The cabbage worm nodded and said, “Yes! It was him. The defeat of the Han army wasn’t solely his doing, but rather the result of those monstrous creatures under his command.”
Liu Dashao had already witnessed the power of these two creatures. Moreover, during the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the combat effectiveness of government troops was extremely poor. If they suffered even a ten percent casualty rate, they would usually collapse completely. Therefore, using these two creatures to repel several ten thousand Han soldiers was as easy as turning one’s hand.
Curious about this Zhang Jiao, Liu Dashao asked, “Just who is this Great Sage? How can he command these two creatures?”
The big katydid replied, “It is said that Zhang Jiao, the Great Sage, gained his magical powers from the three volumes of the ‘Taiping Qingling Shu’ (Scripture of Great Peace and Clear Command). But legends are often shrouded in mystery. The real reason these creatures obey him is likely because Zhang Jiao possesses some ancient control technique. He himself is extremely mysterious, and there are very few records about him.”
After listening to the big katydid’s explanation, Liu Dashao inhaled sharply and thought to himself, “So the art of controlling insects really does exist in this world.”
Suddenly, Fan Debiao screamed, “There’s light ahead!”
Hearing Fan Debiao’s shout, Liu Dashao immediately looked forward and saw, not far from them, a faint glow of red, green, and blue light mixing together and shining out from a cave.
Liu Dashao patted Fan Debiao on the back, who immediately understood what Liu Dashao meant. Together, they grabbed their entrenching tools and rowed the boat toward the glowing light.
When they arrived at the source of the light, they discovered that there were many red, green, and blue gemstones lining both sides of the river. The light everyone had seen earlier came from these gemstones. Liu Dashao took a closer look and realized they were in a straight river channel about a hundred meters long, artificially carved. At the end of the channel was a circular cave, with a stone gate descending from the top of the cave directly into the water. The left half of the gate had already been opened, suggesting that the bottom of the cliff lay inside. The sight of so many gemstones left Liu Dashao feeling dizzy and suspicious, as though something was off about them. The big katydid picked up a ruby and said, “This gemstone is no ordinary one—it’s meteoric jade!”
Meteorite jade is found within meteorites. It’s already very lucky if a meteorite survives its descent to Earth without burning up, and even luckier if it contains jade. Meteorite jade is priceless. Could it be that Zhang Jiao’s search for the elixir of immortality was related to these gemstones?
When Fan Debiao saw the gemstones, his eyes lit up. Taking advantage of the big katydid’s distraction, he secretly pocketed a few stones and ran over to Liu Dashao, attempting to stuff them into Liu Dashao’s pants pocket. However, Liu Dashao’s pocket already contained a bronze chime bell, so the gemstones wouldn’t fit. Thinking the gemstones were more valuable than the bell, Fan Debiao took the chime bell out and tossed it aside, then stuffed the gemstones into Liu Dashao’s pocket.
The chime bell landed in the water with a splash. As soon as it hit the surface, it emitted a spontaneous chime. Immediately, the water in front of them began to rise. Gradually, the water drained away, revealing a female corpse before them.
The water clinging to the female corpse slowly drained off, revealing that she was lying inside a jade coffin. The coffin was completely transparent, allowing a clear view of the corpse inside. She wore white silk robes, clearly from the Han Dynasty, with her hands crossed over her abdomen, beneath which lay a black box. Due to the jade coffin, the box was only vaguely visible. The coffin was illuminated by the eerie glow of the surrounding tricolored meteorite gems.
The jade coffin floated in midair without any visible support or hanging ropes. Liu Dashao couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement—how could such a large jade coffin just float there?
Suddenly, the big katydid thought of the chime bell and looked toward the water where Fan Debiao had thrown it. To his surprise, the bell had not sunk but was floating on the surface, vibrating continuously and creating ripples in the water.
He suddenly had an idea. Some meteorites possess strange magnetic fields—for example, those that interfere with radio signals, such as the Bermuda Triangle. Others emit harmful radiation that can be deadly to humans. Yet another type of meteorite can produce a strange levitating magnetic field.
It seemed they had encountered this third type of meteorite. And this levitating magnetic field could only be activated by bronze artifacts. The object affected by this magnetic field was likely the jade coffin before them.
With this realization, the big katydid shared his theory with the others. Liu Dashao naturally didn’t understand, but the cabbage worm nodded and said, “At this point, this is the only explanation that makes sense.”
Fan Debiao asked, “You’re saying bronze artifacts activate this levitating magnetic field. So why didn’t it work when it was inside Dashao’s pocket, and only worked after being taken out?”
Hearing Fan Debiao’s question, the big katydid was momentarily confused, also wondering why this was the case.
The cabbage worm tugged at Liu Dashao’s pants and said, “Your pants are anti-static. I think without static electricity, this levitating magnetic field can’t be activated either.”
Liu Dashao was momentarily stunned. Not only was the cabbage worm skilled in tomb raiding, but he also seemed to have a good grasp of science—perhaps even enough to be a scientist. Looking at the cabbage worm, Liu Dashao noticed his complexion had improved from pale to rosy, indicating his injuries were nearly healed.
Liu Dashao patted his cotton pants and said, “That explanation seems the most plausible for now.” Though he said that, he was still deeply puzzled.
The big katydid said, “Let’s not dwell on that for now. Let’s go check out what’s inside that box in the female corpse’s hands.”
Upon hearing the big katydid’s words, Fan Debiao tugged at Liu Dashao and said, “Quick, let’s row the boat over!”
Liu Dashao thought to himself, “This Fan Debiao is always after money. He’s probably eager to get his hands on the treasures inside the jade coffin again.”
Liu Dashao and Fan Debiao worked well together with their entrenching tools, quickly rowing to a spot about ten meters away from the jade coffin.
Suddenly, the big katydid raised his hand, signaling Liu Dashao and Fan Debiao to stop. Liu Dashao asked in confusion, “What’s wrong? Did something go wrong?”
The big katydid stared intently at the jade coffin and said, “I just saw the female corpse move slightly.”
Fan Debiao said, “Come on, are you seeing things? You said ‘seemed to’—maybe we should get closer to observe.”
Liu Dashao whispered to Fan Debiao, “Don’t rush. You’re just eager to get the treasures inside the coffin, right? Those treasures aren’t going anywhere—they’re inanimate. But if the corpse really moves, we’ll be in big trouble if we go over there and get bitten. Let’s have the big katydid observe carefully first.”
After hearing Liu Dashao’s words, Fan Debiao quickly replied, “I’m not afraid of death, but for safety’s sake, let him observe carefully.”
As soon as Fan Debiao finished speaking, the big katydid suddenly exclaimed, “No good!”
Upon hearing this, Liu Dashao knew something was definitely wrong. He quickly turned his gaze toward the jade coffin.
The sight shocked him so much that his hair stood on end, and cold sweat poured from his forehead.
The female corpse had somehow turned her head toward them. Her face was pale beyond description, and her red pupils stared at them sinisterly. Liu Dashao stared at the corpse, feeling even more uneasy than when he had stared at Emperor Zhu Youxiao’s corpse years ago.
At that moment, the big katydid and the cabbage worm were rummaging through their backpacks, clearly very nervous. Soon, all three of them pulled out necklaces—on closer inspection, they were amulets used by tomb raiders.
Liu Dashao silently cursed, “Damn it, these old tomb raiders have protective charms, while the rest of us have nothing. When that female zombie comes after us, we’re doomed.”
Thinking this, Liu Dashao’s legs began to tremble uncontrollably.
Turning his head, he saw that the female corpse had already sat up, her eyes blood-red, staring directly at them.
Liu Dashao inhaled sharply and said to the big katydid, “This is a thousand-year-old zombie. Should we use a donkey’s hoof from 1949?”
The big katydid replied, “What’s the difference between 1949 and 1950? Aren’t black donkey hooves all the same?”
There was no time for further thought. Liu Dashao grabbed his backpack, pulled out a black donkey hoof, and tightly gripped it, waiting for the big katydid’s signal.
Looking at the big katydid, Liu Dashao saw that his legs were also shaking. At that moment, Fan Debiao raised his entrenching tool and shouted, “Damn it, let’s charge and fight her!” With that, he rowed furiously with the entrenching tool and quickly reached the jade coffin.
The female zombie seemed to know Fan Debiao was coming to attack her. Suddenly, she jumped out of the jade coffin and landed on the boat. Standing in front of Liu Dashao, she stared at him with her blood-red eyes. Liu Dashao was so terrified he almost fainted. He stared at those blood-red eyes, which were eerily empty.
At this point, there was no more time to talk. Liu Dashao gritted his teeth and swung the black donkey hoof at the female zombie, not knowing whether it would actually work.
“Stuff it into her mouth!” the big katydid shouted.
Liu Dashao saw the big katydid hugging the black box inside the jade coffin, watching him anxiously.
He hadn’t quite understood the big katydid’s words at first, but after a moment, he finally realized. Just as Liu Dashao tried to stuff the black donkey hoof into the female zombie’s mouth, she suddenly extended her hand and struck him, sending him flying. A wave of nausea overcame him, and he felt like vomiting blood. But before he could, he landed in the water, and the blood he was about to spit was swallowed back down his throat.
Seeing Liu Dashao being thrown away, the big katydid swung his entrenching tool and struck the female zombie’s leg. Despite her leg’s hardness, the blow forced her to kneel on the boat.
Seeing the female zombie kneeling, the cabbage worm quickly grabbed her neck with one hand and pressed down on the crown of her head with the other, making it difficult for her to stand again.
Seeing the opportunity, the big katydid grabbed the black donkey hoof and shoved it into the female zombie’s mouth. But it had no effect. The female zombie suddenly stabbed her hand into the big katydid’s thigh, and a stream of bright red blood immediately flowed down his pants. The big katydid, in pain, knelt on one knee on the boat.
Frowning, the cabbage worm shouted at Liu Dashao, “Retrieve the chime bell!”
Liu Dashao was momentarily stunned, then looked to the side and saw the bronze chime bell vibrating continuously beside him. Alarmed, he quickly reached out, grabbed the bell, and stuffed it into his pants pocket.
As soon as the chime bell was put back, Fan Debiao let out a scream. The jade coffin he was on suddenly plunged into the water, and the female zombie’s body shuddered once before going still. Seeing the situation, the cabbage worm twisted the female zombie’s head 180 degrees with the hand pressing on her crown, then let go. The female zombie lay down stiffly.
Seeing the female zombie was finally dealt with, the big katydid looked relieved and collapsed weakly onto the boat.
After the female corpse went limp, it quickly deflated like a punctured balloon, becoming a real dried-up mummy.
Suddenly, a chill swept over Liu Dashao, causing him to shiver involuntarily. When he had fallen into the water earlier, he had been too tense to notice the temperature. Now that the danger had passed, he realized how bitterly cold the river water was.
He muttered to himself, “This river water is damn freezing. If I stayed in it any longer, I’d probably freeze to death. No good—I’ve got to get back on the boat quickly.” Thinking this, he shivered again.
Stretching out his arms, Liu Dashao quickly swam to the boat using the freestyle, grabbed the edge of the boat, and with one push, he jumped back on board. As soon as he was back on the boat, a warm current rushed over him. Liu Dashao felt the temperature difference between the water and the boat was extreme—one was like Antarctica, the other like Africa.
Suddenly, there was a “dong” sound as the black box the big katydid had handed to Fan Debiao leapt from the water onto the boat.
Liu Dashao saw that Fan Debiao’s lips were already turning purple from the cold. Fan Debiao cursed, “This water is damn freezing. Fortunately, I’m quick and agile, or I’d have died in it.”
After saying this, Fan Debiao looked at the big katydid and noticed his injured leg. Letting out an “Aiya,” he quickly took out a medicine box from his bag and began bandaging the big katydid’s wound.
Throughout the journey, except for Fan Debiao, everyone else had sustained various injuries, all of which Fan Debiao had bandaged. Despite his large size, it seemed he was actually quite suited to emergency first aid.
At this moment, Liu Dashao was still somewhat worried about the big katydid’s injuries, as he had seen how severely the female zombie had injured him. He turned his head toward the big katydid.
Fan Debiao had already finished bandaging the big katydid’s wound. The big katydid was now lighting a cigarette, smoking leisurely, and appeared to be fine.
Ever since reading the “Tianshi BILU” left behind by Zhang Enpu, Liu Dashao had always been puzzled by the “black donkey hoof.” He hadn’t expected to actually witness its effectiveness today—it really could subdue zombies.
Liu Dashao asked the big katydid, “How can the black donkey hoof subdue zombies? After all, shouldn’t a white donkey hoof have similar components? Why must it specifically be a black donkey’s hoof?”
The big katydid explained, “Honestly, I don’t know the exact reason. The ability of the black donkey hoof to ward off evil spirits has been passed down from our ancestors. We younger generations have just been following instructions. But from what I can tell, there must be some kind of medium in the black donkey hoof that can interact with the zombie’s magnetic field, blocking the transmission of some substance within the zombie’s body, thereby stopping its movement.”
After listening to the big katydid’s explanation, Liu Dashao nodded thoughtfully. He believed the big katydid’s explanation was probably accurate. The bronze chime bell had triggered a levitating magnetic field effect earlier. When he retrieved the bell, the magnetic field disappeared, and the black donkey hoof regained its effectiveness.
Looking at the dazzling meteorite jade around them, Liu Dashao realized these meteorite jades could not only generate a levitating magnetic field but also interfere with other magnetic fields. If such items were taken out into the world, they would certainly cause trouble. Liu Dashao suddenly remembered that Fan Debiao had stuffed a bag of meteorite jade into his pocket. He couldn’t allow that, so he poured all the meteorite jade out of his pocket.
At this moment, Liu Dashao noticed the mummified corpse on the boat. After turning into a dried-up mummy, the woman appeared even more terrifying. Just looking at her made Liu Dashao’s hair stand on end. “Damn it,” he thought, “this old woman can’t just lie on the boat like this—it’s both scary and bad luck.”
Thinking this, Liu Dashao tried to kick the mummy off the boat with his foot. However, he didn’t kick hard enough and only managed to flip the mummy over.
Seeing that Liu Dashao’s kick had failed, Fan Debiao picked up his entrenching tool and swung it at the mummy’s back, attempting to shove it into the river.
As Fan Debiao lifted the entrenching tool and struck the mummy, suddenly a flash of light appeared. Liu Dashao, with sharp eyes, noticed the light came from the mummy’s chest. He quickly signaled Fan Debiao to stop.
Fan Debiao halted his action and looked at Liu Dashao with suspicion, asking, “What’s wrong? Big Boss, don’t tell me you’ve fallen for this mummy and want to take her home as a wife?”
Liu Dashao replied, “Don’t talk nonsense! Even if I had no taste at all, I wouldn’t marry a mummy. I saw a glowing object on her chest.” He pointed forward as he spoke.
Upon hearing that there was a glowing object on the mummy’s chest, Fan Debiao paused, put down the entrenching tool, and immediately went to investigate the mummy, clearly thinking there might be treasures involved.
After a while, Fan Debiao retrieved a jade pendant from the mummy’s chest and began waving it in front of Liu Dashao. The light from the meteorite jade mixed with the glow of the pendant, flooding Liu Dashao’s eyes. Liu Dashao felt his eyelids drooping, and drowsiness overtook him. Snatching the pendant from Fan Debiao, he said, “Don’t wave it around carelessly—it makes me feel dizzy!”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage