Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Exposed to the light, I finally saw what it looked like.

Its hair was long, its face was as gaunt as a skull, and its pitch-black fingernails were half a finger long with razor-sharp edges. It wore clothes of an indistinguishable color and style-they had long since rotted away, hanging off its body like tattered rags. The skin visible beneath was a pale, bluish-gray.

“Oh my god-”

“A monster!”

The Feng Shui Masters froze for a second before screaming and scrambling to crawl out of the pit. The corpse didn’t chase them; it simply scanned its surroundings before lunging at Liu Xiong.

“Holy crap! Master Qiao, save me-Master Qiao!”

Liu Xiong rolled across the ground, but the creature’s sharp claws still managed to tear a long strip of fabric from the back of his shirt.

Time to protect my golden goose.

I immediately rushed toward Liu Xiong, clutching the Thunderstruck Wood Talisman. Liu Xiong quickly ducked behind me just as the corpse lunged at me head-on. I raised my hand, and the Thunderstruck Wood Talisman in my grip emitted a flash of lightning. With a loud *crack*, the corpse was blasted to the ground.

It lay there, motionless.

Everyone was stunned.

Amidst their shocked, complex, and world-shattering looks of disbelief, I calmly walked over to the corpse, knelt down, and pinched its jaw.

I forced its mouth open, and a foul, rot-like stench wafted out. Disgusted, I covered my nose and leaned in to inspect its teeth.

They were yellowed and black, slightly longer than a normal human’s, but lacked the fangs characteristic of a Jiangshi.

Just as I suspected, this was a shadowy corpse.

“Ma-Ma-Ma-Master Qiao, what… what was that just now?”

Liu Xiong’s knees were weak, and he half-knelt on the ground, looking up at me as if he were staring at the Goddess of Mercy herself.

“Oh, this? It’s a Five Thunders Command, a Thunderstruck Jujube Wood Talisman.”

I shook the wooden token in my hand. President Xu finally snapped out of his daze, letting out an “Ah!” as he looked at me with a face full of excitement.

“Sect Master! You are my Feng Sect’s Sect Master!”

Someone whispered, “President, didn’t you say before that the mainland Feng Sect had long since died out? That the so-called Sect Master was just some rural farmer who only knew how to till the fields?”

President Xu flew into a rage. “Bah! How dare you try to drive a wedge between the Sect Master and me!”

“Sect Master, our Hong Kong Feng Shui Association has finally awaited your grand arrival!”

President Xu rushed forward to shake my hand, but seeing the shadowy corpse, he flinched back. Standing three meters away, he began showering me with sycophantic praise.

“Sigh, enough already. I told you the Feng Sect had declined, but I didn’t realize even people like you wouldn’t know what a shadowy corpse was.”

I waved my hand, shaking my head with a sigh.

A shadowy corpse is a transitional state between a regular corpse and a Jiangshi. Its body isn’t as rigid as a Jiangshi’s, it isn’t as strong, and its combat ability is weak. The danger level is actually quite low.

Furthermore, the conditions required for a shadowy corpse to form are extremely demanding.

The ground must be a traditional corpse-nurturing ground-the soil must be cold and yin, the pH levels must be extremely unbalanced, and it must be airtight enough to prevent the growth of organic organisms. Only then will the body not rot.

However, traditional corpse-nurturing grounds are places of extreme misfortune. Usually, before a body can even reach the shadowy corpse stage, it is transformed directly into a Jiangshi by the Evil Energy.

Therefore, the appearance of a shadowy corpse can only be man-made.

Someone must have intentionally transported specific soil from elsewhere to create a sealed environment, using a very slight amount of blood-based Evil Energy to nurture the body into a shadowy corpse.

If I wasn’t mistaken, the soil beneath my feet must have been watered with fresh blood for forty-nine consecutive days.

“Ah, that… I heard that when Tong Fusheng’s father was buried, the Ritual Ceremony was performed for forty-nine days straight.”

The Feng Shui Masters realized the truth, but then became even more confused.

“Sect Master, why would he turn his own father into a shadowy corpse?”

“Do you know why it’s called a ‘shadowy’ corpse? One of its primary functions is to ‘overshadow’ or provide shade for descendants, ensuring they enjoy wealth and prosperity. This Tong Fusheng is truly a piece of work-to even use his father’s corpse like this instead of letting him rest in peace.”

“Alright, everyone head up first. I’ll handle this shadowy corpse.”

I had them set up a ladder and led the group of old men back up to the cemetery. Outside, the rain had lessened considerably. Liu Xiong’s bodyguards had somehow managed to set up a rain canopy with tables and chairs.

Seeing the Feng Shui Masters emerge, the reporter quickly rushed over with her microphone.

“President Xu, why are you injured? What happened down there? When does Master Qiao plan to apologize?”

Silence. Silence was the theme of the night.

The group of six Feng Shui Masters all looked pathetic. President Xu had slammed his chest against the corner of the coffin while running, and Chen Zhen had been tripped and stepped on twice, feeling as though he might have a fracture.

How were they supposed to explain? They couldn’t exactly say that Master Qiao defeated the shadowy corpse with one hand while everyone else’s injuries were caused by a stampede during their flight. That would be losing face for their ancestors back eight generations.

President Xu coughed. “Ahem, is there water in your camera lens? Stop filming. It’s raining so hard, you should head back early. Anyway, I have things to do, so I’ll be leaving now.”

The Feng Shui Masters scattered like startled birds, leaving only Liu Xiong, who stood behind me, refusing to leave my side.

I instructed him, “You go back too. Help me prepare some things. I’m staying here for the night. Have the driver come pick me up tomorrow morning.”