Chapter 9

Just as Shi Mu was full of surprise, the humanoid monster let out a low roar and charged straight at the nearest Shi Mu, carrying a stench with it.

Shi Mu took a deep breath, threw away all the chaotic thoughts in his mind, and without a word, darted forward. His wrist flicked, and the single saber immediately transformed into a large shadow of coldness, sweeping out.

There were several "bang" sounds.

The single saber instantly slashed four or five times across the monster's chest, but it was like cutting through dry wood, only leaving a few shallow wounds. A faint green blood seeped out, but it was no big deal.

The humanoid monster, on the contrary, spread its two arms and fiercely hugged Shi Mu.

Shi Mu was shocked, but the training effect of running in the mountains in the black armor during this period was fully demonstrated at this moment. Although he had not practiced any light body techniques, his figure just spun in place and narrowly avoided the two thick arms, appearing behind the monster. The saber flashed, and another four or five shallow wounds appeared on the monster's waist.

"Roar!"

Although the monster was not seriously injured, it was clearly enraged. Its body suddenly twisted backward, and its upper body turned 180 degrees in a bizarre manner. Its two arms swung like wheels, smashing down on Shi Mu's head.

With a "boom,"

The monster's attack caught Shi Mu off guard. It was too late to dodge, so he could only hold the saber in front of him with both hands. He was then smashed away like a sack, flying out.

Shi Mu's back hit a thick stone pillar heavily and stopped with a loud thud. When he finally jumped up, his eyes were a bit black, and he swayed unsteadily.

But the humanoid monster had no intention of letting Shi Mu off. It kicked off the ground with both feet, raised its arms, and charged at Shi Mu again, carrying a stench.

Shi Mu growled, not only did he not dodge, but his wrist flicked, and the single saber suddenly transformed into six saber shadows, slashing out.

A dull sound!

The young man's five fingers felt hot, and the single saber flew out of his hand, shooting upward and deeply embedding itself in the crossbeam of the hall. Shi Mu himself was pushed back several steps.

The monster, emitting a shrill cry, was forced back by the saber shadows. Not only did it gain four more saber marks on its arms, but two long cuts also appeared on its face, with a large amount of green blood gushing out.

"Little brother, the zombie's head is its weak point, quickly attack there." The middle-aged man on the other side finally remembered to shout in a hurry.

His shout immediately drew the monster's attention.

It now knew that Shi Mu was not easy to deal with, but it was full of anger. Without thinking, it roared and suddenly pounced toward the campfire.

"No!"

The middle-aged man was terrified, but his daughter was behind him, and he had no time to dodge. He could only harden his resolve, throw the short sword in his hand at the zombie, and then turn around to hug his daughter tightly.

He used his body to protect the girl.

"Thud"

The monster moved one arm, deflecting the short sword. The other hand, with sharp claws, easily tore through the man's back, piercing in halfway.

The man screamed, and a large amount of blood spurted out.

"Ah!"

The girl, hugged by her father, turned pale and screamed.

At this moment, an incredible scene occurred.

The humanoid monster, about to bite the man's neck with its stinky mouth, heard the girl's scream and suddenly trembled, letting out a miserable cry. It instantly pulled its arm out of the man's back, clutched its head, and staggered backward, looking extremely painful.

With a "whoosh," Shi Mu rushed to the monster's back at an astonishing speed, leaping several feet high. His arms shook, and both fists struck the monster's head fiercely.

"Boom!"

The two fists hit like iron hammers, the force so great that a loud explosion sounded. The monster's head burst like a watermelon, green blood splattering everywhere.

Shi Mu's single foot stomped the ground, and he shot back several steps to avoid being splashed by the green blood.

The headless monster's body swayed and fell heavily to the ground.

Shi Mu stood steady, fists clenched, took a deep breath, but his face was still slightly pale.

The exchange had only taken a moment, but this zombie was far more terrifying than the wild beasts he had killed before. If it hadn't been for the girl's scream distracting it, he would never have landed such a blow.

Of course, this was also related to his thousand-jin strength and the near-perfection of his Stone-Crushing Fist. Otherwise, even if the monster's head was a weak point, a common martial disciple would not be able to seriously injure it with bare hands.

"Father!"

At this moment, the girl's heart-wrenching cry came from the other side.

Shi Mu finally turned to look. The girl was already half-kneeling on the man, desperately trying to stop the large blood hole in his chest, but the blood kept gushing out, and there was no way to stop it.

"Little brother, little brother..."

The middle-aged man's face was pale, but he ignored his daughter's actions and desperately called out to Shi Mu.

"Father, don't talk nonsense. I'll find a doctor to stop the bleeding..." the girl said, crying.

"It's no use. Xiuer, your father knows a bit of medicine. My heart pulse is broken, and I will probably die in a moment. I have enjoyed what I should in this life, and I have no regrets. The only thing I can't let go of is you."

The middle-aged man said with a bitter smile, looking at Shi Mu with a pleading gaze.

The girl was even more heartbroken.

"Uncle Zhong, do you have anything to say to me?" Shi Mu sighed, finally walked over, and squatted beside the man.

Although he had a premonition that trouble might follow, in this situation, he couldn't just walk away.

"Little... little brother, you and my daughter meeting here is a great fate. I am about to pass, but I can't... leave Xiuer alone in this world. I want to... entrust her to you." The middle-aged man began to breathe heavily.

"If that's the case, there's no need to entrust her to me. Your daughter seems to have a marriage arrangement with the Wu family. I can take her there." Shi Mu was slightly stunned.

"Wu family... heh... heh... If I were still alive, I could make the Wu family accept her, but now... the Wu family will not acknowledge this marriage. If you take... take my daughter there, it will only... only..."

"In that case, I can take Xiuer to other relatives." Shi Mu frowned, interrupting.

"Since the Zhong family fell, we... have no relatives left. Xiuer, listen... your marriage to the Wu family is canceled... Little brother, I see you are no ordinary person... I don't ask you to marry my daughter, but if you can promise to make her a concubine and ensure her future, I can die in peace. As a martial disciple, this heirloom of the Zhong family should be useful to you. Consider it her dowry. If you ever betray her, I, Zhong Ming, will not let you off, even in death." The middle-aged man spoke his last words rapidly, pulled out a small wooden box from his chest, and forcefully pushed it into Shi Mu's hand. He let out a loud cry and then had no more breath.

"Father!"

The girl, who had been listening to her father's words, was so shocked that she had forgotten to cry. When she saw her father really pass away, she collapsed on the man's body and burst into tears again.

Shi Mu, holding the wooden box in one hand, was truly stunned and at a loss.

"Sir, my father was probably not in his right mind before he died. You don't have to take his words seriously. When we reach Fengcheng, please take me to the Wu family." After a long time, the girl finally stopped crying, with red and swollen eyes, and said to Shi Mu, who had stood up.

"Miss Zhong, I think your father's last words were indeed inappropriate. You should keep this." Shi Mu sighed, feeling awkward, and handed the wooden box back to the girl.

"I have never seen this thing before, but since it was given to me by my father, I will not take it back. Besides, if it weren't for you, I would not have survived." The girl shook her head.

"Miss Zhong, don't call me sir. My name is Shi Mu. Let's do this: the rain seems to have stopped. I'll help you bury your father first. Otherwise, if we wait too long, wild beasts might come."

Shi Mu hesitated for a moment, took back the wooden box, and said.

"Thank you, Brother Shi. You can call me Zhongxiu from now on." The girl, who seemed very weak, seemed much stronger after crying.

A quarter of an hour later, on a hill behind the ancient temple, the girl knelt in front of a grave, forced herself to endure the pain, and bowed three times before following Shi Mu away, looking back every few steps.

When they returned to the temple, the humanoid monster's body was still in the same place, but it was decaying at an alarming rate, and a lot of green water was seeping out, making the entire hall smell terrible.

Zhongxiu, seeing this, dared not get any closer. Shi Mu frowned and said:

"This thing is so strange, it can't just be left here. Miss Zhong, please wait a moment. I'll deal with it."

The girl nodded repeatedly.

Shi Mu immediately turned and walked out of the hall. A moment later, he returned with several large, thick banana-like leaves and walked over to the monster's body.

He bent down, quickly wrapped the monster's body in the leaves, and lifted it with both hands, preparing to carry it out.

"Thud."

Something fell from the leaves.

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