Zhao Yao met their gaze without flinching, her voice stern. “When Gu Wan was saving the wounded and healing the dying, others accused her of harming her own sect brothers and sisters. When she tried to defend herself, no one believed her. But now, based on a few storybooks and rumors, you’re all so quick to believe.”
“That doesn’t change the fact that she fell to demonic cultivation. If she was truly wronged, she could have willingly entered the water prison to undergo investigation,” the person across from her sneered.
Zhao Yao let out a cold laugh, crossing her arms over her chest with a mocking smile. “Do you know what the water prison of Lingyun Sect really is? No one who enters it ever comes out unscathed.”
Gu Er watched Zhao Yao’s lack of composure with surprise.
In this era where merely hearing Gu Wan’s name invited scorn, there was still someone standing so firmly by her side.
She couldn’t help but rest her chin on her hand, thinking: “Why does Zhao Yao trust Gu Wan so much? Four hundred years ago, Zhao Yao shouldn’t even have been born yet.”
The arguing voices grew louder.
Afraid that continuing the dispute might cause unnecessary trouble, Gu Er quickly stood up to mediate. “Alright, alright, it’s been four hundred years. The people are living in peace now, and we just clear out some minor monsters from time to time, isn’t that good enough?”
As for the truth of four hundred years ago, no one who hadn’t lived through those events could say for certain what really happened.
…
Night fell like ink, shrouding the entire city.
Corpse puppets only came out at night, when resentment was at its thickest. Since the towns at the foot of Cangxian Mountain were all under Lingyun Sect’s protection, the corpse puppets couldn’t enter, they could only roam outside the town, attacking travelers passing by at night.
Gu Er and the others left the town at night to clear out the corpse puppets around Yeyu Town. According to the townsfolk, there had been more and more corpse puppets appearing lately, and no one knew why.
In the forest west of Yeyu Town lay a mass grave, filled entirely with nameless corpses.
No one ever passed through there, the stench of decay was overwhelming, and most of the corpse puppets emerged from that place.
On the small path outside the town, staggering corpse puppets had already begun to gather one by one. Wisps of black resentment swirled around them, mingled with traces of demonic energy.
Their skin was rotten and decayed, withered like dead wood, crusted with clotted black-red bloodstains. Their hair was caked with dirt and rotting leaves, strands matted together and plastered across their bloodless faces. Where their eyes should have been, only two deep black hollows remained.
Their tattered clothes hung in shreds from their bodies, fluttering helplessly in the night wind, as if telling of the tragic fates they suffered in life. Their fingernails were long, sharp, and pitch black. With every step, bits of rotting flesh crumbled and fell to the ground.
It was Zhong Daoxue’s first time seeing such things. At the sight of these nauseating corpse puppets, her face instantly turned pale and her stomach churned violently. She waved her hand directly and said in a tearful voice, “I’m not going! It’s not like you need me anyway! These things are too disgusting!”
Seeing his sister in this state, Zhong Daochen let out a helpless sigh and instructed, “Then go back to the inn and stay in your room. Don’t wander off.”
Zhong Daoxue handed the five of them the pills she had refined and several cloth face coverings, still looking shaken. “Then you all must be careful!”
To deal with the walking corpses, purification talismans were needed to dissolve their resentment. Gu Er and the others headed to the mass grave to clear out the corpses, while Zhong Daochen and Le Feng were responsible for eliminating the ones near the city gate.
The moment they stepped into the woods, the stench of decay hit them head-on, nearly suffocating them. Gu Er and the others quickly put on the face coverings Zhong Daoxue had given them, which carried a faint, elegant fragrance of medicinal herbs. Only after catching that scent did they feel like they could breathe again.
In the mass grave, the air was heavy with gloom, and the walking corpses were densely packed. They howled in the darkness, their voices shrill and eerie. Some were crawling out of the piles of rotting bodies, limbs twisted, their appearances horrifying.
“Let’s move.” Zhao Yao said with a frown, not wanting to waste a single second.
The others nodded.
Gu Er was the first to take out a Clarity Talisman, murmuring incantations under her breath. The talisman emitted a gentle glow that enveloped the group, shielding them from the interference of the corpses’ resentment.
Shen Xun’an quickly set up a formation, his hands flashing through hand seals at lightning speed. Complex runes immediately appeared on the ground, glowing faintly blue, trapping the walking corpses within the formation.
“Zhao Yao, it’s your turn.” Shen Xun’an said.
Zhao Yao nodded, took out a Purification Talisman, and dashed toward the tree trunks surrounding the mass grave.
The corpses that hadn’t been caught in the formation noticed Zhao Yao’s movements and lunged at her with claws bared. A cold glint flashed in Zhao Yao’s eyes as she hurled a spell, and flames instantly engulfed the corpses, reducing them to ash in the blink of an eye.
Shen Xun’an, controlling the formation, called out, “Are you alright, Zhao Yao?”
“I’m fine.” Zhao Yao replied curtly, her hands never pausing.
“Then hurry up, finish this quickly. My cultivation is limited; the formation won’t hold much longer.” Fine beads of sweat had already formed on Shen Xun’an’s forehead.
Zhao Yao said no more and sped up her work of pasting talismans. Any corpse that came near her was instantly turned to ash.
The walking corpses seemed to have learned their lesson, no longer daring to approach Zhao Yao easily. Instead, they turned their attention to Shen Xun’an and Gu Er.
“Watch out!” At the critical moment, Zhong Daochen arrived just in time. The sword in his hand flashed coldly as he sliced off the heads of the corpses behind the two. Foul blood splattered onto his sleeve, twisting his handsome face in disgust. “This young master’s robes!”
Gu Er’s lips curved slightly as she comforted him, “It’s fine, it’s fine. Just take a bath when we get back. You did bring a spare set of sect robes, didn’t you?”
Zhong Daochen pursed his lips without a word, silently raising his sword to slaughter the charging corpses to vent his frustration.
The mass grave wasn’t too large, and before long, Zhao Yao had pasted talismans all around its perimeter.
Seeing this, the group quickly retreated outside the mass grave.
Zhao Yao gathered her spiritual power into her palm, condensing it into a dazzling orb of light. She slammed the orb onto a Purification Talisman.
Red light spread from that talisman at an astonishing speed, covering all the tree trunks with talismans in an instant, tightly encircling the mass grave. The red glow surged, forming a barrier from top to bottom.
The corpses trapped within the barrier emitted wisps of green smoke, their shrill screams echoing through the woods. The murky resentment and black energy were absorbed cleanly by the purification talismans. When the corpses finally dissipated, the talismans on the tree trunks vanished along with them.
“That takes care of tonight’s cleanup. Tomorrow we’ll pack up and head to the next place.” Zhong Daochen said, wiping the sweat from his forehead, his eyes weary yet carrying a hint of relief.
After carefully inspecting the surroundings and confirming there were no stragglers, the group made their way toward the city gate.
Moonlight spilled over them, casting long shadows. As they neared the gate, a chilling, sinister aura rushed to meet them, distinct from the rotting stench of the corpses. It was demonic energy.
“Careful, there’s a demon cultivator!” Shen Xun’an instantly went on high alert, spiritual power flowing through his body.
Zhong Daochen’s eyes narrowed. Before Shen Xun’an even finished speaking, his longsword was already drawn, sweeping across his surroundings, ready to strike at any moment.
A dark figure flashed out from the shadows. Under the moonlight, the demon cultivator’s face was hidden beneath the shadow of his hood, his expression unreadable, only a pair of crimson eyes gleamed in full view.
A crow perched silently on his shoulder, its feathers black and glossy, occasionally letting out hoarse caws that sent chills down one’s spine.
He wore a black robe, the hem fluttering loudly in the night wind, radiating an overwhelming presence, clearly no ordinary foe.
“Hmph, a few junior cultivators, daring to loiter around this mass grave.” The demon cultivator spoke with contempt, his voice low and icy.
His answer came in the form of Zhong Daochen’s sword aura: “Demon fiend, taste my blade!”
With a sudden swing, a surge of sword energy tore through the air toward the demon cultivator.
The demon cultivator’s expression sharpened. His form flickered and vanished from where he stood, the sword aura grazing past the hem of his robe and slamming into a large tree nearby. The tree crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Seeing this, Zhong Daochen tapped the ground lightly and closed in like a phantom.
The longsword struck a barrier, erupting in a series of deafening clangs. Sparks flew, and the sheer impact rippled through the surrounding air.
The demon cultivator formed a hand seal, and Zhong Daochen felt a tremendous force surge through his sword. He was sent flying backward uncontrollably, his feet carving two deep furrows in the ground as he skidded back several steps before steadying himself.
“Daochen, are you alright?” Shen Xun’an rushed over and helped him up.
“I’m fine. This demon cultivator is powerful, be careful.” Zhong Daochen rose, his gaze locked on the demonic cultivator now standing in a tree.
In the gloomy sky, thick clouds churned like ink. Only the moon, half-hidden behind the clouds, struggled to cast a few faint beams through the gaps.
The two sides stood at a tense standoff.
A sharp caw from the crow shattered the dead silence.
Gu Er and Zhao Yao exchanged a glance, then drew their swords and leaped into the fray.
Gu Er moved with agile grace, her toes barely touching the ground as she darted forward like a swallow skimming water, her sword tracing an arc straight for the demon cultivator.
At the same time, Zhao Yao circled behind him and brought her longsword down, splitting a crack in his barrier.
Seizing the moment, Gu Er blinked to his flank, her sword flashing like falling stars. The demon cultivator’s face shifted, and he twisted aside in a blur of motion, his black robe snapping loudly in the air.
Just then, Shen Xun’an rapidly formed hand seals: “Heavenly river inverted, gathering spirits into a stream, waters spanning ten thousand miles, tides surging to the nine heavens.” As she chanted, a massive formation materialized before her.
A beam of blue light erupted from the formation, surging toward the demon cultivator like a writhing water dragon.
Seeing this, the demon cultivator waved his hand, and countless black vines burst from the ground, twisting and coiling like grotesque monsters, spreading toward the “water dragon.” In the blink of an eye, the dragon and the vines collided, exploding in a thunderous roar.
Just then, a strange noise suddenly came from all around, and the direction of the mass grave seemed to be stirred up again, as if summoned by something.
The demon cultivator appeared unwilling to linger in the fight. Noticing that Gu Er was the weakest among the group, a cruel smile curled at the corner of his mouth as he suddenly charged toward her.
“Watch out!”
Gu Er couldn’t dodge in time, and in her panic, the cloth covering her face was lifted and fluttered to the ground.
The moment the demon cultivator saw Gu Er’s face, his entire body jolted violently, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief, and his steps involuntarily came to a halt.
Seizing that brief moment of hesitation, Zhong Daochen thrust his long sword at the demon cultivator.
By the time the demon cultivator reacted, it was too late to dodge. The sword aura slashed across his arm, leaving a deep, bloody gash.
Then, he cast one more glance at Gu Er, turned, and vanished into the night as a streak of black shadow.
Seeing this, Zhong Daochen immediately wanted to give chase, but Shen Xun’an stopped him: “Don’t chase him. That demon cultivator’s cultivation is clearly above ours. Going after him would just be throwing our lives away.”
Reluctantly, he halted and turned to look at Gu Er: “Are you alright?”
Gu Er shook her head, her voice still trembling slightly: “I’m fine.” But inside, her mind was screaming: That demon cultivator seems to recognize the original owner?!
Shen Xun’an patted Gu Er down, checking her from head to toe before finally letting out a relieved breath: “Thank goodness. I thought with him charging at you like that, you’d be in serious trouble.”
Gu Er lightly pressed her lips together, her palms already slightly sweaty, but she forced herself to stay calm and said, “Thanks to Senior Brother Zhong’s timely intervention. Otherwise, I would have been done for here.”
“Is that so?” Hearing this, Zhong Daochen scratched his head with a hint of pride. “Oh, it’s nothing. Helping a fellow junior sister is my duty.”
Gu Er let out a long sigh of relief. Fortunately, Shen Xun’an and Zhong Daochen were simple-minded and had been standing far enough from her and the demon cultivator that they couldn’t see anything suspicious.
Just as Gu Er was mulling this over, a gaze fell upon her. She looked up and found Zhao Yao staring at her. Her voice came out a bit hoarse: “What’s wrong?”
“Are you alright?” Zhao Yao asked.
“I’m fine. See, I’m perfectly okay.” Gu Er said, her heart racing, terrified that Zhao Yao might notice something.
Zhao Yao looked away. “Good, as long as you’re fine.”
Gu Er screamed helplessly in her heart: What exactly is the original owner’s identity? Why does even a demon cultivator recognize her? I haven’t done anything, yet I feel like I’ve done something guilty!