Corpse Fiend

Liu Fu was a Night Watchman in Wendeng County. Every night at midnight, he would go out on his rounds, shouting "The weather is dry, be careful with fire," which was his job.

A few nights ago, he went out on his rounds as usual, and his family didn't pay much attention. However, Liu Fu, who returned home after the third watch, seemed like a completely different person, exhibiting extremely abnormal behavior.

According to Liu Fu's wife, Madam Liu, he came into the house with a strange smile and made eerie "jiejiejiejie" sounds, which were particularly chilling.

He would also mutter unsettling phrases like "The water is so cold" and "Come keep me company."

This made the entire family feel a sense of dread, as if they were no longer facing their familiar loved one, but a stranger who looked exactly like Liu Fu.

That night, before going to sleep, Liu Fu went to the well in the courtyard to fetch water to wash his face. After a long while, Madam Liu, feeling puzzled, came out of the house. What greeted her was Liu Fu's disappearance.

She searched the entire courtyard and even looked around the vicinity, but couldn't find any trace of Liu Fu.

Madam Liu found it strange, but given her accustomed quiet life, she didn't dwell on it. She simply assumed Liu Fu had an urgent matter and had left without informing his family.

Little did she know, this last meeting tonight would be forever.

The next day, Madam Liu's family received the devastating news from their neighbors that Liu Fu's body was floating on the surface of the Changxia River.

"Officer, Brother Afu died unjustly! He never liked to drink, and he was an excellent swimmer. It's impossible he drowned by accident. Please, officer, you must find the murderer of my husband," Madam Liu said, her voice trembling as she wiped away tears.

Fang Ping nodded, his expression serious. "I understand. If what you say is true, this matter is indeed very strange and bizarre."

Madam Liu quickly replied, "Officer, everything I've said is the truth, not a single word is a lie."

"Excuse me, has Liu Fu's coffin been sealed? Is it convenient for us to examine the body?" Ning Xiu, who had been quiet until now, suddenly asked.

The old woman exchanged a glance with Madam Liu, hesitating slightly. Fang Ping immediately said, "This gentleman is a remarkable individual we've specifically invited from our yamen. If you want to find the real killer, it's best to cooperate with all his requests."

Upon hearing this, Madam Liu could only nod and say, "Then, officer, please."

Several days had passed since Liu Fu drowned. The coffin had already been sealed with iron nails. If it weren't for the fact that the seventh day after death hadn't passed yet, Madam Liu would have already hired people to bury the body along with the coffin.

They entered the room where the coffin was kept. This was the same room Ning Xiu had seen enveloped in black mist, and the source of all the black mist was actually coming from the coffin within the room.

"What's going on in here? It's excessively damp," Fang Ping couldn't help but say, looking at the large water droplets on the surface of the coffin and the soaked wooden beams and pillars throughout the room.

Madam Liu shook her head. "I don't know. Ever since I placed Brother Afu's body in the coffin, this room has become like this. It's incredibly humid, even though it's not a south wind day."

Ning Xiu walked to the coffin and, without a word, began prying at the nails. Given the current bizarre situation, Liu Fu's body must have undergone some mutation.

If this continued, he might even rise from the dead.

Fang Ping quickly came over to help. After pulling out more than twenty iron nails, as Ning Xiu pushed open the coffin lid with a palm strike, a pale face with wide-open eyes and a swollen face immediately met Ning Xiu's gaze.

It was clearly visible that there was a faint black line on Liu Fu's brow, extending from his forehead all the way to his neck, for reasons unknown.

"Why didn't you close his eyes?" Ning Xiu asked, puzzled.

"We absolutely couldn't close them. My mother and I tried many ways, but we couldn't get Brother Afu's eyes to close, so we had to bury him like this," Madam Liu explained.

Fang Ping looked astonished. "Could this be the legendary 'died with eyes open'? Tsk, after so many years as a constable, this is my first time seeing it. Truly eye-opening."

Drip!

Just as Ning Xiu was about to examine Liu Fu's body for any other abnormalities, a drop of water suddenly fell from above, landing precisely on Liu Fu's forehead.

This bean-sized droplet of water was very conspicuous. What was surprising was that the water itself had turned black.

Ning Xiu quickly looked up and saw that the wooden beam directly above the coffin had turned black, showing a completely different color difference compared to the surrounding moist wooden beams.

This scene instantly brought Ning Xiu back to a passage he had read in the "Compendium of Demons and Evil Spirits."

If someone is harmed by an evil spirit, they must never be left in dark and damp places, lest the corpse become a fiend.

More importantly, there should be no wooden beam obstructing the corpse from above. Otherwise, the evil Qi emitted by the corpse would be absorbed by the wooden beam above, turning it into evil wood.

Once the water in the evil wood came into contact with the corpse, it would lead to the rumored reanimation of the dead.

Drip!

Another drop of black water fell, and Liu Fu's previously still body suddenly twitched slightly.

Ning Xiu knew that once a corpse became a fiend, it was irreversible. To prevent any accidents, he immediately said to Fang Ping, "Take them out and close the door. No matter what sounds you hear later, ignore them. Do not enter without my command."

Although he didn't know what Ning Xiu meant, Fang Ping knew the prowess of a Demon Subduing Captain, and their commands had their own unique significance.

Therefore, Fang Ping immediately pulled Madam Liu and Liu Fu's mother, dragging them forcefully out of the room. As the door was closed by Fang Ping, the entire room was plunged into darkness.

Another drop of black water fell. Under Ning Xiu's gaze, Liu Fu suddenly sat up from the coffin and climbed out stiffly.

If Fang Ping and the others had seen this phenomenon, they would have been terrified.

Having become a Corpse Fiend, Liu Fu had completely lost his human consciousness, reduced to a walking corpse with only the instinct to attack.

Sensing Ning Xiu's presence nearby, he stiffly walked over and reached out to grab Ning Xiu.

Bang!

However, what greeted him was a punch of fiery red.

The Corpse Fiend moved slowly. Before it could grab Ning Xiu's body, Ning Xiu had already struck first, hitting the fiend's chest with a punch.

The scorching Pure Yang Extreme Fist, combined with Ning Xiu's Internal Energy, caused the fiend's chest to instantly cave in. At the same time, its entire body was sent flying backward like a cannonball, crashing heavily against the nearby wall.

The huge commotion inside the room made Fang Ping and the others very confused. Was Ning Xiu fighting someone?

But there was no one else in the room besides Ning Xiu.

The Corpse Fiend, lying on the ground, slowly crawled up. Even though its entire chest was caved in, it didn't affect its movements.

That was the only advantage of a Ninth Rank fiend like this Corpse Fiend: as long as its limbs were intact, it could continue to harm others no matter how severe its injuries were.

If it could advance further, it would become an Eighth Rank Corpse Zombie, with white fur as hard as iron and astonishing strength.

Seeing the Corpse Fiend approach him again, Ning Xiu leaped forward, quickly closing the distance. When he was only half a step away from the Corpse Fiend.

He suddenly slapped the Corpse Fiend's face with his palm, simultaneously pushing the Corpse Fiend forward with all his might.

Boom!

The violent force slammed the Corpse Fiend heavily against the wall. With the boost of Ning Xiu's Internal Energy, the moment the Corpse Fiend's head hit the wall, the entire wall instantly cracked with large, spiderweb-like fissures.

The Corpse Fiend's head also completely shattered from this blow, its entire face collapsing into its skull. The Corpse Fiend finally stopped moving.

[Killed Malevolent Spirit, Universal Proficiency +500]

This combo was simple, brutal, and direct, without any flashy moves.

When he was an apprentice at the Champion Camp, Ning Xiu had envisioned his future self joining the Demon Subduing Bureau like this: first learning a powerful sword technique.

Then, dressed in white, he would use Qinggong to tread on bamboo forests under the moonlight, his swordplay ethereal and graceful like an immortal.

That's how everyone would call him "Sword Immortal Ning," looking incredibly cool.

But now, for some reason, he felt like he was drifting further and further away from that imagined image.

Seeing that the Corpse Fiend was no longer moving, Ning Xiu used the Spiritual Eye Qi Observation Technique to meticulously examine its body. The reason for the heavy Yin-Evil Qi in this room was entirely due to this Corpse Fiend.

However, under normal circumstances, a single Corpse Fiend shouldn't be able to cause such a commotion. There must be some kind of secret about it.

Soon, under Ning Xiu's search, he discovered the secret.

Behind Liu Fu, on the skin that had already swollen from soaking in river water, there was a very faint runic diagram.

If one didn't look closely, it would be impossible to notice the existence of this runic diagram.

It was a shame that runes belonged to the art of talismans, something only Immortal Path cultivators learned. Ning Xiu was completely ignorant in this area. Even if he found this clue on Liu Fu, he wouldn't be able to make sense of it.

With no other option, Ning Xiu could only move Liu Fu back into the coffin. Then, he called Fang Ping, who was waiting outside, to find some paper and a brush. He planned to replicate the runic diagram and mail it back to Chaotian Capital for Su Qianqian to examine.

If it were her, she should be able to discern what secrets were hidden within.

Perhaps it could even provide some useful clues regarding the series of drowning cases in Wendeng County.

Although Madam Liu's family didn't know what had happened inside the house just now, their expressions turned blank when they saw the tragic state of Liu Fu's body in the coffin.

Those who knew understood that Liu Fu had drowned. Those who didn't, seeing the scene, would likely mistake Ning Xiu for having beaten Liu Fu to death.

After briefly explaining to them about Liu Fu becoming a Corpse Fiend and why the room was so damp, Ning Xiu gave Madam Liu's family some silver as compensation after successfully replicating the runic diagram. At the same time, he instructed Fang Ping to quickly return to the yamen and report the incident of the drowned victim reanimating to Dong Fu, notifying him to send constables to check on other deceased victims' homes to see if they were like Liu Fu's.

Ning Xiu himself then quickly left the scene, preparing to head to the post station in Wendeng County to send the runic diagram to the Demon Subduing Bureau in Chaotian Capital.

The plot of the latter half of yesterday's chapter was really not good, a bit disappointing, so I made some temporary changes.

Apologies to those who have already read it, the plot has changed.