Corpse Retriever

The Homecoming Net had the Dead Sinker caught. Tan Wenbin finally collapsed, his last act being to fall backward and use his own weight to pin down the net’s far end like an anchor.

Li Zhuiyuan glanced at Tan Wenbin, who lay on the ground foaming at the mouth and dusted in sparkling powder, and did nothing.

He could have eased Tan Wenbin’s suffering, but he could sense that the corpse fiend still had one last strike left in it. He had to wait—wait for the exact right moment to act, to end this salvage job cleanly.

The corpse fiend was now at the edge of the shore.

Li Zhuiyuan: ”Haul it up!”

”Heave—ho!”

Runsheng dropped into a horse stance, turned his body, braced the rod of the Seven-Star Hook on his shoulder, and heaved it forward with all his strength.

The corpse fiend, like a massive fish, was yanked from the water and swung through the air toward the shore.

Just then, its eyes flashed green. Its mouth gaped open—and a black snake shot out from within.

The snake’s forehead was gashed and bleeding, but it still radiated menace.Its head swelled suddenly, poised to strike—but before it could snap open its jaws, Li Zhuiyuan stepped in front of Runsheng.

In the serpent’s pupils—there was fear. It held no memory of the original soul’s intelligence, but the shared sensory link was enough.

The boy before it… was terrifying.

The corpse fiend’s glowing green eyes flickered as well.

Li Zhuiyuan pressed a seal with his left hand and traced a sigil from his right arm down to the back of his right hand. Then, with his right thumb, he jabbed straight at the swelling serpent’s head.

”Suppress.”

The snake opened its jaws—but the green mist inside didn’t escape. It recoiled back, and the snake itself was forced down the corpse fiend’s throat.

The green fog exploded inside the fiend. Wisps leaked from its eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, while ghostly green fire lit up its body from within.

Like a shadow puppet show, its translucent skin revealed countless tiny snakes thrashing wildly inside.

”Heave—ho!”

Runsheng pulled again.

With a thud, the corpse fiend slammed onto the shore.

Yin Meng flipped sideways, her Demon-Suppressing Whip coiling around the fiend’s neck.

It roared and tried to rise—only to be yanked down again.

Runsheng dropped the Seven-Star Hook and grabbed the Yellow River Spade. As the fiend hit the ground, he hacked down hard at its neck.

Thunk!

The sharp edge bit in—but didn’t fully sever the head.

The corpse fiend tried again to rise. Yin Meng tightened her whip and slid in, locking her legs around its torso—one foot under, one on top—pinning it halfway up.

A dangerous move. She was relying on Runsheng to finish the job. If he failed, she’d be in serious danger.

Runsheng gritted his teeth and swung again.

Thunk!

The corpse fiend’s head came off. Clean separation.

But the head rolled straight toward Yin Meng.

Lying on the ground, she could see snakes squirming inside its sockets and open jaws.

At that moment, a pale hand reached out, caught the head, and lifted it.

Yin Meng looked up.

Li Zhuiyuan stood before her.

He looked down. ”Next time, unless you have no other choice, don’t use life-for-life tactics.”

Hissss!

A black snake, charred and reeking of burnt flesh, burst from the decapitated head in his hand and lunged for his face.

Li Zhuiyuan didn’t even look. He just snapped his fingers.

Snap!

The snake froze midair.

Li Zhuiyuan continued, still addressing Yin Meng.

”If I hadn’t forced it back earlier and burned most of the little snakes inside, one of them could’ve bitten you just now. You’d be poisoned.”

As he spoke, he grabbed the rigid snake. Reality warped around his grip—like invisible flames burning in his palm.

The blackened body cracked, peeled, and disintegrated into ash.

Li Zhuiyuan dusted his hands, but they were still slick with snake oil.

He turned away and rubbed them with a handful of sand from a nearby mound.

Behind him, the corpse fiend’s body began to dissolve into pus.

Li Zhuiyuan walked over and asked Runsheng, ”Was it a man or woman?”

The skin was too pale, the frame bloated, and the long robe discolored—hard to tell.

”No idea. I’ll check.”

Runsheng lifted the Yellow River Spade and prodded downward.

”Forget it. Don’t bother.”

”Okay.”

Li Zhuiyuan approached Tan Wenbin, tapped his forehead three times, then placed his palm over his face and closed his eyes.

Moments later, he yanked his hand up. Tan Wenbin’s eyes opened, and his neck jerked upright.

Crack!

”Agh... ow...”

Tan Wenbin was awake—but holding his neck.

Li Zhuiyuan: ”What’s wrong?”

”Xiaoyuan, I think I threw my neck out. Hurts like hell.”

He sat up, head still tilted like he’d slept wrong.

Runsheng glanced over. ”Only work injury tonight.”

Tan Wenbin: ”Anyone here know how to fix a dislocated neck?”

Runsheng: ”I’ll do it.”

”Back off. Mengmeng, do you?”

”I can only crack my own neck. Don’t dare try it on someone else.”

Tan Wenbin looked pleadingly at Li Zhuiyuan.

”Binbin, go to the infirmary when we get back.”

”Ugh, fine.”

Li Zhuiyuan stood at the edge of the pond and looked down.

Runsheng said, ”Xiaoyuan, I’ll go check the bottom.”

”Runsheng, that water’s filthy.”

There was still a floating corpse, and the pond had been home to the corpse fiend.

”It’s not. I’m fine.”

Runsheng stripped down, ran a few steps, and dove in.

For a second, Li Zhuiyuan saw the shadow of Uncle Qin diving into the river.

”Yin Meng, pack up the gear. Binbin, check on the others.”

Li Zhuiyuan inspected the remains. The corpse fiend was gone—just a puddle of goo and a discarded robe.

He poked at it with a metal rod. Inside the robe were brittle, black fragments—shattered at the slightest touch. Likely the remains of the snakes.

If those had come out with the green mist, things could’ve gone very badly.

Besides that, he found only a black stone—once a jade pendant, now soaked in corpse aura and worthless.

He gave it a few knocks. It shattered—black powder inside.

Not that he expected treasure. Sometimes corpse looting was just habit—like salvaging Dead Sinkers. It was the process that mattered.

Tan Wenbin returned. ”Xiaoyuan, the monks and Daoists are unconscious. Pretty banged up, but just broken bones—nothing fatal. Over there though, looks like one thief panicked and fell onto a steel bar. It went clean through his chest—he’s not gonna make it.”

”Did he see your face?”

”No—he wasn’t looking at me.”

Sounds rose from the pond. Runsheng surfaced with a small censer in hand.

”Xiaoyuan, it’s a mess down there. Looks like a water burial site got disturbed. I found this—might be valuable. Take a look.”

Li Zhuiyuan took it. Palm-sized, but heavy.

The base was a turtle. A tablet stood at the center.

”This is for divination—light incense to ask about fortune.”

Runsheng scratched his head. ”Then it’s useless to you.”

”It’s useful. When we hit a fork in the road, or find another underwater tomb, this could help guide us.”

Tan Wenbin: ”How’s that different from flipping a coin?”

”You pair it with a compass, the Yin-path divination method, and fate calculations.”

Tan Wenbin blinked. ”Wish they taught that in advanced math class.”

”Runsheng, pack it. We’ll bring it on future missions.”

”Alright.”

Runsheng dressed and reached for the censer.

”Wait—there’s writing.” Li Zhuiyuan raised it again. It had been too wet to read, but now white etching was visible.

Tan Wenbin shone his flashlight.

There was a crude face etched above the text—eyes, nose, like a child’s drawing.

Beneath it read: ”This is Ye Dui’s true face.”

Tan Wenbin read aloud, frowning. ”That sounds like a kid’s voice.”

The inscription was carved under the base—like how grade schoolers scribbled their friends’ names in their notebooks.

Li Zhuiyuan: ”Could’ve been a kid’s prank.”

”Who’s Ye Dui?”

”Know Liu Bowen?”

”Sure—strategist for the founding emperor.”

”Ye Dui was someone like that—but he withdrew from politics before the emperor took the throne.”

Tan Wenbin pointed at the puddle of goo. ”You mean… that was him?”

”Definitely not. Someone like Ye Dui wouldn’t go down that easy. This Dead Sinker was probably a middle-aged man. Doesn’t match.”

”And the censer’s a treasure. No telling who it passed through.”

Li Zhuiyuan handed it to Runsheng, who stowed it in his pack.

Tan Wenbin asked, ”Nothing else down there?”

”Nope.” Runsheng pointed at the pond. ”You can go check if you want.”

”I’ll pass.” Tan Wenbin shook his head—and winced. ”Ow… my neck.”

Li Zhuiyuan explained, ”Probably the first time they cracked it open, workers took anything valuable. Let’s go.”

The four exited the site the same way they came. Back at the gate, the two guards were holed up in their booth.

The tricycle that had been parked in the northwest corner was gone, steel bars scattered nearby. The last thief must’ve bolted in a panic.

”Binbin.”

”Got it.”

Tan Wenbin picked up a brick and lobbed it at the booth—not to hurt, just to snap them out of it.

The brick struck. The guards burst out, screaming, and bolted past them.

They must’ve heard the commotion inside and been on edge. The sudden noise was the final straw.

”Xiaoyuan, should I find a phone to call the cops?”

”Yeah. Use that phone booth and call your dad.”

”My dad doesn’t cover this area...”

”He does now.”

They found a booth. After the call, they walked a bit farther and finally hailed a taxi.

Too much gear to squeeze in one, so Li Zhuiyuan and Tan Wenbin took the first. Yin Meng and Runsheng waited for the next.

Watching the first cab pull away, Yin Meng said, ”We really need to get a pickup truck.”

Runsheng nodded. ”Next time, I’ll borrow the canteen’s produce tricycle.”

”This is Jinling. A tricycle’s too slow.”

”Even a long trip—just pedal longer.”

Yin Meng took a deep breath, smiled, tilted her head back, and stretched.

”What a rush. Runsheng, you feel it too?”

”Like those foreigners on TV—addicted to extreme sports. Dead Sinker retrieval’s the same.”

”Xiaoyuan just scolded me.”

”You really shouldn’t have gone in that close so early.”

”Got carried away. Acted on instinct.”

”Just be more careful next time. It wasn’t a mistake.”

”Am I messed up? I liked Xiaoyuan better when he was all cold and distant. Now that he speaks gently, I feel even more uneasy.”

”But Xiaoyuan doesn’t like that cold version of himself.”

”Runsheng… I feel like Xiaoyuan’s waiting for us to grow up.”

”Not really. Xiaoyuan’s waiting for himself to grow up.”

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