Suddenly, with a bang, a dark figure leaped out of the doorway. It was Liu Degui!
I covered my mouth tightly, afraid to scream.
Liu Degui's body was already rotting, and the stench was unbearable. His eyes were watering, and his cloudy pupils stared at me intently. He stretched his hands out, as if wanting to come in but afraid. He kept sniffing at the woman's position, clearly afraid of her.
Both of us were afraid, and we didn't dare hide near her.
Liu Degui made a few tentative attempts, then suddenly leaped in, making a "haha" sound, attempting to pounce on me.
Just as he entered, the woman's hands moved, trying to pull at the black cloth covering her head, but they dropped limply halfway.
Having followed my grandfather for so long, I knew that the black cloth was intimidating the woman, and that was why Liu Degui wasn't afraid of her.
But letting her out would be just as terrifying...
Zombies have no thoughts; they pounce on anyone they see. If the female corpse were to transform, she'd be the first to bite me to death.
While I was hesitating, Liu Degui had already leaped to the edge of the bed, his rotting flesh cascading onto the ground as he bounced. It was both disgusting and terrifying.
I figured it would be better to be mauled to death by the female zombie than to be killed by the disgusting Liu Degui.
With a determined heart, I gritted my teeth and leaped forward, yanking the black cloth from the corpse's head.
The moment the cloth was removed, the corpse abruptly turned, facing the door with the red veil on her head. Liu Degui froze as he was about to leap onto the bed. He recoiled in fear, backpedaling until he was outside, where he scampered away.
I glanced at the door, then back at the corpse. Thankfully, she remained motionless. Then I carefully took the black cloth and tried to cover it again.
But just as the black cloth was about to touch me, the corpse's hand suddenly lifted up and gripped my wrist tightly, squeezing it so hard my bones felt broken. In excruciating pain, I kept prying her fingers apart.
Her hand felt as cold as steel. After a while, the pain became unbearable and I burst into tears.
Hearing my cries, the corpse's hand slowly loosened. I didn't dare cover her with the black cloth anymore, shrinking to the corner of the bed and watching her.
As dawn approached, footsteps finally sounded outside. Grandpa rushed in, covered in blood.
I started, and so did he. But he quickly recovered, picked me up, walked over to her, and told me to remove the red veil.
Seeing my trembling hesitation, Grandpa said, "Hurry! It'll be too late if you don't."
Grandpa's eyes were terrifying, so I had no choice but to pull off the veil. The corpse's face was beautiful, but her skin was a little too pale. As soon as the red veil was removed, her eyes flew open, their pupils bloodshot, like a demon.
Grandpa hastily put me down, stepped back a few steps, and said anxiously, "Tongtong is yours! Take him away, now."
The corpse woman heard Grandpa's words and made a gurgling sound in her throat, as if in response. She grabbed my hand stiffly and dragged me out.
In the yard, I saw my father lying on the ground, bleeding profusely. I struggled to get closer, but the corpse woman's grip was tight and strong. I crawled on the ground, but she dragged me along, ignoring my cries.
Grandpa stood at the main hall door, staring at me without saying a word.
After being dragged to the village entrance by the corpse woman, I saw all the Wu family members lying on the road, seriously injured. Old Wu was lying on his back on the side of the road, with a boy about my age lying on his body, sobbing.
Old Dog Wu was still alive. Seeing me being dragged along by the corpse, he weakly raised his hand and pointed, saying to the boy, "Good boy, follow Zhang Tong! Hurry."
The boy was pushed aside, wiped his tears, and stood up. He actually followed.
But his feet didn't touch the ground.
Seeing the boy floating towards me, I was too frightened to scream. I remembered what my grandfather said about poultry being killed by ghosts sucking their blood and gathering souls. Could he be Old Dog Wu's ghost?
The corpse noticed the boy following and stopped, her head abruptly turned back. Fear crossed the boy's face, and he immediately stopped.
Old Dog Wu looked at me, coughed up blood twice, and pleaded, "Tongtong, Grandpa Wu did some wrong, but Grandpa Wu never meant to harm you. I was also used in some things, and after seeing through it, Grandpa Wu also made some arrangements for you. Bring Chen Hao with you. He'll tell you the truth."
Chen Hao? Wasn't he the little kid whose coffin was lowered at the funeral presided over by Wu Laogou? How could he have been raised as a ghost?
I hated Wu Laogou to death. If it weren't for him, this wouldn't have happened. But I couldn't bear to hear his grief, and I also wanted to know the truth behind it.
Seeing my hesitation, Wu Laogou took a few breaths and continued, "Tongtong, as long as you and Chen Hao don't fall into their hands, our lives will be saved. In the future..."
Before he finished his words, five or six men in black from the village rushed over, murderously intent. Wu Laogou hurriedly urged me to leave.
The men in black were so urgent, I didn't know who they were. I quickly climbed to my feet and asked the corpse, "Can we take Chen Hao with us?"
I wasn't sure if she understood, but as soon as I finished, she started walking.
Chen Hao floated after me, and the corpse didn't try to drive him away. She must have understood what I was saying.
The men in black were fast, and we were overtaken just outside the village. Seven or eight strangers were blocking our way ahead, wearing conical hats that left only their mouths exposed.
I watched them nervously, somewhat bewildered. The female corpse, however, ignored them, making a gurgling sound in her throat, her eyes gleaming bloodshot, and continued to lead me forward.
The men in black lined up in front, blocking the way, their hands hidden in their sleeves, as if they were holding weapons. But as soon as they moved, a chilling howl rang out from Shiao Mountain. The sound was like that of wolves, deep and distant, rising and falling in a chorus. Many of them howled.
As the howls began, the moonlight on the ground slowly faded to a pale red, while the crescent moon hanging in the sky now glowed brightly like blood.
My grandfather said that only corpses of the ancestor level could trigger a blood moon. Could it be that a corpse ancestor was protecting the female corpse on Shiao Mountain?
Seeing the blood moon, the men in black slowly retreated in fear, but their hands remained hidden in their sleeves.
One of the men in black said in a hoarse voice, "She's from the Corpse Tribe. We've been tricked by Wu Lao Xie."
The female corpse heard the howling from Shiao Mountain and raised her head to the blood moon, howling loudly. Voices from the mountain responded, rushing down the mountain.
The men in black were completely thrown into disarray. The man who had spoken raised his hand and said, "Let her go."
I stared intently at the man who had spoken, trying to get a clearer look at him, but he kept his head bowed as we passed.
After leaving the village, the female corpse dragged me toward Shiao Mountain. Li Hao drifted behind. The men in black didn't follow, probably heading back to the village to capture my grandfather and Wu Lao Gou.
But not far into the mountain, a sudden drumbeat erupted from the woods. The sound was deep, like the roar of a bull. Each beat felt like a thump in the heart, painful to hear.
The female corpse stopped at the drumbeat, letting out a low, painful growl.
It was Uncle Li's corpse-suppressing drum. I was overjoyed and hurriedly called out to him.
The drum is neither yin nor yang. It's made of high-quality buffalo hide. After it's made, it's buried in a very yin place for five years. If the hide still retains its toughness, it's then soaked in boy's urine for at least six months. Only the one that doesn't decay can be used as a corpse-suppressing drum. It's a rare exception.
Each time a corpse is suppressed, blood is drawn from it to smear it on the drum. The more corpses it suppresses, the darker the drum becomes, and the more powerful it becomes.
Uncle Li heard me shout and emerged from behind a large tree, shirtless. He had a dark black drum tied to his waist, beating rhythmically with every step.
The female corpse turned stiffly, shielding me behind her. But I didn't want her protection. I kept shouting, "Uncle Li, save me," and scratching her arm.
Behind Uncle Li were eight other men, all veteran coffin bearers. They assumed a commanding demeanor. Every two beats of the drum were followed by a roar and a steady advance.
The corpse kept retreating, but she remained guarding the front. I saw blood oozing from the corner of her mouth, and for some reason, I felt a pang of pain. I said, "I won't go with you. Let me go, and Uncle Li and the others won't hurt you."
Uncle Li heard me say this, stopped playing his drumstick, and said to the corpse, "Zhang Tong is human, and you are a corpse. He will surely die if he enters Shi'ao Mountain. His grandfather asked me to meet him here. Give him to me, and you can come down the mountain to visit him later."
After hearing Uncle Li's words, I suddenly realized that this must be what my grandfather had told him at Liu Degui's grave. Had he predicted this?
But just then, Chen Hao whispered in my ear, "Zhang Tong, don't believe him. He was the one who gave Liu Degui that coffin. There's something fishy going on. Grandpa Wu said the Li family is the real villain."
Although Chen Hao could manifest himself by absorbing blood and gathering souls, the coffin bearers, with their yang energy, couldn't see him. Corpses are different from ghosts, so the corpse-suppression drum has no effect. That's why he stayed by my side.
I muttered angrily, "Old Dog Wu isn't a good guy either. He killed you, and you're still defending him."
Chen Hao, whistling in the eerie wind, said, "That's not the case, Grandpa Wu..."
I didn't listen to him anymore. I turned around and said to Uncle Li, "Uncle Li, my grandfather told me to stay in the mountains for a few days. I'll come back and see you when I get back."
Old Dog Wu said he had no intention of harming me, and that might be true. What he did might be related to Chen Hao.
But what are Uncle Li and those men in black planning to do?
Uncle Li heard me say I wanted to go up the mountain. He said firmly, "No, Shi'ao Mountain is not a place for the living. Tongtong, don't worry, Uncle Li will never let her take you away."
The drums started beating again. Blood was oozing from the corner of the female corpse's mouth. She struggled to move back into the mountains, protecting me. But the eight men behind Uncle Li pressed forward, drawing sharp corpse-chopping knives from their waists.
The corpse-chopping knife was incredibly sharp, capable of cleaving a wooden stake as thick as a bowl with a single stroke. The woman's neck was delicate, certainly not as delicate as a stake. Seeing this, I panicked and tried to protect her, but she held my hand tightly.
Just as the corpse-chopping knife was about to fall, a chilling aura suddenly emanated from Shiao Mountain.
The chilling air instantly descended, and the surrounding trees crackled and instantly covered in frost. At the same time, a number of dark figures leaped towards me from the nearby woods.
Uncle Li's face darkened, and he shouted, "Tongtong, don't be afraid. Uncle Li will definitely come back to save you."
Before he could finish his words, Uncle Li and his men had already vanished.
The shadows didn't reappear, but judging by their leaping movements, they were undoubtedly zombies.
The woman's mouth gurgled twice, and the overwhelming chill instantly dissipated.
As we approached Shiao Mountain, my teeth chattered incessantly. It was so cold that a layer of frost coated my eyebrows. Seeing that I was too cold to move my legs, the corpse suddenly stopped and slowly bent over.
Meaning her bloodshot eyes, my heart skipped a beat. Was she going to eat me to save me the trouble of not being able to walk?
Thinking of this, I cried and told her, "I'm fine, I can still walk, please don't bite me."
I wanted to run, but my joints were frozen and I couldn't move.
The corpse struggled to bend over, her joints crackling as she bent, and her face showed a look of pain. However, she squatted down and didn't bite me. Instead, she picked me up and continued walking into the mountain.
She only held my hips, her center of gravity unstable, so to keep from falling, I had to cling to her neck. She smelled delicious, a scent I had never smelled before.
The summit of Shi'ao Mountain is a depression formed by two peaks. Barely treeless, it's littered with rocks. Scattered among these rocks are numerous coffins, some red, some black, scattered in a haphazard manner, creating a spooky and eerie atmosphere.
The coffin lids are now open, and zombies constantly leap back in. Each time they jump in, the lids fly up and shut, creating a truly eerie scene.
Behind the coffins and the rocks lies a vast ancient tomb. Near the tomb entrance stands a stone hut with a burning bonfire inside.
The female corpse, holding me, had just stopped in front of the hut when the shabby wooden door opened, revealing a white-haired old man.
I was somewhat surprised; I hadn't imagined that people still lived in Shi'ao Mountain. The old man, hunched over, quickly took me in.
As I cradled him in his arms, a warm breath flowed through me, slowly warming my stiff joints.
The old man respectfully said to the female corpse, "Don't worry, young master! I will take good care of you." The corpse gurgled twice in her throat and walked stiffly toward the cemetery. After two steps, she paused and looked back at me reluctantly.
I shuddered. Honestly, she was beautiful, even prettier than the fairies in paintings, but those eyes were truly terrifying.
The old man smiled helplessly, patted my butt, and said, "The young lady can't bear to leave you. Let's go see her off."
I had just warmed up, feeling weak, and let the old man carry me as I followed. There was a collapsed archway in the cemetery, dating from an unknown era.
My grandfather had taught me a lot of characters. The plaque read, "Corpse Clan Restricted Ground, No Entry."
In the center of the cemetery, half-buried in the earth, stood a massive bronze coffin, covered in verdigris. From a distance, it looked like a stone. Inside, there were numerous gold, silver, and jade artifacts. The coffin walls were wrapped in red silk, appearing quite comfortable.
The corpse walked to the coffin, paused, and looked back at me.
I figured this must be her coffin, and she was holding off because she was afraid I'd run away. I hurriedly said, "Go in, I won't run away."
My grandfather and the others' situation is unknown, and Uncle Li's fate is unknown. I don't know where those black-robed men came from, and I won't be able to return anytime soon.
The corpse listened to me, gently closed her eyes, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, as if she were smiling. Then her body slowly floated up and lay down in the coffin.