Seeking Truth with a Sword
Chapter 36 - 35 Corpse Evil

Chapter 36: Chapter 35 Corpse Evil

Hunter Wang Liubao trudged along the mountain path toward his home, the images from that day replaying in his mind: the dead white dog lying in the grass by the stream, his own Dagger hurriedly slicing through its flesh and skin.

CREAK—

Pushing open the wooden door, Wang Liubao entered, looking distraught, and set down the Longbow from his back. The savory taste of dog meat surged to his lips and tongue once again. He vigorously shook his head, trying to dispel the heavy guilt, then lit the candle on the table.

Scarcely had the dim candlelight brightened the room when Wang Liubao saw a pair of eyes light up in the corner, staring straight at him.

"You, how did you get here?!"

Wang Liubao instinctively jumped up from his chair and immediately lowered his voice. "Hungry? Thirsty? I’ll get you some food."

He turned and walked into the kitchen, fetched a piece of cured meat and two bowls of water, soaked the meat in one bowl to soften it, and set it on the table.

Soft gnawing sounds filled the room.

Under the candlelight, Wang Liubao lowered his voice further. "The men from the garrison are making their move tonight. They haven’t discovered you yet. You must leave quickly, or it will be too late..."

BOOM!

A loud explosion thundered from down the mountain. Wang Liubao’s face paled. He abruptly stood up and pushed open the wooden door.

At the village entrance by the foot of the mountain, flames flickered.

「They’re here.」

Cheng Juxiu’s expression was calm as he flicked his Sword and rose to his feet.

BOOM!

Niu Wenshu, leading the charge, kicked open the wooden door. His Broadsword was instantly drawn from his waist. Under the moonlight, its blade shone like a streak of white silk, slicing toward the black shadow crouching on the ground.

The shadow resembled the villagers’ descriptions: entirely covered in black fur, humanoid yet wolf-like, voraciously devouring the foul-smelling Blood Meal in a wooden barrel.

Before Niu Wenshu reached it, his Sword Qi surged forth. From the blade, a torrential current of energy spread, shattering the wooden barrel in the shadow’s grasp from five paces away.

Instantly, wood chips flew everywhere and blood splattered.

The momentum of the Sword Qi, unrelenting, cleaved toward the shadow’s neck.

SWISH—

The fur on the shadow’s body split, and a spray of blood jetted from its neck.

The shadow woodenly turned its head to look at Niu Wenshu. As its massive form slowly rose, it swung a palm down.

CLANG!

Palm and Broadsword collided midair, deadlocked. Niu Wenshu gripped the handle with one hand and braced against the back of the blade with the other. His knees bent as he resisted the irrational brute strength of his opponent, his face flushing an unnatural red.

The shadow took a step forward. Its furry right hand pressed down on Niu Wenshu’s Broadsword, while its left hand grabbed the last chunk of bloody liver, tossed it into its mouth, and chewed ferociously.

The wound on its neck, sliced by the Sword Qi, rapidly healed. Its form, already a head taller than Niu Wenshu, seemed to swell a bit more, becoming even more imposing.

SWOOSH!

Around the courtyard walls of the nearby houses, torches flared to life simultaneously.

The garrison soldiers, already in position, drew their powerful crossbows. Perched behind walls, windows, and on rooftops, they pulled the triggers.

SWOOSH SWOOSH SWOOSH—

Crossbow Arrows crafted from Fine Steel, like venomous snakes, streaked toward the shadow. Their shafts, affixed with Yellow Paper Talismans, penetrated the shadow’s thick fur and sank deep into its flesh.

"HOWL!!"

The shadow howled in pain. Its left hand swept across its body, snapping the Crossbow Arrows and knocking them away. Its right hand clenched fiercely, crushing Niu Wenshu’s Broadsword to pieces before it smashed down with a punch.

Just in the nick of time,

SWOOSH!

A Longsword, lacking a handguard, suddenly shot out from the dilapidated house, flying rapidly close to the ground.

Wherever it passed, patches of weeds were silently severed, creating a straight, cone-shaped trail. Leaves fluttered, swept up by the howling wind and dragged behind the Flying Sword. The firm, tamped ground, formed by continuous trampling, was penetrated by the Sword Qi and split open without warning.

The sword’s tip plunged into the dark shadow’s chest, half the blade burying itself within.

"ROAR!!!"

The dark shadow staggered back half a step. It raised its burly arms and clutched the Longsword in its chest, hands disregarding the splattering blood as it exerted tremendous force.

The Flying Sword emitted a grating metallic screech as it trembled and shook violently. Inch by inch, its razor edge, imbued with Sword Qi, moved towards the dark shadow’s neck and head.

THUD!

Instead of retreating, the dark shadow advanced, kicking Niu Wenshu in the chest and sending him flying backward into the broken house.

The Flying Sword’s advance faltered for an instant. Seizing that fleeting moment, the dark shadow tore out the Longsword and threw it to the ground. It bent its thick legs, gathering strength, and its burly body, as if spring-loaded, leaped toward the village entrance.

Fifty feet, then a hundred! Moving as swiftly as a startled hare or a swooping falcon, the dark shadow escaped the range of the garrison’s Crossbows. With several more leaps, it plunged into the forest, vanishing into the dense, night-shrouded canopy.

"COUGH—"

Inside the doorless, dilapidated house, Niu Wenshu stood up from the wreckage of tables and chairs. His face red, he said in frustration and anger, "I’ve embarrassed myself before the Inspector."

"It’s not your fault, Judge Niu, we all misjudged," Cheng Juxiu said, frowning. "It’s not a demon, but a Corpse Evil, one of the Demons. Only a place saturated with Yin energy can nourish such Aliens. No wonder the powerful crossbow arrows, affixed with Demon Suppressing Talismans, didn’t deliver a fatal blow."

Li Ang asked, "Has it fled?"

"It hasn’t gone far," Cheng Juxiu shook his head. "A Corpse Evil can only survive by consuming fresh Blood Meals daily; the more it eats, the stronger it becomes. Now that it’s severely injured, it will instinctively search for live prey in the nearby mountains. Judge Niu, release the fine dogs to track it. Also, bring out the Haotian Bell."

"Yes."

Niu Wenshu exited the house to give orders. He had a wooden crate brought over, opened the lid, and took out a heavy copper bell about the height of an arm.

"This is one of the twenty-four Haotian Bells from Yizhou City," Cheng Juxiu explained. "It was borrowed to suppress Evil and impede its movement. Sha Tao Village has one too, but it’s not as effective as this."

Niu Wenshu had soldiers set up the Haotian Copper Bell on a stand at the village entrance and begin striking it with a wooden mallet. Initially, the bell’s sound was faint and weak, but after being struck forcefully over a dozen times, it became incredibly loud.

Niu Wenshu left ten soldiers to keep watch in Sha Tao Village. He then summoned the village head, Zhou Pingchun, instructing him to assemble villagers to take turns striking the bell, ensuring it never ceased.

He himself, along with the remaining men, holding torches high and led by the fine dogs, followed the blood trail.

Li Ang donned his leather armor, took the Nightmare Bell, and followed Cheng Juxiu, guarding their rear.

In the night forest, tree shadows danced eerily. The torchlight cast flickering human forms as their feet trod upon fallen leaves. Overhead, the incessant, harsh cries of night owls echoed.

Li Ang, feeling the slight weight of his leather armor, clutched the Nightmare Bell as he trekked through the woods, his breathing heavy.

Ahead, the barking of the fine dogs indicated that the blood trail continued up the mountain.

"The Corpse Evil has gone up the mountain." Cheng Juxiu halted, his eyes narrowed in focus, peering through the dense tree canopy towards the mountain peak.

To the southwest of Sha Tao Village rose a steep mountain. Its peak was split, forming a cliff with sheer rock faces on either side, devoid of any vegetation. The narrowest point of the pass allowed only two people through, while at its widest it spanned a full hundred feet.

"Judge Niu, you take the east cliff. Risheng and I will take the west."

Cheng Juxiu pulled a Yellow Paper Talisman from an iron box. With a casual twist of his fingers, he affixed it to Li Ang’s leather armor.

Featherweight Talisman.