Chapter 85

I also looked around the parking lot, my heart still racing. If a few more blood corpses came, I and my fellow disciples would be doomed.

"There's no need to look. Do you think the zombie master is like a corpse driver? He doesn't need to carry them around. He just needs to know the other person's birth date and time, perform a ritual, and the zombie will go and kill on its own. The soul bell isn't nearby; a talisman can do it, and the person might be thousands of miles away," Senior Brother Hai said, living up to his reputation as the leader of the group. His experience was far beyond what we could imagine.

Moreover, he often visited households and traveled, a wandering cultivator who had weathered many storms.

Hearing that the other party knew my birth date and time, my heart sank. It was hard for anyone to know this information, and only a few people knew my birth details. My grandmother was a practitioner of the esoteric arts, and I grew up influenced by her, deeply wary of such matters.

Xuewa knew I was his uncle, and the zombie master also knew. Who was he? He must be familiar with me!

Could he have been plotting against me even before I was born, wanting to turn me into a blood-clothed ghost? Only he, an outsider, could know my birth details, as my mother gave birth to me in a cemetery, skipping the hospital, which would have recorded the exact time of my birth.

The information gradually pieced together made my heart race. It seemed the other party was clearly targeting me.

"That's true. Brother Hai, what if the zombie master brings a more powerful corpse? What do we do then?" Liu Fangyuan asked, somewhat worried.

"So we can only hide at your place. Isn't your array supposed to be passed down through generations? It's said that no ghosts or zombies can enter. Are you joking?" Senior Brother Hai looked at Liu Fangyuan.

"Brother Hai, what are you saying? The array is indeed passed down, but if a more powerful evil entity comes, the array won't be enough. I'm afraid we'll all be in trouble," Liu Fangyuan said, clearly scared by the blood corpse.

"Alright, we don't need to hold out for long. As long as Yao Long comes tomorrow, things will settle down. Nothing should happen tonight with so many of us here. Can't we protect one disciple?" Senior Brother Hai looked at Liu Fangyuan, somewhat displeased.

"Brother Hai, what are you saying? We're all close friends. If you ask us to jump into the fire or the abyss, we won't hesitate!" Liu Fangyuan's pale face turned red, and he was breathing heavily. I was worried he might faint.

"Hmph, that sounds better. And, Xiaolin, you should sprinkle two pounds of your special anti-zombie powder at the Four Small Immortal Temple. The money is no issue; I'll pay you immediately," Senior Brother Hai said.

"Two pounds? Two pounds! Alright, I'll do it. I'll call my old friend to prepare two pounds," Lin Feiyu immediately hung up and went to get the materials.

I listened quietly and realized it was priced at 100,000 yuan per pound, which made me inwardly gasp. It seemed everyone was putting in a lot of effort.

"Junior Brother, let's go. Xiaolin, take care of that soulless resentful corpse," Senior Brother Hai said, climbing into the SUV.

"Alright, I'll seal her," Lin Feiyu quickly took out a few talismans and stuck them on Zhou Xuan's body, then nailed a few nails.

Seeing Senior Brother's temper getting worse, I didn't dare speak and quietly sealed the ghost-lifting coffin and hid it in an inconspicuous place in the parking lot. Although it was a treasure, I was afraid the City God might use it to locate me or summon me, which would be troublesome. I didn't want to keep something that didn't belong to me and was out of my control.

However, once I was safe, I might come back to check on it, but I definitely wouldn't keep it with me now.

Moreover, it wasn't omnipotent. A slightly more powerful entity could break free. For example, the City God once said that to summon Li Po, he had to beat him half to death. I didn't have that kind of skill, and I wasn't sure if I could survive a confrontation, let alone beat someone half to death. It was a joke!

After Lin Feiyu was done, I had Heimao Hou carry Zhou Xuan into a prepared blanket, and we lifted her into the trunk.

I put Xijun and Song Wanyi, as well as Heimao Hou, into the soul jar and got into the car.

Zhao Qian sat in the passenger seat, while Senior Brothers Hai, Lin Feiyu, and Liu Fangyuan sat in the back.

The car smelled of salted fish, making me feel nauseous. Zhao Qian leaned forward, covering her nose with a handkerchief, as she was also afraid of corpses.

I started the car and drove out of the parking lot. After confirming it was safe, I casually asked about Zhao Xi's whereabouts. Zhao Qian said the driver had already taken him home.

After the zombie incident, we quickly left the parking lot and picked up the anti-zombie powder at the shop Lin Feiyu designated.

We then drove to the outskirts, where the temple was quite far. The car was very quiet, and we were all on high alert, fearing any sudden problems.

The situation seemed to be under control. The zombie master probably couldn't bear to abandon his creation and went to save the ghost child.

We arrived at a place that looked like a residential area, and Liu Fangyuan asked me to drive in.

It didn't look like a temple, but now wasn't the time to ask questions, so I obediently followed.

In the middle of the night, various insects were chirping, and although the sky was starry, I was very afraid and didn't dare to leave my seniors.

Although the City God had strong forces, I wasn't sure if they could handle the ghost child. If he died, it would be a relief, and my troubles would be over. But if he didn't die, it would be disastrous. The family's grudge, the City God's retaliation, and the zombie master's blood corpse would all come at once, leaving me in a mess.

"Senior Brother, let's burn that resentful corpse. I feel burying it isn't a good idea. What if the City God can't stop the blood child, and it digs up the corpse again?" I said, worried.

"Hmm, that's a good idea. If we don't burn it, trouble will come sooner or later," Senior Brother Hai nodded, then pinched his fingers, seemingly calculating something. After a moment, he frowned and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Senior Brother!" I was shocked and quickly got out of the car to ask what happened.

"It's nothing. I was just injured. Spitting out this blood is fine," Senior Brother said, got out of the car, and rinsed his mouth with mineral water. I didn't know what made him spit blood, but I didn't press him, knowing he would tell me when he was ready.

"Everyone is exhausted. I'm the only one who's fine, so I'll handle the corpse. You all rest," Lin Feiyu said, picked up the blood corpse, took a can of gasoline from the car, and walked toward the Four Small Immortal Temple.

Zhou Xuan was tortured to the point of being unrecognizable, so thin that anyone could carry her. Now she was being burned, and I felt a mix of emotions.

Zhang Yidan, Zhou Xuan, and my grandmother—these three people and their stories would haunt me for the rest of my life.

What was Li Po doing now? Where had Zhou Xuan's soul gone? Was my grandmother safe in the Dead Town?

I was deeply concerned about these matters and wanted to uncover the mysteries, but I knew I needed to become stronger first.

"Be careful, Senior Lin," I said, seeing Lin Feiyu's confident look. I then helped Senior Brother and Liu Fangyuan walk to the small three-room house.

When we reached the house, I saw the sign "Four Small Immortal Temple," but the thatched roof was very shabby, and there were no disciples.

Liu Fangyuan felt embarrassed and said, "It's passed down from my ancestors. I've only learned a fraction of it. It's a peaceful world, so I never expected to face such danger in my old age. If I had known, I would have learned more of the ancestral arrays."

"Same here. Now I can only hope my junior brother will do well," Senior Brother Hai said, his face regaining its color after rinsing his mouth.

"Ah, when we were poor, no one respected us, and we didn't want to learn. Now, even with the 300,000 yuan from Zhao Xi, there are no students, and I'm too old to teach. At least you have a junior brother," Liu Fangyuan glanced at me, meeting my gaze.

Thinking about Liu Fangyuan being a master of arrays and saying he had only learned a fraction, I realized he was trying to recruit a disciple, hoping I would learn more.

But on the other hand, if I learned the array technique, I could set up arrays in the mountains and forests and sleep soundly, without even ghosts daring to disturb me.

Or I could set one up at Zhao Qian's villa and sleep peacefully. Zhao Qian's feng shui skills couldn't even stop Jiang Han, and I was now a target of the family and the City God. Without my seniors, I couldn't sleep, which was why I was here.

"Senior Liu, do you need a disciple? I'll be your disciple!" I quickly said, eager to learn from a master.

Senior Brother Hai slapped me on the back and scolded, "If you become his disciple, won't I have to call him Master too? You fool!"

Liu Fangyuan shook his head vigorously. "No, no! Absolutely not! Taking you as a disciple is too dangerous!"

"I was just joking, hehe," I said, seeing Senior Brother's anger. As the leader, he would eventually let me learn the array techniques if I stayed at the temple. Liu Fangyuan seemed eager to teach.

"By the way, Senior Liu, do you live here alone?" I asked, wondering about his family.

"Pretty much," Liu Fangyuan said with a bitter smile, clearly not wanting to talk about it. He then looked at the road outside the house, looking melancholic.

I was puzzled, but as I turned around, we all saw a fireball rise and quickly fly down the road, as if Zhou Xuan had set herself on fire and escaped!

Then we heard Lin Feiyu's cries.

"Trouble! Lin Feiyu!" Senior Brother Hai shouted and ran toward the road!