Chapter 51

When they first saw the cave entrance, a corpse was thrown down, and everyone said it would be burned together below. A few of the men left behind were startled and tried to remain calm, laughing and scolding, "What are you throwing down there, scared me half to death."

Above, no one spoke, but kept throwing down corpses, one after another, with severed limbs and body parts. After a while, the laughter and scolding gradually subsided—any fool could tell something was wrong. A terrifying thought began to form in their minds, but no one dared to voice it, only staring at Old August with fear and shock, hoping he could do something...

These corpses were all people left above, who should have been claimed by their families for proper burial. Why were they being thrown in?

Old August quickly figured out what was happening and sighed heavily. He reached out to support Zhenzhen and approached the cave entrance, speaking in a deep voice, "Qin Ming, Qin Ming! You say you buried us in the mountain, thinking no one would know, but can your conscience bear it? Won't you be afraid we'll come for you in your sleep?"

As soon as he spoke, the throwing from above stopped. After a moment, Qin Ming's voice stammered, "Master, I've seen what happens when someone is bitten by a zombie—they will soon turn into one... I really don't dare let you up."

As soon as he said this, the people below immediately became agitated, keeping a considerable distance from August. Zhenzhen called out from below, "You're lying! My master was bitten by a zombie, but it can be cured, how could he turn into one?"

"Be calm," August gestured for Zhenzhen to be quiet and continued, "What my disciple said is true; this injury can indeed be treated..."

"But I dare not take the risk, nor will I take the risk," Qin Ming responded sadly, his voice sounding genuinely sincere.

"..." Old August thought for a moment and pointed to the others, "Fine! Even if you don't want to let me up, it's understandable, but these people can go up, right? They haven't been bitten by zombies and won't turn into them..."

The people, already afraid, now called out even more frantically: "Yes, young master, let me go up..." "Young master, I'm Big Ox..." "I haven't been bitten..."

It was like a chaotic market, with everyone in a panic.

"No!" Qin Ming's eldest son said decisively, "How can I know if they're telling the truth? What if they turn into zombies after they come up?" He spoke with a deep sense of responsibility, "The lives of over a thousand people in Kunshan Village depend on this. If I'm not careful, it could lead to a massacre, with blood flowing like a river... Master, you people are all compassionate, so... so..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear: he intended to leave everyone in the mountain cave to fend for themselves.

As soon as he said this, the crowd became even more chaotic. Several people rushed to the cave entrance, climbed onto the pile of corpses, grabbed the rope, and tried to climb up, crying, "Young master, spare us..."

But after a few pulls, the rope snapped, and they fell into the pile of corpses, cutting off their only way out.

The remaining people were initially stunned, then realized they had no hope of escape, and began to cry and wail. Some cursed, rolled on the ground, or collapsed in despair.

Old August suddenly burst into laughter, his voice echoing through the cave. "Qin Ming, I didn't realize you had this much skill! You're afraid the other merchants in Kunshan Village will find out about the zombies in your family and try to take your property, and you're also afraid the families of the dead will cause trouble and demand money. So you plan to bury us alive here and claim it was an inside job to rob your family. I underestimated you; you can speak such lies with such confidence and sincerity. You should be on stage, not here!"

His words stunned everyone. After some thought, it was clear that this was indeed the case. Some people in Kunshan Village had long coveted the Qin family's monopoly on the village's inns and taverns. If they used this opportunity to attack the Qin family, they could indeed drive them out of Kunshan Village. If Qin Ming eliminated the witnesses and claimed his father was injured and bedridden, he could buy time until he could get help from his relatives... By then, the evidence would be destroyed, and the plan would be clear.

This plan was well thought out, even his own followers were deceived by the "zombie" story and helped him carry out this heinous act. But Old August saw through it all.

Qin Ming's eyes flashed with anger, and he scanned his followers. The more perceptive ones immediately pledged their loyalty, "Young master, I've been with you since I was young. I'll do whatever you say, no questions asked..." "Yes, young master, me too!" "And me!"

They quickly beat their chests to show their loyalty, fearing that Qin Ming would kill them to cover up his actions. Seeing this, his expression softened slightly, and he asked, "Will you do whatever I say?"

"Absolutely, young master!" they all replied.

"Good!" Now that the situation was clear, he no longer hid his intentions and didn't care about the fate of those below. He pulled aside his most trusted follower and whispered a few words. The man immediately went into the inner room. Qin Ming looked at the others and coldly smiled, "We'll see if you're loyal. Now, throw all the bodies into the pit, not a single one left!"

The air was filled with the smell of blood and a hint of cold, deadly intent.

How could anyone dare to speak? They quickly threw the remaining corpses and body parts into the cave. Soon, Qin Ming's followers returned, carrying a box. The box was made of sandalwood, thick and sturdy, with a layer of deer skin to prevent moisture. Inside, there was a whole wolf skin as a lining, and in the middle were bundles wrapped in cured cowhide, about the size of a person's arm and shaped like gourds.

Qin Ming coldly distributed one to each person, saying, "When I give the order, light these and throw them down the cave! If you do, you'll live a good life with me. If not, well..."

Some of the more knowledgeable people opened the cowhide and gasped, "Thunder Bombs!"

Thunder Bombs were a colloquial term for homemade explosives, often used to deal with wild boars and wolves in the countryside, and sometimes against bandits. Although not very powerful individually, when used together, they could easily collapse a well or pit, let alone with so many people each holding one.

In no time, they were all distributed. Qin Ming held a torch in front of the group and coldly said, "Light them!"

To save their lives, they didn't hesitate to light the fuses on the torches, watching the flames slowly rise— "Throw!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

They immediately threw them into the cave and quickly retreated.

"Remember! You're all involved in this murder, and your hands are stained with the blood of the villagers! Whatever I say from now on..."

Before he could finish, the ground suddenly began to shake violently!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

With the sound of thunder, the walls in the courtyard began to crack and fall, and the furniture inside the rooms toppled over. A large section of the courtyard sank, and Qin Ming immediately shouted, "Help! Murder!"

He led a few people, shouting and running out!

***

After Old August exposed the truth, he expected Qin Ming to say something, at least to refute it, but unexpectedly, it became quiet above. The group looked around, unsure what to do, and someone speculated:

"Is the young master planning to let us out?" he asked, looking at Old August, "Master, what do you think? Is he afraid?"

"Afraid?" Old August shook his head, "It's not that simple—everyone, step back a bit and see what's happening. Don't all..."

Before he could finish, more things started being thrown down.

Rustle! Rustle! Rustle!

This time, the corpses were thrown down even faster and more recklessly. Old August immediately guessed Qin Ming's plan and quickly called for everyone to retreat, gathering at the initial platform with the coffin.

Zhenzhen quickly took the remaining bag of glutinous rice mixed with talisman ash and continued to treat his master's injuries. They found the area by the coffin too crowded and moved to the side.

Everyone stared at the cave entrance, and after a while, the throwing of corpses suddenly stopped. Then, a few sparks flew down, and before they could react, a loud explosion shook the ground and the air around them!

Zhenzhen later described it like this:

"Like the roar of a tiger or the cry of a dragon, like a thunderclap and a flash of lightning! The wind rose and the clouds gathered, the cold air pierced the skin! The swallows were startled to fly, the dragons changed their color. The sound was like a lion's roar, shaking the six organs; the light was like a dragon sword, piercing the seven orifices.

In a moment, sand and dust filled the sky! The sand hit the ground like a sudden rain, and the dust rose like a million beasts sweeping the earth!"

Dust and debris flew everywhere, the ground shook, and the sky seemed to collapse. The people were so frightened that they fell to the ground, screaming for help, and some even wet themselves.

Old August, seeing the fire and light, immediately leaped over and pressed Zhenzhen under him, protecting him from the falling rocks and debris, shouting:

"curl up! curl up!"

In the midst of the chaos, no one could hear him, they were all in a daze!

When the shaking subsided, Old August lifted his head, shook off the dust, and carefully checked his body. Though in pain, he was fortunate to have no fatal injuries. He called out, "Is anyone hurt? Shout if you need help!"

But no one responded.

When the dust in the cave settled, they saw the scene— a huge rock had fallen on the platform, and those who had hidden there were all buried under it.

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