Chapter 1 Facing Questions

Facing Jin Tao's question, Gu San smiled and shook his head.

"It's nothing major, just a white-haired corpse."

Gu San shook the Soul-Seizing Bell, and the smaller of the two Xi Shen (Gods of Happiness) behind him hopped forward.

This Xi Shen's fingernails were long and black, and its face was covered in dense white fluff.

This was clearly a corpse that had transformed into a corpse demon!

Jin Tao was shocked. He had heard his master speak of this before.

Ordinary corpses don't transform into corpse demons. What villagers usually call "zombies" are just corpses with lingering resentment from when they were alive.

This resentment festers and drives the corpse to cause trouble.

Such corpses move slowly and are not very dangerous. Black dog's blood or rooster's comb blood can suppress their ferocity.

But if the deceased had immense resentment when they were alive and died unwillingly, then the corpse would transform into a *shisha* (corpse demon)!

Shisha have steel-like bones, immense strength, and are agile. They can leap onto roofs, climb trees, jump and fly, and are not afraid of ordinary fire.

Some fierce shisha are even unafraid of sunlight!

The *baishe* (white demon) is the weakest type of shisha, but it's still not something ordinary people can deal with.

"Don't be afraid. There's nothing strange about a white-haired corpse. I've destroyed at least eight hundred, if not a thousand of them."

Gu San took another swig of wine.

"If this white-haired corpse drinks its fill of human blood and transforms into a *xuesha* (blood demon), that's when things get truly terrifying."

"Third Uncle, are blood demons very scary?" Jin Tao couldn't help but ask.

"If a blood demon really appeared, your master and I combined would barely be enough to fight it. If I were alone, I would definitely turn tail and run," a trace of fear flashed in Gu San's eyes.

"Third Uncle, what about a *heisha* (black demon)?"

"Black demon?" Gu San looked up at the sky. "Even if my master was resurrected, he'd probably die again."

Jin Tao gasped. He glanced at Qiao Yu out of the corner of his eye, then quickly pressed on.

"Third Uncle, what if a corpse can not only speak human words, but also wield a large cleaver and howl while hacking people, and even peel off a petrification charm on its own? What level of corpse demon is that?"

"Huh?"

Gu San's expression turned strange.

"If there really was such a thing, you couldn't even call it a corpse demon anymore. More like a corpse god. Don't worry, how could there be such a terrifying corpse demon in the world?"

Jin Tao almost peed his pants. *Third Uncle, there really is one! And the corpse I'm talking about is standing right next to us!*

Jin Tao now felt like there was a pair of eyes staring at him from behind.

He quickly changed the subject. "Third Uncle! What about the other Xi Shen?"

"That one? It's going to Lingjiu Mountain."

Gu San shook the bell, and the fat Xi Shen jumped out of the shadows.

By the moonlight, Qiao Yu could see the face of this Xi Shen clearly.

And the Xi Shen looked at Qiao Yu with a hint of excitement!

"Just because I glanced at you once in the crowd, I can never forget your face~"

A familiar background music played in Qiao Yu's mind.

Wasn't the appearance of this Xi Shen clearly Yang Xiangdi?

It seemed he wasn't the only one who had turned into a corpse after entering the dungeon.

Just as Yang Xiangdi was about to speak, Qiao Yu quickly stopped him with a look, signaling that now was not the time to talk.

Only then did Yang Xiangdi calm down the agitation in his heart.

Jin Tao rubbed his eyes. He seemed to have seen the lips of Third Uncle's fat Xi Shen move just now!

"What's wrong?" Gu San asked.

"It's nothing, Third Uncle. Maybe I was seeing things."

Jin Tao shook his head. One such terrifying Xi Shen was scary enough, how could there be a second one?

He must have been too frightened and was seeing things.

"Senior Brother, have you contacted the other fellow disciples?" Gu San looked at Gu Xiuxuan.

Gu Xiuxuan, who had been keeping his eyes closed, reopened them, his brow furrowed.

In his hand was a parrot made of clay.

"I've contacted them. The other seven have encountered the same thing as us! Someone found them, offered a high price, and gave them a corpse to take to Lingjiu Mountain!"

Gu San's expression turned ugly.

"So, that person contacted all nine of us? What's their purpose?"

Gu Xiuxuan shook his head and looked at Yang Xiangdi and Qiao Yu.

"I've checked the Xi Shen and there are no problems. I guess that person is targeting the nine of us. Maybe it's an old enemy of Master's!"

Bang!

Gu San slammed the wine gourd heavily on the ground and said casually,

"Why be afraid of him! Master once taught us, 'The Master said, regarding the river: Thus passes on, day and night!' "

"If our fellow disciples gather together, wouldn't we reach the state that Master spoke of? How many people in this world can move us? Let's just deal with him!"

Gu Xiuxuan smiled. "What you say is true."

"Third Uncle, what does 'The Master said, regarding the river: Thus passes on, day and night' mean?" Jin Tao asked.

"It means Confucius once said: A truly powerful person, you stand by the river, and the corpses of your enemies will float by with the current, day and night without end."

"I'm not bragging!" Gu San patted his chest. "With the nine of us fellow disciples gathered, there's not much we're afraid of in this world. I'd dare fire a cannon at a black demon if it came!"

Jin Tao nodded, seemingly understanding.

The two fellow disciples, who had not seen each other for a long time, reminisced for a while before continuing on their way with the corpses.

Jin Tao was still standing at the back, the only difference being that he was separated from his master and uncle by three hopping Xi Shen.

"Brother Yu! I finally found you! I opened my eyes and found myself in a coffin, it scared me!"

Yang Xiangdi lowered his voice and whispered to Qiao Yu in front.

Jin Tao looked forward in confusion. He seemed to hear someone speaking faintly.

Maybe Master and Third Uncle were discussing something quietly in front, Jin Tao refocused on traveling.

Unaware that it was two Xi Shen communicating.

Qiao Yu: "Don't panic, your task is also to prevent the drought demon from being resurrected?"

Yang Xiangdi: "That's right! This corpse state can't restore mana, I didn't dare use a single bit of mana!"

Qiao Yu's mouth twitched. This dungeon was simply hell difficulty for mages.

Once the mana was depleted, it was basically game over.

"Brother Yu, what do we do next?" Yang Xiangdi asked.

"Follow them first, I have a hunch they should be very important NPCs in this Lingjiu Mountain dungeon!"

"Okay, Brother Yu, can I ask you something?" Yang Xiangdi said hesitantly.

"Go ahead."

"Can we switch positions? I feel uneasy with a hopping corpse behind me."

Qiao Yu was puzzled. "You're a corpse now too, what are you afraid of?"

"It's different, this guy behind me is a real shisha, I always feel like he'll suddenly jump over and strangle me!"

"Alright, alright." Qiao Yu said helplessly.

So, to Jin Tao's horrified eyes, Yang Xiangdi and Qiao Yu switched positions one after the other.

Yang Xiangdi even smiled apologetically at Jin Tao, but the smile, coupled with Yang Xiangdi's bloodless, dead face, looked like a soul-reaping ghost to Jin Tao.

"Damn! Master, help! This Xi Shen of Third Uncle's is also messed up!"