Chapter 19: Red Dance Shoes (1)

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

“Thump…”

Another knock sounded.

There’s something next door!

Zhang Yuanqing quickly replaced the rusty kitchen knife with a rusty short knife and the wooden stick with a long spear.

Weapon in hand, he sprinted out of the room without making a sound. The moonlight was cold like frost, and the surroundings were dead silent.

Zhang Yuanqing bent over and leaned surreptitiously towards the window.

The paper window was long torn. He crouched under the window and cautiously poked his head up to look through a hole in the lattice window.

The moonlight, as cold as frost, was compressed into beams by the holes in the roof, bringing light to the narrow room.

Zhang Yuanqing’s heart skipped a beat when he saw the scene in the house.

In the dim, silent house were three old coffins, their black paint flecked, their lids dusty.

There were two dried corpses lying by the coffins. They were wearing work clothes. One of them had a bronze staff beside it.

The staff caught Zhang Yuan-Qing’s attention. It was half an arm’s length long and cast in bronze. The handle was carved with incantations and carvings, and the workmanship was exquisite. The point was that all the weapons were rusted, except for it, which was yellow and rust-free.

An image appeared in his mind for no reason. One of Goddess Sandao’s hands was clasped together but her palms were empty.

“Thump…”

The muffled sound came again, forcing Zhang Yuanqing to look away at the coffin in the middle.

There was a grinding sound as the coffin lid slowly slid open.

A greenish-black palm reached out and gripped the side of the coffin.

Then a terrifying figure sat up in the coffin.

In the bright moonlight shining down from the roof, Zhang Yuanqing could see the thing clearly. It was wrapped in ragged clothes, its face bloated and highly decomposed. Its dead eyeballs protruded.

Its hair was like withered grass, pinned messily to its head.

Hee~ Hee~

It raised its head toward the moonlight overhead and exhaled a turbid breath of corpse energy. Its two fangs were shocking.

Zombie? Zombie!!

Zhang Yuanqing felt like he was in a horror movie.

So it was a zombie. Yes, it should be a corpse-type monster. Otherwise, what was the point of the Corpse Suppression Talisman? Zhang Yuanqing wanted to retreat. At this point, the information he had obtained was enough.

It was time to return to the main hall.

However, at this moment, his shoulder suddenly sank. A familiar coldness descended and corroded his body, bringing with it a chill.

At this critical moment, the hunchback arrived.

The fifteen minutes were up… Zhang Yuanqing’s heart sank.

In this ancient temple filled with danger, one’s mind was highly tense. It was difficult to divide one’s attention to count the time. One could only speculate based on one’s senses which would lead to deviations.

The appearance of the slumped vengeful spirit made matters worse. The next scene added fuel to the fire.

As if it could smell the living, the zombie sitting in the coffin retracted its head. Its bulging eyeballs dropped to the window and peered out at its eyes.

Zhang Yuanqing jumped up in horror and turned to run.

As he turned, he heard the loud clang of the coffin lid hitting the floor.

Not daring to look back, running heavily with the vengeful spirit on his shoulder.

Another loud clang and the door flew open.

As Zhang Yuanqing ran, he turned his head and saw a hideous figure wrapped in tattered clothes rushing out of the house. He suddenly jumped and chased after him like a hungry tiger.

Was this really a zombie? How could it move so quickly? His expression changed. He spun on his heel, using inertia to complete his turn, and stabbed the zombie in the chest.

The butt of the spear struck the ground, forming a simple barricade.

At the same time, he saw a hideous hole in the zombie’s chest. The heart seemed to have been ripped out.

Eldest Senior Brother? The zombie was the Eldest Senior Brother in the diary!

The next moment, the zombie lunged at him with the spear. The spear, which was as thick as a finger, broke with a snap.

There was no time to think. Zhang Yuanqing seized the opportunity created by the spear and rolled past the zombie’s feet. His nose was filled with the stench of the corpse, and the sound of a saber slashing the ground sounded behind him.

He rolled all the way behind the zombie, bounced up on his knees, and swung the knife.

“Clang!”

The knife hit the back of the zombie’s head like it was made of steel. It did no damage except cut a few strands of hair that looked like withered grass.

On the other hand, Zhang Yuanqing was in so much pain from the force of the impact that he almost dropped his weapon.

“Copper skin and iron bones?”

Zhang Yuanqing was shocked. Then, he saw the zombie turn around quickly. It raised its black and sharp nails and clasped his shoulders.

The pain was immediate.

Dark, sharp nails pierced his skin and crimson blood stained his jacket.

The smell of blood stimulated it. Scarlet light surged in the depths of its bulging eyeballs. The zombie opened its fangs and spat out a foul-smelling gas, biting fiercely at Zhang Yuanqing’s neck.

The purifying effect of the candlelight was still there so he did not lose his mind from fear. With a thought, the fluorescent blue inventory appeared. A talisman appeared in his hand.

Stomp stomp stomp…

The zombie, which had been ferocious and violent a moment ago, retreated repeatedly when it saw this talisman as if it was avoiding snakes and scorpions.

It’s effective. It’s afraid of me. It has some intelligence… Zhang Yuanqing endured the pain from the wounds on his arms. He tensed his muscles and stared at the zombie. With the vengeful spirit on his shoulder, he slowly retreated.

As he retreated, he prayed the female ghost in the well wouldn’t stick her head out and add to the mess.

In the process, the zombie let out a guttural growl from its rotting throat. Its scarlet eyes focused on Zhang Yuanqing.

Fortunately, whether it was because of the zombie or because Zhang Yuanqing walked backward, the female ghost in the well did not appear.

Zhang Yuanqing backed out of the east courtyard and returned to the four-part architecture. He did not dare to stop for a moment as he stumbled toward the main hall.

As he approached the flying eaves of the main hall, he heard illusory, shrill screams.