Dead Thing

After breaking through the eighth meridian, Shen Lin's strength rose once again.

What concerned Shen Lin even more, however, was the effect of the Shadow-Breaking Step technique.

After training it to perfection, Shen Lin felt several degrees more relaxed. It was as if, with but a thought, he could cross a distance of one or two zhang and appear within the shadows.

He wanted to practice it and experience the profundity of the technique.

But in the current situation...

This did not seem to be the time to study such things.

The sun was sinking in the west, and the sky had already grown somewhat dim.

Even with the light so faint, Shen Lin could still see the entire area clearly.

After observing for a while, Shen Lin asked in confusion, "Where's the corpse you mentioned?"

Only then did the hunter react.

Although the surrounding scene convinced him that this was indeed where he had discovered the corpse before, the area was now completely empty. There was no trace of the corpse at all.

"That's strange. Could I have gotten it wrong?"

The hunter awkwardly scratched his head. He was just about to continue forward when Shen Lin stopped him.

Shen Lin shook his head and pointed at the ground not far away.

Just now, he had also thought the hunter had taken the wrong path.

But when he was about to continue forward, he caught the lingering smell of blood in the air.

Following that bloody scent, Shen Lin discovered a patch of earth that was faintly red.

It was the mark left by blood seeping into the soil.

The hunter should not have taken the wrong path. This was indeed where he had found the corpse.

"That's strange. Where's the corpse?"

The hunter's eyesight was not as good as Shen Lin's. He took several steps forward before realizing something was wrong.

He crouched down and examined the area carefully. Suddenly, he turned around and shouted, "Master Shen, look over here! There are footprints!"

When it came to tracking traces, a hunter who spent every day in the wilderness was clearly more skilled.

He pointed at the disordered grass nearby and said:

"The footprints here are messy, but I can tell that five people passed through this spot. And judging by their depth, one of them must have been huge and heavy."

Shen Lin narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "It could also be that person carrying something else. For example..."

"The corpse!!!"

The hunter's neck shrank when he heard this.

Combined with the eerie mountain wind, Shen Lin's words made the hunter's heart prickle with unease.

"Master Shen, we've found this place already. Do you think I could..."

Seeing him lose his nerve, Shen Lin smiled but did not answer. He simply said, "There are footprints from five people. The other four were probably the County Yamen constables. It seems they also discovered that the corpse had disappeared and went after it to investigate."

"You don't need to be afraid. With me here, neither demons nor bandits can hurt you. Just lead the way."

Although Shen Lin had given him his guarantee, the hunter's worry did not lessen by much.

He wanted nothing more than to turn around and leave, but he also knew that if he offended the County Yamen—and offended Master Shen—his future would become unbearably miserable.

Left with no choice, he gritted his teeth, followed the traces, and led Shen Lin deeper into the mountains.

Before long, Shen Lin saw the hunter suddenly stop. He asked, "What is it? Did the trail disappear?"

"N-no, Master Shen, y-you... look ahead!"

The dense woods grew sparse ahead, revealing an open patch of ground.

Slightly raised mounds of earth resembled ghosts crouching on all fours.

Between the uneven gravestones, one or two ghostly green flames could be seen from time to time.

It was a graveyard.

"Help!!!"

Just as the two of them were examining the graveyard, a miserable cry came from deep within.

A disheveled man in ragged clothes came running toward them in panic.

He stumbled and fell repeatedly, yet each time he rolled and crawled back to his feet and continued running, as if the Grim Reaper himself were pursuing him from behind.

"Help! Th-there's a monster!!!"

At that moment, he saw Shen Lin and the hunter. When he noticed Shen Lin's attire in particular, delight immediately appeared on his face.

"Constable!!! Help me! There's a monster over there!!!"

Shen Lin narrowed his eyes and sized the man up. His expression did not change in the slightest as he said in a deep voice, "Don't panic! Explain yourself clearly. What kind of monster is it?"

"A monster that eats people! It was terrifying..."

Still shaken, the man gasped heavily. He glanced back, then begged Shen Lin, "Constable, please, save my life! I have an eighty-year-old mother at home..."

"With me here, those monsters can't hurt you."

Shen Lin cut him off and asked in a deep voice, "What about you? What are you doing in these mountains in the dead of night?"

"Ah... I... well..."

The newcomer lowered his head, stammering as his beady eyes darted about. In a small voice, he said, "I... I came to gather medicinal herbs."

Shen Lin glanced at the Luoyang shovel behind him.

That shovel was not used for gathering herbs.

The hunter beside him also stared at the Luoyang shovel for a long while. He then sized the man up again, looking as if he wanted to speak but held his tongue.

Shen Lin seemed to believe the man's explanation and did not press the matter. He asked, "Tell me, where is this monster you mentioned?"

"It's in that direction. Go past that little mound... Just now, four other constables went ahead to fight the monster..."

"What???"

Shen Lin's eyes widened. He cursed viciously and shot forward.

In only two or three breaths, he had crossed the small slope and reached the depths of the graveyard.

Only then did he hear the clanging of metal against metal.

Under the moonlight, he saw the scene ahead clearly.

Two constables were surrounding a huge Tiger Demon, swinging their sabers without pause.

They had clearly been fighting for some time. Shen Lin could see that both men moved with stiff, heavy motions. They could not even execute the Blood Battle Saber Technique, merely flailing their sabers wildly.

Not far away, beneath a Great Tree, two other constables sat with their backs against the trunk, heads lowered. It was impossible to tell whether they were alive or dead.

At the sight, Shen Lin could not help but let out a long breath.

Thank goodness, thank goodness.

The demon had not been dealt with yet.

Judging by the aura radiating from the Tiger Demon, it had not cultivated Demon Qi and was not even as strong as a martial artist.

But when Shen Lin slew demons, what he valued most was the opponent's lifespan.

From the muscles covering the Tiger Demon's body, it was clearly in the prime of its life. The Demon Lifespan it could provide would certainly be substantial.

With that thought, he drew his sword and charged forward.

The Tiger Demon whipped its tail, sending one constable flying. It turned and was just about to pounce on the remaining constable when it noticed that, in addition to the moon overhead, another bright spot had appeared in the darkness.

This gleam was like a gale, the wind pressure it raised making the surrounding trees tremble.

Gale Sword Technique!

Shen Lin's sword whirled wildly, like a hurricane crashing directly into the Tiger Demon.

Boom!

With a muffled impact, the Tiger Demon was blown away and crashed heavily onto the ground.

Its body was covered in sword wounds, and a huge hole had been torn straight through where its heart lay.

Although he had killed the demon with a single sword strike, Shen Lin felt little joy. Instead, a trace of doubt appeared on his face.

The next moment, his ears twitched, and he shifted lightly to the side.

Whoosh!

A steel saber fell almost against his body.

The remaining constable seemed to have gone mad. He gripped his steel saber and began hacking relentlessly at Shen Lin.

Clang!

Shen Lin raised his sword to block the man's strike, bringing them face-to-face.

When he saw the man's features clearly, he froze for a moment, then kicked him directly in the abdomen.

The kick sent the man flying backward several steps.

Roar!!!

The constable abruptly raised his head and let out a nonhuman roar.

Half the flesh on his face had vanished. One eye socket was hollow, and the eyeball was nowhere to be seen.

The only remaining eyeball rolled eerily upward. It had no pupil, only a horrifying, deathly white expanse.

At that moment, he opened his mouth. His teeth were black as ink, and four long fangs were even longer than those of some wild beasts.

A zombie?