The ferocious corpse crashed to the ground, sending Chang Di flying along with it. He tumbled a few times before scrambling to his feet, pulling a silver thread from his robe and swiftly binding the corpse.
Just as he finished tying up the ferocious corpse, several corpse-stiff figures suddenly emerged from the thicket, closing in around him.
The White Fox turned its attention to me, baring its sharp fangs with a fierce glare in its eyes.
It advanced step by step as the copper coin horse slowly retreated. Over a dozen yellow weasels encircled me, trapping me like a caged beast.
“A mere mortal dares to block my path? You’re looking for death!”
The White Fox spoke in human words, extending its five tails to wrap around my neck and limbs. The force was so intense it felt as though I would be torn apart in the next moment.
But in the blink of an eye, a chilling wind swept up from the ground. Several streaks of white light flashed past, and the fox tails retracted with a whoosh, shedding clumps of fur stained with blood.
Screaming, the fox retreated, its body now entangled with countless small snakes hissing menacingly. It shot me a resentful glance before darting into the thicket and vanishing.
In an instant, everything returned to calm.
Still shaken, I was pulled into the embrace of the man behind me. He took the escort lantern from my hands, though thankfully its light remained steady.
Chang Di signaled for everyone to return the ferocious corpse to the coffin, securing it once more. Hoisting the white funeral banner, he walked over to the horse and said sheepishly, “Fifth Brother, why have you come?”
Liu Xuanyi replied coldly, “Why did you send the escort mission a day early and keep it from me?!”
Chang Di looked guilty. “You’ve just returned, and your vitality hasn’t fully recovered. I thought, before the news spread, we should…”
“Chang Di, you’re far too reckless!”
With those words, Liu Xuanyi wrapped his arm around me and urged the horse forward. Chang Di scratched his head and hurriedly followed, carrying the white funeral banner.
A quarter of an hour later, we finally arrived at the Gu family’s ancestral home.
The Gu family was already waiting at the entrance. Spotting us from afar, someone shouted, “The old master has returned! The old master has returned!”
They carried the coffin into the mourning hall, where filial sons and grandsons stepped forward to kowtow. Chang Di assisted with the funeral rites, and everyone was busy.
I clutched the sleeve of Liu Xuanyi’s robe, opening my mouth several times but unsure how to begin.
His expression was sour, as if someone owed him millions.
“Why didn’t you use the snake ring?”
“Ah, I… I forgot.”
He suddenly turned, gripping my chin with one hand and gritting his teeth. “Did you forget, or did you simply not want to use it? Do you think you’re so capable that you don’t need me?”
“Liu Zhen, can’t you stop being like this?”
Frightened by him, I helplessly grasped his arm and whispered, “I am Huai Yan, not Liu Zhen.”
As if waking from a dream, Liu Xuanyi released me.
I rubbed my chin, lowering my head, my thoughts in disarray.
Inside the mourning hall, the sounds of suona horns, weeping, and funeral chants blended into a cacophony. Standing in the night breeze, we each harbored our own hidden agendas.
The night wind blew past, sending a shiver through me.
Liu Xuanyi casually wrapped me in his long robe, resting his chin on my shoulder and murmuring softly in my ear, “Huai Yan, don’t push yourself so hard in the future.”
I nodded obediently. “Alright.”
After a moment of silence, I tentatively asked, “Liu Xuanyi, could you help me with something?”
“Speak.”
“Help me retrieve the Five Emperors copper coin from the ferocious corpse’s mouth. It was left to me by Grandmother for protection.”
In our area, my grandmother was a well-known midwife.
She not only helped with human births, but also assisted livestock, and even handled the corpses of pregnant women who had died violent deaths.
Walking by the river often, one is bound to get their shoes wet. Occasionally, she would encounter cases of corpse rising.
She had some knowledge of feng shui arts. Since I was young, I had been by her side as her assistant. To protect me, she somehow obtained this Five Emperors copper coin and hung it around my neck.
Later, as I studied, got into university, and became increasingly busy with my academic work, I had less and less time to help Grandmother.
If it weren’t for this Five Emperors copper coin today, we might not have been able to hold out until Liu Xuanyi arrived.
Now that the Five Emperors copper coin is lodged in the ferocious corpse’s mouth, surely it can’t be buried along with it?
But the ferocious corpse has already begun to take on the form of a Bai Hou. If we forcibly retrieve the Five Emperors copper coin, I fear it might cause further trouble…