Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: White Feather Fights the Zombie

The next day, a shocking piece of news spread rapidly throughout the town: a murder had occurred! The victim was none other than the wealthiest and most powerful man in town, Mr. Ren! When Uncle Jiu and his companions heard this news, they were all greatly shocked. They quickly ran out of the mortuary and headed straight for the Ren family residence.

By the time they arrived, there were already many people gathered at the Ren family’s gate, watching the scene. Pushing through the crowd, they entered the main hall where Mr. Ren’s body was laid out. All the respected elders of the town were present. Miss Ren Tingting was sobbing bitterly beside the body, while Police Captain Ah Wei was trying to comfort her.

Uncle Jiu approached the body, lifted the white cloth covering it, and after a quick examination, immediately confirmed that the victim had been killed by a zombie. Ah Wei quickly intervened, saying, "Hey, don’t touch it." Uncle Jiu acknowledged and then called over his two apprentices, whispering to them, "You two, go back to the mortuary and check if Mr. Ren’s father’s body is still there!" The two apprentices hurriedly ran back to the mortuary.

At this moment, a respected elder asked Ah Wei, "Young Master Wei, what weapon was used to kill Mr. Ren?"

Ah Wei raised his head, looking matter-of-factly, and said, "Of course, he was shot to death."

Uncle Jiu, however, asked skeptically, "Every shot hit the neck?" Ah Wei was taken aback for a moment, then quickly changed his story, "Oh, the killer was a martial arts expert skilled in throwing darts. He used a series of nine consecutive golden darts to kill Mr. Ren."

Uncle Jiu sneered and asked, "Where are the darts?" Ah Wei, now somewhat irritated, said, "Hey, don’t interfere with my investigation. If you’re so smart, tell me how he died."

Uncle Jiu looked at him and gestured with his hands, saying, "I think he was killed by fingernails." As he spoke, Ah Wei was distracted by Uncle Jiu’s hands. Noticing this, Uncle Jiu saw that his fingernails were not particularly short. He quickly tried to retract his hands, but Ah Wei had already grabbed him. Ah Wei, who was already annoyed with Uncle Jiu, seized the opportunity to raise his voice and point at him, "Oh~~ killed by fingernails! Only someone with long fingernails could have done it. Who else in this town has longer fingernails than him?"

Uncle Jiu had dug his own grave, having forgotten his habit of keeping his nails long. The surrounding respected elders all looked at their own long fingernails, startled, and quickly hid them, shaking their heads, "No, no," to avoid being implicated.

Ah Wei, feeling triumphant, waved his hand and ordered, "Arrest him." He then squatted beside Ren Tingting with a solemn expression, "Cousin, the suspect has been caught. I will definitely avenge Uncle Ren for you."

Ren Tingting wiped her tears with a handkerchief and, with a choked voice, advised, "Cousin, please investigate thoroughly and don’t wrong the innocent."

Ah Wei waved his hand confidently, "Of course, of course." He then instructed his subordinates, "Bring the coffin back." He glanced at Uncle Jiu, "I’ll make you face him every day until you confess." Several police officers then dragged Uncle Jiu out of the house. At this point, Bai Yu did not intervene, but he was confident that Uncle Jiu would be fine, so he let them take him.

At this moment, Wencai and Qiusheng ran back, out of breath, and gasped, "Master, the coffin... the body... is gone." When they saw Uncle Jiu’s situation, they were shocked, "Master..."

Ah Wei stepped between them and said, "He’s been arrested." The two were furious and ready to fight, "You..."

Bai Yu quickly stepped forward to stop them, "Don’t fight, let’s talk it out." He then turned to Ah Wei and asked, "Captain, can we speak to Uncle Jiu for a moment?"

Ah Wei snorted, "Speak quickly, and make it your last words."

The group moved to one side, and Uncle Jiu immediately instructed Bai Yu, "Little brother, the zombie has appeared. It might come for Miss Ren tonight. You’ll have to take care of it." Without waiting for Bai Yu’s response, he turned to Qiusheng, "Qiusheng, bring all the necessary tools tonight. If you have any questions, ask your uncle, he will teach you."

Ah Wei, growing impatient, shouted, "Are you done? It’s time to go."

Uncle Jiu quickly responded, "Yes, yes," and whispered, "Hurry up." Ah Wei then came over, put his arm around Uncle Jiu’s shoulder, and said to Bai Yu and the others, "Enough, enough. We’ll talk more at the grave." It was clear he intended to make Uncle Jiu’s life difficult.

As Uncle Jiu was taken away, Wencai and Qiusheng turned to Bai Yu, "Uncle, what do we do now?" Bai Yu looked at them with a slight smile, "What do we do? We’ve already discussed it. Go prepare the tools." He then walked out of the Ren residence.

Wencai and Qiusheng exchanged glances and hurriedly followed Bai Yu.

At the mortuary, Bai Yu first instructed Qiusheng to prepare the inkwell, yellow talismans, and chicken blood for Uncle Jiu. Then he entered his room, looking at the paper talismans and the peachwood sword on the bed, a smile of excitement on his face. After all, this was his first time fighting a zombie, a great opportunity to practice.

Without hesitation, he took some paper talismans and the peachwood sword. Then, with Wencai, he headed to the Ren residence.

Time passed quickly, and the sky gradually darkened as they prepared. However, there was still no sign of the zombie, and the surroundings were eerily quiet. Bai Yu knew that zombies only appeared in the late night, so he wasn’t too concerned and found a comfortable spot to sleep. Wencai was amazed, thinking, "He can still sleep at a time like this!"

Bai Yu didn’t know how long he had slept when a loud thud woke him up. He sprang to his feet and saw a figure in Qing dynasty official robes, with a face covered in rotten flesh, jumping into the room from the door. The people inside were in chaos, scattering in all directions. Only Ren Tingting and Wencai, who was hiding behind her, remained. Bai Yu quickly became alert, "The zombie is here!"

Wencai was terrified and screamed, "Uncle, save us, save us!"

Bai Yu didn’t hesitate, leaping to the entrance and kicking the zombie in the stomach while shouting to Wencai, "Wencai, take Miss Ren and hide. I’ll hold it off." Hearing Bai Yu’s voice, Wencai quickly pulled Ren Tingting to find a hiding place.

The zombie, hit by Bai Yu’s powerful kick, was forced back several meters and became enraged. Ignoring Ren Tingting, it lunged at Bai Yu. Fortunately, the zombie’s brain wasn’t very sharp, and it only used brute force, making it easier for Bai Yu to deal with.

This zombie, from "Mr. Vampire," was just an ordinary one among many, a small-time zombie with about twenty years of existence. With the peachwood sword in hand, Bai Yu was confident he wouldn’t lose. Before using the sword, he tested the zombie’s strength with his martial arts skills. The zombie’s most notable features were its immense strength and speed, which Bai Yu estimated to be about ten times that of a human.

Bai Yu realized he had underestimated the zombie. His attacks had no effect, and the zombie’s arms, like steel rods, caused his skin to ache with each swipe.

Suddenly, Bai Yu crouched, dodging another attack, and swept the zombie’s legs, causing it to fall with a thud. Taking advantage of the moment, Bai Yu rolled away, drawing the peachwood sword. The zombie, with its legs stiff, stood up like a wooden stick and lunged at Bai Yu again.

Seeing the approaching zombie, Bai Yu held the sword, a cold smile on his face. His inner energy surged, flowing into the sword, which was instantly covered in a bright yellow glow. Gradually, silver streaks of lightning power appeared. With the peachwood sword in hand, Bai Yu’s mind became calm, his eyes sharp. He reflexively swung the sword, a yellow glow slicing through the air towards the zombie.

The sword struck the zombie’s armpit, the wood acting like a branding iron, causing sparks and smoke to rise, and a series of "crack" sounds. The zombie let out a piercing scream. Bai Yu smiled inwardly, "I’ll end this ultimate task today." He pushed off the ground, dashing towards the zombie like an arrow.

The zombie, aware of the peachwood sword’s power, avoided direct confrontation and fled, occasionally throwing objects to slow Bai Yu down, much to his frustration. Bai Yu sneered, thinking, "Do you think this will stop me?" He reached into his pocket, pulled out several exorcism talismans, chanted a spell, and threw them at the zombie.

The talismans, like projectiles, stuck to the zombie and exploded, causing it to convulse and scream in pain.