Jianghu Demolition Squad

Martial Arts Competition Under The Heavens (Part Twenty Eight)

As dusk fell, the sky blazed with fiery clouds, casting vast swathes of crimson clouds that stirred unease in the hearts of those who saw them.

With the grand banquet at the manor and the unveiling of the Fenghou Sword, nearly everyone planned to attend. Instructed by Qing Jiu, Gong Shang was the only one to head to the feast, leaving the rest of the disciples at their residence.

Not long after Gong Shang left, Qing Jiu also went out. When the others asked her where she was going, she merely said she was going for a walk.

Zixia was teaching a few disciples to play the zither in the courtyard, which Yu’er found intriguing, so Zixia taught her some basic music theory.

Hao Yun sat on the railing, leaning against a pillar with his saber in his arms. Qi Tianzhu stood with his arms crossed, almost blocking the entrance.

The sound of zither music echoed around them. Since the Qixian Palace residence was not far from the banquet hall, and the group had remarkable internal energy, they could faintly hear the sounds of lively conversation and drinking from the hall.

After about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Yu’er looked outside and remarked, “Why hasn’t Qing Jiu returned yet?”

Zixia said, “Miss Qing Jiu probably found the banquet interesting and went to join in the excitement.” Since Qin Gui had removed Qing Jiu’s disguise, all the disciples in the Qixian Palace had seen her true appearance and found her beauty unforgettable.

Just where had this group come from? Yu’er was a disciple of the Four Sages, Qing Jiu was treated with great respect by their own master, and they had ties to the Wuwei Palace, the Buddhist sects, and were entangled with the Xuhuai Valley. Their martial arts were extraordinary, and when one or two of them revealed their true appearances, they seemed like celestials. They were truly a group of remarkable individuals.

Along with the admiration, there was also a sense of reverence and concern for them.

Upon Yu’er’s casual inquiry, one of the disciples offered, “Miss Yu’er, if you’re worried, why don’t my senior brother and I go out and search for her?” Recently, there had been frequent incidents in the mountain manor. Fellow disciples had died, their corpses abandoned in the mountains, and even the bodies of the heroic figures who had campaigned against the Miaojiang in the past had been thrown back.

Last night, the guards watching over the bodies had also been killed, all struck down by a single fatal blow of internal injury. Everyone thought it was the Miao outlaws coming to demonstrate their power and seek revenge. If they were lurking in the manor, even though Mingjian Manor had nearly a thousand skilled masters, it would be like a dragon’s pool and a tiger’s den, with enemies and allies unclear.

The disciple thought Yu’er was worried that Qing Jdiu, alone outside, might face the same danger as those martial artists, which prompted his offer.

Yu’er then said, “There’s no need to trouble you. I think she must have been delayed by something.”

Just then, an odd noise arose around them. Hao Yun grunted in acknowledgment and stood up. Qi Tianzhu also looked outside.

Yu’er’s hand that was plucking the zither strings paused, and she slightly frowned.

Zixia asked, “Miss Yu’er, what’s wrong?”

Yu’er said, “Didn’t you hear it?”

Zixia listened intently, and soon, a chorus of insect sounds filled the air, strangely loud and dense, a phenomenon usually only heard in the height of summer, not in late autumn.

Yu’er said, “When strange things happen, there must be evil at work. Let’s go out and take a look.”

As the group approached the front gate, they suddenly heard a flurry of urgent footsteps. Hao Yun and Qi Tianzhu quickly intervened, one wielding a saber and the other a staff, positioning themselves in front of everyone as they stared down the approaching path.

A shadow darted from the left, swiftly closing the distance to just in front of them, followed by a group that seemed to be fleeing for their lives.

Yu’er exclaimed, “Mo Wen?!”

The person leading the way was none other than Mo Wen, but she was carrying someone in her arms—it was Bai Sang. Bai Sang’s left arm was wounded, stained with blood, but she still seemed spirited. With her right hand, she pounded on Mo Wen’s head, scolding, “You wretched girl, put me down!”

Yu’er looked puzzled.

Glancing behind the two, Yu’er saw a disheveled group of Xuhuai Valley disciples and asked in surprise, “What’s going on?”

Mo Wen said, “Those corpses… there’s something wrong with them…”

Before she could finish, a disciple of the Qixian Palace cried out in panic, “The… the corpses are coming back to life!”

Several martial disciples of the Xuhuai Valley behind Mo Wen’s group were fending off someone. When everyone looked, they saw that the people being blocked had a strange appearance, with deep purple skin all over their bodies, gaunt faces, and eyes rolled back in their heads. It was clearly a corpse!

Yet, this corpse moved like a living person, agile and coordinated in its movements as it fought with the Xuhuai Valley disciples, far from any ordinary dead man.

Hao Yun said, “These things… are they jiangshi?”

Mo Wen asked, “Where’s Qing Jiu?”

Yu’er replied, “Qing Jiu went out and hasn’t returned yet.”

Seeing that many of the Xuhuai Valley disciples were injured and knowing that they were not skilled in martial arts, Yu’er thought it crucial to protect them and to first understand the situation. She quickly told everyone, “Please, go inside and take shelter!”

Bai Sang was still pushing Mo Wen away, shouting, “You wretched girl, put me down!”

Mo Wen ducked her head and quickly set Bai Sang down.

Once Bai Sang saw that the place was filled mostly with Qixian Palace disciples and did not see Gong Shang, she was initially worried about leading trouble to Qixian Palace’s door, especially since these young disciples might not withstand it. However, seeing the Martial Champion Hao Yun present and Qi Tianzhu with his composed and robust demeanor, she felt somewhat relieved.

Although these people seemed connected to Mo Wen, Bai Sang prioritized the welfare of her disciples, all of whom were injured and lacked martial art skills. Without much consideration, she thanked Yu’er and led her disciples into the residence of Qixian Palace, where they sat on the floor in the hall and began tending to each other’s wounds.

Yu’er also quickly instructed Zixia to tell the disciples of the Qixian Palace not to act alone and to move in groups of at least two, guarding all the passages within the courtyard.

Zixia glanced outside, seeing the increasing number of walking corpses, and said, “Miss Yu’er, please be careful.”

Yu’er smiled, “Don’t worry, Uncle Qi and Brother Hao are here.”

Zixia went down to mobilize the Qixian Palace disciples, leaving only Yu’er, Qi Tianzhu, Hao Yun, and Mo Wen at the door. Outside on the road, a few Xuhuai Valley disciples were still resisting the walking corpses, gradually becoming overwhelmed.

Qi Tianzhu roared and charged forward to rescue them. Hao Yun brandished his zhanmadao and shouted, “Where did these demons and monsters come from, daring to cause trouble in front of your elder?” He also charged into the battle.

Yu’er noticed the strangeness of the walking corpse. How could there be such things appearing in Mingjian Manor for no reason? Yu’er asked, “Mo Wen, what’s going on?”

Mo Wen told her what happened after she went to the morgue. It turned out that after Yu’er was poisoned with a Gu last night, Mo Wen found it strange when she retrieved the Gu. Today, she went to test it with a Jin Gu, and found that not only had the people who disappeared from the mountain manor been poisoned with this Gu, but even the more than one hundred corpses that had mysteriously appeared in the mountains also had this Gu inside them.

However, the Gu inside those people could no longer be removed. This Gu parasites resided lived off the human host, feeding on their flesh and essence until maturity, which coincided with the host’s death.

This type of Gu reminded Mo Wen of a village she passed through on her way to Miaojiang, where the villagers suffered from a similar affliction, though slightly different. If asked what the difference was, it was that the Gu now seemed more mature, capable of controlling its hos

Mo Wen had been covertly checking for Gu in a corner, disguised and unnoticed by Bai Sang.

Realizing that all the corpses in the morgue were infected and fearing the implications if the insect noises could control not just the living but also the dead, Mo Wen was contemplating an excuse to lead the Xuhuai Valley disciples away when she heard the chilling sounds of insects. Upon checking, indeed, those bodies began to rise, moving as if they were alive…

Mo Wen warned Hao Yun and Qi Tianzhu, “These walking corpses are already dead. There is no qi circulating inside them, so acupoint strikes won’t work on them.”

Hao Yun and Qi Tianzhu’s hearts tightened. No wonder there was no reaction when they attacked the corpses’ acupoints earlier. Although these people had lost their internal energy, their moves were extremely fierce and swift, relying purely on brute force.

Yu’er looked around and frowned, “Someone is controlling these corpses. This isn’t working; to stop them, we need to capture the one who is controlling them.”

Mo Wen leapt onto the roof, listening intently, but all she could hear were the sounds of insects coming from every direction.

Yu’er shouted from below, “Mo Wen, go to the banquet hall and ask Manor Master Yan to send people to help.”

The number of walking corpse was increasing. Although Hao Yun and Qi Tianzhu had strong martial arts, it was difficult to fight against so many, and they also had to protect the Xuhuai Valley disciples in the house, which tied their hands and made it even more disadvantageous.

These walking coropses, despite being mere bodies without thoughts, only knowing to attack, clearly remembered their martial arts from when they were alive. Their techniques were quite methodical, not just random flailing. Moreover, these corpses did not feel pain or fatigue. Even if their shoulders were chopped open with a sword, they would continue to attack as if nothing had happened.

Continuing to fight like this was only becoming more disadvantageous.

Mo Wen leaped down from the roof and said, “I came to find Qing Jiu to talk about this matter. When we were on our way here, some of the reanimated corpse chased after us while others scattered all over the manor. I’m afraid the entire manor is infested with these corpses.” The banquet hall was naturally no exception.

Yu’er focused her hearing and indeed, the sounds coming from the direction of the banquet hall had become even more chaotic, with the clashing of weapons.

Mo Wen added, “It seems the banquet hall is under attack too, and…”

Yu’er looked at her. Mo Wen said, “It’s pitch black over there. It seems that there are more than just a hundred walking corpses in the manor…”

Qi Tianzhu and Hao Yun had already pulled all the disciples of the Xuhuai Valley out and brought them inside.

Now, over twenty walking coprses were besieging the two men outside, and they were starting to struggle.

Hao Yun cursed, “Damn it, what the hell are these things?”

He slashed a walking corpse in half at the waist, but to his surprise, the thing could still move. The upper half crawled over and hugged his legs. Another walking corpse wielding a large sword slashed at him. Hao Yun blocked, but the impact left his hands numb.

Although these corpses had no internal energy, they possessed unnatural brute strength, comparable to a martial artist with thirty years of profound internal cultivation.

In his life, Hao Yun had encountered countless enemies, but he had never fought against such strange beings.

Qi Tianzhu’s palm strike shattered a walking coprse’s chest, pulverizing its internal organs, yet it continued moving as if nothing happened. Qi Tianzhu couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat. He asked Mo Wen, “Sister Mo Wen, how exactly are we supposed to fight these things?”

Mo Wen said, “We can only burn them.” The Gu had merged with the corpses, which were nothing more than a bunch of moving flesh. Even if they were cut into a dozen pieces, as long as they received a command, they could still move. To destroy them, they had to be burned to ashes.

Yu’er turned to find people to gather wine and make torches. Upon entering the hall, most of the Xuhuai Valley disciples had already tended to their injuries. Hearing Yu’er’s intention, Bai Sang quickly directed the disciples: those skilled in martial arts went out to help resist the walking corpses, while the rest headed to the kitchen to gather wine and prepare torches.

As the sun set and the sky darkened, only a streak of red clouds in the west still glowed, casting the last of its light.

A chilling wind blew.

Several dark figures approached rapidly from the west. Everyone initially thought more walking corpses were approaching and braced themselves for a fight.

But as the figures drew closer and darted past the corpses directly into the hall, it became clear they were Yan Li and others.

Yan Li was originally at the Wuwei Palace’s residence. Jian Mobei had taken three young disciples to attend the banquet. Wei Ran, who was recuperating and avoided wine and didn’t enjoy the bustling atmosphere, had not attended and stayed in the courtyard. Yan Li and Jiang Ying had stayed behind to look after him.

The three martial siblings were chatting about the past when the walking corpses suddenly attacked. At first, they could still hold them off, but unexpectedly, the walking corpses were fearless of pain, didn’t get tired, and gathered in increasing numbers. Yan Li and Jiang Ying, also needing to protect Wei Ran, found themselves hard-pressed.

Unaware of what had exactly happened and worried about Yu’er and the others in Qixian Palace, Yan Li, carrying Wei Ran, and accompanied by Jiang Ying, fled here. Fortunately, the two places were close, but they hadn’t expected even more walking coaprses surrounding Qixian Palace.