In the dim light, Forsaken Phoenix and Flowerless Butterfly faced a corpse that stood by the mountain path. Neither of them made a move.
Rao Shuang held her breath and focused, not daring to be careless as she quietly observed the lively corpse's unnatural stiffness. Her hand still twinged from her brief encounter with it, so she knew it was formidable. She quietly asked the man beside her, "That thing doesn’t fear pain... Should we shake it off?"
Tang Jinnian ignored her and kept stroking his chin, squinting his eyes as he carefully observed the lively corpse ahead, mumbling to himself, "How does that thing work?"
Rao Shuang didn't have to get upset over being ignored because the decaying corpse opposite suddenly crouched down and then leapt forward, like a tiger pouncing on its prey.
Rao Shuang was about to dodge out of the way when a hand pressed on her shoulder, and Tang Jinnian whispered in her ear, "Don’t move. Let me catch it and take a closer look."
As soon as the words were spoken, another shadow emerged from the darkness and crashed into the lively corpse. The two rolled into a tangle. Rao Shuang focused her eyes and realized that the second figure was a puppet.
The puppet held the lively corpse around its waist, while the corpse's hands reached out to choke the puppet. The puppet, in turn, allowed itself to be choked and quickly reached out with both hands, grasping the lively corpse’s crown and chin.
When the puppet's hands twisted, the corpse’s head spun in a full circle.
"Hmm?!" A confused exclamation shot from the darkness.
Tang Jinnian smirked as he looked toward the direction of the voice coldly. "Got you..."
Before he could finish speaking, Rao Shuang had already darted forward, her sleeves fanned out like the wings of a butterfly as she charged in that direction. Sounds of battle immediately erupted in the darkness.
The lively corpse's neck was nearly twisted into a knot, yet it could still move. It managed to break free from the puppet’s hold and attempted to intercept Flowerless Butterfly, who was fighting in the forest.
However, the puppet grabbed its right arm, and the lively corpse swung its left hand to strike the puppet’s face.
The puppet did not dodge, allowing the punch to land heavily on its face. It then locked the lively corpse's right arm behind its back with a twist. With a crack, the corpse's right arm hung limply by its side.
The pitiless puppet rolled to avoid the corpse's kick, and before it could rise, it executed a sweeping kick that toppled the corpse to the ground.
The puppet then stepped on the lively corpse's waist, pinning its remaining left arm, and twisted it back with another crack, breaking the left arm too.
Seeing that the lively corpse was still struggling to get up, Tang Jinnian frowned, moved his fingers slightly, and broke its two legs as well.
The battle between the puppet and the corpse was quickly decided.
"Stop! I surrender!" A voice came from the direction Rao Shuang was charging at. Tang Jinnian glanced over and saw that she was approaching him with someone in tow.
Rao Shuang walked over, holding a person in her hand, while Tang Jinnian crouched on the ground, closely examining the corpse. The corpse had been struggling just moments ago but was now still.
Sensing the two approaching, Tang Jinnian looked up at the person.
He had a shifty, rat-like face and was dressed in a strange black and green Daoist robe. His hairstyle was only common among Daoist priests.
Tang Jinnian immediately laughed. "So you’re a Daoist?"
With a furtive look, the man glanced at Tang Jinnian and fearfully replied, "Yes... Yes, I am a Daoist."
"Are you a disciple of the Five Gods Summit?" Tang Jinnian asked.
"Um... I am a minor Daoist and a patrolling disciple of the Five Gods Summit." The man hesitantly glanced at the corpse on the ground.
"Is this yours?" Tang Jinnian pointed at the now motionless corpse on the ground and asked, "Why isn’t it moving?"
"Unless I control it... it can’t move," the rat-faced Daoist quickly answered.
"What exactly is this thing?" Tang Jinnian tapped the corpse’s skull with his pipe. "Why can a dead body still move?"
The Daoist looked around nervously, as if trying to avoid the topic.
"What? Don’t want to talk?" Tang Jinnian stood up and dusted himself off. He looked at the Daoist with a smile. "Do you want to die?"
These words made the Daoist’s hair stand on end. He quickly gave in and shouted, "No, no! I’ll tell you!"
"Then hurry up and say it!" Rao Shuang’s brows furrowed, and she stepped on the Daoist’s leg, causing him to kneel.
"This... this is what we call a lively corpse..." The Daoist, trembling on the ground, said, "It was originally just an ordinary dead body. After being refined with the secret method of the Five Gods Summit, it becomes extremely hard. With the addition of internal qi, I can control it like my own limbs..."
Perplexed, Tang Jinnian asked, "So it's controlled by internal qi? Doesn’t that make it easy for others to steal?"
"Of course not," The Daoist raised his head confidently and said, "The way internal qi operates within each lively corpse is known only to its master. Even if someone steals it, they won’t be able to use it."
Forsaken Phoenix nodded thoughtfully.
"This... This young master." The raf-faced Daoist looked up hopefully at Tang Jinnian.
Tang Jinnian looked up from the corpse and gave him a cursory glance.
The Daoist chuckled awkwardly. "If there’s nothing else... could you maybe... could you let me go?"
"His martial skills are mediocre. He probably doesn't have a high status in the Five Gods Summit," Rao Shuang chimed in.
Tang Jinnian smiled, "Letting you go is possible, but..."
"But what?" The Daoist’s eyes lit up as he eagerly begged, "Please, young master, I’ll do anything!"
"But you must first take me to the gate of your Five Gods Summit." Tang Jinnian stared at the Daoist and finished slowly.
Upon hearing this, the Daoist’s face changed instantly.
"Young master... if they find out... Wouldn't I definitely lose my life?"
"That's possible..." Tang Jinnian tilted his head, his tone icy. "But do you think you can just walk away now?"
The Daoist’s face turned ashen, and he collapsed to the ground in despair.
"What? Will you lead me or not?" Tang Jinnian looked down at him, like a cat watching a mouse squirming beneath its claws.
"I’ll..." the Daoist gulped visibly and decided. "I’ll lead you!"