I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 561 - 561 560. The Secret Canon of Crane Cries in Nine

Chapter 561: 560. The Secret Canon of Crane Cries in Nine Chapters_1 Chapter 561: 560. The Secret Canon of Crane Cries in Nine Chapters_1 The body presented a pose of worship, kneeling before the divine idol, with a devotion so earnest that even ascetic monks might feel ashamed by comparison.

This person seemed to have lost his life suddenly in the midst of worship, frozen in time until everything was smoothed over by the years, and then discovered by Lu Ban.

“This might be someone lost on the mountain roads seeking shelter from the rain. This mountain is peculiar, with its formations and an unshakable sense of eeriness.”

Tang Que also noticed the corpse, uttered a brief comment, then squatted down, pulled out rubber gloves, and donned a mask to examine it.

“About thirty years old, male, has been dead for quite some time. The mist and dampness of the mountain have caused severe decay. Look, this is where his internal organs rotted and burst his belly, the contents oozing out from his behind,” she explained with complete disregard for the filthiness of the corpse, even pointing at a black substance under the straw.

“Thank you, I just finished eating, and I feel much better now,” said Lu Ban with gratitude.

“After death, the body softens up and may release its bowels, then rigor mortis sets in. After full rigor mortis comes a second softening, followed by the gruesome scenes that would make you feel nauseated just by looking. Normally, it’s difficult to maintain such a posture.”

Tang Que examined the corpse’s head and skeleton.

“No obvious external injuries or bone fractures, he probably died of cold or illness. Of course, there could also be some mystical cause of death.”

Just as Tang Que was about to examine the corpse’s face and reached to grasp its head, suddenly, the corpse lurched as if coming back to life, snapping at her hand with a bite!

“!!!”

Caught off guard, Tang Que’s gloved hand was bitten by the toothless mouth, and it looked as though it was about to penetrate the rubber and reach her skin.

In the next moment, Tang Que lifted her other hand, which visibly swelled at a speed detectable by the naked eye, and without hesitation, she dealt the corpse a punch.

Bang—

The corpse, along with the nearby straw and the wall behind it, was punched through, revealing the courtyard and woods beyond.

It was then that Lu Ban realized he had misjudged; Tang Que could probably kill ten Qin Tiantians with a single punch.

“Sorry, I acted on reflex,” said Tang Que, still holding the corpse’s skull, to which she offered an apology.

Seeing this spectacle, Lu Ban had a rough idea of what had happened.

Such a punch was certainly not within the ability of a normal human being.

Not even Tyson could do it.

This was the superpower ability of the Corpse-sewing Craftsman.

Lu Ban imagined that if their group were to go out, just one punch could settle any dispute.

Bodies that were lying down should be examined attentively, to provide them with a proper send-off.

Bodies unwilling to lie down should be beaten into submission, until they lay down obediently, to provide them with a proper send-off.

Quite reasonable.

No wonder they were called “Corpse-sewing Craftsmen”; a corpse struck by such a punch would probably be reduced to five or six pieces, and sewing would be necessary.

Thinking about it that way, perhaps the Paper-cutting Official meant that after dealing with those restless spirits, not even a body would remain, leaving no choice but to cobble together a paper effigy as a stopgap.

It makes sense.

No wonder Blindman Zhang also made it up the mountain trail so quickly.

“What happened?”

Outside the Taoist Temple, Seventh Master poked his head in, startled at the sight of the enigmatic divine idol. He was flustered, and when he saw the hole punched by Tang Que, his sunglasses could hardly hide his shock.

“There was something strange here. Don’t worry, I took care of it,” declared Tang Que with a hearty smile.

“Indeed, it was quite deftly handled,” remarked Lu Ban, unable to contain his awe.

“Would you like to give it a try, little brother?” inquired Tang Que, glancing at Lu Ban.

“Sorry, I don’t have a driver’s license,” Lu Ban replied decisively.

“Driver’s license?” Tang Que rose to her feet and tossed the skull on the altar.

“This person was dead, but not completely. Perhaps some force preserved the last bit of life in it. In any case, it’s very strange; it’s not a zombie, nor a revenant.”

“Is this also part of the competition?” Lu Ban asked Seventh Master, who had just managed to put on his small sunglasses again.

“How can this be? I’ll have Brother He take a look.”

Seventh Master called out and summoned He Chong.

He Chong came over with a hint of impatience, but his expression turned serious as soon as he saw the dead person’s cranium.

He took off his sunglasses, and light seemed to be brewing in his eyes.

In He Chong’s vision, he could see that the cranium was emanating a deep dark mist. The mist, like sludge, coiled around the cranium and began to spread outwards gradually.

“This thing is not simple.”

He Chong sighed and glanced at Lu Ban nearby.

It felt as if his eyes were jabbed fiercely by someone’s fingers or as if a red-hot coal tong was thrust into them and violently stirred around, the scorching sensation spreading from his brain to his marrow, causing him to break out in cold sweat and his body temperature to seemingly drop to freezing point.

“Ah!”

He Chong cried out, covering his eyes.

He couldn’t even see clearly what was around Lu Ban.

Seeing this, Lu Ban hurried over.

He had thought that He Chong had long seen him with the Yin Yang Eyes, and that He Chong, whose cultivation was much higher than his great-grandson’s, was unaffected. But it turned out He Chong hadn’t seen him before.

“Mr. He, don’t panic, it’s a normal reaction.”

Lu Ban consoled.

“???”

Blinded, He Chong heard Lu Ban’s voice and could only think ‘fuck your “normal phenomenon”!’

How could this be any sort of ‘normal phenomenon’?

This guy is darker than a ghost!

He had wanted to shout out loud, but quickly, He Chong’s mind raced.

With someone as powerful as Lu Ban, it would take no time at all to kill him.

If he spoke rashly now, he might end up like the cranium by Lu Ban, ground to bone and scattered as ash.

He decided to shut up.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.”

After shutting the Yin Yang Eyes, He Chong finally managed to open his eyes.

The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Lu Ban smiling at him.

Startled, He Chong hastily jumped up.

“I was just startled by the heavy malevolent air here.”

He Chong glanced at Lu Ban and saw his amiable smile.

He Chong smiled back in return.

“I’ve never seen the Divine Idol before.”

Du Ming stroked his chin, ever more convinced that there was something eerie about the Divine Idol.

“Haven’t you been here before?”

Curious baby Lu Ban asked.

“You might not know, but normally this place is inaccessible. It’s only at this time every ten years that… ”

“Right, I found some things in the guest room just now that everyone might want to look at.”

He took out an old yellowed, thread-bound book.

Lu Ban saw the brush-written characters on the book cover.

“Nine Chapters of the Crane’s Cry Secret Scripture.”

Goodness gracious.

Lu Ban exclaimed, not expecting that not only in the Abandoned Capital but also in this world, the legend of Taoist Crane Cry would circulate.

“Crane Cry? I’ve never heard of that name.”

Shi Buwen pondered to himself.

“What’s written inside this?”

Seventh Master grew curious, watching Du Ming about to turn the pages.

*

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