novelraw Chapter 56: Arrangements!
Chapter 56: Arrangements!
Chapter 56: Arrangements!
By Chen Ci Lan Diao
Daoist Master Qingyi had a grim expression as he stared intently at the group approaching in the distance.
Wen Gu whispered a few words to him.
The Daoist Master hesitated.
Wen Gu tilted his head again, gesturing for him to look at the people in their group. Everyone was stunned and terrified by the scene ahead. If he didn't make a show of his abilities now, once everyone recovered from their shock, they would see that the Daoist Master had done nothing at a critical moment, and his standing in their hearts would plummet. If his divine might wasn't in effect, how could he continue?
Weighing the pros and cons, Daoist Master Qingyi finally made his decision. He had to dispel the influence of those monks and maintain his own status!
Therefore, as the approaching group drew closer, and while everyone behind them was dumbfounded, Daoist Master Qingyi took several steps forward. He raised his hand, and a talisman flew out, igniting a flame as green as the underworld. Immediately after, he seemed to chant a series of incantations, his sleeves fluttering, and with a whoosh, he conjured a fiery dragon of orange and red. The scene was filled with swirling flames, as if a profound Daoist spell was being performed between yin and yang.
The sudden bright flames dispelled the previously cold and eerie atmosphere. In this situation, fire could bring courage and warmth to people. Simultaneously, as the flames rose, a pungent smoke drifted over. The minds of those behind, who had grown hazy with extreme fear, were jolted awake by the stimulus. And looking at Daoist Master Qingyi standing in front, their softened knees firmed up again! That's right! We still have Immortal Master Qingyi! They had never felt Daoist Master Qingyi's presence so imposing!
Wen Gu also looked at Daoist Master Qingyi's robe. Ever since they left Jin Wu City, after the cold wave swept through, Daoist Master Qingyi had changed into a thick Daoist robe. But where were the materials for the ritual hidden? He could perform it as soon as he said it! Carried with him, always ready, his business capabilities were formidable!He glanced back at the others in the group. Indeed, they were no longer trembling and stood steady, all nervously watching the front.
At this moment, the group approaching to the sound of bells under the moonlight finally stopped. The sound of the copper bells ceased, and the stiff, strange figures, shoulder to shoulder, stopped their jerky movements. The person at the forefront, holding the copper bell and wearing a bamboo hat, seemed to look over. Daoist Master Qingyi also calmly watched the other party.
Silence returned to the surroundings. To the others, it was a chilling, frosty silence. But in Wen Gu's eyes, there was a sense of tension, like invisible lightning and fire clashing. Neither side spoke, yet there was an unspoken initial greeting, likely both thinking, "Die, you bastard!"
Perhaps sensing a tacit understanding in the standoff, Daoist Master Qingyi slightly raised his hand. Wen Gu received the signal and waved to the others, saying in a low voice, "Alright, everyone go inside. Don't disturb the Daoist Master!" He motioned for Little Liu to go in as well, leaving Tietou behind. Tietou wasn't very bright, but his advantage was that he didn't have strong emotional reactions, whether towards Daoist Master Qingyi or the corpse drivers. In other words, he had a neutral attitude towards ghosts and spirits, neither reverent nor fearful. In times like these, he was more reliable. This was one aspect; another was that Tietou was simple-minded and believed whatever he was told. He was trouble-free.
Hearing Wen Gu's words, the others hesitated and retreated back into the courtyard. Although afraid, they frequently craned their necks to peek outside. However, they couldn't see clearly and couldn't hear any sound from that direction.
At this moment, Wen Gu saw the Daoist Master walk a couple of steps closer to communicate. His voice drifted over faintly. He told Tietou to guard the courtyard entrance and Wen Gu went into the courtyard to calm the others. As soon as he entered, someone in the group asked, "Young Master Wen Er, have you seen this during your travels?" They all knew Wen Gu had traveled extensively and was knowledgeable.
"Those should be corpse drivers," Wen Gu said.
"Corpse... corpse drivers?" Everyone felt an increased chill in the air around them. The ghostly aura they had felt earlier was not an illusion; those moving figures were not living people!
"Don't be afraid. They were likely entrusted by someone to bring the bodies of friends and relatives who died away from home back to their homeland," Wen Gu explained. In these times, countless people died away from home, but not everyone could afford to transport their bodies. Especially in the current climate, one could easily contract an epidemic. If they couldn't do it themselves, they entrusted it to professionals.
With this explanation, the others were less terrified than before, but recalling what they had just seen still made them shrink back. They categorized the corpse drivers as "extraordinary individuals." Only someone like Immortal Master Qingyi could deal with them; they, as ordinary mortals, should not interfere.
A moment later, the exchange outside concluded. Daoist Master Qingyi walked into the courtyard and informed them, "Those corpse drivers are merely performing a ritual outside the courtyard for now and will leave soon. During this time, living people should keep their distance."
"We'll definitely keep our distance! But... they won't come in, will they?" one team member asked cautiously.
"No," Wen Gu replied. He was more concerned about the things being "driven" outside coming in and spreading the epidemic. The corpse drivers were skilled and prepared, experienced in preventing epidemics. Others were not. It was best for everyone to maintain a safe distance. Having the Daoist Master act as a conspicuous decoy outside was also a way to see if it could attract attention. For instance, were there other survivors nearby who were watching? Even without night blindness, at night, with dim light and distant views making things unclear, the dazzling "ultimate move" displayed by the Daoist Master outside should have been visible.
With this thought, Wen Gu called the Daoist Master over and inquired about the information he had gathered. Daoist Master Qingyi was contemplating how to subtly evade Wen Gu's questions if he asked about the secret methods of corpse driving. Although he and the corpse drivers were competitors in some aspects of their "business," he believed in keeping certain "secret skills" to himself. If they were exposed, the other party might act recklessly, leading to mutual destruction. There were rules that shouldn't be broken; he wouldn't reveal them.
However, when he looked at Wen Gu, he realized that this "dog scholar" didn't seem particularly surprised. As he passed by the courtyard entrance, he merely glanced with some interest at certain details concerning the corpse drivers. Daoist Master Qingyi's eyelid twitched. "Seriously? You know this too?! Where exactly did you travel during your studies?!" The "dog scholar" was truly impossible to fool!
Wen Gu didn't ask the Daoist Master about the secret methods of corpse driving. What he wanted to know was who had hired these corpse drivers. Were they bringing bodies from afar, or was this a local job?
"It was people from the nearby Shiqiao Village who hired them," Daoist Master Qingyi said. "The ones who were repairing this courtyard. They're quite a distance from here." He had gathered some information from the corpse drivers. A few days ago, someone from Shiqiao Village had been attacked and died while gathering firewood outside. Furthermore, the corpse drivers had come from the south. During the dry season, many streams in this area had dried up. They were traveling north when they encountered people from Shiqiao Village and went to the village to replenish their water and rest for a few days. "Their dry rations ran out, and the villagers provided them with food. The village is suffering hardship now, with scarce food. These corpse drivers can only drink a little thin porridge each day. Under these conditions, they have no choice. In exchange, they have to bring the bodies of villagers who were attacked while outside to the village cemetery for burial. 'From south to north, they exchanged corpse driving for food, water, and a place to rest,' the Daoist Master said.
Wen Gu listened, thinking, "Corpse drivers can still undertake such dangerous work at this time and manage to survive and reach here. They are all talented individuals!"
"Arrangements!"
"What's the situation in Shiqiao Village?" Wen Gu asked.
"Shiqiao Village has a geographical advantage. The village originally had many people, and nearly two hundred have survived the chaotic times," the Daoist Master replied.
Wen Gu's spirits lifted. Two hundred people! Even if they could only bring a hundred over, their group would be on par with a team of two hundred. One hundred versus two hundred – in their current predicament, there was still a difference in the eyes of the Zhao family relatives! "Let's arrange it all!" The corpse drivers outside the courtyard, with their worldly eyes, were capable enough. Being able to rest at Shiqiao Village for a few days and taking on these jobs without bolting indicated that the villagers of Shiqiao Village were not entirely wicked people. They were suitable for recruitment.
After inquiring about the general location of Shiqiao Village, as well as the surrounding terrain and water sources, Wen Gu had a plan. They could rest near Shiqiao Village tomorrow around noon.
"Little Liu, come here, I have a task for you," Wen Gu summoned with a smile. Little Liu, who was regretting his performance that night, immediately went over when Wen Gu called him. Afterward, He Da and Yu Er were also called over to be assigned tasks.
After giving his instructions, Wen Gu looked up at the moon. The moon was beautiful tonight! Outside the courtyard, the corpse drivers, after a brief pause, completed their ritual and continued their journey towards the cemetery of Shiqiao Village, driving the corpses.
At the same time, not far away, several figures were stealthily observing everything. Once the corpse drivers resumed their journey, they also quickly left and ran back towards the village. It was still early before dawn. While the corpse drivers were still leisurely on the road, these figures had already returned to the village.
Shiqiao Village. The village chief had a restless night. He didn't completely trust the corpse drivers to transport the bodies and had sent people to follow them. Those young lads had the best eyesight; while others couldn't see anything at night, they could do many things in the dark. They had originally planned to wait a day or two until the brightest moon, when the moonlight was clearer. However, the corpse drivers mentioned taboos, saying they could only set off after sunset and not on a full moon night. They also asked them not to disturb them, citing reasons like attracting evil spirits. But how could one survive in these chaotic times without extra caution and suspicion? Therefore, they still sent people to follow and keep watch along the way. The cold wave from the north had lowered the night temperatures, so there was no need to worry too much about evil creatures. The villagers sent out knew this area like the back of their hands, where the pits were and which trees were where, so as long as they ate well, they could move quickly back and forth. They expected those young lads to return at dawn, but unexpectedly, they returned ahead of schedule and brought significant news!
"The small courtyard by the dirt slope has many people; they seem to have come from the south!" one person said, panting. Another added, "They have a Daoist priest with high magical abilities in their group!"
"Yes, with a whoosh, flames appeared!" Although they couldn't see clearly from a distance, the brief moment the Daoist priest conjured flames deeply shocked them, and they could tell he was a Daoist priest. Their focus was on the Daoist priest, but the village chief paid more attention to the group.
"If they are heading to Xin Prefecture, they might pass by our village," the village chief said. "Uh... what does that have to do with us? Chief, have you finally decided that we..." The person speaking made a gesture of killing. The village chief slapped him. "You can only think of that! Can you beat them?!" The village chief, with a somber face, ordered, "Prepare yourselves. Tomorrow, take a few people to exchange for supplies."
"But... what do we have to trade?" someone asked. They had no food or necessities themselves, and there wasn't even a tree around. They couldn't even consider taking their precious firewood for exchange. The village chief gave them a glare. "Well water!" If it were spring or summer, there might have been some streams in the area, but during the dry season, where would travelers get water outside? Those people were not cavalry; their speed was limited. Coming from afar, they would surely lack water. The village chief considered this and selected a few people.
"Chief, you said yourself that those who could reach here from the south are all formidable people. Please assign me a few more helpers." The person speaking stammered nervously.
"What are you afraid of? I'm not going to sell you!"