However, what I regret is that after Ruan Sanjia confirmed I was from the Guo family, I had originally planned to extract some technical details about insect techniques from him regarding specialized insect arts.
But Ruan Sanjia was such a disappointment.
He tossed aside a master of the Five Elements like me—an insect expert and ghost-style feng shui master—and instead rolled into bed with Hu Sanmei, completely disregarding the professional demeanor of an insect master.
Saying he died unjustly isn’t an exaggeration.
After all, they hadn’t seen each other for years—what’s wrong with a little roll in the hay?
Hu Sanmei had been traveling at night for a while, and now that she’d calmed down somewhat, she asked me about Dao Jiuniang’s situation.
Afraid she wouldn’t believe me and might later confront Lin Danan, I told her everything truthfully—how Ruan Sanjia and Dao Jiuniang had two sons, Ruan Yue and Ruan Nan.
Hu Sanmei sneered twice, her laughter eerie. I figured those two poor kids were about to suffer…
By dawn, Hu Sanmei ordered everyone to rest and resume the journey at night. Both Uncle Jianguo and I breathed a sigh of relief. Lin Danan leaned against a tree and immediately fell asleep, murmuring sweetly in his dreams, “Sister demon… sister demon… I want… I want…”
Uncle Jianguo shook his head in amusement. That kid must’ve been poisoned by a love charm—where was this illusory demon sister hiding to pull his strings like this?
Love spans a thousand miles, connected by a single thread.
Lin Danan was getting closer and closer to meeting his demon sister…
At noon, Hu Sanmei met up with a group of drug traffickers. They seemed acquainted, so there was no fight. After the two groups passed each other, Hu Sanmei secretly led a few men to follow them, returning soon after to bury several bags of drugs in a pit, marking the spot.
Hu Sanmei was truly a fierce woman—she and her men ambushed the drug dealers with poisoned darts without making a sound. That night, we crossed a waterfall and followed the canyon path upward, where the water flow slowed.
Little Rascal barked furiously. A thick, ominous aura emanated from the village. Clearly, Dao Jiuniang had sensed the impending danger. Any village that survived in these mountains, amidst poachers and drug traffickers, was no pushover.
Hu Sanmei took command, sending seven corpse puppets in first to kill all the venomous snakes. Then, her eight men followed, firing poisoned darts to eliminate every living soul in the village.
Damn it—Hu Sanmei was here to wipe them out.
Uncle Jianguo said, “Girl, losing your husband doesn’t justify slaughtering an entire village, does it?”
Hu Sanmei sneered, “Not at all. Their lives are worthless—how can they compare to Sanjia’s?”
Worried Uncle Jianguo might provoke her further, I pulled him aside and whispered, “She planted bugs in you. Better stay quiet.” He nodded in understanding. I took his hand and tapped it, and suddenly, he felt a rush of energy in his stomach. He hurriedly squatted and expelled a pile of worms, wiping himself with leaves.
Once Hu Sanmei finalized her plan, she blew two sharp notes on a black whistle.
The seven corpse puppets, hearing the signal, charged into the village.
As they advanced, venomous snakes slithered out from trees and holes, attacking relentlessly. The puppets, impervious to pain, tore the snakes apart, but the serpents kept coming, unaware of what they were biting. The scene was a bloody, nauseating massacre—hundreds of snakes died in moments.
The seven puppets, now corroded by venom, revealed patches of reddened flesh.
Then, from deep within the village, a long, ferocious howl echoed. My legs trembled, and cold sweat trickled down my back.
I checked the time—midnight.
The once-ruthless corpse puppets froze at the sound, crouching and clutching their heads in terror. Whatever was coming clearly outranked them.
Hu Sanmei blew her whistle again, but the puppets remained paralyzed.
Dread settled in my gut. The overwhelming corpse energy radiating from the source was no ordinary reanimated corpse—this had to be a Bronze Corpse.
The kind that feasts on women’s brains was about to emerge.
Not a single light was on in the village. That wasn’t normal—Hu Sanmei’s attack should’ve triggered some reaction.
I warned Hu Sanmei, “Something’s wrong. Something’s coming out.”
She scoffed, “Even if the King of Hell himself shows up, I won’t fear him.”
I turned to Uncle Jianguo. “This doesn’t look good—we should leave.”
Hu Sanmei snapped, “No one’s going anywhere.”
With seven puppets already inside and eight armed men, the only real threat was Hu Sanmei herself.
And then there was Lin Danan—dead weight dragging our chances down.
Sweat beaded on Uncle Jianguo’s forehead. “I feel like we can’t just leave. The answer to Ruan Sanjia’s four fingers might be here.”
My legs shook, my back was drenched, and even my usually steady heart pounded wildly.
A rhythmic *clank-clank* echoed from the village—something was drawing in the essence of heaven and earth.
A fully-formed Bronze Corpse gleamed like polished copper, impervious to blades, with monstrous strength and a thirst for human blood.
The old masters used to say: if you encounter a Bronze Corpse without a mighty Taoist or decades-trained monk by your side, the only option is to run. And sometimes, running isn’t even enough.
I warned Hu Sanmei again, “If we don’t leave now, we all die here. Your call.”
But she was stubborn as iron. She pulled out two AK-47s seized from the drug dealers. “I’ve never heard of a Bronze Corpse. Whatever the hell it is, I’ll shoot it dead.”
I told Lin Danan and Uncle Jianguo, “If you can’t escape, press your mouths to the ground and cover yourselves with dirt—breathe as little as possible.” Lin Danan paled at the mention of a Bronze Corpse—even veteran Taoists in novels couldn’t handle them. He dug a shallow pit in the dirt, ready to bury his face.
He Qingling and Little Rascal could handle low-level ghosts or zombies, but a Bronze Corpse was beyond them. I set them down and shooed them away.
I pulled out my jade ruler and summoned Xie Lingyu, who had been sleeping inside it. She whispered, “Be careful,” before floating away with He Qingling and Little Rascal.
I hadn’t expected to face a Bronze Corpse in these mountains. I wasn’t sure if my corpse-suppressing talismans would work, but luckily, I still had rooster blood and other tools.
Gripping the glowing jade ruler, I stood ready.
Hu Sanmei glanced at me. “The Guo family deals with zombies now?”
I smirked. “You don’t know the half of it.”
The *clank-clank* grew louder. Uncle Jianguo raised his gun, aiming for the corpse’s eyes.
In the dim light, a towering figure emerged—gleaming copper skin, dragging chains as thick as a man’s arm. Its eyes were brass-colored, but its face was eerily human.
If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought it was some world-class bodybuilder posing for a photoshoot.
Black corpse mist billowed from its mouth—inhale it, and you’d dissolve into a puddle of blood within days.
Damn it.
Hu Sanmei, clueless about the death looming over us, was about to get dozens killed.
The seven corpse puppets knelt, trembling. The Bronze Corpse raised a fist and smashed one down.
Hu Sanmei barked an order—dozens of poisoned darts and hundreds of bullets flew toward the creature.
The impact forced the corpse back a few steps, but it was unharmed—only enraged. It lurched forward, chains rattling. Hu Sanmei, now panicked, blew her whistle frantically, but not a single puppet moved.
One puppet, torn between fear and duty, bashed its head against a tree—but couldn’t even knock itself out.
The Bronze Corpse ignored the weaklings. It craved human blood—especially from virgins.
Poor Lin Danan, with his unhealed leech bite, reeked of temptation.
The corpse clanked toward him.
Out of bullets and darts, Hu Sanmei ordered her last men forward. The Bronze Corpse leaped—unbelievably fast for something dragging chains.
It sank its teeth into two men, slurping their blood like iced soda on a scorching day. Those who inhaled its mist collapsed, faces blackening.
Lin Danan buried his face in his pit. Uncle Jianguo kicked his butt. “Run!”
Hu Sanmei was too busy saving herself to stop us.
Lin Danan scrambled up, abandoning everything. They bolted down a narrow path.
Uncle Jianguo yelled back, “Why aren’t you running?”
I kept my eyes locked on the corpse. “It’s not fully formed yet—there’s still human skin on its forehead. Go. I’ll survive.”
Uncle Jianguo didn’t argue, dragging Lin Danan away.
The Bronze Corpse, furious at losing its prize, vaulted over Hu Sanmei and gave chase.
Uncle Jianguo, desperate, hurled a combat knife.
The corpse caught it in its teeth—and bit it in half. The force sent Uncle Jianguo flying, crashing into a tree ten meters away.
Lin Danan screamed as the corpse seized him.
Cursing, I readied the rooster blood. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go—it hadn’t even fought me yet!
Hu Sanmei suddenly shouted, “Third Uncle! It’s me, Sanmei!”
So the Bronze Corpse was her uncle, Hu Yin.
But the corpse didn’t care.
Just as its jaws clamped down—
A streak of green light snatched Lin Danan away…
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