Chapter 47: Witness the Master’s Skill!

Any malevolent spirit, even the lowest grade, possesses room for growth—this was the system I designed for my novel back then, and the fur zombies were no exception.

A newly formed fur zombie is called a White Fur Zombie. Its body is stiff, movements slow; though impervious to blades and bullets, it can still be harmed by yang blood. With the right method, an ordinary person can slay one.

Next comes the Black Fur Zombie, whose movements become much more agile, resembling a wild beast. Yet it remains vulnerable to ordinary yang blood. With sufficient numbers and proper formation, even ten soldiers can subdue it.

Beyond that, things grow more troublesome. When it reaches the level of a Purple Zombie, no ordinary person can handle it. The woman before me, dressed thinly amid the snowstorm, her fair skin exposed, surrounded by black energy intertwined with the nearby fur zombies, was evidently one of them—already at the level of a Flying Zombie.

I recalled that my zombie system resembled many others in novels, with the sole distinction being the yin-yang dietary rules. In my setting, zombies start as pure yin creatures. If they linger in places heavy with yin energy for long enough, they grow stronger. However, the more yin energy nourishes them, the harder they are to awaken. Once they consume raw blood, they become yang-world malevolent spirits and can no longer be sustained by yin energy.

Moreover, consuming raw blood unleashes an uncontrollable bloodthirst, severing the path of yin nourishment. Such zombies have only one destiny: to endlessly prey on fresh blood.

Yet all these before me were fur zombies who had never fed on raw blood, including this woman!

“Sir, why do you keep staring at me? As a scholar, you really ought to be more proper,” the black-clad woman purred, her eyes dripping with charm, every gesture brimming with allure. If not for the black aura enveloping her and those crimson, bloodshot eyes, one would never suspect she was a zombie.

“Just a bit curious...” I smiled, quickly regaining composure.

“Curious about what?” she stepped forward.

Her presence was overwhelming. As she advanced, every armed attendant instinctively drew their swords but simultaneously retreated cautiously.

Only I remained unaffected. Whether it was due to that pen or not, even in Beihai, I noticed two things I was immune to: first, illusions—Master Tianye’s illusions fooled everyone but not me; second, intimidation—when Yuchi Peng fought Master Luo, the aura was so fierce even Yuchi Hong dared not watch directly, yet I, an untrained man, felt no pressure.

“I’m curious because I’ve never seen a zombie that hasn’t fed on essence blood grow to your stage,” I said. “This is my first time encountering such.”

Her crimson pupils contracted sharply as she halted and stared at me for a long moment.

“You possess such skill; a seventh-rank civil official is truly beneath you.”

“I’m about to be promoted,” I replied with a smile.

“Then I offer you my congratulations in advance,” she smiled back. “Few noble families even know about creatures like us. Your household’s knowledge is quite impressive.”

I smiled silently, quickly pondering the situation internally.

She did not deny it; thus, it seemed I wasn’t mistaken. None of these fur zombies here, including her, had ever fed on essence blood.

Such a scenario is nearly impossible. Nourishing corpses with yin energy is far slower than feeding on essence blood. Any zombie in the yang world would inevitably succumb to the temptation to feed. Raising a Purple Zombie through yin energy alone is exceedingly rare—it requires a Qi cultivator specializing in refining yin grounds, using unique corpse-nurturing techniques.

Producing a Flying Zombie almost indistinguishable from a living person, as before me, had never appeared in my novels.

How was this achieved?

“Sir, did you come here intentionally or just passing through?” the woman asked again with a smile.

“Just passing through...” I answered honestly.

“How unfortunate...” she bared her fangs slightly. “So young and capable, yet destined to die here.”

Even the soldiers behind her gripped their swords with trembling hands, Lin Bao and Old Du barely steadying their blades.

“Why the bluff?” I looked coldly at her. “Can you get in here?”

“What do you mean?”

“Literally...” Unaffected by her aura, my expression remained unchanged. “I don’t know how you control the underworld, but yin and yang are separated. Though this temple is peculiar, it is a yang-world place. You shouldn’t be able to enter; otherwise, you would have attacked outright instead of bluffing here.”

“You just said this place is the underworld, didn’t you?” she smiled.

“It shouldn’t count as the underworld...” I gazed distantly. “I don’t know how you did it, but it resembles the Naihe Bridge, with an incredibly heavy yin energy. The light seeping into the temple can kill. Such a place is perfect for raising corpses. But the true underworld wouldn’t allow this. This must be a mimicry created by some method. Even so, it shouldn’t be a yang-world place. Since yin and yang are separated, it’s easy for your kind of zombies to enter but difficult to leave.”

“You know quite a lot!” Her smile faded, her gaze turning icy. “Who exactly are you?”

“I should be asking you that,” I said coldly. “This patch of yin land could not be arranged by a single living corpse. This place must have existed for many years, harboring corpses and concealing malice. You even deliberately lure scholar-examiners here. Who is behind you? What are you truly after?”

“You must first leave that room to have the right to ask us what we want. Otherwise, what use is it for a dead man to know so much, right?”

“True enough...” I nodded. “Then once I’m out, I’ll find a way to investigate you.”

“I look forward to seeing your skills, sir!”

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“How did you get out?”

In the northern desolate mountains, a hoarse voice from a black-cloaked man questioned a scholar. If Lin Bao and the others were here, they would be shocked—this scholar was none other than Yang Jie, already dead inside the temple, wounded by my blade!

“My lords, there has been a complication. A formidable person entered the temple. I dared neither release them nor stay inside!”

“Damned fool!” The black-cloaked man’s voice was angry. “The grand competition is imminent, the master’s grand plan is about to unfold, and you keep making mistakes at this critical time!”

“Mistakes?” Yang Jie looked surprised.

“Hmph. The court has noticed you and dispatched Deng Lingfeng, who wields the Divine Eagle Technique, to investigate. He is already at the mountain’s foot!”

“This...” Yang Jie broke out in cold sweat. “I was thinking that since we don’t have enough scholars, and this is the last chance, I wanted to snatch some good ones from the Great Academy. The students from Yuzhang Academy aren’t inferior to those from Bailu Academy. That Qi Xuan is a top scholar, exactly what the master needs.”

“The master has already warned: the closer to the time, the more discreet you must be. Don’t let your schemes be exposed. Yet you dared to act openly, even targeting Yuzhang Academy. What’s the hurry now? After taking the capital, the spring examination candidates will be ripe for the picking. Do you need to act on your own?”

“You’re right... It was my own doing...” Yang Jie bowed his head guiltily.

“If not for your years of loyal service, you’d be dead already.” The man snorted coldly. “What about this formidable person in the temple you mentioned?”

“The county magistrate of Fuchuan!” Yang Jie hastened. “At first, I thought he was just a seventh-rank magistrate with family, not hard to deal with. Since Qi Xuan seemed eager to follow him, I couldn’t let him leave, so I triggered the traps. But I didn’t expect the magistrate’s subsequent performance to be so unusual...” He recounted what he had witnessed.

“Just a twist of the shoulder, yet he bent a soldier’s arm bones?” The black-cloaked man’s voice grew grave. “Are you sure?”

That soldier was no ordinary man—a fourth-rank martial artist. One twist of his shoulder broke his wrist. This must be a master-level skill.

A master had infiltrated the temple?

“Fuchuan County... Wait, do you mean the magistrate who saved the crown prince in Beihai?”

“Yes... yes...” Yang Jie grew even more fearful.

“You idiot!” The man kicked him, sending him tumbling several times in the snow before stopping.

“I thought the magistrate was just lucky; such a young official couldn’t possibly have saved the crown prince. I figured he was a cover-up, put forward by the crown prince’s people.”

“Is that so?” The black-cloaked man laughed bitterly. “There are plenty of cover-ups. The Yuchi family and the crown prince’s aides are full of talent. Why would they need an outsider? What nonsense is in your head?”

Latest intelligence revealed the Fuchuan magistrate was extraordinary—single-handedly defeating the crown prince’s confidant, Master Tianye. His ability was estimated at least first-rank sorcerer!

Such a figure should be avoided immediately. Yet he had recklessly approached. If he delayed the master’s grand plan, this fool deserved to die a hundred times over... Wait!

Suddenly realizing something, the man hurriedly asked, “How did you get out? Were you not discovered?”

“I... I used the illusion technique the master gave me. It would not be detected!” Yang Jie replied quickly.

The black-cloaked man’s pupils contracted sharply. According to intelligence, Master Tianye’s illusions were unparalleled, fooling almost everyone in the Yuchi mansion—except the Fuchuan magistrate, who must be an even more skilled illusionist.

Yang Jie’s trickery was likely already uncovered. Damn!

Sensing danger, the man raised his hand to silence Yang Jie and retreat, but a gust of wind suddenly struck from behind!