The corpse leaning against the tree

The moment I heard that sound, I went on alert.

Gripping the Heavenly Canopy Ruler, I cautiously headed toward the sound.

There was a small grove not far from the Zhang Family Ancestral Graveyard, barely a dozen meters away.

The grove was lush and green, in stark contrast to the Zhang Family Ancestral Graveyard, where not a blade of grass grew.

The sound had come from that grove.

Zhang Yunyao stayed close beside me. She really had guts, daring to follow me into a graveyard in the dead of night.

Before long, the two of us entered the grove ahead.

Once inside, we saw a patch of yellow light glowing in the darkness.

Soon, an unbelievable sight unfolded before us.

A man stood ahead, bare-chested, holding a red candle as he walked toward a large tree.

As he walked, he let out an eerie, vacant giggle.

The moment Zhang Yunyao saw his back, she gasped, "That's my brother..."

I recognized him too. The man holding the candle was none other than Zhang Yunliang.

I was deeply puzzled. What the hell was he doing out here in the middle of the night, shirtless and carrying a candle?

I signaled for Zhang Yunyao to keep quiet, then pointed toward Zhang Yunliang, indicating that we should follow him and take a look.

We followed seven or eight meters behind Zhang Yunliang, slowly heading in the same direction.

After following him halfway around to the back of a large tree, we were met with a horrifying sight.

Someone was leaning against the tree.

The person wore a funeral shroud and had a deathly pale face. One glance was enough to tell it was a corpse.

Judging by its clothing, it was probably the remains of a Zhang Family ancestor unearthed from the Zhang Family Ancestral Graveyard.

I had no idea how the corpse had ended up in this grove.

Then Zhang Yunyao and I witnessed something even more chilling. Zhang Yunliang was holding a lit red candle.

It was one of the candles used for offerings before the graves were dug up.

He held the burning red candle beneath the corpse's chin, roasting it directly over the flame.

Before long, the underside of the corpse's chin was charred black, and liquid began dripping from it.

Zhang Yunliang was using the candle to render corpse oil.

What the hell was he up to?

I had always been brave. Though I felt a little rattled, I managed to stay calm. Zhang Yunyao, however, couldn't take it. She clamped a hand over her mouth but still couldn't stop herself from dry heaving.

It really was more than an ordinary person could stomach.

On top of that, Zhang Yunyao was deeply terrified.

She instinctively pressed closer to me, clutching my arm with both hands as her whole body shook with fear.

"Y-Young Master Wu... what's my brother doing?" Zhang Yunyao asked, her voice trembling.

"Keep your voice down. Don't alert him. Something unclean may have possessed him too," I replied quietly.

Zhang Yunliang continued holding the candle beneath the corpse's chin, catching the dripping corpse oil with his other hand.

Since his back was to us, we couldn't see his face.

All we could see was him catching the corpse oil in his hand, then bringing it straight up to his face.

I couldn't tell whether he smeared it on his face or drank it. At that sight, even I couldn't stomach it anymore.

That was fucking disgusting.

Whatever Zhang Yunliang was doing, it was clearly dangerous for him. It could very well cost him his life.

I had to stop him.

I turned to Zhang Yunyao and asked, "Do you have the talisman I gave you on you?"

Zhang Yunyao nodded. "Yes, I still have it."

"Stay right here. I'll go save your brother," I said.

"Okay." Zhang Yunyao nodded firmly.

But I didn't move away. I kept looking at her.

Both her hands were still clinging tightly to me. The bizarre sight had terrified her.

Zhang Yunyao soon realized what was wrong. Her face flushed slightly, and she let go of me.

Only then did I slowly approach Zhang Yunliang, holding the Heavenly Canopy Ruler.

As I drew closer, the candle in his hand cast flickering light over the corpse's face, making it look even more sinister and terrifying.

When I was only three or four steps away from Zhang Yunliang, something happened that made me wonder whether my eyes were playing tricks on me.

The corpse leaning against the tree actually opened its eyes.

Its eyes were entirely white, and they stared straight at me.

The sight sent a shudder through my whole body.

Had the corpse come to life?

I froze for a moment, my heart pounding. But after waiting a little, I realized the corpse had merely opened its eyes and made no further move. Only then did I relax.

I sank my breath into my lower abdomen and bellowed straight at him, "Zhang Yunliang!"

My shout boomed like a thunderclap. It could have scared the soul out of an ordinary person.

I had used a technique called the Daoist Roar Technique. If something unclean had possessed Zhang Yunliang, my thunderous shout could frighten its soul right out of his body.

At my shout, Zhang Yunliang shuddered and, sure enough, stopped what he was doing. His head slowly turned toward me like a puppet's.

When his face came into view, I saw that it gleamed as though coated in oil.

His expression was savage, his eyes riddled with red veins, and a beastlike growl rumbled in his throat.

My heart sank at the sight of him.

There was no ghost qi or baleful qi on him. He wasn't possessed by a ghost entity.

Then why had he become like this?

The next instant, Zhang Yunliang hurled the red candle at me. I swept my hand out and knocked it away.

At the same time he threw the candle, Zhang Yunliang lunged like a tiger, flinging himself at me.

There were only three or four steps between us. In a single leap, he reached me and wrapped both arms around me.

A foul stench rose from him, like the smell of a rotting corpse, making me sick to my stomach.

Worse still, he was incredibly strong. He drove me back several steps, then knocked me to the ground. His hands closed around my throat as he kept growling.

He was clearly trying to strangle me to death.

I wasn't about to sit there and die. Still gripping the Heavenly Canopy Ruler, I slammed it hard into his body.

The Heavenly Canopy Ruler was meant to deal with ghost entities. Even one hit should have made him suffer, yet when it struck Zhang Yunliang, he showed no reaction at all.

At the same time, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the corpse leaning against the tree seem to move...