Linshan County lay in the northeastern part of Qingzhou Prefecture. It was remote, with mountains and forests everywhere. Leading the Seventh Squad, Li Yifan rode hard and reached the county seat two days later.
The County Government had already received word of their arrival. The county magistrate was a haggard-looking middle-aged scholar. When he saw the Xuntian Guard, he looked as though he'd seen his rescuers and hurriedly ushered everyone inside.
"You're finally here, my lords!" The magistrate's voice trembled with fear. "For nearly a month, Blackwater Village, Stone Creek Village, and Kaoshan Village, all under our jurisdiction, have been attacked one after another. Nearly a hundred villagers have been killed or wounded, and the livestock losses have been catastrophic! The survivors all say the attackers were... were walking corpses. Blades couldn't cut them, and they had immense strength. They hesitated only slightly when faced with firelight. They're utterly vicious!"
Li Yifan asked gravely, "Is there any pattern to the attacks? How many Corpse Puppets are there? Has anyone seen the person controlling them?"
The magistrate shook his head. "There's no fixed pattern. They usually appear late at night or at dawn, when the fog is thick. Each time, there are about three to five Corpse Puppets, all different in appearance, some male and some female. Their clothes are in rags, and their skin is blue-black and rotting. As for the person controlling them... no one has ever seen them."
Li Yifan had the magistrate summon several brave survivors for detailed questioning. Cross-referencing their accounts with the case files, they pieced together more information: the Corpse Puppets moved stiffly but weren't slow; their nails were black and sharp, and carried Corpse Poison. Anyone scratched by them would suffer a persistent high fever and festering wounds if not treated in time. Some even... showed signs of turning into corpses! The Corpse Puppets were also extremely sensitive to sound and the scent of the living.
"Turning into corpses?" Li Yifan furrowed his brows. This wasn't a simple case of zombies running amok. It seemed more like an organized, sinister art of corpse refinement. He gave his orders. "Qian Xiaoliu, you're skilled at reconnaissance. Take Chen Feng and Zhang Tie to Kaoshan Village, the site of the latest attack, and investigate in person. Be careful, and look for any suspicious traces, especially footprints, lingering auras, or unusual objects. Zhao Xiong, Sun Shi, come with me to the Mortuary to examine the victims' bodies."
"Yes, Captain!" The squad split up as ordered.
Li Yifan and the others arrived at the county government's Mortuary, where a chilling gloom hung in the air. The coroner nervously pulled back the white cloth, revealing the bodies of several murdered villagers. Their faces were purple-blue, their wounds black and rotten, and they reeked of decay. Li Yifan activated his Investigation skill and examined them carefully.
[Skill: Investigation Proficiency +10! Carefully observe the bodies and analyze the characteristics of the wounds.]
Most of the wounds were deep lacerations, cut down to the bone. They hadn't been caused by ordinary beasts or weapons. More importantly, deep inside the wounds, he sensed a trace of sinister energy, incredibly faint but similar to the chilling aura from the Mortuary case!
So they're connected... Li Yifan's heart tightened. This sinister energy was denser and more vicious than the one he'd encountered before, and whoever controlled the Corpse Puppets was using far more sophisticated methods.
At dusk, Qian Xiaoliu returned with his team, bringing back an important lead. "Captain, we found something unusual in the hills behind Kaoshan Village! There's a secluded hollow with an extremely heavy yin aura. The ground is covered in messy footprints—neither human nor beast, and varying in depth. It looks like something heavy was dragged across it. At the edge, we found a few scraps of black cloth, and this..." He handed over a dark red shard of jade, smeared with dirt. Strange runes were carved into it, and it gave off a faint sinister aura.
Li Yifan took the jade shard. The Nine Yang True Qi stirred faintly in response, recoiling from it! The Nine Yang Burning Heaven Technique's pure yang nature was exceptionally sensitive to such evil objects.
"Good work!" Li Yifan praised him. "The target is most likely in that hollow. Pass down the order: rest tonight, then enter the mountains at dawn! Zhao Xiong, Sun Shi, prepare torches, lamp oil, and inked string—folk legends say they can restrain zombies. Qian Xiaoliu, handle watch duty and ranged support. Chen Feng and Zhang Tie, back them up. I'll lead the assault."
"Yes!" Seeing how neatly their captain had arranged everything, the squad's confidence surged.
At dawn the next day, before the sky had lightened, mist blanketed the woods. The Seventh Squad silently slipped into the hills behind Kaoshan Village. Qian Xiaoliu led the way, nimble as a wildcat, with the others close behind.
The deeper they went, the thicker the fog grew. The light dimmed, and a faint stench of decay hung in the air. The silence was so eerie that even the birds and insects had fallen quiet.
Suddenly, Qian Xiaoliu signaled: something was ahead! The squad immediately took cover. In the depths of the hollow, several dark figures could be seen wandering, slow and stiff in their movements. They were Corpse Puppets! There were six of them!
Li Yifan examined them closely. These Corpse Puppets were even taller than described, with dark blue skin, bulging muscles, hooked nails, and ghostly green flames flickering in their eyes. Their ferocious aura far surpassed that of ordinary zombies.
"Prepare for battle!" Li Yifan barked, then charged out first! He used Spirit Fox Steps, his figure flashing like lightning as he lunged at the nearest Corpse Puppet. They had to finish the fight quickly. If they were surrounded, the consequences would be unthinkable.
The Corpse Puppet sensed the scent of the living, let out a hoarse growl, and swiped at him with its claws! The stench of its claw wind was foul, and it carried deadly poison!
Li Yifan didn't dodge. He channeled his Nine Yang True Qi into his right palm. His Scorching Sun Finger glowed red-hot as he jabbed at the Corpse Puppet's wrist!
Sizzle!
It was like a red-hot iron plunged into ice. Smoke rose from the Corpse Puppet's wrist, and it let out a piercing shriek, its movement faltering! The Nine Yang True Qi really did counter it!
Li Yifan pressed his advantage. His waist saber flashed free, and he unleashed the Burning Wood Saber Technique. His blade blazed like fire, trailing searing wind as he slashed across the Corpse Puppet's neck!
Clang!
A dull thud rang out, like a blade striking rotten leather! The Corpse Puppet's neck was astonishingly tough. The saber bit only an inch deep and failed to sever its head! But the searing saber qi had already invaded its body. Smoke poured from the Corpse Puppet, and its movements slowed drastically.
"What tough defenses!" Li Yifan thought, startled. The other five Corpse Puppets had already been roused and were closing in with snarls!
"Form up! Protect the captain!" Zhao Xiong shouted. He and Sun Shi raised their saber and shield and moved to Li Yifan's flank, fending off the Corpse Puppets' attacks. At a distance, Qian Xiaoliu drew his bow and nocked an arrow. His arrows carried a faint trace of true qi, and he aimed for vulnerable spots such as the Corpse Puppets' eye sockets. Chen Feng and Zhang Tie wielded their long sabers, supporting them from the side and attacking the Corpse Puppets' legs.
The battle erupted in an instant! The Corpse Puppets had tremendous strength and razor-sharp claws and teeth, and ordinary blades could barely harm them. Zhao Xiong and Sun Shi's shields rang under the blows, leaving them in constant danger. Qian Xiaoliu's arrows could distract the enemies, but weren't powerful enough to kill them.
Li Yifan knew he had to break the stalemate quickly. He circulated his Nine Yang True Qi with all his might, heat steaming from his body as his saber technique grew fiercer and wilder! With his Burning Wood Saber Technique at the great completion stage and his pure yang true qi, his attacks dealt considerably more damage to the Corpse Puppets.
"Flowing Fire Style!" "Prairie Fire Style!" "Burning Wind Style!"
His blade flashed like a bolt of silk, scorching hot! One Corpse Puppet took blow after blow to the chest. The searing true qi pierced through it, and at last it could take no more. Its chest cavity burst open, and it collapsed, burned to a cinder!
[Killed an enhanced Corpse Puppet. Nine Yang True Qi's countering effect against yin and evil is significant! Burning Wood Saber Technique Proficiency +15!]
With the pressure eased, Li Yifan attacked even more fiercely. He seized an opening and struck a Corpse Puppet in the vital point between its shoulder blades with his Scorching Sun Finger. Pure yang force exploded through it, freezing the creature in place. Zhao Xiong finished it with a single saber strike, shattering its skull!
Elsewhere, Sun Shi held the line with steady defense, creating an opening for Qian Xiaoliu. An arrow pierced a Corpse Puppet's eye socket and burst out through the back of its skull! Chen Feng and Zhang Tie worked together in perfect coordination, hacking down a Corpse Puppet that had slowed slightly.
The last two Corpse Puppets saw the tide turning and actually spun around, fleeing deeper into the hollow!
"After them! We can't let the tiger return to its mountain!" Li Yifan made his decision at once and led the squad in pursuit.
They crossed a stretch of scattered rocks, and what they saw made everyone gasp! In the deepest part of the hollow stood a hidden cave, its entrance exuding a dense, sinister aura! The two Corpse Puppets had fled straight inside.
More scraps of clothing and bones littered the cave entrance. The sinister energy in the air was so dense it almost seemed to have solidified. The cave was pitch-black and bottomless, like a gaping maw ready to devour anyone who approached.
"Captain, the evil aura in this cave is overwhelming. There's probably something even more dangerous inside..." Zhao Xiong said, his expression grave.
Li Yifan sensed the danger coming from within the cave. It far surpassed the Corpse Puppets outside. After a moment's thought, he said, "We don't know what's inside. Going in rashly would be too dangerous. Qian Xiaoliu, send someone back to the county seat at once to ask the county magistrate for aid, and send a carrier pigeon to report to Commander Wang and request more experts! The rest of you, stay with me and fortify the entrance. Set traps to keep the evil creatures inside from breaking out and harming anyone! We... need to wait for reinforcements."
He had made the cautious choice. As captain, it wasn't enough to complete the mission; he was responsible for his squad's safety as well.
The others followed his orders and hurriedly set up defenses around the cave entrance. Li Yifan gripped his saber and fixed his sharp gaze on the shadowy mouth of the cave. He knew the real challenge still lay ahead. A greater conspiracy surely lurked behind Linshan's corpse plague.
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