Chapter 154 - I'll Be a Saintess in the Future, Daoist! The Zombie King's Secret!
"Awei, later you make sure they're careful. Don't let them lose their lives."
Jiu Shu reminded Awei, as the sound of hooves drew ever closer. Compared to the bandits, these men were still lacking, especially with the enemy having sorcery as protection.
Though they could use that information gap to catch the enemy off guard, once the bandits realized the truth, they would no longer be careless. He didn't want to see heavy casualties.
"I understand, Master. Don't worry."
Awei promised repeatedly, but his eyes couldn't help drifting toward Renji. He felt that with Renji here, there shouldn't be any accidents.
He only needed to ensure his cousin Tingting's safety. In fact, this was an opportunity—perhaps he could stage a heroic rescue.
He figured that even if she had been training with Renji for a while, she probably wouldn't be that strong.
"Fellow Daoist, remember to leave one alive."
After reminding Awei, Jiu Shu turned to Renji.
Whenever Renji acted, it was either lightning strikes or fire roasting.
He was truly afraid the woman wouldn't withstand it and would be killed, making gathering information difficult.
"Rest assured, Daoist, I'll be careful!"
Renji nodded in reply. When had he ever been someone who didn't know his limits in Jiu Shu's eyes?
Leaving Granny Wang alive was something he naturally understood—he still needed to learn certain things from her. But even if she died, that wouldn't be a problem for him.
It would just mean revealing the Soul Summoning Banner.
"They're here. Everyone, be ready."
Everything was prepared. When the bandits entered the trap, they triggered it all at once.
The bandits were thrown from their horses, and those behind blocked the retreat.
Seeing this, the bandits didn't flee. Even knowing they'd been ambushed, they felt no fear—they weren't ordinary bandits.
They even had a mind to toy with their attackers. After all, these people didn't seem to know what kind of enemy they were facing.
But when the militia's blades fell upon their necks, cutting through with ease, they immediately realized the enemy knew exactly what they were up against—and had prepared for it.
Now, it was too late for regret.
"Go!"
Granny Wang shouted. This bandit gang was her painstakingly built force, followers who had been with her for a long time and had trained under her guidance.
It hadn't been easy to raise such a group. She thought this time's raid would be like before, but she hadn't expected the enemy to be ready.
She'd heard nothing about any Daoists coming here.
Normally, if another Daoist appeared, others would be warned to be cautious or seize a chance to kill them.
"Don't let her escape!"
Xue Hua released her insects, and once she confirmed this was her target, she didn't hold back.
"A witch?"
Granny Wang's sharp voice rang through the forest. For a witch to be here today—had Miaojiang discovered her?
Damn it!
Why hadn't that person warned her?
Or had she been abandoned?
Thoughts whirled through her mind as she found herself surrounded by insects. Without hesitation, she threw out her own, unable to save the other bandits.
Right now, all that mattered to her was escaping—maybe she could return later if given the chance.
"You won't escape!"
Xue Hua shook her arm, the bells in her hand ringing in a rhythm.
Her insects were far stronger than Granny Wang's. In her presence, Granny Wang's bugs barely had any resistance.
Seeing she was about to capture her target, Xue Hua grew proud and relaxed her control slightly.
So she wasn't that strong after all! She had thought Granny Wang would be powerful, but she couldn't even withstand a single move!
Granny Wang pressed her thumb to her abdomen, forcing a sour liquid up her throat, then spat it toward Xue Hua.
The flood of brown-green acid reeked of decay. Many nearby almost vomited from the stench.
Seeing this, Xue Hua froze in place, failing to dodge in time.
"So smelly!"
Renji expelled a stream of flame from his mouth and nose. Samadhi True Fire instantly incinerated the acid in the air.
This was the result of Granny Wang living with poisonous creatures daily and consuming their toxins, brewing them in her body. Contact meant certain death.
If it hit the ground, the stench and danger would linger for a long time. Renji decided to remove it entirely.
"A lion hunts a rabbit with full strength. Don't relax until the enemy is completely dead."
Renji stepped forward, glancing at the stunned Xue Hua and giving her a reminder.
Granny Wang's strength couldn't match Xue Hua's, but her combat experience far surpassed hers. An inexperienced fighter could never match a seasoned one.
"Mm, actually I'm not afraid of poison."
Xue Hua protested softly. She wasn't afraid of toxins; her brief hesitation was simply surprise that Granny Wang had made herself into a living poison.
Though both played with insects, this method was rare.
Even if the poison had landed on her, she wouldn't have been too worried.
But after Renji's words, she felt oddly as if she were being lectured by her grandmother—who always had to teach her a lesson before anything else.
Annoying!
She was already grown!
"So you wanted that disgusting stuff to hit you? Then I shouldn't have stepped in."
Renji's words left her momentarily speechless.
It did make sense.
Imagining that brown-green liquid hitting her, with its foul stench, made her shiver.
If it had landed, she might have wanted to scrub her skin right off.
"Daoist, I didn't mean that. I just don't want you to lecture me like that—I'm grown now!"
"Is that how your family taught you before?"
"My grandmother always says—"
Damn!
He'd heard of mama's boys, but never this.
Every sentence started with "my grandmother says."
A trace of exasperation flashed in Renji's eyes, and he waved off the conversation.
Turning to Granny Wang, he saw that as more bandits were cut down, she began to realize the battle was lost.
"You'll all die horribly! I won't spare you even as a ghost!"
With that, she glared at them, drawing her blade to kill herself.
That earlier flame had been Samadhi True Fire—she knew who had come.
And she knew that with someone from Miaojiang present, her tricks were useless.
She tried to commit suicide, planning to become a fierce ghost to increase her odds of escape.
"Want to die? Not so easy."
Renji formed several lightning swords and hurled them at her limbs. They pinned her in place instantly, the paralyzing shock coursing through her body and leaving her unable to move, much less kill herself.
"That simple?"
A flash of joy crossed Jiu Shu's eyes. He hadn't expected Renji could use lightning this way.
He had thought they would need every method available, with little guarantee of success.
It seemed he had overthought it.
"Hey, what exactly are you people in the evil sect doing?"
"Filthy Daoist, you think I'll tell you?!"
Granny Wang glared hatefully at Ma Ma Di, then turned her venomous gaze on Renji. "You've ruined our plans time and again. One day, you'll pay the price!"
"Time and again?"
Renji muttered. Hadn't he only done a few things?
"Master Ren once, the royal zombie once, and Nintendo once?"
Only three times—could they all really have been their work?
Granny Wang didn't deny it, which left Renji speechless. So all the zombies that had appeared in these incidents were their doing.
"Why did you turn my grandfather into a zombie?"
"And my grandfather!"
Ren Tingting and Ren Zhuzhu clenched their fists. Since entering the Dao, they understood what zombies were. Once turned, there would be no reincarnation.
"Heh, if your grandfather hadn't been greedy, how could he have been refined into a zombie?"
A cold smile flashed across Granny Wang's face. She explained that Ren Weiyong had stolen a fine burial plot prepared by a feng shui master, who had been ready for death.
After a lifetime of saving and working, the feng shui master had it taken away by Ren Weiyong's power. How could he not bear a grudge?
As for Ren Zhuzhu's grandfather, that had nothing to do with them—that was the work of a foreigner. They had only been inspired to try it after seeing the result, but after Renji dealt with them, they gave up the idea.
"You'll never get information about our organization from me."
"No, some things don't need you to speak."
Renji shook his head, placing a hand on Granny Wang's head. He saw many of her memories—plans of the evil sect and their upcoming moves.
Just as he was about to go deeper, a restriction in her mind was triggered. Before he could react, her soul was shattered to dust.
"Remarkable. These evil sect people aren't to be underestimated."
Renji had thought they couldn't be that strong, hiding in the shadows. But this method made him realize he had underestimated them.
"Fellow Daoist, she seems to be dead…"
Her soul was gone. Jiu Shu was a little surprised; Renji's technique seemed to be a soul-searching method.
"Yes, there was a restriction in her head. I must have triggered it. But I've learned much of their plan."
Renji nodded. Some things were still hidden, but he had gained a lot of secrets.
"They're planning to detonate the zombies in Teng Teng Town. That zombie town needs to be dealt with quickly."
Teng Teng Town had once been full of people. Overnight, they had all died, and soon after, the dead became zombies—among them, a Zombie King.
Such a thing naturally drew the attention of the evil sect.
"There's a formation beneath it—deliberately raising them!"
Jiu Shu's voice was grim.
It was impossible for an entire town to become zombies overnight unless there was something extraordinary. He'd learned there was indeed a formation below, but he hadn't dared investigate further, not with a Zombie King inside.
The Maoshan sect had discussed how to deal with Teng Teng Town, but they couldn't come up with a solution. There were simply too many zombies.
They might need the cooperation of others to clear them out.
Worse, in Teng Teng Town, the zombies were stronger. Outside, they could be handled more easily, but how could they be lured out? The place had become their stronghold, and with a Zombie King present, entering would be suicide.
"I learned it all from her memory."
Renji gestured to Granny Wang, then tossed a flame to burn her body, waving his hand. "Bring all the corpses here. I'll burn them all!"
These people would likely become ghosts. Better to end it now with Samadhi True Fire.
As the fire consumed them, the bodies seemed to wail, and the onlookers were horrified to see the souls of the dead struggling in vain to escape the flames.
Renji burned both bodies and souls. Jiu Shu couldn't help but ask, "Fellow Daoist, isn't this a bit too ruthless?"
No matter what, they were of the righteous path. Burning their souls meant they'd never have the chance for reincarnation.
"These people wouldn't go to the underworld. They'd only become ghosts and harm the living."
Renji shook his head. Normally, Daoists wouldn't go so far—they would send them into reincarnation. But he knew these ones would only become vengeful spirits. Better to end them.
"Exactly, Lin Jiu. Save your kindness. I've seen too many such wicked people in my years. After death, they only become fierce ghosts."
Ma Ma Di agreed.
"I understand. By the way, Fellow Daoist, what exactly did you learn from her memory?"
Jiu Shu was silent for a moment, realizing his mercy had been misplaced. Leaving them alive would only cause harm.
"Let's talk elsewhere."
This wasn't the place. Just as they were about to leave, Xue Hua tugged on Renji's sleeve, asking timidly, "You burned her up—how am I supposed to go back now?"
She'd been so caught up listening to Renji earlier that she'd forgotten his last words. By the time she came to, Granny Wang was gone in flames.
With no corpse and no token, how could she explain herself when she went back?
"Uh… why not take her ashes?"
Renji was a bit troubled. When he was burning her, she hadn't stopped him, but now she was making a fuss.
"No, no! My grandmother would never believe it. Daoist, you don't want me to fail to become Saintess, do you?"
Xue Hua looked at him pitifully. She had completed her task, but without proof, she would have no way to explain.
"What are you planning?"
What did her becoming Saintess have to do with him?
"I want you to come back with me to prove it, okay?"
He was the head of the Shenxiao Sect and a powerful cultivator. If Renji went with her, her grandmother would believe her.
"Me? Testify?"
Wasn't this girl too naive? Wouldn't asking around about Granny Wang's death be simple?
Still, Renji had a feeling she had another motive.
"Tell the truth."
It was obvious she did—her expression gave her away.
"I… I just…" Xue Hua hesitated, then said, "I just think you're my friends, and I want you to attend my Saintess ceremony."
She had trained all her life to become Saintess, never having friends. She thought that if, when she achieved it, she had friends there, she would be happy.
Though they had only just met, she already saw them as friends.
(End of this chapter)
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