Chapter 235: The Truth of the Village Massacre

The red ants, which had been locked in a stalemate, began to retreat, rolling down one after another.

The snail moved with such agility that it was completely unlike any ordinary snail. My heart gradually eased, and the black corpse spots on my body slowly faded.

I shouted, “Thank you!” The snail wriggled slightly on my head, as if responding to me.

I thought to myself, this must be a wonderful twist of fate. The snail I had unintentionally picked up turned out to be so powerful—truly proving the old saying, “Sometimes the best things happen by accident.”

This is the kind of snail you deserve to have!!

I could feel the strong, positive energy emanating from the snail. After driving away the red ants, its antennae twitched before it retracted into its shell and slowly fell asleep. The red ants had come fiercely but left just as quickly, vanishing in the blink of an eye into the ruins of the Three Ghost Village.

Sixth Brother reappeared in the tree, his eyes fixed motionlessly on me. A thick, red corpse aura gradually enveloped him, covering his entire body in a thin, bloody shroud.

I barely had time to process the sudden appearance of the red ants and everything that had happened in the Three Ghost Village. Sixth Brother leaped down from the tree, his movements unlike any zombie I had ever seen. He was fast—so fast that he was upon me in an instant. I rolled on the ground, and the surrounding incense was crushed under his feet, leaving me unable to see anything. A strange red seal appeared on Sixth Brother’s forehead.

He was in pain, furious, brimming with killing intent—just like the red ants—consumed by an obsessive hatred for the entire world.

Afraid the snail might get hurt, I grabbed it from my head as I rolled and threw it against the nearby wall. The snail landed shell-first, bounced off the wall, and rolled aside before cautiously poking its head out again.

Sixth Brother began screaming. The red corpse aura thickened, and his originally green-and-white eyes burned crimson. His shriek was piercing, and a powerful gust of wind nearly deafened me.

Standing there, towering between heaven and earth, Sixth Brother must have been enduring unbearable agony. Otherwise, his screams wouldn’t have been so despairing. Otherwise, his life might have been ordinary—like any other young man’s—marrying, raising children, growing old, reminiscing about the past under the sunset. And then, in old age, losing control of his body and letting out a long, drawn-out fart.

I shouted, “Sixth Brother, what’s wrong? I’m not your enemy. I came here with you!”

Sixth Brother continued screaming, shattering windows and sending roof tiles crashing down.

Where was Guo Qiqi? Sixth Brother’s frenzied cries could be heard for miles. The Three Ghost Village wasn’t large—even if Guo Qiqi had hidden far away, she should have arrived by now. I gripped my jade ruler, silently reciting the “Six Ding Six Jia” incantation, waiting for the right moment to subdue Sixth Brother.

My Adam’s apple bobbed. Under the red glow, the blue light from the jade ruler intensified. The clash of red and blue light made it nearly impossible to see. Sixth Brother roared and suddenly turned, charging toward the wall instead.

I heard Little Rascal’s frantic barks and realized he had come to help. But the moment he appeared on the path of the Three Ghost Village, Sixth Brother, now berserk, seized him.

Little Rascal yelped twice before Sixth Brother’s grip tightened around his throat.

I screamed in horror, “No!” Sixth Brother lifted Little Rascal and sprinted toward the western edge of the village. His speed was inhuman. Little Rascal was the bane of ghosts—his blood could repel zombies.

But not Sixth Brother. I couldn’t let my brother, my dog, be killed. I took a step forward but felt weak and dizzy—the damned red ants had drained me. I bit my tongue hard. The “Compendium” mentioned a method to instantly regain strength—like an adrenaline shot—but at great physical cost.

Biting my tongue would unleash my body’s full potential, and drawing a “Wu” character on myself would grant temporary power—but at the price of shortening my lifespan. Still, it was the only way.

I gritted my teeth, slapping the glowing blue talisman onto my chest. A sharp pain shot through my spine—where the wireworm parasite lurked, occasionally wreaking havoc. The talisman stimulated my central nervous system, the two forces clashing violently.

Strength flooded my body. Sixth Brother had already reached the end of the western path. I followed, noticing red ants scurrying alongside me.

The Three Ghost Village was overgrown with weeds. The human world was no different. Neither were human hearts. Whether in prosperity or desolation, nothing compared to a lover’s embrace.

Sixth Brother turned onto a mountain path behind the village. Camellia trees lined the way, their second bloom filling the air with fragrance amidst the mist.

Sixth Brother vanished into the camellia grove. I hesitated—no one had been here in decades. The thick floral miasma could induce hallucinations or even dissolve flesh. But Little Rascal’s barks urged me forward. If he could still bark, the miasma wasn’t lethal.

I pressed on, finding a cave beneath the trees, its spiderweb-covered vines torn open. Little Rascal’s cries echoed from within. I ducked inside.

The cave was dim, but glowstones illuminated a clear pool and the path ahead. Following the signs of disturbance, I found Sixth Brother in a deeper chamber. Little Rascal lay limp in his grasp.

“I’m here!” I shouted. “Let him go!”

With all my strength, I lunged at Sixth Brother. The simplest, most brutal fight. My jade ruler clattered to the ground. Sixth Brother hadn’t expected my speed. We crashed into the wall—triggering something.

The faintly lit chamber brightened suddenly, as if eternal lamps had ignited. Sixth Brother staggered, loosening his grip. Little Rascal seized the chance to escape, biting Sixth Brother’s hand.

“Run, you idiot!” I yelled. But Little Rascal refused to leave. I wrestled Sixth Brother, but my mortal strength was no match for a seasoned zombie.

His head slammed into mine. Dazed, I weakened. Sixth Brother hurled me aside. Black blood spewed from my mouth. Little Rascal rushed to my side, barking fiercely—still alive.

Now, I saw the chamber clearly. One wall was lined with bamboo tubes of varying sizes, labeled with faded script. Most ended with the character for “insect.” Some were still legible.

Who would have thought such a cave existed in the remote mountains of western Hunan, filled with bamboo tubes?

The wall’s structure was bizarre—a pentagonal arrangement, each layer shrinking inward. The colors of the labels corresponded to the Five Elements: green for wood, red for fire, yellow for earth, white for metal, black for water.

At the center, one tube was missing.

Beneath the wall lay broken vessels and bones—some human. This cave was a bug master’s secret workshop.

The story about the Three Ghost Village’s destruction by war was a lie. The villagers hadn’t died in battle—they’d been slaughtered by the bug master in this cave.

From my first insect-hunting trip with Ma Ruoxing, I knew bugs were terrifying. But now, I understood the true horror of bug masters—they could wipe out entire villages.

This bug master was the one the red ants had warned me about.

Guo Tianjie!!

I scanned the remaining tubes. If those insects were still alive, they’d be deadly. They couldn’t be allowed to escape.

Sixth Brother showed no surprise—he was dead, after all.

His gaze fell on the glowing jade ruler. After a pause, he picked it up. Strangely, nothing happened. The jade ruler, a zombie’s bane, lay docile in his hand.

This wasn’t the first time. Back in Jiangcheng’s abandoned building, when I met Master Ye Wenxin, the ruler had failed then too.

Did Sixth Brother recognize this ruler?

Clutching it, his lips trembled, his hands shaking as if trying to speak. The red corpse aura around him faded. He stepped forward, offering the ruler back to me.

Little Rascal sensed the fading hostility and calmed. Taking the ruler, I released the talisman’s hold on my body, exhaling in relief.

After a moment, I told Sixth Brother, “No matter how terrifying these insects are, I’ll destroy them.”

He nodded, his eyes showing something like emotion.

At the base of the wall, I found a tattered book—*Notes on Insect Cultivation*—written by Guo Tianjie.

Hesitant, I flipped through the yellowed pages.

Halfway through, I clenched my jaw. *Better burn this,* I thought. *It’s too dangerous.* It reminded me of the *Sunflower Manual*—powerful, but a curse to mankind.

I pulled out my lighter.

*Thwip. Thwip.*

Two silent bullets struck, sending the lighter flying.