Next to the old lady's corpse, there was a pouch about a foot long. Judging by the shape of the pouch, it should contain something like a scroll. Out of curiosity, I took out the pouch. When I opened the knot at the top and tried to pull out the contents to see what was inside, I suddenly felt someone appear behind me. Although the other party did not show any intent to kill, their position was extremely dangerous for me. I pressed the flexible sword at my waist with my right hand and thrust it backward. That soft sword was the magic sword Zi Mu gave me, named "Memory," but the sword technique was the martial arts taught to me by Old Ghost Han, called "This Life." Old Han was once a servant to the emperor. As a close attendant to the emperor, he couldn't openly carry weapons, so his usual weapon was this kind of bound soft sword. Old Ghost Han told me: Zimu's "memories" and his "this life" just happen to complement each other perfectly. "Memories" cannot be stopped; even with a thousand layers of armor, they cannot withstand the moment of memory. When a person is about to die, they will relive all the memories of this life in their mind.After seeing all the memories, this life will come to an end. The sword light of memories not only lacked the chilling intent to kill, but even carried a hint of tenderness, yet its momentum was fierce and unstoppable. However, my sword was caught in mid-air by a delicate jade hand! "Zimu!"As soon as I eased the pressure on the sword, Zimu reached out, curled a finger, and with a "pop," gave me a flick on the forehead. I was so dizzy from her flick that I almost fell to the ground. Zimu, however, ignored my "scream" and said with a dark expression, "Come with me!"I held my head and followed Zimu back home. She still had a calm expression on her face, but Han Laogui said with a smile, "Why are you so angry?"I think Xiao Jiu's performance was quite good, with many commendable aspects."Especially that last sword strike, it is enough to rank among the top masters."Not bad, not bad!"Zi Mu snorted coldly, stood up, and left the room. I also let out a sigh of relief."
I understand Zimu. Over the years I've spent with her, she has been like a strict teacher who only knows how to teach and not to coax. She has always been exceptionally strict with me, never speaking to me in gentle tones, yet she always quietly leaves behind the things I need. Old Han always secretly mocks Zi Mu behind her back: the colder she is on the outside, the more she can't let go on the inside. Old Han shook his head and said, "Zi Mu didn't say anything, which means she has already acknowledged your current strength.""Wait until the evening, when the old Zhao family brings people to your door, you take the gift from the old Zhao family and go see Zi Mu."Ask her indirectly, why has she been withholding 30% of the secret technique from you? Is she trying to keep a backup plan, or does she not want to be too involved with you?"You are overthinking it!""I didn't take Han Laogui's words to heart at all." Old Han said seriously, "You must always be on guard, Zimu is a bit strange..." I didn't want to listen to Old Han's nagging, so I quickly changed the subject and chatted with him for a bit before happily sitting down to wait for the village chief to bring the people from the Lao Zhao family over. According to rural customs, if a master helps you, after the matter is settled, you must bring a gift to express your gratitude.The gift is not about how expensive it is, but about the respect it conveys. I killed the person who stole the lifespan, so the child's lifespan from the Zhao family will soon return to him.I estimate that before dinner, the village chief will probably bring people over. I waited until it was almost dark, and the village chief hurriedly ran over, saying, "Xiao Jiu... Xiao Jiu, something bad has happened!"All the people in the old Zhao family are dead!You should hurry and go take a look."What?"I immediately stood up, exchanged a glance with the ghost of Old Han who had floated out from the ancestral tablet, and then followed the village chief as we ran towards Old Zhao's house. When I arrived at Old Zhao's house, the yard was already full of people. Judging by the scene, men, women, and children from the entire village had come. Many were shining flashlights into Old Zhao's house. I didn't bother greeting anyone and directly pushed through the crowd to rush into the house. As soon as I entered the room, I saw the Zhao family's people lined up, sitting cross-legged on the kang. They were wearing new clothes, but their bodies had already turned into waxy yellow corpses. Their eyes were tightly closed, and their mouths, unable to close due to drying, revealed their white, bared teeth. I suddenly felt a darkness before my eyes. The people of the old Zhao family were clearly robbed of their lifespans, which is why they ended up like this. But didn't I kill the one who stole the lifespan? I forced myself to calm down and walked over to the body.
The old ghost Han behind me suddenly said, "No, these people have been attacked by water ghosts."I was slightly taken aback and then looked at the hands of the Zhao family members. Some of the corpses indeed had droplets of water on their fingertips. I reached out and grabbed the clothes of one of the corpses; they were indeed wet and clung to the body as if they had been soaked in water. At that moment, my heart also sank halfway. Many people think that water ghosts are only found in rivers, wells, and other places where people can drown. In fact, truly powerful water ghosts can hide in any place with water, and they can even reach out from a basin, grab a person's hair, and drown them. If a water ghost reaches the level of a deity, it can extract all the water, blood, and vital energy from a person's body for its own use. The person who is killed will also turn into a dry corpse in a short period of time. Within a radius of several hundred miles, there is only one water ghost that can reach the level of a ghost or deity—Zimu. Was it Zimu who killed the Zhao family? Just as I felt a chill run down my spine, a fire suddenly lit up outside the house. When I instinctively looked outside, all the villagers had suddenly lit torches in their hands. Hundreds of people stood rigidly in the firelight, letting the flames dance wildly around them. Blood-stained beads of sweat continuously rolled down their faces, and the villagers' faces were visibly losing moisture at an alarming rate. "Is Zimu going to massacre the village?"Han Laogui exclaimed in shock, "Back then, Zimu was conspired against by the villagers and drowned in that well."She is here to take revenge on the villagers!"While Han Laogui was speaking, Old Zhao's corpse suddenly opened its eyes wide and reached for my neck." I instinctively slapped Old Zhao's corpse with a force strong enough to crack stones, directly breaking his sternum. To my surprise, Old Zhao actually spat out a mouthful of blood. Caught off guard, I was sprayed with a mouthful of blood. When Zimu kills, isn't he supposed to drain all the blood from these people?How could they still have a mouthful of blood hidden on them? Before I could react, all the corpses suddenly sprang up at once and lunged at me. I suddenly drew my sword and crazily slashed at the corpses, several heads flying into the air amidst the sword's glow, and I was splattered all over with the blood that gushed from the corpses. I don't know why Zimu insists on leaving a bit of blood on the corpse, but I'm sure the blood on the corpse is a trap prepared for me!