Chapter 36: Righteousness and Wrong

I looked up at the Taoist in the yellow robe again. He seemed familiar. The familiar robes, the voice... wait. I closed my eyes slightly and sifted through my memories. Finally, buried in the hazy recollections of my childhood, I found this face. He was the same Taoist who had come to cause trouble during my "Three-Year Great Calamity."

He had aged significantly. Back then, he was a middle-aged man; now, he was practically an old codger. And judging by the people trailing behind him, his status and influence had grown over the last fifteen years. Sensing my gaze, he didn't know what I was after.

"What are you staring at? I'm telling you, we're only sparing you because you're some mountain bumpkin. Get out of the way, don't force our hands!" he barked, his beard bristling.

Before I could reply, Elder Qi chimed in from the side, "Daoist Lianhua, as a member of the Maoshan Sect, do mind your tone. This young man carries himself with an extraordinary air; I suspect he is no ordinary person."

"Hmph! Old Qi, spare me that act. This female demon is a matter between our Maoshan Sect and Longhu Mountain. What business is it of you Wudang folk? You’re just looking for a slice of the pie, yet you insist on playing the righteous gentleman!"

Elder Qi’s expression shifted, his aura flaring once more. "Daoist Lianhua, how can you say such a thing? As for the inner core and the Phoenix Map on this woman, our Wudang Sect will take nothing. We are here solely for the sake of the world's peace!"

Daoist Lianhua sneered immediately, "Oh, how noble. 'Take nothing,' you say? Then why don't you let us and Longhu Mountain handle it? Why are you still lurking about?"

As the two began to bicker, I seized the chance to catch my breath and let my gaze wander. Huh? There was something behind the white-robed group. I moved further back, sensing a faint sound.

*Coo-coo...*

As I edged closer, the object behind the crowd became clearer. It was something white, with fur that looked remarkably like...

Sure enough, when I saw what it was, I froze in my tracks. The white weasel I had seen earlier was tied hand and foot, a purple talisman slapped onto its head. It was trussed up like a hog at a slaughterhouse, belly-up, its head hanging limply. It was in its true form, and while the wound on its chest had healed somewhat—perhaps thanks to the female corpse—there was a new, horrifying gash on its lower abdomen. It was a gruesome sight; fluid was leaking from the wound, and a mass of intestines had spilled out. It didn't move a muscle.

"Big white rat, how did you..." I began, but before I could finish, a young man in white robes blocked my path.

"What are you looking at? Get out of here!" he snapped, his body obstructing my view.

In that brief movement, I caught a glimpse of something else behind the weasel. It looked like human clothing shifting. My anxiety spiked. "Move! What are you hiding back there?" I demanded.

The young man immediately drew a silver blade. "Back off, now!"

The shout drew the attention of the two squabbling leaders. Elder Qi asked, "What’s going on?"

"Elder Qi," the disciple reported, "this brat keeps trying to—"

"Tiangang... run... run away!" A weak voice cut him off.

I heard it clearly. "Uncle Wang!" It was the voice of Er Pang’s father. Our families were close; I recognized it instantly. Why was Uncle Wang back there?

Ignoring the youth, I shoved him aside. Because he had been distracted by Elder Qi, he didn't brace himself, and I pushed him clear, revealing the scene behind him.

A mountain. A mountain of corpses.

The disciples were holding nets woven from rope, and piled upon them were many half-dead, mangled bodies. Some were missing arms, others legs; some were headless. And these faces—I knew them all. They were the villagers from my home!

Panic seized my heart. Where was my father? My grandfather? Were they buried beneath these bodies? Were they, too...

Tucked in a corner lay Uncle Wang, deathly weak. His lips had turned black. Though his body appeared intact, his mind seemed to be slipping away.

"Tiangang, run... take... take Er Pang... and run..." he whispered feebly.

I felt like I was going to explode. What was happening? I was terrified that my family was among this mountain of corpses. "Uncle Wang, what happened to you? Where are my father and grandfather?"

The young man finally recovered and stepped forward, blocking my sight again. I had lost all my composure. "Get out of my way!" I screamed.

He held his sword to my shoulder, the silver blade glinting. A chill ran down my neck. The young man stared at me fiercely. "Did you not hear me? Back off!"

The entire village seemed to be here. My family was likely among them. They were all I had left; I could not lose them. I glared back at him. "Move aside!"

I pushed his sword away and charged forward. "Uncle Wang, have you seen my family? Uncle Wang!!"

"...Uh... he..." Uncle Wang was shaking violently, unable to speak.

"Uncle Wang, are you alright? Uncle Wang!"

But the disciples stood their ground, refusing to let me through. Seeing my agitation, Elder Qi stepped in to persuade me. "Young friend, calm down. These villagers have all been infected with Gu poison and then corrupted by corpse poison. They are neither human nor corpse anymore. If you rush in, you will be infected too!"

I froze. Gu poison? And corpse poison? No wonder the villagers didn't look like ordinary reanimated corpses; there were insect-like traits. They were infected with both! But who could be so cruel as to subject them to such dual torment? It was monstrous—they wouldn't even have a whole body in death!

I pointed at Elder Qi. "Who! Who did this? Why would you do this to our village?"

Elder Qi sighed helplessly. "We are still investigating the cause. But this is not the time to worry about the fate of these villagers. When faced with the greater good, one must choose what is more important. You must distinguish between the urgent and the trivial."

"Young friend, you must understand: once this female demon awakens, the world will be plunged into catastrophe. These villagers are but a small portion. To sacrifice a few to save the majority, we must prioritize containing the female corpse. As for these villagers, once they fully transform and burst, we will simply burn them..."

"What... 'sacrifice a few'?" I stared at him, stunned.

"Heh. I don't share your 'greater good.' To me, they are the people of my village. Why do you disregard their lives? Uncle Wang hasn't fully transformed yet. You're all so powerful—can't you save them first? Must you just let them die?"

Elder Qi replied immediately, "We could save them, but if the female demon succeeds, if she makes a move, everyone dies! Young friend, do not be foolish..."

I clenched my fists, staring at him. "Has she made a move yet? Has she even revived? Isn't she just lying there in the ancestral hall? Can't you save people in the meantime?"