Chapter 57 – Corpse Puppet

Corpse Puppet? Wasn’t it supposed to be a Three Corpses worm? Wei Yang’s heart skipped a beat, and a cold sweat broke out on his back. Just by looking at the Little Celestial Master’s expression, he knew that the thing lying on the bed was no easy opponent. But with wolves in front and tigers behind, the tomb raiders were still watching at the door, leaving him no time to think too much!

His expression remained unchanged as he pulled out a small package from his pocket and handed it to Sun Muhua beside him: “Woody, go and sprinkle the Red Nitre by the door to prevent the evil energy from leaking out.”

At this moment, Sun the Otaku’s legs were already trembling, and his face had turned ashen, looking as if he was about to collapse. Wei Yang had no time to comfort him. After shoving the package into his hands, he turned his serious gaze toward the bandit leader standing at the door: “Master Miao, how long has this person been like this?”

Miao Yun’s expression was grim. He had also heard Zhang Xiuqi’s words earlier. What exactly was a “Corpse Puppet,” and what was going on? When Wei Yang asked, he gritted his teeth and replied, “Almost a week. It wasn’t this bad before.”

Wei Yang frowned: “Only a week? Were there others who showed similar symptoms before?”

“Yes, two people died,” Miao Yun’s face turned even uglier. “But it wasn’t the same as the boss. One of them suddenly overate and died, and the other went mad.”

Wei Yang’s heart relaxed a little. If someone died from overeating, it meant this was still related to the Three Corpses. His thoughts moved quickly, and he pressed on with urgency: “Did all the people affected go into the tomb and touch the corpse? And was the tomb from before the Han Dynasty?”

These two questions hit the nail on the head. Miao Yun’s forehead was beaded with sweat: “…That’s right. It’s an Eastern Han tomb. The two who died went into the tomb, and my boss was the one who handled the goods.”

That settled it! The first two Three Corpses had come from Han tombs, so these tomb raiders must have encountered the Middle Corpse, Peng Zhi. But something must have gone wrong, causing the corpse worms to mutate, which led to what Brother Qi called a “Corpse Puppet.” Wei Yang’s expression grew even more serious, and he said coldly, “You’ve really gotten yourselves into a big mess this time. No wonder there were evil spirits at Sunshine Hospital. But now the evil energy has taken root in this person, and it’s not as easy to deal with as it was at Sunshine…”

He paused for a moment, then decisively said, “Go and prepare some cinnabar and white glutinous rice, a rooster weighing more than nine catty, preferably a local Yellow Chicken. Also, fetch some living water from underground. If you have any Killing Blades, bring a few of those too.”

“Killing Blades?” Miao Yun understood the first few items, but what was a Killing Blade? A knife that had killed someone?

“They’re weapons dug up from tombs, preferably ancient swords or knives that have been used to kill people. The more people they’ve killed, the stronger the evil energy they contain, making them very effective for dispelling evil,” Wei Yang answered seriously, and this time he wasn’t bluffing. Killing Blades were indeed an important ritual instrument, just like the dagger the Little Celestial Master always carried. Though he didn’t know the origin of the short sword, it was clearly a well-preserved ancient weapon. Master Chizhi had also mentioned it before, leaving a deep impression on him. The tomb raiders might not have copper coins from the Hongwu era, but they might have such valuable swords and knives.

Miao Yun immediately understood and couldn’t help but glance at the dagger in Zhang Xiuqi’s hand. The sky had already darkened, and the room was unlit, but the sharp blade reflected a cold, eerie light, seemingly unaffected by the night, exuding a chilling aura. He had never thought that weapons dug from tombs could have such a use. Nodding, he began to wonder if he should keep a few for himself as a precaution.

The Yingmen Pestles had all been thrown down, and Wei Yang easily noticed the changes in the expressions of the bandits. He immediately followed up with another blow: “In the past few days, who else has come into contact with this person? Evil energy can be contagious. Anyone who has touched him, especially those who touched the yellow fluid on his face, must be isolated. We’ll help dispel the evil energy after dealing with the main issue. Also, are there any virgins in the courtyard? If their birth dates are suitable, they can stand guard outside. Anyone who has been with a woman must stay away.”

The previous sentences had only made the bandits uneasy, but this time, as soon as he finished speaking, most of the people outside the door scattered in a panic. Even Miao Yun nervously clenched his fingers: “What if someone has been with a woman…”

Wei Yang frowned: “Today is the third day of the lunar month, when the three souls and seven spirits are most unstable. Anyone who has been with a woman, especially in the past few days, must not come near the building. As for the others, their birth dates must be carefully checked to ensure they don’t have any yin energy!”

His tone was extremely stern, and everyone present felt their hearts pounding. These were all desperate men—how could they have avoided women? Many of them had been with women just that morning. Some even started touching their faces, as if afraid they had been contaminated with the deadly yellow fluid. Two of them, who had been taking care of the boss’s daily needs, were almost collapsing, shouting hoarsely at Miao Yun, “Brother Miao, what should we do?”

Miao Yun, after all, was the second-in-command of the criminal group and quickly regained his composure: “Master Wei, don’t worry. We’ll verify what you’ve said as soon as possible. But what about my boss? Is there still hope?”

Wei Yang thought for a moment before answering, “It’s hard to say now. We’ll need to see how powerful this Corpse Puppet is.” Then he barked at Sun Muhua, who was still standing there dumbfounded, “Woody, why haven’t you sprinkled the Red Nitre yet? Go and sprinkle it along the walls by the doors and windows!”

This shout startled Sun Muhua so much that he shuddered, nearly dropping the paper package in his hands. But no matter how much of a shut-in he was, he knew the situation was critical. After swallowing hard several times, he finally opened the package with trembling hands and began sprinkling the powder by the door. As soon as the red powder touched the ground, the figure on the bed—the boss—suddenly twitched. The bloated belly under the blanket began to writhe, as if something was about to burst out of it.

With a loud thud, most of the people at the door immediately backed away. Even the filial son, Wang Wei, couldn’t help but turn pale: “What’s going on? I thought he only started acting up at night…”

Wei Yang’s expression also changed slightly: “This is bad. The yin energy here is too strong. Anyone who has any taboos on them, get downstairs now! Master Miao, the things I asked for—”

“I’ll send someone to get them right away!” Miao Yun’s voice was almost strained as he roared at the people around him, “What are you all standing around for? Get downstairs now!”

With the boss’s order, no one dared to stay. They all turned and rushed downstairs. Wang Wei, being a bit braver, stubbornly said, “I’m staying! Damn it, I haven’t been with a woman in days. What’s there to fear?”

Wei Yang frowned: “Are you related to this person?”

“He’s my father! What about it?” Wang Wei’s eyebrows shot up as he shouted.

“Blood attracts blood,” Wei Yang answered calmly. “Corpse Puppets are a type of ghost fetus. When they act up, they’re most likely to harm their relatives. If you want to stay, that’s fine, but at least wash your hands and feet with glutinous rice water and douse yourself with chicken blood.”

Miao Yun immediately grabbed Wang Wei’s arm: “Wei, don’t be impulsive! Come downstairs with me first and prepare. You can come back later.” Then he nodded to Wei Yang, “Master Wei, we’ll go prepare the things now. As for here…”

“My senior brother and I also need to make some preparations. We’ll need to observe how he acts up to determine the best way to deal with it. Go and prepare. You can come back up later.”

Seeing that Master Wei’s response was calm and methodical, Miao Yun’s anxiety was slightly relieved. Even if they weren’t guarding the door, there were still plenty of people downstairs. It wasn’t like these two could escape. With that thought, he no longer hesitated and pulled Wang Wei downstairs.

Once the bandits had all left the fourth floor, Wei Yang dashed to Sun Muhua’s side and handed him a string of copper coins: “Wear this! It can ward off evil.” Then he took the paper package from his hands and carefully sprinkled a line of powder along the doorframe. Finally, he looked up at the “Corpse Puppet” lying on the bed.

At this moment, the humanoid monster had stopped moving, as if the disturbance caused by the yang energy had subsided. Wei Yang let out a sigh of relief. What he had given Sun Muhua wasn’t Red Nitre but just ordinary cinnabar powder, a special product from Jieshui Studio. He had been worried that using the wrong ritual instrument might cause an unexpected reaction. Fortunately, the powder hadn’t caused any major issues. Now that the bandits were finally out of the way, he didn’t hesitate any longer. Grabbing Zhang Xiuqi’s arm, he asked in a low voice, “Brother Qi, what exactly is this Corpse Puppet? Isn’t it the Three Corpses causing trouble?”

The moment Wei Yang’s hand gripped his arm, the restlessness in Zhang Xiuqi’s body immediately calmed. Slowly sheathing his dagger, he answered word by word, “It’s Peng Zhi. Also, a corpse evil.”

Wei Yang immediately understood: “You mean the corpse that spawned the Three Corpses worms has also gone wrong, causing this evil to manifest as a Corpse Puppet?”

Zhang Xiuqi nodded: “Peng Zhi is berserk. Corpse evil has possessed him. It’s in his belly. Extremely dangerous.”

For the Little Celestial Master to describe something as “extremely dangerous” was rare. With Master Chizhi not around and a group of thugs forcing them to deal with this evil, Wei Yang frowned and thought for a moment before asking the crucial question: “Is there any way to drive out whatever’s in his belly? Preferably something that’ll make those bastards outside suffer a bit…”

Zhang Xiuqi’s cold face showed a hint of hesitation. After a long pause, he finally said, “That would require… a Forbidden Formation.”