“Oh, oh, oh, let’s go, let’s go…” A few people finally snapped out of their daze and positioned themselves at the four cardinal directions, spinning their lassos with a whooshing sound. Bai Erlai was the first to act, his wrist flicking as the black iron hook flew out, landing squarely on the drought demon’s waist. The weight of the hook caused it to wrap around the demon several times before finally dropping. The other three followed suit, and soon the drought demon was trussed up like a meat dumpling. The four men exchanged glances, then pulled the ropes taut with all their might, immobilizing the demon.
“Roar…” The drought demon let out a fierce cry, dropping Wang Weizhen and lunging towards Bai Erlai.
“Change formation, change formation!” Wang Weizhen, seeing the danger, quickly instructed. Without needing his command, the four men, having been trained by Zhang Enpu, sprang into action. The initial fear dissipated as they faced this life-and-death situation. Seeing the demon charge at Bai Erlai, the two men controlling the ropes opposite him immediately increased their grip, hoisting the ropes onto their shoulders and pulling with all their might, like oxen dragging a cart. Bai Erlai and Heishan retreated several steps, tightening the slack ropes once more, thus immobilizing the demon again.
The art of the rope trap wasn’t exclusive to the Celestial Master Sect; its origins lay in the tricks devised by the Maoshan Taoists. In later films, whenever zombies were mentioned, it was always the corpse drivers and Maoshan Taoists who came to mind, and this wasn’t without basis. Now, with the liberation and the denouncement of superstition, such practices are no longer discussed. But in ancient times, the Maoshan Taoists were primarily involved in the business of corpse driving. The scope of “corpse driving” was actually quite limited, confined to the mountainous regions of western Hunan, particularly the Yuan River basin, where the terrain was rugged and travel was difficult. Transporting corpses back to their hometowns in coffins was a cumbersome task. Many who worked and lived in these areas would, upon their death, entrust their remains to relatives or friends, insisting on being buried in their ancestral lands rather than in these desolate mountains. To avoid the arduous task of carrying coffins over rough terrain, the Maoshan Taoists developed the unique method of “corpse driving.”
Corpse driving, being the transportation of corpses, naturally involved many unstable factors, with corpse transformation being one of the frequent occurrences. The rope trap was one of the methods the Maoshan Taoists used to deal with such transformations. After all, not every Taoist was as formidable as Lam Ching-ying in the movies. Zombies were savage and immensely strong; engaging them in hand-to-hand combat would surely lead to defeat. Thus, they devised this method to first restrain the zombie and then suppress it with talismans, making the task easier. Zhang Enpu taught this rope trap formation to the four burly men, putting it to good use.
The drought demon was now completely hysterical. Its tightly shut eyes suddenly opened, glowing with a blood-red light, its hair disheveled, and its long tongue hanging out. Its ten long fingernails shimmered with black energy. It was clear that it had evolved into the highest form of zombie: the Drought Demon King. Wang Weizhen’s heart was filled with uncertainty; after all, he had only heard of such things. Damn it, this was the ultimate zombie!
“You… don’t look at me, I’m not scared, I don’t fall for your tricks!” Wang Weizhen gripped his peach wood sword tightly, his lips trembling. Although the drought demon was temporarily restrained, a dead camel is still bigger than a horse, and with his small sword, he wasn’t sure where to strike. As he hesitated, Bai Erlai was struggling. Born into a farming family, he had been doing hard labor since childhood, carrying bundles of firewood from the front mountain to the back without a second thought. But now, he clearly felt he was reaching his limit. Although the Maoshan Taoists had ingeniously applied the principle of leverage in the rope trap, it couldn’t withstand the immense strength of the drought demon. Bai Erlai’s arms, gripping the ropes, were bulging with muscles, the veins like giant earthworms, and his cloth shoes scraped against the ground. If this continued, not only would his arms break, but the soles of his shoes would wear through. The other three, not as strong as Bai Erlai, were already gasping for breath, holding on purely by sheer willpower.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, hurry, we can’t hold on much longer!” Bai Erlai gasped, speaking in broken sentences. Wang Weizhen knew he couldn’t hesitate any longer, or they would all be doomed. With a determined heart, he channeled all his strength into the peach wood sword and charged at the drought demon like a small locomotive.
He didn’t know that the drought demon, having become the Drought Demon King, had gained some intelligence. In this back-and-forth, it realized these guys were at their limit and laughed even more sinisterly. With a flick of its ten black, shiny nails, it pulled the two rope handlers to their knees. The peach wood sword, which Wang Weizhen had previously used as a projectile, automatically jumped out of the drought demon’s body with a ‘snap,’ grazing Wang Weizhen’s nose bridge. The nose bridge, being the most fragile part of the human body, caused Wang Weizhen to collapse in pain, tears streaming down his face. The drought demon roared several times, breaking free from the ropes. The two burly men were thrown against the wall with a ‘bang,’ their mouths spraying blood. It could only be described as ‘bold!’ Truly worse than chest-breaking stones, they were immediately out of the fight.
“Mommy!” Bai Erlai and Heishan exchanged a glance, each seeing the fear in the other’s eyes. They abandoned the ropes and ran like madmen around the glutinous rice field towards the house.
Meanwhile, Wang Weizhen groggily got up from the ground, a large sleeve covering his nose bridge, his face pale and clearly in pain. Two streams of dark red blood seeped through his fingers. Wang Weizhen pursed his lips and quickly tried to wipe it away, but his hand was clumsy, and as soon as it touched the wound, he let out another ‘ouch,’ his legs giving way as he fell to the ground.
This fall landed him right in front of the drought demon, which, smelling the blood, immediately bared its teeth and lunged at Wang Weizhen. This terrified Wang Weizhen; after all, when this thing bit, it wasn’t playing around. He tried to pull his leg back, but it felt numb and weak, unable to exert any force. Wang Weizhen was drenched in cold sweat, his hands frantically grabbing at nothing. Just as the drought demon was within reach, Wang Weizhen’s eyes caught sight of his shoe. In a flash of inspiration, he swiftly took off his left cotton shoe and, without a second thought, shoved it into the drought demon’s open mouth. Seizing this opportunity, Wang Weizhen scrambled to his feet and retreated.
“Ouch, my dear Master Wang, are you hurt?” Heishan, standing by the door, saw Wang Weizhen rolling towards him like a gourd and quickly helped him up.
Once on his feet, Wang Weizhen had no time for appearances, pointing frantically and saying, “Quick, stop this thing, stop this thing!”
“Stop…”
“Stop!” Bai Erlai and Heishan quickly echoed, but as soon as the words left their mouths, they noticed Wang Weizhen looking at them, then at the two severely injured men on the ground, and immediately understood.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, who’s going to stop it?” Bai Erlai stammered.
“Nonsense, do I look like I can go up there? You two go and hold it off for a moment while I catch my breath, then we’ll see!” Wang the Immortal’s beard was trembling, clearly in no condition to fight.
“Well… you…” Bai Erlai, though simple and honest, wasn’t stupid and quickly looked at Heishan, who promptly supported Wang Weizhen: “Old Bai, don’t worry, I’ll take care of Wang the Immortal here.”
At this point, Bai Erlai had no choice but to grit his teeth, slap his chest, grab a horizontal wooden beam from the ground, and leap down the steps. In the courtyard, the drought demon spat out the torn cotton shoe and charged towards him with a roar. Seeing the situation was dire, Bai Erlai let out a shout, closed his eyes, and swung the beam across the drought demon’s waist. Although the beam wasn’t the kind used for building rafters, it was still the backbone of a haystack, weighing at least fifty or sixty pounds, something an ordinary person couldn’t wield with finesse. The impact on the drought demon was like a mountain pressing down on its chest, enough to make anyone’s blood boil and organs rupture. But the drought demon was unfazed; with a swipe of its black-nailed hand, it tore a hole in the solid beam and tossed it aside, sending Bai Erlai and the beam flying.
Bai Erlai landed with a thud on the stone steps, his forehead bleeding. Seeing the indestructible drought demon approaching again, he shouted, “Wang the Immortal, are you ready yet? Say something!”
“Ready my foot, run!” Wang the Immortal spat on the ground and cursed.
Bai Erlai painfully got up, looked at Wang Weizhen, and gasped mockingly, “Why are you running too? You’re supposed to be an immortal, how come you flee at the sight of a ghost?”
“Damn it! Do you know what that thing is? It’s a drought demon! If we don’t run, we’ll be done for! Besides, isn’t Zhang Enpu still in the house for backup?” Wang Weizhen turned around, his face ashen.
“Just running isn’t enough, Immortal, think of something! This drought demon is too fast; someone needs to hold it off, or all three of us will be finished!” Bai Erlai said.
Wang Weizhen thought about it and nodded, “Alright, you and Heishan take these two brothers inside. I’ll stall it for a bit and wear it down for Zhang the Celestial Master.”
“Count on you, Wang the Immortal. I’ll retreat first. If anything happens to you, I’ll burn plenty of paper money for you, so you can start a Wang Corporation down there!” Heishan said, then dragged the two half-dead injured men into the house with Bai Erlai.
“Damn your grandmother!” Wang Weizhen jumped and cursed, but before he could finish, a foul wind hit him. He dodged, sidestepping the drought demon.
“Damn it, it’s relentless!” Wang Weizhen, now facing the drought demon’s back, leaped into the air, his upper body arching back as his hips thrust forward, executing a beautiful side kick that struck the demon’s back, sending it sprawling. Seizing the moment, Wang Weizhen grabbed the peach wood sword that had previously broken his nose and, with three swift strokes, charged forward.
I refuse to believe that a flurry of blows can’t defeat even a master. Today, I’ll wear this drought demon down! With this thought, Wang Weizhen’s fear gradually dissipated. He noticed that although the drought demon was fast and impervious to weapons, it wasn’t very intelligent—a bit of a moron, in fact. So, summoning his courage, he unleashed the skills he had learned from his master, and for a while, he managed to hold his own against the demon.
Inside the house, Zhang Enpu and Liu Dashao dragged the two injured men into the inner room, instructing Bai Erlai to feed them some internal injury medicine and apply some safflower oil before leaving them be.
“Old Taoist Zhang, I say, Wang the Immortal is still out there…”
But Zhang Enpu was busy mixing cinnabar in a wooden bucket and didn’t respond to Liu Dashao’s question.
“Hey, hey, what are you…” Liu Dashao was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth.
“What’s wrong with me?” Zhang Enpu, having finished mixing the black dog blood and realgar in the bucket, stood up and smiled at Liu Dashao.
“You…” Liu Dashao took a deep breath, almost choking, “Old Wang is out there fighting for you, and you’re just leaving him out there to die? Isn’t that heartless?”
“Oh, that’s what you’re worried about!” Zhang Enpu’s lips curled, “Don’t underestimate Old Wang. From what I’ve seen, he can hold out for five or six minutes.” Then, he frowned, “Old Wang was right to bring those four in. Who would have thought that after feeding on so much human blood, the drought demon would ascend to become the most formidable Drought Demon King? Evacuating the unrelated people allows Wang Weizhen to fight the Drought Demon King without any distractions.”
“Do you, old Taoist, have a way to deal with this zombie?” Liu Dashao asked urgently.
“I… don’t!” Zhang Enpu shook his head.
“What?” Liu Dashao was stunned, “Then what should we do? Now we’re all gathered here, perfect for the zombie to wipe us out in one go.”
“Not so fast!” Zhang Enpu laughed, “But fortunately, the records of the Celestial Masters of Longhu Mountain have a way to deal with this thing, so this time, we won’t be drawing water with a bamboo basket!”
Seeing the time was right, Zhang Enpu immediately instructed Liu Dashao to throw all the tables and chairs in the main hall outside and close the door.
Zhang Enpu drew several talismans on the door and walls, sealing the house, then took out the bucket of black dog blood and realgar, tossed in two handfuls of cinnabar, shook it well, and took out a brush to squat on the ground and start drawing the formation lines.
The courtyard was now bustling. A shout was heard, followed by a shrill scream, and then a shadow rushed over from outside. The shadow grew closer, and under the dim light, Liu Dashao gradually recognized it as Wang Weizhen.
This Immortal Wang was in a sorry state, his clothes torn in several places, one hand holding a broken peach wood sword, the other clutching a cloth bag, the sword’s scabbard nowhere to be seen.
Wang Weizhen stumbled over, and not far behind him leaped the ferocious red demon. Clearly, Wang Weizhen had failed to hold off the drought demon and had only enraged it further.
Zhang Enpu had already filled the ground with talismans and was inscribing the incantations on them. Seeing Wang Weizhen approaching, he shouted, “Find a way to hold it off for a moment, let me finish!”
With that, his hands moved even faster.
Wang Weizhen was stunned. Looking at Zhang Enpu’s actions, he understood what he was trying to do.
Zhang Enpu was making such a grand display, probably setting up a powerful formation! As the saying goes, if you haven’t eaten pork, you’ve at least seen a pig run! He had seen other sects’ Taoists perform similar acts before, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with it.
With a determined heart, Wang Weizhen pulled out a small sword made of copper coins from his pocket, the last treasure his master had passed down to him. He bit his middle finger, smeared the blood on the sword, and threw it at the drought demon behind him.
This sword was called the “Pure Yang Sword.” Copper coins, having passed through many hands, carried a strong yang energy, and with Wang Weizhen’s middle finger blood, the yang energy was even stronger. If it encountered ordinary “evil” or “grudge” entities, it would make them kneel and beg for mercy. But this time, it wasn’t dealing with an ordinary entity!
The “Pure Yang Sword” flew straight towards the drought demon. The demon initially retreated, then let out a sinister laugh, extended its long-nailed hand, and with a slap, shattered the “Pure Yang Sword.”
“It’s better to hear a ghost cry than a ghost laugh.” The sound of the ghost’s laughter was unbearable, the eerie sound sending chills down one’s spine. The drought demon’s slap broke the red string of Wang Weizhen’s “Pure Yang Sword,” scattering the copper coins. However, the drought demon didn’t come out unscathed; it was pushed back over a dozen steps by the “Pure Yang Sword.”
Finally, the last stroke was completed, and Zhang Enpu let out a long breath, putting away the brush.
Seeing Zhang Enpu was ready, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about appearances anymore and performed a “ground roll” past Zhang Enpu’s feet.
The drought demon, following closely, charged forward with claws bared.
Red lines almost covered the entire floor of the main hall, forming a large pattern. As Zhang Enpu drew, he muttered incantations under his breath. While drawing the formation lines, Zhang Enpu also took out twenty-eight copper coins and nine dark yellow talismans, placing them in specific positions within the formation. Each time he placed a coin or talisman, he tapped it heavily with the brush and chanted “Ji!” in a slightly raised voice.
The red lines drawn by Zhang Enpu weren’t the dry red color but resembled the flowing blood in human veins, quietly moving along his wolf-hair brush. As the formation neared completion, the red lines became more vibrant and full, gradually emitting a soft red glow, leaving the two onlookers in awe.
“This is too magical! First time seeing the old man do this!” Liu Dashao muttered.
When Zhang Enpu finished the entire formation, the red light suddenly disappeared. The entire formation fell silent, and the red lines on the ground returned to their dry red color.
“Oh, oh, oh, let’s move, let’s move…” The men finally snapped out of their daze and positioned themselves at the four cardinal directions, spinning their lassos with a whooshing sound. Bai Erlazi was the first to act, his wrist flicking as the dark iron hook flew out, landing squarely on the drought demon’s waist. The weight of the hook caused it to wrap around the demon several times before finally hanging down. The other three followed suit, and soon the drought demon was trussed up like a meat dumpling. The four men exchanged glances, then pulled hard on the ropes, tightening them until the demon was immobilized.
“Roar…” The drought demon let out a fierce cry, dropping Wang Weizhen and lunging at Bai Erlazi.
“Change formation, change formation!” Wang Weizhen, realizing the danger, quickly instructed. Without needing his command, the four men, having been trained by Zhang Enpu, sprang into action. The initial fear dissipated as they faced the life-and-death situation. Seeing the demon charge at Bai Erlazi, the two men controlling the ropes opposite him immediately increased their grip, hoisting the ropes onto their shoulders and pulling with all their might, like oxen dragging a cart. Bai Erlazi and Heishan stepped back several paces, tightening the slack ropes once more, thus immobilizing the demon again.
The skill of the lasso was not exclusive to the Celestial Masters; it originated from the tricks of the Maoshan Taoists. In later films, whenever zombies were mentioned, it was always the corpse drivers and Maoshan Taoists who were involved, and this was not without basis. Now, with the liberation and the denouncement of superstitions, this is no longer discussed. But in ancient times, the Maoshan Taoists were primarily engaged in the business of “corpse driving.” The scope of “corpse driving” was actually quite limited, confined to the mountainous regions of western Hunan, along the Yuan River. The terrain was rugged, making travel difficult, and transporting coffins back to their hometowns was even more troublesome. Many who worked and lived there would entrust their friends and relatives to ensure their remains were returned to their ancestral lands for burial, to avoid being buried in the desolate wilderness. To avoid the arduous task of carrying coffins over rough mountain paths, the Maoshan Taoists developed the unique method of “corpse driving.”
Since “corpse driving” involved transporting corpses, there were naturally many unstable factors, and corpse transformation was one of the frequent occurrences. The lasso was one of the methods the Maoshan Taoists used to deal with corpse transformation. After all, not every Taoist was as formidable as Lam Ching-ying in the movies. Zombies were savage and powerful, and engaging in hand-to-hand combat with them would surely lead to defeat. Thus, they devised this method to first immobilize the zombie, then use talismans to suppress it, making the task easier. Zhang Enpu taught this lasso formation to the four strong men, putting it to good use.
The drought demon was now completely hysterical. Its tightly shut eyes suddenly opened, emitting a blood-red glow, its hair disheveled, and its long tongue hanging out. Its ten long fingernails gleamed with a dark aura. It was clear that it had evolved to the highest level of zombie: the Drought Demon King. Wang Weizhen was utterly clueless, having only heard of such a thing. Damn, this was the ultimate zombie!
“You… don’t look at me, I’m not scared, I won’t fall for your tricks!” Wang Weizhen tightly gripped his peach wood sword, his lips trembling. Although the drought demon was temporarily bound, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse, and with his small sword, he wasn’t sure where to strike. While he was hesitating, Bai Erlazi was struggling. Born into a farming family, he had been doing hard labor since childhood, carrying bundles of firewood from the front mountain to the back without a second thought. But now, he clearly felt he was about to give out. Although the Maoshan Taoists had ingeniously used the principle of leverage in the lasso, it couldn’t withstand the immense strength of the drought demon. Bai Erlazi’s arms, gripping the ropes, were bulging with muscles, the veins like giant earthworms, swollen and taut. The cloth shoes on his feet scraped against the ground with a rustling sound. If this continued, not only would his arms break, but the soles of his shoes would wear through. The other three men, not as strong as Bai Erlazi, were already gasping for breath, holding on only by sheer willpower.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, hurry, we can’t hold on much longer!” Bai Erlazi gasped, speaking in broken sentences. Wang Weizhen knew he couldn’t hesitate any longer, or they would all be doomed. With a determined heart, he let out a grunt, channeling all his strength into the peach wood sword, and charged at the drought demon like a small locomotive.
He didn’t know that the drought demon, having become the Drought Demon King, had gained some intelligence. In this back-and-forth, it had realized that these guys were at their limit, and so it laughed even more mockingly. Its ten shiny black fingernails moved, pulling the two rope handlers to their knees. The peach wood sword that Wang Weizhen had used as a projectile earlier jumped out of the demon’s body with a ‘snap,’ grazing Wang Weizhen’s nose bridge. The nose bridge is the most fragile part of the face, and this blow left Wang Weizhen seeing stars, letting out a groan as he fell to the ground, tears streaming down his face. The drought demon roared several times, suddenly breaking free from the ropes. The two strong men in front crashed into the wall with a ‘bang,’ their mouths spraying blood. It could only be described in two words: brutal! It was worse than chest-breaking stones, and they were immediately out of the fight.
“Mom!” Bai Erlazi and Heishan exchanged glances, each seeing the fear in the other’s eyes. They didn’t care about the ropes anymore, simply bypassing the glutinous rice field and running like madmen towards the house.
Meanwhile, Wang Weizhen groggily got up from the ground, a large sleeve covering his nose bridge, his face pale and clearly in pain. Two streams of dark red blood seeped through his fingers. Wang Weizhen pursed his lips, quickly trying to wipe it away, but his hand was clumsy, and as soon as it touched the wound, he let out another ‘ouch,’ his legs giving way as he fell to the ground.
This fall happened to land him right in front of the drought demon. The demon, smelling the blood, immediately bared its teeth and lunged at Wang Weizhen. This scared Wang Weizhen out of his wits, as being bitten by this thing was no joke. He tried to pull his leg back, but it felt weak and unresponsive, making Wang Weizhen break out in a cold sweat, his hands flailing around, unable to find a solution. As the demon was almost upon him, Wang Weizhen’s eyes caught sight of his shoe. In a flash of inspiration, he swiftly took off the cotton shoe from his left foot and, without a second thought, shoved it into the demon’s open mouth. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen scrambled away, rolling on the ground and retreating.
“Ouch, my dear Master Wang, are you hurt?” Heishan, standing by the door, saw Wang Weizhen rolling towards him like a gourd. With quick reflexes, he helped Wang Weizhen up.
Once on his feet, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about his appearance, pointing frantically and saying, “Quick, stop that thing, stop it!”
“Stop…”
“Stop!” Bai Erlazi and Heishan quickly echoed, but as soon as the words left their mouths, they noticed Wang Weizhen looking at them, and then at the two severely injured men on the ground, and immediately understood.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, who’s going to stop it?” Bai Erlazi stammered.
“Nonsense, do I look like I can go up there? You two go and hold it off for a moment, let me catch my breath, then we’ll see!” Wang the Immortal’s beard was trembling, clearly in no condition to fight.
“Well… you…” Bai Erlazi, though simple and slow, wasn’t stupid, and quickly looked at Heishan, who promptly supported Wang Weizhen: “Old Bai, don’t worry, I’ll take care of Master Wang here.”
At this point, Bai Erlazi had no choice but to grit his teeth, slap his chest, pick up a wooden beam from the ground, and jump down the steps. In the courtyard, the drought demon spat out the torn cotton shoe and charged at him with a roar. Seeing that he was in trouble, Bai Erlazi let out a shout, closed his eyes, and swung the beam at the demon’s waist. Although the beam wasn’t as sturdy as a roof beam, it was still the backbone of a haystack, weighing at least fifty or sixty pounds, something an ordinary person couldn’t wield with finesse. The blow landed on the demon like a mountain pressing down on its chest, enough to make anyone’s blood boil and organs rupture. But the demon was unfazed, its long black fingernails tearing a hole in the hard beam, which it then tossed aside, sending Bai Erlazi flying along with it.
Bai Erlazi fell with a thud on the stone steps, his forehead bleeding. Seeing the indestructible demon approaching again, he shouted, “Master Wang, are you ready yet? Say something!”
“Ready my foot, run!” Wang the Immortal spat on the ground and cursed.
Bai Erlazi painfully got up, looking at Wang Weizhen and gasping, “Why are you running too? You’re supposed to be a great immortal, how come you flee at the sight of a ghost?”
“Damn it! Do you know what that thing is? It’s a drought demon! If we don’t run, we’ll be done for! Besides, isn’t Zhang Enpu still in the house for backup?” Wang Weizhen turned around, his face grim.
“Just running isn’t enough, Master Wang, think of something! The drought demon is too fast, someone has to hold it off, or all three of us will be done for!” Bai Erlazi said.
Wang Weizhen thought about it and realized it made sense, so he shook his head: “Fine, you and Heishan take these two brothers inside, I’ll stall it for a bit, wear it down for Master Zhang.”
“Count on you, Master Wang, I’m out of here. If anything happens to you, I’ll burn plenty of paper money for you, so you can start a Wang Corporation down there!” Heishan said, then dragged the two half-dead injured men into the house with Bai Erlazi.
“Damn your grandmother!” Wang Weizhen jumped and cursed, but before he could finish, a foul wind hit him. He dodged, sidestepping the demon.
“Damn it, it’s relentless!” Wang Weizhen, now facing the demon’s back, leaped up, his upper body leaning back, his hips thrusting forward, executing a beautiful side kick in mid-air, hitting the demon’s back and sending it flying. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen grabbed the peach wood sword that had earlier broken his nose bridge, swung it three times, and charged.
I don’t believe it, even a master can be beaten by random blows, today I’ll wear this drought demon down! With this thought, Wang Weizhen’s fear gradually faded. He noticed that although the demon was fast and impervious to weapons, it wasn’t very smart, a bit brain-dead, so to speak. Relying on his heroic spirit, he unleashed all the skills he had learned from his master, and for a while, he could hold his own against the demon.
Inside the house, Zhang Enpu and Liu Dashao dragged the two injured men into the inner room, casually instructing Bai Erlazi to feed them some internal injury medicine and apply some safflower oil, then left them alone.
“Old Taoist Zhang, I say Master Wang is still out there…”
But Zhang Enpu was only mixing cinnabar in a wooden bucket, not responding to Liu Dashao’s question.
“Hey, hey, you…” Liu Dashao was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth.
“What about me?” Zhang Enpu, after mixing the black dog blood, realgar, and other ingredients in the bucket, stood up and smiled at Liu Dashao.
“You…” Liu Dashao took a deep breath, almost choking: “Old Master Wang is out there fighting for you, and you’re just leaving him out there, isn’t that letting him die?”
“Oh, that’s what you’re worried about!” Zhang Enpu’s lips curled: “Don’t underestimate Old Wang, I’ve seen his skills, he can hold out for five or six minutes.” Then, he frowned: “Old Wang was right to bring those four in, no one expected that after feeding on so much human blood, the drought demon would level up, becoming the most difficult to deal with Drought Demon King. Evacuating the unrelated people allows Wang Weizhen to fight the Drought Demon King without any distractions.”
“Do you have a way to deal with this zombie, old Taoist?” Liu Dashao asked urgently.
“I… don’t!” Zhang Enpu shook his head.
“What?” Liu Dashao was stunned: “Then what do we do? Now we’re all together, perfect for the zombie to wipe us out in one go.”
“Wait, I haven’t finished!” Zhang Enpu smiled: “But fortunately, the records of the Celestial Masters of Mount Longhu have a way to deal with this thing, so this time, we won’t be drawing water with a bamboo basket!”
Seeing the time was right, Zhang Enpu immediately instructed Liu Dashao to throw all the tables and chairs in the main hall outside, then closed the door.
Zhang Enpu drew several talismans on the door and walls, sealing the house, then took out the bucket of black dog blood and realgar, threw in two handfuls of cinnabar, shook it well, took out a brush, and squatted on the ground to draw the formation lines.
The courtyard was now bustling, with a shout followed by a shrill scream, and then a shadow rushed over from outside. The shadow grew closer, and under the dim light, Liu Dashao gradually recognized it as Wang Weizhen.
This Master Wang was in a sorry state, his clothes torn in several places, one hand holding a broken peach wood sword, the other clutching a cloth bag, the sword’s sheath nowhere to be found.
Wang Weizhen stumbled over, the fierce red demon jumping not far behind him. Clearly, Wang Weizhen had failed to hold off the drought demon and had instead enraged it.
Zhang Enpu had already drawn talismans all over the ground and was lighting the inscriptions on them. Seeing Wang Weizhen running over, he quickly shouted: “Find a way to hold it off for a bit, let me finish!”
With that, his hands moved even faster.
Wang Weizhen was stunned. Looking at Zhang Enpu’s actions, he understood what he was trying to do.
Zhang Enpu was making such a big show of it, probably setting up a very powerful formation! As the saying goes, if you haven’t eaten pork, you’ve at least seen a pig run! He had seen other Taoist friends do this before, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with it.
At that moment, Wang Weizhen steeled his heart, took out a small sword made of copper coins from his pocket, the last treasure his master had passed down to him. He bit his middle finger, smeared the blood on the sword, and threw it at the drought demon behind him.
This sword was called the “Pure Yang Sword.” Copper coins, having passed through many hands, carried a strong yang energy, and with Wang Weizhen’s middle finger blood, the yang energy was even stronger. If it encountered ordinary “evil” or “resentful” spirits, it could make them kneel and beg for mercy. But this time, it wasn’t dealing with an ordinary thing!
The “Pure Yang Sword” flew straight at the drought demon. The demon first retreated, then let out a sinister laugh, extended its long-nailed hand, and with a slap, shattered the “Pure Yang Sword.”
“It’s better to hear a ghost cry than to hear a ghost laugh.” The sound of the ghost’s laugh was unbearable, the eerie laughter sending chills down one’s spine. The drought demon’s slap broke the red string of Wang Weizhen’s “Pure Yang Sword,” scattering the copper coins. But the demon didn’t come out unscathed, being pushed back more than ten steps by the “Pure Yang Sword.”
Finally, the last stroke was completed, and Zhang Enpu let out a long breath, putting away the brush.
Seeing that Zhang Enpu was ready, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about appearances anymore, performing a “ground roll” and rolling past Zhang Enpu’s feet.
The drought demon, following closely, charged with claws bared.
Red lines almost covered the entire floor of the main hall, forming a large pattern. As Zhang Enpu drew, he muttered incantations. While drawing the formation lines, Zhang Enpu also took out twenty-eight copper coins and nine dark yellow talismans, placing them in specific positions within the formation. Each time he placed a coin or talisman, he tapped it heavily with the brush, chanting “Ji!” in a slightly raised voice.
The red lines drawn by Zhang Enpu’s brush weren’t dry red, but like blood flowing through human veins, quietly moving along his wolf-hair brush. As the formation neared completion, the red lines became more vivid and full, gradually revealing a radiant red glow, leaving the two onlookers dumbfounded.
“This is too amazing! First time seeing the old man do this!” Liu Dashao muttered.
When Zhang Enpu finished the entire formation, the red light suddenly disappeared. The entire formation fell silent, the red lines on the ground returning to their dry red color.
“Oh, oh, oh, let’s do it, let’s do it…” The men finally snapped out of their daze and positioned themselves at the four cardinal directions, swinging their lassos vigorously. Bai Erlazi was the first to act, his wrist flicking as the dark iron hook flew out, landing squarely on the drought demon’s waist. The weight of the hook caused it to wrap around the demon several times before finally dropping. The other three followed suit, and soon the drought demon was trussed up like a meat dumpling. The four men exchanged glances, then pulled the ropes taut with all their might, immobilizing the demon.
“Roar…” The drought demon let out a fierce cry, abandoning Wang Weizhen and lunging towards Bai Erlazi.
“Change formation, change formation!” Wang Weizhen, seeing the danger, quickly instructed. Without needing his command, the four men, having been trained by Zhang Enpu, began to act. The initial fear gradually dissipated as they faced this life-and-death situation. Seeing the drought demon charge at Bai Erlaizi, the two men controlling the ropes opposite him immediately increased their wrist strength, hoisting the ropes onto their shoulders and pulling with all their might like oxen pulling a cart. Bai Erlazi and Heishan stepped back several paces, tightening the slack ropes once more, thus immobilizing the drought demon again.
The skill of the lasso was not exclusive to the Celestial Masters; it originated from the tricks of the Maoshan Taoists. In later films, whenever zombies were mentioned, corpse drivers and Maoshan Taoists were inevitably brought up, and this was not without basis. Now, with the liberation, superstitions were being eradicated. But in ancient times, the Maoshan Taoists were primarily engaged in the business of corpse driving. The scope of “corpse driving” was actually quite limited, confined to the mountainous regions of western Hunan, particularly the Yuan River basin, where the terrain was rugged and travel was difficult. Transporting corpses back to their hometowns in coffins was even more troublesome. Many who worked and lived here would entrust their friends and relatives to ensure their remains were returned to their ancestral lands for burial, to avoid being buried in these desolate mountains. To avoid the arduous task of carrying coffins over rough mountain paths, the unique method of “corpse driving” was thus developed by the Maoshan Taoists.
Corpse driving, being the transportation of corpses, naturally involved many unstable factors, and corpse transformation was one of the frequent occurrences. The lasso was one of the methods the Maoshan Taoists used to deal with corpse transformations. After all, not every Taoist was as formidable as Lam Ching-ying in the movies. Zombies were savage and strong, and engaging them in direct combat would surely lead to losses. Thus, they devised this method: first, immobilize the zombie, then use talismans to suppress it, making the task easier. Zhang Enpu taught this lasso formation to the four strong men, and it proved to be of great use.
The drought demon was now completely hysterical. Its tightly shut eyes suddenly opened, emitting a blood-red glow, its hair disheveled, and its long tongue hanging out. Its ten long nails shimmered with black energy. It was clear that it had evolved to the highest level of zombie: the Drought Demon King. Wang Weizhen was utterly out of his depth, having only heard of such things before. Damn it, this was the ultimate zombie!
“You… don’t look at me, I’m not scared, I don’t fall for your tricks!” Wang Weizhen tightly gripped his peach wood sword, his lips trembling. Although the drought demon was temporarily bound, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse, and with his small sword, he had no idea where to strike. As he looked around, Bai Erlazi was struggling. Born into a farming family, he had been doing hard labor since childhood, carrying bundles of firewood from the front mountain to the back without a second thought. But now, he clearly felt he was about to give out. Although the Maoshan Taoists had ingeniously used the principle of leverage in the lasso, it couldn’t withstand the immense strength of the drought demon. Bai Erlazi’s arms, gripping the ropes, were bulging with muscles, the veins like giant earthworms, and his cloth shoes were scraping against the ground. If this continued, not only would his arms break, but the soles of his shoes would wear through. The other three, not as strong as Bai Erlazi, were already gasping for breath, holding on purely by sheer willpower.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, hurry, we can’t hold on any longer!” Bai Erlazi panted, speaking in broken sentences. Wang Weizhen knew he couldn’t hesitate any longer, or they would all be doomed. With a determined heart, he let out a grunt, channeling all his strength into the peach wood sword, and charged at the drought demon like a small locomotive.
He didn’t know that the drought demon, having become the Drought Demon King, had gained some intelligence. In this back-and-forth, it realized these guys were at their limit, and it laughed even more sinisterly. Its ten shiny black nails moved, pulling the two rope handlers to their knees. The peach wood sword that Wang Weizhen had used as a hidden weapon earlier also jumped out of the drought demon’s body with a ‘snap,’ grazing Wang Weizhen’s nose bridge. The nose bridge, being the most fragile part of the body, immediately caused Wang Weizhen to see stars, and with a groan, he fell to the ground, tears streaming down his face. The drought demon roared several times, breaking free from the ropes. The two strong men at the front crashed into the wall with a ‘bang,’ their mouths spouting blood. It could only be described as bold! It was worse than chest-breaking, directly losing their fighting ability.
“Mother!” Bai Erlazi and Heishan exchanged glances, each seeing the fear in the other’s eyes. Without caring about the ropes, they ran around the glutinous rice field and into the house like madmen.
Meanwhile, Wang Weizhen groggily got up from the ground, a wide sleeve covering his nose bridge, his face pale. Two streams of dark red blood seeped through his fingers. Wang Weizhen’s mouth twitched, and he hurriedly wiped it, but his hand was clumsy, and as soon as it touched the wound, he let out another ‘ouch,’ his legs giving way, and he fell to the ground.
This fall happened to land him right in front of the drought demon. The demon, smelling the blood, immediately bared its teeth and pounced on Wang Weizhen. This terrified Wang Weizhen, as being bitten by this thing was no joke. He tried to pull his leg back, but it felt numb and weak, making him break out in a cold sweat. His hands flailed around, but he couldn’t find anything to grab onto. Seeing the drought demon right in front of him, Wang Weizhen’s eyes caught sight of his shoe. In a flash of inspiration, he quickly took off his left cotton shoe and, without a second thought, shoved it into the drought demon’s mouth. The demon’s mouth was open, and it bit down on Wang Weizhen’s stinky cotton shoe. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen scrambled to his feet and backed away.
“Ouch, my old man Wang, are you hurt?” Heishan, standing by the door, saw Wang Weizhen rolling over like a gourd and quickly helped him up.
Once on his feet, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about his appearance, pointing frantically, “Quick, stop that thing, stop that thing!”
“Stop…”
“Stop!” Bai Erlazi and Heishan quickly echoed, but as soon as the words left their mouths, they saw Wang Weizhen looking at them, then at the two severely injured men on the ground, and immediately understood.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, who’s going to stop it?” Bai Erlazi stammered.
“Nonsense, do I look like I can go up there? You two go and hold it off for a moment, let me catch my breath, then we’ll see!” Wang the Immortal’s beard was trembling, clearly in no condition to fight.
“Well… you…” Bai Erlazi, though simple and honest, wasn’t stupid and quickly looked at Heishan, who promptly supported Wang Weizhen, “Old Bai, don’t worry, I’ll take care of Wang the Immortal here.”
At this point, Bai Erlazi had no choice. Gritting his teeth, he slapped his chest, picked up a horizontal wooden beam from the ground, and jumped down the steps. In the courtyard, the drought demon spat out the tattered cotton shoe and charged forward with a roar. Bai Erlazi, seeing no way out, let out a shout, closed his eyes, and swung the beam across the drought demon’s waist. The beam, though not the kind used for roof beams, was still the backbone of a haystack, weighing at least fifty or sixty pounds, something an ordinary person couldn’t handle. The blow landed on the drought demon like a mountain pressing down on its chest, enough to make one’s blood boil and organs rupture. But the drought demon was unfazed. Its long, black-nailed hand grabbed the hard log, tore a hole in it, and threw it aside, sending Bai Erlazi and the log flying.
Bai Erlazi fell with a thud on the stone steps, his forehead bleeding. Seeing the indestructible drought demon approaching again, he shouted, “Wang the Immortal, are you ready? Say something!”
“Ready my foot, run!” Wang the Immortal spat on the ground and cursed.
Bai Erlazi painfully got up, looked at Wang Weizhen, and gasped, “Why are you running too? You’re supposed to be an immortal, how come you’re fleeing at the sight of a ghost?”
“Damn it! Do you know what that thing is? It’s a drought demon! If we don’t run, we’ll be done for! Besides, isn’t Zhang Enpu still in the house for backup?” Wang Weizhen turned around, his face grim.
“Just running isn’t enough, Immortal, think of something! This drought demon is too fast, someone needs to hold it off, or the three of us will be done for!” Bai Erlazi said.
Wang Weizhen thought about it and nodded, “Alright, you and Heishan take these two brothers inside, I’ll stall it for a bit, wear down its strength for Zhang the Celestial Master.”
“Count on you, Wang the Immortal, I’m retreating now. If anything happens to you, I’ll burn a lot of paper money for you, so you can start a Wang Corporation down there!” Heishan said, then dragged the two half-dead injured men into the house with Bai Erlazi.
“Damn your grandmother!” Wang Weizhen jumped and cursed, but before he could finish, a foul wind hit him. He dodged, sidestepping the drought demon.
“Damn it, it’s relentless!” Wang Weizhen was now facing the drought demon’s back. He pushed off the ground with both feet, leaped into the air, arched his upper body back, and thrust his hips forward, executing a beautiful side kick in mid-air, hitting the drought demon’s back and sending it flying. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen grabbed the peach wood sword that had earlier broken his nose bridge, swung it three times, and charged forward.
I don’t believe it, even a master can be beaten by random blows. Today, I’ll fight this drought demon to the end! With this thought, Wang Weizhen’s fear gradually dissipated. He realized that although the drought demon was fast and invulnerable, its brain wasn’t quite up to par, or in other words, it was a bit brain-dead. So, with a bit of heroism, he began to use all the skills he had learned from his master, and for a while, he managed to hold his own against the drought demon.
Inside the house, Zhang Enpu and Liu Dashao dragged the two injured men into the inner room, casually instructing Bai Erlazi to feed them some internal injury medicine and apply some safflower oil, then left them alone.
“Old Taoist Zhang, I say Wang the Immortal is still outside…”
But Zhang Enpu was only mixing cinnabar in a wooden bucket, not responding to Liu Dashao’s question.
“Hey, hey, you…” Liu Dashao was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth.
“What about me?” Zhang Enpu, after evenly mixing the black dog blood, realgar, and other substances in the wooden bucket, stood up and smiled at Liu Dashao.
“You…” Liu Dashao took a deep breath, almost choking, “Old man Wang is out there fighting for you, and you’re just leaving him out there, isn’t that abandoning him?”
“Is that all?” Zhang Enpu’s lips curled, “Don’t underestimate Old Wang, I’ve seen his skills, he can hold out for five or six minutes.” Then, he frowned, “Old Wang was right to bring those four in. No one expected that after consuming so much human blood, the drought demon would level up and become the most difficult to deal with, the Drought Demon King. Evacuating the unrelated people allows Wang Weizhen to fight the Drought Demon King without any distractions.”
“Old Taoist, do you have a way to deal with this zombie?” Liu Dashao asked urgently.
“I… don’t!” Zhang Enpu shook his head.
“What?” Liu Dashao was completely stunned, “Then what should we do? Now we’re all together, just waiting for the zombie to wipe us out.”
“Not so fast!” Zhang Enpu smiled, “Fortunately, the records of the Celestial Masters of Longhu Mountain through the ages have methods to deal with this thing, so this time, we won’t be drawing water with a bamboo basket!”
Seeing the time was right, Zhang Enpu immediately instructed Liu Dashao to throw all the tables and chairs in the main hall outside, then closed the door.
Zhang Enpu drew several talismans on the door and walls, sealing the house, then took out the wooden bucket containing black dog blood and realgar, threw in two handfuls of cinnabar, shook it well, took out a brush, and squatted on the ground to draw the formation lines.
The courtyard was now bustling. A shout was heard, followed by a shrill scream, and then a shadow rushed over from outside. The shadow grew closer, and under the dim light, Liu Dashao gradually recognized it as Wang Weizhen.
This Wang the Immortal was in a sorry state, his clothes torn in several places, one hand holding a broken peach wood sword, the other clutching a cloth bag, the sword’s scabbard nowhere to be found.
Wang Weizhen stumbled over, and not far behind him leaped the ferocious red demon. Clearly, Wang Weizhen had ultimately failed to hold off the drought demon and had only enraged it further.
Zhang Enpu had already drawn talismans all over the ground and was now lighting the inscriptions on them. Seeing Wang Weizhen running over, he quickly shouted, “Find a way to hold it off for a bit, let me finish!”
With that, his hands moved even faster.
Wang Weizhen was stunned. Looking at Zhang Enpu’s actions, he understood what he was trying to do.
Zhang Enpu was making such a big show of it, probably setting up a very powerful formation! As the saying goes, if you haven’t eaten pork, you’ve at least seen a pig run! He had seen other sects’ Taoists do this before, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with it.
With a determined heart, Wang Weizhen took out a small sword made of copper coins strung together, the last treasure his master had passed down to him. He bit his middle finger, smeared the blood on the sword, and threw it at the drought demon behind him.
This sword was called the “Pure Yang Sword.” The copper coins, having passed through many hands, were imbued with a great deal of yang energy, and with Wang Weizhen’s middle finger blood, the yang energy was even stronger. If it encountered ordinary “evil” or “resentful” entities, it could make them kneel and beg for mercy. But this time, it wasn’t dealing with an ordinary thing!
The “Pure Yang Sword” flew straight at the drought demon. The demon first retreated, then let out a sinister laugh, extended its long-nailed hand, and with a slap, shattered the “Pure Yang Sword.”
“Better to hear a ghost cry than a ghost laugh.” The sound of the ghost’s laughter was unbearable, the eerie laughter sending chills down one’s spine. The drought demon’s slap broke the red string of Wang Weizhen’s “Pure Yang Sword,” scattering the copper coins. However, the drought demon didn’t come out unscathed either, being pushed back more than ten steps by the “Pure Yang Sword.”
Finally, the last stroke was completed, and Zhang Enpu let out a long sigh, putting away the brush.
Seeing Zhang Enpu ready, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about appearances anymore, performing a “ground roll” and rolling past Zhang Enpu’s feet.
The drought demon, following closely, charged forward with claws bared.
Lines of red almost covered the entire floor of the main hall, forming a large pattern. As Zhang Enpu drew, he muttered incantations under his breath. While drawing the formation lines, Zhang Enpu also took out twenty-eight copper coins and nine dark yellow talismans, placing them in specific positions within the formation. Each time he placed a coin or talisman, he tapped it heavily with the brush and chanted “Quick!” in a slightly raised voice.
The red lines drawn by Zhang Enpu’s brush weren’t the dry red color but flowed like blood in human veins, quietly moving along his wolf-hair brush. As the formation neared completion, the red lines became more vivid and full, gradually revealing a radiant red glow, leaving the two present in awe.
“This is too magical! First time seeing the old man do this!” Liu Dashao muttered.
When Zhang Enpu finished the entire formation, the red light suddenly disappeared. The entire formation fell silent, the red lines on the ground returning to their dry red color.
Now, this rope-lashing technique wasn’t exclusive to the Celestial Masters sect. Its origins actually lay with the Maoshan Taoists, who developed it. In modern films, whenever zombies are mentioned, they are often linked to corpse handlers and Maoshan Taoists, and this connection is not baseless. During ancient times, the Maoshan Taoists were primarily responsible for the practice of “corpse herding.” The scope of this practice was actually quite limited, mostly confined to the mountainous regions of western Hunan along the Yuan River. These were remote, rugged terrains where even walking was difficult. Many people who worked and died there would entrust their relatives to return their remains to their hometowns for burial, rather than be buried in these desolate mountains. To avoid the difficulty of carrying coffins across such rough terrain, the unique method of corpse transportation known as “corpse herding” was developed by the Maoshan Taoists.
“Corpse herding” naturally involved many unstable factors, with corpse transformations being one of the more common occurrences. The rope lassos were one of the techniques Maoshan practitioners developed to deal with such situations. After all, not every Taoist was as formidable as Lin Zhengying in the movies. Facing zombies with immense strength, direct hand-to-hand combat would be foolish, so they devised this method—first binding the zombies, then applying talismans to subdue them. Zhang Enpu handing this rope technique over to four strong men was indeed putting it to good use.
“Oh, oh, oh, let’s go, let’s go…” The group finally snapped out of their daze and positioned themselves at the four cardinal directions, spinning their lassos with a whooshing sound. Bai Erlazi was the first to act, his wrist flicking as the black iron hook flew out of his hand, landing squarely on the drought demon’s waist. The weight of the hook caused it to wrap around the demon several times before finally hanging down. The other three followed suit, and soon the drought demon was trussed up like a meat dumpling. The four men exchanged glances, then pulled the ropes taut with all their might, immobilizing the demon.
“Roar…” The drought demon let out a piercing shriek, dropping Wang Weizhen and lunging towards Bai Erlazi.
“Change formation, change formation!” Wang Weizhen, realizing the danger, quickly instructed. Without needing his command, the four men, having been trained by Zhang Enpu, sprang into action. The initial fear faded as they faced this life-or-death situation. Seeing the demon charge at Bai Erlazi, the two men controlling the ropes opposite him immediately increased their grip, hoisting the ropes over their shoulders and pulling with all their strength, like oxen dragging a cart. Bai Erlazi and Heishan stepped back several paces, tightening the slack ropes, once again immobilizing the demon.
The art of the lasso wasn’t exclusive to the Celestial Masters; it originated from the Maoshan Taoists. In later films, whenever zombies were mentioned, it was always the corpse drivers and Maoshan Taoists who dealt with them, and this wasn’t without basis. In ancient times, Maoshan Taoists specialized in “corpse driving,” a practice limited to the mountainous regions of western Hunan, where the terrain was rugged and transporting coffins was extremely cumbersome. Many who worked there would entrust their remains to be transported back to their hometowns for burial, avoiding the desolate wilderness. To avoid the arduous task of carrying coffins through the rough terrain, the Maoshan Taoists developed the unique method of “corpse driving.”
Corpse driving, being the transportation of bodies, naturally involved many unstable factors, with corpse transformation being a frequent occurrence. The lasso was one of the Maoshan Taoists’ methods to deal with such transformations. After all, not every Taoist was as formidable as Lam Ching-ying in the movies. Zombies were savage and powerful, and engaging them in direct combat would surely lead to defeat. Thus, they devised this method to first restrain the zombie, then use talismans to suppress it, making the task manageable. Zhang Enpu teaching this lasso formation to the four strong men was indeed putting it to good use.
The drought demon was now completely hysterical. Its tightly shut eyes suddenly opened, emitting a blood-red glow, its hair disheveled, and its long tongue hanging out. Its ten long nails gleamed with a dark aura. It had clearly evolved into the highest form of zombie: the Drought Demon King. Wang Weizhen was utterly out of his depth, having only heard of such a creature. This was undoubtedly the pinnacle of zombies!
“You… don’t look at me like that, I’ve seen my share of horrors, I’m not scared of you!” Wang Weizhen gripped his peach wood sword tightly, his lips trembling. Although the drought demon was temporarily restrained, a starved camel was still bigger than a horse. With his small sword, he wasn’t sure where to strike. As he hesitated, Bai Erlazi was struggling. Born into a farming family, he had grown up doing hard labor, carrying bundles of firewood from the front mountain to the back without a second thought. But now, he clearly felt he was reaching his limit. Despite the clever use of leverage by the Maoshan Taoists in the lasso, the drought demon’s immense strength was too much. Bai Erlazi’s arms, gripping the ropes, were bulging with muscles, the veins like giant earthworms, his cloth shoes scraping against the ground. If this continued, not only would his arms break, but his soles would wear through. The other three, with less strength than Bai Erlazi, were already gasping for breath, holding on purely by willpower.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, hurry, we can’t hold on much longer!” Bai Erlazi gasped, speaking in broken sentences. Wang Weizhen knew he couldn’t hesitate any longer, or they would all be doomed. With a determined heart, he channeled all his strength into the peach wood sword, charging at the drought demon like a small locomotive.
He didn’t know that the drought demon, having become the Drought Demon King, had gained some intelligence. It could see that these men were at their limits and laughed even more mockingly. Its ten black, shiny nails moved, pulling the two rope handlers to their knees. The peach wood sword, which Wang Weizhen had used as a hidden weapon, jumped out of the demon’s body with a ‘snap,’ grazing Wang Weizhen’s nose bridge. The nose bridge, being the most fragile part, caused Wang Weizhen to collapse with a groan, tears streaming down his face. The drought demon roared several times, breaking free from the ropes. The two strong men crashed into the wall with a ‘bang,’ their mouths spraying blood, a scene that could only be described as ‘bold!’ They were worse off than those who had their chests crushed by boulders, immediately losing their fighting ability.
“Mother!” Bai Erlazi and Heishan exchanged glances, each seeing the fear in the other’s eyes. They abandoned the ropes, running around the glutinous rice field and into the house like madmen.
Meanwhile, Wang Weizhen groggily got up from the ground, a wide sleeve covering his nose bridge, his face pale and clearly in pain. Dark red blood seeped through his fingers. Wang Weizhen pursed his lips, quickly wiping it away, but his hand was clumsy, and as soon as it touched the wound, he let out another ‘ouch,’ his legs giving way, and he fell to the ground.
This fall happened to land him right in front of the drought demon. The demon, smelling the blood, immediately bared its teeth and lunged at Wang Weizhen, who was terrified. After all, being bitten by this thing was no joke. He tried to pull his leg back, but it felt weak and unresponsive, causing Wang Weizhen to break out in a cold sweat, his hands flailing aimlessly. As the demon came within reach, Wang Weizhen’s eyes caught sight of his shoe. In a flash of inspiration, he swiftly took off his left cotton shoe and, without a second thought, shoved it into the demon’s open mouth. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen scrambled away, retreating backward.
“Ouch, my dear Wang, are you hurt?” Heishan, standing by the door, saw Wang Weizhen rolling over like a gourd and quickly helped him up.
Wang Weizhen, now on his feet, didn’t care about his appearance, pointing frantically, “Quick, stop that thing, stop it!”
“Stop…”
“Stop!” Bai Erlazi and Heishan echoed, but as soon as the words left their mouths, they noticed Wang Weizhen looking at them, then at the two severely injured men on the ground, and immediately understood.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, who’s going to stop it?” Bai Erlazi stammered.
“Nonsense, do I look like I can go up there? You two hold it off for a moment while I catch my breath!” Wang the Immortal’s beard trembled, clearly in no condition to fight.
“Well… you…” Bai Erlazi, though simple and slow, wasn’t stupid and quickly looked at Heishan, who promptly supported Wang Weizhen, “Old Bai, don’t worry, I’ll take care of Wang the Immortal.”
At this point, Bai Erlazi had no choice. Gritting his teeth, he slapped his chest, picked up a horizontal beam from the ground, and jumped down the steps. In the courtyard, the drought demon spat out the tattered cotton shoe and charged forward with a roar. Bai Erlazi, seeing the situation was dire, let out a shout, closed his eyes, and swung the beam across the demon’s waist. The beam, though not as sturdy as a roof beam, was still the backbone of a haystack, weighing at least fifty or sixty pounds, something an ordinary person couldn’t wield with finesse. The impact on the demon was like a mountain pressing down on its chest, enough to make one’s blood boil and organs rupture. But the demon was unfazed, its long black nails tearing a hole in the hard beam, which it then tossed aside, sending Bai Erlazi and the beam flying.
Bai Erlazi fell with a thud on the stone steps, his forehead bleeding. Seeing the indestructible demon approaching, he shouted, “Wang the Immortal, are you ready? Say something!”
“Ready my foot, run!” Wang the Immortal spat on the ground, cursing.
Bai Erlazi painfully got up, looking at Wang Weizhen, panting and mocking, “Why are you running too? You’re supposed to be an immortal, why are you fleeing at the sight of a ghost?”
“Damn it! Do you know what that thing is? It’s a drought demon! If we don’t run, we’ll be done for! Besides, isn’t Zhang Enpu still in the house for backup?” Wang Weizhen turned around, his face grim.
“Running isn’t enough, Immortal. Think of something! This demon is too fast; someone needs to hold it off, or we’ll all be done for!” Bai Erlazi said.
Wang Weizhen thought for a moment and nodded, “Alright, you and Heishan take these two brothers inside. I’ll stall it, weaken it a bit for Zhang Enpu.”
“Count on you, Wang the Immortal. I’ll retreat first. If anything happens to you, I’ll burn plenty of paper money for you to start a Wang Corporation in the afterlife!” Heishan said, dragging the two injured men into the house with Bai Erlazi.
“Damn your grandmother!” Wang Weizhen cursed as he jumped, but before he could finish, a foul wind hit him, and he dodged, sidestepping the demon.
“Damn, it’s relentless!” Wang Weizhen, now facing the demon’s back, pushed off the ground with both feet, leaping into the air, his upper body leaning back, his hips thrusting forward, executing a beautiful side kick that struck the demon’s back, sending it tumbling. Seizing the moment, Wang Weizhen grabbed the peach wood sword that had earlier broken his nose, swung it three times, and charged forward.
I refuse to believe that a flurry of blows can’t take down a master. Today, I’ll wear this drought demon down! With this thought, Wang Weizhen’s fear gradually dissipated. He noticed that although the demon was fast and impervious to weapons, it wasn’t very intelligent—somewhat brain-dead, in fact. Emboldened, he drew on his training from his master, and for a while, he managed to hold his own against the demon.
Inside the house, Zhang Enpu and Liu Dashao pulled the two injured men into the inner room, instructing Bai Erlazi to give them some internal injury medicine and apply some safflower oil before leaving them be.
“Old Taoist Zhang, Wang the Immortal is still out there…”
But Zhang Enpu was busy mixing cinnabar in a wooden bucket, ignoring Liu Dashao’s question.
“Hey, hey, what are you…” Liu Dashao was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth.
“What’s wrong with me?” Zhang Enpu, after mixing the black dog blood, realgar, and other ingredients, stood up and smiled at Liu Dashao.
“You…” Liu Dashao took a deep breath, almost choking, “Old Wang is out there fighting for you, and you’re just leaving him out there, isn’t that abandoning him?”
“Is that all?” Zhang Enpu’s lips curled, “Don’t underestimate Old Wang. I’ve seen his skills; he can hold out for five or six minutes.” Then, he frowned, “Old Wang was right to bring those four in. No one expected the drought demon, after feeding on so much human blood, to evolve into the most formidable Drought Demon King. Evacuating the bystanders allows Wang Weizhen to stall the demon without any distractions.”
“Do you have a way to deal with this zombie, old Taoist?” Liu Dashao asked urgently.
“I… don’t!” Zhang Enpu shook his head.
“What?” Liu Dashao was stunned, “Then what should we do? Now we’re all gathered here, perfect for the zombie to wipe us out in one go.”
“Not so fast!” Zhang Enpu smiled, “Fortunately, the records of the Celestial Masters of Longhu Mountain have methods to deal with this, so we won’t be left empty-handed!”
Seeing the time was right, Zhang Enpu immediately instructed Liu Dashao to throw the tables and chairs from the main hall outside and close the door.
Zhang Enpu drew several talismans on the door and walls, sealing the house. Then, he took out the wooden bucket containing black dog blood and realgar, threw in two handfuls of cinnabar, stirred it well, and took out a brush, squatting on the ground to draw the formation lines.
The courtyard was now bustling. A shout was heard, followed by a piercing scream, and then a shadow rushed in from outside. The shadow grew closer, and under the dim light, Liu Dashao gradually recognized it as Wang Weizhen.
Wang the Immortal looked quite disheveled, his clothes torn in several places, one hand holding a broken peach wood sword, the other clutching a cloth bag, the sword’s scabbard nowhere to be seen.
Wang Weizhen stumbled over, the ferocious red demon jumping not far behind him. Clearly, Wang Weizhen had failed to stall the demon and had only enraged it further.
Zhang Enpu had already drawn the talismans on the ground and was lighting the inscriptions on them. Seeing Wang Weizhen approach, he shouted, “Find a way to hold it off for a moment, let me finish!”
With that, his hands moved even faster.
Wang Weizhen was momentarily stunned. Seeing Zhang Enpu’s actions, he understood what was happening.
Zhang Enpu was making such a grand display, likely setting up a powerful formation! As the saying goes, even if you haven’t eaten pork, you’ve seen pigs run! He had heard other Taoists speak of such things before, so he wasn’t unfamiliar.
With a determined heart, Wang Weizhen pulled out a small sword made of copper coins from his pocket, the last treasure his master had passed down to him. He bit his middle finger, smeared the blood on the sword, and threw it at the drought demon behind him.
This sword was called the “Pure Yang Sword.” Copper coins, having passed through many hands, carried a strong yang energy, and with Wang Weizhen’s middle finger blood, the yang energy was even stronger. If it encountered ordinary “evil” or “resentful” spirits, it would make them kneel and beg for mercy. But this time, it wasn’t dealing with an ordinary foe!
The “Pure Yang Sword” flew straight at the drought demon. The demon initially retreated, then let out a sinister laugh, extending its long-nailed hand and smashing the sword to pieces.
“Better to hear a ghost cry than a ghost laugh.” The ghost’s laughter was unbearable, a chilling sound that made one’s hair stand on end. The demon’s slap broke the red string of Wang Weizhen’s “Pure Yang Sword,” scattering the copper coins. However, the demon didn’t come out unscathed, being pushed back over ten steps by the sword’s force.
Finally, the last stroke was completed, and Zhang Enpu let out a long breath, putting away the brush.
Seeing Zhang Enpu ready, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about appearances, rolling on the ground like a gourd to get past Zhang Enpu.
The drought demon followed closely, claws bared, charging forward.
Red lines almost covered the main hall’s floor, forming a large pattern. As Zhang Enpu drew the lines, he muttered incantations. While drawing the formation, he also took out twenty-eight copper coins and nine dark yellow talismans, placing them in specific positions within the formation. Each time he placed a coin or talisman, he tapped it heavily with the brush, chanting “Swift!” in a slightly raised voice.
The red lines drawn by Zhang Enpu weren’t dry red but flowed like blood through veins, quietly moving along his wolf-hair brush. As the formation neared completion, the lines became more vibrant and full, gradually emitting a soft red glow, leaving the two onlookers dumbfounded.
“This is too amazing! First time seeing the old man do this!” Liu Dashao muttered.
When Zhang Enpu finished the formation, the red light suddenly disappeared. The entire formation fell silent, the red lines on the ground returning to their dry red color.
“Oh, oh, oh, let’s do it, let’s do it…” A few people finally snapped out of their daze and positioned themselves at the four cardinal directions, spinning their lassos with a whooshing sound. Bai Er Lai was the first to act, his wrist flicking as the black iron hook flew out and latched onto the drought demon’s waist. The weight of the hook caused it to wrap around the demon several times before finally dropping. The other three followed suit, and soon the drought demon was trussed up like a meat dumpling. The four men exchanged glances, then pulled the ropes taut with all their might, immobilizing the demon.
“Roar…” The drought demon let out a fierce cry, dropping Wang Weizhen and lunging towards Bai Er Lai.
“Change formation, change formation!” Wang Weizhen, seeing the danger, quickly instructed. Without needing his command, the four men, having been trained by Zhang Enpu, immediately adjusted. The initial fear had faded, replaced by a sense of urgency. As the demon charged at Bai Er Lai, the two men on the opposite side of the rope increased their grip, hoisting the rope onto their shoulders and pulling with all their strength, like oxen dragging a cart. Bai Er Lai and Hei Shan retreated several steps, tightening the slack in the rope, once again immobilizing the demon.
The skill of the lasso was not exclusive to the Celestial Master Sect; its origins lay in the tricks developed by the Maoshan Taoists. In later films, whenever zombies were mentioned, it was always the corpse drivers and Maoshan Taoists who were involved, and this was not without reason. In ancient times, the Maoshan Taoists were primarily engaged in the business of “driving corpses.” The scope of this activity was quite limited, confined mainly to the mountainous regions of western Hunan, particularly the Yuan River basin. The terrain was rugged, making travel difficult, and transporting coffins back to one’s hometown was even more troublesome. Many who worked and lived there would entrust their remains to relatives and friends, ensuring they were buried in their homeland rather than in the desolate wilderness. To avoid the arduous task of carrying coffins over rough terrain, the Maoshan Taoists developed the unique method of “driving corpses.”
Driving corpses, as the name suggests, involved transporting bodies, and there were many unstable factors involved, with corpse transformation being one of the most common occurrences. The lasso was one of the methods the Maoshan Taoists used to deal with such transformations. After all, not every Taoist was as formidable as Lam Ching-ying in the movies. Zombies were savage and strong, and engaging them in hand-to-hand combat would surely lead to disaster. Thus, they devised this method to first restrain the zombie and then use talismans to suppress it, making the task easier. Zhang Enpu had taught this lasso formation to the four strong men, and it was proving its worth.
The drought demon was now completely hysterical. Its tightly shut eyes suddenly opened, emitting a blood-red glow. Its hair was disheveled, its long tongue hanging out, and its ten long nails shimmered with black energy. It had clearly evolved to the highest level of zombiehood: the Drought Demon King. Wang Weizhen had no confidence at all; after all, he had only heard of such things. Damn it, this was the ultimate zombie!
“You… don’t look at me like that, I’m not scared of you, I won’t fall for your tricks!” Wang Weizhen gripped his peach wood sword tightly, his lips trembling. Although the drought demon was temporarily restrained, a starved camel was still bigger than a horse, and with his small sword, he had no idea where to strike. While he was hesitating, Bai Er Lai was struggling. Born into a farming family, he had grown up doing hard labor, carrying bundles of firewood from the front mountain to the back without a second thought. But now, he was clearly feeling the strain. Despite the clever use of leverage by the Maoshan Taoists in the lasso, the drought demon’s strength was overwhelming. Bai Er Lai’s arms, gripping the rope, were bulging with muscles, the veins like giant earthworms, and his cloth shoes were scraping against the ground with a rustling sound. If this continued, not only would his arms break, but the soles of his shoes would wear through. The other three men, not as strong as Bai Er Lai, were already gasping for breath, holding on only by sheer willpower.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, hurry, we can’t hold on much longer!” Bai Er Lai gasped, speaking in broken sentences. Wang Weizhen knew he couldn’t hesitate any longer, or they would all be doomed. With a grunt, he channeled all his strength into the peach wood sword and charged at the drought demon like a small locomotive.
He didn’t know that the drought demon, having become the Drought Demon King, had gained some intelligence. In this back-and-forth, it had realized that these guys were at their limit, and it laughed even more mockingly. With a flick of its ten black, shiny nails, it pulled the two men holding the rope to their knees. The peach wood sword that Wang Weizhen had used as a projectile earlier jumped out of the drought demon’s body with a ‘snap,’ grazing Wang Weizhen’s nose bridge. The nose bridge is the most fragile part of the human body, and the impact sent Wang Weizhen reeling, tears streaming down his face. The drought demon roared several times, breaking free from the ropes. The two strong men at the front crashed into the wall with a ‘bang,’ their mouths spewing blood. It could only be described as ‘bold!’ They were worse off than someone breaking a boulder with their chest, completely losing their ability to fight.
“Mother!” Bai Er Lai and Hei Shan exchanged glances, each seeing the fear in the other’s eyes. They didn’t care about the ropes anymore, simply running around the glutinous rice field and dashing into the house like madmen.
Meanwhile, Wang Weizhen groggily got up from the ground, a large sleeve covering his nose bridge, his face pale. Two streams of dark red blood seeped through his fingers. Wang Weizhen pursed his lips, quickly trying to wipe it away, but his hand was clumsy, and as soon as it touched the wound, he let out another ‘ouch,’ his legs giving way as he fell to the ground.
This fall landed him right in front of the drought demon, which, smelling the blood, immediately bared its teeth and lunged at Wang Weizhen. This terrified Wang Weizhen; after all, being bitten by this thing was no joke. He tried to pull his legs back, but they felt weak and unresponsive, causing cold sweat to drench his back. His hands flailed around, but he couldn’t find anything to grab onto. As the drought demon loomed closer, Wang Weizhen’s eyes caught sight of his shoe, and in a flash of inspiration, he swiftly took off the cotton shoe on his left foot and, without a second thought, shoved it into the drought demon’s open mouth. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen scrambled to his feet and retreated.
“Oh my, Master Wang, are you hurt?” Hei Shan, standing by the door, saw Wang Weizhen rolling towards him like a gourd and quickly helped him up.
Once on his feet, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about his appearance, pointing frantically and saying, “Quick, stop that thing, stop that thing!”
“Stop…”
“Stop!” Bai Er Lai and Hei Shan quickly echoed, but as soon as the words left their mouths, they noticed Wang Weizhen looking at them, and then at the two severely injured men on the ground, and they immediately understood.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, who’s going to stop it?” Bai Er Lai stammered.
“Nonsense, do I look like I can go up there? You two go and hold it off for a moment while I catch my breath!” Wang the Immortal’s beard was trembling, clearly in no condition to fight.
“Well… you…” Bai Er Lai, though simple and honest, wasn’t stupid, and quickly looked at Hei Shan, who was more decisive, immediately supporting Wang Weizhen: “Old Bai, don’t worry, I’ll take care of Wang the Immortal here.”
At this point, Bai Er Lai had no choice but to grit his teeth, slap his chest, grab a wooden beam from the ground, and jump down the steps. In the courtyard, the drought demon spat out the tattered cotton shoe and charged towards him with a roar. Seeing that he was in trouble, Bai Er Lai let out a shout, closed his eyes, and swung the wooden beam across the drought demon’s waist. The beam, though not as sturdy as a roof beam, was still the backbone of a haystack, weighing at least fifty or sixty pounds, something an ordinary person couldn’t wield with finesse. The impact on the drought demon was like a mountain pressing down on its chest, enough to make anyone’s blood boil and organs rupture. But the drought demon was unfazed, its long black nails tearing a hole in the hard log, which it then tossed aside, sending Bai Er Lai and the log flying.
Bai Er Lai landed with a thud on the stone steps, his forehead bleeding. Seeing the indestructible drought demon approaching again, he shouted, “Wang the Immortal, are you ready yet? Say something!”
“Ready my foot, run!” Wang the Immortal spat on the ground and cursed.
Bai Er Lai painfully got up, looked at Wang Weizhen, and gasped, “Why are you running too? You’re supposed to be an immortal, how come you’re fleeing at the sight of a ghost?”
“Damn it! Do you know what that thing is? It’s a drought demon! If we don’t run, we’ll be done for! Besides, isn’t Zhang Enpu still in the house for backup?” Wang Weizhen turned around, his face grim.
“Running isn’t enough, Immortal, you need to think of something! This drought demon is too fast, someone needs to hold it off, or all three of us will be done for!” Bai Er Lai said.
Wang Weizhen thought about it and nodded, “Alright, you and Hei Shan take these two brothers inside, I’ll try to wear it down a bit for Master Zhang.”
“Count on you, Wang the Immortal, I’m out of here. If anything happens to you, I’ll burn some paper money for you, so you can start a Wang Corporation down there!” Hei Shan said, then dragged the two half-dead injured men into the house with Bai Er Lai.
“I curse your ancestors!” Wang Weizhen jumped and cursed, but before he could finish, a foul wind hit him, and he dodged, narrowly avoiding the drought demon.
“Damn it, it’s relentless!” Wang Weizhen, now facing the drought demon’s back, planted his feet firmly, leaped into the air, arched his back, and thrust his hips forward, executing a beautiful side kick that struck the demon’s back, sending it flying. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen grabbed the peach wood sword that had earlier broken his nose, swung it three times, and charged forward.
I refuse to believe that a random stick can kill a master; today, I’ll take on this drought demon! With this thought, Wang Weizhen’s fear gradually dissipated. He noticed that while the drought demon was fast and impervious to weapons, it wasn’t very intelligent—in other words, it was a bit brain-dead. So, summoning his courage, he began to use all the skills he had learned from his master, and for a while, he managed to hold his own against the demon.
Inside the house, Zhang Enpu and Liu Dashao dragged the two injured men into the inner room, instructing Bai Er Lai to give them some internal injury medicine and apply some safflower oil before leaving them be.
“Old Taoist Zhang, I say, Wang the Immortal is still out there…”
But Zhang Enpu was busy mixing cinnabar in a wooden bucket and didn’t respond to Liu Dashao’s question.
“Hey, hey, what are you…” Liu Dashao was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth.
“What am I doing?” Zhang Enpu, having mixed the black dog blood, realgar, and other ingredients, stood up and smiled at Liu Dashao.
“You…” Liu Dashao took a deep breath, almost choking, “Old Wang is out there fighting for you, and you’re just leaving him out there, isn’t that letting him die?”
“Is that all?” Zhang Enpu’s lips curled, “Don’t underestimate Old Wang, I’ve seen his skills, he can hold out for five or six minutes.” Then, he frowned, “Old Wang was right to bring those four in; no one expected that after feeding on so much human blood, the drought demon would level up and become the most difficult to deal with—the Drought Demon King. Evacuating the unnecessary people allows Wang Weizhen to focus entirely on delaying the demon.”
“Old Taoist, do you have a way to deal with this zombie?” Liu Dashao asked urgently.
“I… don’t!” Zhang Enpu shook his head.
“What?” Liu Dashao was stunned, “Then what should we do? Now we’re all gathered here, perfect for the zombie to wipe us out in one go.”
“Not so fast!” Zhang Enpu laughed, “Fortunately, the records of the Celestial Masters of Longhu Mountain have a way to deal with this thing, so this time, we won’t be drawing water with a bamboo basket!”
Seeing the time was right, Zhang Enpu immediately instructed Liu Dashao to throw the tables and chairs from the main hall outside and close the door.
Zhang Enpu drew several talismans on the door and walls, sealing the house, then took out the bucket of black dog blood and realgar, threw in two handfuls of cinnabar, shook it well, and took out a brush to squat on the ground and draw the formation lines.
The courtyard was now in chaos, with shouts and screams echoing, followed by a shadow rushing in from outside. The shadow grew closer, and under the dim light, Liu Dashao gradually recognized it as Wang Weizhen.
Wang the Immortal looked quite disheveled, his clothes torn in several places, one hand holding a broken peach wood sword, the other clutching a cloth bag, the sword’s scabbard nowhere to be seen.
Wang Weizhen stumbled over, and not far behind him leaped the ferocious red demon. Clearly, Wang Weizhen had failed to delay the drought demon and had only succeeded in enraging it further.
Zhang Enpu had by now covered the ground with talismans and was inscribing the incantations on them. Seeing Wang Weizhen approaching, he shouted, “Find a way to hold it off for a bit, let me finish!”
With that, his hands moved even faster.
Wang Weizhen was momentarily stunned. Seeing Zhang Enpu’s actions, he understood what was happening.
Zhang Enpu was making such a big show of it, probably setting up a powerful formation! As the saying goes, if you haven’t eaten pork, you’ve at least seen a pig run! He had seen other Taoist friends do similar things before, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with it.
With a determined heart, Wang Weizhen pulled out a small sword made of copper coins from his pocket—his master’s final treasure. He bit his middle finger, smeared the blood on the sword, and hurled it at the drought demon behind him.
This sword was called the “Pure Yang Sword.” The copper coins, having passed through many hands, were imbued with a great deal of yang energy, and with Wang Weizhen’s blood, the yang energy was even stronger. If it had encountered an ordinary “evil” or “resentful” spirit, it would have been enough to make them beg for mercy. But this time, it was no ordinary foe!
The “Pure Yang Sword” flew straight towards the drought demon. The demon initially retreated, then let out a sinister laugh, extended its long-nailed hand, and with a slap, shattered the “Pure Yang Sword.”
“Better to hear a ghost cry than a ghost laugh.” The sound of the ghost’s laughter was unbearable, sending chills down one’s spine. The drought demon’s slap broke the red string of Wang Weizhen’s “Pure Yang Sword,” scattering the copper coins. However, the demon didn’t come out unscathed either, being forced back over ten steps by the sword’s impact.
Finally, the last stroke was completed, and Zhang Enpu let out a long sigh, putting away his brush.
Seeing that Zhang Enpu was ready, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about appearances anymore, performing a “ground roll” and rolling past Zhang Enpu’s feet.
The drought demon followed closely, claws extended, charging forward.
Red lines almost covered the entire floor of the main hall, forming a large pattern. As Zhang Enpu drew the formation lines, he muttered incantations under his breath. While drawing, he also took out twenty-eight copper coins and nine dark yellow talismans, placing them in specific positions within the formation. Each time he placed a coin or talisman, he would tap it heavily with his brush and chant “Ji!” in a slightly raised voice.
The red lines drawn by Zhang Enpu’s brush were not the dry red of paint, but rather like the flowing blood in human veins, quietly moving along his wolf-hair brush. As the formation neared completion, the red lines became increasingly vibrant and full, slowly emitting a soft red glow, leaving the two onlookers in awe.
“This is too amazing! First time seeing the old man do this!” Liu Dashao muttered.
When Zhang Enpu finished the entire formation, the red light suddenly disappeared. The entire formation fell silent, the red lines on the ground returning to their dry, lifeless color.
“Oh, oh, oh, let’s go, let’s go…” The men finally snapped out of their daze and positioned themselves at the four cardinal directions, swiftly spinning their lassos. Bai Erlai was the first to act; with a flick of his wrist, the black iron hook flew out and latched onto the drought demon’s waist. The weight of the hook caused it to wrap around the demon several times before finally dropping. The other three followed suit, and soon the drought demon was trussed up like a meat dumpling. The four men exchanged glances, then pulled the ropes taut with all their might, immobilizing the demon.
“Roar…” The drought demon let out a fierce cry, dropping Wang Weizhen and lunging at Bai Erlai.
“Change formation, change formation!” Wang Weizhen, realizing the danger, quickly instructed. Without needing his command, the four men, having been trained by Zhang Enpu, sprang into action. As the drought demon charged at Bai Erlai, the two men on the opposite side of the rope increased their grip, hoisting the rope onto their shoulders and pulling with all their might, like oxen dragging a cart. Bai Erlai and Heishan retreated several steps, tightening the slack in the rope once more, thus immobilizing the demon again.
The art of the lasso was not exclusive to the Celestial Masters; it originated from the Maoshan Taoists. In later films, whenever zombies were mentioned, it was always the Maoshan Taoists who were associated with them, and this was not without reason. In ancient times, the Maoshan Taoists were primarily involved in the practice of “corpse driving,” a method of transporting bodies that was particularly useful in the rugged mountains of western Hunan, where carrying coffins was extremely cumbersome. Many people who worked in these areas would request that their bodies be transported back to their hometowns for burial, and the Maoshan Taoists developed the unique method of “corpse driving” to avoid the difficulties of carrying coffins through the rough terrain.
“Corpse driving” naturally involved many unstable factors, and corpse transformation was one of the frequent occurrences. The lasso was one of the methods the Maoshan Taoists used to deal with such transformations. After all, not every Taoist was as formidable as Lam Ching-ying in the movies. Zombies were savage and powerful, and engaging in direct combat with them would surely lead to defeat. Thus, they devised this method to first restrain the zombie and then use talismans to suppress it, making the task much easier. Zhang Enpu had taught this lasso formation to the four strong men, and it proved to be of great use.
The drought demon was now completely hysterical. Its tightly shut eyes suddenly opened, emitting a blood-red glow, its hair disheveled, and its long tongue hanging out. Its ten long fingernails gleamed with a dark aura. It had clearly evolved into the highest form of a zombie: the Drought Demon King. Wang Weizhen was utterly at a loss; he had only heard of such a creature, but now he was face to face with it. This was undoubtedly the pinnacle of all zombies!
“You… don’t look at me like that, I’ve seen my share of horrors, and I’m not scared of you!” Wang Weizhen tightly gripped his peach wood sword, his lips trembling. Although the drought demon was temporarily restrained, a dead camel is still bigger than a horse, and he had no idea where to strike with his small sword. As he hesitated, Bai Erlai was struggling. Born into a farming family, Bai Erlai had grown up doing hard labor, carrying bundles of firewood from the front mountain to the back without a second thought. But now, he was clearly on the verge of collapse. Despite the clever use of leverage in the Maoshan Taoists’ lasso technique, the drought demon’s immense strength was too much. Bai Erlai’s arms, gripping the rope, were bulging with muscles, and the veins stood out like giant earthworms. His cloth shoes scraped against the ground, and if this continued, not only would his arms break, but the soles of his shoes would wear through. The other three men, not as strong as Bai Erlai, were already gasping for breath, sustained only by sheer willpower.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, hurry, we can’t hold on much longer!” Bai Erlai panted, speaking in broken sentences. Wang Weizhen knew he couldn’t hesitate any longer, or they would all be doomed. With a determined heart, he let out a grunt, channeling all his strength into the peach wood sword, and charged at the drought demon like a small locomotive.
He didn’t know that the drought demon, having become the Drought Demon King, had gained some intelligence. In this back-and-forth, it had realized that these men were at their limits, and it grinned even more grotesquely. With a flick of its ten black, shiny fingernails, it yanked the two men holding the rope to their knees. The peach wood sword that Wang Weizhen had used as a hidden weapon earlier jumped out of the drought demon’s body with a ‘snap,’ grazing Wang Weizhen’s nose bridge. The nose bridge is the most fragile part of the human body, and the impact sent Wang Weizhen reeling, tears streaming down his face. The drought demon roared several times, breaking free from the ropes. The two strong men who had been holding the ropes crashed into the wall with a ‘bang,’ their mouths spewing blood. It was a sight more brutal than chest-crushing stone, and they were immediately out of the fight.
“Mother!” Bai Erlai and Heishan exchanged glances, each seeing the fear in the other’s eyes. They abandoned the ropes and ran like madmen around the glutinous rice field, heading for the house.
Meanwhile, Wang Weizhen groggily got up from the ground, holding his nose bridge with a wide sleeve, his face pale and clearly in pain. Dark red blood seeped through his fingers. Wang Weizhen grimaced and quickly tried to wipe it away, but his hand was clumsy, and as soon as it touched the wound, he let out another ‘ouch,’ his legs giving way as he fell to the ground.
This fall landed him right in front of the drought demon, which, smelling the blood, immediately bared its teeth and lunged at Wang Weizhen. This terrified Wang Weizhen, as being bitten by this thing was no joke. He tried to pull his legs back, but they felt weak and unresponsive. Sweat drenched his back as his hands flailed about, unable to find anything to grab onto. Seeing the drought demon almost upon him, Wang Weizhen’s eyes caught sight of his shoe. In a flash of inspiration, he swiftly removed the cotton shoe from his left foot and, without a second thought, shoved it into the drought demon’s open mouth. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen scrambled to his feet and retreated.
“Ouch, my dear Wang, are you hurt?” Heishan, standing by the door, saw Wang Weizhen rolling towards him like a gourd. With quick reflexes, he helped Wang Weizhen up.
Once on his feet, Wang Weizhen had no time to worry about his appearance. He pointed frantically and said, “Quick, stop that thing, stop it!”
“Stop…”
“Stop!” Bai Erlai and Heishan quickly echoed, but as soon as the words left their mouths, they noticed Wang Weizhen looking at them, and then at the two severely injured men on the ground. They immediately understood.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, who’s going to stop it?” Bai Erlai stammered.
“Nonsense, do I look like I can go up there? You two go and hold it off for a moment while I catch my breath, then we’ll see!” Wang the Immortal’s beard trembled, clearly in no condition to fight.
“Well… you…” Bai Erlai, though simple and slow-witted, wasn’t stupid. He quickly looked at Heishan, who was more decisive and immediately supported Wang Weizhen: “Old Bai, don’t worry, I’ll take care of Wang the Immortal here.”
At this point, Bai Erlai had no choice. Gritting his teeth, he slapped his chest, picked up a wooden beam from the ground, and jumped down the steps. In the courtyard, the drought demon spat out the torn cotton shoe and charged at him with a roar. Seeing no other option, Bai Erlai closed his eyes and swung the beam at the drought demon’s waist. The beam, though not as sturdy as a roof beam, was still the backbone of a haystack, weighing at least fifty or sixty pounds, something an ordinary person couldn’t wield with ease. The impact on the drought demon was like a mountain pressing down on its chest, enough to make anyone’s blood boil and organs rupture. But the drought demon was unfazed. With a swipe of its long, black-nailed hand, it tore a hole in the hard beam and tossed it aside, sending Bai Erlai flying with it.
Bai Erlai crashed onto the stone steps, his forehead bleeding. Seeing the indestructible drought demon approaching again, he shouted, “Wang the Immortal, are you ready yet? Say something!”
“Ready my foot, run!” Wang the Immortal spat on the ground and cursed.
Bai Erlai painfully got up, looked at Wang Weizhen, and gasped, “Why are you running too? You’re supposed to be an immortal, how can you flee at the sight of a ghost!”
“Damn it! Do you know what that thing is? It’s a drought demon! If we don’t run, we’ll be done for! Besides, isn’t Zhang Enpu supposed to be our backup in the house?” Wang Weizhen turned around, his face pale.
“Running isn’t enough, Immortal. You need to think of something! This drought demon is too fast; someone needs to hold it off, or all three of us will be finished!” Bai Erlai said.
Wang Weizhen thought about it and nodded: “Alright, you and Heishan take these two brothers inside. I’ll try to wear it down a bit for Zhang the Celestial Master.”
“Count on you, Wang the Immortal. I’m out of here. If anything happens to you, I’ll burn plenty of paper money for you to start a Wang Corporation in the afterlife!” Heishan said, then dragged the two half-dead men into the house with Bai Erlai.
“Damn your grandmother!” Wang Weizhen cursed as he jumped around, but before he could finish his sentence, a foul wind hit him. He dodged, narrowly avoiding the drought demon.
“Damn it, it’s relentless!” Wang Weizhen, now facing the drought demon’s back, leaped into the air, his upper body bending backward as his hips thrust forward, executing a beautiful side kick that struck the demon’s back, sending it flying. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen grabbed the peach wood sword that had earlier broken his nose and, with a flourish of three sword strokes, charged forward.
I refuse to believe that a random stick can’t beat a master. Today, I’ll take on this drought demon! With this thought, Wang Weizhen’s fear gradually faded. He noticed that although the drought demon was fast and impervious to weapons, it wasn’t very intelligent—a bit of a moron, in fact. Drawing on his courage, he began to use the skills he had learned from his master, and for a while, he managed to hold his own against the demon.
Inside the house, Zhang Enpu and Liu Dashao dragged the two injured men into the inner room, instructing Bai Erlai to give them some internal injury medicine and apply some safflower oil before leaving them be.
“Old Taoist Zhang, Wang the Immortal is still out there…”
But Zhang Enpu was busy mixing cinnabar in a wooden bucket and didn’t respond to Liu Dashao’s question.
“Hey, hey, what are you…” Liu Dashao was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth.
“What about me?” Zhang Enpu, having finished mixing the black dog blood, realgar, and other ingredients, stood up and smiled at Liu Dashao.
“You…” Liu Dashao took a deep breath, almost choking: “Old Wang is out there fighting for you, and you’re just leaving him out there to die? Isn’t that heartless?”
“Is that all?” Zhang Enpu’s lips curled: “Don’t underestimate Old Wang. I’ve seen his skills; he can hold out for five or six minutes.” Then, he frowned: “Old Wang was right to bring those four in. No one expected that after feeding on so much human blood, the drought demon would level up and become the most difficult to deal with—the Drought Demon King. Evacuating the unnecessary people allows Wang Weizhen to focus entirely on delaying the demon.”
“Do you have a way to deal with this zombie, Old Taoist?” Liu Dashao asked urgently.
“I… don’t!” Zhang Enpu shook his head.
“What?” Liu Dashao was stunned: “Then what should we do? Now we’re all gathered here, just waiting for the zombie to finish us off.”
“Not so fast!” Zhang Enpu laughed: “Fortunately, the records of the Celestial Masters of Longhu Mountain have a way to deal with this thing, so this time, we won’t be left empty-handed!”
Seeing the right moment, Zhang Enpu immediately instructed Liu Dashao to throw the tables and chairs from the main hall outside and then close the door.
Zhang Enpu drew several talismans on the door and walls, sealing the house. Then, he took out the wooden bucket containing black dog blood and realgar, threw in two handfuls of cinnabar, shook it well, and, with a brush, squatted on the ground to draw the formation lines.
The courtyard was now in chaos. A shout was heard, followed by a piercing scream, and then a shadow rushed over from outside. As the shadow drew closer, under the dim light, Liu Dashao gradually recognized it as Wang Weizhen.
This Wang the Immortal was in a sorry state, his clothes torn in several places, one hand clutching a broken peach wood sword, the other holding a cloth bag, the sword’s scabbard nowhere to be seen.
Wang Weizhen stumbled over, followed closely by the ferocious red demon. Clearly, Wang Weizhen had failed to delay the drought demon and had instead enraged it.
Zhang Enpu had already filled the ground with talismans and was inscribing the incantations on them. Seeing Wang Weizhen approach, he shouted, “Find a way to hold it off for a moment while I finish this!”
With that, his hands moved even faster.
Wang Weizhen was momentarily stunned. Seeing Zhang Enpu’s actions, he understood what he was trying to do.
Zhang Enpu was making such a grand display; he must be setting up a powerful formation! As the saying goes, if you haven’t eaten pork, you’ve at least seen a pig run! He had seen other Taoist sects perform similar rituals, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with it.
With a determined heart, Wang Weizhen pulled out a small sword made of copper coins from his pocket—his master’s final treasure. He bit his middle finger, smeared the blood on the sword, and hurled it at the drought demon behind him.
This sword was called the “Pure Yang Sword.” The copper coins, having passed through many hands, were imbued with a great deal of yang energy, and with Wang Weizhen’s blood, the yang energy was even stronger. If it had encountered an ordinary “evil” or “resentful” spirit, it would have been enough to make the spirit beg for mercy. But this time, it wasn’t dealing with an ordinary entity!
The “Pure Yang Sword” flew straight at the drought demon. The demon initially retreated, then let out a sinister laugh, extending its long-nailed hand to swat the sword, shattering it.
“It’s better to hear a ghost cry than to hear a ghost laugh.” The ghost’s laughter was unbearable, sending chills down one’s spine. The drought demon’s slap broke the red thread of Wang Weizhen’s “Pure Yang Sword,” scattering the copper coins. However, the demon didn’t come out unscathed; it was forced back more than ten steps by the sword’s impact.
Finally, the last stroke was completed, and Zhang Enpu let out a long breath, putting away his brush.
Seeing that Zhang Enpu was ready, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about appearances anymore. He performed a “ground roll” and rolled past Zhang Enpu’s feet.
The drought demon, close behind, charged forward with claws bared.
Red lines almost covered the entire floor of the main hall, forming a large pattern. As Zhang Enpu drew the formation lines, he muttered incantations under his breath. While drawing, he also took out twenty-eight copper coins and nine dark yellow talismans, placing them in specific positions within the formation. Each time he placed a coin or talisman, he would tap it heavily with his brush and chant “Ji!” in a slightly raised voice.
The red lines drawn by Zhang Enpu weren’t the dry red of paint but resembled the flowing blood in human veins, quietly moving along his wolf-hair brush. As the formation neared completion, the red lines became more vibrant and full, gradually emitting a soft red glow, leaving the two onlookers in awe.
“This is too magical! I’ve never seen the old man do this before!” Liu Dashao muttered.
When Zhang Enpu finished the entire formation, the red glow suddenly disappeared. The formation fell silent, and the red lines on the ground returned to their dry, lifeless color.
“Oh, oh, oh, let’s do it, let’s do it…” A few people finally snapped out of their daze and positioned themselves at the four cardinal directions, swiftly spinning their lassos. Bai Er Lai was the first to act, his wrist flicking as the black iron hook flew out, landing squarely on the drought demon’s waist. The weight of the hook caused it to wrap around the demon several times before finally dropping. The other three followed suit, and soon the drought demon was trussed up like a meat dumpling. The four men exchanged glances, then yanked the ropes with all their might. The ropes tightened instantly, pulling the demon taut and immobilizing it.
“Roar…” The drought demon let out a fierce cry, abandoning Wang Weizhen and lunging at Bai Er Lai.
“Change formation, change formation!” Wang Weizhen, realizing the danger, quickly instructed. Without needing his command, the four men, having been trained by Zhang Enpu, sprang into action. The initial fear gradually dissipated as they faced this life-or-death situation. Seeing the demon charge at Bai Er Lai, the two men controlling the ropes opposite him immediately increased their wrist strength, hoisting the ropes onto their shoulders and pulling with all their might, like oxen dragging a cart. Bai Er Lai and Hei Shan retreated several steps, tightening the slack ropes once more, thus immobilizing the demon again.
The skill of the lasso was not exclusive to the Celestial Masters; its origins lay in the tricks devised by the Maoshan Taoists. In later films, whenever zombies were mentioned, it was always in connection with corpse drivers and Maoshan Taoists, and this was not without reason. Now, with the liberation and the rejection of superstition, such practices are no longer discussed. But in ancient times, the Maoshan Taoists were primarily engaged in the business of “driving corpses.” The scope of “driving corpses” was actually quite limited, confined to the mountainous regions of western Hunan, particularly the Yuan River basin, where the terrain was rugged and travel was already difficult. Transporting corpses back to their hometowns in coffins was even more troublesome. Many who worked and lived here would entrust their friends and relatives with the task of ensuring their remains were returned to their ancestral lands for burial, to avoid being buried in these desolate mountains. To avoid the arduous task of carrying coffins over rough mountain paths, the unique method of “driving corpses” was born in the hands of the Maoshan Taoists.
“Driving corpses” naturally involved many unstable factors, and corpse transformation was one of the frequent occurrences. The lasso was one of the methods the Maoshan Taoists used to deal with such transformations. After all, not every Taoist was as formidable as Lam Ching-ying in the movies. Zombies were savage and powerful, and engaging them in direct combat would surely lead to disaster. Thus, they devised this method: first, immobilize the zombie, then use talismans to suppress it, making the task easier. Zhang Enpu taught this lasso formation to the four strong men, and it proved to be of great use.
The drought demon was now completely hysterical. Its tightly shut eyes suddenly opened, emitting a blood-red glow, its hair disheveled, and its long tongue hanging out. Its ten long fingernails gleamed with black energy. It was clear that it had evolved to the highest level of zombiehood: the Drought Demon King. Wang Weizhen was utterly out of his depth; after all, he had only heard of such things. Damn it, this was the ultimate zombie!
“You… don’t look at me, I’ve been scared before, I’m not falling for your tricks!” Wang Weizhen gripped his peach wood sword tightly, his lips trembling. Although the drought demon was temporarily bound, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse, and with his small sword, he had no idea where to strike. As he looked around, Bai Er Lai was struggling. Born into a farming family, he had grown up doing hard labor, carrying bundles of firewood from the front mountain to the back without a second thought. But now, he clearly felt he was about to give out. Although the Maoshan Taoists had cleverly used the principle of leverage in the lasso, it couldn’t withstand the immense strength of the drought demon. Bai Er Lai’s arms, gripping the ropes, were bulging with muscles, the veins like giant earthworms, swollen and taut. The cloth shoes on his feet scraped against the ground with a rustling sound. If this continued, not only would his arms break, but the soles of his shoes would wear through. The other three men, not as strong as Bai Er Lai, were already gasping for breath, holding on only by sheer willpower.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, hurry, we can’t hold on any longer!” Bai Er Lai gasped, speaking in broken phrases. Wang Weizhen knew he couldn’t hesitate any longer, or they would all be doomed. With a determined heart, he let out a grunt, channeling all his strength into the peach wood sword, and charged at the drought demon like a small locomotive.
He didn’t know that the drought demon, having become the Drought Demon King, had gained some intelligence. In this back-and-forth, it had also realized that these guys were at the end of their rope, so it smiled even more creepily. Its ten shiny black fingernails moved, pulling the two rope handlers to their knees. The peach wood sword that Wang Weizhen had earlier used as a hidden weapon also automatically jumped out of the drought demon’s body, ‘slap’ hitting Wang Weizhen right on the bridge of his nose. The bridge of the nose is the most fragile part of the human body, and this blow immediately made Wang Weizhen see stars, letting out a muffled cry as he fell to the ground, tears streaming down his face. The drought demon roared several times, suddenly breaking free from the ropes. The two strong men in front ‘clanged’ against the wall, their mouths spraying blood, which could only be described in two words: bold! It was truly worse than chest-breaking stones, directly losing their fighting ability.
“Mother!” Bai Er Lai and Hei Shan exchanged glances, each seeing the fear in the other’s eyes. They didn’t care about the ropes anymore, directly bypassing the glutinous rice field and running like mad towards the house.
Over there, Wang Weizhen groggily got up from the ground, a wide sleeve covering his nose, his face pale as a sheet, clearly in discomfort. Two streams of dark red blood seeped through his fingers. Wang Weizhen’s mouth twitched, and he hurriedly tried to wipe it, but his hand was clumsy, and as soon as it touched the wound, he let out another ‘ouch,’ his legs giving way as he fell to the ground.
This fall happened to land him right in front of the drought demon. The demon, smelling the blood, immediately bared its teeth and pounced on Wang Weizhen. This scared Wang Weizhen out of his wits; after all, this thing wasn’t playing around when it bit. He tried to pull his leg back, but felt his legs were weak and couldn’t muster any strength. Wang Weizhen was so anxious that his back was soaked with cold sweat, his hands flailing around, but he couldn’t find anything to grab onto. Seeing the demon right in front of him, Wang Weizhen’s eyes caught sight of his shoe, and in a flash of inspiration, he quickly took off the cotton shoe from his left foot, and without a second thought, shoved it into the demon’s mouth. The demon’s mouth was open at that moment, and it bit down on Wang Weizhen’s stinky cotton shoe. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen scrambled to his feet and backed away.
“Ouch, my old man Wang, are you hurt?” Hei Shan, standing by the door, saw Wang Weizhen rolling over like a gourd. He was quick, immediately helping Wang Weizhen up.
Once on his feet, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about his appearance, pointing frantically with his hand: “Quick, stop this thing, stop this thing!”
“Stop…”
“Stop!” Bai Er Lai and Hei Shan quickly echoed, but as soon as the words left their mouths, they noticed Wang Weizhen looking at them, and then at the two severely injured men on the ground, and immediately understood.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, who’s going to stop it?” Bai Er Lai stammered.
“Nonsense, do I look like I can go up there? You two go up and hold it off for a moment, let me catch my breath, then we’ll see!” Wang the Immortal’s beard was trembling, clearly in no condition to fight.
“Then… you…” Bai Er Lai, though simple and slow-witted, wasn’t stupid, and quickly looked at Hei Shan. Hei Shan was more decisive, immediately supporting Wang Weizhen: “Old Bai, don’t worry, I’ll take care of Wang the Immortal here.”
At this point, Bai Er Lai had no choice but to grit his teeth, slap his chest, pick up a wooden beam from the ground, and jump down the steps. In the courtyard, the drought demon spat out the torn cotton shoe and charged towards him. Seeing that this wasn’t going to end well, Bai Er Lai let out a shout, closed his eyes, and swung the wooden beam across the demon’s waist. The beam, though not the kind used for roof beams, was still the main support for haystacks, weighing at least fifty or sixty pounds, something an ordinary person couldn’t handle. The blow landed on the demon like a mountain pressing down on its chest, enough to make a normal person’s blood boil and organs rupture. But the demon was unfazed, its long black-nailed hand tearing a hole in the hard wooden beam, tossing it aside, and sending Bai Er Lai flying along with the beam.
Bai Er Lai thudded onto the stone steps, his forehead bleeding. Seeing the indestructible demon approaching again, he shouted, “Wang the Immortal, are you ready yet? Say something!”
“Ready my foot, run!” Wang the Immortal spat on the ground and cursed.
Bai Er Lai painfully got up, looked at Wang Weizhen, and gasped mockingly, “Why are you running out too? You’re supposed to be a great immortal, how come you’re fleeing at the sight of a ghost?”
“Damn it! Do you know what that thing is? It’s a drought demon! If we don’t run, we’ll be done for! Besides, isn’t Zhang Enpu still in the house for backup?” Wang Weizhen turned around, his face tearful.
“Just running isn’t enough, Immortal, think of something! This demon is too fast, someone needs to hold it off, or all three of us will be done for!” Bai Er Lai said.
Wang Weizhen thought about it and nodded, “Alright, you and Hei Shan take these two brothers inside, I’ll stall it for a bit, wear down its strength for Zhang the Celestial Master.”
“Count on you, Wang the Immortal, I’m out of here. If anything happens to you, I’ll burn plenty of paper money for you, so you can start a Wang Corporation down there!” Hei Shan said, then dragged the two half-dead injured men inside with Bai Er Lai.
“Damn your grandmother!” Wang Weizhen jumped and cursed, but before he could finish his sentence, a foul wind hit him. He dodged, sidestepping the demon.
“Damn it, it’s relentless!” Wang Weizhen was now facing the demon’s back. He pushed off the ground with both feet, leaping into the air, his upper body leaning back as his hips thrust forward, executing a beautiful side kick mid-air that struck the demon’s back, sending it flying. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen grabbed the peach wood sword that had earlier broken his nose, swung it three times, and charged forward.
I don’t believe it, even a master can be beaten by a mob, today I’ll just have to wear this damn demon down! With this thought, Wang Weizhen’s fear gradually faded. He noticed that although the demon was fast and impervious to weapons, its brain wasn’t quite up to par, a bit of a dimwit, so to speak. Relying on his heroic spirit, he began to use all the skills he had learned from his master, and for a while, he could actually hold his own against the demon.
Inside the house, Zhang Enpu and Liu Dashao pulled the two injured men into the inner room, casually instructing Bai Er Lai to give them some internal injury medicine and apply some safflower oil, then left them be.
“Old Taoist Zhang, I say Wang the Immortal is still out there…”
But Zhang Enpu was only mixing cinnabar in a wooden bucket, not responding to Liu Dashao’s question.
“Hey, hey, what are you…” Liu Dashao was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth.
“What about me?” Zhang Enpu, after mixing the black dog blood, realgar, and other substances in the wooden bucket, stood up and smiled at Liu Dashao.
“You…” Liu Dashao took a deep breath, almost choking, “Old Wang is out there fighting for you, and you’re just leaving him out there, isn’t that abandoning him to die?”
“Is that all?” Zhang Enpu’s lips curled, “Don’t underestimate Old Wang, I’ve seen his skills, he can hold out for five or six minutes.” Then he frowned, “Old Wang was right to bring those four in, no one expected the drought demon to level up after feeding on so much human blood, becoming the most difficult to deal with Drought Demon King. Evacuating the unrelated people allows Wang Weizhen to fight the Drought Demon King without any distractions.”
“Then, old Taoist, do you have a way to deal with this zombie?” Liu Dashao asked urgently.
“I… don’t!” Zhang Enpu shook his head.
“What?” Liu Dashao was completely stunned, “Then what should we do? Now we’re all together, just in time for the zombie to wipe us out.”
“Not so fast!” Zhang Enpu laughed, “But fortunately, the records of the Celestial Masters of Longhu Mountain have a way to deal with this thing, so this time, we won’t be drawing water with a bamboo basket!”
Seeing the time was right, Zhang Enpu immediately had Liu Dashao throw all the tables and chairs from the main hall outside, then closed the door.
Zhang Enpu drew several talismans on the door and walls, sealing the house, then took out the wooden bucket containing black dog blood and realgar, threw in two handfuls of cinnabar, shook it well, took out a brush, and squatted on the ground to draw the formation lines.
The courtyard was now lively, with a shout followed by a sharp scream, then a shadow rushed over from outside. The shadow grew closer, and under the dim light, Liu Dashao gradually saw that it was Wang Weizhen running over.
This Wang the Immortal was quite a sight, his clothes torn in several places, one hand holding a broken peach wood sword, the other clutching a cloth bag, the sword’s scabbard nowhere to be seen.
Wang Weizhen stumbled over, not far behind him was the menacing red demon. Clearly, Wang Weizhen had failed to hold off the drought demon and had instead enraged it.
Zhang Enpu had already drawn talismans all over the ground and was lighting the inscriptions on them. Seeing Wang Weizhen running over, he quickly shouted, “Find a way to hold it off for a moment, let me finish drawing!”
With that, his hands moved even faster.
Wang Weizhen was stunned. Looking at Zhang Enpu’s actions, he understood what he was trying to do.
Zhang Enpu was making such a big show of it, probably setting up a very powerful formation! As the saying goes, if you haven’t eaten pork, you’ve at least seen a pig run! He had seen other sects’ Taoists talk about it before, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with it.
At that moment, Wang Weizhen made up his mind, took out a small sword made of copper coins from his pocket, the last treasure his master had passed down to him. He bit his middle finger, smeared the blood on the sword, and threw it at the drought demon behind him.
This sword was called the “Pure Yang Sword,” and because the copper coins had passed through many hands, they were imbued with a great deal of yang energy, which was further enhanced by Wang Weizhen’s middle finger blood. If it encountered ordinary “evil” or “resentful” spirits, it could make them kneel and beg for mercy. But this time, it wasn’t dealing with an ordinary thing!
The “Pure Yang Sword” flew straight at the drought demon. The demon first retreated, then let out a sinister laugh, extended its long-nailed hand, and with a slap, shattered the “Pure Yang Sword.”
“Better to hear a ghost cry than a ghost laugh,” the sound of the ghost’s laugh was unbearable, the eerie laughter sending chills down one’s spine. The drought demon’s slap broke the red string of Wang Weizhen’s “Pure Yang Sword,” scattering the copper coins. But the demon didn’t come out unscathed either, being pushed back more than ten steps by the “Pure Yang Sword.”
Finally, the last stroke was completed, and Zhang Enpu let out a long sigh, putting away the brush.
Seeing that Zhang Enpu was ready, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about appearances anymore, performing a “ground roll” and rolling past Zhang Enpu’s feet.
The drought demon followed closely, baring its teeth and claws as it charged over.
Red lines almost covered the ground of the main hall, forming a large pattern. As Zhang Enpu drew, he muttered incantations, the nature of which was unknown. While drawing the formation lines, Zhang Enpu also took out twenty-eight copper coins and nine dark yellow talismans, placing them in specific positions within the formation. Each time he placed a copper coin or talisman, he would press down heavily with the brush and chant “Ji!” in a slightly louder voice.
The red lines drawn by Zhang Enpu’s brush were not the dry red color, but like the blood flowing in human veins, quietly flowing along his wolf-hair brush. As the formation neared completion, the red lines became more vibrant and full, slowly revealing a radiant red light, leaving the two present in awe.
“This is too magical! First time seeing this old man play this!” Liu Dashao muttered.
When Zhang Enpu finished the entire formation, the red light suddenly disappeared. The entire formation fell silent, the red lines on the ground returning to their dry red color.
“Oh, oh, oh, let’s go, let’s go…” The men finally snapped out of their daze and positioned themselves at the four cardinal directions, swiftly spinning their lassos. Bai Erlai was the first to act, his wrist flicking as a dark iron hook flew out, landing squarely on the drought demon’s waist. The weight of the hook caused it to wrap around the demon several times before finally dropping. The other three followed suit, and soon the drought demon was trussed up like a meat dumpling. The four men exchanged glances, then yanked the ropes with all their might, pulling the demon taut and immobilizing it.
“Roar…” The drought demon let out a fierce cry, dropping Wang Weizhen and lunging at Bai Erlai.
“Change formation, change formation!” Wang Weizhen shouted urgently. Without needing his command, the four men, having been trained by Zhang Enpu, quickly adapted to the life-and-death situation. As the demon charged at Bai Erlai, the two men on the opposite side of the rope increased their grip, pulling with all their strength like oxen dragging a cart. Bai Erlai and Heishan stepped back several paces, tightening the slack in the ropes, once again immobilizing the demon.
The skill of using rope traps wasn’t exclusive to the Celestial Masters; it originated from the Maoshan Taoists. In later films, whenever zombies were mentioned, corpse drivers and Maoshan Taoists were inevitably brought up, and this wasn’t without basis. In ancient times, Maoshan Taoists specialized in corpse driving, a practice limited to the mountainous regions of western Hunan, particularly around the Yuan River. The rugged terrain made transporting corpses in coffins extremely cumbersome. Many who worked there would entrust their remains to be sent back to their hometowns for burial, to avoid being buried in the desolate wilderness. To avoid the hassle of carrying coffins over rough terrain, the Maoshan Taoists developed the unique method of “corpse driving.”
Corpse driving, being the transportation of corpses, naturally involved many unstable factors, with corpse transformation being one of the frequent occurrences. The rope trap was one of the methods Maoshan Taoists used to deal with such transformations. After all, not every Taoist was as formidable as Lam Ching-ying in the movies. Zombies were savage and strong; engaging them in hand-to-hand combat would surely lead to defeat. Thus, they devised this method to first restrain the zombie, then use talismans to suppress it, making the situation more manageable. Zhang Enpu teaching this rope trap formation to the four burly men was indeed putting it to good use.
The drought demon was now completely hysterical. Its tightly shut eyes suddenly opened, emitting a blood-red glow, its hair disheveled, and its long tongue hanging out. Its ten long fingernails shimmered with black energy. It was clear that it had evolved to the highest level of zombie: the Drought Demon King. Wang Weizhen was utterly out of his depth, having only heard of such things before. Damn it, this was the ultimate zombie!
“You… don’t look at me, I’m not scared of you, I won’t fall for your tricks!” Wang Weizhen gripped his peach wood sword tightly, his lips trembling. Although the drought demon was temporarily restrained, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. With his small sword, he had no idea where to strike. As he hesitated, Bai Erlai was struggling. Born into a farming family, he had been doing hard labor since childhood, carrying bundles of firewood from the front mountain to the back without a second thought. But now, he was clearly reaching his limit. Despite the clever use of leverage by the Maoshan Taoists in the rope trap, the drought demon’s immense strength was too much. Bai Erlai’s arms, gripping the rope, were bulging with muscles, his veins like giant earthworms, his cloth shoes scraping against the ground. If this continued, not only would his arms break, but the soles of his shoes would wear through. The other three men, weaker than Bai Erlai, were already gasping for breath, holding on purely by willpower.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, hurry, we can’t hold on much longer!” Bai Erlai gasped, speaking in broken phrases. Wang Weizhen knew he couldn’t hesitate any longer, or they would all be doomed. With a grunt, he channeled all his strength into the peach wood sword and charged at the drought demon like a small locomotive.
He didn’t know that the drought demon, having become the Drought Demon King, had gained some intelligence. In this back-and-forth, it realized these guys were at their limit and laughed even more mockingly. Its ten shiny black nails moved, pulling the two men holding the ropes to their knees. The peach wood sword Wang Weizhen had used as a hidden weapon earlier jumped out of the demon’s body with a ‘snap,’ grazing Wang Weizhen’s nose bridge. The nose bridge, being the most fragile part of the face, caused Wang Weizhen to collapse with a cry, tears streaming down his face. The drought demon roared several times, breaking free from the ropes. The two burly men crashed into the wall with a ‘bang,’ their mouths spurting blood. It could only be described as ‘bold!’ They were worse off than someone having their chest crushed by a large stone, completely losing their ability to fight.
“Mom!” Bai Erlai and Heishan exchanged glances, each seeing the fear in the other’s eyes. They didn’t care about the ropes anymore, simply running around the glutinous rice field and into the house like madmen.
Meanwhile, Wang Weizhen groggily got up from the ground, a large sleeve covering his nose bridge, his face pale and clearly in pain. Two streams of dark red blood seeped through his fingers. Wang Weizhen grimaced and quickly wiped it away, but his hand was clumsy, and as soon as it touched the wound, he cried out in pain, his legs giving way as he fell to the ground.
This fall happened to land him right in front of the drought demon. The demon, smelling the blood, immediately bared its teeth and pounced on Wang Weizhen. This terrified Wang Weizhen; after all, being bitten by this thing was no joke. He tried to pull his leg back, but it felt numb and weak, unable to exert any force. Wang Weizhen was drenched in cold sweat, his hands flailing around, but he couldn’t find anything to grab onto. As the demon loomed closer, Wang Weizhen’s eyes caught sight of his shoe. In a flash of inspiration, he swiftly took off his left cotton shoe and, without a second thought, shoved it into the demon’s open mouth. Seizing this opportunity, Wang Weizhen scrambled to his feet and backed away.
“Oh my, Master Wang, are you hurt?” Heishan, standing by the door, saw Wang Weizhen rolling towards him like a gourd and quickly helped him up.
Once on his feet, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about his appearance, pointing frantically and shouting, “Quick, stop that thing, stop it!”
“Stop…”
“Stop!” Bai Erlai and Heishan quickly echoed, but as soon as the words left their mouths, they noticed Wang Weizhen looking at them, then at the two severely injured men on the ground, and immediately understood.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, who’s going to stop it?” Bai Erlai stammered.
“Nonsense, do I look like I can go up there? You two go and hold it off for a moment while I catch my breath!” Wang the Immortal’s beard was trembling, clearly in no condition to fight.
“Well… you…” Bai Erlai, though simple and honest, wasn’t stupid and quickly looked at Heishan, who promptly supported Wang Weizhen: “Old Bai, don’t worry, I’ll take care of Wang the Immortal here.”
At this point, Bai Erlai had no choice. Gritting his teeth, he slapped his chest, picked up a wooden beam from the ground, and jumped down the steps. In the courtyard, the drought demon spat out the tattered cotton shoe and charged at him with a roar. Seeing the situation was dire, Bai Erlai let out a shout, closed his eyes, and swung the beam at the demon’s waist. The beam, though not as sturdy as a roof beam, was still the backbone of a haystack, weighing at least fifty or sixty pounds, something an ordinary person couldn’t wield effectively. The blow landed on the demon like a mountain pressing on its chest, enough to make anyone’s blood boil and organs rupture. But the demon was unfazed, its long black-nailed hand tearing a hole in the hard beam and tossing it aside, sending Bai Erlai and the beam flying.
Bai Erlai landed with a thud on the stone steps, his forehead bleeding. Seeing the indestructible demon approaching, he shouted, “Wang the Immortal, are you ready yet? Say something!”
“Ready my foot, run!” Wang the Immortal spat on the ground and cursed.
Bai Erlai painfully got up, looked at Wang Weizhen, and gasped, “Why are you running too? You’re supposed to be an immortal, how come you’re fleeing at the sight of a ghost?”
“Damn it! Do you know what that thing is? It’s a drought demon! If we don’t run, we’ll be done for! Besides, isn’t Zhang Enpu still in the house for backup?” Wang Weizhen turned around, his face grim.
“Running isn’t enough, Immortal, think of something! This drought demon is too fast; someone needs to hold it off, or all three of us will be done for!” Bai Erlai said.
Wang Weizhen thought about it and nodded, “Alright, you and Heishan take these two brothers inside. I’ll stall it for a bit, weaken it for Zhang the Celestial Master.”
“Count on you, Wang the Immortal. I’ll retreat first. If anything happens to you, I’ll burn plenty of paper money for you to start a Wang Corporation down there!” Heishan said, then dragged the two injured men into the house with Bai Erlai.
“Damn you!” Wang Weizhen cursed as he jumped, but before he could finish, a foul wind hit him. He dodged, sidestepping the demon.
“Damn it, it’s relentless!” Wang Weizhen now faced the demon’s back. He leaped into the air, his upper body bending backward, his hips thrusting forward, executing a beautiful side kick that struck the demon’s back, sending it tumbling. Seizing the moment, Wang Weizhen grabbed the peach wood sword that had earlier broken his nose, swung it three times, and charged.
“I don’t believe it! Even a master can be beaten by random strikes. Today, I’ll wear this drought demon down!” With this thought, Wang Weizhen’s fear gradually dissipated. He realized that although the demon was fast and invulnerable, it wasn’t very intelligent—somewhat brain-dead, in fact. So, he summoned his courage and began to use all the skills he had learned from his master, managing to hold his own against the demon for a while.
Inside the house, Zhang Enpu and Liu Dashao pulled the two injured men into the inner room, instructing Bai Erlai to give them some internal injury medicine and apply some safflower oil before leaving them be.
“Old Taoist Zhang, Wang the Immortal is still out there…”
But Zhang Enpu was busy mixing cinnabar in a wooden bucket, ignoring Liu Dashao’s question.
“Hey, hey, what are you…” Liu Dashao was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth.
“What’s wrong with me?” Zhang Enpu finished mixing the black dog blood, realgar, and other ingredients in the bucket, stood up, and smiled at Liu Dashao.
“You…” Liu Dashao took a deep breath, almost choking, “Old Wang is out there fighting for you, and you’re just leaving him out there to die? Isn’t that heartless?”
“Is that all?” Zhang Enpu’s lips curled, “Don’t underestimate Old Wang. I’ve seen his skills; he can hold out for five or six minutes.” Then, he frowned, “Old Wang was right to bring those four in. Who would have thought that after feeding on so much human blood, the drought demon would level up to the most formidable Drought Demon King? Evacuating the unrelated people allows Wang Weizhen to fight the demon without any distractions.”
“Do you have a way to deal with this zombie, old Taoist?” Liu Dashao asked urgently.
“I… don’t!” Zhang Enpu shook his head.
“What?” Liu Dashao was stunned, “Then what should we do? Now we’re all gathered here, perfect for the zombie to wipe us out in one go.”
“Not so fast!” Zhang Enpu smiled, “Fortunately, the records of the Celestial Masters of Dragon and Tiger Mountain have a way to deal with this thing, so we won’t be left empty-handed!”
Seeing the time was right, Zhang Enpu immediately instructed Liu Dashao to throw the tables and chairs from the main hall outside and close the door.
Zhang Enpu drew several talismans on the door and walls, sealing the house. Then, he took out the bucket of black dog blood and realgar, threw in two handfuls of cinnabar, stirred it well, and began to draw a formation on the ground with a brush.
The courtyard was now in chaos. A shout was heard, followed by a piercing scream, and then a shadow rushed in from outside. The shadow grew closer, and under the dim light, Liu Dashao gradually recognized it as Wang Weizhen.
This Wang the Immortal looked quite disheveled, his clothes torn in several places, one hand holding a broken peach wood sword, the other clutching a cloth bag. The sword’s scabbard was nowhere to be seen.
Wang Weizhen stumbled in, followed closely by the ferocious red demon. Clearly, Wang Weizhen had failed to hold off the drought demon and had only enraged it further.
Zhang Enpu had already filled the ground with talismans and was now inscribing the incantations on them. Seeing Wang Weizhen run in, he shouted, “Find a way to hold it off for a moment, let me finish this!”
With that, his hands moved even faster.
Wang Weizhen was stunned. Seeing Zhang Enpu’s actions, he understood what was happening.
Zhang Enpu was making such a grand display, likely setting up a powerful formation! As the saying goes, even if you haven’t eaten pork, you’ve seen pigs run! Wang Weizhen had seen other Taoists do similar things before, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with it.
With a determined heart, Wang Weizhen pulled out a small sword made of copper coins from his pocket—his master’s final treasure. He bit his middle finger, smeared the blood on the sword, and threw it at the drought demon behind him.
This sword was called the “Pure Yang Sword.” The copper coins, having passed through many hands, were imbued with strong yang energy, and with Wang Weizhen’s blood, the yang energy was even stronger. If it hit an ordinary “evil” or “resentful” spirit, it would make them kneel and beg for mercy. But this time, it wasn’t dealing with an ordinary entity!
The “Pure Yang Sword” flew straight at the drought demon. The demon initially retreated, then let out a sinister laugh, extending its long-nailed hand and smashing the sword to pieces.
“It’s better to hear a ghost cry than a ghost laugh.” The ghost’s laughter was unbearable, the eerie sound sending chills down one’s spine. The drought demon’s slap shattered Wang Weizhen’s “Pure Yang Sword,” the red string breaking and the coins scattering. However, the demon didn’t come out unscathed, being forced back over ten steps by the sword’s impact.
Finally, the last stroke was completed, and Zhang Enpu let out a long breath, putting away the brush.
Seeing Zhang Enpu was ready, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about appearances anymore, performing a “ground roll” and rolling past Zhang Enpu’s feet.
The drought demon, close behind, charged in with claws bared.
Red lines almost covered the entire floor of the main hall, forming a large pattern. As Zhang Enpu drew, he muttered incantations under his breath. While drawing the formation, Zhang Enpu also took out twenty-eight copper coins and nine dark yellow talismans, placing them in specific positions within the formation. Each time he placed a coin or talisman, he tapped it heavily with the brush and uttered a loud “Swift!”
The red lines drawn by Zhang Enpu weren’t the dry red of paint, but more like blood flowing through human veins, quietly moving along his wolf-hair brush. As the formation neared completion, the red lines became more vibrant and full, gradually emitting a soft red glow, leaving the two onlookers in awe.
“This is too amazing! First time seeing the old man do this!” Liu Dashao muttered.
When Zhang Enpu finished the formation, the red light suddenly disappeared. The entire formation fell silent, the red lines on the ground returning to their dry red color.
“Mommy!” Bai Erlaizi and Heishan exchanged glances, each seeing the fear in the other’s eyes. They didn’t care about the ropes anymore, and without hesitation, they ran like mad into the house, bypassing the sticky rice field.
Meanwhile, Wang Weizhen groggily got up from the ground, his wide sleeve pressed tightly against his nose. His face was pale, clearly in great pain. Two streams of dark red blood seeped through his fingers. He winced, hurriedly trying to wipe it off, but his hand was too heavy, and as soon as he touched the wound, he cried out in pain again, his legs gave way, and he fell back to the ground.
“Oh, oh, oh, let’s do it, let’s do it…” The men finally snapped out of their daze and positioned themselves at the four cardinal directions, swiftly spinning their lassos. Bai Erlai was the first to act; with a flick of his wrist, the black iron hook flew out and wrapped around the drought demon’s waist. The weight of the hook caused it to spin several times around the demon before finally dropping. The other three followed suit, and soon the drought demon was trussed up like a meat dumpling. The four men exchanged glances, then pulled the ropes taut with all their might, immobilizing the demon.
“Roar…” The drought demon let out a fierce cry, dropping Wang Weizhen and lunging at Bai Erlai.
“Change formation, change formation!” Wang Weizhen, realizing the danger, quickly instructed. Without needing further prompting, the four men, having been trained by Zhang Enpu, sprang into action. As the drought demon charged at Bai Erlai, the two men on the opposite side of the rope increased their grip, hoisting the rope onto their shoulders and pulling with all their strength, like oxen dragging a cart. Bai Erlai and Heishan retreated several steps, tightening the slack in the rope, once again immobilizing the demon.
The technique of the lasso was not exclusive to the Celestial Master Taoism; its origins lay in the tricks developed by the Maoshan Taoists. In later films, whenever zombies were mentioned, it was always the corpse drivers and Maoshan Taoists who were involved, and this was not without basis. Now, with the liberation, superstitions were being eradicated. But in ancient times, the Maoshan Taoists were primarily engaged in the business of “driving corpses.” The scope of “driving corpses” was actually quite limited, confined to the mountainous regions of western Hunan, particularly the Yuan River basin, where the terrain was rugged and travel was difficult. Transporting coffins and corpses back to their hometowns was a cumbersome task. Many who worked and lived there would entrust their friends and relatives to ensure their remains were returned to their homeland for burial, to avoid being buried in the desolate wilderness. To avoid the arduous task of carrying coffins through the rugged mountain paths, the unique method of “driving corpses” was born in the hands of the Maoshan Taoists.
Driving corpses, as it involved transporting bodies, naturally had many unstable factors, and corpse transformation was one of the frequent occurrences. The lasso was one of the methods the Maoshan Taoists used to deal with corpse transformation. After all, not every Taoist was as formidable as Lam Ching-ying in the movies. Zombies were savage and strong, and engaging in hand-to-hand combat with them would surely lead to defeat. Thus, they devised this method: first, immobilize the zombie, then use talismans to suppress it, making the task manageable. Zhang Enpu taught this lasso formation to the four strong men, putting it to good use.
The drought demon was now completely hysterical. Its tightly shut eyes suddenly opened, emitting a blood-red glow, its hair disheveled, its long tongue hanging out, and its ten long fingernails shimmering with black energy. It was clear that it had evolved to the highest level of zombie: the Drought Demon King. Wang Weizhen was utterly clueless, having only heard of such a thing. Damn, this was the ultimate zombie!
“You… don’t look at me, I’m not scared of you, I won’t fall for your tricks!” Wang Weizhen tightly gripped his peach wood sword, his lips trembling. Although the drought demon was temporarily bound, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse, and with his small sword, he had no idea where to strike. While he was hesitating, Bai Erlai was struggling. Born into a farming family, he had been doing hard labor since childhood, carrying bundles of firewood from the front mountain to the back mountain without a second thought. But now, he clearly felt he was about to give out. Although the Maoshan Taoists had ingeniously used the principle of leverage in the lasso, it couldn’t withstand the immense strength of the drought demon. Bai Erlai’s arms, gripping the rope, were bulging with muscles, the veins like giant earthworms, and his cloth shoes were scraping against the ground with a rustling sound. If this continued, not only would his arms break, but the soles of his shoes would wear through. The other three men, not as strong as Bai Erlai, were already gasping for breath, holding on purely by sheer willpower.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, hurry, we can’t hold on any longer!” Bai Erlai gasped, speaking in broken phrases. Wang Weizhen knew he couldn’t hesitate any longer, or they would all be doomed. With a determined heart, he let out a shout, channeling all his strength into the peach wood sword, charging at the drought demon like a small locomotive.
He didn’t know that the drought demon, having become the Drought Demon King, had gained some intelligence. In this back-and-forth, it had realized that these guys were at their limit, and it smiled even more creepily. With a flick of its ten black, shiny fingernails, it yanked the two men pulling the rope to their knees. The peach wood sword that Wang Weizhen had previously used as a projectile automatically jumped out of the drought demon’s body, ‘slap’ hitting Wang Weizhen right on the bridge of his nose. The bridge of the nose is the most fragile part of the human body, and this blow sent Wang Weizhen reeling, tears streaming down his face. The drought demon roared several times, suddenly breaking free from the ropes. The two strong men at the front ‘clanged’ against the wall, their mouths spouting blood, a sight that could only be described as ‘bold’! It was worse than chest-crushing boulders, and they immediately lost their fighting ability.
“Mom!” Bai Erlai and Heishan exchanged glances, each seeing the fear in the other’s eyes. They didn’t care about the ropes anymore, simply bypassing the glutinous rice field and running like madmen towards the house.
Meanwhile, Wang Weizhen groggily got up from the ground, a wide sleeve covering his nose, his face pale and clearly in pain. Two streams of dark red blood seeped through his fingers. Wang Weizhen pursed his lips, quickly wiping it away, but his hand was clumsy, and as soon as it touched the wound, he let out another ‘ouch,’ his legs giving way, and he fell to the ground.
This fall happened to land him right in front of the drought demon, which, smelling the blood, immediately bared its teeth and lunged at Wang Weizhen. This terrified Wang Weizhen, as being bitten by this thing was no joke. He tried to pull his legs back, but they felt weak and unresponsive, and he was drenched in cold sweat, his hands flailing about, unable to find any leverage. Seeing the drought demon almost upon him, Wang Weizhen’s eyes caught sight of his shoe, and in a flash of inspiration, he quickly took off his left cotton shoe and, without a second thought, shoved it into the drought demon’s open mouth. Seizing this opportunity, Wang Weizhen scrambled to his feet and retreated.
“Ouch, my dear Wang, are you hurt?” Heishan, standing by the door, saw Wang Weizhen rolling towards him like a gourd and quickly helped him up.
Once on his feet, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about his appearance, pointing frantically: “Quick, stop that thing, stop that thing!”
“Stop…”
“Stop!” Bai Erlai and Heishan quickly echoed, but as soon as the words left their mouths, they noticed Wang Weizhen looking at them, and then at the two severely injured men on the ground, and they immediately understood.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, who’s going to stop it?” Bai Erlai stammered.
“Nonsense, do I look like I can go up there? You two go and hold it off for a moment, let me catch my breath, then we’ll see!” Wang the Immortal’s beard was trembling, clearly in no condition to fight.
“Well… you…” Bai Erlai, though simple and slow, wasn’t stupid, and quickly looked at Heishan, who was more decisive, immediately supporting Wang Weizhen: “Old Bai, don’t worry, I’ll take care of Wang the Immortal here.”
At this point, Bai Erlai had no choice but to grit his teeth, slap his chest, pick up a wooden beam from the ground, and jump down the steps. In the courtyard, the drought demon spat out the tattered cotton shoe and charged towards him with a roar. Seeing that he was no match, Bai Erlai let out a shout, closed his eyes, and swung the beam towards the drought demon’s waist. The beam, though not as sturdy as a roof beam, was still the backbone of a haystack, weighing at least fifty or sixty pounds, something an ordinary person couldn’t wield with any finesse. This blow landed on the drought demon like a mountain pressing down on its chest, enough to make anyone’s blood boil and organs rupture. But the drought demon was unfazed; with a swipe of its long, black-nailed hand, it tore a hole in the hard wooden beam, tossed it aside, and sent Bai Erlai flying along with the beam.
Bai Erlai thudded onto the stone steps, his forehead bleeding. Seeing the indestructible drought demon approaching again, he shouted: “Wang the Immortal, are you ready yet, say something!”
“Ready my ass, run!” Wang the Immortal spat on the ground and cursed.
Bai Erlai painfully got up, looked at Wang Weizhen, and gasped mockingly: “Why are you running out too? You’re supposed to be an immortal, how come you’re running away from a ghost!”
“Damn it! Do you know what that thing is? It’s a drought demon! If we don’t run, we’ll be done for! Besides, isn’t Zhang Enpu still in the house for backup?” Wang Weizhen turned around, his face tearful.
“Just running isn’t enough, Immortal, think of something! This drought demon is too fast, someone needs to hold it off, or all three of us will be done for!” Bai Erlai said.
Wang Weizhen thought about it and nodded: “Alright, you and Heishan take these two brothers inside, I’ll stall it for a bit, wear it down for Zhang the Celestial Master.”
“Count on you, Wang the Immortal, I’m out of here. If anything happens to you, I’ll burn some paper money for you, so you can start a Wang Corporation down there!” Heishan said, then dragged the two half-dead injured men into the house with Bai Erlai.
“Damn your grandmother!” Wang Weizhen cursed as he jumped, but before he could finish, a foul wind hit him, and he dodged, narrowly avoiding the drought demon.
“Damn, it’s relentless!” Wang Weizhen, now facing the drought demon’s back, gathered his strength, leaped into the air, twisted his upper body backward, and kicked forward with his hips, executing a beautiful side kick that struck the drought demon’s back, sending it flying. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen grabbed the peach wood sword that had earlier broken his nose, swung it three times, and charged forward.
I don’t believe it, even a master can be beaten by a flurry of blows, today I’ll wear this drought demon down! With this thought, Wang Weizhen’s fear gradually faded. He noticed that although the drought demon was fast and impervious to weapons, it wasn’t very smart, or rather, it was a bit brain-dead. So, summoning his courage, he unleashed all the skills he had learned from his master, and for a while, he was able to hold his own against the drought demon.
Inside the house, Zhang Enpu and Liu Dashao dragged the two injured men into the inner room, casually instructing Bai Erlai to give them some internal injury medicine and apply some safflower oil, then left them be.
“Old Zhang, I say Wang the Immortal is still out there…”
But Zhang Enpu was only mixing cinnabar in a wooden bucket, not responding to Liu Dashao’s question.
“Hey, hey, you…” Liu Dashao was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth.
“What about me?” Zhang Enpu, after thoroughly mixing the black dog blood, realgar, and other substances in the bucket, stood up and smiled at Liu Dashao.
“You…” Liu Dashao took a deep breath, almost choking: “Old Wang is out there fighting for you, and you’re just leaving him out there, isn’t that abandoning him?”
“Oh, that’s what you’re worried about!” Zhang Enpu’s lips curled: “Don’t underestimate Old Wang, I’ve seen his skills, he can hold out for five or six minutes.” Then, he frowned: “Old Wang was right to bring those four in, who would have thought that after feeding on so much human blood, the drought demon would level up and become the most difficult to deal with, the Drought Demon King. Evacuating the unrelated people allows Wang Weizhen to fight without any distractions.”
“Then, old Taoist, do you have a way to deal with this zombie?” Liu Dashao asked urgently.
“I… don’t!” Zhang Enpu shook his head.
“What?” Liu Dashao was completely stunned: “Then what should we do? Now we’re all together, just in time for the zombie to wipe us out.”
“Not so fast!” Zhang Enpu laughed: “But fortunately, the records of the Celestial Masters of Longhu Mountain have a way to deal with this thing, so this time, we won’t be drawing water with a bamboo basket!”
Seeing the time was right, Zhang Enpu immediately instructed Liu Dashao to throw all the tables and chairs in the main hall outside, then closed the door.
Zhang Enpu drew several talismans on the door and walls, sealing the house, then took out the bucket of black dog blood and realgar, threw in two handfuls of cinnabar, shook it well, took out a brush, and squatted on the ground to draw the formation lines.
The courtyard was now bustling, with a shout followed by a shrill scream, and then a shadow rushed over from outside. The shadow grew closer, and under the dim light, Liu Dashao gradually recognized it as Wang Weizhen.
This Wang the Immortal was in a sorry state, his clothes torn in several places, one hand holding a broken peach wood sword, the other clutching a cloth bag, the sword’s scabbard nowhere to be found.
Wang Weizhen stumbled over, and not far behind him leaped the ferocious red demon. Clearly, Wang Weizhen had ultimately failed to hold back the drought demon and had instead enraged it.
Zhang Enpu had already drawn talismans all over the ground and was inscribing the incantations on them. Seeing Wang Weizhen approaching, he shouted: “Find a way to hold it off for a moment, let me finish!”
With that, his hands moved even faster.
Wang Weizhen was momentarily stunned. Seeing Zhang Enpu’s actions, he understood what he was trying to do.
Zhang Enpu was making such a big show of it, probably setting up a very powerful formation! As the saying goes, if you haven’t eaten pork, you’ve at least seen a pig run! He had seen other Taoist friends talk about this before, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with it.
With a determined heart, Wang Weizhen took out a small sword made of copper coins from his pocket, the last treasure his master had passed down to him. He bit his middle finger, smeared the blood on the sword, and threw it at the drought demon behind him.
This sword was called the “Pure Yang Sword,” and since the copper coins had passed through many hands, they were imbued with a great deal of yang energy, further enhanced by Wang Weizhen’s middle finger blood. If it encountered ordinary “evil” or “resentful” entities, it could make them kneel and beg for mercy. But this time, it wasn’t dealing with an ordinary creature!
The “Pure Yang Sword” flew straight towards the drought demon. The demon initially retreated, then let out a sinister laugh, extended its long-nailed hand, and with a slap, shattered the “Pure Yang Sword.”
“Better to hear a ghost cry than a ghost laugh,” the sound of the ghost’s laughter was unbearable, the eerie laughter sending chills down one’s spine. The drought demon’s slap broke the red string of Wang Weizhen’s “Pure Yang Sword,” scattering the copper coins. However, the demon didn’t come out unscathed, being pushed back over ten steps by the “Pure Yang Sword.”
Finally, the last stroke was completed, and Zhang Enpu let out a long sigh, putting away the brush.
Seeing that Zhang Enpu was ready, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about decorum anymore, performing a “ground roll” and rolling past Zhang Enpu’s feet.
The drought demon, following closely behind, charged forward with bared claws.
Red lines almost covered the entire floor of the main hall, forming a large pattern. As Zhang Enpu drew, he muttered incantations under his breath. While drawing the formation lines, he also took out twenty-eight copper coins and nine dark yellow talismans, placing them in specific positions within the formation. Each time he placed a coin or talisman, he tapped it heavily with the brush, simultaneously chanting “Ji!” in a slightly raised voice.
The red lines drawn by Zhang Enpu’s brush weren’t dry red but flowed like blood in human veins, quietly moving along his wolf-hair brush. As the formation neared completion, the red lines became more vibrant and full, gradually emitting a soft red glow, leaving the two onlookers dumbfounded.
“This is too magical! First time seeing the old man do this!” Liu Dashao muttered.
When Zhang Enpu finished the entire formation, the red light suddenly disappeared. The entire formation fell silent, the red lines on the ground returning to their dry red color.
“Ah, my dear Master Wang, are you hurt?” Heishan, standing by the door, saw Wang rolling toward him like a gourd and quickly helped him up.
Wang, now standing, didn’t care about appearances anymore. He pointed frantically with his hand, shouting, “Quick, stop this thing! Stop it!”
“Stop…”
“Stop it!” Bai Erlaizi and Heishan quickly echoed. But as soon as the words left their mouths, they noticed Wang was staring at them, then looked at the two severely injured men on the ground, and they immediately understood.
“Wang… Wang Baxian, who’s going to stop it?” Bai Erlaizi hesitated.
“What do you mean, ‘who’? Look at me—do I look like I can fight? You two go up there and hold it off for a moment while I catch my breath!” Wang Baxian’s beard trembled, clearly unable to fight.
“But… you…” Although Bai Erlaizi was a simple, honest man, he wasn’t stupid. He quickly turned to Heishan, who was more decisive. Heishan immediately supported Wang Weizhen: “Old Bai, don’t worry, I’ll stay here to take care of Master Wang.”
“Oh, oh, oh, let’s go, let’s go…” The men finally snapped out of their daze and positioned themselves at the four cardinal directions, spinning their lassos with a whooshing sound. Bai Er Lai Zi was the first to act, his wrist flicking as the black iron hook flew from his hand, landing squarely on the waist of the drought demon. The weight of the hook caused it to wrap around the demon several times before finally dropping. The other three followed suit, and soon the drought demon was trussed up like a meat dumpling. The four men exchanged glances, then pulled on the ropes with all their might. The ropes tightened instantly, pinning the drought demon in place, unable to move.
“Roar…” The drought demon let out a fierce cry, abandoning Wang Weizhen and lunging towards Bai Er Lai Zi.
“Change formation, change formation!” Wang Weizhen, realizing the danger, quickly directed them. Without needing his command, the four men, having been trained by Zhang Enpu, began to act. The initial fear faded as they faced this life-or-death situation. Seeing the drought demon charge at Bai Er Lai Zi, the two men on the opposite side of the rope increased their wrist strength, hoisting the rope onto their shoulders and pulling with all their might, like oxen dragging a cart. Bai Er Lai Zi and Hei Shan stepped back several paces, tightening the slack in the rope once more, thus immobilizing the drought demon again.
The art of the rope trap wasn’t exclusive to the Celestial Master Sect; its origins lay in the tricks devised by the Maoshan Taoists. In later films, whenever zombies were mentioned, it was always the corpse drivers and Maoshan Taoists who were involved, and this wasn’t without basis. Now, with the liberation, superstitions were being eradicated. But in ancient times, the Maoshan Taoists were primarily engaged in the business of “corpse driving.” The scope of “corpse driving” was actually quite limited, confined to the mountainous regions of western Hunan, particularly the Yuan River basin. The terrain was rugged, making travel difficult, and transporting coffins back to the deceased’s hometown was even more troublesome. Many who worked and lived there would entrust their relatives and friends to ensure their remains were brought back for burial, to avoid being laid to rest in the desolate wilderness. To avoid the arduous task of carrying coffins over rough mountain paths, the Maoshan Taoists developed the unique method of “corpse driving.”
“Corpse driving” involved transporting bodies, and there were many unstable factors, with corpse transformation being one of the frequent occurrences. The rope trap was one of the methods Maoshan Taoists used to deal with such transformations. After all, not every Taoist was as formidable as Lam Ching-ying in the movies. Zombies were savage and strong, and engaging them in hand-to-hand combat would surely lead to defeat. Thus, they devised this method: first, immobilize the zombie, then use talismans to suppress it, making the task manageable. Zhang Enpu taught this rope trap formation to the four strong men, putting it to good use.
The drought demon was now completely hysterical. Its tightly shut eyes suddenly opened, emitting a blood-red glow, its hair disheveled, and its long tongue hanging out. Its ten long fingernails shimmered with black energy. It was clear that it had evolved to the highest level of zombiehood: the Drought Demon King. Wang Weizhen was utterly clueless, having only heard of such things before. Damn, this was the ultimate zombie!
“You… don’t look at me, I’m not scared of you, I won’t fall for your tricks!” Wang Weizhen gripped his peach wood sword tightly, his lips trembling. Although the drought demon was temporarily bound, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse, and with his small sword, he wasn’t sure where to strike. As he looked around, Bai Er Lai Zi was struggling. Born into a farming family, he had grown up doing hard labor, carrying two bundles of firewood from the front mountain to the back without a second thought. But now, he clearly felt he was about to give out. Although the Maoshan Taoists had ingeniously used leverage in the rope trap, it couldn’t withstand the immense strength of the drought demon. Bai Er Lai Zi’s arms, gripping the rope, were bulging with muscles, the veins like giant earthworms, swollen and taut. His cloth shoes scraped against the ground with a rustling sound. If this continued, not only would his arms break, but the soles of his shoes would wear through. The other three men, not as strong as Bai Er Lai Zi, were already gasping for breath, holding on purely by willpower.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, hurry, we can’t hold on much longer!” Bai Er Lai Zi panted, speaking in broken phrases. Wang Weizhen knew he couldn’t hesitate any longer, or they would all be doomed. With a determined heart, he let out a grunt, channeling all his strength into the peach wood sword, charging at the drought demon like a small locomotive.
He didn’t know that the drought demon, having become the Drought Demon King, had gained some intelligence. In this back-and-forth, it realized these guys were at their limit, and it smiled even more sinisterly. Its ten shiny black fingernails moved, pulling the two men holding the rope to their knees. The peach wood sword that Wang Weizhen had used as a hidden weapon earlier jumped out of the drought demon’s body with a ‘snap,’ grazing Wang Weizhen’s nose bridge. The nose bridge is the most fragile part of the human body, and the impact made Wang Weizhen see stars, letting out a groan as he fell to the ground, tears streaming down his face. The drought demon roared several times, breaking free from the ropes. The two strong men collided with the wall with a ‘bang,’ their mouths spraying blood. It could only be described as ‘bold!’ It was worse than having a boulder smashed on their chests; they were immediately out of the fight.
“Mother!” Bai Er Lai Zi and Hei Shan exchanged glances, each seeing the fear in the other’s eyes. They didn’t care about the ropes anymore, simply running around the glutinous rice field and dashing into the house like madmen.
Meanwhile, Wang Weizhen groggily got up from the ground, a wide sleeve covering his nose bridge, his face pale and clearly in pain. Two streams of dark red blood seeped through his fingers. Wang Weizhen pursed his lips, quickly trying to wipe it away, but his hand was clumsy, and as soon as it touched the wound, he let out another ‘ouch,’ his legs giving way as he fell to the ground.
This fall happened to land him right in front of the drought demon. The demon, smelling the blood, immediately bared its teeth and lunged at Wang Weizhen. This terrified Wang Weizhen; after all, this thing wasn’t playing around when it came to biting. He tried to pull his legs back, but they felt weak and unresponsive, making Wang Weizhen break out in a cold sweat, his hands flailing around, unable to find a solution. As the drought demon loomed close, Wang Weizhen’s eyes caught sight of his shoe. In a flash of inspiration, he swiftly took off the cotton shoe from his left foot and, without a second thought, shoved it into the drought demon’s open mouth. Taking advantage of this moment, Wang Weizhen scrambled to his feet and backed away.
“Ouch, my dear Wang, are you hurt?” Hei Shan, standing by the door, saw Wang Weizhen rolling towards him like a gourd. He quickly reached out and helped Wang Weizhen up.
Wang Weizhen, now on his feet, didn’t care about his appearance, pointing frantically and saying, “Quick, stop that thing, stop it!”
“Stop…”
“Stop!” Bai Er Lai Zi and Hei Shan quickly echoed, but as soon as the words left their mouths, they noticed Wang Weizhen looking at them, then at the two severely injured men on the ground, and they immediately understood.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, who’s going to stop it?” Bai Er Lai Zi stammered.
“Nonsense, do I look like I can go up there? You two go and hold it off for a moment while I catch my breath, then we’ll see!” Wang the Immortal’s beard trembled, clearly in no condition to fight.
“Then… you…” Bai Er Lai Zi, though simple and slow, wasn’t stupid. He quickly looked at Hei Shan, who was more decisive, immediately supporting Wang Weizhen: “Old Bai, don’t worry, I’ll take care of Wang the Immortal here.”
At this point, Bai Er Lai Zi had no choice. Gritting his teeth, he slapped his chest, picked up a wooden beam from the ground, and jumped down the steps. In the courtyard, the drought demon spat out the tattered cotton shoe and charged forward with a roar. Bai Er Lai Zi, seeing that this wasn’t going to end well, let out a shout, closed his eyes, and swung the beam towards the drought demon’s waist. The beam, though not as sturdy as a roof beam, was still the backbone of a haystack, weighing at least fifty or sixty pounds, something an ordinary person couldn’t handle. The impact on the drought demon was like a mountain pressing down on its chest, enough to make anyone’s blood boil and organs rupture. But the drought demon was unfazed. Its long, black-nailed hand grabbed the hard wooden beam, tearing a hole in it, and with a toss, sent Bai Er Lai Zi and the beam flying.
Bai Er Lai Zi fell with a thud on the stone steps, his forehead bleeding. Seeing the indestructible drought demon approaching again, he shouted, “Wang the Immortal, are you ready yet? Say something!”
“Ready my foot, let’s run!” Wang the Immortal spat on the ground and cursed.
Bai Er Lai Zi painfully got up, looking at Wang Weizhen and gasping, “Why are you running too? You’re supposed to be an immortal, how come you’re fleeing at the sight of a ghost?”
“Damn it! Do you know what that thing is? It’s a drought demon! If we don’t run, we’ll be done for! Besides, isn’t there still Zhang Enpu’s backup in the house?” Wang Weizhen turned around, his face grim.
“Running isn’t enough, Immortal. You need to think of something. This drought demon is too fast; someone has to hold it off, or all three of us will be done for!” Bai Er Lai Zi said.
Wang Weizhen thought about it and realized it made sense. He shook his head: “Fine, you and Hei Shan take these two brothers inside. I’ll stall it for a bit, wear it down for Zhang Enpu.”
“Count on you, Wang the Immortal. I’ll retreat first. If anything happens to you, I’ll burn plenty of paper money for you, so you can start a Wang Corporation down there!” Hei Shan said, then dragged the two half-dead injured men into the house with Bai Er Lai Zi.
“I curse your ancestors!” Wang Weizhen jumped and cursed, but before he could finish, a foul wind hit him. He dodged, sidestepping the drought demon.
“Damn it, it’s relentless!” Wang Weizhen now faced the drought demon’s back. He pushed off the ground with both feet, leaping into the air, his upper body leaning back as his hips thrust forward, executing a beautiful side kick that struck the drought demon’s back, sending it tumbling. Seizing the moment, Wang Weizhen grabbed the peach wood sword that had earlier broken his nose, swung it three times, and charged forward.
I don’t believe it! Even a master can be beaten by a flurry of blows. Today, I’ll take on this damn drought demon! With this thought, Wang Weizhen’s fear gradually faded. He noticed that although the drought demon was fast and impervious to weapons, it wasn’t very smart—a bit brain-dead, in fact. Relying on his heroic spirit, he began to use all the skills he had learned from his master, and for a while, he managed to hold his own against the drought demon.
Inside the house, Zhang Enpu and Liu Dashao pulled the two injured men into the inner room, casually instructing Bai Er Lai Zi to give them some internal injury medicine and apply some safflower oil, then left them be.
“Old Taoist Zhang, I say Wang the Immortal is still out there…”
But Zhang Enpu was only mixing cinnabar in a wooden bucket, not responding to Liu Dashao’s question.
“Hey, hey, you…” Liu Dashao was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth.
“What about me?” Zhang Enpu, after thoroughly mixing the black dog blood, realgar, and other substances in the bucket, stood up and smiled at Liu Dashao.
“You…” Liu Dashao took a deep breath, almost choking: “Old Wang is out there fighting for you, and you’re just leaving him out there, isn’t that letting him die?”
“Is that all?” Zhang Enpu’s lips curled: “Don’t underestimate Old Wang. I’ve seen his skills; he can hold out for five or six minutes.” Then, he frowned: “Old Wang was right to bring those four in. Who would have thought that after feeding on so much human blood, the drought demon would level up and become the most difficult to deal with—the Drought Demon King. Evacuating the unrelated people allows Wang Weizhen to fight without any distractions.”
“Old Taoist, do you have a way to deal with this zombie?” Liu Dashao asked urgently.
“I… don’t!” Zhang Enpu shook his head.
“What?” Liu Dashao was completely stunned: “Then what should we do? Now we’re all together, perfect for the zombie to wipe us out in one go.”
“Not so fast!” Zhang Enpu smiled: “Fortunately, the records of the Celestial Masters of Longhu Mountain have methods to deal with this thing, so we won’t be drawing water with a bamboo basket this time!”
Seeing the time was right, Zhang Enpu immediately instructed Liu Dashao to throw all the tables and chairs in the main hall outside, then closed the door.
Zhang Enpu drew several talismans on the door and walls, sealing the house. Then, he took out the bucket of black dog blood and realgar, threw in two handfuls of cinnabar, shook it well, and took out a brush to squat on the ground and draw the formation lines.
The courtyard was now bustling. A shout was heard, followed by a piercing scream, and then a figure rushed in from outside. The figure grew closer, and under the dim light, Liu Dashao gradually recognized it as Wang Weizhen.
This Wang the Immortal looked quite disheveled, his clothes torn in several places, one hand holding a broken peach wood sword, the other clutching a cloth bag, the sword’s scabbard nowhere to be seen.
Wang Weizhen stumbled over, and not far behind him leaped the ferocious red demon. Clearly, Wang Weizhen had failed to hold off the drought demon and had instead enraged it.
Zhang Enpu had already drawn the talismans all over the ground and was lighting the inscriptions on them. Seeing Wang Weizhen running over, he shouted: “Find a way to hold it off for a moment, let me finish!”
With that, his hands moved even faster.
Wang Weizhen was stunned. Looking at Zhang Enpu’s actions, he understood what he was trying to do.
Zhang Enpu was making such a big fuss, probably setting up a very powerful formation! As the saying goes, if you haven’t eaten pork, you’ve at least seen a pig run! He had seen other sects’ Taoists do this before, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with it.
With a determined heart, Wang Weizhen took out a small sword made of copper coins from his pocket, the last treasure his master had passed down to him. He bit his middle finger, smeared the blood on the sword, and threw it at the drought demon behind him.
This sword was called the “Pure Yang Sword.” Copper coins, having passed through many hands, carried a great deal of yang energy, and with Wang Weizhen’s middle finger blood, the yang energy was even stronger. If it encountered ordinary “evil” or “resentful” entities, it could make them kneel and beg for mercy. But this time, it wasn’t dealing with an ordinary thing!
The “Pure Yang Sword” flew straight at the drought demon. The demon first retreated, then let out a sinister laugh, extending its long-nailed hand and smashing the “Pure Yang Sword” with a slap.
“It’s better to hear a ghost cry than to hear a ghost laugh.” The ghost’s laughter was unbearable, the eerie sound sending chills down one’s spine. The drought demon’s slap broke the red string of Wang Weizhen’s “Pure Yang Sword,” scattering the copper coins. However, the drought demon didn’t come out unscathed; the “Pure Yang Sword” sent it staggering back over ten steps.
Finally, the last stroke was completed, and Zhang Enpu let out a long breath, putting away the brush.
Seeing that Zhang Enpu was ready, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about appearances anymore. He performed a “ground roll” and rolled past Zhang Enpu’s feet.
The drought demon, following closely, charged forward with claws bared.
Red lines almost covered the entire floor of the main hall, forming a large pattern. As Zhang Enpu drew, he muttered some incantation. While drawing the formation lines, Zhang Enpu also took out twenty-eight copper coins and nine dark yellow talismans, placing them in specific positions within the formation. Each time he placed a copper coin or talisman, he tapped it heavily with the brush, simultaneously chanting “Ji!” in a slightly louder voice.
The red lines drawn by Zhang Enpu weren’t the dry red color but resembled the flowing blood in human veins, quietly moving along his wolf-hair brush. As the formation neared completion, the red lines became more vibrant and full, gradually emitting a soft red glow, leaving the two onlookers dumbfounded.
“This is too magical! First time seeing the old man do this!” Liu Dashao muttered.
When Zhang Enpu finished the entire formation, the red light suddenly disappeared. The entire formation fell silent, the red lines on the ground returning to their dry red color.
Bai Erlaizi landed with a thud on the stone steps, his forehead bleeding. Seeing the undead monster approaching again, he shouted loudly, “Master Wang, are you ready yet? Say something!”
“Ready my ass—run for it!” Master Wang spat on the ground and cursed.
Bai Erlaizi painfully got up, looked at Wang Weizhen, and gasped sarcastically, “You ran out too? Aren’t you supposed to be a great immortal? Why are you fleeing at the sight of a ghost?”
“Oh, oh, oh, let’s go, let’s go…” The men finally snapped out of their daze and positioned themselves at the four cardinal directions, spinning their lassos with a whooshing sound. Bai Erlai was the first to act, his wrist flicking as the black iron hook flew from his hand and landed squarely on the drought demon’s waist. The weight of the hook caused it to wrap around the demon several times before finally dropping. The other three followed suit, and soon the drought demon was trussed up like a meat dumpling. The four men exchanged glances, then pulled hard on the ropes, tightening them to the point where the demon was immobilized.
“Roar…” The drought demon let out a fierce scream, abandoning Wang Weizhen and lunging towards Bai Erlai.
“Change formation, change formation!” Wang Weizhen, seeing the danger, quickly instructed. Without needing his command, the four men, having been trained by Zhang Enpu, sprang into action. The initial fear faded as they faced this life-and-death situation. As the drought demon charged towards Bai Erlai, the two men controlling the ropes opposite him increased their wrist strength, hoisting the ropes onto their shoulders and pulling with all their might, like oxen dragging a cart. Bai Erlai and Heishan stepped back several paces, tightening the slack ropes once more, thus immobilizing the drought demon again.
The skill of the lasso was not exclusive to the Celestial Masters; it originated from the tricks devised by the Maoshan Taoists. In later films, whenever zombies were mentioned, it was always the corpse drivers and Maoshan Taoists who were involved, and this was not without reason. Now, with the liberation and the denouncement of superstition, such practices are no longer discussed. But in ancient times, the Maoshan Taoists were primarily engaged in the business of corpse driving. The scope of “corpse driving” was actually quite limited, confined to the mountainous regions of western Hunan, particularly along the Yuan River. The terrain was rugged, making travel difficult, and transporting coffins back to the deceased’s hometown was even more troublesome. Many who worked and lived there would entrust their friends and relatives to ensure their remains were returned to their homeland for burial, to avoid being laid to rest in the desolate wilderness. To avoid the arduous task of carrying coffins over the rough mountain paths, the Maoshan Taoists developed the unique method of “corpse driving.”
Corpse driving, being the transportation of corpses, naturally involved many unstable factors, with corpse transformation being one of the frequent occurrences. The lasso was one of the methods the Maoshan Taoists used to deal with corpse transformation. After all, not every Taoist was as formidable as Lam Ching-ying in the movies. Zombies were savage and strong, and engaging them in hand-to-hand combat would surely lead to defeat. Thus, they devised this method to first restrain the zombie, then use talismans to suppress it, making the task easier. Zhang Enpu taught this lasso formation to the four strong men, putting it to good use.
The drought demon was now completely hysterical. Its tightly shut eyes suddenly opened, emitting a blood-red glow, its hair disheveled, and its long tongue hanging out. Its ten long fingernails glinted with black energy. It was clear that it had evolved to the highest level of zombiehood: the Drought Demon King. Wang Weizhen was utterly out of his depth, having only heard of such things before. Damn, this was the ultimate zombie!
“You… don’t look at me, I’m not scared of you, I won’t fall for your tricks!” Wang Weizhen tightly gripped his peach wood sword, his lips trembling. Although the drought demon was temporarily restrained, a dying camel is still bigger than a horse, and with his small sword, he had no idea where to strike. As he hesitated, Bai Erlai was struggling. Born into a farming family, he had grown up doing hard labor, carrying bundles of firewood from the front mountain to the back without a second thought. But now, he clearly felt he was about to give out. Despite the clever use of leverage by the Maoshan Taoists in the lasso, it couldn’t withstand the immense strength of the drought demon. Bai Erlai’s arms, gripping the ropes, were bulging with muscles, the veins like giant earthworms, swollen and taut. The cloth shoes on his feet scraped against the ground with a rustling sound. If this continued, not only would his arms break, but the soles of his shoes would wear through. The other three men, not as strong as Bai Erlai, were already gasping for breath, holding on purely by sheer willpower.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, hurry, we can’t hold on much longer!” Bai Erlai gasped, speaking in broken sentences. Wang Weizhen, seeing this, knew he couldn’t hesitate any longer, or they would all be doomed. With a grunt, he channeled all his strength into the peach wood sword and charged at the drought demon like a small locomotive.
He didn’t know that the drought demon, having become the Drought Demon King, had gained some intelligence. In this back-and-forth, it had realized that these guys were at their limit and thus laughed even more mockingly. Its ten black, shiny fingernails moved, pulling the two men holding the ropes to their knees. The peach wood sword that Wang Weizhen had earlier used as a projectile also jumped out of the drought demon’s body with a ‘snap,’ grazing Wang Weizhen’s nose bridge. The nose bridge is the most fragile part of the human body, and the impact left Wang Weizhen seeing stars, letting out a groan as he fell to the ground, tears streaming from his eyes. The drought demon roared several times, breaking free from the ropes. The two strong men at the front crashed into the wall with a ‘bang,’ their mouths spurting blood. The scene could only be described with one word: brutal! It was worse than chest-crushing boulders, and they were immediately out of the fight.
“Mother!” Bai Erlai and Heishan exchanged glances, each seeing the fear in the other’s eyes. They abandoned the ropes, running around the glutinous rice field and into the house like madmen.
Meanwhile, Wang Weizhen groggily got up from the ground, a large sleeve covering his nose bridge, his face pale and clearly in pain. Two streams of dark red blood seeped through his fingers. Wang Weizhen grimaced, quickly wiping it away, but his hand was clumsy, and as soon as it touched the wound, he let out another ‘ouch,’ his legs giving way as he fell to the ground.
This fall happened to land him right in front of the drought demon. The demon, smelling the blood, immediately bared its teeth and lunged at Wang Weizhen, who was terrified. After all, being bitten by this thing was no joke. He tried to pull his leg back, but it felt weak and unresponsive, causing Wang Weizhen to break out in a cold sweat, his hands flailing about in panic. As the drought demon loomed close, Wang Weizhen’s eyes caught sight of his shoe. In a flash of inspiration, he swiftly removed the cotton shoe from his left foot and, without a second thought, shoved it into the drought demon’s open mouth. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen scrambled to his feet and retreated.
“Ah, my dear Wang, are you hurt?” Heishan, standing by the door, saw Wang Weizhen rolling towards him like a gourd and quickly helped him up.
Wang Weizhen, now on his feet, didn’t care about his appearance and pointed frantically, “Quick, stop that thing, stop it!”
“Stop…”
“Stop!” Bai Erlai and Heishan quickly echoed, but as soon as the words left their mouths, they noticed Wang Weizhen looking at them and then at the two severely injured men on the ground, and they immediately understood.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, who’s going to stop it?” Bai Erlai stammered.
“Nonsense, do I look like I can go up there? You two hold it off for a moment while I catch my breath, then we’ll see!” Wang the Immortal’s beard trembled, clearly in no condition to fight.
“Well… you…” Bai Erlai, though simple and slow-witted, wasn’t stupid and quickly looked to Heishan, who promptly supported Wang Weizhen, “Old Bai, don’t worry, I’ll take care of Wang the Immortal here.”
At this point, Bai Erlai had no choice. Gritting his teeth, he slapped his chest, picked up a wooden beam from the ground, and jumped down the steps. In the courtyard, the drought demon spat out the tattered cotton shoe and charged towards him with a roar. Seeing the danger, Bai Erlai let out a shout, closed his eyes, and swung the beam across the drought demon’s waist. The beam, though not as sturdy as a roof beam, was still the backbone of a haystack, weighing at least fifty or sixty pounds, something an ordinary person couldn’t wield with finesse. The impact on the drought demon was like a mountain pressing down on its chest, enough to make one’s blood boil and organs rupture. But the drought demon was unfazed. With a swipe of its long, black-nailed hand, it tore a hole in the hard wooden beam and tossed it aside, sending Bai Erlai flying along with the beam.
Bai Erlai landed with a thud on the stone steps, his forehead bleeding. Seeing the indestructible drought demon approaching again, he shouted, “Wang the Immortal, are you ready yet? Say something!”
“Ready my foot, run!” Wang the Immortal spat on the ground and cursed.
Bai Erlai painfully got up, looked at Wang Weizhen, and gasped mockingly, “Why are you running too? You’re supposed to be a great immortal, how come you flee at the sight of a ghost?”
“Damn it! Do you know what that thing is? It’s a drought demon! If we don’t run, we’ll be done for! Besides, isn’t Zhang Enpu still in the house for backup?” Wang Weizhen turned around, his face a picture of misery.
“Running isn’t enough, Immortal. You need to think of something. This drought demon is too fast; someone needs to hold it off, or we’ll all be finished!” Bai Erlai said.
Wang Weizhen thought about it and nodded, “Alright, you and Heishan take these two brothers inside. I’ll stall it a bit longer, wear it down for Zhang the Celestial Master.”
“Count on you, Wang the Immortal. I’ll retreat first. If anything happens to you, I’ll burn plenty of paper money for you, so you can start a Wang Corporation down there!” Heishan said, then dragged the two half-dead injured men into the house with Bai Erlai.
“I curse your grandmother!” Wang Weizhen jumped and cursed, but before he could finish his sentence, a foul wind hit him, and he dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the drought demon.
“Damn it, it’s relentless!” Wang Weizhen, now facing the drought demon’s back, leaped into the air, his upper body arching back as his hips thrust forward, executing a beautiful side kick that struck the demon’s back, sending it sprawling. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen grabbed the peach wood sword that had earlier broken his nose and, with a few swift strokes, charged forward.
I don’t believe it, even a master can be beaten by a mob. Today, I’ll take on this drought demon! With this thought, Wang Weizhen’s fear gradually dissipated. He noticed that although the drought demon was fast and impervious to weapons, it wasn’t very intelligent—somewhat brain-dead, in fact. So, summoning his courage, he began to use the skills he had learned from his master, and for a while, he managed to hold his own against the drought demon.
Inside the house, Zhang Enpu and Liu Dashao pulled the two injured men into the inner room, instructing Bai Erlai to give them some internal injury medicine and apply some safflower oil before leaving them be.
“Old Taoist Zhang, I say Wang the Immortal is still out there…”
But Zhang Enpu was busy mixing cinnabar in a wooden bucket and didn’t respond to Liu Dashao’s question.
“Hey, hey, you…” Liu Dashao was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth.
“What about me?” Zhang Enpu, after mixing the black dog blood, realgar, and other substances in the bucket, stood up and smiled at Liu Dashao.
“You…” Liu Dashao took a deep breath, almost choking, “Old Wang is out there fighting for you, and you’re just leaving him out there to die? Isn’t that heartless?”
“Oh, is that all!” Zhang Enpu’s lips curled, “Don’t underestimate Old Wang. I’ve seen his skills; he can hold out for five or six minutes.” Then he frowned, “Old Wang was right to bring those four in. No one expected that after feeding on so much human blood, the drought demon would ascend to the next level, becoming the most difficult to deal with—the Drought Demon King. Evacuating the unrelated people allows Wang Weizhen to focus entirely on delaying the Drought Demon King.”
“Do you have a way to deal with this zombie, old Taoist?” Liu Dashao asked urgently.
“I… don’t!” Zhang Enpu shook his head.
“What?” Liu Dashao was stunned, “Then what are we going to do? Now we’re all gathered here, perfect for the zombie to wipe us out in one go.”
“Not so fast!” Zhang Enpu laughed, “Fortunately, the records of the Celestial Masters of Longhu Mountain have a way to deal with this thing, so this time, we won’t be drawing water with a bamboo basket!”
Seeing the time was right, Zhang Enpu immediately instructed Liu Dashao to throw the tables and chairs from the main hall outside and then close the door.
Zhang Enpu drew several talismans on the door and walls, sealing the house, then took out the bucket containing black dog blood and realgar, threw in two handfuls of cinnabar, stirred it well, and took out a brush to squat on the ground and draw the formation lines.
The courtyard was now in chaos, with a shout followed by a piercing scream, and then a shadow rushed in from outside. The shadow grew closer, and under the dim light, Liu Dashao gradually recognized it as Wang Weizhen.
This Wang the Immortal was in a sorry state, his clothes torn in several places, one hand holding a broken peach wood sword, the other clutching a cloth bag, the sword’s scabbard nowhere to be seen.
Wang Weizhen stumbled over, and not far behind him leaped the ferocious red demon. Clearly, Wang Weizhen had failed to delay the drought demon and had instead enraged it.
Zhang Enpu had already drawn the talismans all over the ground and was lighting the inscriptions on them. Seeing Wang Weizhen running over, he shouted, “Find a way to hold it off for a moment, let me finish!”
With that, his hands moved even faster.
Wang Weizhen was taken aback. Seeing Zhang Enpu’s actions, he understood what he was trying to do.
Zhang Enpu was making such a big fuss, probably setting up a very powerful formation! As the saying goes, if you haven’t eaten pork, you’ve at least seen a pig run! He had seen other sects’ Taoists do this before, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with it.
With a determined heart, Wang Weizhen pulled out a small sword made of copper coins from his pocket—his master’s final treasure. He bit his middle finger, smeared the blood on the sword, and threw it at the drought demon behind him.
This sword was called the “Pure Yang Sword.” The copper coins, having passed through many hands, were imbued with a great deal of yang energy, and with Wang Weizhen’s middle finger blood, the yang energy was even stronger. If it had encountered an ordinary “evil” or “grudge,” it would have made the opponent kneel and beg for mercy. But this time, it wasn’t dealing with an ordinary foe!
The “Pure Yang Sword” flew straight at the drought demon. The demon initially retreated, then let out a sinister laugh, extended its long-nailed hand, and with a slap, shattered the “Pure Yang Sword.”
“Better to hear a ghost cry than a ghost laugh.” The ghost’s laughter was unbearable, the eerie sound sending chills down one’s spine. The drought demon’s slap broke the red string of Wang Weizhen’s “Pure Yang Sword,” scattering the copper coins. However, the drought demon didn’t come out unscathed, being pushed back over ten steps by the “Pure Yang Sword.”
Finally, the last stroke was completed, and Zhang Enpu let out a long sigh, putting away his brush.
Seeing that Zhang Enpu was ready, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about appearances anymore and performed a “ground roll” past Zhang Enpu’s feet.
The drought demon, close behind, charged forward with claws bared.
Red lines almost covered the entire floor of the main hall, forming a large pattern. As Zhang Enpu drew, he muttered incantations under his breath. While drawing the formation lines, Zhang Enpu also took out twenty-eight copper coins and nine dark yellow talismans, placing them in specific positions within the formation. Each time he placed a coin or talisman, he tapped it heavily with his brush, simultaneously chanting “Ji!” in a slightly raised voice.
The red lines drawn by Zhang Enpu weren’t the dry red of paint but resembled the flowing blood in human veins, quietly moving along his wolf-hair brush. As the formation neared completion, the red lines became increasingly vibrant and full, slowly emitting a soft red glow, leaving the two onlookers in awe.
“This is too amazing! First time seeing the old man do this!” Liu Dashao muttered.
When Zhang Enpu finished the entire formation, the red light suddenly disappeared. The entire formation fell silent, the red lines on the ground returning to their dry red color.
“Oh, oh, oh, let’s do it, let’s do it…” A few people finally snapped out of their daze and positioned themselves at the four cardinal directions, spinning their lassos with a whooshing sound. Bai Erlai was the first to act; with a flick of his wrist, the black iron hook flew out and landed squarely on the drought demon’s waist. The weight of the hook caused it to wrap around the demon several times before finally dropping. The other three followed suit, and soon the drought demon was trussed up like a meat dumpling. The four men exchanged glances, then pulled the ropes taut with all their might. Under their combined force, the ropes tightened, pinning the drought demon in place, unable to move.
“Roar…” The drought demon let out a fierce scream, dropped Wang Weizhen, and lunged at Bai Erlai.
“Change formation, change formation!” Wang Weizhen, seeing the danger, quickly instructed. Without needing his command, the four men, having been trained by Zhang Enpu, sprang into action. The initial fear gradually dissipated as they faced this life-and-death situation. Seeing the drought demon charge at Bai Erlai, the two men controlling the ropes opposite him immediately increased their wrist strength, hoisting the ropes onto their shoulders and pulling with all their might like oxen dragging a cart. Meanwhile, Bai Erlai and Heishan took several steps back, tightening the slack ropes once more, thus immobilizing the drought demon again.
The art of the lasso is not exclusive to the Celestial Masters; its origins trace back to the tricks devised by the Maoshan Taoists. In later films, whenever zombies are mentioned, it inevitably leads to the corpse drivers and then to the Maoshan Taoists, which is not without basis. Now that we’ve liberated ourselves from superstition, let’s not dwell on that. In ancient times, the Maoshan Taoists were primarily involved in the business of “driving corpses.” The scope of “driving corpses” was actually quite limited, confined to the mountainous regions of western Hunan, particularly along the Yuan River. The terrain was rugged, making travel difficult, and transporting coffins back to the deceased’s hometowns was even more troublesome. Many who worked and lived in these areas would entrust their friends and relatives to ensure their remains were brought back for burial, lest they be buried in the desolate wilderness. To avoid the arduous task of carrying coffins over rough mountain paths, the Maoshan Taoists developed the unique method of “driving corpses.”
“Driving corpses” involved transporting bodies, and naturally, there were many unstable factors, with corpse transformation being a frequent occurrence. The lasso was one of the methods the Maoshan Taoists used to deal with such transformations. After all, not every Taoist was as formidable as Lam Ching-ying in the movies. Zombies were savage and strong, and engaging them in direct combat would surely lead to defeat. Thus, they devised this method: first, immobilize the zombie, then use talismans to suppress it, making the task manageable. Zhang Enpu taught this lasso formation to the four burly men, putting it to good use.
The drought demon was now completely hysterical. Its tightly shut eyes suddenly opened, emitting a blood-red glow. Its hair was disheveled, its long tongue hanging out, and its ten long fingernails glinted with black energy. It was clear that it had evolved to the highest level of zombiehood: the Drought Demon King. Wang Weizhen’s heart sank; he had only heard of such a thing. Damn it, this was the ultimate zombie, the pinnacle of its kind!
“You… don’t look at me like that, I’ve been through a lot, I’m not scared of you!” Wang Weizhen gripped his peach wood sword tightly, his lips trembling. Although the drought demon was temporarily bound, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse, and with his small sword, he had no idea where to strike. As he hesitated, Bai Erlai was struggling. Born into a farming family, he had grown up doing hard labor, carrying bundles of firewood from the front mountain to the back without a second thought. But now, he clearly felt he was about to give out. Despite the clever use of leverage by the Maoshan Taoists in the lasso, it couldn’t withstand the immense strength of the drought demon. Bai Erlai’s arms, gripping the ropes, were bulging with muscles, the veins like giant earthworms, and his cloth shoes scraped against the ground with a rustling sound. If this continued, not only would his arms break, but the soles of his shoes would wear through. The other three, not as strong as Bai Erlai, were already gasping for breath, holding on only by sheer willpower.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, hurry, we can’t hold on much longer!” Bai Erlai gasped, speaking in broken phrases. Wang Weizhen knew he couldn’t hesitate any longer, or they would all be doomed. With a determined heart, he let out a grunt, channeling all his strength into the peach wood sword, charging at the drought demon like a small locomotive.
He didn’t know that the drought demon, having become the Drought Demon King, had gained some intelligence. In this back-and-forth, it had realized that these guys were at their limit, and it laughed even more mockingly. With a flick of its ten shiny black fingernails, it yanked the two men holding the ropes to their knees. The peach wood sword that Wang Weizhen had used as a hidden weapon earlier jumped out of the drought demon’s body with a ‘snap,’ grazing Wang Weizhen’s nose bridge. The nose bridge is the most fragile part of the human body, and the impact sent Wang Weizhen reeling, tears streaming down his face. The drought demon roared several times, breaking free from the ropes. The two burly men who had been holding the ropes crashed into the wall with a ‘bang,’ their mouths spewing blood. It could only be described as ‘bold!’ Truly worse than chest-breaking stones, they were immediately incapacitated.
“Mother!” Bai Erlai and Heishan exchanged glances, each seeing the fear in the other’s eyes. Without a second thought for the ropes, they ran around the glutinous rice field, bolting into the house like madmen.
Meanwhile, Wang Weizhen, dazed, got up from the ground, a large sleeve covering his nose bridge, his face pale and clearly in pain. Two streams of dark red blood seeped through his fingers. Wang Weizhen pursed his lips, quickly trying to wipe it away, but his hand was clumsy, and as soon as it touched the wound, he let out another ‘ouch,’ his legs giving way, and he fell to the ground.
This fall happened to land him right in front of the drought demon. The demon, smelling the blood, immediately bared its teeth and lunged at Wang Weizhen. This terrified Wang Weizhen; after all, this thing wasn’t playing around when it came to biting. He tried to pull his legs back, but they felt weak and unresponsive, making him break out in a cold sweat that soaked his back. His hands flailed around, but he couldn’t find anything to grab onto. As the drought demon loomed close, Wang Weizhen’s eyes caught sight of his shoe. In a flash of inspiration, he swiftly took off the cotton shoe from his left foot and, without a second thought, shoved it into the drought demon’s open mouth. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen scrambled to his feet and backed away.
“Ouch, my dear Wang, are you hurt?” Heishan, standing by the door, saw Wang Weizhen rolling towards him like a gourd. With quick reflexes, he grabbed Wang Weizhen and helped him up.
Once on his feet, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about his appearance, pointing frantically and saying, “Quick, stop that thing, stop it!”
“Stop…”
“Stop!” Bai Erlai and Heishan quickly echoed, but as soon as the words left their mouths, they noticed Wang Weizhen looking at them, and then at the two severely injured men lying on the ground, and they immediately understood.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, who’s going to stop it?” Bai Erlai stammered.
“Nonsense, do I look like I can go up there? You two go and hold it off for a moment while I catch my breath, then we’ll see!” Wang the Immortal’s beard trembled, clearly in no condition to fight.
“Well… you…” Bai Erlai, though simple and slow-witted, wasn’t stupid. He quickly looked at Heishan, who was more decisive, immediately supporting Wang Weizhen: “Old Bai, don’t worry, I’ll take care of Wang the Immortal here.”
At this point, Bai Erlai had no choice but to grit his teeth, slap his chest, grab a wooden beam from the ground, and jump down the steps. In the courtyard, the drought demon spat out the torn cotton shoe and charged at him with a roar. Seeing the situation was dire, Bai Erlai let out a shout, closed his eyes, and swung the wooden beam across the drought demon’s waist. The beam, though not as sturdy as a roof beam, was still the backbone of a haystack, weighing at least fifty or sixty pounds, something an ordinary person couldn’t wield with finesse. The impact on the drought demon was like a mountain pressing down on its chest, enough to make an ordinary person’s blood boil and organs rupture. But the drought demon was unfazed; with a swipe of its long, black-nailed hand, it tore a hole in the solid wooden beam and tossed it aside, sending Bai Erlai flying along with the beam.
Bai Erlai thudded onto the stone steps, his forehead bleeding. Seeing the indestructible drought demon approaching again, he shouted, “Wang the Immortal, are you ready yet? Say something!”
“Ready my foot, run!” Wang the Immortal spat on the ground and cursed.
Bai Erlai painfully got up, looked at Wang Weizhen, and gasped, “Why are you running too? You’re supposed to be an immortal, how come you’re fleeing at the sight of a ghost?”
“Damn it! Do you know what that thing is? It’s a drought demon! If we don’t run, we’ll be done for! Besides, isn’t Zhang Enpu still in the house for backup?” Wang Weizhen turned around, his face ashen.
“Just running isn’t enough, Immortal. Think of something! This drought demon is too fast; someone needs to hold it off, or all three of us will be finished!” Bai Erlai said.
Wang Weizhen thought about it and nodded: “Fine, you and Heishan take these two brothers inside. I’ll stall it for a bit, wear it down for Zhang the Celestial Master.”
“Count on you, Wang the Immortal. I’m out of here. If anything happens to you, I’ll burn plenty of paper money for you to start a Wang Corporation in the afterlife!” Heishan said, then dragged the two half-dead injured men into the house with Bai Erlai.
“I curse your grandmother!” Wang Weizhen jumped and cursed, but before he could finish, a foul wind hit him. He dodged, sidestepping the drought demon.
“Damn it, it’s relentless!” Wang Weizhen now faced the drought demon’s back. He leaped into the air, his upper body leaning back, his hips thrusting forward, executing a beautiful side kick in mid-air, striking the drought demon’s back and sending it flying. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen grabbed the peach wood sword that had earlier broken his nose bridge, swung it three times, and charged forward.
I don’t believe it! Even a master can be beaten by a flurry of blows. Today, I’ll wear this drought demon down! With this thought, Wang Weizhen’s fear gradually dissipated. He noticed that although the drought demon was fast and impervious to weapons, it wasn’t very intelligent—somewhat brain-damaged, in fact. So, summoning his courage, he unleashed the skills he had learned from his master, and for a while, he managed to hold his own against the drought demon.
Inside the house, Zhang Enpu and Liu Dashao dragged the two injured men into the inner room, casually instructing Bai Erlai to feed them some internal injury medicine and apply some safflower oil, then left them alone.
“Old Zhang, I say Wang the Immortal is still out there…”
But Zhang Enpu was busy mixing cinnabar in a wooden bucket, ignoring Liu Dashao’s question.
“Hey, hey, you…” Liu Dashao was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth.
“What about me?” Zhang Enpu, after evenly mixing the black dog blood, realgar, and other substances in the wooden bucket, stood up and smiled at Liu Dashao.
“You…” Liu Dashao took a deep breath, almost choking: “Old Wang is out there fighting for you, and you’re just leaving him out there, isn’t that abandoning him?”
“Is that all?” Zhang Enpu’s lips curled: “Don’t underestimate Old Wang. I’ve observed his skills; he can hold out for five or six minutes.” Then, he frowned: “Old Wang was right to bring those four in. No one expected that after feeding on so much human blood, the drought demon would ascend to the next level, becoming the most formidable Drought Demon King. Evacuating the bystanders allows Wang Weizhen to fight the Drought Demon King without any distractions.”
“Then, old Taoist, do you have a way to deal with this zombie?” Liu Dashao asked urgently.
“I… don’t!” Zhang Enpu shook his head.
“What?” Liu Dashao was stunned: “Then what should we do? Now we’re all gathered here, perfect for the zombie to wipe us out in one go.”
“Not so fast!” Zhang Enpu laughed: “Fortunately, the records of the Celestial Masters of Longhu Mountain have a way to deal with this thing, so this time, we won’t be left empty-handed!”
Seeing the time was right, Zhang Enpu immediately instructed Liu Dashao to throw the tables and chairs from the main hall outside and then close the door.
Zhang Enpu drew several talismans on the door and walls, sealing the house. Then, he took out the wooden bucket containing black dog blood and realgar, threw in two handfuls of cinnabar, shook it well, took out a brush, and squatted on the ground to draw the formation lines.
The courtyard was now in chaos. A shout was heard, followed by a piercing scream, and then a shadow rushed over from outside. The shadow grew closer, and under the dim light, Liu Dashao gradually recognized it as Wang Weizhen.
This Wang the Immortal was in a sorry state, his clothes torn in several places, one hand holding a broken peach wood sword, the other clutching a cloth bag, the sword’s scabbard nowhere to be seen.
Wang Weizhen stumbled over, and not far behind him leaped the ferocious red demon. Clearly, Wang Weizhen had failed to hold off the drought demon and had only enraged it further.
Zhang Enpu had already drawn talismans all over the ground and was lighting the inscriptions on them. Seeing Wang Weizhen running over, he shouted, “Find a way to hold it off for a moment, let me finish drawing!”
With that, his hands moved even faster.
Wang Weizhen was momentarily stunned. Seeing Zhang Enpu’s actions, he understood what he was trying to do.
Zhang Enpu was making such a grand display, probably setting up a powerful formation! As the saying goes, if you haven’t eaten pork, you’ve at least seen a pig run! He had seen other Taoist friends do this before, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with it.
With a determined heart, Wang Weizhen took out a small sword made of copper coins from his pocket, the last treasure his master had passed down to him. He bit his middle finger, smeared the blood on the sword, and threw it at the drought demon behind him.
This sword was called the “Pure Yang Sword.” The copper coins, having passed through many hands, were imbued with immense yang energy, and with Wang Weizhen’s blood, the yang energy was even stronger. If it encountered ordinary “evil” or “resentful” spirits, it would make them kneel and beg for mercy. But this time, it wasn’t dealing with an ordinary entity!
The “Pure Yang Sword” flew straight at the drought demon. The demon initially retreated, then let out a sinister laugh, extended its long-nailed hand, and with a slap, shattered the “Pure Yang Sword.”
“It’s better to hear a ghost cry than to hear a ghost laugh.” The sound of the ghost’s laughter was unbearable, sending chills down one’s spine. The drought demon’s slap broke the red string of Wang Weizhen’s “Pure Yang Sword,” scattering the copper coins. However, the drought demon didn’t come out unscathed; it was forced back over ten steps by the “Pure Yang Sword.”
Finally, the last stroke was completed, and Zhang Enpu let out a long sigh, putting away the brush.
Seeing Zhang Enpu ready, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about appearances anymore. He performed a “ground roll” and rolled past Zhang Enpu’s feet.
The drought demon, close behind, charged forward with claws bared.
Red lines almost covered the entire floor of the main hall, forming a large pattern. As Zhang Enpu drew, he muttered incantations, the words unknown. While drawing the formation lines, Zhang Enpu also took out twenty-eight copper coins and nine dark yellow talismans, arranging them in specific positions within the formation. Each time he placed a coin or talisman, he pressed down heavily with the brush and uttered a slightly louder “Ji!”
The red lines drawn by Zhang Enpu weren’t the dry red of paint but resembled the flowing blood in human veins, quietly moving along his wolf-hair brush. As the formation neared completion, the red lines became more vibrant and full, gradually emitting a soft red glow, leaving the two onlookers in awe.
“This is too amazing! First time seeing the old man do this!” Liu Dashao muttered.
When Zhang Enpu finished the entire formation, the red light suddenly disappeared. The entire formation fell silent, and the red lines on the ground returned to their dry red color.
Wang thought for a moment and agreed. He shook his head: “Alright, you and Heishan take these two injured men inside first. I’ll try to stall it a bit and wear it down for Zhang Tianshi.”
“Count on you, Master Wang. If anything happens to you, I’ll make sure to burn plenty of paper money for you in the afterlife so you can start a Wang Group over there!” With that, Heishan and Bai Erlaizi dragged the two half-dead injured men into the house.
“Oh, oh, oh, let’s go, let’s go…” A few people finally snapped out of their daze and positioned themselves at the four cardinal directions, spinning their lassos with a whooshing sound. Bai Erlai was the first to act, flicking his wrist to send a black iron hook flying towards the waist of the drought demon. The weight of the hook caused it to wrap around the demon several times before finally dropping. The other three followed suit, and soon the drought demon was trussed up like a meat dumpling. The four men exchanged glances, then pulled the ropes taut with all their might, immobilizing the demon.
“Roar…” The drought demon let out a fierce cry, abandoning Wang Weizhen and lunging towards Bai Erlai.
“Change formation, change formation!” Wang Weizhen, sensing danger, quickly instructed. Without needing his command, the four men, having been trained by Zhang Enpu, sprang into action. As the drought demon charged at Bai Erlai, the two men on the opposite side of the rope increased their grip, hoisting the rope onto their shoulders and pulling with all their might like oxen dragging a cart. Bai Erlai and Heishan retreated several steps, tightening the slack in the rope, once again immobilizing the demon.
The art of the lasso was not exclusive to the Celestial Master sect; its origins trace back to the tricks devised by the Maoshan Taoists. In later films, whenever zombies are mentioned, it inevitably leads to the corpse drivers and the Maoshan Taoists, which is not without basis. Now, with the liberation and the dismissal of superstitions, this is no longer discussed. In ancient times, the Maoshan Taoists primarily engaged in the business of “driving corpses.” The scope of this activity was quite limited, confined to the mountainous regions of western Hunan, particularly along the Yuan River. The terrain was rugged, making travel difficult, and transporting coffins back to one’s hometown was even more troublesome. Many who worked and lived in these areas would entrust their friends and relatives with the task of ensuring their remains were returned to their homeland for burial, to avoid being laid to rest in the desolate wilderness. To avoid the arduous task of carrying coffins over rough mountain paths, the Maoshan Taoists developed the unique method of “driving corpses.”
Driving corpses naturally involved many unstable factors, with corpse transformation being one of the frequent occurrences. The lasso was one of the methods the Maoshan Taoists used to deal with corpse transformations. After all, not every Taoist was as formidable as Lam Ching-ying in the movies. Zombies were savage and strong, and engaging them in direct combat would surely lead to defeat. Thus, they devised this method: first, restrain the zombie, then use talismans to suppress it, making the task manageable. Zhang Enpu taught this lasso formation to the four strong men, putting it to good use.
The drought demon was now completely hysterical. Its tightly shut eyes suddenly opened, emitting a blood-red glow. Its hair was disheveled, its long tongue hanging out, and its ten long fingernails shimmered with black energy. It had clearly evolved into the highest form of a zombie: the Drought Demon King. Wang Weizhen was utterly out of his depth, having only heard of such a creature. This was undoubtedly the pinnacle of zombies!
“You… don’t look at me like that, I’m not scared of you, I won’t fall for your tricks!” Wang Weizhen gripped his peach wood sword tightly, his lips trembling. Although the drought demon was temporarily restrained, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse, and with his small sword, he had no idea where to strike. As he hesitated, Bai Erlai was struggling. Born into a farming family, he had grown up doing hard labor, carrying bundles of firewood from the front mountain to the back without a second thought. But now, he could clearly feel that he was about to give in. Despite the clever use of leverage by the Maoshan Taoists in the lasso, the sheer strength of the drought demon was overwhelming. Bai Erlai’s arms, gripping the rope, were bulging with muscles, the veins like giant earthworms, and his cloth shoes were scraping against the ground with a rustling sound. If this continued, not only would his arms break, but the soles of his shoes would wear through. The other three men, not as strong as Bai Erlai, were already gasping for breath, holding on purely by sheer willpower.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, hurry, we can’t hold on much longer!” Bai Erlai gasped, speaking in broken sentences. Wang Weizhen knew he couldn’t hesitate any longer; otherwise, they would all be doomed. With a determined heart, he let out a grunt, channeling all his strength into the peach wood sword, and charged at the drought demon like a small locomotive.
He didn’t know that the drought demon, having become the Drought Demon King, had gained a bit of intelligence. In this back-and-forth, it had realized that these guys were at their limit, and so it smiled even more sinisterly. With a flick of its ten shiny black fingernails, it yanked the two men holding the rope to their knees. The peach wood sword that Wang Weizhen had previously used as a projectile also jumped out of the demon’s body with a ‘snap,’ grazing Wang Weizhen’s nose bridge. The nose bridge is the most fragile part of the human body, and this blow sent Wang Weizhen reeling, tears streaming down his face. The drought demon roared several times, breaking free from the ropes. The two strong men were thrown against the wall with a ‘bang,’ their mouths spraying blood. The scene could only be described as ‘bold!’ It was even worse than chest-breaking stone slabs; they were immediately out of the fight.
“Mother!” Bai Erlai and Heishan exchanged a glance, each seeing the fear in the other’s eyes. Without a second thought for the rope, they ran around the glutinous rice field and bolted into the house like madmen.
Meanwhile, Wang Weizhen groggily got up from the ground, a large sleeve covering his nose bridge, his face pale and clearly in pain. Two streams of dark red blood seeped through his fingers. Wang Weizhen pursed his lips and quickly tried to wipe it away, but his hand was clumsy, and as soon as it touched the wound, he let out another ‘ouch,’ his legs giving way as he fell to the ground.
This fall landed him right in front of the drought demon, which, smelling the blood, immediately bared its teeth and lunged at Wang Weizhen. This terrified Wang Weizhen; after all, being bitten by this thing was no joke. He tried to pull his legs back, but they felt weak and unresponsive, drenching Wang Weizhen in cold sweat. His hands flailed about, but he couldn’t find anything to grab onto. As the drought demon loomed close, Wang Weizhen’s eyes caught sight of his shoe. In a flash of inspiration, he swiftly removed the cotton shoe from his left foot and, without a second thought, shoved it into the demon’s open mouth. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen scrambled to his feet and backed away.
“Ouch, my dear Wang, are you hurt?” Heishan, standing by the door, saw Wang Weizhen rolling towards him like a gourd. With quick reflexes, he helped Wang Weizhen up.
Once on his feet, Wang Weizhen had no time to worry about his appearance. He pointed frantically and said, “Quick, stop that thing, stop that thing!”
“Stop…”
“Stop!” Bai Erlai and Heishan quickly echoed, but as soon as the words left their mouths, they noticed Wang Weizhen looking at them, and then at the two severely injured men on the ground, and immediately understood.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, who’s going to stop it?” Bai Erlai stammered.
“Nonsense, do I look like I can go up there? You two go and hold it off for a moment while I catch my breath, then we’ll see!” Wang the Immortal’s beard was trembling, clearly in no condition to fight.
“Well… you…” Bai Erlai, though simple and slow, wasn’t stupid. He quickly turned to Heishan, who was more decisive, immediately supporting Wang Weizhen: “Old Bai, don’t worry, I’ll take care of Wang the Immortal here.”
At this point, Bai Erlai had no choice. Gritting his teeth, he slapped his chest, picked up a horizontal wooden beam from the ground, and jumped down the steps. In the courtyard, the drought demon spat out the tattered cotton shoe and charged towards him with a roar. Seeing that he was in trouble, Bai Erlai let out a shout, closed his eyes, and swung the beam towards the demon’s waist. The beam, though not as sturdy as a roof beam, was still the backbone of a haystack, weighing at least fifty or sixty pounds, something an ordinary person couldn’t wield effectively. The impact on the drought demon was like a mountain pressing down on its chest, enough to make anyone’s blood boil and organs rupture. But the drought demon was unfazed. With a swipe of its long, black-nailed hand, it tore a hole in the hard wooden beam and tossed it aside, sending Bai Erlai flying along with the beam.
Bai Erlai landed with a thud on the stone steps, his forehead bleeding. Seeing the indestructible drought demon approaching again, he shouted, “Wang the Immortal, are you ready yet? Say something!”
“Ready my foot, run!” Wang the Immortal spat on the ground and cursed.
Bai Erlai painfully got up, looked at Wang Weizhen, and gasped, “Why are you running too? You’re supposed to be an immortal, how come you’re fleeing at the sight of a ghost?”
“Damn it! Do you know what that thing is? It’s a drought demon! If we don’t run, we’ll be done for! Besides, isn’t there still Zhang Enpu’s backup in the house?” Wang Weizhen turned around, his face a picture of despair.
“Just running isn’t enough, Immortal. You need to think of something. This drought demon is too fast; someone needs to hold it off, or all three of us will be done for!” Bai Erlai said.
Wang Weizhen thought about it and nodded, “Alright, you and Heishan take these two brothers inside. I’ll try to wear it down a bit for Zhang the Celestial Master.”
“Count on you, Wang the Immortal. I’ll retreat first. If anything happens to you, I’ll burn plenty of paper money for you, so you can start a Wang Corporation down there!” Heishan said, then dragged the two half-dead injured men into the house with Bai Erlai.
“Damn your grandmother!” Wang Weizhen cursed as he jumped, but before he could finish his sentence, a foul wind hit him. He dodged, narrowly avoiding the drought demon.
“Damn it, it’s relentless!” Wang Weizhen, now facing the demon’s back, leaped into the air, his upper body leaning back as his hips thrust forward, executing a beautiful side kick that struck the demon’s back, sending it flying. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen grabbed the peach wood sword that had earlier broken his nose and, with three swift strokes, charged forward.
I refuse to believe that a random stick can kill a master. Today, I’ll fight this drought demon to the end! With this thought, Wang Weizhen’s fear gradually dissipated. He realized that although the drought demon was fast and impervious to weapons, it wasn’t very intelligent—a bit brain-dead, in fact. Drawing on his heroic spirit, he unleashed the skills he had learned from his master, and for a while, he managed to hold his own against the demon.
Inside the house, Zhang Enpu and Liu Dashao dragged the two injured men into the inner room, instructing Bai Erlai to feed them some internal injury medicine and apply some safflower oil before leaving them be.
“Old Taoist Zhang, I say Wang the Immortal is still out there…”
But Zhang Enpu, busy mixing cinnabar in a wooden bucket, didn’t respond to Liu Dashao’s question.
“Hey, hey, what are you…” Liu Dashao was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth.
“What am I doing?” Zhang Enpu, after thoroughly mixing the black dog blood, realgar, and other substances in the bucket, stood up and smiled at Liu Dashao.
“You…” Liu Dashao took a deep breath, nearly choking, “Old Wang is out there fighting for you, and you’re just leaving him out there? Isn’t that abandoning him to his fate?”
“Is that all?” Zhang Enpu’s lips curled, “Don’t underestimate Old Wang. I’ve seen his skills; he can hold out for five or six minutes.” Then, he frowned, “Old Wang was right to bring those four in. No one expected that after feeding on so much human blood, the drought demon would ascend to the next level, becoming the most formidable Drought Demon King. Evacuating the unrelated people allows Wang Weizhen to fight the Drought Demon King without any distractions.”
“Do you have a way to deal with this zombie, old Taoist?” Liu Dashao asked urgently.
“I… don’t!” Zhang Enpu shook his head.
“What?” Liu Dashao was completely stunned, “Then what should we do? Now we’re all gathered here, just waiting for the zombie to wipe us out.”
“Not so fast!” Zhang Enpu laughed, “Fortunately, the records of the Celestial Masters of Longhu Mountain through the ages contain methods to deal with this thing. So this time, we won’t be drawing water with a bamboo basket!”
Seeing that the time was right, Zhang Enpu immediately instructed Liu Dashao to throw all the tables and chairs from the main hall outside and then close the door.
Zhang Enpu drew several talismans on the door and walls, sealing the house. Then, he took out the bucket containing black dog blood and realgar, threw in two handfuls of cinnabar, stirred it well, and, with a brush, began drawing formation lines on the ground.
The courtyard was now in chaos. A shout was heard, followed by a piercing scream, and then a figure rushed in from outside. As the figure drew closer, under the dim light, Liu Dashao gradually recognized it as Wang Weizhen.
This Wang the Immortal was in a sorry state, his clothes torn in several places, one hand clutching a broken peach wood sword, the other holding a cloth bag. The sword’s sheath was nowhere to be seen.
Wang Weizhen stumbled in, with the ferocious red demon hopping not far behind. Clearly, Wang Weizhen had failed to hold off the drought demon and had instead enraged it.
Zhang Enpu, having finished drawing the talismans on the ground, was now lighting the inscriptions on the talismans. Seeing Wang Weizhen running towards him, he shouted, “Find a way to hold it off for a moment, let me finish!”
With that, his hands moved even faster.
Wang Weizhen was momentarily stunned. Seeing Zhang Enpu’s actions, he quickly understood what was happening.
Zhang Enpu was making such a grand display, likely setting up a powerful formation! As the saying goes, if you haven’t eaten pork, you’ve at least seen a pig run! He had seen other Taoist sects perform similar acts before, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with it.
With a determined heart, Wang Weizhen pulled out a small sword made of strung copper coins from his pocket—his master’s final treasure. He bit his middle finger, smeared the blood on the sword, and hurled it at the drought demon behind him.
This sword was called the “Pure Yang Sword.” The copper coins, having passed through many hands, were imbued with a great deal of yang energy, and with Wang Weizhen’s middle finger blood, the yang energy was even stronger. If it encountered ordinary “evil” or “resentful” entities, it would likely make them kneel and beg for mercy. But this time, it wasn’t dealing with an ordinary entity!
The “Pure Yang Sword” flew straight towards the drought demon. The demon initially retreated, then let out a sinister laugh, extending its long-nailed hand to slap the “Pure Yang Sword,” shattering it.
“It’s better to hear a ghost cry than a ghost laugh.” The sound of the ghost’s laughter was unbearable, sending chills down one’s spine. The drought demon’s slap broke the red string of Wang Weizhen’s “Pure Yang Sword,” scattering the copper coins. However, the demon didn’t come out unscathed, being forced back over a dozen steps by the sword’s impact.
Finally, the last stroke was completed, and Zhang Enpu let out a long sigh, putting away his brush.
Seeing that Zhang Enpu was ready, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about appearances anymore. He performed a “ground roll” and tumbled past Zhang Enpu’s feet.
The drought demon, close behind, charged forward with claws bared.
Red lines almost covered the entire floor of the main hall, forming a large pattern. As Zhang Enpu drew, he muttered incantations under his breath. While drawing the formation lines, he also took out twenty-eight copper coins and nine dark yellow talismans, placing them in specific positions within the formation. Each time he placed a coin or talisman, he would tap it heavily with his brush while chanting “Ji!” in a slightly raised voice.
The red lines drawn by Zhang Enpu weren’t the dry red of paint but resembled the flowing blood in human veins, quietly moving along his wolf-hair brush. As the formation neared completion, the red lines became increasingly vibrant and full, gradually emitting a soft red glow that left the two onlookers in awe.
“This is too amazing! I’ve never seen the old man do this before!” Liu Dashao muttered.
When Zhang Enpu finished the entire formation, the red light suddenly disappeared. The entire formation fell silent, and the red lines on the ground returned to their dry, red state.
“Oh, oh, oh, let’s go, let’s go…” Several people finally snapped out of their daze and positioned themselves at the four cardinal directions, spinning their lassos with a whooshing sound. Bai Erlazi was the first to act. With a flick of his wrist, the black iron hook flew out and landed squarely on the drought demon’s waist. The weight of the hook caused it to wrap around the demon several times before finally dropping. The other three followed suit, and soon the drought demon was trussed up like a meat dumpling. The four men exchanged glances, then pulled the ropes taut with all their might. The ropes stretched tight, pinning the drought demon in place, rendering it immobile.
“Roar…” The drought demon let out a fierce scream, abandoning Wang Weizhen and lunging towards Bai Erlazi.
“Change formation, change formation!” Wang Weizhen, realizing the danger, quickly instructed. Without needing his command, the four men, having been trained by Zhang Enpu, began to act. The initial fear gradually dissipated as they faced this life-and-death situation. Seeing the drought demon charge at Bai Erlazi, the two men controlling the ropes opposite to him immediately increased their wrist strength, hoisting the ropes onto their shoulders and pulling with all their might, like oxen dragging a cart. Meanwhile, Bai Erlazi and Heishan retreated several steps, tightening the slack ropes once more, thus immobilizing the drought demon again.
The art of the lasso was not exclusive to the Celestial Masters. Its origins trace back to the tricks devised by the Maoshan Taoists. In later films, whenever zombies were mentioned, it inevitably led to corpse drivers and Maoshan Taoists, which wasn’t without basis. Now, with the liberation, superstitions were dismissed. But in ancient times, the Maoshan Taoists were primarily involved in the business of “corpse driving.” The scope of “corpse driving” was actually quite limited, confined to the mountainous regions of western Hunan, particularly the Yuan River basin. The terrain was rugged, making travel difficult, and transporting coffins back to their hometowns was even more troublesome. Many who worked and lived there would entrust their friends and relatives to ensure their remains were returned to their ancestral lands for burial, to avoid being buried in the desolate wilderness. To avoid the arduous task of carrying coffins over rough mountain paths, the Maoshan Taoists developed the unique method of “corpse driving.”
“Corpse driving” involved transporting corpses, and naturally, there were many unstable factors, with corpse transformation being one of the frequent occurrences. The lasso was one of the methods Maoshan Taoists used to deal with such transformations. After all, not every Taoist was as formidable as Lam Ching-ying in the movies. Zombies were savage and immensely strong; engaging them in direct combat would surely lead to defeat. Thus, they devised this method to first restrain the zombie and then suppress it with talismans, making the task more manageable. Zhang Enpu taught this lasso formation to the four strong men, putting it to good use.
The drought demon was now completely hysterical. Its tightly shut eyes suddenly opened, emitting a blood-red glow. Its hair was disheveled, and its long tongue hung out, while its ten long nails gleamed with black energy. It was clear that it had evolved into the highest form of a zombie: the Drought Demon King. Wang Weizhen’s heart sank; he had only heard of such a thing. Damn it, this was the ultimate zombie!
“You… don’t look at me, I’m not scared of you, I won’t fall for your tricks!” Wang Weizhen tightly gripped his peach wood sword, his lips trembling. Although the drought demon was temporarily bound, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. With his small sword, he wasn’t sure where to strike. As he hesitated, Bai Erlazi was struggling. Born into a farming family, he had grown up doing hard labor, carrying two bundles of firewood from the front mountain to the back without a second thought. But now, he clearly felt he was about to give out. Although the Maoshan Taoists had ingeniously applied the principle of leverage in the lasso, it couldn’t withstand the immense strength of the drought demon. Bai Erlazi’s arms, gripping the ropes, were bulging with muscles, the veins like giant earthworms, swollen and throbbing. His cloth shoes scraped against the ground with a rustling sound. If this continued, not only would his arms break, but the soles of his shoes would wear through. The other three men, not as strong as Bai Erlazi, were already gasping for breath, sustained only by sheer willpower.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, hurry, we can’t hold on much longer!” Bai Erlazi gasped, speaking in broken sentences. Wang Weizhen knew he couldn’t hesitate any longer, or they would all be doomed. With a grunt, he channeled all his strength into the peach wood sword and charged at the drought demon like a small locomotive.
He didn’t know that the drought demon, having become the Drought Demon King, had gained some intelligence. In this back-and-forth, it realized these guys were at their limit and laughed even more sinisterly. With a flick of its ten black, shiny nails, it yanked the two rope-pullers to their knees. The peach wood sword, which Wang Weizhen had earlier used as a projectile, jumped out of the drought demon’s body with a ‘snap,’ grazing Wang Weizhen’s nose bridge. The nose bridge, being the most fragile part of the face, immediately caused Wang Weizhen to see stars, and with a groan, he collapsed, tears streaming down his face. The drought demon roared several times, suddenly breaking free from the ropes. The two strong men at the front ‘thudded’ against the wall, their mouths spewing blood. It could only be described in two words: brutal! It was worse than chest-breaking stones; they were immediately incapacitated.
“Mother!” Bai Erlazi and Heishan exchanged glances, each seeing the fear in the other’s eyes. Without a second thought for the ropes, they bypassed the glutinous rice field and ran like mad towards the house.
Meanwhile, Wang Weizhen groggily got up from the ground, holding his nose bridge with a wide sleeve, his face pale as a sheet. Two streams of dark red blood seeped through his fingers. Wang Weizhen grimaced and hurriedly wiped it, but his hand was clumsy, and as soon as it touched the wound, he let out another ‘ouch,’ his legs giving way, and he fell to the ground.
This fall landed him right in front of the drought demon. The demon, smelling the blood, immediately bared its teeth and lunged at Wang Weizhen. This terrified Wang Weizhen; after all, when this thing bites, it’s no joke. He tried to pull his leg back, but it felt weak and unresponsive. Sweat drenched his back as he frantically grabbed at the ground, finding no purchase. Seeing the drought demon almost upon him, Wang Weizhen’s eyes caught sight of his shoe. In a flash of inspiration, he swiftly took off his left cotton shoe and, without a second thought, shoved it into the drought demon’s open mouth. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen scrambled to his feet and backed away.
“Ouch, my dear Wang, are you hurt?” Heishan, standing by the door, saw Wang Weizhen rolling towards him like a gourd. He quickly reached out and helped Wang Weizhen up.
Once on his feet, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about appearances, pointing frantically, “Quick, stop that thing, stop that thing!”
“Stop…”
“Stop!” Bai Erlazi and Heishan quickly echoed, but as soon as the words left their mouths, they saw Wang Weizhen looking at them, then at the two severely injured men on the ground, and immediately understood.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, who’s going to stop it?” Bai Erlazi stammered.
“Nonsense, do I look like I can go up there? You two go and hold it off for a moment while I catch my breath!” Wang the Immortal’s beard trembled; he clearly wasn’t up to it.
“Then… you…” Bai Erlazi, though simple and slow, wasn’t stupid. He quickly looked at Heishan, who was more decisive, immediately supporting Wang Weizhen: “Old Bai, don’t worry, I’ll take care of Wang the Immortal here.”
At this point, Bai Erlazi had no choice. Gritting his teeth, he slapped his chest, picked up a horizontal wooden beam from the ground, and jumped down the steps. In the courtyard, the drought demon spat out the tattered cotton shoe and charged towards him with a roar. Seeing this, Bai Erlazi let out a shout, closed his eyes, and swung the beam across the drought demon’s waist. The beam, though not as sturdy as a roof beam, was still the backbone of a haystack, weighing at least fifty or sixty pounds. An ordinary person couldn’t wield it with any finesse. When it struck the drought demon, it was like a mountain pressing down on its chest. If it were an ordinary person, their organs would have been crushed. But the drought demon was unfazed. With a swipe of its long, black-nailed hand, it tore a hole in the hard wooden beam, tossed it aside, and sent Bai Erlazi flying along with the beam.
Bai Erlazi thudded onto the stone steps, his forehead bleeding. Seeing the indestructible drought demon approaching again, he shouted, “Wang the Immortal, are you ready? Say something!”
“Ready my foot, run!” Wang the Immortal spat on the ground and cursed.
Bai Erlazi painfully got up, looked at Wang Weizhen, and gasped, “Why did you run out too? You’re supposed to be an immortal, how come you flee at the sight of a ghost?”
“Damn it! Do you know what that thing is? It’s a drought demon! If we don’t run, we’ll be done for! Besides, isn’t Zhang Enpu still in the house for backup?” Wang Weizhen turned around, his face grim.
“Running isn’t enough, Immortal. You need to think of something. This drought demon is too fast; someone has to hold it off, or we’ll all be done for!” Bai Erlazi said.
Wang Weizhen thought about it and nodded, “Alright, you and Heishan take these two brothers inside. I’ll stall it for a while, wear it down for Zhang Enpu.”
“Count on you, Wang the Immortal. I’ll retreat first. If anything happens to you, I’ll burn plenty of paper money for you, so you can start a Wang Corporation down there!” Heishan said, then dragged the two half-dead injured men into the house with Bai Erlazi.
“Damn your grandmother!” Wang Weizhen cursed as he jumped, but before he could finish, a foul wind hit him. He dodged, sidestepping the drought demon.
“Damn, it’s relentless!” Wang Weizhen was now facing the drought demon’s back. He pushed off the ground with both feet, leaped into the air, arched his upper body back, thrust his hips forward, and executed a beautiful side kick, striking the drought demon’s back and sending it flying. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen grabbed the peach wood sword that had earlier broken his nose bridge, swished it three times, and charged forward.
I refuse to believe it! Even a master can be beaten by a flurry of blows. Today, I’ll wear this drought demon down! With this thought, Wang Weizhen’s fear gradually dissipated. He noticed that although the drought demon was fast and impervious to weapons, it wasn’t very intelligent—in other words, it was a bit brain-dead. So, summoning his courage, he began to use all the skills he had learned from his master, and for a while, he managed to hold his own against the drought demon.
Inside the house, Zhang Enpu and Liu Dashao pulled the two injured men into the inner room, instructing Bai Erlazi to give them some internal injury medicine and apply some safflower oil, then left them be.
“Old Taoist Zhang, I say Wang the Immortal is still out there…”
But Zhang Enpu was only mixing cinnabar in a wooden bucket, ignoring Liu Dashao’s question.
“Hey, hey, what are you…” Liu Dashao was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth.
“What am I doing?” Zhang Enpu finished mixing the black dog blood, realgar, and other substances in the bucket, stood up, and smiled at Liu Dashao.
“You…” Liu Dashao took a deep breath, almost choking, “Old Wang is out there fighting for you, and you’re just leaving him out there? Isn’t that abandoning him?”
“Is that all?” Zhang Enpu’s lips curled, “Don’t underestimate Old Wang. I’ve seen his skills; he can hold out for five or six minutes.” Then he frowned, “Old Wang was right to bring those four in. No one expected that after feeding on so much human blood, the drought demon would level up and become the most difficult to deal with—the Drought Demon King. Evacuating the irrelevant people allows Wang Weizhen to fight the Drought Demon King without any distractions.”
“Then, old Taoist, do you have a way to deal with this zombie?” Liu Dashao asked urgently.
“I… don’t!” Zhang Enpu shook his head.
“What?” Liu Dashao was stunned, “Then what should we do? Now we’re all together, just waiting for the zombie to wipe us out.”
“Not so fast!” Zhang Enpu smiled, “Fortunately, the records of the Celestial Masters of Longhu Mountain through the ages have methods to deal with this thing. So this time, we won’t be drawing water with a bamboo basket!”
Seeing the time was right, Zhang Enpu immediately instructed Liu Dashao to throw all the tables and chairs in the main hall outside, then closed the door.
Zhang Enpu drew several talismans on the door and walls, sealing the house. Then he took out the bucket of black dog blood and realgar, threw in two handfuls of cinnabar, shook it well, took out a brush, and squatted on the ground to draw the formation lines.
The courtyard was now in chaos. A shout was heard, followed by a piercing scream, and then a shadow rushed over from outside. The shadow grew closer, and under the dim light, Liu Dashao gradually recognized it as Wang Weizhen.
This Wang the Immortal looked quite disheveled, his clothes torn in several places. He held a broken peach wood sword in one hand and a cloth bag in the other. The sword’s scabbard was nowhere to be seen.
Wang Weizhen stumbled over, and not far behind him leaped the ferocious red demon. Clearly, Wang Weizhen had failed to hold off the drought demon and had instead enraged it.
Zhang Enpu had already filled the ground with talismans and was lighting the inscriptions on them. Seeing Wang Weizhen running over, he shouted, “Find a way to hold it off for a moment, let me finish!”
With that, his hands moved even faster.
Wang Weizhen was stunned. Looking at Zhang Enpu’s actions, he understood what he was trying to do.
Zhang Enpu was making such a big show, probably setting up a powerful formation! As the saying goes, if you haven’t eaten pork, you’ve at least seen a pig run! He had seen other Taoists do similar things before, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with it.
With a determined heart, Wang Weizhen took out a small sword made of copper coins from his pocket. This was the last treasure his master had passed down to him. He bit his middle finger, smeared the blood on the sword, and threw it at the drought demon behind him.
This sword was called the “Pure Yang Sword.” The copper coins, having passed through many hands, were imbued with a great deal of yang energy. Combined with Wang Weizhen’s middle finger blood, the yang energy was even stronger. If it encountered ordinary “evil” or “resentful” spirits, it could make them kneel and beg for mercy. But this time, it wasn’t dealing with an ordinary thing!
The “Pure Yang Sword” flew straight at the drought demon. The demon initially retreated, then let out a sinister laugh, extended its long-nailed hand, and with a slap, shattered the “Pure Yang Sword.”
“Better to hear a ghost cry than a ghost laugh.” The ghost’s laughter was unbearable, sending shivers down one’s spine. The drought demon’s slap broke the red string of Wang Weizhen’s “Pure Yang Sword,” scattering the copper coins. However, the drought demon didn’t come out unscathed; it was pushed back over ten steps by the “Pure Yang Sword.”
Finally, the last stroke was completed. Zhang Enpu let out a long breath and put away the brush.
Seeing that Zhang Enpu was ready, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about appearances anymore. He rolled over from Zhang Enpu’s feet in a “ground roll.”
The drought demon followed closely behind, baring its teeth and claws as it charged.
Red lines almost covered the entire floor of the main hall, forming a large pattern. As Zhang Enpu drew, he muttered some incantation. While drawing the formation lines, Zhang Enpu also took out twenty-eight copper coins and nine dark yellow talismans, arranging them in specific positions within the formation. Each time he placed a copper coin or talisman, he tapped it heavily with the brush and chanted “Ji!” in a slightly louder voice.
The red lines drawn by Zhang Enpu weren’t the dry red color but rather like the flowing blood in human veins, quietly moving along his wolf-hair brush. As the formation neared completion, the red lines became more vivid and full, slowly revealing a radiant red light that left the two onlookers dumbfounded.
“This is too magical! First time seeing the old man do this!” Liu Dashao muttered.
When Zhang Enpu finished the entire formation, the red light suddenly disappeared. The entire formation fell silent, and the red lines on the ground returned to their dry red color.
“Oh, oh, oh, let’s do it, let’s do it…” The men finally snapped out of their daze and positioned themselves at the four cardinal directions, swiftly spinning their lassos. Bai Erlazi was the first to act, his wrist flicking as the black iron hook flew from his hand, landing squarely on the drought demon’s waist. The weight of the hook caused it to wrap around the demon several times before finally dropping. The other three followed suit, and soon the drought demon was trussed up like a meat dumpling. The four men exchanged glances, then pulled hard on the ropes, tightening them until the demon was immobilized.
“Roar…” The drought demon let out a fierce cry, abandoning Wang Weizhen and lunging at Bai Erlazi.
“Change formation, change formation!” Wang Weizhen, sensing danger, quickly instructed. Without needing his command, the four men, having been trained by Zhang Enpu, sprang into action. The initial fear gradually dissipated as they faced this life-and-death situation. Seeing the demon charge at Bai Erlazi, the two men on the opposite side of the rope increased their wrist strength, hoisting the rope onto their shoulders and pulling with all their might, like oxen dragging a cart. Bai Erlazi and Heishan stepped back several paces, tightening the slack rope once more, thus immobilizing the demon again.
The art of the lasso was not exclusive to the Celestial Master Taoism; its origins trace back to the tricks devised by the Maoshan Taoists. In later films, whenever zombies were mentioned, it inevitably led to corpse drivers and Maoshan Taoists, which was not without basis. Now, with the liberation and the rejection of superstition, such practices are no longer discussed. In ancient times, Maoshan Taoists primarily engaged in the business of “driving corpses.” The scope of this activity was quite limited, confined to the mountainous regions of western Hunan, particularly the Yuan River basin, where the terrain was rugged and travel was difficult. Transporting corpses back to their hometowns in coffins was an arduous task. Many who worked and lived in these areas would entrust their friends and relatives with the task of ensuring their remains were returned to their ancestral lands for burial, to avoid being interred in the desolate wilderness. To avoid the cumbersome task of carrying coffins over rough terrain, the unique method of “driving corpses” was developed by the Maoshan Taoists.
Driving corpses, being the transportation of dead bodies, naturally involved many unstable factors, with corpse transformation being one of the frequent occurrences. The lasso was one of the methods Maoshan Taoists used to deal with such transformations. After all, not every Taoist was as formidable as Lam Ching-ying in the movies. Zombies were savage and immensely strong; engaging them in direct combat would surely lead to defeat. Thus, they devised this method to first restrain the zombie, then use talismans to suppress it, making the task manageable. Zhang Enpu taught this lasso formation to the four strong men, putting it to good use.
The drought demon was now completely hysterical. Its tightly shut eyes suddenly opened, emitting a blood-red glow, its hair disheveled, and its long tongue hanging out. Its ten long fingernails gleamed with black energy. It was clear that it had evolved to the highest level of zombiehood: the Drought Demon King. Wang Weizhen’s heart was filled with uncertainty; after all, he had only heard of such things. Damn it, this was the ultimate zombie!
“You… don’t look at me, I’m not scared of you, I won’t fall for your tricks!” Wang Weizhen gripped his peach wood sword tightly, his lips trembling. Although the drought demon was temporarily restrained, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse, and with his small sword, he wasn’t sure where to strike. As he hesitated, Bai Erlazi was struggling. Born into a farming family, he had grown up doing hard labor, carrying bundles of firewood from the front mountain to the back without a second thought. But now, he clearly felt he was reaching his limit. Although the Maoshan Taoists had ingeniously applied the principle of leverage in the lasso, it couldn’t withstand the immense strength of the drought demon. Bai Erlazi’s arms, gripping the rope, were bulging with muscles, the veins like giant earthworms, and his cloth shoes were scraping against the ground. If this continued, not only would his arms break, but the soles of his shoes would wear through. The other three men, not as strong as Bai Erlazi, were already gasping for breath, holding on purely by willpower.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, hurry up, we can’t hold on much longer!” Bai Erlazi panted, speaking in broken sentences. Wang Weizhen knew he couldn’t hesitate any longer, or they would all be doomed. With a determined heart, he let out a grunt, channeling all his strength into the peach wood sword, charging at the drought demon like a small locomotive.
He didn’t know that the drought demon, having become the Drought Demon King, had gained some intelligence. From the back-and-forth, it had discerned that these men were at their limits, and it laughed even more sinisterly. Its ten black, shiny fingernails moved, pulling the two men holding the rope to their knees. The peach wood sword, which Wang Weizhen had previously used as a projectile, jumped out of the demon’s body with a ‘snap,’ grazing Wang Weizhen’s nose bridge. The nose bridge, being the most fragile part of the face, immediately caused Wang Weizhen to see stars, and with a groan, he fell to the ground, tears streaming down his face. The drought demon roared several times, breaking free from the ropes. The two strong men crashed into the wall with a ‘bang,’ their mouths spewing blood, a sight that could only be described as ‘bold!’ It was truly worse than chest-breaking stone, and they immediately lost their fighting ability.
“Mother!” Bai Erlazi and Heishan exchanged glances, each seeing the fear in the other’s eyes. They didn’t care about the rope anymore, simply bypassing the glutinous rice field and running like mad into the house.
Meanwhile, Wang Weizhen groggily got up from the ground, a wide sleeve covering his nose bridge, his face pale and clearly in pain. Two streams of dark red blood seeped through his fingers. Wang Weizhen pursed his lips, quickly trying to wipe it away, but his hand was clumsy, and as soon as it touched the wound, he let out another ‘ouch,’ his legs giving way as he fell to the ground.
This fall landed him right in front of the drought demon, which, smelling the blood, immediately bared its teeth and lunged at Wang Weizhen. This terrified Wang Weizhen; after all, this thing didn’t play around when it came to biting. He tried to pull his leg back, but it felt weak and unresponsive, causing Wang Weizhen to break out in a cold sweat, his hands flailing about, unable to find anything to grab onto. As the drought demon loomed close, Wang Weizhen’s eyes caught sight of his shoe, and in a flash of inspiration, he swiftly took off his left cotton shoe and, without a second thought, shoved it into the demon’s open mouth. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen scrambled to his feet and retreated.
“Ouch, my dear Wang, are you hurt?” Heishan, standing by the door, saw Wang Weizhen rolling towards him like a gourd and quickly helped him up.
Wang Weizhen, now on his feet, didn’t care about his appearance, pointing frantically and saying, “Quick, stop that thing, stop it!”
“Stop…”
“Stop!” Bai Erlazi and Heishan quickly echoed, but as soon as the words left their mouths, they noticed Wang Weizhen looking at them, and then at the two severely injured men on the ground, and immediately understood.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, who’s going to stop it?” Bai Erlazi stammered.
“Nonsense, do I look like I can go up there? You two go and hold it off for a moment, let me catch my breath, then we’ll see!” Wang the Immortal’s beard was trembling, clearly in no condition to fight.
“Well… you…” Bai Erlazi, though simple and slow-witted, wasn’t stupid and quickly looked at Heishan, who promptly supported Wang Weizhen: “Old Bai, don’t worry, I’ll take care of Wang the Immortal here.”
At this point, Bai Erlazi had no choice but to grit his teeth, slap his chest, grab a wooden beam from the ground, and jump down the steps. In the courtyard, the drought demon spat out the tattered cotton shoe and charged towards him with a roar. Bai Erlazi, seeing no way out, let out a shout, closed his eyes, and swung the beam across the demon’s waist. The beam, though not as sturdy as a roof beam, was still the backbone of a haystack, weighing at least fifty or sixty pounds, something an ordinary person couldn’t wield with finesse. The impact on the demon was like a mountain pressing down on its chest, enough to make anyone’s blood boil and organs rupture. But the drought demon was unfazed; its long, black-nailed hand tore a hole in the hard log, tossed it aside, and sent Bai Erlazi flying along with the beam.
Bai Erlazi landed with a thud on the stone steps, his forehead bleeding. Seeing the indestructible demon approaching again, he shouted, “Wang the Immortal, are you ready yet? Say something!”
“Ready my foot, run!” Wang the Immortal spat on the ground and cursed.
Bai Erlazi painfully got up, looked at Wang Weizhen, and gasped, “Why are you running too? You’re supposed to be an immortal, how come you’re fleeing at the sight of a ghost!”
“Damn it! Do you know what that thing is? It’s a drought demon! If we don’t run, we’ll be done for! Besides, isn’t Zhang Enpu still in the house for backup?” Wang Weizhen turned around, his face grim.
“Just running isn’t enough, Immortal, think of something! This drought demon is too fast, someone needs to hold it off, or all three of us will be done for!” Bai Erlazi said.
Wang Weizhen thought about it and nodded, “Alright, you and Heishan take these two brothers inside, I’ll stall it for a bit, wear it down for Zhang the Celestial Master.”
“Count on you, Wang the Immortal, I’m out of here. If anything happens to you, I’ll burn plenty of paper money for you, so you can start a Wang Corporation down there!” Heishan said, then dragged the two half-dead injured men into the house with Bai Erlazi.
“Damn your grandmother!” Wang Weizhen jumped and cursed, but before he could finish, a foul wind hit him, and he dodged, narrowly avoiding the drought demon.
“Damn it, it’s relentless!” Wang Weizhen, now facing the demon’s back, pushed off the ground with both feet, leaped into the air, and executed a perfect side kick, hitting the demon’s back and sending it flying. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen grabbed the peach wood sword that had previously broken his nose, swung it three times, and charged forward.
I don’t believe it, even a master can be beaten by a flurry of blows, today I’ll wear this damn drought demon down! With this thought, Wang Weizhen’s fear gradually dissipated. He realized that although the drought demon was fast and impervious to weapons, it wasn’t very intelligent, or rather, it was a bit brain-damaged. So, he summoned his courage and began to use all the skills he had learned from his master, managing to hold his own against the demon for a while.
Inside the house, Zhang Enpu and Liu Dashao dragged the two injured men into the inner room, casually instructing Bai Erlazi to feed them some internal injury medicine and apply some safflower oil, then left them be.
“Old Zhang, I say Wang the Immortal is still out there…”
But Zhang Enpu was only mixing cinnabar in a wooden bucket, not responding to Liu Dashao’s question.
“Hey, hey, what are you…” Liu Dashao was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth.
“What am I doing?” Zhang Enpu, after mixing the black dog blood, realgar, and other substances in the bucket, stood up and smiled at Liu Dashao.
“You…” Liu Dashao took a deep breath, almost choking, “Old Wang is out there fighting for you, and you’re just leaving him out there, isn’t that abandoning him?”
“Is that all!” Zhang Enpu’s lips curled, “Don’t underestimate Old Wang, I’ve seen his skills, he can hold out for five or six minutes.” Then, he frowned, “Old Wang was right to bring those four in, who would have thought that after feeding on so much human blood, the drought demon would level up and become the most difficult to deal with, the Drought Demon King. Evacuating the unrelated people allows Wang Weizhen to fight without any distractions.”
“Old Taoist, do you have a way to deal with this zombie?” Liu Dashao asked urgently.
“I… don’t!” Zhang Enpu shook his head.
“What?” Liu Dashao was completely stunned, “Then what should we do? Now we’re all gathered here, perfect for the zombie to wipe us out in one go.”
“Not so fast!” Zhang Enpu smiled, “But fortunately, the records of the Celestial Masters of Longhu Mountain have a way to deal with this thing, so this time, we won’t be drawing water with a bamboo basket!”
Seeing the time was right, Zhang Enpu immediately instructed Liu Dashao to throw all the tables and chairs in the main hall outside, then closed the door.
Zhang Enpu drew several talismans on the door and walls, sealing the house, then took out the bucket of black dog blood and realgar, threw in two handfuls of cinnabar, shook it well, and took out a brush to squat on the ground and draw the formation lines.
The courtyard was now bustling, with a shout followed by a shrill scream, and then a shadow rushed over from outside. The shadow grew closer, and under the dim light, Liu Dashao gradually recognized it as Wang Weizhen.
This Wang the Immortal was in a sorry state, his clothes torn in several places, one hand holding a broken peach wood sword, the other clutching a cloth bag, the sword’s scabbard nowhere to be seen.
Wang Weizhen stumbled over, with the ferocious red demon jumping not far behind. Clearly, Wang Weizhen had failed to hold off the drought demon and had instead enraged it.
Zhang Enpu had by now filled the ground with talismans and was lighting the inscriptions on them. Seeing Wang Weizhen approaching, he quickly shouted, “Find a way to hold it off for a bit, let me finish!”
With that, his hands moved even faster.
Wang Weizhen was stunned. Looking at Zhang Enpu’s actions, he understood what he was trying to do.
Zhang Enpu was making such a grand display, probably setting up a very powerful formation! As the saying goes, even if you haven’t eaten pork, you’ve seen pigs run! He had seen other sects’ Taoists do this before, so he was not unfamiliar with it.
At that moment, Wang Weizhen made up his mind, took out a small sword made of copper coins from his pocket, the last treasure his master had passed down to him. He bit his middle finger, smeared the blood on the sword, and threw it at the drought demon behind him.
This sword was called the “Pure Yang Sword,” and because the copper coins had passed through many hands, they were imbued with a great deal of yang energy, which was further enhanced by Wang Weizhen’s middle finger blood. If it encountered ordinary “evil” or “resentful” entities, it would make them kneel and beg for mercy. But this time, it wasn’t dealing with an ordinary thing!
The “Pure Yang Sword” flew straight towards the drought demon. The demon initially retreated, then let out a sinister laugh, extended its long-nailed hand, and with a slap, shattered the “Pure Yang Sword.”
“It’s better to hear a ghost cry than a ghost laugh,” the ghost’s laughter was unbearable, the eerie sound sending chills down one’s spine. The drought demon’s slap broke the red string of Wang Weizhen’s “Pure Yang Sword,” scattering the copper coins. However, the demon didn’t come out unscathed, being pushed back more than ten steps by the “Pure Yang Sword.”
Finally, the last stroke was completed, and Zhang Enpu let out a long breath, putting away the brush.
Seeing that Zhang Enpu was ready, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about appearances anymore, performing a “ground roll” and rolling past Zhang Enpu’s feet.
The drought demon, following closely, charged forward with claws bared.
Red lines almost covered the ground of the main hall, forming a large pattern. As Zhang Enpu drew, he muttered incantations under his breath. While drawing the formation lines, Zhang Enpu also took out twenty-eight copper coins and nine dark yellow talismans, placing them in specific positions within the formation. Each time he placed a coin or talisman, he tapped it heavily with the brush, simultaneously chanting “Ji!” in a slightly raised voice.
The red lines drawn by Zhang Enpu’s brush were not the dry red of paint, but like the flowing blood in human veins, quietly moving along the brush’s tip. As the formation neared completion, the red lines became more vibrant and full, gradually emitting a soft red glow, leaving the two onlookers in awe.
“This is too magical! First time seeing the old man do this!” Liu Dashao muttered.
When Zhang Enpu finished the entire formation, the red light suddenly disappeared. The entire formation fell silent, the red lines on the ground returning to their dry red color.
Inside the house, Zhang Enpu and Liu Dashao dragged the two injured men into the inner room. Zhang casually told Bai Erlaizi to give them some internal injury medicine and rub some red flower oil on their wounds before ignoring them.
“Master Zhang, what about Master Wang outside…”
But Zhang Enpu was only focused on mixing cinnabar in a wooden bucket and didn’t answer Liu Dashao’s question at all.
“Hey, hey, you…” Liu Dashao was as anxious as a cat on a hot tin roof, pacing back and forth.
“What about me?” After thoroughly mixing black dog blood, realgar, and other ingredients in the wooden bucket, Zhang Enpu stood up and smiled at Liu Dashao.
“You…” Liu Dashao took a breath, almost choking: “Old Master Wang is out there fighting for you, and you just leave him outside like that? That’s practically letting him die!”
“Oh, oh, oh, let’s go, let’s go…” The men finally snapped out of their daze and positioned themselves at the four cardinal directions, swiftly spinning their lassos. Bai Erlai was the first to act, his wrist flicking as the black iron hook flew from his hand, landing squarely on the waist of the drought demon. The weight of the hook caused it to wrap around the demon several times before finally hanging down. The other three followed suit, and soon the drought demon was trussed up like a meat dumpling. The four men exchanged glances, then pulled the ropes taut with all their might, the tension in the ropes immobilizing the demon.
“Roar…” The drought demon let out a fierce scream, abandoning Wang Weizhen and lunging towards Bai Erlai.
“Change formation, change formation!” Wang Weizhen, seeing the danger, quickly instructed. Without needing his command, the four men, having been trained by Zhang Enpu, sprang into action. The initial fear dissipated as they faced this life-or-death situation. As the drought demon charged at Bai Erlai, the two men on the opposite side of the rope increased their wrist strength, hoisting the rope onto their shoulders and pulling with all their might, like oxen dragging a cart. Bai Erlai and Heishan stepped back several paces, tightening the slack in the rope once more, thus immobilizing the drought demon again.
The technique of the lasso was not exclusive to the Celestial Master Dao; its origins lay in the tricks devised by the Maoshan Taoists. In later films, whenever zombies were mentioned, it was always the corpse drivers and Maoshan Taoists who were involved, and this was not without reason. Now, with the liberation, superstition was being eradicated. But in ancient times, the Maoshan Taoists were primarily engaged in the business of “driving corpses.” The scope of “driving corpses” was actually quite limited, confined to the mountainous regions of western Hunan, particularly the Yuan River basin. The terrain was rugged, making travel difficult, and transporting coffins back to the deceased’s hometown was even more troublesome. Many who worked and lived here would entrust their friends and relatives to ensure their remains were returned to their homeland for burial, to avoid being buried in these desolate mountains. To avoid the arduous task of carrying coffins over the rugged mountain paths, the Maoshan Taoists developed the unique method of “driving corpses.”
Driving corpses, as it involved transporting bodies, naturally had many unstable factors, and corpse transformation was one of the frequent occurrences. The lasso was one of the methods the Maoshan Taoists used to deal with corpse transformation. After all, not every Taoist was as formidable as Lam Ching-ying in the movies. Zombies were savage and strong, and engaging them in direct combat would surely lead to defeat. Thus, they devised this method: first, immobilize the zombie, then use talismans to suppress it, making the task easier. Zhang Enpu taught this lasso formation to the four strong men, putting it to good use.
The drought demon was now completely hysterical. Its tightly shut eyes suddenly opened, emitting a blood-red glow, its hair disheveled, and its long tongue hanging out. Its ten long fingernails gleamed with black energy. It was clear that it had evolved into the highest form of zombie: the Drought Demon King. Wang Weizhen’s heart was filled with uncertainty; after all, he had only heard of such things. Damn it, this was the ultimate zombie!
“You… don’t look at me, I’m not scared, I don’t fall for your tricks!” Wang Weizhen gripped his peach wood sword tightly, his lips trembling. Although the drought demon was temporarily bound, a dead camel is still bigger than a horse, and with his small sword, he wasn’t sure where to strike. As he looked around, Bai Erlai was struggling. Born into a farming family, he had grown up doing hard labor, carrying two bundles of firewood from the front mountain to the back mountain without a second thought. But now, he clearly felt he was about to give out. Although the Maoshan Taoists had cleverly used leverage in the lasso, it couldn’t withstand the immense strength of the drought demon. Bai Erlai’s arms, gripping the rope, were bulging with muscles, the veins like giant earthworms, and his cloth shoes scraped against the ground. If this continued, not only would his arms break, but the soles of his shoes would wear through. The other three, not as strong as Bai Erlai, were already gasping for breath, holding on by sheer willpower.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, hurry, we can’t hold on much longer!” Bai Erlai gasped, speaking in broken sentences. Wang Weizhen knew he couldn’t hesitate any longer, or they would all be doomed. With a grunt, he channeled all his strength into the peach wood sword and charged at the drought demon like a small locomotive.
He didn’t know that the drought demon, having become the Drought Demon King, had gained some intelligence. In this back-and-forth, it had realized that these guys were at their limit, and it laughed even more mockingly. Its ten black, shiny fingernails moved, pulling the two rope handlers to their knees. The peach wood sword that Wang Weizhen had used as a projectile earlier jumped out of the drought demon’s body with a ‘snap,’ grazing Wang Weizhen’s nose bridge. The nose bridge is the most fragile part of the human body, and the impact sent Wang Weizhen sprawling, tears streaming down his face. The drought demon roared several times, suddenly breaking free from the ropes. The two strong men crashed into the wall with a ‘bang,’ their mouths spraying blood, a scene that could only be described as ‘bold!’ It was worse than chest-breaking stones, and they were immediately out of the fight.
“Mom!” Bai Erlai and Heishan exchanged glances, each seeing the fear in the other’s eyes. They abandoned the ropes and ran around the glutinous rice field, frantically heading towards the house.
Meanwhile, Wang Weizhen groggily got up from the ground, a wide sleeve covering his nose bridge, his face pale and clearly in pain. Dark red blood seeped through his fingers. Wang Weizhen pursed his lips and quickly tried to wipe it away, but his hand was clumsy, and as soon as it touched the wound, he let out another ‘ouch,’ his legs giving way as he fell to the ground.
This fall landed him right in front of the drought demon, which, smelling the blood, immediately bared its teeth and lunged at Wang Weizhen. This terrified Wang Weizhen; after all, being bitten by this thing was no joke. He tried to pull his leg back, but it felt weak and unresponsive, causing cold sweat to soak his back. His hands flailed about, but he couldn’t find anything to grab onto. As the drought demon loomed close, Wang Weizhen’s eyes caught sight of his shoe. In a flash of inspiration, he swiftly removed the cotton shoe from his left foot and, without a second thought, shoved it into the drought demon’s open mouth. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen scrambled to his feet and backed away.
“Ouch, my dear Mr. Wang, are you hurt?” Heishan, standing by the door, saw Wang Weizhen rolling towards him like a gourd and quickly helped him up.
Once on his feet, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about his appearance, pointing frantically and saying, “Quick, stop that thing, stop that thing!”
“Stop…”
“Stop!” Bai Erlai and Heishan quickly echoed, but as soon as the words left their mouths, they noticed Wang Weizhen looking at them, then at the two severely injured men on the ground, and immediately understood.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, who’s going to stop it?” Bai Erlai stammered.
“Nonsense, do I look like I can go up there? You two hold it off for a moment while I catch my breath, then we’ll see!” Wang the Immortal’s beard trembled, clearly in no condition to fight.
“Well… you…” Bai Erlai, though simple and slow-witted, wasn’t stupid and quickly looked at Heishan, who promptly supported Wang Weizhen: “Old Bai, don’t worry, I’ll take care of Wang the Immortal here.”
At this point, Bai Erlai had no choice but to grit his teeth, slap his chest, grab a horizontal beam from the ground, and leap down the steps. In the courtyard, the drought demon spat out the tattered cotton shoe and charged towards him with a roar. Seeing the situation was dire, Bai Erlai let out a shout, closed his eyes, and swung the beam across the drought demon’s waist. The beam, though not the kind used for roof beams, was still the backbone of a haystack, weighing at least fifty or sixty pounds, something an ordinary person couldn’t wield with finesse. The impact on the drought demon was like a mountain pressing down on its chest, enough to make anyone’s blood boil and organs rupture. But the drought demon was unfazed; its long, black-nailed hand grabbed the hard log, tore it open, and tossed it aside, sending Bai Erlai flying with the log.
Bai Erlai thudded onto the stone steps, his forehead bleeding. Seeing the indestructible drought demon approaching again, he shouted, “Wang the Immortal, are you ready yet? Say something!”
“Ready my foot, run!” Wang the Immortal spat on the ground and cursed.
Bai Erlai painfully got up, looked at Wang Weizhen, and gasped, “Why are you running too? You’re supposed to be an immortal, why are you fleeing at the sight of a ghost?”
“Damn it! Do you know what that thing is? It’s a drought demon! If we don’t run, we’ll be done for! Besides, isn’t Zhang Enpu still in the house?” Wang Weizhen turned around, his face crestfallen.
“Just running isn’t enough, Immortal, think of something! This drought demon is too fast; someone needs to hold it off, or all three of us will be done for!” Bai Erlai said.
Wang Weizhen thought about it and nodded, “Fine, you and Heishan take these two brothers inside. I’ll stall it a bit and wear it down for Zhang Enpu.”
“Count on you, Wang the Immortal. I’ll retreat first. If anything happens to you, I’ll burn plenty of paper money for you to start a Wang Corporation down there!” Heishan said, then dragged the two half-dead injured men into the house with Bai Erlai.
“Damn your grandmother!” Wang Weizhen cursed as he jumped, but before he could finish, a foul wind hit him. He dodged, narrowly avoiding the drought demon.
“Damn it, it’s relentless!” Wang Weizhen, now facing the drought demon’s back, leaped into the air, his upper body leaning back as his hips thrust forward, executing a beautiful side kick that struck the demon’s back, sending it flying. Seizing the moment, Wang Weizhen grabbed the peach wood sword that had broken his nose earlier, swung it three times, and charged forward.
I don’t believe it! Even a master can be beaten by random strikes. Today, I’ll wear this drought demon down! With this thought, Wang Weizhen’s fear gradually dissipated. He noticed that although the drought demon was fast and impervious to weapons, it wasn’t very intelligent—somewhat brain-damaged, in fact. Drawing on his heroic spirit, he unleashed the skills he had learned from his master, and for a while, he managed to hold his own against the drought demon.
Inside the house, Zhang Enpu and Liu Dashao dragged the two injured men into the inner room, instructing Bai Erlai to give them some internal injury medicine and apply some safflower oil before leaving them be.
“Old Taoist Zhang, Wang the Immortal is still outside…”
But Zhang Enpu was busy mixing cinnabar in a wooden bucket and didn’t respond to Liu Dashao’s question.
“Hey, hey, what are you…” Liu Dashao was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth.
“What’s wrong with me?” Zhang Enpu, having mixed the black dog blood, realgar, and other substances in the bucket, stood up and smiled at Liu Dashao.
“You…” Liu Dashao took a deep breath, almost choking, “Old Wang is out there fighting for you, and you’re just leaving him out there, isn’t that abandoning him?”
“Is that all?” Zhang Enpu’s lips curled, “Don’t underestimate Old Wang. I’ve seen his skills; he can hold out for five or six minutes.” Then, he frowned, “Old Wang was right to bring those four in. Who would have thought that after feeding on so much human blood, the drought demon would ascend to the next level, becoming the most formidable Drought Demon King? Evacuating the unrelated people allows Wang Weizhen to fight the Drought Demon King without any distractions.”
“Do you have a way to deal with this zombie, old Taoist?” Liu Dashao asked urgently.
“I… don’t!” Zhang Enpu shook his head.
“What?” Liu Dashao was stunned, “Then what should we do? Now we’re all gathered here, perfect for the zombie to wipe us out in one go.”
“Not so fast!” Zhang Enpu laughed, “But fortunately, the records of the Celestial Masters of Longhu Mountain have a way to deal with this thing, so this time, we won’t be drawing water with a bamboo basket!”
Seeing the time was right, Zhang Enpu immediately instructed Liu Dashao to throw the tables and chairs from the main hall outside and close the door.
Zhang Enpu drew several talismans on the door and walls, sealing the house, then took out the bucket of black dog blood and realgar, threw in two handfuls of cinnabar, shook it well, and took out a brush to squat on the ground and draw the formation lines.
The courtyard was now bustling with activity. A shout was heard, followed by a piercing scream, and then a shadow rushed in from outside. The shadow grew closer, and under the dim light, Liu Dashao gradually recognized it as Wang Weizhen.
This Wang the Immortal looked quite disheveled, his clothes torn in several places, one hand clutching a broken peach wood sword, the other holding a cloth bag, the sword’s scabbard nowhere to be seen.
Wang Weizhen stumbled over, the ferocious red demon jumping not far behind him. Clearly, Wang Weizhen had failed to hold off the drought demon and had only enraged it further.
Zhang Enpu had already drawn talismans all over the ground and was lighting the inscriptions on them. Seeing Wang Weizhen approaching, he shouted, “Find a way to hold it off for a moment, let me finish!”
With that, his hands moved even faster.
Wang Weizhen was stunned. Seeing Zhang Enpu’s actions, he understood what he was trying to do.
Zhang Enpu was making such a big show of it; he must be setting up a powerful formation! As the saying goes, if you haven’t eaten pork, you’ve at least seen a pig run! He had seen other Taoist friends do this before, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with it.
With a determined heart, Wang Weizhen took out a small sword made of copper coins from his pocket, the last treasure his master had passed down to him. He bit his middle finger, smeared the blood on the sword, and threw it at the drought demon behind him.
This sword was called the “Pure Yang Sword.” The copper coins, having passed through many hands, were imbued with a great deal of yang energy, and with Wang Weizhen’s middle finger blood, the yang energy was even stronger. If it had encountered an ordinary “evil” or “resentful” spirit, it would have made them kneel and beg for mercy. But this time, it wasn’t dealing with an ordinary entity!
The “Pure Yang Sword” flew straight towards the drought demon. The demon initially retreated, then let out a sinister laugh, extended its long-nailed hand, and with a slap, shattered the “Pure Yang Sword.”
“It’s better to hear a ghost cry than a ghost laugh.” The sound of the ghost’s laughter was unbearable, the eerie laughter sending chills down one’s spine. The drought demon’s slap broke the red string of Wang Weizhen’s “Pure Yang Sword,” scattering the copper coins. However, the drought demon didn’t come out unscathed; it was forced back more than ten steps by the “Pure Yang Sword.”
Finally, the last stroke was completed, and Zhang Enpu let out a long breath, putting away his brush.
Seeing that Zhang Enpu was ready, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about appearances anymore and rolled past Zhang Enpu’s feet in a “ground roll.”
The drought demon followed closely, claws bared as it charged forward.
Red lines almost covered the entire floor of the main hall, forming a large pattern. As Zhang Enpu drew, he muttered incantations under his breath. While drawing the formation lines, Zhang Enpu also took out twenty-eight copper coins and nine dark yellow talismans, arranging them in specific positions within the formation. Each time he placed a copper coin or talisman, he tapped it heavily with his brush and chanted “Ji!” in a slightly louder voice.
The red lines drawn by Zhang Enpu’s brush weren’t the dry red of paint but resembled the flowing blood in human veins, quietly moving along his wolf-hair brush. As the formation neared completion, the red lines became more vibrant and full, gradually emitting a soft red glow, leaving the two onlookers dumbfounded.
“This is too amazing! First time seeing the old man do this!” Liu Dashao muttered.
When Zhang Enpu finished the entire formation, the red light suddenly disappeared. The entire formation fell silent, the red lines on the ground returning to their dry red color.
“Old Taoist, do you have a way to deal with this zombie?” Liu Dashao asked anxiously.
“I… don’t!” Zhang Enpu shook his head.
“What?” Liu Dashao was completely stunned: “Then what should we do? Now we’re all gathered here, ready to be wiped out by this zombie!”
“I haven’t finished yet!” Zhang Enpu smiled: “Fortunately, the records of past Celestial Masters of Longhushan contain methods to deal with such creatures, so this time, we won’t end up with empty hands!”
As the timing approached, Zhang Enpu immediately ordered Liu Dashao to throw all the tables and chairs in the main hall outside and then shut the door.
Zhang Enpu drew several talismans on the door and walls, sealing the house. Then he took the wooden bucket containing black dog blood and realgar, added two handfuls of cinnabar, stirred it well, grabbed a brush, and squatted on the ground to draw the formation lines.
Meanwhile, in the courtyard, it was getting lively. A shout was followed by a piercing scream, and then a shadow came rushing in. The shadow grew closer, and under the dim light, Liu Dashao gradually recognized the figure running toward them—Wang Weizhen.
Master Wang looked quite disheveled at this moment—his clothes were torn in several places, one hand holding a broken peach-wood sword, the other clutching a cloth pouch, and the sword sheath was nowhere to be seen.
“Oh, oh, oh, let’s do it, let’s do it…” Several people finally snapped out of their daze and positioned themselves at the four cardinal directions, spinning their lassos with a whooshing sound. Bai Erlai was the first to act, his wrist flicking as the dark iron hook flew out and landed squarely on the drought demon’s waist. The weight of the hook caused it to wrap around the demon several times before finally dropping. The other three followed suit, and soon the drought demon was trussed up like a meat dumpling. The four men exchanged glances, then pulled the ropes taut with all their might, immobilizing the demon.
“Roar…” The drought demon let out a fierce cry, dropping Wang Weizhen and lunging towards Bai Erlai.
“Change formation, change formation!” Wang Weizhen, realizing the danger, quickly instructed. Without needing his command, the four men, having been trained by Zhang Enpu, sprang into action. As the drought demon charged at Bai Erlai, the two men on the opposite side of the rope increased their wrist strength, hoisting the rope onto their shoulders and pulling with all their might, like oxen dragging a cart. Bai Erlai and Heishan stepped back several paces, tightening the slack in the ropes, once again immobilizing the demon.
The art of the lasso was not exclusive to the Celestial Masters; its origins lay with the Maoshan Taoists. In later films, whenever zombies were mentioned, it was always the corpse handlers and Maoshan Taoists who were involved, and this was not without basis. In ancient times, the Maoshan Taoists were primarily engaged in the business of “corpse handling,” a practice limited to the mountainous regions of western Hunan, where the terrain was rugged and transportation of corpses back to their hometowns was extremely cumbersome. Many who worked and lived there would entrust their remains to their relatives and friends to be transported back to their ancestral lands for burial, to avoid being buried in the desolate wilderness. To avoid the arduous task of carrying coffins over rough mountain paths, the Maoshan Taoists developed the unique method of “corpse handling.”
Handling corpses naturally involved many unstable factors, and corpse transformation was one of the frequent occurrences. The lasso was one of the methods the Maoshan Taoists used to deal with such transformations. After all, not every Taoist was as formidable as Lam Ching-ying in the movies. Zombies were savage and powerful, and engaging them in direct combat would surely lead to defeat. Thus, they devised this method to first restrain the zombie and then suppress it with talismans, making the task easier. Zhang Enpu taught this lasso formation to the four strong men, and it proved to be of great use.
The drought demon was now completely hysterical. Its tightly shut eyes suddenly opened, emitting a blood-red glow, its hair disheveled, and its long tongue hanging out. Its ten long fingernails gleamed with black energy. It was clear that it had evolved into the highest form of zombie: the Drought Demon King. Wang Weizhen was utterly clueless, having only heard of such a thing. Damn it, this was the ultimate zombie!
“You… don’t look at me, I’m not scared of you, I don’t fall for your tricks!” Wang Weizhen tightly gripped his peach wood sword, his lips trembling. Although the drought demon was temporarily restrained, a dead camel is still bigger than a horse, and with his small sword, he had no idea where to strike. While he was hesitating, Bai Erlai was struggling. Born into a farming family, he had grown up doing hard labor, carrying bundles of firewood from the front mountain to the back without a second thought. But now, he clearly felt that he was about to give out. Although the Maoshan Taoists had cleverly used the principle of leverage in the lasso, it couldn’t withstand the immense strength of the drought demon. Bai Erlai’s arms, gripping the rope, were bulging with muscles, the veins like giant earthworms, swollen and taut. The cloth shoes on his feet were scraping against the ground with a rustling sound. If this continued, not only would his arms break, but the soles of his shoes would wear through. The other three men, not as strong as Bai Erlai, were already gasping for breath, holding on only by sheer willpower.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, hurry, we can’t hold on any longer!” Bai Erlai gasped, speaking in broken sentences. Wang Weizhen knew he couldn’t hesitate any longer, or they would all be doomed. With a grunt, he channeled all his strength into the peach wood sword and charged at the drought demon like a small locomotive.
He didn’t know that the drought demon, having become the Drought Demon King, had gained some intelligence. In this back-and-forth, it had realized that these guys were at their limit, and it smiled even more grotesquely. Its ten black, shiny fingernails moved, pulling the two men holding the ropes to their knees. The peach wood sword that Wang Weizhen had previously used as a projectile jumped out of the drought demon’s body with a ‘snap,’ grazing Wang Weizhen’s nose bridge. The nose bridge is the most fragile part of the human body, and the impact made Wang Weizhen see stars, letting out a muffled cry as he fell to the ground, tears streaming from his eyes. The drought demon roared several times, breaking free from the ropes. The two strong men in front crashed into the wall with a ‘bang,’ their mouths spouting blood. It could only be described in two words: brutal! It was worse than chest-breaking stone, and they immediately lost their fighting ability.
“Mother!” Bai Erlai and Heishan exchanged glances, each seeing the fear in the other’s eyes. They didn’t care about the ropes anymore and ran around the rice field, dashing into the house like madmen.
Meanwhile, Wang Weizhen groggily got up from the ground, covering his nose bridge with a wide sleeve, his face pale and clearly in pain. Two streams of dark red blood seeped through his fingers. Wang Weizhen’s mouth twisted, and he hurriedly wiped it, but his hand was clumsy, and as soon as it touched the wound, he let out another ‘ouch,’ his legs giving way as he fell to the ground.
This fall happened to land him right in front of the drought demon. The demon, smelling the blood, immediately bared its teeth and pounced on Wang Weizhen. This terrified Wang Weizhen, as being bitten by this thing was no joke. He tried to pull his leg back, but his legs felt weak and unresponsive. Wang Weizhen was drenched in cold sweat, his hands flailing about, but he couldn’t find anything to grab onto. As the drought demon was almost upon him, Wang Weizhen’s eyes caught sight of his shoe. In a flash of inspiration, he quickly took off the cotton shoe from his left foot and, without a second thought, shoved it into the drought demon’s mouth. The demon’s mouth was open, and it bit down on Wang Weizhen’s stinky cotton shoe. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen scrambled to his feet and backed away.
“Oh my, Master Wang, are you hurt?” Heishan, standing by the door, saw Wang Weizhen rolling towards him like a gourd. He quickly reached out and helped Wang Weizhen up.
Once on his feet, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about his appearance and pointed frantically, “Quick, stop that thing, stop that thing!”
“Stop…”
“Stop!” Bai Erlai and Heishan quickly echoed, but as soon as the words left their mouths, they noticed Wang Weizhen looking at them. Glancing at the two severely injured men lying on the ground, they immediately understood.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, who’s going to stop it?” Bai Erlai stammered.
“Nonsense, do you think I can go up like this? You two go and hold it off for a moment while I catch my breath, then we’ll see!” Wang the Immortal’s beard was trembling, and he clearly wasn’t in any condition to fight.
“Well… you…” Bai Erlai, though simple and slow-witted, wasn’t stupid. He quickly looked at Heishan, who was more decisive and immediately supported Wang Weizhen, “Old Bai, don’t worry, I’ll take care of Master Wang here.”
At this point, Bai Erlai had no choice. Gritting his teeth, he slapped his chest, picked up a horizontal wooden beam from the ground, and jumped down the steps. In the courtyard, the drought demon spat out the tattered cotton shoe and charged towards him with a roar. Seeing that he was no match, Bai Erlai let out a shout, closed his eyes, and swung the wooden beam across the drought demon’s waist. The beam, though not as sturdy as a roof beam, was still the backbone of a haystack, weighing at least fifty or sixty pounds. An ordinary person wouldn’t be able to wield it with any finesse. The impact on the drought demon was like a mountain pressing down on its chest, enough to make a normal person’s blood boil and organs rupture. But the drought demon was unfazed. With a swipe of its long, black-nailed hand, it tore a hole in the solid wooden beam and tossed it aside, sending Bai Erlai flying along with the beam.
Bai Erlai landed with a thud on the stone steps, his forehead bleeding. Seeing the indestructible drought demon approaching again, he shouted, “Master Wang, are you ready yet? Say something!”
“Ready my foot, run!” Wang the Immortal spat on the ground and cursed.
Bai Erlai painfully got up, looked at Wang Weizhen, and gasped mockingly, “Why are you running too? You’re supposed to be a great immortal, how come you’re fleeing at the sight of a ghost?”
“Damn it! Do you know what that thing is? It’s a drought demon! If we don’t run, we’ll be done for! Besides, isn’t Zhang Enpu still in the house as backup?” Wang Weizhen turned around, his face a picture of misery.
“Just running isn’t enough, Master Wang, think of something! This drought demon is too fast, someone needs to hold it off, or all three of us will be done for!” Bai Erlai said.
Wang Weizhen thought about it and nodded, “Alright, you and Heishan take these two brothers inside, and I’ll stall it for a bit, wear it down for Master Zhang.”
“Count on you, Master Wang, I’m out of here. If anything happens to you, I’ll burn plenty of paper money for you, so you can start a Wang Corporation down there!” Heishan said, then dragged the two half-dead injured men into the house with Bai Erlai.
“Damn your grandmother!” Wang Weizhen jumped and cursed, but before he could finish his sentence, a foul wind hit him. He sidestepped, dodging the drought demon.
“Damn it, it’s relentless!” Wang Weizhen, now facing the drought demon’s back, pushed off the ground with both feet, leaping into the air. His upper body leaned back, his hips thrust forward, and he executed a beautiful side kick in mid-air, hitting the drought demon squarely in the back and sending it flying. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen grabbed the peach wood sword that had previously broken his nose bridge, swung it three times, and charged forward.
I don’t believe it, even a master can be beaten to death with random blows. Today, I’ll just have to wear this drought demon down! With this thought, Wang Weizhen’s fear gradually faded. He noticed that although the drought demon was fast and impervious to weapons, its brain wasn’t quite up to par—it was a bit brain-dead. So, he summoned his courage and began to use all the skills he had learned from his master, managing to hold his own against the drought demon for a while.
Inside the house, Zhang Enpu and Liu Dashao dragged the two injured men into the inner room, casually instructing Bai Erlai to give them some internal injury medicine and apply some safflower oil before leaving them be.
“Old Taoist Zhang, I say Master Wang is still out there…”
But Zhang Enpu was only mixing cinnabar in a wooden bucket, not responding to Liu Dashao’s question.
“Hey, hey, what are you…” Liu Dashao was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth.
“What am I doing?” Zhang Enpu, having mixed the black dog blood, realgar, and other substances in the wooden bucket, stood up and smiled at Liu Dashao.
“You…” Liu Dashao took a deep breath, almost choking, “Master Wang is out there fighting for you, and you’re just leaving him out there, isn’t that abandoning him to his fate?”
“Oh, is that all!” Zhang Enpu’s lips curled, “Don’t underestimate Old Wang. From what I’ve seen, he can hold out for five or six minutes.” Then, he frowned, “Old Wang was right to bring those four in. Who would have thought that after feeding on so much human blood, the drought demon would ascend to the next level, becoming the most difficult to deal with Drought Demon King. Evacuating the unrelated people allows Wang Weizhen to fight the Drought Demon King without any distractions.”
“Then, Old Taoist, do you have a way to deal with this zombie?” Liu Dashao asked urgently.
“I… don’t!” Zhang Enpu shook his head.
“What?” Liu Dashao was completely stunned, “Then what should we do? Now we’re all gathered together, just waiting for the zombie to wipe us out.”
“Not so fast!” Zhang Enpu laughed, “But fortunately, the records of the Celestial Masters of Longhu Mountain through the ages have a way to deal with this thing, so this time, we won’t be drawing water with a bamboo basket!”
Seeing that the time was right, Zhang Enpu immediately instructed Liu Dashao to throw all the tables and chairs in the main hall outside and then close the door.
Zhang Enpu drew several talismans on the door and walls, sealing the house. Then, he took out the wooden bucket containing black dog blood and realgar, threw in two handfuls of cinnabar, shook it well, and took out a brush to squat on the ground and start drawing the formation lines.
The courtyard was now in chaos. A shout was heard, followed by a shrill scream, and then a figure rushed over from outside. The figure got closer, and under the dim light, Liu Dashao gradually recognized it as Wang Weizhen.
This Master Wang was in a sorry state, his clothes torn in several places, one hand holding a broken peach wood sword, the other clutching a cloth bag. The sword’s scabbard was nowhere to be seen.
Wang Weizhen stumbled over, and not far behind him, the ferocious red demon was jumping. Clearly, Wang Weizhen had failed to hold off the drought demon and had instead enraged it.
Zhang Enpu had already filled the ground with talismans and was lighting the inscriptions on them. Seeing Wang Weizhen running over, he shouted, “Find a way to hold it off for a moment, let me finish drawing!”
With that, his hands moved even faster.
Wang Weizhen was stunned. Looking at Zhang Enpu’s actions, he understood what he was trying to do.
Zhang Enpu was making such a big show of it, probably setting up a very powerful formation! As the saying goes, if you haven’t eaten pork, you’ve at least seen a pig run! He had seen other Taoist friends do similar things before, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with it.
With a determined heart, Wang Weizhen took out a small sword made of copper coins from his pocket. This was the last treasure his master had passed down to him. He bit his middle finger, smeared the blood on the sword, and threw it at the drought demon behind him.
This sword was called the “Pure Yang Sword.” The copper coins, having passed through many hands, were imbued with a great deal of yang energy, and with Wang Weizhen’s middle finger blood, the yang energy was even stronger. If it encountered ordinary “evil” or “grudge” entities, it could make them kneel and beg for mercy. But this time, it wasn’t dealing with an ordinary entity!
The “Pure Yang Sword” flew straight at the drought demon. The demon first retreated, then let out a sinister laugh, extending its long-nailed hand and smashing the “Pure Yang Sword” with a single slap.
“It’s better to hear a ghost cry than a ghost laugh.” The sound of the ghost’s laugh was unbearable, the eerie laughter sending chills down one’s spine. The drought demon’s slap broke the red string of the “Pure Yang Sword,” scattering the copper coins. However, the drought demon didn’t come out unscathed either, being pushed back more than ten steps by the “Pure Yang Sword.”
Finally, the last stroke was completed, and Zhang Enpu let out a long sigh, putting away his brush.
Seeing that Zhang Enpu was ready, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about appearances anymore. He performed a “ground roll” and rolled past Zhang Enpu’s feet.
The drought demon followed closely behind, baring its teeth and claws as it charged forward.
Red lines almost covered the entire floor of the main hall, forming a large pattern. As Zhang Enpu drew, he muttered incantations under his breath. While drawing the formation lines, Zhang Enpu also took out twenty-eight copper coins and nine dark yellow talismans, arranging them in specific positions within the formation. Each time he placed a copper coin or talisman, he would tap it heavily with his brush and chant “Ji!” in a slightly raised voice.
The red lines drawn by Zhang Enpu’s brush were not the dry red of ordinary ink, but like the blood flowing in human veins, quietly moving along his wolf-hair brush. As the formation neared completion, the red lines became more vibrant and full, slowly emitting a soft red glow. The two people present were dumbfounded.
“This is too amazing! I’ve never seen the old man do this before!” Liu Dashao muttered.
When Zhang Enpu finished drawing the entire formation, the red light suddenly disappeared. The entire formation fell silent, and the red lines on the ground returned to their dry red color.
At this moment, Zhang Enpu had already drawn all the talismans on the ground and was now inscribing the final characters. Seeing Wang running toward him, he quickly shouted, “Find a way to stall it for a moment—I need to finish drawing!”
With that, his hands moved even faster.
Wang Weizhen was stunned. Looking at Zhang Enpu’s actions, he understood what he was trying to do.
Zhang Enpu was making such a big show—he must be setting up a powerful formation! After all, even if you haven’t eaten pork, you’ve seen pigs walk! In the past, he had seen other sects’ Taoist friends do similar things, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with it.
“Oh, oh, oh, let’s do it, let’s do it…” A few people finally snapped out of their daze and positioned themselves in the four cardinal directions, swiftly spinning their lassos. Bai Erlai was the first to act, his wrist flicking as the black iron hook flew out, landing squarely on the drought demon’s waist. The weight of the hook caused it to wrap around the demon several times before finally dropping. The other three followed suit, and soon the drought demon was trussed up like a meat dumpling. The four men exchanged glances, then pulled hard on the ropes, tightening them until the demon was immobilized.
“Roar…” The drought demon let out a fierce cry, dropping Wang Weizhen and lunging towards Bai Erlai.
“Change formation, change formation!” Wang Weizhen, seeing the danger, quickly instructed. Without needing his command, the four men, having been trained by Zhang Enpu, sprang into action. The initial fear gradually dissipated as they faced this life-or-death situation. Seeing the demon charge at Bai Erlai, the two men controlling the ropes opposite him immediately increased their grip, hoisting the ropes onto their shoulders and pulling with all their might, like oxen dragging a cart. Bai Erlai and Heishan retreated several steps, tightening the slack ropes once more, thus immobilizing the demon again.
The art of the lasso was not exclusive to the Celestial Masters; its origins lay with the Maoshan Taoists. In later films, whenever zombies were mentioned, it was always the corpse drivers and Maoshan Taoists who came to mind, and this was not without reason. Now, with the liberation, superstitions were being eradicated. But in ancient times, the Maoshan Taoists were primarily engaged in the business of corpse driving. The scope of “corpse driving” was actually quite limited, confined to the mountainous regions of western Hunan, particularly the Yuan River basin. The terrain was rugged, making travel difficult, and transporting coffins back to the deceased’s hometown was even more troublesome. Many who worked and lived here would, upon their deathbed, entrust their remains to relatives and friends, insisting on being buried in their homeland to avoid being laid to rest in these desolate mountains. To avoid the arduous task of carrying coffins over rough mountain paths, the Maoshan Taoists developed the unique method of “corpse driving.”
Corpse driving, being the transportation of corpses, naturally had many unstable factors, and corpse transformation was one of the frequent occurrences. The lasso was one of the methods the Maoshan Taoists used to deal with corpse transformations. After all, not every Taoist was as formidable as Lam Ching-ying in the movies. Zombies were savage and strong, and engaging them in direct combat would surely lead to defeat. Thus, they devised this method: first, restrain the zombie, then use talismans to suppress it, making the task manageable. Zhang Enpu had taught this lasso formation to the four strong men, and it proved to be of great use.
The drought demon was now completely hysterical. Its tightly shut eyes suddenly opened, emitting a blood-red glow. Its hair was disheveled, and its long tongue hung out, while its ten long nails shimmered with black energy. It was clear that it had evolved to the highest level of zombiehood: the Drought Demon King. Wang Weizhen was utterly clueless, having only heard of such things before. Damn, this was the ultimate zombie!
“You… don’t look at me, I’m not scared of you, I won’t fall for your tricks!” Wang Weizhen tightly gripped his peach wood sword, his lips trembling. Although the drought demon was temporarily restrained, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse, and with his small sword, he had no idea where to strike. As he hesitated, Bai Erlai was struggling. Born into a farming family, he had grown up doing hard labor, carrying bundles of firewood from the front mountain to the back without a second thought. But now, he clearly felt he was about to give out. Although the Maoshan Taoists had cleverly used leverage in the lasso, it couldn’t withstand the immense strength of the drought demon. Bai Erlai’s arms, gripping the ropes, were bulging with muscles, the veins like giant earthworms, swollen and throbbing. His cloth shoes scraped against the ground, and if this continued, not only would his arms break, but the soles of his shoes would wear through. The other three men, not as strong as Bai Erlai, were already gasping for breath, relying solely on sheer willpower to keep going.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, hurry, we can’t hold on much longer!” Bai Erlai gasped, speaking in broken phrases. Wang Weizhen knew he couldn’t hesitate any longer, or they would all be doomed. With a determined heart, he let out a grunt, channeling all his strength into the peach wood sword, and charged at the drought demon like a small locomotive.
He didn’t know that the drought demon, having become the Drought Demon King, had gained some intelligence. In this back-and-forth, it had realized that these guys were at their limit, and it laughed even more sinisterly. Its ten shiny black nails moved, pulling the two rope handlers to their knees. The peach wood sword that Wang Weizhen had previously used as a projectile also jumped out of the demon’s body with a ‘snap,’ grazing Wang Weizhen’s nose bridge. The nose bridge is the most fragile part of the face, and this blow left Wang Weizhen seeing stars, crying out in pain as he fell to the ground, tears streaming down his face. The drought demon roared several times, finally breaking free from the ropes. The two strong men at the front crashed into the wall with a ‘bang,’ their mouths spewing blood. It could only be described in two words: brutal! It was worse than chest-breaking stones, and they were immediately out of the fight.
“Mother!” Bai Erlai and Heishan exchanged glances, each seeing the fear in the other’s eyes. Without a second thought for the ropes, they ran around the glutinous rice field and bolted into the house.
Meanwhile, Wang Weizhen groggily got up from the ground, a large sleeve covering his nose bridge, his face pale and clearly in pain. Two streams of dark red blood seeped through his fingers. Wang Weizhen grimaced, quickly wiping it away, but his hand was clumsy, and as soon as it touched the wound, he cried out in pain again, his legs giving way as he fell to the ground.
This fall happened to land him right in front of the drought demon. The demon, smelling the blood, immediately bared its teeth and lunged at Wang Weizhen. This terrified Wang Weizhen, as being bitten by this thing was no joke. He tried to pull his leg back, but it felt weak and unresponsive, making him break out in a cold sweat, his hands flailing about in panic. Just as the demon was about to reach him, Wang Weizhen’s eyes caught sight of his shoe. In a flash of inspiration, he quickly took off his left cotton shoe and, without a second thought, shoved it into the demon’s open mouth. Seizing this opportunity, Wang Weizhen scrambled to his feet and backed away.
“Oh my, Master Wang, are you hurt?” Heishan, standing by the door, saw Wang Weizhen rolling towards him like a gourd. With quick reflexes, he helped Wang Weizhen up.
Once on his feet, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about his appearance, pointing frantically and shouting, “Quick, stop that thing, stop it!”
“Stop…”
“Stop!” Bai Erlai and Heishan quickly echoed, but as soon as the words left their mouths, they noticed Wang Weizhen looking at them, and then at the two severely injured men on the ground, and they immediately understood.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, who’s going to stop it?” Bai Erlai stammered.
“Nonsense, do I look like I can go up there? You two go and hold it off for a moment, let me catch my breath, then we’ll see!” Wang the Immortal’s beard trembled, clearly in no condition to fight.
“Well… you…” Bai Erlai, though simple and honest, wasn’t stupid, and quickly looked at Heishan, who promptly supported Wang Weizhen: “Old Bai, don’t worry, I’ll take care of Wang the Immortal here.”
At this point, Bai Erlai had no choice but to grit his teeth, slap his chest, grab a horizontal beam from the ground, and jump down the steps. In the courtyard, the drought demon spat out the tattered cotton shoe and charged towards him with a roar. Seeing no way out, Bai Erlai let out a yell, closed his eyes, and swung the beam across the demon’s waist. The beam, though not as sturdy as a roof beam, was still the backbone of a haystack, weighing at least fifty or sixty pounds, something an ordinary person couldn’t handle. The impact on the demon was like a mountain pressing down on its chest, enough to make anyone’s blood boil and organs rupture. But the demon was unfazed, its long black nails tearing a hole in the hard beam, which it then tossed aside, sending Bai Erlai and the beam flying.
Bai Erlai fell with a thud on the stone steps, his forehead bleeding. Seeing the indestructible demon approaching again, he shouted, “Wang the Immortal, are you ready yet? Say something!”
“Ready my foot, run!” Wang the Immortal spat on the ground and cursed.
Bai Erlai painfully got up, looking at Wang Weizhen, panting and mocking, “Why are you running too? You’re supposed to be an immortal, how come you’re fleeing at the sight of a ghost?”
“Damn it! Do you know what that thing is? It’s a drought demon! If we don’t run, we’ll be done for! Besides, isn’t Zhang Enpu still in the house for backup?” Wang Weizhen turned around, his face grim.
“Just running isn’t enough, Immortal, think of something! This demon is too fast, someone needs to hold it off, or all three of us will be finished!” Bai Erlai said.
Wang Weizhen thought about it and nodded, “Alright, you and Heishan take these two brothers inside, I’ll try to wear it down a bit for Zhang the Celestial Master.”
“Count on you, Wang the Immortal, I’m out of here. If anything happens to you, I’ll burn plenty of paper money for you to start a Wang Corporation down there!” Heishan said, then dragged the two half-dead injured men into the house with Bai Erlai.
“Damn your grandmother!” Wang Weizhen cursed as he jumped, but before he could finish his sentence, a foul wind hit him, and he dodged, narrowly avoiding the demon.
“Damn, it’s relentless!” Wang Weizhen now faced the demon’s back. He leaped into the air, his upper body leaning back, his hips thrusting forward, executing a beautiful side kick that struck the demon’s back, sending it flying. Seizing the moment, Wang Weizhen grabbed the peach wood sword that had earlier broken his nose, swung it three times, and charged forward.
I don’t believe it, even a master can be beaten by a flurry of blows. Today, I’ll take on this drought demon! With this thought, Wang Weizhen’s fear gradually dissipated. He noticed that although the demon was fast and impervious to weapons, it wasn’t very intelligent—in other words, it was a bit brain-dead. So, summoning his courage, he began to use all the skills he had learned from his master, and for a while, he managed to hold his own against the demon.
Inside the house, Zhang Enpu and Liu Dashao dragged the two injured men into the inner room, casually instructing Bai Erlai to give them some internal injury medicine and apply some safflower oil, then left them be.
“Old Taoist Zhang, Wang the Immortal is still out there…”
But Zhang Enpu was busy mixing cinnabar in a wooden bucket and didn’t respond to Liu Dashao’s question.
“Hey, hey, what are you…” Liu Dashao was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth.
“What’s wrong with me?” Zhang Enpu, having finished mixing the black dog blood, realgar, and other ingredients, stood up and smiled at Liu Dashao.
“You…” Liu Dashao took a deep breath, almost choking, “Old Wang is out there fighting for you, and you’re just leaving him out there, isn’t that abandoning him?”
“Is that all?” Zhang Enpu’s lips curled, “Don’t underestimate Old Wang. I’ve seen his skills; he can hold out for five or six minutes.” Then he frowned, “Old Wang was right to bring those four in. No one expected that after feeding on so much human blood, the drought demon would level up and become the most formidable Drought Demon King. Evacuating the non-combatants allows Wang Weizhen to fight without any distractions.”
“Then, old Taoist, do you have a way to deal with this zombie?” Liu Dashao asked urgently.
“I… don’t!” Zhang Enpu shook his head.
“What?” Liu Dashao was stunned, “Then what should we do? Now we’re all gathered here, perfect for the zombie to wipe us out in one go.”
“Not so fast!” Zhang Enpu smiled, “Fortunately, the records of the Celestial Masters of Dragon and Tiger Mountain have methods to deal with this thing, so this time, we won’t be left empty-handed!”
Seeing the time was right, Zhang Enpu immediately instructed Liu Dashao to throw all the tables and chairs in the main hall outside, then closed the door.
Zhang Enpu drew several talismans on the door and walls, sealing the house, then took out the wooden bucket containing black dog blood and realgar, threw in two handfuls of cinnabar, shook it well, and took out a brush to squat on the ground and start drawing the formation lines.
The courtyard was now in chaos. A shout was heard, followed by a piercing scream, and then a figure rushed in from outside. As the figure got closer, under the dim light, Liu Dashao gradually recognized it as Wang Weizhen.
This Wang the Immortal was in a sorry state, his clothes torn in several places, one hand holding a broken peach wood sword, the other clutching a cloth bag, the sword’s sheath nowhere to be seen.
Wang Weizhen stumbled in, followed closely by the ferocious red demon. Clearly, Wang Weizhen had failed to hold off the drought demon and had only enraged it further.
Zhang Enpu had already filled the ground with talismans and was now lighting the inscriptions on them. Seeing Wang Weizhen running in, he shouted, “Find a way to hold it off for a moment, let me finish!”
With that, his hands moved even faster.
Wang Weizhen was momentarily stunned. Seeing Zhang Enpu’s actions, he understood what he was trying to do.
Zhang Enpu was making such a big show of it, probably setting up a powerful formation! As the saying goes, even if you haven’t eaten pork, you’ve seen pigs run! He had seen other Taoist sects do similar things before, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with it.
With a determined heart, Wang Weizhen took out a small sword made of copper coins from his pocket, the last treasure his master had passed down to him. He bit his middle finger, smeared the blood on the sword, and threw it at the drought demon behind him.
This sword was called the “Pure Yang Sword.” The copper coins, having passed through many hands, were imbued with a great deal of yang energy, and with Wang Weizhen’s middle finger blood, the yang energy was even stronger. If it had encountered an ordinary “evil” or “resentful” spirit, it would have made them kneel and beg for mercy. But this time, it wasn’t dealing with an ordinary entity!
The “Pure Yang Sword” flew straight at the drought demon. The demon initially retreated, then let out a sinister laugh, extended its long-nailed hand, and with a slap, shattered the “Pure Yang Sword.”
“Better to hear a ghost cry than a ghost laugh.” The sound of the ghost’s laughter was unbearable, sending chills down one’s spine. The drought demon’s slap broke the red string of Wang Weizhen’s “Pure Yang Sword,” scattering the copper coins. However, the demon didn’t come out unscathed, being forced back over ten steps by the “Pure Yang Sword.”
Finally, the last stroke was completed, and Zhang Enpu let out a long breath, putting away his brush.
Seeing that Zhang Enpu was ready, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about appearances anymore, performing a “ground roll” and rolling past Zhang Enpu’s feet.
The drought demon, following closely, charged in with bared teeth and claws.
Red lines almost covered the entire floor of the main hall, forming a large pattern. As Zhang Enpu drew the formation lines, he muttered incantations under his breath. While drawing, he also took out twenty-eight copper coins and nine dark yellow talismans, arranging them in specific positions within the formation. Each time he placed a coin or talisman, he would tap it heavily with his brush while chanting “Ji!” in a slightly raised voice.
The red lines drawn by Zhang Enpu’s brush weren’t dry red but flowed like blood in human veins, quietly moving along his wolf-hair brush. As the formation neared completion, the red lines became increasingly vibrant and full, slowly emitting a soft red glow, leaving the two onlookers dumbfounded.
“This is too amazing! First time seeing the old man do this!” Liu Dashao muttered.
When Zhang Enpu finished the entire formation, the red light suddenly disappeared. The entire formation fell silent, the red lines on the ground returning to their dry red color.
“Oh, oh, oh, let’s do it, let’s do it…” A few people finally snapped out of their daze and positioned themselves at the four cardinal directions, swiftly spinning their lassos. Bai Erlazi was the first to act, his wrist flicking as a dark iron hook flew out, landing squarely on the drought demon’s waist. The weight of the hook caused it to wrap around the demon several times before finally hanging down. The other three followed suit, and soon the drought demon was trussed up like a meat dumpling. The four men exchanged glances, then pulled the ropes taut with all their might, yanking the demon in place, rendering it immobile.
“Roar…” The drought demon let out a fierce cry, dropping Wang Weizhen and lunging at Bai Erlazi.
“Change formation, change formation!” Wang Weizhen, seeing the danger, quickly instructed. Without needing his command, the four men, having been trained by Zhang Enpu, sprang into action. The initial fear gradually dissipated as they faced this life-or-death situation. Seeing the demon charge at Bai Erlazi, the two men controlling the ropes opposite him immediately increased their wrist strength, hoisting the ropes onto their shoulders and pulling with all their might, like oxen dragging a cart. Bai Erlazi and Heishan retreated several steps, tightening the slack ropes, once again immobilizing the demon.
The skill of the lasso was not exclusive to the Celestial Masters; it originated from the tricks of the Maoshan Taoists. In later films, whenever zombies were mentioned, it always led to corpse drivers and then to Maoshan Taoists, which wasn’t without basis. Now, with the liberation, superstitions were being eradicated. But in ancient times, Maoshan Taoists primarily engaged in corpse driving. The scope of “corpse driving” was actually quite limited, confined to the mountainous regions of western Hunan, particularly the Yuan River basin, where the terrain was rugged and travel was difficult. Transporting coffins and corpses back to their hometowns was even more troublesome. Many who worked and lived here would entrust their friends and relatives to ensure their remains were returned to their ancestral lands for burial, to avoid being buried in these desolate mountains. To avoid the arduous task of carrying coffins over rough mountain paths, the unique method of “corpse driving” was developed by the Maoshan Taoists.
Corpse driving, being the transportation of corpses, naturally had many unstable factors, with corpse transformation being one of the frequent occurrences. The lasso was one of the methods Maoshan Taoists used to deal with corpse transformations. After all, not every Taoist was as formidable as Lam Ching-ying in the movies. Zombies were savage and strong, and engaging them in direct combat would surely lead to defeat. Thus, they devised this method: first restrain the zombie, then use talismans to suppress it, making the task easier. Zhang Enpu teaching this lasso formation to the four strong men was indeed putting it to good use.
The drought demon was now completely hysterical. Its tightly shut eyes suddenly opened, emitting a blood-red glow, its hair disheveled, its long tongue hanging out, and its ten long nails gleaming with black energy. Its appearance clearly indicated it had evolved to the highest level of zombie: the Drought Demon King. Wang Weizhen’s heart was filled with uncertainty; after all, he had only heard of such things. Damn, this was the ultimate zombie!
“You… don’t look at me, I’m not scared, I won’t fall for your tricks!” Wang Weizhen tightly gripped his peach wood sword, his lips trembling. Although the drought demon was temporarily restrained, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. With his small sword, he really didn’t know where to strike. As he looked around, Bai Erlazi was struggling. Born into a farming family, he had done hard labor since childhood, carrying two bundles of firewood from the front mountain to the back without hesitation. But now, he clearly felt he couldn’t hold on much longer. Although the Maoshan Taoists had ingeniously used the principle of leverage in the lasso, it couldn’t withstand the immense strength of the drought demon. Bai Erlazi’s arms, gripping the ropes, were bulging with muscles, the veins like giant earthworms, swelling up. The cloth shoes on his feet scraped against the ground, making a rustling sound. If this continued, not only would his arms break, but the soles of his shoes would wear through. The other three, not as strong as Bai Erlazi, were already gasping for breath, relying solely on sheer willpower to keep going.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, hurry, we can’t hold on much longer!” Bai Erlazi panted, speaking in broken sentences. Wang Weizhen, seeing this, knew he couldn’t hesitate any longer, or they would all be doomed. With a determined heart, he let out a grunt, channeling all his strength into the peach wood sword, charging at the drought demon like a small locomotive.
He didn’t know that the drought demon, having become the Drought Demon King, had gained some intelligence. In this back-and-forth, it realized these guys were at their limit, and its laughter became even more nauseating. Its ten shiny black nails moved, pulling the two rope handlers to their knees. The peach wood sword Wang Weizhen had used as a hidden weapon earlier jumped out of the demon’s body with a ‘snap,’ grazing Wang Weizhen’s nose bridge. The nose bridge, being the most fragile part, immediately caused Wang Weizhen to see stars, and with a groan, he fell to the ground, tears streaming down his face. The drought demon roared several times, suddenly breaking free from the ropes. The two strong men in front crashed into the wall with a ‘bang,’ their mouths spewing blood, a scene that could only be described as ‘bold!’ It was truly worse than chest-breaking, directly rendering them combat ineffective.
“Mother!” Bai Erlazi and Heishan exchanged glances, each seeing the fear in the other’s eyes. Without caring about the ropes, they ran around the glutinous rice field, bolting into the house like madmen.
Meanwhile, Wang Weizhen groggily got up from the ground, a large sleeve covering his nose bridge, his face pale and clearly in discomfort. Two streams of dark red blood seeped through his fingers. Wang Weizhen pursed his lips, quickly wiping it away, but his hand was clumsy, and as soon as it touched the wound, he let out another ‘ouch,’ his legs giving way, and he fell to the ground.
This fall happened to land him right in front of the drought demon. The demon, smelling the blood, immediately bared its teeth and lunged at Wang Weizhen. This scared Wang Weizhen out of his wits; after all, this thing wasn’t playing around when it bit. He tried to pull his leg back, but felt a numbing soreness in his thigh, unable to muster any strength. Wang Weizhen was drenched in cold sweat, his hands flailing about, but he couldn’t find anything to grab onto. Seeing the demon right in front of him, Wang Weizhen’s eyes caught sight of his shoe. In a flash of inspiration, he swiftly took off the cotton shoe from his left foot and, without a second thought, shoved it into the demon’s mouth. The demon’s mouth was open, and it bit down on Wang Weizhen’s stinky cotton shoe. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen scrambled to his feet and backed away.
“Ouch, my dear Wang, are you hurt?” Heishan, standing by the door, saw Wang Weizhen rolling over like a gourd. With quick reflexes, he helped Wang Weizhen up.
Once on his feet, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about his appearance, pointing frantically with his hand, “Quick, stop this thing, stop it!”
“Stop…”
“Stop!” Bai Erlazi and Heishan quickly echoed, but as soon as the words left their mouths, they noticed Wang Weizhen looking at them, then at the two severely injured men on the ground, and immediately understood.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, who’s going to stop it?” Bai Erlazi stammered.
“Nonsense, do I look like I can go up there? You two go and hold it off for a moment, let me catch my breath, then we’ll see!” Wang the Immortal’s beard was trembling, clearly in no condition to fight.
“Well… you…” Bai Erlazi, though simple and slow, wasn’t stupid. He quickly looked at Heishan, who was more decisive, immediately supporting Wang Weizhen, “Old Bai, don’t worry, I’ll take care of Wang the Immortal here.”
At this point, Bai Erlazi had no choice but to grit his teeth, slap his chest, grab a wooden beam from the ground, and jump down the steps. In the courtyard, the drought demon spat out the tattered cotton shoe and charged at him with a roar. Seeing no other option, Bai Erlazi let out a shout, closed his eyes, and swung the beam across the demon’s waist. The beam, though not the kind used for roof rafters, was still the backbone of a haystack, weighing at least fifty or sixty pounds, something an ordinary person couldn’t wield with finesse. The impact on the demon was like a mountain pressing down on its chest, enough to make anyone’s blood boil and organs rupture. But the demon was unfazed, its long black-nailed hand tearing a hole in the hard log, tossing it aside, and flinging Bai Erlazi and the log away.
Bai Erlazi thudded onto the stone steps, his forehead bleeding. Seeing the indestructible demon approaching again, he shouted, “Wang the Immortal, are you ready? Say something!”
“Ready my foot, run!” Wang the Immortal spat on the ground, cursing.
Bai Erlazi painfully got up, looking at Wang Weizhen, panting and mocking, “Why are you running too? You’re supposed to be an immortal, why are you fleeing at the sight of a ghost?”
“Damn it! Do you know what that thing is? It’s a drought demon! If we don’t run, we’ll be done for! Besides, isn’t Zhang Enpu still in the house for backup?” Wang Weizhen turned around, his face grim.
“Just running isn’t enough, Immortal, think of something! This demon is too fast; someone needs to hold it off, or all three of us will be done for!” Bai Erlazi said.
Wang Weizhen thought about it and nodded, “Alright, you and Heishan take these two brothers inside. I’ll stall it a bit, wear it down for Zhang the Celestial Master.”
“Count on you, Wang the Immortal. I’ll retreat first. If anything happens to you, I’ll burn plenty of paper money for you, so you can start a Wang Corporation down there!” Heishan said, then dragged the two half-dead injured men into the house with Bai Erlazi.
“Damn your grandmother!” Wang Weizhen jumped and cursed, but before he could finish, a foul wind hit him. He dodged, sidestepping the demon.
“Damn, it’s relentless!” Wang Weizhen now faced the demon’s back. He pushed off the ground, leaping up, his upper body leaning back, his hips thrusting forward, executing a beautiful side kick in mid-air, hitting the demon’s back and sending it flying. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen grabbed the peach wood sword that had previously broken his nose, swished it three times, and charged forward.
I don’t believe it! Even a master can be beaten by random strikes. Today, I’ll wear this damn drought demon down! With this thought, Wang Weizhen’s fear gradually faded. He noticed that although the demon moved swiftly and was impervious to weapons, its brain wasn’t quite up to par, a bit of a moron. Relying on his heroic spirit, he unleashed all the skills he had learned from his master, and for a while, he could indeed hold his own against the demon.
Inside the house, Zhang Enpu and Liu Dashao pulled the two injured men into the inner room, casually instructing Bai Erlazi to feed them some internal injury medicine and apply some safflower oil, then left them be.
“Old Taoist Zhang, I say Wang the Immortal is still out there…”
But Zhang Enpu was only mixing cinnabar in a wooden bucket, not responding to Liu Dashao’s question.
“Hey, hey, you…” Liu Dashao was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth.
“What about me?” Zhang Enpu, after evenly mixing the black dog blood, realgar, and other substances in the bucket, stood up and smiled at Liu Dashao.
“You…” Liu Dashao took a deep breath, almost choking, “Old Wang is out there fighting for you, and you’re just leaving him out there, isn’t that abandoning him?”
“Oh, that’s what you’re worried about!” Zhang Enpu’s lips curled, “Don’t underestimate Old Wang. I’ve observed his skills; he can hold out for five or six minutes.” Then, he frowned, “Old Wang bringing those four in was the right move. No one expected that after feeding on so much human blood, the drought demon would level up, becoming the most difficult to deal with, the Drought Demon King. Evacuating the unrelated people allows Wang Weizhen to delay the demon without any distractions.”
“Old Taoist, do you have a way to deal with this zombie?” Liu Dashao asked urgently.
“I… don’t!” Zhang Enpu shook his head.
“What?” Liu Dashao was completely stunned, “Then what should we do? Now we’re all gathered here, perfect for the zombie to wipe us out in one go.”
“Not so fast!” Zhang Enpu laughed, “But fortunately, the records of the Celestial Masters of Longhu Mountain have methods to deal with this thing, so this time, we won’t be drawing water with a bamboo basket!”
Seeing the time was right, Zhang Enpu immediately instructed Liu Dashao to throw all the tables and chairs in the main hall outside, then closed the door.
Zhang Enpu drew several talismans on the door and walls, sealing the house, then took out the bucket of black dog blood and realgar, threw in two handfuls of cinnabar, stirred it well, took out a brush, and squatted on the ground to draw the formation lines.
The courtyard was now bustling. A shout was heard, followed by a piercing scream, and then a shadow rushed over from outside. The shadow grew closer, and under the dim light, Liu Dashao gradually recognized it as Wang Weizhen.
This Wang the Immortal looked quite disheveled, his clothes torn in several places, one hand holding a broken peach wood sword, the other clutching a cloth bag, the sword’s scabbard nowhere to be seen.
Wang Weizhen stumbled over, not far behind him leaped the ferocious red demon. Clearly, Wang Weizhen had ultimately failed to hold back the drought demon, instead enraging it.
Zhang Enpu had already drawn talismans all over the ground and was lighting the inscriptions on them. Seeing Wang Weizhen running over, he hurriedly shouted, “Find a way to hold it off for a bit, let me finish drawing!”
With that, his hands moved even faster.
Wang Weizhen was stunned. Looking at Zhang Enpu’s actions, he understood what he was trying to do.
Zhang Enpu was making such a big show, probably setting up a very powerful formation! As the saying goes, if you haven’t eaten pork, you’ve at least seen a pig run! He had seen other Taoist friends perform similar acts before, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with it.
At that moment, Wang Weizhen steeled his heart, took out a small sword made of copper coins from his pocket, the last treasure his master had passed down to him. He bit his middle finger, smeared the blood on the sword, and threw it at the drought demon behind him.
This sword was called the “Pure Yang Sword.” The copper coins, having passed through many hands, were imbued with a great deal of yang energy, and with Wang Weizhen’s middle finger blood, the yang energy was even stronger. If it encountered ordinary “evil” or “resentful” entities, it could make them kneel and beg for mercy. But this time, it wasn’t dealing with an ordinary thing!
The “Pure Yang Sword” flew straight at the drought demon. The demon first retreated, then let out a sinister laugh, extended its long-nailed hand, and with a slap, shattered the “Pure Yang Sword.”
“Better to hear a ghost cry than a ghost laugh.” The sound of the ghost’s laughter was unbearable, the eerie laughter sending chills down one’s spine. The drought demon’s slap broke the red string of Wang Weizhen’s “Pure Yang Sword,” scattering the copper coins. However, the demon didn’t come out unscathed, being pushed back over ten steps by the “Pure Yang Sword.”
The final stroke was finally completed, and Zhang Enpu let out a long sigh of relief, putting away his brush.
Seeing Zhang Enpu ready, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about appearances anymore, performing a “ground roll” past Zhang Enpu’s feet.
The drought demon followed closely, claws bared, charging forward.
Red lines almost covered the entire floor of the main hall, forming a large pattern. As Zhang Enpu drew, he muttered incantations under his breath. While drawing the formation lines, Zhang Enpu also took out twenty-eight copper coins and nine dark yellow talismans, placing them in specific positions within the formation. Each time he placed a coin or talisman, he tapped it heavily with his brush, simultaneously chanting “Ji!” in a slightly raised voice.
The red lines drawn by Zhang Enpu weren’t the dry red kind, but like the blood flowing in human veins, quietly flowing along his wolf-hair brush. As the formation neared completion, the red lines became more vibrant, more full, slowly revealing a radiant red glow, leaving the two present in awe.
“This is too magical! First time seeing the old man play this!” Liu Dashao muttered.
When Zhang Enpu finished the entire formation, the red light suddenly disappeared. The entire formation fell silent, the red lines on the ground returning to their dry red color.
“Oh, oh, oh, let’s go, let’s go…” The men finally snapped out of their daze and positioned themselves at the four cardinal directions, spinning their lassos with a whooshing sound. Bai Erlai was the first to act. With a flick of his wrist, the black iron hook flew out and latched onto the drought demon’s waist. The weight of the hook caused it to wrap around the demon several times before finally dropping. The other three followed suit, and soon the drought demon was trussed up like a meat dumpling. The four men exchanged glances, then pulled the ropes taut with all their might, immobilizing the demon.
“Roar…” The drought demon let out a fierce scream, abandoning Wang Weizhen and lunging towards Bai Erlai.
“Change formation, change formation!” Wang Weizhen shouted urgently. Without needing his command, the four men, having been trained by Zhang Enpu, quickly adjusted. As the demon charged at Bai Erlai, the two men on the opposite side of the rope increased their grip, hoisting the rope onto their shoulders and pulling with all their strength, like oxen dragging a cart. Bai Erlai and Heishan stepped back several paces, tightening the slack in the rope once more, thus immobilizing the demon again.
The art of the lasso was not exclusive to the Celestial Master Dao. Its origins trace back to the Maoshan Taoists, who devised this trick. In later films, whenever zombies were mentioned, it was always in connection with corpse drivers and Maoshan Taoists, and this was not without reason. In ancient times, the Maoshan Taoists were primarily involved in the business of “driving corpses.” The practice of “driving corpses” was limited to the mountainous regions of western Hunan, where the terrain was rugged and travel was difficult. Transporting coffins and corpses back to their hometowns was a cumbersome task. Many who worked and lived in these areas would entrust their friends and relatives to ensure their remains were returned to their ancestral lands for burial, to avoid being interred in the desolate wilderness. To avoid the arduous task of carrying coffins over rough terrain, the Maoshan Taoists developed the unique method of “driving corpses.”
Given that “driving corpses” involved transporting bodies, there were many unstable factors, and corpse transformation was a frequent occurrence. The lasso was one of the methods Maoshan Taoists used to deal with such transformations. After all, not every Taoist was as formidable as Lam Ching-ying in the movies. Zombies were savage and powerful, and engaging them in direct combat would surely lead to defeat. Thus, they devised this method to first restrain the zombie and then use talismans to suppress it, making the task manageable. Zhang Enpu had taught this lasso formation to the four strong men, and it proved to be of great use.
The drought demon was now completely hysterical. Its tightly shut eyes suddenly opened, emitting a blood-red glow. Its hair was disheveled, and its long tongue hung out, while its ten long nails gleamed with black energy. It was clear that the demon had evolved to the highest level of zombiehood: the Drought Demon King. Wang Weizhen was utterly out of his depth, having only heard of such a creature. This was undoubtedly the pinnacle of zombie evolution!
“Don’t… don’t look at me like that. I’ve seen my share of horrors, and I’m not scared of you!” Wang Weizhen gripped his peach wood sword tightly, his lips trembling. Although the drought demon was temporarily restrained, a starved camel was still larger than a horse. With his small sword, he had no idea where to strike. As he hesitated, Bai Erlai was struggling. Born into a farming family, he had grown up doing hard labor, carrying bundles of firewood from the front mountain to the back without a second thought. But now, he was clearly reaching his limit. Despite the clever use of leverage in the Maoshan Taoists’ lasso technique, the drought demon’s immense strength was too much. Bai Erlai’s arms, gripping the rope, were bulging with muscles, and his veins stood out like giant earthworms. The soles of his cloth shoes were scraping against the ground, and if this continued, not only would his arms break, but his shoes would wear through. The other three men, not as strong as Bai Erlai, were already gasping for breath, holding on only by sheer willpower.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, hurry, we can’t hold on much longer!” Bai Erlai panted, speaking in broken phrases. Wang Weizhen knew he couldn’t hesitate any longer, or they would all be doomed. With a determined heart, he let out a grunt, channeling all his strength into the peach wood sword, and charged at the drought demon like a small locomotive.
He didn’t realize that the drought demon, having become the Drought Demon King, had gained some intelligence. In this back-and-forth struggle, it had discerned that these men were at their limit, and it laughed even more sinisterly. With a flick of its ten black, shiny nails, it yanked the two men holding the rope to their knees. The peach wood sword that Wang Weizhen had used as a projectile earlier jumped out of the demon’s body with a ‘snap,’ grazing Wang Weizhen’s nose bridge. The nose bridge, being the most fragile part of the face, caused Wang Weizhen to collapse with a cry, tears streaming down his face. The drought demon roared several times, breaking free from the ropes. The two strong men were thrown against the wall with a ‘bang,’ their mouths spewing blood. It was a sight that could only be described as ‘bold!’ They were worse off than someone who had just had their chest crushed by a large stone, completely incapacitated.
“Mother!” Bai Erlai and Heishan exchanged glances, each seeing the fear in the other’s eyes. Without a second thought for the ropes, they ran around the glutinous rice field and bolted into the house.
Meanwhile, Wang Weizhen groggily got up from the ground, holding his nose bridge with a wide sleeve, his face pale and clearly in pain. Dark red blood seeped through his fingers. Wang Weizhen grimaced and quickly tried to wipe it away, but his hand was clumsy, and as soon as it touched the wound, he let out another ‘ouch,’ his legs giving way, and he fell to the ground.
This fall landed him right in front of the drought demon, which, smelling the blood, immediately bared its teeth and lunged at Wang Weizhen. This terrified Wang Weizhen, as being bitten by this thing was no joke. He tried to pull his leg back, but it felt weak and unresponsive. Panic set in, and sweat drenched his back as his hands flailed about, unable to find any purchase. Just as the drought demon was about to reach him, Wang Weizhen’s eyes caught sight of his shoe. In a flash of inspiration, he swiftly removed the cotton shoe from his left foot and, without a second thought, shoved it into the demon’s open mouth. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen scrambled to his feet and backed away.
“Oh my, Master Wang, are you hurt?” Heishan, standing by the door, saw Wang Weizhen rolling towards him like a gourd and quickly helped him up.
Once on his feet, Wang Weizhen had no time for appearances. He pointed frantically and shouted, “Quick, stop that thing, stop it!”
“Stop…”
“Stop!” Bai Erlai and Heishan quickly echoed, but as soon as the words left their mouths, they noticed Wang Weizhen looking at them, and then at the two severely injured men on the ground. They immediately understood.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, who’s going to stop it?” Bai Erlai stammered.
“Nonsense, do I look like I can go up there? You two go and hold it off for a moment while I catch my breath!” Wang the Immortal’s beard trembled, clearly in no condition to fight.
“Well… you…” Bai Erlai, though simple and slow-witted, wasn’t stupid. He quickly turned to Heishan, who was more decisive and immediately supported Wang Weizhen: “Old Bai, don’t worry, I’ll take care of Master Wang here.”
At this point, Bai Erlai had no choice. Gritting his teeth, he slapped his chest, picked up a wooden beam from the ground, and jumped down the steps. In the courtyard, the drought demon spat out the tattered cotton shoe and charged towards him with a roar. Seeing that he was in trouble, Bai Erlai let out a shout, closed his eyes, and swung the beam towards the demon’s waist. The beam, though not as sturdy as a roof beam, was still the backbone of a haystack, weighing at least fifty or sixty pounds. An ordinary person wouldn’t be able to wield it with any finesse. The blow landed on the drought demon like a mountain pressing down on its chest, enough to make anyone’s blood boil and organs rupture. But the drought demon was unfazed. With a swipe of its long, black-nailed hand, it tore a hole in the hard wooden beam and tossed it aside, sending Bai Erlai and the beam flying.
Bai Erlai landed with a thud on the stone steps, his forehead bleeding. Seeing the indestructible drought demon approaching again, he shouted, “Master Wang, are you ready yet? Say something!”
“Ready my foot, run!” Wang the Immortal spat on the ground and cursed.
Bai Erlai painfully got up, looked at Wang Weizhen, and gasped, “Why are you running too? You’re supposed to be an immortal! How can you flee at the sight of a ghost?”
“Damn it! Do you know what that thing is? It’s a drought demon! If we don’t run, we’ll be done for! Besides, isn’t Zhang Enpu still in the house?” Wang Weizhen turned around, his face ashen.
“Running isn’t enough, Master Wang. Think of something! This drought demon is too fast. Someone needs to hold it off, or all three of us will be finished!” Bai Erlai said.
Wang Weizhen thought about it and realized he was right. He shook his head, “Fine, you and Heishan take these two brothers inside. I’ll try to wear it down a bit for Master Zhang.”
“Good luck, Master Wang. I’ll retreat first. If anything happens to you, I’ll burn plenty of paper money for you, so you can start a Wang Corporation in the afterlife!” Heishan said, then dragged the two half-dead men into the house with Bai Erlai.
“Damn your grandmother!” Wang Weizhen cursed as he jumped around, but before he could finish his sentence, a foul wind hit him. He dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the drought demon.
“Damn it, it’s relentless!” Wang Weizhen was now facing the demon’s back. He leaped into the air, his upper body leaning back, his hips thrusting forward, and executed a beautiful side kick, hitting the demon squarely in the back and sending it flying. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen grabbed the peach wood sword that had earlier broken his nose and, with a flourish of three sword strokes, charged forward.
I refuse to believe that a random beating can’t take down a master. Today, I’ll wear this drought demon down! With this thought, Wang Weizhen’s fear gradually dissipated. He noticed that although the drought demon was fast and impervious to weapons, it wasn’t very intelligent—it was a bit brain-dead, so to speak. Relying on his heroic spirit, he began to use the skills he had learned from his master, and for a while, he managed to hold his own against the demon.
Inside the house, Zhang Enpu and Liu Dashao had dragged the two injured men into the inner room, instructing Bai Erlai to give them some internal injury medicine and apply some safflower oil before leaving them be.
“Master Zhang, I say, Master Wang is still outside…”
But Zhang Enpu was busy mixing cinnabar in a wooden bucket and didn’t respond to Liu Dashao’s question.
“Hey, hey, what are you…” Liu Dashao was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth.
“What’s wrong with me?” Zhang Enpu finished mixing the black dog blood, realgar, and other ingredients in the bucket, stood up, and smiled at Liu Dashao.
“You…” Liu Dashao took a deep breath, almost choking, “Master Wang is out there fighting for you, and you’re just leaving him out there to die? Isn’t that heartless?”
“Oh, is that all!” Zhang Enpu’s lips curled, “Don’t underestimate Old Wang. I’ve seen his skills, and he can hold out for five or six minutes.” Then he frowned, “Old Wang was right to bring those four in. Who would have thought that after feeding on so much human blood, the drought demon would ascend to the next level, becoming the most formidable Drought Demon King? Evacuating the unrelated people allows Wang Weizhen to fight the Drought Demon King without any distractions.”
“Do you have a way to deal with this zombie, Master Taoist?” Liu Dashao asked urgently.
“I… don’t!” Zhang Enpu shook his head.
“What?” Liu Dashao was stunned, “Then what should we do? Now we’re all gathered here, just waiting for the zombie to wipe us out.”
“Not so fast!” Zhang Enpu laughed, “But fortunately, the records of the Celestial Masters of Longhu Mountain have a way to deal with this thing, so we won’t be left empty-handed!”
Seeing that the time was right, Zhang Enpu immediately instructed Liu Dashao to throw all the tables and chairs in the main hall outside and then close the door.
Zhang Enpu drew several talismans on the door and walls, sealing the house. Then he took out the bucket containing black dog blood and realgar, threw in two handfuls of cinnabar, stirred it well, and took out a brush to start drawing lines on the ground.
The courtyard was now in chaos. A shout was heard, followed by a piercing scream, and then a figure rushed in from outside. As the figure drew closer, Liu Dashao could see in the dim light that it was Wang Weizhen.
This Master Wang was in a sorry state, his clothes torn in several places, one hand clutching a broken peach wood sword, the other holding a cloth bag. The sword’s scabbard was nowhere to be seen.
Wang Weizhen stumbled in, and not far behind him leaped the ferocious red demon. It was clear that Wang Weizhen had ultimately failed to hold off the drought demon and had only succeeded in enraging it.
Zhang Enpu had already drawn talismans all over the ground and was inscribing the characters on them. Seeing Wang Weizhen rush in, he shouted, “Find a way to hold it off for a moment, let me finish!”
With that, his hands moved even faster.
Wang Weizhen was momentarily stunned. Seeing Zhang Enpu’s actions, he quickly understood what was happening.
Zhang Enpu was making such a grand display, likely setting up a powerful formation! As the saying goes, even if you haven’t eaten pork, you’ve seen pigs run! He had heard other Taoists talk about such things before, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with it.
With a determined heart, Wang Weizhen pulled out a small sword made of copper coins from his pocket. This was the last treasure his master had passed down to him. He bit his middle finger, smeared the blood on the sword, and threw it at the drought demon behind him.
This sword was called the “Pure Yang Sword.” Copper coins, having passed through many hands, were imbued with a great deal of yang energy, and with Wang Weizhen’s middle finger blood, the yang energy was even stronger. If it had encountered an ordinary “evil” or “grudge,” it would have been enough to make the opponent kneel and beg for mercy. But this time, it was no ordinary foe!
The “Pure Yang Sword” flew straight at the drought demon. The demon initially retreated, then let out a sinister laugh, extended its long-nailed hand, and with a slap, shattered the “Pure Yang Sword.”
“It’s better to hear a ghost cry than to hear a ghost laugh.” The sound of the ghost’s laughter was unbearable, sending chills down one’s spine. The drought demon’s slap broke the red string of Wang Weizhen’s “Pure Yang Sword,” scattering the copper coins. However, the demon didn’t come out unscathed, being forced back more than ten steps by the “Pure Yang Sword.”
Finally, the last stroke was completed, and Zhang Enpu let out a long breath, putting away his brush.
Seeing that Zhang Enpu was ready, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about appearances anymore. He rolled on the ground, passing under Zhang Enpu’s feet.
The drought demon, following closely behind, charged forward with claws bared.
Red lines almost covered the entire floor of the main hall, forming a large pattern. As Zhang Enpu drew, he muttered incantations under his breath. While drawing the lines, he also took out twenty-eight copper coins and nine dark yellow talismans, arranging them in specific positions within the formation. Each time he placed a copper coin or talisman, he tapped it heavily with his brush and chanted “Ji!” in a slightly louder voice.
The red lines drawn by Zhang Enpu’s brush were not the dry red of paint, but rather like the flowing blood in human veins, quietly moving along the tip of his brush. As the formation neared completion, the red lines became more vibrant and full, gradually emitting a soft red glow that left the two onlookers in awe.
“This is too amazing! I’ve never seen the old man do this before!” Liu Dashao muttered.
When Zhang Enpu finished the entire formation, the red light suddenly disappeared. The entire formation fell silent, and the red lines on the ground returned to their dry, dull color.
“Oh, oh, oh, let’s do it, let’s do it…” The men finally snapped out of their daze and positioned themselves at the four cardinal directions, spinning their lassos with a whooshing sound. Bai Erlai was the first to act; with a flick of his wrist, the dark iron hook flew out and landed squarely on the drought demon’s waist. The weight of the hook caused it to wrap around the demon several times before finally dropping. The other three followed suit, and soon the drought demon was trussed up like a meat dumpling. The four men exchanged glances, then pulled hard on the ropes, tightening them to the point where the demon was immobilized.
“Roar…” The drought demon let out a fierce cry, dropping Wang Weizhen and lunging towards Bai Erlai.
“Change formation, change formation!” Wang Weizhen, seeing the danger, quickly instructed. Without needing his command, the four men, having been trained by Zhang Enpu, sprang into action. The initial fear faded as they faced this life-or-death situation. As the drought demon charged at Bai Erlai, the two men holding the ropes opposite him increased their grip, hoisting the ropes onto their shoulders and pulling with all their might, like oxen dragging a cart. Bai Erlai and Heishan retreated several steps, tightening the slack ropes once more, thus immobilizing the demon again.
The art of the lasso was not exclusive to the Celestial Masters; its origins lay in the tricks devised by the Maoshan Taoists. In later films, whenever zombies were mentioned, it always led to the corpse drivers and then to the Maoshan Taoists, which was not without basis. Now, with the liberation, superstitions were to be discarded. But in ancient times, the Maoshan Taoists were primarily engaged in the business of “corpse driving.” The scope of “corpse driving” was actually quite limited, confined to the mountainous regions of western Hunan, particularly the Yuan River basin, where the terrain was rugged and travel was difficult. Transporting coffins and corpses back to their hometowns was a cumbersome task. Many who worked and lived there, upon their deathbeds, would entrust their relatives and friends to ensure their remains were returned to their ancestral lands for burial, to avoid being interred in the desolate wilderness. To avoid the arduous task of carrying coffins over rough terrain, the Maoshan Taoists developed the unique method of “corpse driving.”
“Corpse driving,” being the transportation of corpses, naturally involved many unstable factors, with corpse transformation being one of the frequent occurrences. The lasso was one of the methods the Maoshan Taoists used to deal with corpse transformation. After all, not every Taoist was as formidable as Lam Ching-ying in the movies. Zombies were savage and strong; engaging them in hand-to-hand combat would surely lead to defeat. Thus, they devised this method: first, immobilize the zombie, then use talismans to suppress it, making the task manageable. Zhang Enpu taught this lasso formation to the four strong men, making good use of their skills.
The drought demon was now completely hysterical. Its tightly shut eyes suddenly opened, emitting a blood-red glow, its hair disheveled, and its long tongue hanging out. Its ten long fingernails shimmered with black energy. It was clear that it had evolved to the highest level of zombiehood: the Drought Demon King. Wang Weizhen’s heart was filled with uncertainty; after all, he had only heard of such things. Damn, this was the ultimate zombie!
“You… don’t look at me, I’m not scared, I don’t fall for your tricks!” Wang Weizhen tightly gripped his peach wood sword, his lips trembling. Although the drought demon was temporarily bound, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. With his small sword in hand, he wasn’t sure where to strike. As he looked around, Bai Erlai was struggling. Born into a farming family, he had grown up doing hard labor, carrying bundles of firewood from the front mountain to the back without a second thought. But now, he clearly felt he couldn’t hold on much longer. Although the Maoshan Taoists had ingeniously used leverage in the lasso, it couldn’t withstand the immense strength of the drought demon. Bai Erlai’s arms, gripping the ropes, were bulging with muscles, the veins like giant earthworms, swollen and prominent. The cloth shoes on his feet scraped against the ground with a rustling sound. If this continued, not only would his arms break, but the soles of his shoes would wear through. The other three, not as strong as Bai Erlai, were already gasping for breath, relying solely on sheer willpower to keep going.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, hurry, we can’t hold on much longer!” Bai Erlai gasped, speaking in broken sentences. Wang Weizhen knew he couldn’t hesitate any longer; otherwise, they would all be doomed. With a determined heart, he let out a grunt, channeling all his strength into the peach wood sword, charging at the drought demon like a small locomotive.
He didn’t know that the drought demon, having become the Drought Demon King, had gained some intelligence. In this back-and-forth, it realized these guys were at their limits and laughed even more sinisterly. With a flick of its ten shiny black fingernails, it yanked the two rope-pullers to their knees. The peach wood sword that Wang Weizhen had used as a hidden weapon earlier jumped out of the demon’s body with a ‘snap,’ grazing Wang Weizhen’s nose bridge. The nose bridge, being the most fragile part of the human body, immediately caused Wang Weizhen to see stars, and with a groan, he fell to the ground, tears streaming down his face. The drought demon roared several times, breaking free from the ropes. The two strong men in front crashed into the wall with a ‘bang,’ their mouths spewing blood. It could only be described in two words: brutal! It was worse than chest-breaking stones; they were immediately out of the fight.
“Mother!” Bai Erlai and Heishan exchanged glances, each seeing the fear in the other’s eyes. Without caring about the ropes, they ran around the glutinous rice field and bolted into the house like madmen.
Meanwhile, Wang Weizhen groggily got up from the ground, a large sleeve covering his nose bridge, his face pale as a sheet. Two streams of dark red blood seeped through his fingers. Wang Weizhen’s mouth twitched, and he hurriedly wiped it, but his hand was clumsy, and as soon as he touched the wound, he let out another ‘ouch,’ his legs giving way, and he fell to the ground again.
This fall landed him right in front of the drought demon. The demon, smelling the blood, immediately bared its teeth and pounced on Wang Weizhen. This scared Wang Weizhen out of his wits; after all, this thing didn’t play around when it came to biting. He tried to pull his legs back, but they felt weak and unresponsive, making Wang Weizhen break out in a cold sweat, his hands flailing about, unable to find anything to grab onto. As the drought demon loomed close, Wang Weizhan’s eyes caught sight of his shoe. In a flash of inspiration, he swiftly took off his left cotton shoe and, without a second thought, shoved it into the demon’s open mouth. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhan scrambled to his feet and backed away.
“Ah, my dear Master Wang, are you hurt?” Heishan, standing by the door, saw Wang Weizhan rolling towards him like a gourd. He quickly reached out and helped Wang Weizhan up.
Standing up, Wang Weizhan was in no mood for appearances. He pointed frantically and said, “Quick, stop that thing, stop it!”
“Stop…”
“Stop!” Bai Erlai and Heishan quickly echoed, but as soon as the words left their mouths, they noticed Wang Weizhan looking at them, and then at the two severely injured men on the ground. They immediately understood.
“Wang… Master Wang, who’s going to stop it?” Bai Erlai stammered.
“Nonsense, do I look like I can go up there? You two go and hold it off for a moment while I catch my breath!” Master Wang’s beard trembled, clearly in no condition to fight.
“Well… you…” Bai Erlai, though simple and honest, wasn’t stupid. He quickly looked at Heishan, who promptly supported Wang Weizhan: “Old Bai, don’t worry, I’ll take care of Master Wang here.”
At this point, Bai Erlai had no choice. Gritting his teeth, he slapped his chest, picked up a wooden beam from the ground, and jumped down the steps. In the courtyard, the drought demon spat out the tattered cotton shoe and charged towards them with a roar. Seeing that things were getting dire, Bai Erlai let out a shout, closed his eyes, and swung the beam across the demon’s waist. The beam, though not as sturdy as a roof beam, was still the backbone of a haystack, weighing at least fifty or sixty pounds—something an ordinary person couldn’t wield with finesse. The impact on the demon was like a mountain pressing down on its chest, enough to make anyone’s blood boil and organs rupture. But the demon was unfazed; with a swipe of its long black nails, it tore a hole in the hard beam and tossed it aside, sending Bai Erlai and the beam flying.
Bai Erlai thudded onto the stone steps, his forehead bleeding. Seeing the relentless demon approaching again, he shouted, “Master Wang, are you ready yet? Say something!”
“Ready my foot, run!” Master Wang spat on the ground and cursed.
Bai Erlai painfully got up, looked at Wang Weizhan, and gasped mockingly, “Why are you running too? You’re supposed to be a great immortal, yet you flee at the sight of a ghost!”
“Damn it! Do you know what that thing is? It’s a drought demon! If we don’t run, we’ll be done for! Besides, isn’t there still Zhang Enpu’s backup in the house?” Wang Weizhan turned around, his face grim.
“Just running isn’t enough, Master Wang. You need to think of something! This demon is too fast; someone has to hold it off, or all three of us will be finished!” Bai Erlai said.
Wang Weizhan thought it over and nodded: “Alright, you and Heishan take these two brothers inside. I’ll stall it a bit longer and wear it down for Master Zhang.”
“Count on you, Master Wang. I’ll retreat first. If anything happens to you, I’ll burn plenty of paper money for you to start a Wang Corporation in the afterlife!” Heishan said, then dragged the two injured men into the house with Bai Erlai.
“Damn you!” Wang Weizhan jumped and cursed, but before he could finish, a foul wind hit him. He dodged, narrowly avoiding the demon.
“Damn, it’s relentless!” Wang Weizhan now faced the demon’s back. He leaped into the air, his upper body leaning back, his hips thrusting forward, executing a perfect side kick that struck the demon’s back, sending it flying. Seizing the moment, Wang Weizhan grabbed the peach wood sword that had earlier broken his nose and, with a flourish of three sword strokes, charged forward.
I refuse to believe that a flurry of blows can’t defeat even a master. Today, I’ll wear this drought demon down! With this thought, Wang Weizhan’s fear gradually dissipated. He noticed that although the demon was fast and impervious to weapons, it wasn’t very smart—in other words, it was a bit brain-dead. Drawing on his heroic spirit, he unleashed all the skills he had learned from his master, and for a while, he managed to hold his own against the demon.
Inside the house, Zhang Enpu and Liu Dashao dragged the two injured men into the inner room, instructing Bai Erlai to give them some internal injury medicine and apply some safflower oil, then left them be.
“Old Taoist Zhang, Master Wang is still out there…”
But Zhang Enpu was busy mixing cinnabar in a wooden bucket and didn’t respond to Liu Dashao’s question.
“Hey, hey, what are you…” Liu Dashao was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth.
“What’s wrong with me?” Zhang Enpu finished mixing the black dog blood, realgar, and other ingredients in the bucket, stood up, and smiled at Liu Dashao.
“You…” Liu Dashao took a deep breath, almost choking: “Old Master Wang is out there fighting for you, and you’re just leaving him out there? Isn’t that abandoning him?”
“Oh, is that all!” Zhang Enpu’s lips curled: “Don’t underestimate Old Wang. I’ve seen his skills; he can hold out for five or six minutes.” Then he frowned: “Old Wang was right to bring those four in. No one expected that after feeding on so much human blood, the drought demon would level up and become the most formidable Drought Demon King. Evacuating the unrelated people allows Wang Weizhan to fight without any distractions.”
“Do you have a way to deal with this zombie, Old Taoist?” Liu Dashao asked urgently.
“I… don’t!” Zhang Enpu shook his head.
“What?” Liu Dashao was stunned: “Then what do we do? Now we’re all gathered here, just waiting for the zombie to wipe us out.”
“Not so fast!” Zhang Enpu laughed: “Fortunately, the records of the Celestial Masters of Longhu Mountain have methods to deal with this thing, so this time, we won’t be drawing water with a bamboo basket!”
Seeing the time was right, Zhang Enpu immediately instructed Liu Dashao to throw all the tables and chairs in the main hall outside and close the door.
Zhang Enpu drew several talismans on the door and walls, sealing the house. Then he took out the bucket containing black dog blood and realgar, threw in two handfuls of cinnabar, stirred it well, took out a brush, and squatted on the ground to draw the formation lines.
The courtyard was now bustling. A shout was heard, followed by a piercing scream, and then a shadow rushed in from outside. The shadow grew closer, and under the dim light, Liu Dashao gradually recognized it as Wang Weizhan.
Master Wang looked quite disheveled, his clothes torn in several places, one hand holding a broken peach wood sword, the other clutching a cloth bag. The sword’s scabbard was nowhere to be seen.
Wang Weizhan stumbled in, followed closely by the ferocious red demon. Clearly, Wang Weizhan had failed to hold off the drought demon and had only enraged it further.
Zhang Enpu had already drawn talismans all over the ground and was inscribing the incantations on them. Seeing Wang Weizhan run in, he shouted: “Find a way to hold it off for a moment, let me finish!”
With that, his hands moved even faster.
Wang Weizhan was taken aback. Seeing Zhang Enpu’s actions, he understood what he was trying to do.
Zhang Enpu was making such a big show of it; he must be setting up a powerful formation! As the saying goes, even if you haven’t eaten pork, you’ve seen pigs run! He had seen other Taoists perform similar acts before, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with it.
With a determined heart, Wang Weizhan pulled out a small sword made of copper coins from his pocket—his master’s final treasure. He bit his middle finger, smeared the blood on the sword, and hurled it at the drought demon behind him.
This sword was called the “Pure Yang Sword.” The copper coins, having passed through many hands, were imbued with immense yang energy, and with Wang Weizhan’s middle finger blood, the yang energy was even stronger. If it encountered ordinary “evil” or “resentful” entities, it would make them kneel and beg for mercy. But this time, it wasn’t dealing with an ordinary foe!
The “Pure Yang Sword” flew straight towards the drought demon. The demon initially retreated, then let out a sinister laugh, extended its long-nailed hand, and with a slap, shattered the “Pure Yang Sword.”
“Better to hear a ghost cry than a ghost laugh.” The ghost’s laughter was unbearable, sending shivers down one’s spine. The drought demon’s slap broke the red string of Wang Weizhan’s “Pure Yang Sword,” scattering the copper coins. However, the demon didn’t come out unscathed; it was pushed back over a dozen steps by the sword’s force.
Finally, the last stroke was completed. Zhang Enpu let out a long sigh and put away his brush.
Seeing that Zhang Enpu was ready, Wang Weizhan didn’t care about appearances anymore. He performed a “ground roll” and rolled past Zhang Enpu’s feet.
The drought demon, following closely, charged in with claws bared.
Red lines almost covered the entire floor of the main hall, forming a large pattern. As Zhang Enpu drew, he muttered incantations under his breath. While drawing the formation lines, Zhang Enpu also took out twenty-eight copper coins and nine dark yellow talismans, placing them in specific positions within the formation. Each time he placed a coin or talisman, he tapped it heavily with his brush and chanted “Ji!” in a slightly louder voice.
The red lines drawn by Zhang Enpu weren’t dry red but flowed like blood through veins, quietly following his wolf-hair brush. As the formation neared completion, the red lines became increasingly vibrant and full, slowly emitting a radiant red light that left the two onlookers in awe.
“This is too magical! First time seeing the old man do this!” Liu Dashao muttered.
When Zhang Enpu finished the entire formation, the red light suddenly vanished. The entire formation fell silent, and the red lines on the ground returned to their dry red color.
The final stroke was finally completed. Zhang Enpu exhaled deeply, put down his brush, and looked up.
Seeing Zhang Enpu was ready, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about appearances anymore. He rolled across the ground like a “rolling gourd” past Zhang Enpu.
“Oh, oh, oh, let’s go, let’s go…” A few people finally snapped out of their daze and positioned themselves at the four cardinal directions, swiftly spinning their lassos. Bai Erlai was the first to act, his wrist flicking as the dark iron hook flew from his hand, landing squarely on the drought demon’s waist. The weight of the hook caused it to wrap around the demon several times before finally dropping. The other three followed suit, and soon the drought demon was trussed up like a meat dumpling. The four men exchanged glances, then yanked the ropes with all their might. The ropes tightened instantly, pinning the drought demon in place, unable to move.
“Roar…” The drought demon let out a fierce cry, dropping Wang Weizhen and lunging towards Bai Erlai.
“Change formation, change formation!” Wang Weizhen, realizing the danger, quickly instructed. Without needing his command, the four men, having been trained by Zhang Enpu, sprang into action. The initial fear gradually faded as they faced this life-or-death situation. Seeing the drought demon charge at Bai Erlai, the two men controlling the ropes opposite him immediately increased their wrist strength, hoisting the ropes onto their shoulders and pulling with all their might, like oxen dragging a cart. Bai Erlai and Heishan retreated several steps, tightening the slack ropes once more, thus immobilizing the drought demon again.
The skill of the lasso was not exclusive to the Celestial Master Dao; its origins trace back to the tricks developed by the Maoshan Taoists. In later films, whenever zombies were mentioned, it always led to the corpse drivers and then the Maoshan Taoists, which was not without basis. Now, with the liberation and the denouncement of superstition, this is no longer discussed. But in ancient times, the Maoshan Taoists were primarily involved in the business of “driving corpses.” The scope of “driving corpses” was actually quite limited, confined to the mountainous regions of western Hunan, particularly along the Yuan River. The terrain was rugged, making travel difficult, and transporting coffins back to hometowns was even more troublesome. Many who worked and lived there would entrust their friends and relatives to ensure their remains were returned to their hometowns for burial, to avoid being buried in the desolate wilderness. To avoid the arduous task of carrying coffins through the rugged mountain paths, the Maoshan Taoists developed the unique method of “driving corpses.”
Driving corpses, as it involved transporting bodies, naturally had many unstable factors, with corpse transformation being one of the frequent occurrences. The lasso was one of the methods the Maoshan Taoists used to deal with corpse transformations. After all, not every Taoist was as formidable as Lam Ching-ying in the movies. Zombies were savage and strong, and engaging them in direct combat would surely lead to defeat. Thus, they devised this method to first restrain the zombie and then use talismans to suppress it, making the task easier. Zhang Enpu taught this lasso formation to the four strong men, making good use of their skills.
The drought demon was now completely hysterical. Its tightly shut eyes suddenly opened, emitting a blood-red glow, its hair disheveled, and its long tongue hanging out. Its ten long nails shimmered with black energy. It was clear that it had evolved to the highest level of a zombie: the Drought Demon King. Wang Weizhen’s heart was filled with uncertainty; after all, he had only heard of such things. Damn it, this was the ultimate zombie!
“You… don’t look at me, I’m not scared, I don’t fall for your tricks!” Wang Weizhen tightly gripped his peach wood sword, his lips trembling. Although the drought demon was temporarily restrained, a dead camel is still bigger than a horse, and with his small sword, he wasn’t sure where to strike. As he hesitated, Bai Erlai was struggling. Born into a farming family, he had grown up doing hard labor, carrying bundles of firewood from the front mountain to the back without a second thought. But now, he clearly felt he was about to give out. Although the Maoshan Taoists had ingeniously used the principle of leverage in the lasso, it couldn’t withstand the immense strength of the drought demon. Bai Erlai’s arms, gripping the ropes, were bulging with muscles, the veins like giant earthworms, swollen and taut. The cloth shoes on his feet scraped against the ground, making a rustling sound. If this continued, not only would his arms break, but the soles of his shoes would wear through. The other three men, not as strong as Bai Erlai, were already gasping for breath, relying solely on sheer willpower to keep going.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, hurry, we can’t hold on much longer!” Bai Erlai gasped, speaking in broken sentences. Wang Weizhen knew he couldn’t hesitate any longer, or they would all be doomed. With a determined heart, he let out a grunt, channeling all his strength into the peach wood sword, charging at the drought demon like a small locomotive.
He didn’t know that the drought demon, having become the Drought Demon King, had gained some intelligence. In this back-and-forth, it had realized these guys were at their limit, and so it smiled even more sinisterly. With a flick of its ten shiny black nails, it yanked the two men pulling the ropes to their knees. The peach wood sword that Wang Weizhen had previously used as a projectile also jumped out of the drought demon’s body with a ‘snap,’ grazing Wang Weizhen’s nose bridge. The nose bridge is the most fragile part of the human body, and this blow immediately made Wang Weizhen see stars, letting out a groan as he fell to the ground, tears streaming down his face. The drought demon roared several times, suddenly breaking free from the ropes. The two strong men in front crashed into the wall with a ‘bang,’ their mouths spurting blood. The scene could only be described with one word: brutal! It was worse than chest-crushing stones; they were immediately out of the fight.
“Mother!” Bai Erlai and Heishan exchanged glances, each seeing the fear in the other’s eyes. Without caring about the ropes, they immediately skirted the glutinous rice field and ran like mad towards the house.
Meanwhile, Wang Weizhen groggily got up from the ground, a large sleeve covering his nose bridge, his face pale as a sheet. It was clear he was in pain. Two streams of dark red blood seeped through his fingers. Wang Weizhen pursed his lips, quickly trying to wipe it away, but his hand was clumsy, and as soon as it touched the wound, he let out another ‘ouch,’ his legs giving way as he fell to the ground.
This fall happened to land him right in front of the drought demon. The demon, smelling the blood, immediately bared its teeth and lunged at Wang Weizhen. This terrified Wang Weizhen; after all, when this thing bites, it’s no joke. He tried to pull his leg back, but felt his legs were weak and couldn’t muster any strength. Sweat soaked his back as he frantically grabbed at the ground, but to no avail. Seeing the drought demon right in front of him, Wang Weizhen’s eyes caught sight of his shoe. In a flash of inspiration, he quickly took off the cotton shoe from his left foot and, without a second thought, shoved it into the drought demon’s mouth. The demon’s mouth was open, and it bit down on Wang Weizhen’s smelly cotton shoe. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen scrambled to his feet and backed away.
“Ouch, my old master Wang, are you hurt?” Heishan, standing by the door, saw Wang Weizhen rolling towards him like a gourd. He quickly reached out and helped Wang Weizhen up.
Once on his feet, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about his appearance, pointing frantically and saying, “Quick, stop that thing, stop that thing!”
“Stop…”
“Stop!” Bai Erlai and Heishan quickly echoed, but as soon as the words left their mouths, they noticed Wang Weizhen looking at them, and then at the two severely injured men lying on the ground. They immediately understood.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, who’s going to stop it?” Bai Erlai stammered.
“Nonsense, do I look like I can go up there? You two go and hold it off for a moment, let me catch my breath, then we’ll see!” Wang the Immortal’s beard was trembling; it was clear he was in no condition to fight.
“Well… you…” Bai Erlai, though simple and honest, wasn’t stupid. He quickly looked at Heishan, who was more decisive, immediately supporting Wang Weizhen: “Old Bai, don’t worry, I’ll take care of Wang the Immortal here.”
At this point, Bai Erlai had no choice. Gritting his teeth, he slapped his chest, picked up a horizontal wooden beam from the ground, and jumped down the steps. In the courtyard, the drought demon spat out the torn cotton shoe and charged towards him with a loud roar. Seeing the situation was dire, Bai Erlai let out a shout, closed his eyes, and swung the wooden beam across the drought demon’s waist. The beam, though not as sturdy as a roof beam, was still the backbone of a haystack, weighing at least fifty or sixty pounds. An ordinary person wouldn’t be able to wield it with any finesse. The blow landed on the drought demon like a mountain pressing down on its chest. If it were an ordinary person, their organs would have been crushed. But the drought demon was unfazed. With a swipe of its long black nails, it tore a hole in the hard wooden beam and tossed it aside, sending Bai Erlai flying along with the beam.
Bai Erlai landed with a thud on the stone steps, his forehead bleeding. Seeing the indestructible drought demon approaching again, he shouted, “Wang the Immortal, are you ready yet? Say something!”
“Ready my foot, run!” Wang the Immortal spat on the ground and cursed.
Bai Erlai painfully got up, looked at Wang Weizhen, and gasped, “Why did you run out too? You’re supposed to be an immortal, how come you flee at the sight of a ghost?”
“Damn it! Do you know what that thing is? It’s a drought demon! If we don’t run, we’ll be done for! Besides, isn’t there still Zhang Enpu in the house for backup?” Wang Weizhen turned around, his face grim.
“Just running isn’t enough, Immortal. You need to think of a way. This drought demon is too fast; someone needs to hold it off, or the three of us will be finished together!” Bai Erlai said.
Wang Weizhen thought about it and nodded: “Alright, you and Heishan take these two brothers inside. I’ll try to wear it down a bit for Zhang the Celestial Master.”
“Count on you, Wang the Immortal. I’ll retreat first. If anything happens to you, I’ll burn plenty of paper money for you, so you can start a Wang Corporation down there!” Heishan said, then dragged the two half-dead injured men inside with Bai Erlai.
“Damn your grandmother!” Wang Weizhen cursed as he jumped, but before he could finish his sentence, a foul wind hit him. He sidestepped, dodging the drought demon.
“Damn, it’s relentless!” Wang Weizhen, now facing the drought demon’s back, pushed off the ground with both feet, leaping into the air. He arched his upper body back, thrust his hips forward, and executed a beautiful side kick in mid-air, hitting the drought demon’s back and sending it flying. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen grabbed the peach wood sword that had previously broken his nose bridge, swung it three times, and charged forward.
I don’t believe it! Even a master can be beaten by a mob. Today, I’ll fight this damn drought demon to the end! With this thought, Wang Weizhen’s fear gradually faded. He noticed that although the drought demon was fast and invulnerable, it wasn’t very smart—a bit of a brain-dead creature, so to speak. Relying on his heroic spirit, he began to use all the skills he had learned from his master, and for a while, he managed to hold his own against the drought demon.
Inside the house, Zhang Enpu and Liu Dashao pulled the two injured men into the inner room, casually instructing Bai Erlai to give them some internal injury medicine and apply some safflower oil, then left them alone.
“Old Taoist Zhang, I say Wang the Immortal is still outside…”
But Zhang Enpu was only mixing cinnabar in a wooden bucket, not responding to Liu Dashao’s question.
“Hey, hey, what are you…” Liu Dashao was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth.
“What am I doing?” Zhang Enpu, after thoroughly mixing the black dog blood, realgar, and other substances in the wooden bucket, stood up and smiled at Liu Dashao.
“You…” Liu Dashao took a deep breath, almost choking: “Old Wang is out there fighting for you, and you’re just leaving him out there, isn’t that abandoning him?”
“Is that all?” Zhang Enpu’s lips curled: “Don’t underestimate Old Wang. I’ve seen his skills; he can hold out for five or six minutes.” Then, he frowned: “Old Wang was right to bring those four in. No one expected that after feeding on so much human blood, the drought demon would level up and become the most difficult to deal with—the Drought Demon King. Evacuating the unrelated people allows Wang Weizhen to fight the Drought Demon King without any distractions.”
“Do you have a way to deal with this zombie, old Taoist?” Liu Dashao asked urgently.
“I… don’t!” Zhang Enpu shook his head.
“What?” Liu Dashao was completely stunned: “Then what should we do? Now we’re all gathered here, just waiting for the zombie to wipe us out.”
“Not so fast!” Zhang Enpu smiled: “But fortunately, the records of the Celestial Masters of Longhu Mountain have a way to deal with this thing, so this time, we won’t be drawing water with a bamboo basket!”
Seeing the time was right, Zhang Enpu immediately instructed Liu Dashao to throw all the tables and chairs in the main hall outside, then closed the door.
Zhang Enpu drew several talismans on the door and walls, sealing the house. Then he took out the wooden bucket containing black dog blood and realgar, threw in two handfuls of cinnabar, shook it well, took out a brush, and squatted on the ground to draw the formation lines.
The courtyard was now in chaos. A loud shout was heard, followed by a shrill scream, and then a figure rushed in from outside. The figure got closer, and under the dim light, Liu Dashao gradually recognized it as Wang Weizhen.
This Wang the Immortal was in a sorry state, his clothes torn in several places, one hand holding a broken peach wood sword, the other clutching a cloth bag. The sword’s scabbard was nowhere to be found.
Wang Weizhen stumbled in, and not far behind him leaped the ferocious red demon. Clearly, Wang Weizhen had failed to hold off the drought demon and had only enraged it further.
Zhang Enpu had already drawn talismans all over the ground and was lighting the inscriptions on them. Seeing Wang Weizhen running in, he shouted: “Find a way to hold it off for a moment, let me finish drawing!”
With that, his hands moved even faster.
Wang Weizhen was stunned. Seeing Zhang Enpu’s actions, he understood what he was trying to do.
Zhang Enpu was making such a big show, probably setting up a powerful formation! As the saying goes, if you haven’t eaten pork, you’ve at least seen a pig run! He had seen other Taoists do this before, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with it.
With a determined heart, Wang Weizhen took out a small sword made of copper coins from his pocket—the last treasure his master had passed down to him. He bit his middle finger, smeared the blood on the sword, and threw it at the drought demon behind him.
This sword was called the “Pure Yang Sword.” The copper coins, having passed through many hands, were imbued with a great deal of yang energy, and with Wang Weizhen’s middle finger blood, the yang energy was even stronger. If it encountered an ordinary “evil” or “resentful” spirit, it would make them kneel and beg for mercy. But this time, it wasn’t dealing with an ordinary creature!
The “Pure Yang Sword” flew straight at the drought demon. The demon initially retreated, then let out a sinister laugh, extended its long-nailed hand, and with a slap, shattered the “Pure Yang Sword.”
“It’s better to hear a ghost cry than a ghost laugh.” The sound of the ghost’s laugh was unbearable, sending shivers down one’s spine. The drought demon’s slap broke the red string of Wang Weizhen’s “Pure Yang Sword,” scattering the copper coins. However, the drought demon didn’t come out unscathed; it was pushed back more than ten steps by the “Pure Yang Sword.”
Finally, the last stroke was completed. Zhang Enpu let out a long breath and put away the brush.
Seeing that Zhang Enpu was ready, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about appearances anymore. He performed a “ground roll” and rolled past Zhang Enpu’s feet.
The drought demon followed closely behind, baring its teeth and claws as it charged forward.
Red lines almost covered the entire floor of the main hall, forming a large pattern. As Zhang Enpu drew, he muttered some incantation. While drawing the formation lines, Zhang Enpu also took out twenty-eight copper coins and nine dark yellow talismans, placing them in specific positions within the formation. Each time he placed a copper coin or talisman, he tapped it heavily with the brush and chanted “Ji!” in a slightly louder voice.
The red lines drawn by Zhang Enpu’s brush weren’t dry red but flowed like blood through human veins, quietly moving along his wolf-hair brush. As the formation neared completion, the red lines became more vivid and full, gradually emitting a soft red glow. The two men present were dumbfounded.
“This is too magical! First time seeing the old man do this!” Liu Dashao muttered.
When Zhang Enpu finished the entire formation, the red light suddenly disappeared. The entire formation fell silent, and the red lines on the ground returned to their dry red color.
“Oh, oh, oh, let’s do it, let’s do it…” The men finally snapped out of their daze and positioned themselves at the four cardinal directions, spinning their lassos with a whooshing sound. Bai Erlai was the first to act; with a flick of his wrist, the black iron hook flew out and landed squarely on the drought demon’s waist. The weight of the hook caused it to wrap around the demon several times before finally dropping. The other three followed suit, and soon the drought demon was trussed up like a meat dumpling. The four men exchanged glances, then pulled the ropes taut with all their might. The ropes stretched tight, pinning the drought demon in place, unable to move.
“Roar…” The drought demon let out a fierce cry, dropping Wang Weizhen and lunging towards Bai Erlai.
“Change formation, change formation!” Wang Weizhen, realizing the danger, quickly instructed. Without needing his command, the four men, having been trained by Zhang Enpu, sprang into action. The initial fear gradually dissipated as they faced this life-and-death situation. Seeing the drought demon charge at Bai Erlai, the two men controlling the ropes in the opposite direction immediately increased their grip, hoisting the ropes onto their shoulders and pulling with all their might, like oxen dragging a cart. Bai Erlai and Heishan stepped back several paces, tightening the slack ropes once more, thus immobilizing the drought demon again.
The skill of the lasso was not exclusive to the Celestial Masters; its origins lay in the tricks developed by the Maoshan Taoists. In later films, whenever zombies were mentioned, it inevitably led to the corpse drivers and then to the Maoshan Taoists, which was not without basis. Now, with the liberation, superstitions were being eradicated. But in ancient times, the Maoshan Taoists were primarily engaged in the business of “driving corpses.” The scope of “driving corpses” was actually quite limited, confined to the mountainous regions of western Hunan, particularly along the Yuan River. The terrain was rugged, making travel difficult, and transporting coffins back to hometowns was even more troublesome. Many who worked and lived there would, upon their deathbeds, entrust their relatives and friends to ensure their remains were returned to their ancestral homes for burial, to avoid being interred in the desolate wilderness. To avoid the arduous task of carrying coffins over rough mountain paths, the unique method of “driving corpses” was thus born in the hands of the Maoshan Taoists.
“Driving corpses” naturally involved many unstable factors, and corpse transformation was one of the frequent occurrences. The lasso was one of the methods the Maoshan Taoists used to deal with such transformations. After all, not every Taoist was as formidable as Lam Ching-ying in the movies. Zombies were savage and strong; engaging them in hand-to-hand combat would surely lead to defeat. Thus, they devised this method—first immobilizing the zombie, then using talismans to suppress it, making the task manageable. Zhang Enpu taught this lasso formation to the four burly men, putting it to good use.
The drought demon was now completely hysterical. Its tightly shut eyes suddenly opened, emitting a blood-red glow. Its hair was disheveled, its long tongue hanging out, and its ten long fingernails shimmered with black energy. It was clear that it had evolved to the highest level of zombiehood: the Drought Demon King. Wang Weizhen’s heart sank; he had only heard of such a thing. Damn it, this was the ultimate zombie!
“You… don’t look at me like that, I’m not scared of you, I won’t fall for your tricks!” Wang Weizhen gripped his peach wood sword tightly, his lips trembling. Although the drought demon was temporarily bound, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. With his small sword, he wasn’t sure where to strike. As he hesitated, Bai Erlai was struggling. Born into a farming family, he had grown up doing hard labor, carrying bundles of firewood from the front mountain to the back without a second thought. But now, he clearly felt he was reaching his limit. Although the Maoshan Taoists had ingeniously applied the principle of leverage in the lasso, it couldn’t withstand the immense strength of the drought demon. Bai Erlai’s arms, gripping the ropes, were bulging with muscles, the veins like giant earthworms, swollen and taut. The cloth shoes on his feet scraped against the ground with a rustling sound. If this continued, not only would his arms break, but the soles of his shoes would wear through. The other three, with less strength than Bai Erlai, were already gasping for breath, relying solely on sheer willpower to keep going.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, hurry, we can’t hold on much longer!” Bai Erlai gasped, speaking in broken phrases. Wang Weizhen knew he couldn’t hesitate any longer; otherwise, they would all be doomed. With a grunt, he channeled all his strength into the peach wood sword and charged at the drought demon like a small locomotive.
He didn’t know that the drought demon, having become the Drought Demon King, had gained some intelligence. In this back-and-forth, it realized these men were at their limits and laughed even more sinisterly. With a flick of its ten shiny black fingernails, it yanked the two rope-pullers to their knees. The peach wood sword that Wang Weizhen had earlier used as a projectile jumped out of the drought demon’s body with a ‘snap,’ grazing Wang Weizhen’s nose bridge. The nose bridge is the most fragile part of the human body, and the impact sent Wang Weizhen reeling, tears streaming down his face. The drought demon roared several times, breaking free from the ropes. The two burly men at the front crashed into the wall with a ‘bang,’ their mouths spewing blood. It could only be described as ‘bold!’ Truly worse than chest-breaking stunts, they were immediately out of the fight.
“Mother!” Bai Erlai and Heishan exchanged glances, each seeing the fear in the other’s eyes. Without a second thought for the ropes, they skirted the glutinous rice field and ran like mad towards the house.
Meanwhile, Wang Weizhen groggily got up from the ground, a wide sleeve covering his nose bridge, his face pale and clearly in pain. Two streams of dark red blood seeped through his fingers. Wang Weizhen pursed his lips and hurriedly wiped it away, but his hand was clumsy, and as soon as it touched the wound, he let out another ‘ouch,’ his legs giving way as he fell to the ground.
This fall landed him right in front of the drought demon. The demon, smelling the blood, immediately bared its teeth and lunged at Wang Weizhen. This terrified Wang Weizhen; after all, this thing wasn’t playing around when it bit. He tried to pull his leg back, but it felt numb and weak, unable to exert any force. Wang Weizhen was drenched in cold sweat, his hands flailing about, unable to find a solution. As the drought demon loomed close, Wang Weizhen’s eyes caught sight of his shoe. In a flash of inspiration, he swiftly removed the cotton shoe from his left foot and, without a second thought, shoved it into the drought demon’s open mouth. Seizing this opportunity, Wang Weizhen scrambled away on all fours, retreating as fast as he could.
“Oh my, Master Wang, are you hurt?” Heishan, standing by the door, saw Wang Weizhen rolling towards him like a gourd. With quick reflexes, he helped Wang Weizhen up.
Once on his feet, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about appearances, pointing frantically and saying, “Quick, stop that thing, stop it!”
“Stop…”
“Stop!” Bai Erlai and Heishan quickly echoed, but as soon as the words left their mouths, they noticed Wang Weizhen looking at them, then at the two severely injured men on the ground, and immediately understood.
“Wang… Wang the Immortal, who’s going to stop it?” Bai Erlai stammered.
“Nonsense, do I look like I can go up there? You two hold it off for a moment while I catch my breath, then we’ll see!” Wang the Immortal’s beard was trembling; he clearly wasn’t in any condition to fight.
“Then… you…” Bai Erlai, though simple and slow-witted, wasn’t stupid. He quickly looked at Heishan, who promptly supported Wang Weizhen: “Old Bai, don’t worry, I’ll take care of Master Wang here.”
At this point, Bai Erlai had no choice. Gritting his teeth, he slapped his chest, picked up a wooden beam from the ground, and leaped down the steps. In the courtyard, the drought demon spat out the tattered cotton shoe and charged towards him with a roar. Seeing the danger, Bai Erlai shouted, closed his eyes, and swung the beam across the drought demon’s waist. The beam, though not as sturdy as a roof beam, was still the backbone of a haystack, weighing at least fifty or sixty pounds—something an ordinary person couldn’t wield with finesse. The impact on the drought demon was like a mountain pressing down on its chest, enough to make a normal person’s blood boil and organs rupture. But the drought demon was unfazed; with a swipe of its long black nails, it tore a gash in the hard wooden beam and tossed it aside, sending Bai Erlai and the beam flying.
Bai Erlai thudded onto the stone steps, his forehead bleeding. Seeing the indestructible drought demon approaching again, he shouted, “Master Wang, are you ready yet? Say something!”
“Ready my foot, run!” Wang the Immortal spat on the ground and cursed.
Bai Erlai painfully got up, looked at Wang Weizhen, and gasped mockingly, “Why did you run out too? You’re supposed to be a great immortal, yet you flee at the sight of a ghost!”
“Damn it! Do you know what that thing is? It’s a drought demon! If we don’t run, we’ll be done for! Besides, isn’t Zhang Enpu still in the house for backup?” Wang Weizhen turned around, his face grim.
“Just running isn’t enough, Master Wang. Think of something! This drought demon is too fast; someone has to hold it off, or all three of us will be done for!” Bai Erlai said.
Wang Weizhen thought about it and nodded: “Alright, you and Heishan take these two brothers inside. I’ll stall it a bit more, wear it down for Master Zhang.”
“Count on you, Master Wang. I’ll retreat first. If anything happens to you, I’ll burn plenty of paper money for you, so you can start a Wang Corporation down there!” Heishan said, then dragged the two half-dead wounded men into the house with Bai Erlai.
“Damn your grandmother!” Wang Weizhen jumped and cursed, but before he could finish, a foul wind hit him. He sidestepped, dodging the drought demon.
“Damn it, it’s relentless!” Wang Weizhen now faced the drought demon’s back. He leaped into the air, his upper body arching back, his hips thrusting forward, executing a beautiful side kick in mid-air that struck the drought demon’s back, sending it flying. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Weizhen grabbed the peach wood sword that had earlier broken his nose and, with three swift flourishes, charged forward.
I don’t believe it! Even a master can be beaten by random blows. Today, I’ll wear this drought demon down! With this thought, Wang Weizhen’s fear gradually faded. He noticed that although the drought demon was fast and impervious to weapons, it wasn’t very smart—a bit of a brain-dead creature. Relying on his three parts of heroism, he unleashed the skills he had learned from his master, and for a while, he managed to hold his own against the drought demon.
Inside the house, Zhang Enpu and Liu Dashao pulled the two wounded men into the inner room, instructing Bai Erlai to give them some internal injury medicine and apply some safflower oil, then left them be.
“Old Taoist Zhang, I say Master Wang is still out there…”
But Zhang Enpu was busy mixing cinnabar in a wooden bucket and didn’t respond to Liu Dashao’s question.
“Hey, hey, what are you…” Liu Dashao was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth.
“What am I doing?” Zhang Enpu, after evenly mixing the black dog blood, realgar, and other ingredients in the bucket, stood up and smiled at Liu Dashao.
“You…” Liu Dashao took a deep breath, almost choking: “Master Wang is out there fighting for you, and you’re just leaving him out there to die? Isn’t that heartless?”
“Is that all?” Zhang Enpu’s lips curled: “Don’t underestimate Old Wang. I’ve seen his skills; he can hold out for five or six minutes.” Then he frowned: “Old Wang was right to bring those four in. Who would have thought that after feeding on so much human blood, the drought demon would ascend to the next level, becoming the most formidable Drought Demon King? Evacuating the unrelated people allows Wang Weizhen to fight the Drought Demon King without any distractions.”
“Then, Old Taoist, do you have a way to deal with this zombie?” Liu Dashao asked urgently.
“I… don’t!” Zhang Enpu shook his head.
“What?” Liu Dashao was stunned: “Then what should we do? Now we’re all gathered here, just waiting for the zombie to wipe us out.”
“Not so fast!” Zhang Enpu smiled: “Fortunately, the records of the Celestial Masters of Longhu Mountain have methods to deal with this thing, so we won’t be drawing water with a bamboo basket this time!”
Seeing the time was right, Zhang Enpu immediately instructed Liu Dashao to throw the tables and chairs from the main hall outside, then closed the door.
Zhang Enpu drew several talismans on the door and walls, sealing the house. Then he took out the bucket containing black dog blood and realgar, tossed in two handfuls of cinnabar, stirred it well, and with a brush, squatted on the ground to draw the formation lines.
The courtyard was now bustling. A shout was heard, followed by a shrill scream, and then a shadow rushed over from outside. The shadow grew closer, and under the dim light, Liu Dashao gradually recognized it as Wang Weizhen.
This Master Wang was in a sorry state, his clothes torn in several places, one hand clutching a broken peach wood sword, the other holding a cloth bag. The sword’s scabbard was nowhere to be seen.
Wang Weizhen stumbled over, and not far behind him leaped the ferocious red demon. Clearly, Wang Weizhen had failed to hold off the drought demon and had instead enraged it.
Zhang Enpu had already drawn talismans all over the ground and was inscribing the incantations on them. Seeing Wang Weizhen approach, he shouted: “Find a way to hold it off for a bit, let me finish!”
With that, his hands moved even faster.
Wang Weizhen was momentarily stunned. Seeing Zhang Enpu’s actions, he understood what he was trying to do.
Zhang Enpu was making such a grand display, likely setting up a powerful formation! As the saying goes, even if you haven’t eaten pork, you’ve seen pigs run! He had seen other sects’ Taoists perform similar acts before, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with it.
With a determined heart, Wang Weizhen pulled out a small sword made of copper coins from his pocket—the last treasure his master had passed down to him. He bit his middle finger, smeared the blood on the sword, and hurled it at the drought demon behind him.
This sword was called the “Pure Yang Sword.” The copper coins, having passed through many hands, were imbued with immense yang energy, and with Wang Weizhen’s middle finger blood, the yang energy was even stronger. If it encountered ordinary “evil” or “resentful” spirits, it would make them kneel and beg for mercy. But this time, it wasn’t dealing with an ordinary foe!
The “Pure Yang Sword” flew straight at the drought demon. The demon initially retreated, then let out a sinister laugh, extended its long-nailed hand, and with a slap, shattered the “Pure Yang Sword.”
“Better to hear ghosts cry than to hear them laugh.” The sound of the ghost’s laughter was unbearable, sending shivers down one’s spine. The drought demon’s slap broke the red string of Wang Weizhen’s “Pure Yang Sword,” scattering the copper coins. However, the drought demon didn’t come out unscathed; it was forced back over a dozen steps by the “Pure Yang Sword.”
Finally, the last stroke was completed, and Zhang Enpu let out a long breath, putting away his brush.
Seeing that Zhang Enpu was ready, Wang Weizhen didn’t care about appearances anymore. He performed a “ground roll” and rolled past Zhang Enpu’s feet.
The drought demon, close behind, charged forward with claws bared.
Red lines almost covered the entire floor of the main hall, forming a large pattern. As Zhang Enpu drew, he muttered incantations under his breath. While drawing the formation lines, Zhang Enpu also took out twenty-eight copper coins and nine dark yellow talismans, arranging them in specific positions within the formation. Each time he placed a coin or talisman, he tapped it heavily with his brush and uttered a slightly louder “Swift!”
The red lines drawn by Zhang Enpu weren’t the dry red of paint but flowed like blood through veins, quietly moving along his wolf-hair brush. As the formation neared completion, the red lines grew brighter and fuller, gradually emitting a soft red glow that left the two onlookers in awe.
“This is too magical! First time seeing the old man do this!” Liu Dashao muttered.
When Zhang Enpu finished the entire formation, the red light suddenly vanished. The entire formation fell silent, and the red lines on the ground returned to their dry red color.
The red lines drawn by Zhang Enpu’s brush were not dry red lines, but flowed like blood vessels filled with flowing blood. As the formation neared completion, the red lines became increasingly vivid and full, gradually emitting a soft red glow. The two people present were stunned by the sight.
“This is just too amazing! This is the first time I’ve seen this old man do something like this!” Liu Dashao muttered.
When Zhang Enpu finished drawing the entire formation, the red glow suddenly disappeared. The entire formation fell silent, and the red lines on the ground returned to their dry, dull red color.
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