The corpse rose

The procession of Corpse Bearers, each carrying a body wrapped in white cloth on his back, marched out of the city in force!

As the procession advanced, Fog City's towering walls and the dilapidated houses on its outskirts gradually vanished from sight!

Two li beyond the city, they left the outer district behind entirely and entered the mist.

As...

They ventured deeper into the mist beyond the outskirts, and the Corpse Bearers hardly dared breathe, for they seemed to hear breathing coming from the bodies on their backs!

"Hhh!"

"Hhh... hhh..."

That eerie sensation made every Corpse Bearer shut his mouth, terrified that his body's yang energy would escape through it, allowing the corpse's yin energy to invade him!

At best, that meant illness. At worst, death!

What was more, the mist here was so dense that when they looked at the person ahead, they could make out only two blurry silhouettes: one belonging to the Corpse Bearer, the other to the body on his back!

The two bodies seemed to sway and overlap constantly in the mist, creating the illusion that the corpse had come alive!

It was utterly uncanny!

Everyone walked with his head lowered, afraid to look around.

Only Ye Qianfan heard a strange voice after entering the Fog Forest...

Keep walking forward, until blood rains down...

"Who's there!?"

The strange voice gave Ye Qianfan a terrible fright.

Who was speaking into his ear? He hurriedly turned to look, wanting to see who was playing a prank!

"Stop looking!"

Elder Uncle warned Ye Qianfan quietly, "Look too much, and you'll fall under an evil spell! Thinking too much and looking too much are the greatest taboos when carrying corpses. Shut your mouth, lower your eyes, and follow the road in front of you! One step at a time, and before you know it, you'll reach the Mass Burial Ground. Don't let your mind wander!"

"But... Elder Uncle." Though Ye Qianfan did not want to dwell on it, those whisper-like voices had begun to unsettle him. "I think... I think I heard someone talking! A woman's voice..."

"What nonsense are you spouting!"

Elder Uncle snapped, "These corpses have all been lying in the mortuary for at least three days. How could they still... Anyway, stop talking nonsense! Just keep your head down and follow everyone else!"

"Understood."

Ye Qianfan had wanted to ask Elder Uncle what was going on with the breathing, too.

But seeing Elder Uncle's sour expression, he said nothing more.

He merely lowered his head and walked forward, staring at his toes...

"Ah!"

Suddenly!

Someone up ahead cried out!

At the sound, everyone stopped walking.

Even an old hand like Elder Uncle dared not make a rash move now. He merely placed a finger against his lips, signaling Ye Qianfan to remain silent!

Before long...

The clatter of a Patrol Army scout's horse came from ahead, along with a reprimand. "What are you shouting for!"

"S-something flashed past!"

Another man's voice rang out, slightly raspy.

"What thing?" the Patrol Soldiers' scout roared. "There's nothing here! I'm warning you, no more nonsense, or I'll charge you with spreading alarm..."

"Aaaah!!!!"

But...

Before the Patrol Soldiers' scout could finish, another brief, agonized scream rang out!

It sounded like the noise someone made with his throat constricted just before being hanged, short and piercing!

This scream came from very close to Ye Qianfan—so close that he felt his eardrums might burst. Yet despite that proximity, he still could not see who had screamed or what had happened.

The mist was too thick!

All Ye Qianfan could hear were the panicked cries of his fellow corpse bearers!

"The corpse has risen!"

"I saw the corpse on Wang Er's back move!"

The Corpse Bearers screamed in panic. The Patrol Soldiers' hoofbeats rang out again, and he soon reached the screaming Corpse Bearer!

"Whoa!"

Ye Qianfan saw a tall, dark silhouette on horseback stop a short distance ahead of him.

Probably less than ten meters away!

"What happened?"

Somewhat impatiently, the Patrol Soldiers hauled the man up and questioned him.

The man seemed frightened out of his wits. He kept pointing south into the mist, trembling as he said, "The corpse on Wang Er's back rose, and then, in a flash... Wang Er... Wang Er was gone!"

"Sir, there really are ghosts! There really are ghosts!"

"Please spare me! Let me go home!"

The man begged over and over.

But the Patrol Soldiers simply threw him to the ground and cursed, "Fine! If you can make it back, go back yourself! No one's stopping you!"

With that!

The Patrol Soldiers turned their horses around.

As he urged it forward, he shouted, "Everyone, on guard!"

"Don't let the yin energy disturb the corpses! Everyone, close ranks toward the center! Hand out umbrellas! Those on both sides, open every umbrella!!!"

"Qianfan, come on! Keep up!"

His Elder Uncle, whose legs had not been very good, suddenly seemed like a different man. He grabbed Ye Qianfan and strode forward!

Even breaking into a jog, Ye Qianfan could not keep pace with his Elder Uncle!

Still...

He knew the situation was urgent.

After all, they were very close to where that evil thing had appeared. Moreover, his Elder Uncle, Ye Qianfan, and a few others were bringing up the rear. They might well be the next ones to meet with disaster!

"Wang Er's dead!"

"Wang Er's dead, the corpse is alive, Wang Er's alive..."

As Ye Qianfan passed the man the Patrol Soldiers had abandoned, he saw that his eyes had lost focus. He simply sat on the ground, endlessly muttering contradictory things.

He had gone completely mad!

"That's what happens when you look too much. I told you..."

As his Elder Uncle spoke, his steps suddenly faltered!

Ye Qianfan noticed his Elder Uncle looking up at something. Following his gaze, he saw a woman in red standing on a tree trunk, her long hair hanging down over her face, hiding her features.

But because they were looking up from below, Ye Qianfan could see that the woman was standing on tiptoe, her heels not touching the ground!

The backs of her hands were covered in corpse blotches of all sizes. No matter how he looked at her, she did not seem alive!