When a scholar meets a soldier, reason becomes ineffective. My master is most afraid of people like Old Lin, who are fierce and unyielding. He dared not engage in a verbal battle with Old Lin, but he knew for sure that I would never "renounce my master."
To be honest, I have little enthusiasm for being a spirit medium. I'm not fond of Zhou Tan's cowardly and cautious personality. If given the choice between the two on equal terms, I would choose Old Lin, who is heroic and righteous, enjoying a life of quick vengeance. However, I became a spirit medium to survive, and the saying "Once a teacher, always a father" applies. I naturally couldn't really renounce my master.
One scholarly and one martial, Zhou Tan and Old Lin don't conflict with each other. Therefore, I proposed having both as my masters. Old Lin was actually joking with Zhou Tan, so he quickly agreed.
Everything has its order of precedence. Zhou Tan had already taken the lead, so Old Lin could only be the second master. Back then, chrysanthemum was just a flower, and 2B was just a type of drawing pencil. The number "2" was quite popular, so although Old Lin was not entirely satisfied with the title of "Second Master," he accepted it graciously.
Old Lin's martial arts were learned from a relative when he was young. There were only about a dozen moves, known as the Separating Tendons and Dislocating Bones technique, which is now known as Qinna in modern times. He doesn't know which school or sect it belongs to, but as long as it can make others unable to move, it's good martial arts.
Old Lin was able to quickly rise in the countryside due to his unmatched fighting skills. Additionally, he was rough on the outside but refined on the inside, with deft hands. He was skilled in hunting, fishing, blacksmithing, and carpentry, and I could learn a lot from him.
We were enjoying our meal with large bowls of wine and large pieces of meat when Wu Zhangya burst in. He was nearly fifty years old and was good friends with both my masters. He was proficient in traditional Chinese medicine and herbs. Old Lin had been staying with him for the most part in recent years, doing mysterious things that no one knew about. Like attracts like, and both my masters and Wu Zhangya loved drinking and eating, often dining at other people's homes.
I also drank two bowls of old wine and took the opportunity to ask, "Second Master, you are so powerful. Who left this scar on your face for you.
Old Lin's face turned red from drinking, and upon hearing this, he touched Scar with great pride and said, "Damn it, that time I didn't fight back before someone chopped me off. I slept with his wife, and he chopped me off, which can be considered a draw
Everyone laughed heartily, while I sweated profusely. I was caught raping in bed and still felt so proud, only this second master could do it.
Old Lin said seriously, "Those who practice martial arts are not forced to do so. They cannot attack those who have not practiced martial arts, nor can they use martial arts to bully others. This is my rule
I hurriedly said, 'Yes, I will never hit someone first, nor will I steal someone else's wife!'
Zhou Tan and Wu Zhangya burst into laughter, while Old Lin pretended to be angry and said, "You have no ambition. You should pursue anyone you like. That's the mark of a real man. As long as it's consensual, not even the emperor can interfere!"
Zhou Tan quickly retorted, "Don't listen to him. If you mess with someone else's wife, someone might mess with your wife too. You might even catch a venereal disease, and then your life would be ruined."
Old Lin, however, boasts, "I'm smart. I didn't get married, so only I can be with other people's wives, but no one can touch my wife. As for venereal diseases, with Old Wu around, there's nothing to worry about, haha."
Everyone was speechless. What can you say to such a shameless old rascal?
Seeing that I had found two mentors and had someone to rely on, my mother's face also showed a smile.
That night, Old Lin stayed over at my house. In the middle of the night, the village dogs started barking wildly again, keeping up the noise all night. It was really annoying. But I also felt a bit uneasy. Why have the dogs been barking non-stop these past few days? Could it be that someone really saw some mysterious tall figure?
The next morning, as soon as daybreak came, Old Lin started teaching me the techniques of capturing and fighting tricks. After breakfast, the master still came to my house to give me lessons, imparting basic knowledge. Both masters stayed at my house to prevent the Butterfly Gang from causing trouble, and the whole day was very peaceful, with no one coming to seek revenge, and even Sheng Yu Po didn't cause any trouble.
Could it be that Sheng Yu Po has given in like this? I felt that she and her son were not such people, and they would definitely not give up. But whether it's a literary or martial approach, just bring it on, I have two masters backing me up!
At around 8 o'clock in the evening, I was listening to my two masters telling some rustic legends when suddenly I felt a gust of cold, putrid air hit my face. I couldn't say why the putrid smell was felt rather than smelled, but that feeling was like facing a decaying corpse in a coffin, a cold, numb sensation quickly spreading from my hands and feet to my body, rushing towards the top of my head. Before I could react to what was happening, another burst of cool, comfortable air suddenly spread across my back, quickly pushing the cold sensation out of my body.
The master sitting opposite me also sensed something was wrong, his hands held chest-high, with his thumbs and index fingers straight, and the other fingers curled in, hands joined together. But as he was forming the hand seal to gather spiritual energy, I had already returned to normal.
"What's going on?" asked my master.
"I don't know, something feels off."
Before I could finish my sentence, a sudden, extremely sharp and high-pitched scream came from next door, followed by several more screams. I had never heard such desperate screams before; the feeling of fear was like an invisible hand gripping my heart. My mother and the two masters also changed color and jumped up.
"Mommy!"
"Run!"
"The corpse has come back to life"
Various screams mixed together, and even though there was a wall between us, it still shocked us greatly.
I had heard legends of corpses coming back to life many times, but I had never encountered one before. I didn't expect it to happen so close to me. Old Lin immediately rushed out, and the master shouted, "Don't go out!"
This time, Old Lin surprisingly obeyed and stopped, turning back to ask, "Not helping?"
The master, however, asked me, "Are you okay?"
I shook my head, and he asked, "What did you feel just now? Tell me about it."
I knew it was a serious matter, so I quickly described in detail what I had felt earlier. The master's face darkened, and he pressed his finger against my spine. "Did the cool sensation start from here?"
I couldn't be sure, but I knew it started from the area of my vertebral column, so I nodded.
A strange light flashed in my master's eyes, a mix of surprise, excitement, and a hint of anger. I couldn't figure out what was happening.
My mother and Old Lin hurriedly asked what was going on, but the master didn't answer, only saying not to go out no matter what happened outside. Old Lin was furious: "You old trickster, starting to act mystical again. If you have something to say, just say it. Why are you being so hesitant?"
The master sighed, "Alas, there's no evidence for this, so just keep it in mind and don't cause trouble. Just now, Sheng Yu Po sent a malevolent creature to harm Xuanming, but it failed. The creature landed on the corpse next door and turned it into a zombie!"
My mother and I were horrified and also very angry. This old witch not only instigated the Butterfly Gang to riot, loot, and burn, but also used evil means to harm me. It was truly outrageous!
Old Lin was furious and immediately wanted to settle accounts with Sheng Yu Po. Originally, he had some friendship with Sheng Yu Po's husband, so he didn't trouble their family because of the Butterfly Gang's disturbance. Now that Sheng Yu Po had used such despicable means to harm me, he was enraged.
I couldn't hold back Old Lin, and the master said coldly, "I knew your bullheadedness would run wild, but going there would only be asking for trouble and would harm more people."
Old Lin angrily asked, "How would it harm more people?"
The master replied calmly, "There are many types of reanimated corpses. Some just sit up for a moment or jump a few times and then stop. But some turn into zombies that can jump like the wind, have immense strength, bodies as hard as iron, and claws and teeth that carry corpse poison. If they scratch or bite you, you might also turn into a zombie. If you don't believe me, you can go and try to see if you can subdue them with your martial skills?"
Old Lin was immediately speechless. His capture techniques, no matter how skilled, would not work on a zombie, and combating evil was not his strong suit.
The master continued, "There are also many ways for a zombie to form. Those buried in a corpse field where plants do not grow can become zombies; zombies can be created through the use of spells; a freshly dead body possessed by a malevolent creature or aura can turn into a zombie; a corpse that absorbs the vital energy of a living person mouth-to-mouth might also become a zombie; and when a person dies, if their soul dissipates but theira concept in Chinese folklore representing the physical form or life force remains in the body, it might also become a zombie. The one next door should be of the third type, possessed by a malevolent creature, which is one of the most difficult types of zombies to deal with."
I thought the zombie would attack our house, but from the sound of it, it was running away to a distant place. I said, "Master, it's running somewhere else."
The master nodded and sighed with relief, "Maybe she's been counterattacked and can't control it anymore, or it might be afraid of the aura on you and doesn't dare to come over."
"Afraid of the aura on me?" I was surprised. Could it be that the demon fox on me had driven away the malevolent creature just now, and the creature was afraid of the fox's aura?
The master had a mysterious and profound look, but he was also frowning as if worrying about something. Frankly, I didn't like his uncomfortable appearance, like a fishbone stuck in his throat.
As we were talking, someone ran to our door and knocked heavily, shouting, "Is Mr. Zhou inside? Please save us!"
The master said, "You should ask Sheng Yu Po to deal with it. I'm very sick lately and don't have the energy."
The person outside said, "We've already asked her, and she's also fallen ill. Two people have been bitten already, and they're all our neighbors. You can't just ignore this!"
The master replied, "I'm really too sick to help. Cough, cough… You'll have to ask her. It's like untangling a bell—it needs the person who tied the knot in the first place."
The old trickster's words were full of meaning. He didn't directly blame Sheng Yu Po for the mischief but instead talked about untangling bells and such, leaving no room for misunderstanding. The person outside caught a hint and left. Before long, someone else came for help, this time it was the master's cousin, Zhou Mu. The master still refused to open the door and told Zhou Mu to use a mirror to reflect the zombie, or use a broom, almanac, ruler, glutinous rice, and red beans to hit it. If that didn't work, he should use a ink line to surround it on all sides and wait for sunrise. As soon as the sun shines on it, the zombie would surely die.
Zhou Mu hurried away. Later, several more people came spontaneously to ask for help, all of them related in some way. The master couldn't refuse them and gave the same instructions, but still refused to go out.
All the dogs in the village were barking wildly, and there were many babies crying, women wailing, and frequent screams of terror in the distance. A strange and eerie atmosphere enveloped the village, and I too began to feel a sense of dread.