Yellow Sparrow and Cicada

The Soul Herding Bell could drive yin souls and ghosts, while the Corpse Driving Whip could drive corporeal Ghost Fetuses. The two complemented each other perfectly, and both were growth-type ritual artifacts.

Xu Qing thought, If I had a maxed-out Soul Herding Bell in one hand and a maxed-out Corpse Driving Whip in the other, wouldn't I be able to swagger through the underworld?

Suppressing those seemingly impractical thoughts, Xu Qing shifted his attention elsewhere.

The next few rewards were similar to the "Book Scripture" of the Lovesick Scholar. They were all Cultivation and Skill Manuals.

The first, "Thirty-Six Corpse Driving Curses," recorded every curse a Corpse Driver might use while driving corpses. For example, the Corpse-Raising Curse could make a corpse jerk upright in surprise, or stand straight up.

The Walking Corpse Curse could command corpses to walk on their own. There were also the Turning Curse, Downhill Curse, Bridge-Crossing Curse, Mute Dog Curse, and others.

After digesting it all, Xu Qing formed his own understanding. These foundational curses for controlling walking corpses were much like the commands a rider shouted while driving a donkey or riding a horse. Whether urging it to go faster or slower, turn or leap, each action had its own method of control.

The only truly rare one was the final curse among the thirty-six—the "Soul-Returning Curse."

Although it was called a curse, it was more like an independent cultivation method. Practicing it allowed a dead corpse's soul to possess its body. The deeper a Corpse Driver's Soul-Returning Power grew, the more of the corpse's soul he could restore, making the corpse much easier to drive.

Next, he examined the second book, "Funeral and Memorial Book." It was a discipline covering Spirit Relocation and Tomb Opening, Worship Rituals, and related matters. Corpse Drivers often dealt with the dead while traveling the Jianghu, so they all dabbled in it to some extent.

As for the "Yingui Acupoint Locating Method," traditional Corpse Drivers did not deliberately study it. After all, they drove corpses; they did not seek dragons, locate acupoints, and dig up people's ancestral graves.

That sort of thing was simply too immoral!

Put plainly, this was an unorthodox skill Liu Youdao had secretly taught himself to improve and expand his Corpse Driving business. His goal was to rob other people's graves more effectively and find more "good sources."

To Xu Qing, these things were merely icing on the cake.

What truly came like charcoal in a snowstorm were the "Corpse Sayings" and the "Corpse Nurturing Scripture."

Corpse Sayings contained methods for identifying and dealing with all kinds of zombies, as well as detailed classifications of zombie species and cultivation realms made by practitioners. Someone like Xu Qing belonged to the lowest level, the wandering corpse. The only difference was that, as a wandering corpse, he possessed a complete consciousness.

According to Corpse Sayings, a zombie's cultivation and evolution had five stages: Wandering Corpse, Crouching Corpse, Unyielding Bone, Flying Corpse, and the legendary Corpse Immortal.

Wandering Corpses and Crouching Corpses each had three types or transformations. The three types of Wandering Corpse were Ironclad Wandering Corpse, Silverclad Wandering Corpse, and Goldclad Wandering Corpse.

The Three Transformations of Crouching Corpse were Furred Corpse, Fire Corpse, and Black Fiend.

Once a zombie reached the third great realm, it was called an Unyielding Bone. This was also the stage of qualitative transformation for zombies. They would develop wisdom like an ordinary person, as though reborn.

So his current state was that he possessed the wisdom of the Unyielding Bone stage, but the physical strength of the Wandering Corpse stage?

Wasn't that like Lü Bu riding a dog?

After pondering for a moment, Xu Qing focused his attention on the final two realms.

The Flying Corpse, also called the Black Fiend or Sky-Soaring Yaksha, had reached a realm where it could fly through the heavens and burrow into the earth. It possessed profound, unfathomable divine might, and few things in the world could threaten it.

As for the legendary Corpse Immortal, it had reached the stage of Immortal and Undying, shedding its mortal form and ascending.

Corpse Sayings contained such a record: In ancient times, there had been a loyal and righteous man named Yan Qingping. He had originally been an official. While suppressing a rebellion during his lifetime, he had unfortunately been captured and later executed by hanging.

After Yan Qingping died, his corpse did not decay. It remained lifelike, as though it might come back to life at any moment. Fortunately, a highly accomplished cultivator was moved by his loyalty and righteousness in life and passed on the corpse path to him.

Yan Qingping cultivated for nearly a hundred years afterward, ultimately ascending to immortality on Luling Mountain.

One could enter the Dao through corpses and become an immortal too?

Xu Qing's heart pounded. Even the living could be moved by the word "immortal." Now that he, a wandering corpse, knew he might one day touch the immortal path, how could his heart remain unshaken?

As for the method of zombie cultivation...

Xu Qing's mind involuntarily settled on the final reward. It was a "Corpse Nurturing Scripture."

In theory, the Corpse Nurturing Scripture was an animal-rearing manual Liu Youdao used to cultivate zombies and improve their quality. But judging by the results, with sufficient environmental conditions and materials, it could raise an ordinary Wandering Corpse to the level of a Goldclad Wandering Corpse.

The only unfortunate thing was that Goldclad Wandering Corpse was the cultivation limit of the Corpse Nurturing Scripture, not the upper limit of zombie cultivation.

"Most of the materials required by the Corpse Nurturing Scripture are related to Corpse Driving. If I simply found a mass grave or cemetery and lay down there, I'd probably have to wait until the Year of the Monkey and Month of the Horse before I could cultivate into a Goldclad Wandering Corpse."

"Besides, even cemeteries and burial grounds might not be safe."

Remembering the bizarre and uncanny events he had encountered one after another after leaving Linhe Fang, Xu Qing fell into deep thought.

The living already preyed on the weak. Who could guarantee that ghosts and zombies had no hierarchy?

Looking at Liu Youdao's still-warm corpse, Xu Qing suddenly seemed to think of something.

Aside from having terrible luck, the reason Liu Youdao had died was that he had failed to follow the rules passed down by the older generation of Corpse Drivers. As a result, he had offended too many people and been forced to move here. Even if he had never encountered the monsters of the Tianxin Cult, he would sooner or later have died at someone else's hands.

In other words, if Liu Youdao had followed the rules of Corpse Drivers, then with the "status" Corpse Drivers held in the Jianghu, it would have been difficult for him to provoke any truly powerful figures.

Spirit Relocation and Burial, Tomb Opening and Corpse Driving—practitioners looked down on people who made their living doing such work, while ordinary people avoided them like the plague. In prosperous times or chaotic ones, this profession could mostly remain independent and untouched.

The more Xu Qing thought about it, the brighter his eyes became!

Corpse Driving, corpse nurturing, saving people—when these things were strung together, a bold idea surfaced in Xu Qing's mind.

Liu Youdao had no family and no relatives, living alone and utterly unattached. Xu Qing might be able to replace him, inherit his trade, and return to that funeral shop in Linhe Fang. That would let him avoid the disturbance of evil spirits beyond the neighborhood while using the special nature of the profession to contact the dead, perform salvation rites, and obtain resources.

After all, who would ever imagine that a Corpse Driver was actually a zombie?

Once he had an idea, Xu Qing began considering whether the details were feasible.

If he wanted to return to Linhe Fang and blend into the world of ordinary people, the greatest obstacle was his identity as a zombie.

However, there was a corresponding solution.

Among the Thirty-Six Corpse Driving Curses was one called the Mute Dog Curse. With some medicinal powder, it could confuse people's hearing and vision. It could even prevent dogs with keen noses from smelling a zombie's scent.

Besides that, Corpse Sayings and the Corpse Nurturing method contained many techniques for concealing Corpse Qi.

Furthermore, wasn't it perfectly normal for a Corpse Driver who often handled corpses to carry a trace of Corpse Qi?

Xu Qing removed a gray cloth satchel from Liu Youdao. Inside was not only the odor-removing powder used with the Mute Dog Curse, but also Spirit Incense, talismans, an Ink Square and ink line, cinnabar brushes and inkstones, a compass and ritual brazier, gold and silver incense and candles, and other items.

What drew Xu Qing's attention most were a pair of Corpse Fang Pliers and a pair of Gold Corpse Shears.

As their names suggested, these were tools Liu Youdao used to cut away zombies' sharp fangs and claws.

Xu Qing subconsciously touched his tiger teeth, each more than two fingers long. Then he hardened his heart, picked up the denser Corpse Fang Pliers, and snapped off all four fangs.

Next came the sharp, long, and narrow mutated fingernails on his hands and feet.

After finishing, Xu Qing changed into the spare clothes in Liu Youdao's pack.

Straw sandals, a blue cloth robe, and a black sash around his waist—he now had a perfectly standard Corpse Driver's outfit.

Something still seemed to be missing. Xu Qing touched his empty waist, then turned his gaze back to Liu Youdao's corpse.

That was it. He had not yet taken the three Corpse-Driving Bells from the man.

After taking the bells and tying them around his waist, Xu Qing, transformed from head to toe, finally revealed a satisfied smile.

Those things had seemed to take a long time, but in reality, he had spent less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

After searching the corpse, he looked at the line of zombies still standing motionless behind him.

With a change of thought, Xu Qing gave up on the idea of performing salvation rites for these zombies.

The white-robed man from the Tianxin Cult was moody and ruthless. He had deceived the imperial pursuers with a scheme, then conveniently returned and killed Liu Youdao.

But Xu Qing did not believe his scheme could succeed forever.

Those two soldiers were certainly not simple-minded. Otherwise, they could never have pursued the trail all the way from the Capital City to this place.

It was entirely possible that the Baihu named Zuo Zixiong and his companion would discover the problem at any moment and turn back.

"Better to avoid one more complication than invite it. As for these corpses..."

An idea struck Xu Qing. He took out the Corpse Driving Whip rewarded by the Duren Sutra and swung several lashes at the zombies standing motionless.

The next moment, the zombies carrying the stretcher became like horses slapped on the rump, racing away in a cloud of dust toward the Yi Zhuang ahead.

After completing this, Xu Qing did not linger. He headed straight toward Linhe Fang.

Twenty li north of Willow Village Yi Zhuang, Zuo Zixiong, who had been racing forward, suddenly stopped.

"Not good! We've been tricked!"

Cui Yuanlong, following beside him, did not understand. He asked, "Zixiong, why do you say that?"

Zuo Qianxiong's brows knitted tightly. He said in a low voice, "That Tianxin Cult monster is vicious beyond measure and bloodthirsty to the extreme. Since he asked that Corpse Driver for directions back to the Capital City, why didn't he kill him to silence him? Why leave such a flaw for us to discover?"

"You mean that bastard tricked us? He never went back to the Capital City at all?" After hearing this, Cui Yuanlong's anger flared. That monster was truly cunning!

"Never mind. As the saying goes, the monk may run away, but the temple won't. He took one of my blades and couldn't have escaped far. We'll turn back and continue pursuing him toward the Tianxin Cult's branch altar. This time, no matter what, we must capture him and bring him back to the Capital City!"

At the same time, the quiet Willow Village Yi Zhuang in the dead of night had also grown lively.

A dozen or so men and women, old and young, held torches as they stared in bafflement at a line of zombies that had run into the Yi Zhuang.

They were not surprised when Corpse Drivers brought zombies here to store or sell them. They were long accustomed to it.

But this was the first time they had seen a group of zombies come running to the Yi Zhuang by themselves, without a Corpse Driver leading the way.

"Guests have come, so stop standing around. Hurry and invite them into the coffins so they can rest properly. Whatever happens can wait until tomorrow."

Seeing that he could not simply leave them unattended, the Yi Zhuang's manager ordered the masters and apprentices to properly arrange the zombies, including the completely cold corpse on the stretcher.

As for where the zombies had come from, they did not investigate.

After all, they ran an Yi Zhuang. Their job was handling the miscellaneous matters of storing, transporting, and burying corpses.

Besides, there were countless dead people in these times. The corpses were not dressed in any expensive fabric, clearly showing that they had been insignificant figures in life. There was no need to treat them with special care.

Once the constables came by in a few days to go through the formalities, wouldn't those that could move be sent to dig in the mines, while those that could not move would simply be buried in a Mass Grave?

To be honest, the Yi Zhuang wished free zombies would come running here every day. Anything sent to the mines earned money, and who would refuse money delivered straight to their door?

The yin energy grew dense late at night. Once this hour arrived, all the unclean things hidden in the mountains and forests emerged.

Xu Qing walked along the road he had taken earlier, but he felt no chill. Instead, he felt as refreshed as a fish returning to water or a fierce tiger returning to the forest.

"I really have become one of the unclean things."

Xu Qing felt melancholy, but only for a brief moment before his spirits rose again.

"A heroic figure like Yan Qingping cultivated the corpse path too, and in the end, he even attained the Dao and ascended. Isn't that better than some people who muddle through decades alive, only to turn completely into smoke after death?"

"So what if I'm a zombie? It's not like I ate your family's glutinous rice!"

Xu Qing instantly felt entirely justified. When he had been alive, he had worked like an ox and a horse. Now that he was dead, why should he keep tormenting himself?

The one bad thing about walking alone at night was that it was easy to start thinking about things that did not exist.

When he reached the Mass Grave he had passed earlier, Xu Qing glanced to the side and saw a Yellow Weasel carrying a chicken in its jaws as it crawled into a grave opening.

He immediately thought of the "dirty thing" that had climbed onto his head and hitched a ride earlier.

So it was you!

Xu Qing smacked his lips. Seeing the Yellow Weasel disappear into the grave, he withdrew his gaze and continued onward.

Not long after setting off again, he encountered another familiar "ghost."

A graceful red-clad figure was carrying a sheep and floating merrily toward him.

Xu Qing stepped aside and let her pass first.

The female ghost glanced at him and giggled. Her figure then vanished on the spot. When she appeared again, she was already several yards away.

Seriously, sis? You really stole one of that shepherd's sheep and brought it back?

Xu Qing looked in the direction the red-clad female ghost had gone, then turned toward the mountain trail leading to Linhe Fang.

Tsk, what a lively night. I wonder how many yellow sparrows there are, and how many cicadas.

The dirt road came to an end, but Xu Qing did not encounter the shepherd who had lost his sheep again.

After passing through the forest and reaching the official road, he followed the directions stored in his memory. Before long, he returned to Linhe Fang.

It was the fourth watch. Although there were few people on the streets inside the neighborhood, Xu Qing could still clearly sense the "Human Vitality" wrapped within the houses and courtyards.

This was a predatory instinct he had developed after becoming a zombie.

It was like how a cat could smell a mouse deep inside a burrow from the entrance.

Xu Qing drew a deep breath, and his stomach unexpectedly gave a faint growl.

That was right. The moon was dark tonight. He had spent more than half the night traveling, without any Moon Essence and Lunar Radiance to replenish his energy. Of course he was hungry.

But when it came down to it, zombies were exceptionally resistant to hunger. Even if they starved for ten or twenty years, nothing might happen. Their hunger was not the hunger of being unable to eat their fill, but the hunger to advance further and become stronger zombies!

To avoid attracting trouble, Xu Qing took out the medicinal powder from the satchel and scattered it over himself. At the same time, he began forming the hand seals for the Mute Dog Curse from the Thirty-Six Corpse Driving Curses.

Perhaps because he was a zombie himself, Xu Qing clearly felt that the curse's power was considerably stronger when he cast it. In an instant, all the exposed aura throughout his body was drawn into his seven orifices!

His nasal orifices had pulled it in so forcefully that he sneezed several times in succession.

Thus, with his released aura gathered inside his body and the special medicinal powder covering his skin and concealing his Corpse Qi, he truly became an ordinary person!

Following his memories and retracing the route, Xu Qing first passed the street where the Cui Family Mill stood. After several twists and turns, he arrived at Well Street, where the funeral shops stood side by side.