Chapter 32: A Clever Use of Ventriloquism

Judging by the conversation between the two, it was clear that some sort of sect or organization was involved. This meant that these people were also targeting the female corpse. Whether she was good or evil, I could not let her come to harm in such a state of uncertainty; I certainly remembered the favor she had done for me.

With this thought, I gathered the female corpse into my arms and shouted to Erpang, who was standing there in a daze behind me, "Hurry to the ancestral hall!"

Without waiting for his reaction, I carried her and ran toward the mountain path on the other side. As I bolted along, I couldn't help but want to curse. If I had known that this "coming-of-age pact" would involve running through mountain trails, I wouldn't have spent all my time reading books; I should have spent my spare time strengthening my legs. I wouldn't be in such a state now, with my legs already trembling from exhaustion.

Because I was in a rush and carrying her in my arms, she weighed about a hundred pounds, no matter how slender she was. I had barely run halfway when I saw a large group of people down the mountain, dressed in white, trekking toward the summit in a procession.

Seeing this, I immediately stopped and hid behind a rock, watching them closely. The voice of the female corpse sounded in my ear, as if she were whispering right against it. "Do you remember the Breath-Holding Incantation?"

The Breath-Holding Incantation? I recalled the contents of the books I had read. It was a technique used to mask one's own aura. Powerful fortune tellers or practitioners of other professions could tell if you were having a run of bad luck just by looking at your aura; therefore, to prevent peers from seeing through them or setting traps, many in the industry used this spell to temporarily seal their own presence.

I nodded. The female corpse whispered again, "Use it on me."

This was the first time she had spoken to me in such a low voice, and the sensation against my ear was ticklish. A faint fragrance wafted over. I turned my head instinctively to look, but there was nothing there. I had assumed she had sat up and was leaning against my ear. I guessed the female corpse was worried that her scent was too strong and would be detected by these people in white.

Thinking of this, I did not hesitate. I quickly recited the Breath-Holding Incantation in my mind, then formed a seal with two fingers and pressed them against the female corpse's lower abdomen. Her stomach felt soft.

Sure enough, in that instant, the fragrance faded significantly. Meanwhile, the people in white down the mountain were drawing much closer.

I could see their faces clearly now. The leader was an older man with graying, salt-and-pepper hair, dressed in the same white robes as the others, his expression stern. He was flanked by two younger men, likely in their thirties or early forties. Behind them were only young people, barely in their early twenties. I did a rough count; there were over a dozen of them.

These people were clearly from a single sect or organization, given their uniform attire. Seeing them draw closer, I lowered my body further, not daring to breathe, feeling a sense of guilt, as if I were a thief. I had a strong feeling that the yellow-robed Taoist who had tried to stop me from feeding the coffin fungus, and these people in white, were eighty percent likely to be here for the female corpse.

Our village hadn't seen an outsider in ten years. The very day the female corpse was set to awaken, all these people happened to arrive. The connection was obvious. The thought that so many people were hunting the woman in my arms while I hid from them—wasn't I essentially kidnapping her right under their noses?

Finally, the group reached my vicinity.

"Elder Qi, I feel it is inappropriate for us from Wudang to wade into these murky waters. What if the Maoshan Sect..." It was the man on the leader's left who spoke.

The man on the right chimed in, "Exactly. If we intervene, the people from the Maoshan Sect will surely say we are meddling in their affairs. The Paranormal Exchange Conference is next year, and they will certainly use this against us."

Facing the dissuasion from both sides, the old man leading them wore a look of righteous indignation. "Subduing demons and defending the Way is a duty for all under heaven. Why distinguish between you and me? There is no need for further discussion!"

"Yes!"
"Yes!"

The two attendants immediately nodded in agreement. As they passed the rock where I was hiding, the man addressed as Elder Qi suddenly stopped. He didn't move!

My heart skipped a beat, and I didn't dare to move a muscle.

"Elder Qi, why have you stopped?"

Facing his attendant's inquiry, Elder Qi tilted his head slightly and sniffed the air. Then, he frowned. "The smell here is not right."

Hearing this, the two attendants immediately mimicked him and sniffed. "There’s nothing wrong here. It just smells like wild grass and goat manure. This is the countryside; that's normal."

Elder Qi shook his head. His eyes scanned the area, and he took a step forward, looking suspicious.

"Haa—gaga—"

I immediately covered my mouth with my hand and let out a strange, guttural sound. This was a skill I had learned from Erpang. Erpang’s family were hunters; his father worked with Butcher Liao, one catching the game and the other slaughtering it. There was wild game in the mountains, and after a kill, they could sell it for a good price, so Erpang knew many animal calls. I had only mastered the calls of a wild boar and a fox, as these were the two most common animals in the mountains. I had just been mimicking a fox.

Sure enough, as soon as the sound echoed, Elder Qi stopped. The two attendants beside him immediately laughed. "So it was just the scent of a fox. Elder Qi, your sense of smell is truly sharp."

"Indeed! I actually thought it was the smell of goat manure!"

With the two of them saying this, Elder Qi had no choice but to nod. He hesitated slightly before continuing up the mountain. The white-clad group followed immediately behind.

Only after their long procession had completely disappeared did I finally let out a long breath. "In this day and age, you really can't survive without knowing a few foreign languages."

Then, the mocking voice of the female corpse sounded in my ear: "Let's go."

I nodded. I had just taken a step when I suddenly realized—the female corpse's voice had carried a hint of laughter. I instinctively asked, "Were you laughing just now?"

Silence was my only answer.

I had no choice but to sheepishly continue running down the mountain. Even if my legs were trembling, I had to pick up the pace. I had already encountered two groups of people; who knew if others would show up if I delayed any longer? I had to hurry and fulfill the remaining two requests of the female corpse, then we would be square. As for the grudges she held with these people, I wanted no part of it.

Finally, under the shroud of night, I carried the female corpse into the village. Just like before, it was quiet. There was still no sound at all. I walked toward the ancestral hall, wondering why the female corpse had chosen this location. After all, she was a corpse, and an ancestral hall held a sense of divine protection, filled with the spirit tablets of ancestors. Wasn't she afraid? Or was it a case of the most dangerous place being the safest?

Furthermore, Erpang hadn't followed me. But he should be fine; those people were looking for the female corpse, and what danger could there be for a local villager like Erpang?

When I reached the entrance of the ancestral hall, I whispered to the woman in my arms, "Are you sure you can go in there?"