Chapter 208: Culprits?

"This has to be that person from the Mount Mei Faith!" Wang Daoxuan crouched and examined the area before he explained, "Members of the Mount Mei Faith often conduct a pre-hunt ritual, which involves burning incense and inviting deities. The more accomplished ones even bring Spirit Soldiers with them and employ hunting arts. This was a pre-hunt ritual. He must have discovered something."

Li Yan formed the Yang Seal and inhaled deeply. But then he frowned. "It rained continuously over the past two days, so the scents have already been washed away. I'll go down and scout ahead. You can follow afterward."

With that, he leaped down the steep slope. Sharp eyes and nimble limbs allowed him to use the exposed rocks on the hillside as footholds. He seemed to be moving extremely fast as he darted left and right, yet remained astonishingly steady. Before long, he vanished into the dense forest.

At the same time, the hawk on Lu San's shoulder took to the air once more, accompanied by a shrill cry. It stayed above the forest to serve as a guide. A hawk's eyesight was exceptionally powerful, far surpassing even that of some practitioners who had awakened a divine ability related to one's vision. If Li Yan encountered danger or became embroiled in a fight, the hawk could immediately give warning so the others could rush to support him.

During the day, they had Lu San's swarm of hornets. At night, they had Wang Daoxuan's Spirit Soldiers. Whatever situation they encountered, they had a way to deal with it.

Their teamwork had already gone beyond simple mutual understanding. Throughout their journey, whenever they had free time and there were no outsiders around, they would often discuss various tactics. They each had their own specialties, and with Li Yan's various unusual ideas added into the mix, the strength they could display while working together far exceeded what any of them could achieve alone.

Watching from the side, Lin Yu was secretly astonished. Although he lacked experience, he had been born with astonishing aptitude, and the master who had taught him was himself an extraordinary eccentric. Naturally, Lin Yu could not be judged by ordinary standards. Otherwise, he would never have dared to travel alone. But he still fell far short compared with the people before him.

Many things he considered dangerous, such as scouting through a forest, became far less hazardous with just a little coordination from this group. Seen from the outside, it was no wonder they seemed capable of overcoming anything.

Envy rose in Lin Yu's heart at the thought, but his eyes soon dimmed and he shook his head. This journey alone had already been an act of willfulness. His family had already exerted their influence, and unless he deliberately sabotaged himself during the examinations in the capital, the worst outcome would still be returning to serve as a county magistrate somewhere near his hometown.

Once that happened, he would no longer have the freedom to indulge his whims.

Naturally, the others had no idea what he was thinking. They found a gentler slope and helped one another descend toward the hollow. Their physical skills could not compare with Li Yan's, and Wang Daoxuan had never practiced martial arts, so they could only slow their pace.

Halfway down, the hawk in the sky suddenly cried out and began swooping up and down.

Lu San glanced up and shook his head. "Relax. There's no danger. Brother Li simply found something."

Sha Lifei and Wang Daoxuan both breathed a sigh of relief and quickened their pace.

To their surprise, despite Lin Yu's fat build, the wealthy young master was extraordinarily agile. He leaped and slid down the slopes without slowing them down in the slightest.

Half an incense stick later, they finally reunited with Li Yan.

"Who did this?"

The sight before them left several of them shocked. A thin hemp rope had been pulled taut over a large tree in the hollow, suspending a corpse high in the air. Its head had been smashed flat, while its chest and abdomen had been cut open, leaving its internal organs spilled across the ground. The scene was exceptionally bloody.

"This is a method used to bait prey." Lin Yu looked around, killing intent rising in his eyes. "Judging from the clothes, he was a local mountain villager. This was most likely done by that man from the Mount Mei Faith!"

It was Lin Yu's first time witnessing such a gruesome scene. Whoever had done it had treated human life as utterly worthless.

Li Yan looked contemplative. "This man was already dead before he was used as bait."

He picked up a stone, released hidden force through his arm, and flicked it forward. The stone whistled through the air.

The hemp rope snapped, and the corpse crashed heavily to the ground.

He covered his nose and crouched beside it. Turning the corpse's head to the side, he immediately revealed the wound on its neck. It was ragged and torn, as though something had ripped away an entire strip of flesh and skin.

"He was bitten by a zombie!" Wang Daoxuan's expression turned grave as he explained, "There are many kinds of walking corpses, and they attack people in different ways.

“Some consume souls, some devour vital essence, while others live on blood qi. This one feeds on blood qi. For a bite wound to be this vicious means it is extremely bloodthirsty and has already developed considerable cultivation."

He took a yellow talisman from his robes and placed it against the corpse's forehead. After forming a hand seal and igniting it, he used the flame to light three sticks of incense.

Soon, green smoke curled upward, drifting unsteadily toward the depths of the forest. This was a tracking art of the western mystic lineage. Whether it was yin ghosts, evil entities, demons, or walking corpses, the technique could track them all.

Without another word, Li Yan drew Earth Breaker and moved to the front. Sha Lifei and Lu San each drew their weapons as well, guarding Wang Daoxuan from either side, as they followed the smoke.

Lin Yu also took out his own weapon. He favored a meteor dart. The tip was a spearhead forged from refined steel, attached to a metal chain. The entire weapon was engraved with runes, and traces of astral qi vaguely swirled around it. It was clearly a ritual artifact as well.

It was already afternoon, and the sun was sinking toward the west. Coupled with the fact that this hollow lay on the shaded side of the mountain and was filled with towering trees, the surroundings seemed even darker and more eerie.

Before long, Li Yan suddenly raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop. An open patch beneath the trees before them was covered in weeds and rotting leaves. A vaguely human-shaped outline could be seen beneath them. At the same time, the green smoke from the incense in Wang Daoxuan's hand drifted through the air, spiraled around, and slowly descended into the dead leaves.

Li Yan stated softly, "None of you move. I'll do it!"

He could already smell the dense corpse stench, bloody and nauseating. There was no reason left to hesitate. He released hidden force through both legs and shot forward with a swish. His left hand rose while his right brought the blade down in a vicious chop.

Zombies were extremely troublesome to deal with, especially those that had developed considerable cultivation. Their bodies would become impervious to blades and spears; they possessed tremendous strength; and they were exceptionally bloodthirsty. They could only be suppressed with mystic arts or killed using ritual artifacts.

However, they also had a weakness. A walking corpse was formed when the soul had dispersed while the spirit remained within the body. That was why it could absorb yin and baleful qi and cause trouble. Corpse-suppressing talismans worked precisely because they restrained the corpse's spirit, making it difficult for the body to move.

Of the soul and spirit, the soul represented the yin while the spirit represented the yang.

The Soul-Hooking Chain could naturally restrain them both.

Bang!

Dead leaves scattered everywhere as the corpse concealed beneath them was bisected before it could react. Earth Breaker had passed cleanly through its neck, sending a hideous head rolling out.

Its skin was dark purple and black, like rotting leather, while its shriveled flesh exposed its contours beneath the skin. Its mouth was filled with sharp fangs, and its eyes had long since withered away, leaving only two black pits in their sockets.

The sinister, filthy energy within the corpse immediately burst outward.

Wang Daoxuan hurriedly stepped forward, waving his coin sword as he stepped through the formation of the Big Dipper. He ignited a yellow talisman and recited an incantation to dispel evil.

Before long, the foul stench gradually dispersed.

This was precisely what made walking corpses so troublesome. Corpse qi and yin killing qi would become entangled within their bodies, and the addition of resentment would form what common folk called "calamity qi." Anyone struck by it could be bedridden for several days.

If the corpse was ancient enough to become something as terrifying as the Drought Wraith, it could only be suppressed. Otherwise, once its corpse qi scattered, its poisonous influence could spread for a thousand li and even trigger natural disasters.

"Fortunately, we stopped it in time." Wang Daoxuan breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at the sky. "The sun is about to set. Once night falls, this thing won't be nearly so easy to deal with."

Lin Yu, meanwhile, stared dumbfounded at the group. "This... This is an old zombie!"

No matter what type of zombie it was, when it first formed, it would still pursue people by following the scent of their blood and qi. It moved extremely quickly and could even run on two legs like a living person. It might look terrifying, but its flesh was not much tougher than that of an ordinary human. Forget martial arts experts, even common folk working together could chop its head off.

But as time passed and yin killing qi accumulated within it, hair would begin growing over its body. Such creatures were known as hairy zombies, and depending on the region where they hid, the hair that grew on them would take on different colors.

There were white zombies, black zombies, red zombies, and green-haired zombies. The color did not indicate their strength. It merely depended on the local environment.

What was truly terrifying was an old zombie.

Once its hair receded, its flesh would become as hard as refined iron. Its joints would lose its flexibility, leaving its entire body so stiff that it could only move by hopping. With yin killing qi concentrated throughout its body, it would be impervious to blades and spears. It was extremely difficult to deal with.

However, the old zombie before them had been beheaded before it even had the chance to display its strength. How could Lin Yu not be astonished?

Seeing the look in his eyes, Li Yan calmly sheathed his blade. "My blade is sharp. What's so strange about killing a corpse with it?"

Lin Yu silently cursed to himself. Like hell I believe you!

It might not be noon anymore, but even within this gloomy forest, an old zombie should still have been able to sense people approaching and attack them. How could it possibly have failed to react at all? There had to be some other reason!

Of course, he did not dare ask too many questions. At the same time, Li Yan could not be bothered with the fatty. He strode forward and kicked the zombie, sending it rolling out from the pile of dead grass.

His expression shifted slightly, and he discreetly flexed his foot in pain. Even after he had used hidden force, kicking the old zombie had felt like kicking a massive rock, leaving his toes numb from the impact. Moreover, its yin killing qi had already dispersed.

Had it been nighttime and the creature in its normal state, an ordinary person truly would not have had a chance against it...

Their attention was soon drawn to what the zombie was wearing. It was actually clad in armor! 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

It was not some decayed suit of armor buried with the dead, but military mountain-patterned armor. Although slightly rusted, it was clearly standard-issue equipment of the Great Xuan Dynasty.

"Damn it..." Sha Lifei's eyes widened as he cursed, "Someone raised this zombie and deliberately left it here to harm people. What the hell are they trying to do?"

The sight inexplicably left Lin Yu's mouth feeling dry. "This corpse is wearing White Tiger mountain-patterned armor from the military. Only a commander is qualified to wear it. Such armor is forbidden from leaving military possession. Privately keeping it is tantamount to staging a rebellion!"

Everyone exchanged strange looks. Eventually, Li Yan shook his head. "It seems there's more to what's happening on Azure Dragon Mountain than we thought. Brother Lin, when did you say that thing would appear?"

Lin Yu answered honestly, "My master said that dragon qi will rise at midnight on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, on nights when the moon is full. According to his calculations, today is the day the treasure will emerge into the world."

Li Yan nodded. "Then there's another group on this mountain. They hid this corpse here, though we don't yet know what they intend to do."

Just then, the hawk dove down from the sky with a beat of its wings and landed on Lu San's shoulder, crying several times.

Lu San's expression changed instantly. "A group of people is coming up the mountain. They've already reached its foot. There are around a dozen of them."

Sha Lifei rubbed his head in frustration. "They can raise an old zombie and even dare privately keep imperial armor. They're definitely not easy to deal with. What do we do?"

"Whether they're easy to deal with or not, we have no choice but to face them." Li Yan's voice turned cold as he continued, "The Taixuan Orthodox Sect, Chen Yuanqing, and those boatmen all know that we came to Azure Dragon Mountain. There's no way to hide it. Raising an old zombie is no simple matter. Since we've already made enemies of them, there's no need to hold back."

He then glanced at Lin Yu. "Brother Lin, you're already involved in this matter. Do you want to live, or do you want to die?"

"Live. I definitely want to live." Lin Yu wore a miserable expression. He was already beginning to regret coming along.

Li Yan's gaze was icy as he nodded. "Then if you want to live, don't tell anyone about what happens tonight. Uncle Sha, we'll leave it to you."

Sha Lifei immediately perked up. "Got it!"

He quickly set down his pack and pulled out a fire caltrop about the size of a watermelon. He fitted a small copper tube into its opening, then drew out two separate wires.

Lin Yu was stunned. "That... Is that gunpowder?!"

He had long heard that people of the jianghu were recklessly bold, but he had never imagined they would disregard the imperial court's taboo and dare use something like this.

Li Yan glanced indifferently at him; Lin Yu immediately shut his mouth. He finally understood what Li Yan's words earlier meant.

Sha Lifei held up the Fire Caltrop and said smugly, "The Military Classic is good stuff. Back during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Southern Song, people were already burying these things underground to blow up horses. Used as a trap, this will definitely give those bastards something to remember!"

There were, in fact, a few things he had not mentioned. He had stuffed one piece of the coal essence they had obtained in Shangjin City into the Fire Caltrop, which would certainly increase its power dramatically. He had also packed in quite a few poisoned hidden weapons.

Lu San immediately poured cold water over his enthusiasm. "If they're capable of raising an old zombie, there must be practitioners among them. What if one of them has awakened a divine ability related to their sense of smell and notices the scent of gunpowder?"

Sha Lifei was instantly speechless. Scratching his head, he said, "Nothing we can do about that. We'll just have to take our chances."

Lin Yu's expression shifted uncertainly before he gritted his teeth. "I... actually have a way to deal with that."

He took a small wooden bottle from the leather pack on his back. Only then did everyone notice that everything inside his leather backpack had first been wrapped in oiled paper, then placed inside sealed fish-skin pouches. Naturally, none of it would be damaged from being soaked in water.

Holding up the small wooden bottle, Lin Yu explained, "My master passed this down to me. Just a small amount can eliminate unusual odors. Even someone with a divine ability like that won’t be able to detect them. It's specifically used for concealing oneself when entering the mountains."

"Oh?" Li Yan grew interested. "Then we'll have to trouble Brother Lin."

Lin Yu had originally wanted to avoid getting further involved, but they were all grasshoppers tied to the same rope now. The strangers dared to privately keep military armor and use zombies to murder others. If they caught him, they certainly would not spare his life either. He could only take out his treasure and work together with the others.

He stepped forward, opened the wooden bottle, and poured some white powder into his palm before gently blowing it over the Fire Caltrop.

As the white powder settled over it, Li Yan's gaze immediately sharpened slightly. "Good stuff!"

Hearing that, Sha Lifei knew it had worked. He hurriedly carried the Fire Caltrop over to the corpse. "Come on, give me a hand."

They moved the zombie back into the pile of dead leaves and buried the Fire Caltrop beneath it, tying one end of the cord to its head and the other to its body. Once everything was ready, they piled the dead leaves back over it.

The group then quickly retreated and found a patch of grass to hide.

To prevent themselves from being discovered, Wang Daoxuan also set up a small formation. Using red cord and copper coins, he wound them around the branches, encircling the group. The formation was simple, but it could prevent their auras from leaking out.

Of course, if the other side noticed something was wrong and deliberately searched with magical arts, it would be impossible to hide from them.

Sha Lifei glanced at Lin Yu beside him, and finally could not resist whispering, "Young Master Lin, where did you get that treasure of yours?"

They also possessed something capable of isolating aura, the strange robe, but obviously, it could not be used to conceal a Fire Caltrop. If they had something like Lin Yu's powder, they would be nearly unstoppable.

Lin Yu whispered back, "It actually isn't that difficult to make. You burn mandrills in equal proportion with a type of lichen that has transformed into a spiritual treasure, then collect the ashes. But neither mandrills nor lichen are easy to find..."

"Shh. They're here!" Li Yan hurriedly stopped them when he noticed a group of people approaching.

Before long, a group appeared within the dense forest.

It was the fifteenth day of the lunar month, and the full moon hung high overhead. Under the moonlight, they could clearly see that all of them were dressed like ordinary mountain villagers. Some were powerfully built and carried sharp weapons, while others wore their hair loose and had various tattoos covering their faces.

Li Yan's eyes immediately narrowed.

These people who obviously looked like refugees... How had they ended up together with barbarians?