Chapter 46: Preparing for Battle Against Huang Pizi

  "Are you awake? It seems that having someone help wash your feet is really comfortable." The next morning, I was woken up by Denglcao. This guy looked at me with a resentful expression and said in a sour tone. I stretched out my arm from under the quilt, arched my back in a big stretch, and then got up.

  Deep in the mountains and old forests, there is a good thing, that is quiet. There is no noise or disturbance like in the city, except for the occasional calls of nocturnal birds or other animals, there is no other movement. This environment is actually very suitable for people like us who practice Taoism to live in. Everything is so natural, without any discord. Natural sleep, natural wakefulness.

  "Hurry up and wash your face, Master Mei has asked you to go to her room after waking up, she has something to tell us!" said Deng Cao with a look of disdain on his face, holding the lamp wick in his palm as he gazed at the sleep in the corner of my eye.

  The down jacket and boots were dried by Nose Snotty last night, wearing a loose down jacket and trampling on the dog hair-lined leather boots, I walked warmly to Master Mei's house.

  "Did you sleep well last night?" asked Mei Jiugu, smiling, as I entered the house and sat down on the kang with my legs crossed.

  "This is truly a blessed place, Master Aunt! I haven't slept so soundly in a long time. If the monk hadn't called me this morning, I reckon I'd still be asleep now!" I raised my hand to salute Master Aunt Mei and began lavishing praise on her residence.

  This is the most basic courtesy as a guest, even if there's something that doesn't quite meet expectations, we can't just say it isn't right. Moreover, sleeping on the hot kang is really comfortable! If I had to nitpick and mention one shortcoming, it would be that there's no TV to watch.

  "It's getting used to it, looking at such a big snowstorm, and there's no end in sight. I reckon this year might be another snowy mountain closure. By the way, Hubei doesn't have such heavy snowstorms, does it?" Master Mei was chatting away by herself. But I was thinking that if she had us come over here so early in the morning, it definitely wouldn't be just to make small talk with us.

  "Hubei has snowy weather, but the temperature is not as low as it is in Northeast China! The coldest it gets is just a few degrees below zero. Unlike here, where minus a few degrees is considered warm!" I was chatting with Master Mei in Pingzhou, and as long as you don't spill the beans, I'm happy to play dumb.

  "Hmm! It's not easy for you guys to come all the way to this cold and desolate place." Master Mei nodded at me and Deng Cao to sit down, then gave a wink to the snotty girl sitting next to him who was smiling shyly while staring at me.

  "Master, have some tea!" Niutianyu poured a cup of tea for me and Dengcao each, and softly said "please".

  "I suppose you've told them about the story of me and Shifu on the road, haven't you?" I was holding my cup and drinking tea to warm up my stomach when suddenly such a sentence came out from Master Mei's mouth! How should I respond? Should I say that I know about your miserable past? That wouldn't be right, many people don't like their own affairs being paid too much attention. Should I say that I don't know? But isn't that lying to his face?

  "This, I know a thing or two!" After a moment of contemplation, this was all I could say in response to Master Mei's question.

  "Hmm! I knew she couldn't keep it in her heart, but this isn't something to be ashamed of either. It's fine to tell you all about it. I'm sure you're all aware of the grudges between me and those Huang Dashen. One reason I don't want to leave here is because of those yellow-skinned creatures. In this lifetime, I've got a vendetta against them. Although they can't be killed off completely, every time one of those yellow-skinned things with spiritual powers dies at my hands, the pain in my heart will lessen by a bit."

  When it comes to those weasels, Mei Jiugu seems to have changed into a different person. From a kind elder, she turned into a ferocious witch! This is the feeling I've been hiding in my heart, a real and true feeling.

  "I don't know about Master Shu, why did you suddenly bring this up?" I rotated the teacup in my hand, watching as the tea leaves and water inside also rotated, and asked softly.

  "Because of those things, taking advantage of the heavy snow, they came out to harm people again! This was sent by a fellow villager from Shili Puping last night, saying that there is a family in their village who has an old man. Originally, birth, aging, illness and death are the most normal things. But the person who should have died kept appearing in the village at midnight to steal chickens from other families. Now it's gotten to the point where people in the village are panicked, and some have even moved away with their families." Mei Jiugu took a sip of hot tea, gesturing for Huo Jingying to hand over the letter she was holding.

  "What did they mean by sending this letter?" I asked Master Mei, looking back and forth at the letter wrapped in cowhide paper.

  "Please, take care of that scourge who refuses to die. This letter is the Zhū family's letter of authorization, stating that as long as they can have peace in their village, they will not pursue us for any consequences regarding the disposal of their ancestor's corpse, even if it means destroying it." Mei Jiǔgū had her own set of rules when it came to handling affairs. Whenever a matter involved someone's ancestors, she would only take action after the family had provided a letter of authorization. This was both a way for her to reduce her own karmic retribution and also avoid any potential trouble that might come knocking on her door afterwards.

  Although this letter of attorney has no legal effect in today's society, it is still useful in rural areas. At the very least, even if the zombies are really destroyed during the law enforcement process, they will not be held accountable afterwards.

  "What does that mean?" I thought to myself. If you want to help someone, just go ahead and do it. What's the point of saying all this in front of us? Is there something else you're not telling us?

  "You young folks gathering together, the purpose is also to temper your experience in actual combat and familiarize yourselves with each other's techniques! In case something really happens in the future, you won't be at a loss, and you'll have some coordination between each other." Master Mei said, pausing for a moment.

  "So I think, this time's matter is left to you three to handle! Just do it freely, even if there are mistakes, I and your masters will take the blame for you. The flowers in the greenhouse may be beautiful, but they can't withstand wind and rain." Only then did Mei Jiugu reveal her true intention.

  "What are we going to do? We don't even know what a zombie looks like, how can we deal with it? Master Shu, you're not joking, right? At most, you take action and we two will just watch." As soon as I heard her say this, I immediately stood up in opposition. Who knows what kind of thing the zombie she mentioned is? Who knows what connection it has to Huang Pizi? What if something goes wrong and instead of capturing it, we get captured instead? That would be a disaster.

  "A revived corpse is almost the same as a zombie. They are both corpses that have regained mobility due to some reason after death. However, no matter how powerful it is, it's just a corpse. The three of you joining forces will definitely be able to capture it. There's just one thing you need to remember: after subduing the revived corpse, the first thing you must do is crack open its skull and destroy the yellow-skinned creature inside. If you let it escape, you'll be waiting for that beast to take revenge on you!"

  Mei Jiugu continued speaking without regard for my objections, and at the end, she threw out another sentence that sent chills down my spine! Her and Shifu's childhood experiences still lingered in my ears...

  "Master Shu said that the corpse changed because of that yellow-skinned person, right?" I swallowed my saliva and asked again. This matter is important, I couldn't help but ask clearly.

  "This thing has a very evil ability. It can control people's actions, whether they are alive or dead! And within a certain range, it can cause hallucinations to people, making them fall into its trap without realizing it. However, the method to prevent this trick is actually quite simple. As long as you see it raise its tail, you should be careful. At that time, just hold your breath and run to an upwind position, and there will be no big problem." Master Mei explained to us what the yellow mongoose was good at, and also taught us how to break through it.

  "I see, so it's actually the gas it emits that causes hallucinations?" I pondered for a moment and asked Master Mei with some surprise. They say that yellow mongooses release stinky farts in times of crisis to defend themselves, and it seems this saying is true! But what I don't understand is how, when we got to the northeastern region, the power of a yellow mongoose's fart increased dramatically?

  "It's no wonder you're the successor of Qinglong, you figured it out so quickly. As you said, what led people to hallucinate was a kind of gas released by Huang Pizi." Mei Shu uncle patted me on the back with just the right amount of force. But I knew that this pat on the back wasn't exactly pleasant!

  The yellow skin itself has no attack power, but it's fierce in remembering hatred. No one dares to guarantee that they can catch this thing when facing it. What if I let it run away? Wouldn't I have to live with a nervous heart from then on?

  I couldn't possibly have all the people I know on high alert every day for a weasel that might appear and fart at any moment, could I? If just one person falls for it, the consequences are too terrible to contemplate - they'd end up like Shifu's and Mei's uncle when they were young. The painful outcome is something I couldn't bear.

  "I'll accompany them on this trip! Originally, my apprentice should have been here too. Since the main purpose is to train their emergency response and familiarize themselves with each other's techniques, I'll take her place instead. It can't be because of her absence that affects the three of them." Just as I was hesitating, the demon girl came in from outside and said these words that made my heart feel at ease. With an old ginger like her who has traveled extensively and is experienced, leading the way, what do I have to fear?