Chapter 14: Waiting for a Rabbit by the Tree Stump

Wang Qingshan dared not delay and meticulously recounted the entire incident.

"Grave robbery, missing corpse!" Wang Changsheng's expression turned thoughtful after hearing Wang Qingshan's account.

The tomb of a Wang family elder was desecrated, his corpse vanished, and a zombie appeared not long after.

Wang Changsheng knew that zombies were categorized as either innate or acquired. Innate zombies were extremely rare, whereas acquired zombies were created artificially.

Typically, those creating acquired zombies chose the corpses of young, strong individuals. However, the deceased elder was quite old, making him an unlikely candidate for such a purpose.

"What day was the corpse stolen? And may I see Qingyan's birth details?"

"August 15th. Here are my cousin's birth details," Wang Qingshan replied, pulling a prepared piece of paper from his sleeve and handing it to him.

Wang Changsheng looked somewhat surprised. "You knew I'd want to see his birth details?" he asked.

Wang Qingshan nodded and stated earnestly, "Our ancestors included cultivators, so we have some knowledge of these matters."

Wang Changsheng quickly scanned the paper's contents, then began to make calculations with his right hand.

"Born in a Yin year, Yin month, and Yin day," Wang Changsheng exclaimed, "It seems highly probable the corpse was exposed to moonlight and that's why it turned into a zombie!" He finally understood.

Individuals born under a Yin year, Yin month, and Yin day naturally possess a strong Yin aura. If such a person's corpse is illuminated by moonlight, especially during a full moon, it can easily transform into a zombie.

"Immediately burn these corpses using lychee wood. Additionally, procure a large quantity of glutinous rice; it's effective against zombies, so ensure every household prepares some. Lastly, take me to Qingyan's residence."

"Qiuguang, Qiuming, you two organize the clansmen to burn the bodies on lychee wood," Wang Qingshan instructed methodically. "Tenth Brother, Thirteenth Brother, dispatch people to various regions to purchase as much glutinous rice as possible."

"Yes, Eighth Brother (or Eighth Uncle)," the clan elders responded in unison.

Wang Changsheng followed Wang Qingshan to a spacious courtyard. Several peach trees were planted there, and the house, along with its tables, chairs, and benches, were all crafted from peach wood. Furthermore, the house faced east, ensuring ample sunlight.

Wang Changsheng nodded to himself. Wang Qingyan, born under a Yin year, Yin month, and Yin day, naturally possessed a strong Yin essence, and individuals with such a constitution typically had shorter lifespans. However, Wang Qingyan had lived to over sixty, likely for two reasons: first, his name contained the character 'Yan' (焱), representing three flames, which served to diminish his Yin energy; second, his residence was rich in Yang energy. Peach trees are associated with Yang, and century-old peach wood is often used to craft peach wood swords for expelling ghosts and demons.

"By the way, given Qingyan's unique constitution and susceptibility to corporeal transformation, why wasn't his body cremated initially? Why was he buried instead?" Wang Changsheng voiced his question.

Since Wang Qingyan's elders were aware of planting peach trees and using peach wood furniture, they should have known that individuals born under a Yin year, Yin month, and Yin day were prone to corporeal transformation after death. Logically, cremation should have been performed.

Wang Qingshan offered a wry smile as he explained, "Initially, Second Uncle and others had stipulated in their will that my cousin *must* be cremated upon his death, not buried. However, my cousin's three sons adamantly refused, citing the belief that the deceased should be buried to find peace. They insisted so strongly that I, their nephew, couldn't sway them and had to permit them to bury my cousin in the family cemetery. I never anticipated his corpse would undergo transformation. Had I known, I would have insisted on cremation regardless."

To be frank, Wang Qingshan himself hadn't paid much heed to the elder's will before. The deeply ingrained concept among the older generation was that one should be buried to rest in peace; Wang Qingshan himself desired burial in the family cemetery after his death. He lamented that if he had been more resolute in his stance back then, perhaps the zombie wouldn't have appeared.

The thought filled Wang Qingshan with immense regret.

"Three sons... The eldest's family has already been killed. What about the other two?"

"My cousin's second son, Qiumao, went to the county town yesterday on urgent business and only returned this morning," Wang Qingshan replied truthfully. "The third son, Qiusheng, is away on business and is currently unreachable."

After a moment of thought, Wang Changsheng instructed, "Send someone to clean this courtyard thoroughly and have Qiumao's family move in. If Qingyan has indeed become a zombie, he will undoubtedly return to harm Qiumao, and I'll be here to await him. Furthermore, withdraw all clan members currently in the mountains."

"Having Qiumao's family move in is no problem," Wang Qingshan acknowledged, "but it will be difficult to notify the clan members still in the mountains at short notice, as we don't know their precise locations."

"Then provide me with a few guides," Wang Changsheng requested, "preferably those with enough prestige to ensure other clan members will trust and follow my instructions."

Wang Qingshan readily agreed and assigned three clan members to accompany Wang Changsheng, one of whom was Wang Tiande.

Wang Changsheng then performed the Cloud Soaring technique, carrying the three clan members as they flew towards the deep mountains.

It was high noon, and the sun blazed intensely overhead.

Of the fifteen clan members still deep within the mountains, Wang Changsheng successively located twelve. They promptly obeyed the elder's instructions and left the area.

The sun was fierce. The accompanying elder, being advanced in age, became dizzy and disoriented after a short exposure to the intense heat, nearly falling from the white cloud. Fortunately, Wang Tiande steadied him.

Spotting a temple below, Wang Changsheng made a hand gesture, and the white cloud slowly descended, landing within the temple grounds.

It was an abandoned temple, overrun with weeds.

"Oh, someone's lying on the ground," Wang Tiande observed, spotting two men on the ground. He quickly walked over to them.

"They're dead," Wang Tiande stated with a hint of regret. "Both have two blood holes on their necks, likely bitten by a zombie."

"It's Youping and Youquan," the elder murmured, recognizing the faces of the two corpses. He sighed, his voice tinged with sorrow. "Alas, I never imagined they'd fall victim to a zombie."

Wang Changsheng frowned. "Burn the bodies immediately," he ordered. "Otherwise, they will transform, and we'll have two more zombies on our hands."

Wang Tiande acknowledged the order. Along with the other two clan members, he first settled the elder in a cool, shaded area. Then, they gathered dry firewood, piled it over the corpses, and ignited it.

The flames rapidly intensified, consuming the bodies.

"Qingyuan," Wang Changsheng began, "There's still one person missing. Do you recall his name, and where do you think he might be?"

"I do remember," Wang Qingyuan replied truthfully. "It's Wang Youen, the great-grandson of Thirteenth Brother. That boy has been undisciplined and lazy since childhood. He's probably hiding somewhere cool, trying to escape the heat!"

"Trying to escape the heat?" Wang Changsheng frowned.

Zombies typically reside in cool, shaded areas. Wang Youen couldn't possibly have gone to a zombie's haunt to cool off, could he?

"Aside from Wang Youen, are there any other clan members still in the deep mountains?"

Wang Qingyuan considered for a moment. "Yes," he replied, "there are several quarries here. The two largest belong to our Wang family, employing around a hundred people."

"Quarries? Where are they located?"

"One is about twenty li west of town, and the other is roughly thirty li east. The managers are from the Qiu generation: Seventh Brother's second son and Sixth Brother's third son, respectively."

Wang Changsheng nodded. After resting for half an hour, he used his Cloud Soaring technique to travel to the two Wang family quarries, where he instructed Wang Qingyuan to dismiss all the quarrying clan members.

Afterward, he sent Wang Qingyuan and the others back to Qingshi Town. He then took Wang Tiande and Wang Youen's father with him to search for Wang Youen in the deep mountains.

The mountains were riddled with caves. He searched dozens of them, but found no trace of Wang Youen.

By the time Wang Changsheng returned to Qingshi Town, dusk had already fallen.

Qingshi Town was aglow with lights, and dozens of young, strong men held torches.

After dinner, Wang Changsheng settled into Wang Qiumao's home.

Every household had prepared black dog blood and scattered glutinous rice in front of their doors. A young, strong man stood guard at each home, armed with a gong to strike as a warning should a zombie appear.

As time slowly passed, the sky grew increasingly dark. Doors in every household were tightly shut, and some people, unable to resist their drowsiness, fell asleep.

Wang Qiumao's family of seven gathered inside the house. While the two young children were already asleep, the adults showed no signs of drowsiness.

Wang Qiumao's mood was exceptionally heavy. He knew his own father had transformed into a zombie and had returned to kill his eldest brother.

Now, he was being used as bait to lure his zombie father.

Publicly, as a Wang clan member, he was obligated to obey the elders' instructions. Privately, however, the zombie was his father, and the thought of being used by his own family to lure him out made Wang Qiumao feel somewhat unfilial. Naturally, he was also quite afraid.

Wang Changsheng sat cross-legged on a straw mat, his eyes slightly closed.

Wang Qiumao hesitated, seemingly wanting to speak, then cautiously inquired, "Ninth Great-Uncle, will my father truly come tonight?"

"I don't know," Wang Changsheng replied. "If it comes, we'll eliminate it. It's no longer your father, so don't feel any emotional burden. I am here, and I will protect all of you."

Reassured by Wang Changsheng's promise, Wang Qiumao felt considerably relieved.

Just then, the sound of gongs being struck echoed from outside.

Initially, the sound was faint, but it rapidly grew louder.

"Stay inside the house and don't run around," Wang Changsheng instructed. "I'll go out and take a look. If the zombie appears, throw black dog blood at it. The house is surrounded by glutinous rice, so it shouldn't dare to come close."

After giving his warning, Wang Changsheng rushed outside.

The moment he emerged from the courtyard, Wang Qiusheng, Wang Qingshan, and others immediately crowded around him, their faces etched with extreme nervousness.

"Don't panic, everyone, don't panic," Wang Changsheng asked calmly. "Where is the zombie? Where is it?"

"Well..." Wang Qingshan and the others exchanged bewildered glances. They had rushed over immediately upon hearing the gongs, but they didn't actually know the zombie's location themselves.