章 3: Chapter 3 Zombies
After I got back, my master didn't mock me for being a coward; he told me that the first time he encountered such a situation, his legs had gone weak too, but it got better over time.
Master told me that ghosts, like people, could be good or bad, virtuous or evil. Those who follow the heavenly order and protect humans and animals are considered good spirits; those who wish for animals or humans to harm each other for their own gain are considered evil spirits.
Under normal circumstances, evil spirits need to make use of a person or animal to cause harm to others.
There is also a kind of Vengeful Spirit that dies before their destined time and cannot enter the Six Paths for reincarnation; they belong to the bardo and can form a Bardo Body, which is the kind that can appear before humans.
Just like our family's Home Guardian Deity, who was previously a third party.
Humans don't offend ghosts, and ghosts don't offend humans. Humans fear ghosts by a fraction, while ghosts fear humans by a larger fraction.
Humans have three fires; one on top of the head, and two on the shoulders. As long as these three fires aren't extinguished, Ghostly Apparitions dare not approach.
Of course, master didn't tell me that this only applied to ordinary ghosts.
…
And just like that, with a mix of coaxing and deceiving from master, I was sent out of the Taoist Temple gate. Clutching a lantern, I steeled my nerves and headed for the chaotic graveyard once again.
The eerie green ghost lights were still floating irregularly, and it felt chilly on the back of my neck, as if someone was blowing air on it from behind. The owl was still perched on a distant tree, occasionally hooting.
Before long, I found the place where the skeletal remains were buried. I picked up the hoe; the lantern I had before was already burned out.
As I picked up the items, I almost did it with my eyes closed, fearing that the "person" who had spoken earlier would jump out at me.
I carried the hoe and walked for a while, then reburied a skeleton in the faint light of the lantern. This time, nothing unusual happened, perhaps because I kept muttering, "Big ghost brother, please don't scare me."
Seeing that there was no issue, I gradually became braver, and I even hummed a tune that I didn't know myself.
Around one o'clock in the morning, I had buried three sets of bones. For a ten-year-old, it was exhausting, but I felt a sense of achievement.
I leaned against a tombstone and sat down, having asked for permission to rest on this precious ground from the tomb's owner beforehand, though whether I had been granted it was unknown; at least they didn't come out to scare me.
Crack...
Crack...
A jolt shot through me as I raised the lantern towards the source of the noise. An old, faded coffin was placed carelessly there, emitting wisps of blue smoke.
Curiosity killed the cat, and I walked slowly towards the coffin with the lantern in hand.
At that time, I was wondering why the coffin was smoking; could it have been set alight by the ghost fire?
The crackling sound of the coffin became more frequent, the smoke thicker, and I came closer and closer.
Bang!
The lid of the coffin stood upright and then fell heavily to the side.
I don't know what I was thinking, but I walked up to the side of the coffin step by step and leaned over the edge to look inside. A wave of putrid stench hit my nostrils.
A body dressed in Qing Dynasty official attire, entirely black with white hairs growing, lay silently there, its face severely decayed with maggots crawling all over, the eyes glinting red, and two inch-long fangs protruding from the rotting lips. The fingernails were over three inches long, grayish-purple in color.
The corpse seemed to be smoking, continuously exhaling blue smoke from its fanged mouth.
As I was "admiring" it, it actually stood up...
I was so frightened that I fell and sat down on the ground.
"Wu"
The corpse let out a strange cry, staring fixedly at the dim moon, with specks of silver light shimmering on its body. Its repulsive face seemed to be brimming with ecstasy.
Seeing it ignoring me, I quietly got up and started running as soon as I turned around.
Perhaps my noisy escape disturbed it from absorbing the moonlight, as it leapt out of the coffin.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Hearing the sounds, I instinctively looked back for a moment, and this casual glance terrified me, causing cold sweat to break out; it was actually hopping after me.
I hastened my pace and ran as hard as I could, while crying out for help, hoping that my master would appear before me and save my life.
Expectations are plush, but reality is skeletal; it was not until I reached the Taoist Temple that I saw my master.
Before my master had a chance to ask why I was in such a panic, he saw the corpse that had followed me in.
My master grabbed the Peach Wood Sword from the offering table of the Three Purities divine statue, briskly stepped forward, and with a flying kick, knocked down the corpse.
Seeing my master block the corpse, I hid behind a pillar in front of the Taoist Temple's door, stealing glances at the scene.
As the corpse hit the ground, it immediately stood up straight again and lunged at my master with its arms that had long nails.
My master sidestepped, swept out a leg to trip the corpse, then swiftly stepped on its neck and forcefully stabbed towards the heart of the corpse with both hands gripping the Peach Wood Sword.
After three thrusts, the Peach Wood Sword failed to penetrate the corpse's body.
The corpse, as if in pain, let out some strange cries and shook off my master's hold, turning and jumping toward the exterior of the temple.
My master didn't give chase but switched the sword to his left hand, and bit hard into the forefinger of his right hand.
Blood flowed down his finger, as he made a sword gesture with his right hand on the Peach Wood Sword and shouted, "Peach Wood Sword, break your seal."
Clang, a metallic sound rang out.
My master lifted the Peach Wood Sword and hurled it with force at the corpse.
Thwack!
The Peach Wood Sword plunged straight into the body of the corpse, which collapsed at once, convulsing restlessly on the ground.
Where the sword entered, it emitted hissing green smoke, and the blade gradually turned black; seeing this, my master quickly found seven date pits and embedded them into the corpse's back in the shape of the Big Dipper.
The corpse stopped convulsing and lay still.
My master called me out and told me it was over. I still felt a lingering fear looking at the corpse.
My master explained that this was a being from beyond the Six Paths called a zombie. Such creatures came into being because someone had unswallowed resentment before death, then died unburied, absorbing the essence of the sun and the moon, and lived by sucking blood, occasionally eating flesh as well, and feared sunlight.
My master said if left unchecked, a zombie could cultivate for a thousand years and transform into a Drought Demon. After becoming a Drought Demon, it would move as fast as the wind, no longer fear sunlight or ordinary Magic Artifacts. It would slay dragons and swallow clouds, causing severe droughts and turning vast lands into barren deserts; hence, it was also called a Drought Demon.
My master said this zombie must have cultivated some power and drank human blood; otherwise, the Peach Wood Sword wouldn't have had such trouble penetrating it.
The blackening of the Peach Wood Sword was due to the corrosion of its corpse qi. After the Peach Wood Sword was completely corroded, it would regain vitality and continue to harm the living. The date pits arranged in the shape of the Big Dipper were to seal its corpse qi.
The reason why the zombie didn't move was that its corpse qi had been sealed.
My master then had me help him gather a lot of lychee wood, and we dragged the zombie onto the woodpile outside the Taoist Temple to burn.
Watching the zombie going up in roaring flames, my master finally felt at ease to return to the Taoist Temple with me.
Looking at me, my master couldn't help but laugh and cry. Should he say I was lucky? Or incredibly unfortunate? First, I ran back after being scared by a Ghostly Apparition coming to express gratitude, and the second time, encountered a zombie, even bringing it back with me.
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