The walking dead, part one

Meng Huai and Yun Zimo entered the Fenglan Group's factory grounds, but stopped after taking just a few steps.

Meng Huai studied the ground intently. "I remember this being a concrete road the last time I came here. How did it turn into a dirt road?"

Yun Zimo found it strange too. She drove her heel into the ground and heard a clunk. Clearly, there was concrete beneath the dirt.

When she pulled her heel out, a dozen or so tiny centipedes crawled out of the hole and scattered. Then the hole slowly closed up.

Meng Huai's expression shifted slightly. He had Yun Zimo make another small hole, then quickly dropped a tiny insect into it before the centipedes could crawl out. The entire surface immediately rippled like waves.

Cracks then appeared across the ground. Centipedes poured out of them and scurried into the grass beside the road. All the grass withered in an instant.

Watching the centipedes keep emerging, Yun Zimo felt her scalp prickle. The seething black mass before her sent goosebumps crawling over her skin.

Meng Huai formed a hand seal, then flicked both hands upward. Two tiny insects crawled out of his palms, landed on the ground, and headed off to either side.

The insects were even smaller than the centipedes, but extraordinarily fierce. They devoured the centipedes ravenously, clearing a whole patch in an instant.

Meng Huai picked up his wine flask, took a mouthful, and sprayed it ahead of him. Though it was only one mouthful, it fell like a light rain, soaking the entire road.

The centipedes writhed and rolled, giving off sizzling sounds. Moments later, they dissolved into black liquid and seeped back into the dirt road.

Yun Zimo stared, dumbfounded. She had no idea what was going on, but she was certain it was nothing good.

Meng Huai drew a breath. "Someone turned this into a yin-yang road to confuse the underworld officers, throwing them off when they come to collect souls.

"There's a time limit for collecting each soul. Once that time is up, the soul becomes a wandering ghost, doomed to roam the world forever without ever being reborn.

"But given the abilities of underworld officers, it's almost impossible for a soul to evade capture. Even vicious ghosts and vengeful spirits are found right away.

"Those ghosts are filled with resentment, though. If an officer tries to take them by force, there's no telling who would win. Usually, they turn a blind eye and let the ghosts take their revenge first.

"Once their resentment is spent, the officers decide what to do based on the circumstances. If there's still time, they take them back to be reincarnated as animals. If the deadline has passed, they simply destroy them."

Yun Zimo listened in stunned disbelief. It all sounded far too outrageous to be true.

She said angrily, "Isn't that dereliction of duty? Doesn't anyone keep them in line?"

Meng Huai smiled. "Heaven's law turns in cycles, and retribution never fails. What's wrong with a wronged ghost taking revenge? Should only the wicked be allowed to commit crimes, while their victims aren't allowed to seek justice?

"Even the law makes room for human feelings. Underworld officers were once human too. When they see something they can't stomach, naturally they turn a blind eye.

"As for those vicious ghosts and vengeful spirits, the officers might not win even if they risked their lives fighting them. Rather than do that, they keep watch and wait until they can destroy them.

"As for whether anyone oversees them, the judges rank above the officers. But haven't you heard the saying that officials cover for one another? It's the same in both the living world and the underworld.

"That's why vicious ghosts and vengeful spirits are usually dealt with by Practitioners. And don't think Practitioners are all that noble. They have their own motives."

"When Gu Masters like us deal with gu refiners, our ultimate aim is to have a legitimate excuse to swallow their life-bound gu. If there were nothing to gain, we'd run faster than anyone when we encountered those people.

"Other Practitioners are the same. Either they have a karmic entanglement to resolve, or they're after merit. None of them do it purely to help others."

"We only have one life each. Why should we risk ours for someone else's? So every effort must bring a reward. It's just that everyone wants something different."

Yun Zimo felt as though her entire worldview had been shattered, but after thinking it over carefully, she realized he had a point. What right did anyone have to demand that someone else risk their life for a stranger?

They continued walking as they talked and soon reached the end of the road. The group's staff dormitory stood there, its main doors wide open and yin energy spilling out.

Meng Huai flicked a finger, sending a tiny flea-like insect through the doorway. Before it could hit the floor, it burst into a mist of blood with a bang.

He frowned. "Looks like I misjudged this. They didn't make the yin-yang road to fool the underworld officers. They're trying to create a miniature Underworld."

"This is going to be troublesome. It's beyond my abilities. What the hell are those people at the Special Affairs Bureau doing? How could they fail to uncover something this big?"

As he spoke, Meng Huai pulled Yun Zimo backward. But after retreating just a few steps, he realized they were no longer outside. They were in the dormitory corridor.

Garment factories had always employed mostly female workers, so nearly everyone living here was a woman. Now every dorm room door stood open, leaving the interiors in plain view.

Meng Huai shielded Yun Zimo behind him and called loudly, "Ms. Shan, we're here already. There's no need to hide anymore. Come out!"

Shan Meirong emerged from the far end of the corridor, her face calm. Xiang Yu followed behind her, his face smeared with blood.

Yun Zimo had learned quite a lot lately. Looking at Xiang Yu, she said, "I know. He must be under the Corpse-Control Gu, just like those female corpses we saw last time."

Meng Huai grinned cheekily. "Congratulations, darling. You got it wrong. Xiang Yu isn't under the Corpse-Control Gu. Some other method was used to keep his soul inside his corpse.

"He's no longer human, but he isn't a corpse either. He should be called a walking corpse. This is what people mean when they talk about the walking dead."

At Meng Huai's words, Shan Meirong's calm face filled with rage. She snarled, "Who says my son is one of the walking dead? He's my precious baby. Say that again and I'll tear you apart."

Meng Huai shook his head. "I understand that you love your son. But humans have their path, and ghosts have theirs. Since your son is already dead, he should go to the Underworld and enter the cycle of reincarnation."

"What you're doing now has left him neither human nor ghost. In the end, he'll only suffer miserably. This isn't loving him. It's hurting him."

Shan Meirong's face twisted as she roared, "Spare me that nonsense! My son is my precious, sweetest baby. He'll never leave my side.

"I was wondering when I could trick that girl into coming here, but you delivered yourselves right to my door. You turned away from the road to heaven and forced your way into hell."

Looking at Shan Meirong, Meng Huai knew she had already succumbed to madness. It seemed this fight was unavoidable.