Translator: CinderTL
"Let's pull a heist?" Qin Manyang's eyes gleamed with excitement.
Xu Sanyan curled his lip. How long had it been since he'd heard such familiar words? The last time had been when he was a bandit in the Northwest Desert.
"No need, really. He doesn't look like he has anything valuable," Xu Sanyan said, his skepticism evident. The man didn't seem like he was carrying any treasures.
"Heh, you're such a layman," Qin Manyang said, licking her red lips and pointing at the zombies. "These are the real treasures."
Xu Sanyan scoffed inwardly. So I've become the layman when it comes to highway robbery?
"See those zombies? They're perfect materials for making puppets. Corpse Walkers spend countless resources and Spirit Herbs raising them. The rich love them. We can sell them for at least this much!"
Qin Manyang held up two fingers.
"Two hundred?" Xu Sanyan asked hesitantly.
"Two thousand!" Qin Manyang's eyes flashed with greed.
"Whoa!" Xu Sanyan's interest was immediately piqued, but then he realized something. "So why did you only offer thirty Spirit Stones for my hairpin earlier?"
He hadn't fully understood the value of Spirit Stones, but he'd already thought thirty was too little. Now he realized it was ridiculously low.
Qin Manyang abruptly changed the subject. "Hehe, let's not talk about that. You distract those zombies while I deal with the Corpse Driver. Be careful not to damage the corpses."
"Can you tell what cultivation level he is?" Xu Sanyan asked suspiciously.
"He should be around Foundation Establishment Perfection. Those zombies are probably at the Mid Stage of Foundation Establishment," Qin Manyang said softly.
"That high?" Xu Sanyan was surprised. To casually encounter someone with Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivation was unexpected.
"How did you tell?" Xu Sanyan asked again.
"Huh? You don't know the Qi Observation Technique?" Qin Manyang turned her head in surprise.
Xu Sanyan had never even heard of it. "Uh... is the Qi Observation Technique very common?"
"I'll teach you after we're done!" Qin Manyang said, patting her chest grandly. Xu Sanyan glanced at her and wanted to tell her to stop patting—her chest was already small, and she'd just push it in further.
"After this is over, I'll take six, and you'll take four. Is that okay?" Qin Manyang asked Xu Sanyan.
"No problem."
The two conspirators immediately reached an agreement and began their operation.
Qin Manyang struck first. The Small Bell in her hand rapidly expanded, quickly enveloping the third zombie.
Sensing danger, all eight zombies stiffly turned their heads simultaneously. Their ghastly white faces showed no trace of humanity, and their exposed fangs were stained with traces of blood, making them look utterly terrifying.
The eight corpses instantly scattered, their gazes fixed on Xu Sanyan and Qin Manyang as they charged forward at lightning speed.
"Hurry up, it's your turn!" Qin Manyang shouted, her voice sharp. "Remember, don't break them!"
Xu Sanyan nodded slowly, his gaze fixed on the rapidly approaching zombies. His face showed no fear, only a crimson mist that suddenly enveloped him.
In an instant, a towering figure burst from the Crimson Mist. Its muscular body was bare, its four arms clenched into fists as it charged forward to meet the zombies head-on.
While manipulating the Small Bell to entangle the Corpse Walker, Qin Manyang glanced at Xu Sanyan. Her gaze drifted over him, and she swallowed nervously.
On the other side, Xu Sanyan had engaged the zombies directly. Though their limbs were stiff, their combat prowess remained undiminished. Their dark fingers, sharp as blades, lunged straight for Xu Sanyan's abdomen.
Crack!
Xu Sanyan seized the attacking hand, twisting it with all his might. A sharp crack echoed as the arm snapped.
Qin Manyang immediately panicked. "Hey, be careful! If you break them, they'll be worthless!"
Xu Sanyan scoffed. "My name isn't 'Hey.'"
Of course, Qin Manyang didn't understand the joke. "Just entangle them! Don't hit them!" she shouted.
Xu Sanyan nodded silently. These zombies posed little threat to him. As he fought, he glanced at the other side.
The Corpse Walker's knees seemed incapable of bending, its movements stiff and jerky—likely a side effect of its Cultivation Method.
Though stiff-limbed, the Corpse Walker moved surprisingly fast, narrowly dodging Small Bell's attacks each time.
The Corpse Walker's expression remained impassive, but Xu Sanyan could sense his growing frustration. This passive defense-only battle was deeply humiliating.
Several times, the Corpse Walker tried to charge at Qin Manyang, only to be blocked by Small Bell, forcing him to dodge awkwardly.
Qin Manyang's lips curved into a smile, her expression smug.
"Roar!"
Witnessing this, the Corpse Walker's rage intensified. He roared at the sky, a deathly stillness filling his pitch-black eyes. Black mist billowed around him, carrying a thick, putrid stench.
Xu Sanyan glanced over. The black mist quickly dissipated, revealing a massive zombie nearly two meters tall, a head taller than Xu Sanyan himself.
His robes had been torn apart, leaving only tattered rags clinging to his body. His ghastly pale face was riddled with pits and hollows, as if devoured by insects, a truly repulsive sight.
A pair of razor-sharp fangs jutted from his mouth, and each time he opened it, a gust of fetid wind blew out, its stench detectable from a considerable distance.
Xu Sanyan wondered how Qin Manyang would handle this zombie, which now seemed even larger than Small Bell. There was no way she could cover it with the bell.
Qin Manyang, however, remained unconcerned. She even glanced down at their crotches, silently comparing them before nodding approvingly at Xu Sanyan.
Xu Sanyan was puzzled by her nod, unsure of its meaning.
"You demon! You've callously taken lives and slaughtered innocent people! Today, this young lady will act on behalf of Heaven and eliminate you!" Qin Manyang declared righteously, though it was unclear who she was addressing.
Xu Sanyan swatted away the approaching zombie with a slap, unable to stop his lips from curling. "You were the one who came up with this whole 'righteous execution' idea. There's no one else here, so why bother with the theatrics?"
"Roar!"
The Corpse Walker seemed incapable of speech, only roaring in fury to vent its hatred. Its towering figure charged swiftly toward Qin Manyang.
"Looks like I'll have to go all out today..."
Qin Manyang gritted her teeth and pulled out a mirror engraved with red floral patterns from her cloth bag. She bit her finger and smeared something on its surface.
As the zombie loomed before her, Xu Sanyan's eyes flickered. He made no move to intervene, confident that Qin Manyang had other tricks up her sleeve. This was a perfect opportunity to gauge her true strength.
As expected, the zombie's massive palm slammed down with tremendous force. Just then, Qin Manyang finished her drawing. She thrust the mirror toward the zombie and roared, "Bewitching Soul!"
The zombie's eyes suddenly glazed over, its palm continuing its downward trajectory from momentum, kicking up a cloud of dust.
When the dust settled, Xu Sanyan saw that Qin Manyang had already retreated far away. The giant Small Bell swelled again, instantly enveloping the zombie.
"Phew..." Qin Manyang exhaled deeply.
Xu Sanyan glanced around at the other zombies and noticed something amiss.
Earlier, though these seven zombies could move, their eyes were vacant, clearly indicating they were lifeless. But now, one of them had a distinctly more animated expression.
Xu Sanyan realized something. He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Quick, open the Small Bell!"
"Why?" Qin Manyang asked, puzzled. But trusting Xu Sanyan wouldn't act without reason, she obediently opened the Small Bell. A flicker of shock crossed her face.
(End of the Chapter)
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