

The doors and windows of several houses were askew, and the courtyard was deserted.

Occasionally, a few barks would come out, but they were weak and feeble, like howls of distress.

Village head Li Laoshuan was standing at the village entrance looking around when he saw Zhou Ning and quickly came to greet him.

"Brother Zhou, you've finally arrived." He gripped Zhou Ning's hand tightly, tears streaming down his face.

"Something's happened in the village again."

Zhou Ning helped him up: "Old man, don't rush. Speak slowly."

Li Laoshuan wiped away his tears and recounted the events of the past few days in detail.

It turns out that just five days ago, Old Man Wang from the east end of the village died.

He was over seventy years old and already frail and sickly, so his death was not unexpected.

But on the very night of his burial, strange noises came from his coffin.

The people on night watch dared not look, and when they opened the coffin the next morning, they found the body was gone.

Then, the following night, Widow Zhang from the west end of the village died.

She was scared to death; someone saw Old Wang's zombie wandering in her yard.

On the third day, Liu the carpenter at the south end of the village also died.

He was bitten to death by a zombie; there were two deep teeth marks on his neck, and all the blood in his body had been drained.

"Three people have died in three days. The villagers are terrified," Li Laoshuan said in a trembling voice.

"Several families have already moved away overnight. If this continues, Baihe Village will be finished."

Zhou Ning frowned after hearing this.

"Village head, where are those bodies now?"

Li Laoshuan said, "The bodies of Old Man Wang and Widow Zhang have not yet been found. We burned Carpenter Liu's body overnight."

Zhou Ning nodded: "It's good to burn it. People bitten by zombies will turn into zombies if they aren't treated in time."

He stood up and said, "Village head, please take me to see Liu the carpenter's house first."

Carpenter Liu's home is at the south end of the village; it's a small mud-brick house.

The yard was a mess, with dried bloodstains on the ground.

Zhou Ning crouched down and carefully examined the bloodstains.

The bloodstains were dark red and had dried and clumped together.

Around the bloodstains were several blurry footprints, which were large and did not appear to be those of a normal person.

"These are zombie footprints," Zhou Ning said.

"And there was more than one."

The village head was so frightened that his face turned pale:

"More than one? There are others?"

Zhou Ning nodded: "Old Man Wang and Widow Zhang have probably already turned into zombies. Add to that the skeletons that were contaminated by the corpse energy before, and the number is probably even greater."

He stood up and said, "Village head, go and tell the villagers not to go out tonight. No matter what noises they hear, they should not open the door. I will keep watch."

The village head nodded repeatedly and hurried away.

Night falls.

The moon was obscured by thick clouds, and the world was pitch black.

Zhou Ning sat cross-legged under a big tree at the entrance of the village, closing his eyes and regulating his breathing.

The Qingfeng sword lay horizontally on his lap, and a stack of talismans hung at his waist.

The wind howled, like the wailing of ghosts.

It was just past midnight.

A rustling sound came from afar, as if something was crawling in the grass.

Zhou Ning opened his eyes, pulled out an "evil-repelling talisman" from his waist, and held it in his hand.

The sound was getting closer.

Finally, a dark figure emerged from the darkness.

Moonlight shone through the gaps in the clouds, illuminating the dark figure.

It was a corpse.

No, it cannot be called a "corpse".

Its skin is bluish-black, dry and stiff, clinging tightly to the bones.

Its eyes were grayish-white, without pupils, yet they emitted an eerie, ghostly light.

His mouth parted to reveal two rows of yellow teeth, the gaps between which were filled with black grime.

It was dressed in tattered funeral clothes, the hem of which dragged on the ground, stained with mud and blood.

It's Old Man Wang.

No, it was Old Man Wang who turned into a zombie.

Zhou Ning stood up and gripped the Qingfeng sword tightly.

The zombie seemed to sense his presence, its gray-white eyes turning towards him, letting out a low growl.

Immediately afterwards, two more dark figures emerged from the darkness.

One of them is a female corpse dressed in a red burial shroud, which should be Widow Zhang.

The other was a tall male corpse; its identity was unknown.

Three zombies formed a fan shape and surrounded Zhou Ning.

Zhou Ning remained calm.

He took a deep breath and poured his inner energy into the Qingfeng Sword, causing the blade to glow with a faint blue light.

"bring it on."

He darted forward and went to meet them.

The first sword strike went straight for Old Man Wang's head.

Although the zombie moved slowly, it reacted quickly, dodging the sword with a sidestep.

Zhou Ning changed his move extremely quickly, turning his sword and sweeping it horizontally towards its neck.

"Snap!"

The blade struck his neck with a crisp sound.

The zombie's neck was severed in half, and black blood gushed out, emitting a nauseating stench.

But instead of falling, it opened its mouth and bit at Zhou Ning's wrist.

Zhou Ning was prepared. He took out a "talisman to ward off evil" from his waist with his left hand and stuck it directly on its forehead.

"laugh!"

The talisman glowed with a golden light, and the zombie let out a miserable scream, its whole body trembling, before collapsing straight down like a log.

Solve one.

The other two zombies had already pounced on him.

Widow Zhang stretched out her withered, skeletal hands and reached for Zhou Ning's neck.

The tall male corpse opened its blood-red maw and bit at his shoulder.

Zhou Ning turned around to avoid Zhang the widow's attack, and at the same time stabbed his sword into the chest of the tall male corpse.

"Pfft!"

The blade pierced the rotting flesh with a dull thud.

The male corpse looked down at the sword in his chest, let out an angry roar, grabbed the blade, and pulled it out forcefully.

Zhou Ning gritted his teeth, channeled his inner energy into the sword, and twisted it sharply.

"Snap!"

The blade churned inside the man's corpse, pulverizing the bones in his chest.

The male corpse finally couldn't hold on any longer, released its grip, and collapsed to the ground with a thud.

There's only one left.

Widow Zhang seemed to realize she was no match for them, so she turned and ran.