Dead Things

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

What made Shen Lin even more concerned was the effect of the martial art, Shadow Severing Step.

After mastering it, Shen Lin felt much lighter, as if with a mere thought, he could cover a distance of one to two zhang and appear in the shadows.

He wanted to practice it, to feel the profundity of this martial art.

But the current situation...

It didn't seem like the time to study these things.

The sun was setting, and the sky had already turned somewhat dim.

Even with the weak light, Shen Lin could still see the entire area around them.

After observing for a while, Shen Lin asked with some confusion, "Where is the corpse you mentioned?"

At these words, the hunter finally reacted.

Although the surrounding scene confirmed that this was where he had previously found the corpse, there was now nothing around, and the corpse was nowhere to be seen.

"That's strange, did I make a mistake?"

The hunter scratched his head awkwardly. Just as he was about to move forward, Shen Lin stopped him.

He shook his head and pointed to the ground not far away.

Just now, he had also thought the hunter had led him astray.

But as he was about to move forward, he smelled the lingering scent of blood in the air.

Following the scent of blood, Shen Lin noticed a patch of slightly reddish soil.

These were traces left by blood soaking into the soil.

The hunter hadn't led him astray. This was indeed the place where he had found the corpse.

"That's strange, where's the corpse?"

The hunter's eyesight wasn't as good as Shen Lin's. He only noticed something was wrong after walking a few steps closer.

He crouched down, examined the ground carefully, and then suddenly turned his head and shouted, "Master Shen, look over here, there are footprints!"

When it came to tracking, the hunter, who spent his days in the mountains and wilderness, was clearly more skilled.

He pointed to the messy grass beside them and said:

"Although the footprints here are messy, I can tell that five people have walked through here. And judging by their depth, one of them must be large and heavy."

Shen Lin narrowed his eyes and shook his head, "It's also possible that person was carrying something else. For example..."

"The corpse!!!"

The hunter flinched at this.

Shen Lin's words, combined with the eerie mountain wind, made the hunter feel a bit uneasy.

"Master Shen, we've found the place. Can I..."

Seeing him falter, Shen Lin smiled but didn't reply. He continued, "Footprints of five people. The remaining four are probably the brothers from the county yamen. It seems they also discovered the corpse was missing and went to investigate."

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

Although Shen Lin had given his assurance, the hunter's worries didn't dissipate much.

He really wanted to turn around and leave, but he also knew that if he offended the county yamen and this Master Shen, his future life would be miserable.

Helplessly, he could only grit his teeth, follow the tracks, and lead Shen Lin deeper into the mountains.

Not long after, Shen Lin saw the hunter suddenly stop and asked, "What, the trail disappeared?"

"No... no, Master Shen, you, you, you... look ahead!"

The dense forest thinned out ahead, revealing a clearing.

Slightly raised mounds of earth resembled crouching monsters.

Among the uneven tombstones, one could occasionally see one or two faint green flames.

This was a graveyard.

"Help!!!"

Just as the two were observing the graveyard, a miserable cry came from the depths.

A man in tattered clothes, with disheveled hair, ran over in a panic.

Stumbling, he fell to the ground repeatedly, but he got up and continued to run, as if a grim reaper was chasing him.

"Help, there's... there's a monster!!!"

At this moment, he saw Shen Lin and the hunter. Especially after noticing Shen Lin's attire, his face immediately lit up with joy.

"Officer!!! Help, there's a monster there!!!"

Shen Lin narrowed his eyes, observed the man, his expression unchanged, and said sternly, "Don't panic! Tell me clearly, what kind of monster is it?"

"A man-eating monster! It's too terrifying..."

Gasping for air, he glanced back and pleaded with Shen Lin, "Officer, please save my life! I have an eighty-year-old mother..."

"With me here, those monsters won't be able to harm you."

Shen Lin interrupted him, his voice deep as he asked, "What about you? What are you doing in these mountains in the dead of night?"

"Ah... I... this..."

The man stammered, lowering his head. His small eyes darted around as he whispered, "This humble one... this humble one is here to gather herbs."

Shen Lin glanced at the Luoyang shovel behind the man.

That shovel wasn't used for gathering herbs.

The hunter beside him had also been staring at the Luoyang shovel for a long time, then sized up the man before hesitating to speak.

Shen Lin seemed to believe his story and didn't press further, asking, "I ask you, where are these monsters you speak of?"

"In that direction, past that small mound... four other officers have already gone to fight the monster..."

"What???"

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

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

It was then that he heard the clash of metal.

Under the moonlight, he saw the scene before him.

Two constables were surrounding a monstrously large demon tiger, their long sabers flashing.

They had clearly been fighting for some time. Shen Lin could tell their movements were stiff and heavy, and they couldn't even execute the Blood Battle Saber Technique, merely swinging their sabers wildly.

Nearby, under a large tree, two other constables sat with their backs against the trunk, heads bowed, their lives uncertain.

Seeing this, Shen Lin let out a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness.

The demon hadn't been dealt with yet.

Although the aura emanating from the Tiger Demon suggested it hadn't cultivated demonic energy and wasn't even as strong as a martial artist, Shen Lin's primary concern when slaying demons was their lifespan.

Judging by the demon tiger's muscular physique, it was in its prime, meaning it would offer a considerable lifespan.

With this thought, he drew his long sword and charged forward.

The Tiger Demon swiped its tail, sending a constable flying. It turned to charge the remaining constable, only to find another light in the darkness besides the moon.

This light, however, was like a gust of wind, its pressure causing the surrounding trees to tremble.

Wild Wind Sword Technique!

Shen Lin's long sword danced wildly, a hurricane of steel slamming into the demon tiger.

BOOM!

A muffled thud echoed as the demon tiger was blown backward, landing heavily on the ground.

The demon tiger was covered in sword wounds, with a large hole ripped through its chest where its heart should have been.

Despite killing the demon with a single strike, Shen Lin felt little joy, his face showing a hint of confusion.

The next moment, his ears twitched, and he sidestepped lightly.

SWISH!

A steel saber passed by, almost brushing against his body.

The remaining constable, for some unknown madness, began wildly slashing at Shen Lin with his steel saber.

CLANG!

Shen Lin blocked the strike with his sword, facing the man eye-to-eye.

Upon seeing the man's face, he froze for a moment before kicking him hard in the abdomen.

The kick sent the constable staggering back several steps.

"ROAR!!!"

The constable looked up sharply, letting out a non-human roar.

Half the flesh on his face was gone, one eye socket was empty, its eyeball nowhere to be seen.

The remaining eye rolled upward unnaturally, devoid of a pupil, showing only a terrifying, ghastly white.

He opened his mouth, revealing a set of teeth as black as ink, with four long fangs even longer than those of some beasts.

A zombie?