Corpse Retriever

Li Zhuiyuan coughed.

Tan Wenbin instantly got the hint and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Old hag, hurry up and confess and submit to justice! Heaven’s justice is clear for all to see. There was never any place in this world for an evil thing like you!”

As soon as the shouting started from the bow, everyone understood what they were supposed to do.

Yin Meng shouted, “Old hag, stop struggling! We stand for the righteous path, and we’re here to destroy you!”

Runsheng brought his Yellow River Spade down with a smack, and while shifting his grip he yelled, “Old hag, die!”

White Crane Child: “Old hag!”

On a mountain not too far from there, the old man from the Miao village stood with a walking stick in hand. Behind him were a number of the village’s young and strong men.

The moment the stone coffin was dug out, he had felt it.

And when that patch of dark clouds appeared, it was all but a direct sign.

It seemed that young man had finally made his move.He had already said he would not take part in any action against the old hag.

But now that it was really happening, he still could not help edging closer to watch.

Who would willingly go on living forever under the old hag’s shadow?

In truth, he was the one who most wanted her eradicated.

Yet though he had come, he still hesitated over whether he should go down and help.

If he declared his side now and something went wrong, if the old hag was not killed and escaped instead, then his own village would suffer afterward.

If he had only himself to think about, that would be one thing. But he did not dare gamble the survival of the entire village.

At that moment, his granddaughter Amei, standing beside Wen Xiushan, spoke up. “Grandpa, we have to go help. We have to avenge them!”

“Amei…”

“Grandpa, the old hag spared us back then not because she was merciful. It was probably just because it wasn’t convenient for her to do it then. We already offended her once. How can the safety of our village rest on the mercy of a demon?”

Wen Xiushan kept drawing deep breaths, still struggling inside himself.

But very soon, that struggle vanished.

Because he saw the old hag suddenly charge at that young man.

A sword appeared in the boy’s hand. Then the boy snapped the sword in two and struck forward.

The old hag let out a shrill, miserable scream. The sound even carried all the way to where he stood, startling the birds around him into flight.

Then the old hag fell to the ground. The other two young men, who had actually been able to fight her at close quarters without falling behind, seized the chance to rush forward and pin her firmly to the ground.

The old hag had been defeated. She had been captured!

Wen Xiushan waved his hand. “Come on, children, with me! We’re going to kill the old hag!”

At once, the Miao youths let out sharp cries and ran down the mountain.

Li Zhuiyuan heard the commotion and turned to look that way.

He did not think the Miao villagers were coming down now to snatch the credit. No normal person wanted anything to do with a cursed reward like this.

He actually admired their courage. Even if they had not shown up at first, at least they had come now.

After all, other than Elder Wen, everyone else there was just an ordinary person.

But the problem was, this was bait. The noblewoman before them was not the real old hag.

Coming down into the fray now was truly unwise.

Most people, in fact, made exactly this mistake: after endless hesitation, they wound up making the worst possible choice.

If he failed to suppress and kill the old hag next, then the children in that Miao village would inevitably become her first blood sacrifice.

Li Zhuiyuan urged, “Finish this quickly.”

Lin Shuyou drove his trident into the back of the noblewoman’s neck, forcing her head upward.

Runsheng jammed the Yellow River Spade into the noblewoman’s mouth and pried her jaws open.

Yin Meng held a poison sac and took the chance to stuff it into the noblewoman’s mouth.

The poison sac slid down her throat. Very soon, the noblewoman’s body began to swell. Once she had bloated to an absurd degree...

Li Zhuiyuan said, “Back away!”

Runsheng and Lin Shuyou immediately retreated, and the others also ran for nearby cover.

Li Zhuiyuan did not retreat. Instead, he altered the formation, shrinking its area of effect while increasing its suppressive force.

Boom!

There was a thunderous explosion, flesh and blood flying everywhere. But those corrosive chunks of flesh did not spread too far. They were stopped by an invisible barrier.

Earlier, Li Zhuiyuan had told everyone to back off as a precaution. If some stray piece of flesh managed to break through the formation’s containment and touched someone, poisoning them, then even Yin Meng would have a hard time dealing with it.

On the ground was a blasted black mess, and the remaining scraps of flesh began dissolving into pus.

Li Zhuiyuan took out a Dissolution of Evil talisman and tossed it in, further triggering the dissipation of its resentment and toxins as a final cleanup.

By the time everything had been dealt with, the Miao villagers had finally reached the scene.

They had not been dawdling. After all, there had been a whole mountain between them. And after seeing the old hag subdued, they had run even harder, afraid they would miss their chance to land the final blow.

But unfortunately for them, Li Zhuiyuan did not give them that sense of participation.

Wen Xiushan was old. By the time he got there, he was already panting hard, but he still stepped forward and clasped Li Zhuiyuan’s hand. “Thank you, sir. Thank you so much, sir.”

“No need to thank me. It was what I should do.”

Wen Xiushan said apologetically, “I came too late.”

“It’s good enough that you came.”

“But in the end, I still wasn’t able to help with anything.”

“Then help clean up the work site?”

“All right, no problem. I’ll have them do it at once.” Wen Xiushan pointed around them and spoke to the others in Miao, then pointed at the ground and sternly added a few more words.

Beside him, Amei explained, “Grandpa is telling everyone they’re not allowed to pocket any of the gold and silver on the ground. Everything has to be cleaned up properly and handed over to the benefactors who saved the village.”

Li Zhuiyuan said to Wen Xiushan, “The compensation for those three should come out of this. I think that’s the fastest way. If you want to go through the official approval process, it’ll be slow and troublesome.”

Wen Xiushan froze for a moment when he heard that, then said, “But this belongs to you, sir. Our village should also be preparing a gift of thanks for you.”

“Then do as I say. I don’t like arguing over this.”

“Yes, sir. But this is far too much.”

“Keep what’s enough for that, and give the rest to him.” Li Zhuiyuan pointed at Tan Wenbin.

Tan Wenbin stepped forward and said, “Whatever’s left, donate it to the county for road repairs. Fix as much as you can. Even filling potholes would be fine.”

Wen Xiushan sighed in admiration. “Sir, your righteousness is truly great. This old man is full of respect!”

Then Wen Xiushan added, “Please honor our village with your presence at our banquet tonight, sir. Our village will celebrate this evening. Please do not decline.”

“All right, I’ll go.” Li Zhuiyuan looked at the black residue still left on the ground. “The old hag is dead. That really is worth celebrating.”

Yin Meng puffed out her cheeks and blew several breaths in a row, then grit her teeth and rolled her eyes a few times.

She was not expressing dissatisfaction toward anyone. Even if she failed to get any gold, it was not that big a deal to her. But it was like getting a red envelope during the New Year. It had practically been in her pocket already, and then suddenly it was gone again.

After Tan Wenbin finished speaking with Wen Xiushan, he came back and shrugged at Yin Meng.

It was not that he lacked loyalty or had gone back on his word. But since the man had come after all, you had to say something nice. At the very least, you had to preserve Little Yuanhou’s dignity.

Yin Meng smiled to show she was not taking it to heart.

At that moment, Runsheng walked past behind Yin Meng and placed something heavy into her hand.

Yin Meng squeezed it, then instinctively dug at it with her fingernail. Hah, a little soft.

“Buy clothes.”

After leaving those words behind, Runsheng went off to help clean up the work site.

When he had been fighting the noblewoman at close quarters earlier, quite a bit of the gold on her had bounced onto him. Casually picking up a piece and slipping it into his pocket was only natural.

“Well now, happy?” Tan Wenbin leaned over again.

“Not at all.” Yin Meng carefully tucked the lump into her own pouch.

“Spend it without worry. Little Yuanhou’s hearing is sharp. You think he didn’t hear that?”

“Hoo...” Yin Meng let out a breath. “I’m going to help clean up.”

Tan Wenbin decided to slack off a little. He found a chunk of concrete to sit on and lit a cigarette.

At that moment, Lin Shuyou walked over and held out a gleaming gold piece.

“Brother Bin, here.”

“Heh.” Tan Wenbin laughed so hard he almost choked on his smoke. “Why’re you giving it to me? Hide it yourself.”

“Buy clothes.”

“I’m a man. What the hell do I need clothes for?”

“Take it and buy clothes for sister-in-law.”

…

The banquet in the Miao village was extremely lively.

After eating and drinking to their hearts’ content, everyone gathered around the bonfire, singing and dancing.

Every single person was warmly entertained. No one was neglected.

After all, in the strange tales of old, their group would count as the victorious heroes returning after defeating a demon.

And at the end of such a story, there would always be a scene celebrating the victory.

At Li Zhuiyuan’s urging, Runsheng, Yin Meng, Tan Wenbin, Lin Shuyou, and the others all joined the dancing.

Still, eating was one thing and playing was another, but they were not to drink too much. After all, the real event would come later in the second half of the night.

Ran Dacheng had also been called over to join the celebration. When it all happened, he had been too far away to know what was going on. He only remembered hearing wave after wave of ghostly wails.

Now he was drunk, his mind already muddled, and could only blindly join in the revelry.

But without his noticing, Tan Wenbin had already taken his tractor crank handle and tucked it away for him.

“Not going to dance and have some fun?” Xue Liangliang asked Li Zhuiyuan.

“Brother Liangliang, you go ahead.”

“It’d be a shame not to. This is the real authentic ethnic style. Once life gets better, experiences like this will be hard to come by.”

“Why?”

“Because only a celebration that comes from the heart is truly joyful. A celebration put on just for show doesn’t mean much.”

“Oh.”

“Then I’m off.” Xue Liangliang got up and left his seat, joining the sea of merriment.

Li Zhuiyuan remained seated where he was.

Amei brought over some food and set it in front of Li Zhuiyuan, then asked curiously, “Sir, aren’t you going to join them?”

“I don’t like noisy crowds.”

Amei said, “Sorry. We didn’t think this through.”

“It’s fine. As long as they like it. You don’t need to stay here with me. Go have fun.”

Ever since entering the village, Amei had mostly been sitting beside him, serving him tea and water, and her gaze had hardly left him.

“It’s fine. There’ll always be chances to sing and dance. Right now, I just like looking at you, sir.”

“Is there dirt on my face?”

“No. You really are very handsome, sir. It’s just a pity you’re a little too young. If you were a few years older…”

Amei had been drinking. At that moment, she even stuck out her tongue and licked her lips.

It did not make her seem wanton. Instead, she came across as bright and sweet in just the right way.

Li Zhuiyuan lowered his head and took a sip of tea.

“Sir, is there someone you like?”

“You already said it yourself. I’m still too young.”

Resting her chin on her hand, Amei stared fixedly at Li Zhuiyuan. “Then I can wait for you to grow up, sir. When you think about it, I’m the one getting the better deal.”

“Where’s your grandfather?”

“The old hag is dead, Brother Acai is better, and Grandpa went to check on him.”

“Oh. Congratulations.”

“That’s all thanks to you, sir.”

Amei raised her wine cup and leaned in on her own, her soft body pressing against Li Zhuiyuan.

“Sir, have a drink.”

“I’m still underage. I can’t drink.”

Off to one slanted front side, Tan Wenbin had originally been dancing in the circle, but in truth he had been keeping an eye on Little Yuanhou the whole time.

Now, seeing Little Yuanhou sitting so close to Amei, there was not the slightest trace of amusement or interest on Tan Wenbin’s face. Instead, his eyes turned grave.

He would sooner believe the sun would rise in the west tomorrow than believe Little Yuanhou would ever suddenly become this close to a stranger.

There was definitely something wrong here.

Runsheng and Yin Meng also noticed what was happening and seemed ready to leave the celebration and head over.

Aside from Lin Shuyou, everyone else had realized something was off.

Mainly because Lin Shuyou was currently being pulled into a dance by two enthusiastic Miao girls, his face lowered and red with embarrassment, with no time to look this way.

Tan Wenbin immediately raised a hand, calling for Runsheng and Yin Meng to keep dancing.

The meaning was obvious: do not go over and make trouble. Little Yuanhou definitely had his own reason.

“How long do you plan to stay here, sir?”

“Now that the matter at the work site is settled, I should be leaving very soon.”

“Life in the mountains is still inconvenient.”

“Mhm. I prefer city life.”

“I want to go to the city too.” Amei said it with a cheerful smile, then wrapped an arm around the boy and drank on her own.

After finishing her wine, she leaned in with her lips as though she wanted to kiss Li Zhuiyuan on the cheek.

Li Zhuiyuan lifted a hand and stopped her.

“You’re drunk.”

“I’m not drunk.”

“I’d better go dance with them instead.”

Li Zhuiyuan left his seat and walked into the crowd.

“Hehehe…”

Amei stayed where she was, laughing even louder.

At that moment, Wen Xiushan came back. Delighted, he said, “Acai has regained consciousness. The moment the old hag died, he was fine.”

“That’s wonderful, Grandpa.”

“Yes, it really is. Where’s the sir? Didn’t I tell you to take good care of him while I was gone?”

“The sir went to dance.”

“Oh. Go get me some more wine, then. Bring the jar I brewed and stored at home.”

“All right, Grandpa. I’ll go get it now.”

Amei stood up and left the noisy crowd, returning home.

After entering the house, she climbed the bamboo ladder to her room on the second floor.

She pushed the door open, walked over to the bed, and sat down.

Her legs swayed lightly beneath the bed, every bit the image of a playful young girl.

As her feet tugged and shifted, the bed curtain below was kicked aside again and again. Through the gaps, one could vaguely make out another Amei lying under the bed, identical to her, eyes wide open in terror, utterly motionless.

Gradually, the Amei on the bed stopped moving as well. She froze there, becoming flatter and more transparent by the second.

At the same time, in the main shrine of the Zhao Jun Temple beneath the distant lake, a disheveled woman sat on the altar steps in exactly the same posture as Amei in the Miao village, and began patting her belly.

Her stomach grew larger and larger, and more and more transparent.

Through a medium as clear as glass, the woman looked at the child inside her belly.

By now, the boy already looked ninety percent like Li Zhuiyuan.

“How wonderful. I really do like him. So handsome, so clever. I want to swallow him whole in one bite.

Do you know that? Today your mother watched him up close for such a long time. Your mother truly wants a child just like him.

But soon now, very soon. My child, you are about to be born. Heehee.”

The savagery in the woman’s left eye was so dense it seemed ready to drip out like liquid at any moment, while the tenderness in her right eye was so deep that anyone who saw it would find it hard to look away.

Again and again, she stroked her belly, her face full of anticipation.

Suddenly, the woman froze. But then, in the next instant, wild joy burst across her face.

“My child, you can already talk to your mother now?”

“Heehee, I knew it. That young man is so clever. Since your mother conceived you by modeling you after him, you must be very clever too.”

“What? What did you say?”

The woman lowered her head and pressed her ear to her swollen belly, listening closely.

“What did you say? Say it again?”

“You’re saying he had already realized I was fake?”

The woman kept listening. Then she jerked her head up in astonishment and stared fixedly at her own belly, disbelief all over her face.

“And you’re even saying your mother is... very stupid?”