A Corpse at the Ancient Temple

Six months later, on a remote mountain trail in the wilderness outside Feng City.

A torrential downpour battered the land. Raindrops as large as beans came crashing down, while muffled thunder rumbled beneath the dark clouds and bolts of lightning flashed wildly across the sky.

A figure sprinted through the rain like a leopard. Each stride carried him five or six times farther than an ordinary man's, and in the blink of an eye he had crossed a nearby hill and plunged into the dense woods beside it.

A moment later, a cold glint suddenly flashed all around the figure.

A tremendous rumble followed. More than a dozen trees split down the middle and toppled over as the figure flashed past.

Just then, a gigantic bolt of lightning appeared in the sky nearby, illuminating the figure clearly. It was someone wearing a straw hat and a rain cape.

The figure swayed and vanished into the darkness amid the shifting trees.

An hour later.

The gate of a seemingly dilapidated mountain temple was struck open with a bang. Heavy footsteps followed as a figure carrying a huge object on his shoulder entered, bringing a gust of wind and rain with him.

The two people who had been sitting around a bonfire in the temple's main hall stared at the newcomer, dumbstruck.

"Oh? We have guests! Did you use my firewood?"

The newcomer tossed the object from his shoulder heavily onto the ground. After shaking the rainwater from his cape, he asked calmly.

The two people who had arrived first were a man and a woman.

The man was in his forties. Though he had a refined appearance, his face was weathered by years of hardship. The girl was only fourteen or fifteen. She had fair, delicate features, but a sizable bluish birthmark on her forehead marred her otherwise lovely face.

"Ah, so the firewood in the temple belongs to you, young man. I didn't know that earlier and thought it was unclaimed. Besides, our clothes were soaked, so my daughter and I took some to use. But don't worry, young man. I'll pay you for the firewood." The middle-aged man rose and apologized, but when his gaze swept over the huge object on the ground, a trace of fear still showed on his face.

It was a brown-haired wild boar weighing at least a hundred jin. Its eyes had rolled back, blood stained the corners of its mouth, and its two enormous tusks were broken. It had apparently been dead for some time.

"Those logs were cut for people to use. Why talk about money?" The figure took a few steps forward, revealing, in the glow of the bonfire, a young man with thick eyebrows and large eyes, a single-edged saber strapped to his back. It was Shi Mu.

"I, Zhong, don't know what to say. Thank you so much, young man." The middle-aged man let out a long sigh of relief. He hurriedly thanked Shi Mu with a broad smile, then sat back down by the fire and quietly comforted the girl beside him.

The girl wore a blue-green dress. She stole a couple of glances at Shi Mu but said nothing, seeming rather reserved.

Shi Mu took the single-edged saber off his back and removed his rain cape. Beneath it, he wore a thick black iron armor that covered his entire upper body, leaving only his neck and arms exposed.

"Oh? Is that Black Armor?" The middle-aged man finished speaking with his daughter, then spotted the half-suit of black armor on Shi Mu and exclaimed in surprise.

"You recognize this armor?" Shi Mu asked, somewhat taken aback.

"Heh, to be honest, young man, I once saw a blacksmith forge this kind of armor. It left a deep impression on me, so I recognized it at a glance. How heavy is yours? I heard that blacksmith say this Black Armor can be worn, but it's extremely fragile and offers almost no defense. Its only purpose is to use its great weight to help martial artists train their bodies."

"This Black Armor of mine isn't all that heavy. I couldn't wear it if it were too heavy." Shi Mu gave a vague answer, then hooked his fingers beneath one side of the armor and suddenly pulled.

With a sharp crack, the black armor split into two pieces, and Shi Mu casually tossed them onto the ground.

"Boom! Boom!" The ground trembled slightly twice. The middle-aged man's eyelids twitched along with it.

At that weight, it must be at least five or six hundred jin. Could this young man be a ferocious beast in human form? Otherwise, how could he move so freely while wearing it? He may be young, but his body is remarkably strong. His Body Tempering Technique must be at a very high level.

Freed from the Black Armor, Shi Mu seemed to relax. He picked up his saber, and with a few quick swipes, cut off the wild boar's two forelegs. Then he flicked his wrist, and a cold glimmer swirled around one of them, shaving off all its bristles in the blink of an eye.

Next, the young man took a small bottle from his clothes and sprinkled some white powder onto the leg. Then he walked over to the bonfire and began roasting it as if he were alone.

A short while later, the rich aroma of meat drifted throughout the temple.

Across the fire, the father and daughter had taken out a bundle of dried food and were sharing it. But when the girl smelled the roast meat and saw the leg sizzling with fat, she couldn't help swallowing. Realizing at once that she'd been staring, she blushed and lowered her head.

Seeing this, Shi Mu smiled faintly and suddenly held out the leg, which was nearly half-cooked, toward them.

"How can we accept that? We've already used your firewood, and now you're sharing your roast meat with us..." The middle-aged man was delighted, and though he spoke modestly, he accepted the meat without hesitation.

"Father..." The girl beside him looked embarrassed and gave him a mildly reproachful call.

"Can't you see there's plenty more meat over there? This young man is so skilled, I doubt he'll begrudge us a little food." The middle-aged man answered the girl with a grin.

"Father, honestly..." The girl couldn't help scolding her father, then hesitated for a moment before blushing and thanking Shi Mu. "Thank you, young master."

"It's nothing. This wild boar I hunted is huge. I couldn't have eaten it all anyway." Shi Mu had already skinned the other foreleg. He walked back over and replied with a smile.

"By the way, young man, we should be close to Feng City now, shouldn't we? My daughter and I came from Ying City to visit relatives. We ran into this downpour along the way, lost our way in the mountains, and ended up here by mistake." The middle-aged man hurriedly tore off a piece of roast meat and handed it to his daughter, then asked Shi Mu for directions.

"I see. I was wondering why this temple was so desolate and why there were people here so late at night. Don't worry, Uncle Zhong. Feng City isn't far from here. Follow the mountain road east from the entrance for a little over ten li, and you'll see the city's western gate." Shi Mu finally understood and answered without a second thought.

"That's wonderful! Xiu'er, did you hear? We can reach Feng City tomorrow, and you'll soon be the Wu Family's daughter-in-law." The middle-aged man was overjoyed and immediately told the girl.

"Father, what are you saying? In our current situation, and with me looking so ugly, there's no telling whether they'll even acknowledge this marriage." The moment her father mentioned her marriage, the girl flushed with embarrassment.

"What do you mean, ugly? In your father's eyes, you've always been as clever as snow! Hmph, and as for how our family fell into this state, the Wu Family had a part in it. Xiu'er, don't ask. When the time comes, I'll bring it up with the Wu Family myself." The middle-aged man dismissed his daughter's words.

Hearing this, Shi Mu's thoughts stirred.

The Wu Family? Could it be the Wu Family, second only to the Jin Family in power in Feng City? But this father and daughter looked frail. They probably weren't martial artists.

As the middle-aged man and his daughter spoke quietly and Shi Mu silently continued roasting the meat, a piercing howl suddenly came from far away. Then came a rumbling that drew closer in the blink of an eye, as though some enormous creature were charging straight toward the ruined temple.

"What is that? Could it be a beast from the mountain?" The middle-aged man cried out in alarm. He sprang to his feet, drew a short sword that glinted coldly from his clothes, and stood in front of the girl, his face stricken with panic.

But judging from his trembling legs, he was probably utterly helpless.

"Be careful. It definitely isn't a beast—not one from these mountains, at least. Otherwise, I would have heard that kind of howl before."

Shi Mu leaped beside the bonfire, snatched up his saber, and fixed his gaze on the entrance. Killing Intent radiated from his whole body as he spoke.

For the past six months, he had often come here to hunt all kinds of beasts. He hadn't done it for amusement: one reason was to practice his Body Tempering Technique, and another was to gain real combat experience with saber and fist techniques.

There weren't many powerful beasts in these mountains, but more than a hundred wolves, wild boars, and other creatures had died by Shi Mu's hand during that time. He had gained plenty of experience in actual combat, making him nothing like an ordinary Martial Disciple who had never tasted blood.

The middle-aged man knew nothing of martial arts, but he had a good eye. Seeing how calm and composed Shi Mu was, he felt somewhat reassured, though he still shielded the girl behind him.

With a tremendous crash, the already battered temple gate suddenly burst inward. Amid a spray of splintered wood, a pitch-black, humanoid monster charged into the hall.

"This... This is a Zombie! Oh, God! Why would one of those things appear here? What are Feng City's troops doing? We're finished—we're all going to die!" The moment the middle-aged man saw the creature clearly, he nearly fainted on the spot.

A Zombie?

Staring at the humanoid monster across from him, Shi Mu felt his scalp go numb too.

The monster before him stood a full two zhang tall. Its features were a mangled mass of flesh and blood, with only two enormous bloody holes where its eyes should have been. Coarse black bristles covered its body, and drops of green fluid kept falling from it, giving off a revolting stench.