Old Acquaintance

Old Acquaintance

Only now did I learn that the mysterious gu insect inside me was called the Innate Poison Insect.

Other than my surname, Xiao, I had no idea who my biological father was, nor did I want to find out.

I swung both hands at him, but Big Zombie did not budge. His eyes remained fixed on me, as though he could see straight through my heart.

After a long while, the strength in his claws weakened. "You really weren't lying to me. You little brat, the Innate Poison Insect inside you is an utterly yin and evil poisonous gu insect. I have no way to force it out. I can only help you suppress it for the time being." His tone had softened considerably.

I had been scared senseless by his earlier behavior and could only nod. "Old sir, I'll listen to you in everything."

Big Zombie walked behind me and slapped a palm against my back. He shouted, "Innate Poison Insect, no one in this world knows where you came from, but I do. Since you have fallen into this boy's body, stay put. If you harbor any evil intentions, I'll destroy you!"

He was not speaking to me. Clearly, he was warning the Innate Poison Insect inside me.

For some reason, under his warning, the pain in my body eased greatly, and I felt much lighter all over.

"Old sir, you really are incredibly capable!" I praised him sincerely.

Big Zombie laughed. "Of course. My skills in raising gu, refining gu, and using gu are rare in the whole world. Think it over. Do you want to be my son..."

The Yin Gong clanged, and Big Zombie's brows drew tightly together in intense pain. From the woods not far away came the sound of hopping.

"Those damned sticky pests have caught up again," Big Zombie said. "Little brat, we'll split up and run. Take care of yourself. Once my injuries heal, I'll come find you again. Maybe by then I'll remember who your real father is."

After saying that, he patted my shoulder.

Big Zombie leaped down from the rock and took off at a run, vanishing into the mountain forest. Watching him leave, a strange thought rose in my heart: if I saw him again and he told me my biological father was some heartless man who abandoned my mother after having his way with her, how would I face myself?

The thought flashed through my mind, and I turned and ran in another direction.

Before long, the corpse driver in the bamboo hat caught up. Eight gaunt Walking Corpses followed at his side, pouncing in from all directions and surrounding me.

The corpse driver spotted the yellow jar on me at once. He did not come closer, merely asking, "Kid, did you see a tall fellow pass through here?"

I thought of how Big Zombie had helped me when the gu insect acted up. I absolutely could not betray him, so I shook my head. "I was hunting prey here alone. I didn't see any tall fellow!"

The corpse driver snorted. "Kid, quit playing the hero and talking loyalty in front of me, Ma Huoxin. You were the one who let that bloodthirsty, vicious zombie escape. I have proof."

The corpse driver clapped his hands, and a green insect flew out from my collar.

Huh! I stared in shock. When had a green bug gotten onto me?

The green insect fluttered a few times before landing on Ma Huoxin's palm. He said loudly, "Kid, this is my Qingfu Larva, used for tracking. Before he escaped the cave, I placed the larva on him and used the mother insect to track it. That vicious zombie tricked you. He used you to throw off my trail."

I sucked in a cold breath. So when Big Zombie patted my shoulder before we split up, he had put the Qingfu Larva on me to lure the mother insect into following me.

Could it be that Big Zombie had fooled me?

My expression turned awkward. "If I hadn't run and fallen into your hands, you would have killed me too and turned me into a stinking zombie."

Ma Huoxin said, "Big Zombie told you that, didn't he? I, Ma Huoxin, only track vicious zombies. I have no interest in you whatsoever."

I said, "What's done is done. What do you want?"

"Damn it, I ran into a stubborn little fool." Ma Huoxin flew into a rage. After pausing, he asked, "Who gave you that yellow jar you're carrying?"

I hugged the yellow jar tightly. "What are you trying to do? Rob me of my jar? Let me tell you, there's a Three-Corpse Snake Gu inside. If you dare come closer, I'll make sure you die without a burial place."

Ma Huoxin's eyes lit up. "Where is Hei Moyun? You're his disciple, aren't you?"

I was slightly startled. I had not expected Ma Huoxin to say my master's name. From the way he spoke, he seemed to be an acquaintance of my master's.

"You know my master?" I asked curiously.

Ma Huoxin said, "Among the Dong People, besides Hei Moyun, who else can raise a Three-Corpse Snake Gu? You're handsome, while Hei Moyun's features are strange. Naturally, you must be his disciple."

I was surprised that he had actually guessed right. "That's right. The Three-Corpse Snake Gu is very powerful, so don't come any closer!"

Ma Huoxin removed his bamboo hat, revealing a bald head. Then he asked, "Didn't he tell you that he has an elder martial brother named Wu Daochao and a junior martial brother who's bald, named Ma Huoxin?"

I shook my head like a rattle drum.

Ma Huoxin cursed, "Where did Hei Moyun go? Tell him to get his ass out here and see me!"

If he had not lied to me, then by seniority, I should call Ma Huoxin Uncle Ma.

I hurriedly said, "My master has gone missing, but we agreed to meet by Clearwater Creek. I'm on my way there now."

Ma Huoxin suddenly burst into hearty laughter. "Senior Brother hasn't forgotten me after all. Camellia Village by Clearwater Creek beneath the Shiwan Mountains is my stronghold. Since you're going to Camellia Village, come along with me."

My eyes widened. In a single day, I had encountered one strange thing after another, to the point that I hardly dared believe it. The odd man who drove zombies before me was actually my master's junior martial brother, and the place I was headed to was actually his village.

Still, I did not dare get close to Ma Huoxin. Eight Walking Corpses stood beside him.

"Um... Uncle Ma..." I said. "I don't have much blood in me. Even if you catch me, it won't be enough to feed eight zombies."

Ma Huoxin cursed again. "The one you let go is the blood-drinking zombie. I'm so pissed off. How did Second Senior Brother end up taking in such an idiot?"

I felt uneasy and did not fully believe Ma Huoxin, but he went on to say some things about my master, finally dispelling my doubts.

Although Ma Huoxin had a bad temper and a bald head, he did not seem like a bad person. Besides, with eight Walking Corpses around him, I could not escape anyway, so I followed at his side.

The Yin Gong in Ma Huoxin's hand clanged continuously, and the eight Walking Corpses hopped along in a steady rhythm. Every now and then, I heard him muttering spells in Miao language.

Ma Huoxin must have been one of the Miao People, I thought. Like my master, he was an extraordinary folk practitioner with great abilities.

Along the way, the eight Walking Corpses focused only on traveling and did not spare me a second glance. The knot in my heart gradually loosened.

We traveled until dawn was just beginning to break. Ma Huoxin led the zombies into a ruined house on a desolate mountain and hung a small black plaque outside the door, likely warning strangers to keep away.

Ma Huoxin took out some steamed buns from his bag, tossed one to me, and asked, "What's your name?"

"Xiao Kunlun." I was starving, so I did not care whether the bun had gu insects in it. I wolfed it down.

"Does it have something to do with Kunlun Mountain?" Ma Huoxin asked.

I shook my head. "I don't know. My mother gave me the name. Ever since I could remember, she had already disappeared. It's too late to ask her."

Ma Huoxin said, "There's no need to bring up the past. It doesn't matter who your parents are. What matters is yourself. Corpse driving means hiding by day and traveling by night. Get some good rest during the day. Tonight, you'll come with me to see someone. Then we'll head straight back to Camellia Village and wait for your master to find you."

Ma Huoxin's first sentence touched something deep inside me, and my guard against him gradually dropped. Though I had let Big Zombie escape, he was not the sort to hold a grudge.

I leaned against the stone wall and fell into a deep sleep.

In my haze, I sensed a faint sound coming from the iron jar, followed by a chill that spread from it through my entire body. I slept soundly and felt more relaxed than ever before.

I slept until the afternoon sun had tilted westward, when the smell of roasting meat woke me up.

In the middle of the ruined house, Ma Huoxin had already built a fire and was roasting a wild rabbit, fat sizzling over it.

"Kunlun, after dark, I'll disguise you. You'll pretend to be a little zombie for now." Ma Huoxin tore off half the rabbit and handed it directly to me.

"Fine!" I felt that Ma Huoxin was not a bad person, so I agreed.

After eating the rabbit meat, my whole body was brimming with strength.

Ma Huoxin got some black ash and smeared it over my face. Then he wrapped black cloth strips around my hands, pried open a Walking Corpse's mouth, and smeared some saliva onto the strips. A rotten stench immediately spread.

"Mm, now you look a bit like a little zombie." Ma Huoxin stroked his chin and nodded in satisfaction.

I could not see what I looked like, but I was certain it was not attractive.

After night fell, Ma Huoxin struck the Yin Gong and led the eight Walking Corpses out of the ruined house. I walked at the very front. I had intended to imitate the Walking Corpses' hopping, but eventually gave up.

"Why do Walking Corpses have to hop? Can't they walk like people?" I asked in confusion.

"Their bodies are stiff and their knees cannot bend, so they have to push off with the soles of their feet. That's why they can only move by hopping." Seeing my question, Ma Huoxin explained patiently. "Among the corpse-driving arts under heaven, there is the Western Hunan School and the Jiangsu Maoshan Daoist Sect. If you're interested, I can teach you the Miao Corpse-Driving Art."

My arms were covered in dead people's saliva and reeked horribly. I had no desire to deal with corpses every day, so I quickly stuck out my tongue and said, "Uncle Ma, let's talk about that later."

After walking for more than an hour, the moon emerged, and the entire mountain forest was utterly silent. From far away came the sound of flowing water.

Ma Huoxin said, "Kunlun, the person I'm meeting later is extremely cunning. I'll give you the Yin Gong. Wait off to the side. If I fail, strike it three times and send the Walking Corpses forward."