Chapter 125: The Corpse

I felt exceptionally uneasy, especially at this moment when Zhang Chang interrupted Gama.

Gama scratched his head with a smile and said, "Someone hunted a wild boar on the mountain yesterday and gave me a leg. I’m going to have my wife stew it, and maybe roast a pheasant as well."

We were standing at his doorway, with the Yin Dragon River running right alongside the side of his house. A woman walked out from inside, holding a baby in her arms, with a seven or eight-year-old child following beside her.

Gama introduced them to us: the woman was his wife, Suifang; the infant in her arms didn't have a name yet; and the older son, Ade, was already eight. Gama told his son, Ade, to take us to our guest rooms.

Li Yue, Zhang Chang, Wang Erjun, and I were each assigned our own room. When Li Yue and I parted ways, her complexion was noticeably pale and didn't look good at all. I knew exactly why.

Even though I sensed something was wrong, Zhang Chang had already brought us here to find the seven-root ginseng; I couldn't just blurt it out. Perhaps the reason was simple—just as we had seen, Zhang Chang’s wife had been making braised fish while waiting for him. Maybe they weren't superstitious about such things? After people die, they are left with only their obsessions; at the time, Zhang Chang hadn't seemed to care.

Still, I remained very uncomfortable, wondering what would actually happen after eating fish from the Yin Dragon River.

After we went into our respective rooms, Ade told me he would come to call us once the food was ready. I had only been sitting on the bed for a short while when Wang Erjun came over to knock on my door.

After I let him in, he rubbed his hands together and asked, "Xie Yuan, did you ask that old man when we’re going to look for the seven-root ginseng? If we aren't setting out tonight, let’s not waste time. The bonfire is burning so bright, and there are plenty of beautiful young women there."

I rolled my eyes at Wang Erjun and told him not to stir up any extra trouble; we should leave as soon as our business was finished.

Wang Erjun widened his eyes and said, sounding listless, "We don't dare eat the fish in the water, and we can't go chat with the girls by the bonfire. Just waiting around to go up the mountain to dig for ginseng is too boring."

I frowned and said, "Wait until I clarify things with Zhang Chang to see if the situation is complicated. If we can find more seven-root ginseng, we can certainly collect a bit extra. Besides saving my mother, it’s a great medicinal herb for longevity; the elders at his place and Auntie Wang could use it too."

Wang Erjun’s eyes lit up at that.

Fearing that Wang Erjun’s focus would keep shifting, I simply asked him what kind of talismans he had learned from Li Cangshui over the past few days.

Wang Erjun immediately grew excited and pulled three differently colored talismans out of his pocket.

"The yellow ones are ghost-repelling talismans. Basically, ordinary wandering ghosts or yellow-page ghosts with a bit of resentment can be driven away directly. Against vengeful ghosts, they can even cause harm."

"The cyan ones are ghost-suppressing talismans. When a ghost’s magic power is weaker than mine, I can suck them in and suppress them directly."

"This black one is the most powerful; it’s called the Immobilization Curse. Not only ghosts, but even people can be frozen. Master said the reason I have such a unique talent is because the Immobilization Curses I draw are very powerful."

As he spoke, Wang Erjun picked up the black talisman paper and swiped it toward my shoulder. However, he stopped just before touching me and gave a silly laugh. "Xie Yuan, you didn't even dodge. I’m telling you, once this Immobilization Curse is applied, it will keep you frozen for at least half an hour."

I smiled and said, "You were only demonstrating. Even if you had stuck it on me, you might not necessarily be able to hold me."

Wang Erjun retorted, "Don't underestimate me. Even though I’ve only been studying talismans for a dozen days, my master has nothing but praise for me. Even if you’re very capable, you haven't studied Taoist arts or have magic power; it’s unlikely you could break an Immobilization Curse."

I didn't argue with Wang Erjun about it. The presence of my companion ghost and the strength of my own soul were the reasons why I felt the Immobilization Curse would be useless against me.

Just then, Gama’s eldest son, Ade, came to knock on the door, calling us to dinner. Wang Erjun rubbed his stomach and sniffed the air, saying, "It smells so good, my mouth is watering."

Walking out of the room, Li Yue and Zhang Chang were waiting as well. Ade led us to the backyard for dinner. A large table was set in the middle of the courtyard, piled high with food.

However, Gama’s demeanor now was clearly unnatural. Although he was still talking and smiling with us, his brows would furrow deeply whenever he lowered his head.

Wang Erjun ate with a loud, rumbling sound. Li Yue also kept her head down, eating her food in small, delicate bites. Zhang Chang sipped a cup of medicinal wine while eating slowly.

I noticed that while Gama was eating, he would look up at us from time to time. My suspicions grew even stronger, so I asked directly, "What is it, Brother Gama? Is something the matter?"

Gama forced a smile and said, "No... nothing at all."

At this moment, his wife, Suifang, spoke up in a low voice, saying a few things in a thick local dialect. Gama sighed bitterly and told me that he had only found out after returning home that an accident had occurred on the mountain during the day.

A group of people had hired a guide to enter the mountain, claiming to be traveling merchants looking to procure goods. By the afternoon, someone had found the guide’s corpse on the mountain, but the group of merchants had vanished.

The village was now in a state of panic. Someone had been killed, the murderer couldn't be found, and the wife and children of the deceased were constantly making a scene. The village head had issued an order that no business was allowed with outside merchants for the time being—someone had even come to their house to say as much just a moment ago.

I was stunned and looked toward Zhang Chang. It was quite a coincidence that trouble would break out on Zhenyin Mountain just as we arrived. If we were to go up the mountain, we would definitely run into problems.

Gama added quickly that we shouldn't worry; he had already explained the situation to the man, saying we had just arrived and had nothing to do with the merchants from earlier, and since we were staying at his house, there shouldn't be much trouble. He only added that if we wanted to trade, we would likely have to wait a few days.

Clearly, Gama was still holding something back. I pressed him, asking what else was wrong.

Gama sighed and said, "The man who died was the village night watchman. His corpse is as stiff as an iron block. Some people say he’s going to turn into a reanimated corpse once night falls, so they’ve placed the body in the ancestral hall and have people guarding it."

"On our Zhenyin Mountain, we haven't had any ghosts or reanimated corpses for decades. We don't even have a single practitioner who knows these things, and there are no such masters in the nearby towns. Someone mentioned that there’s a 'Master Wang' selling talismans in the town where I picked you up. If only I had known that news sooner, I would have invited Master Wang to come."

Wang Erjun wiped his greasy mouth, maintaining a calm expression.

Zhang Chang, however, frowned slightly and said, "Could we go to the ancestral hall to take a look?"

Gama hesitated for a moment and said, "Old sir, if you go, it’s fine; you look like a mountain local. But these few... at a glance, they’re clearly outsiders. Although Zhenyin Mountain isn't xenophobic, it might not be very convenient these past two days."

My eyelid twitched, and I spoke up immediately, "I am friends with Master Wang. He gave me quite a few talismans. If we could see the corpse, perhaps we could help out first."

Gama’s face immediately showed surprise, and his voice grew much louder. "That would be wonderful! If you can help, the village head will definitely help you collect your goods! If there’s anything we can do, we certainly won't refuse."

Wang Erjun choked on a mouthful of food and had to beat his chest hard before he could recover. Zhang Chang nodded and said, "That settles it. We are very familiar with Master Wang, and we have many talismans on us. If it’s not too much trouble, perhaps we won't even need to disturb him."

I didn't know how Wang Erjun, sitting there as the person in question, felt at that moment. But since he had already claimed to be a merchant collecting mountain goods, for him to now say he was that talisman-selling master would make it obvious that we had deceived Gama.

After the meal, Gama’s wife, Suifang, cleared the table, and he led us away from his house toward the ancestral hall. On the way, someone came over to ask us questions, but Gama explained a few things, and the person immediately scurried away.

Before long, we arrived outside the ancestral hall. The architecture here was a mix of stilt houses and brick-and-tile structures. The ancestral hall was a large building made of bamboo and wood, without even a courtyard. There were only a few people outside.

Inside the hall, seven or eight people were standing around. In the center was a white cloth, upon which lay a corpse. The corpse was that of a middle-aged man; his face was a ghastly blue, and his body was heavy with an alarming amount of Yin energy.

What made my eyelids jump wildly was the fact that there were actually white hairs growing on his body.

Just then, a man walked over from the front. He was wearing clothes similar to Gama’s and had a scar on his face. He frowned and said, "Gama, why are you bringing outsiders to the ancestral hall? The village head said..."

Gama interrupted him and whispered a few words into his ear. The man immediately changed his attitude, his gaze becoming much more respectful.

Zhang Chang had already walked to the side of the corpse. He frowned and suddenly said, "This corpse isn't just going to reanimate; it has already bitten someone."

My pupils constricted, and I immediately looked over. Sure enough, there was blood at the corners of the corpse’s mouth.

Zhang Chang raised his head, his voice heavy as he said, "Who has been bitten? You must say so immediately, otherwise, once midnight comes and the moonlight hits it, there will be no saving them."

The people in the room looked at each other in dismay, saying they had been keeping watch the whole time and hadn't touched the corpse; it couldn't have bitten anyone.

Zhang Chang frowned and said, "What about before you started the watch? Who else touched the corpse? If someone who has been bitten is exposed to the moonlight, even if they aren't dead yet, they will undergo a transformation. If we don't handle this urgently, it will end up killing many people."