Chapter 37: Gravely Injured
Page 1 of 3
Faced with my questioning, Elder Qi was momentarily at a loss, clearly wondering how to respond.
Daoist Lianhua, standing nearby, was displeased.
Pointing at me, he said, “Why are you wasting time arguing with this ignorant brat? Get inside and capture that demoness!”
The group behind him immediately echoed his words.
“That’s right, Elder Qi. The two of our sects should join forces and deal with the demoness. Why bicker with a mere villager?”
“This rustic knows nothing of the seriousness of the matter. He can’t possibly stop us!”
“If Wudang wants to play the good man, then the Maoshan Sect will do it!”
As he spoke, the yellow-robed Taoists of the Maoshan Sect began to stir restlessly.
Elder Qi quickly said, “Wait. Let me speak with him a little longer. This young friend has not been infected with corpse poison. Are you truly going to attack an ordinary villager? Would that not make us the laughingstock of the world?”
By then, I had already seen through them.
These so-called righteous sects cared more about their reputation than anything else.
Elder Qi was willing to reason with me only to preserve their good name.
Daoist Lianhua spoke again. “Listen to me, Old Qi. You know as well as I do that two of the demoness’s three souls have already returned. Once the final soul comes back, she will awaken! Do you really think finding that third soul is difficult? I came to this village fifteen years ago!”
Everyone froze.
All eyes turned toward Daoist Lianhua.
He continued with absolute certainty, “I stake my sect’s reputation that every word I say is true. At the time, I happened to be traveling nearby when I discovered strange celestial phenomena over this village. I hurried here and found the place where the demoness had been buried alive. And beside her grave, there was a child!”
“That child had dull eyes and the mind of a fool, but I could tell that he possessed a pure-yang destiny. For some unknown reason, someone had sealed away his intelligence. Think about it. The demoness needs a pure-yang child to awaken, and by sheer coincidence, there is one in this very village.”
“It was all part of the demoness’s plan. Do not forget—when she was alive, she was a ninth-rank fortune teller!”
The moment those words were spoken, everyone’s eyes widened.
They began whispering among themselves.
“If that’s true, then the demoness may awaken at any moment. And once she does…”
“Exactly! How could we have forgotten? A ninth-rank fortune teller can calculate the heavens, the earth, and the balance of yin and yang. One who can glimpse half the secrets of heaven would surely have a reason for choosing this place…”
“Should we ask the Patriarch to send more people?”
Seeing so many of them lose their nerve, Elder Qi’s expression grew solemn.
“Young friend, I will speak with you one final time. Do not obstruct us. Otherwise, in the name of justice, we will have no choice but to—”
I cut him off.
“No need! If you want to enter, step over my corpse first!”
As I spoke, my eyes remained fixed on Uncle Wang, who had completely lost his mind. He was frantically gnawing at the bodies of the villagers around the corpse mountain encircled by the crowd, roaring like a beast.
Seeing Uncle Wang, once so familiar, reduced to this state—
Seeing the village chief burst apart and die as a spider—
At that moment, I no longer thought about searching for my family. I only knew that this land had raised me.
I had to protect it.
And the woman in the ancestral hall had shown me kindness.
I had to repay her.
Whatever lofty notion of righteousness they spoke of had nothing to do with a lowly villager like me!
Elder Qi’s expression changed.
“In that case, do not blame me for being ruthless!”
Page 1 of 3
Page 2 of 3
The next second, Elder Qi’s white-robed figure flashed.
He moved with astonishing speed, striking toward my chest with a single palm!
“Bang!”
I felt a tremendous force slam into my chest.
It was power no old man should have possessed.
It felt as though I had been hit head-on by a truck!
“Boom!”
My entire body flew backward and crashed heavily against the entrance of the ancestral hall.
Rain that had already been falling began to pour down with even greater fury.
Lying on the ground, I spat out a mouthful of bright red blood.
“Pfft!”
The blood spread across the earth, slowly mingling with the rainwater.
Enduring the agony, I raised my head.
The two groups came rushing forward and stopped at the entrance.
Daoist Lianhua shouted inside, “Demoness! The time has come. Come out and meet your death! Hiding behind a villager—do you really think this boy can protect you?”
Elder Qi also called out in a resonant voice, “Wudang respects you as a ninth-rank fortune teller. We are willing to grant you a dignified end. Please reveal yourself at once!”
Then the two groups shouted in unison:
“Slay the demoness and restore peace!”
“Slay the demoness and restore peace!”
“…”
With each cry of condemnation, their momentum swelled.
They did not flinch beneath the downpour. Each of them gripped a long sword and shouted toward the ancestral hall.
As for me, I could not even stand.
My chest felt tight, and I could barely draw breath.
At last, as the cries grew louder and louder, movement came from within.
Tap—
A pair of feet stepped out of the ancestral hall.
They belonged to a man wearing straw sandals, his figure appearing somewhat plump.
It was Erpang, carrying the female corpse in his arms as he slowly emerged.
Everyone tensed at once.
All their blades turned toward him.
“Stop! Do not come any closer!”
The moment Erpang stepped outside, his clothes were soaked through. Even the corpse’s blue-green robe gradually became drenched.
Then Erpang noticed me lying on the ground.
Page 2 of 3
Page 3 of 3
“Tiangang! What happened to you?”
Ignoring the swords pointed at him, Erpang hurried to my side and gently lowered the corpse to the ground.
Rainwater surrounded us.
There was no time to worry about getting wet.
Erpang pulled me upright and blurted out, “Tiangang, why are you vomiting blood? You… what happened to you? Did they hurt you?”
“Ah… ngh…”
I could not catch my breath, and agony tore through my chest.
I could not utter a single word.
Seeing me like that, Erpang’s eyes turned crimson.
“Tiangang, don’t worry. I’ll avenge you!”
He set me down, picked up a fallen ladder rung from the ground, gripped it tightly, and charged straight at Daoist Lianhua.
“You dared to hurt Tiangang! Aah!”
With a furious roar, his bulky body swayed as he leaped into the air.
The wooden club in his hands came crashing down with tremendous force.
Erpang might have been reckless, but he was no pushover.
He had never lost a fight in the village.
Just as the club was about to strike Daoist Lianhua’s head, the Daoist tilted his head and stomped forward.
With a twist of his wrist, he spun the coin sword in his hand.
Smack!
He caught it in one hand, then landed with a backward somersault.
As Erpang’s attack missed, Daoist Lianhua swung the sword at him.
Crack!
The blow struck Erpang directly in the chest.
That single strike sent his heavy body flying to the side and crashing to the ground.
“Ow!”
Erpang cried out in pain, then rolled over and tried to rise again.
Daoist Lianhua had lost interest.
He turned to a disciple beside him and ordered, “Huiming, deal with that fat man. The rest of you, move in! Capture the demoness!”
“Yes!”
A Taoist stepped forward and kicked at Erpang.
Bang!
Erpang was knocked to the ground once more.
The others gradually charged toward me and the female corpse.
Just then—
the female corpse moved!
Page 3 of 3