Zombies Appear

Zhao Family Market was not far, but by the time Zhou Yan arrived, the sky had turned completely pitch black.

Fortunately, the zombies had not yet appeared. Ma Yan had gathered a group of men to light bonfires and hold torches; even ordinary zombies would likely not dare to show themselves under such conditions.

Unless it was a Hopping Zombie, even a Black Zombie would fear the strength of numbers.

In particular, the Yang energy gathered by a crowd of able-bodied young men posed a significant threat to zombies.

Coupled with the bonfires, the threat to the zombies was even greater.

"Ah Yan, you're here."

Seeing Zhou Yan, the tension between Ma Yan's brows eased slightly.

Zhou Yan glared at him irritably before speaking: "Where is the body? I need to see it myself to be certain."

Besides zombies, there were other evil spirits that enjoyed draining essence and blood.

Like the Mountain Demon!

Furthermore, one could not rule out human interference; only a true practitioner could distinguish the truth.

"Over here."

Ma Yan felt a bit uneasy and hurriedly led Zhou Yan over.

Although Zhao Family Market was not small, it lacked a public mortuary, so the body was kept in the ancestral hall.

Zhou Yan stepped forward to examine the corpse; it had indeed died from a complete loss of essence and blood.

He reached out to inspect the area around the neck, but the moment he touched the wound, he felt a wave of numbness.

"It is indeed Yin energy."

Zhou Yan remarked, then reached out to take a bamboo tube from the zombie standing nearby, poured out a handful of glutinous rice, and pressed it firmly onto the wound.

Compared to expending essence and magic power, he preferred such effective and effortless methods.

When Zhou Yan pulled his hand away, the glutinous rice had turned pitch black.

He casually tossed the contaminated rice onto the corpse and said: "It is confirmed to be a zombie. Burn this body immediately to prevent it from reanimating."

Upon hearing this, Ma Yan quickly ordered his men to drag the body away to be burned.

If not for waiting for Zhou Yan's confirmation, Ma Yan would have burned the body long ago.

"Ah Yan, this is Elder Zhao."

After Ma Yan finished dealing with the body, he hurriedly introduced the man to Zhou Yan.

Standing to the side, besides Ma Yan and his subordinates, were the people of Zhao Family Market.

The leader was a sturdy-looking old man.

Elder Zhao had remained silent the whole time, but he had been silently observing Zhou Yan's actions.

After Ma Yan's introduction, he smiled and was the first to cup his hands in greeting: "So this is Dharma Master Zhou. Officer Ma has long spoken of your great name, Master."

Zhou Yan returned the gesture with a slight bow: "You are too kind, Elder Zhao."

"Not at all, not at all. Zhao Family Market is in trouble this time, and we ask for the assistance of Dharma Master Zhou and Officer Ma. Once this matter is resolved, Zhao Family Market will certainly present a token of gratitude," Elder Zhao said politely.

He was a seasoned veteran who had seen all kinds of people, and he remained extremely courteous toward both Zhou Yan and Ma Yan.

"Rest assured, Elder Zhao."

Ma Yan's expression grew more confident, as if Zhou Yan's arrival had bolstered his spirits, and he became more composed: "As long as it isn't an exceptionally powerful evil spirit, we will definitely resolve it for you."

None of this escaped Elder Zhao's eyes.

However, Elder Zhao did not show it, merely smiling slightly: "In that case, I will trouble Officer Ma and Dharma Master Zhou. If there is anything you need this old man to do, just say the word."

"Elder Zhao, tonight, it would be best if..."

While Ma Yan and Elder Zhao were talking, Zhou Yan cast his gaze toward the surroundings.

Logically speaking, it was rare for zombies to appear in a densely populated town like Zhao Family Market.

Even vengeful spirits or Mountain Demons were possible, but zombies were quite rare.

Only in places with few human footprints or hidden ancient tombs nearby would zombies suddenly appear.

Yet, Zhao Family Market was located near Shen City, surrounded by densely populated areas and cultivated land; how could there be hidden ancient tombs?

Then there are only two possibilities: one is that it was born recently, or perhaps some corpse-driver caused this disaster... Zhou Yan speculated inwardly.

Most corpse-drivers could complete their tasks, but occasionally "accidents" occurred.

These accidents, whether natural disasters or human errors, happened without pattern, and in the end, it was the common folk who suffered.

The people living outside the city were the most vulnerable to the harassment of various evil spirits.

However, there have been far too many zombies appearing in Shen City lately...

The thought flashed through Zhou Yan's mind, but he did not dwell on it.

They were just ordinary zombies; a higher number was not strange, and their threat was limited.

If something like a Flying Zombie or a Drought Demon were to appear, that would be a real problem!

The night grew deeper, and the swarming crowds had long since returned to their homes. Ma Yan and his team of constables remained in the ancestral hall, joined by Elder Zhao and several sturdy young men from Zhao Family Market.

Ma Yan tried to persuade Elder Zhao to go back, but was flatly refused.

"It's just a zombie. When I was young and traveled the world, what kind of scenes haven't I seen?" Elder Zhao declared heroically.

Judging by his age, energy, physique, and voice, he might even possess some martial arts skills.

Because of this, Ma Yan did not try to persuade him further.

As for Zhou Yan, he sat by the campfire outside with his zombie, waiting for the other zombies to emerge.

Now that he had learned the Dharma Eye Curse, he no longer had to rely solely on sensing yin energy.

As long as a zombie arrived, he could use the Dharma Eye Curse to clearly pinpoint its location.

Zhou Yan's expression was very relaxed; he even looked up at the sky with interest.

He had been cultivating day and night for these past few days, and though the night was enchanting, it hadn't been able to distract him in the slightest.

Even though he knew that later stages of cultivation required more than just hard work—they required enlightenment as well.

But he hadn't reached that realm yet, had he?

Right now, he just needed to grind with all his might, solidify his foundation, and cultivate diligently.

As for everything else, that could wait until later.

People have different thoughts and behaviors at every stage of life.

The same is true for cultivation.

Even so, an occasional moment of relaxation is good.

He had pushed himself too hard before, almost to the point of breaking his own body.

Now that the zombie had been refined and he had officially entered the path of cultivation, the near-desperate sense of urgency he once felt had vanished.

Suddenly, the zombie beside Zhou Yan seemed to notice something and shifted slightly toward a certain direction.

Zhou Yan's heart stirred, and he immediately cast the Dharma Eye Curse.

"Dharma Eye, open!"

As the Dharma Eye Curse took effect, everything within Zhou Yan's gaze changed, as if veiled by a hazy shroud.

However, things invisible to the naked eye were now fully revealed to the Dharma Eye.

Several hundred meters away, a gray-black aura was steadily approaching the market town...