Chapter 113: Joyful Wedding, Mourning Cry 44
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
“Damn it! How did it get to this extent?”
The official in charge held a talisman given to him by Taoist Song Yi in one hand and a farm tool in the other, guarding against the corpses climbing over the wall. The frightened villagers huddled behind him.
Due to a severe shortage of manpower, even this inexperienced official was pressed into service. Taoist Song Yi and Taoist Ma were outside the village head’s house, clearing out the corpses, while the official dealt with those that slipped through the cracks in the courtyard.
However, these corpses and skeletons pouring in continuously had no pain receptors. Unless their skulls were smashed, they would continue dragging their decaying bodies towards the villagers.
Many villagers had already been injured by the corpses and were now lying in agony in the village head’s living room. The convoy, having departed too early, had no idea that Jia Village would devolve into this situation. Instead of doctors usually present for handling such special events, forensic experts were accompanying them, prepared to conduct autopsies.
But forensic experts were no less capable than doctors. Using makeshift alcohol-soaked gauze and medications hastily assembled from the village head’s house, they skillfully treated the wounds of the injured.
“I can handle the wounds well, but there are too many bacteria on the corpses. I’m afraid the villagers who were injured by the corpses need to be immediately sent to the hospital for proper treatment. Otherwise, there’s a high risk of infection, which could lead to serious consequences.”
Forensic experts, accustomed to dealing with corpses year-round, were well aware of how dirty they could be. Even they had to be careful not to get scratched by the corpses during their usual work.
The forensic expert remembered when the senior forensic doctor who trained him had joked that there was no need to fear the corpses, as they wouldn’t suddenly rise up. Over the years, no matter how gruesome the corpses he encountered, he would silently reassure himself with these words.
But now…
The forensic expert surveyed the area within the walls, took a sharp breath, and realized he probably wouldn’t be sleeping tonight.
Teacher, are you a prophet? The corpses really have risen up now, and they’re actively attacking people.
He chuckled bitterly, thinking to himself.
The official in charge hastily glanced back at the villagers lying in the living room. Their once neat clothes were now wrinkled and stained with corpse water due to the urgent situation. But he couldn’t afford to focus on anything else; he just gritted his teeth and urged the forensic expert to handle the situation as best as possible. They would buy them some time.
Damn it! Of all times, my phone has no signal!
The official in charge was about to give instructions to the forensic expert when he suddenly noticed the forensic expert’s face go pale, eyes filled with fear. At the same time, he felt a cold sensation rapidly approaching behind him.
“Watch out!!!”
A cry of alarm.
Immediately, the official in charge felt someone tackle him to the side, a warm body landing heavily on his back.
Almost simultaneously, a pained grunt sounded from behind him, and he felt droplets of blood trickling down onto his neck.
Startled, the official in charge quickly turned around to see what was happening.
But he saw Yang Han, the son of the village head, block the attack from the corpse flying down from the wall for him, only to be stabbed in the heart by the corpse’s arm.
The blood falling on him was flowing from Yang Han’s chest.
“Get away from me!”
The official in charge’s pupils contracted, anger giving him a sudden surge of strength as he directly pressed the yellow talisman in his hand against the corpse behind Yang Han.
The corpse howled in retreat, burning into ashes.
The official in charge quickly supported the fallen Yang Han, while the forensic expert hurried over to check Yang Han’s injuries.
“Yang Han, Yang Han? What are you doing here?” The official in charge’s hands were trembling almost uncontrollably.
He had dealt with too many special incidents, and had gradually become accustomed to them, no longer fearing life and death. But now, for the first time in a long time, he felt fear creeping back in.
He feared Yang Han would die, feared he wouldn’t make it in time to save him.
But Yang Han showed no fear, only a relieved smile on his face.
He lifted his eyes, and with a mouthful of blood, he spoke.
“I deserve this punishment. Yang Duo hates me, I know.”
Yang Han smiled and continued, “Actually, every year when Yang Duo comes to Jia Village, I know she’s coming for me. I should redeem myself to her with my death. But I dare not. I’m afraid my father will be heartbroken, afraid Yang Guang and Yang Hua won’t live well. I have too many things I can’t let go of.”
The official in charge, dealing with the other corpses, frantically tried to cover Yang Han’s wound to slow the bleeding.
“Yang Han, don’t talk, save your strength! We’ll take you to the hospital immediately, hold on!”
But the wound was too severe.
The corpses were clearly aiming to kill Yang Han, piercing a large hole in his chest, revealing the blood vessels and pulsating muscles inside.
Yang Han was obviously aware of his condition. He shook his head and slowly reached out, grabbing the sleeve of the official in charge. “From the beginning, I was wrong. Everything started because of me, and I deserve this punishment. It’s only right for Yang Duo to come for revenge on me.”
“My death will appease Yang Duo’s resentment. After I die, she shouldn’t attack you and others anymore.”
Yang Han took a breath, paused for a moment, then lifted his lips, which were rapidly losing color, and smiled. “It’s good. I’ve been avoiding her for decades, and now I finally have to face her.”
The official’s movements slowly froze as he looked at Yang Han, incredulously saying, “Are you saying… all those corpses outside are because of Yang Duo?”
“It’s always been her, it’s always been her.” Yang Han’s pupils gradually dilated, but he continued to murmur, “The one I loved, it’s always been her. All the joy and pain, it’s all because of her.”
When that little girl ran over with a smile back then, he felt like the whole world lit up. But he was too cowardly, always afraid to respond to her, thinking there was plenty of time, they could take it slow, get married, have children, and he would take her away from Wangzi Village to live happily in Jia Village, in a peaceful and blissful life.
But…
The world turned dark.
When Yang Duo died, all his life went with her.
He survived only because his old father held his hand, tears streaming down his face, saying he didn’t want to see a father bury his son.
But now, it’s time.
The official in charge watched helplessly as Yang Han’s breath grew weaker, while the forensic expert worked urgently on the wound.
As Taoist Ma and Taoist Song Yi exerted themselves, their strength gradually waned, and the swings of their peach wood swords slowed down.
More and more corpses took advantage of this gap to cross the line of defense set by the two Taoist priests, climbing over the walls of the village head’s house.
Taoist Ma felt anxious but had no solution.
Just then, a violent tremor spread from the side to underfoot, causing the earth to shake.
Taoist Ma forcibly stabilized his posture and looked up in astonishment—
Behind the Moon Mountain, a dazzling golden light gradually emerged, illuminating the entire area as brightly as daylight.
“Taoist Song! Look…” Taoist Ma hurriedly turned back to ask Taoist Song Yi for advice, only to find him frowning and looking around vigilantly.
He followed his gaze and saw that as the golden light emerged, the corpses besieging them all disintegrated into powder in an instant.
When Taoist Ma looked over, all he could see was the white powder gradually being blown away by the night wind.
“What… What just happened?” Taoist Ma was stunned.
However, Taoist Song Yi had a rough idea of what had happened. He looked up, as if trying to see beyond Moon Mountain, towards the neighboring Family Tomb Village.
“Junior Brother Yan is there.”
He said solemnly yet reassuringly, “With Junior Brother Yan there, anything seems possible.”
At the same time, the anxious audience waiting in front of the disconnected livestream suddenly heard two crackling sounds of electric currents coming from the screen.
Then, the screen suddenly flashed to life.
Audience: “!!!”
On the screen, everyone captured by the camera was lying on the table or on the ground in various positions, seemingly unconscious as if asleep.
The main screen flickered black several times, as if something was affecting its power stability.
Then, all viewers saw a tall figure slowly emerging from a short distance away.
The man had a stern yet handsome face, with a sharp jawline, thin lips pressed into a straight line, and cold, sharp, narrow eyes.
More striking than his handsomeness was his imposing presence. Even from a distance, ordinary people would feel their eyes stinging and instinctively lower their heads in fear.
At this moment, within the muscular and powerful arms of the man, lay the body of a man, cradled with utmost care, as if he held the world’s most precious treasure. No one could harm him in the slightest, not even himself.
As he lowered his gaze to the person in his arms, his initially cold eyes softened, filled with tender smiles.
The body was covered in wounds, drenched in blood, yet its eyes remained closed, devoid of consciousness.
It was Yan Shixun.
The audience was stunned, unsure of what was happening. Just before the screen went black, Yan Shixun was still talking to Yang Tu, with others either sleeping or interacting with the split screens.
But now, except for this unfamiliar man, everyone seemed to have lost consciousness.
It was as if everyone had fallen under a sleeping curse, their souls transported to another world.
As soon as someone mentioned it, sharp-eyed viewers immediately noticed Yang Tu lying on the ground in the corner of the main screen, seemingly ignored by the unfamiliar man who had just lifted Yan Shixun.
Audience: “…Who’s this cool dude? Could he be Brother Yan’s wife?”
Unaware of the events outside, Yan Shixun’s consciousness returned to his body in an instant, and all the pain engulfed him, causing him to groan in agony, gasping for air.
A soft chuckle echoed from above.
“So, as I told you, why did you not let me help you? If you control the power yourself and project it into the illusion, your injuries will become real. Does it hurt?”
Yan Shixun blinked, only now realizing that something was amiss.
It seemed like he wasn’t lying on a bed or on the ground, but in someone’s embrace!
His muscles tensed instantly, disregarding his own injuries as he instinctively tried to flip over and stand back on the ground.
But the man holding him showed no intention of stopping him, instead, he carefully supported him to prevent any strain on his wounds.
As Yan Shixun stepped onto the ground, his body swayed, nearly losing balance due to dizziness.
Ye Li immediately reached out, his strong arms encircling Yan Shixun’s waist, skillfully avoiding his abdominal wound.
“You’ve just escaped from the world controlled by the fake Yin God, and your soul hasn’t fully adapted to your body yet. There’s no need to rush,” Ye Li remarked, noticing Yan Shixun’s constant vigilance.
Ye Li, seeing Yan Shixun’s perpetual guard, reassured him with a smile, “Don’t worry, I’m not a threat to you. With me here, you won’t be in any danger. You can rest assured and recuperate.”
Though Yan Shixun had just regained consciousness, his mind never ceased to operate.
He remembered it vividly, everything was traceable until the night when everything started to go wrong after he saw the corpses and went to find Yang Tu.
Skeletons, blood moon, lantern-carrying villagers…
It seemed he had reached the time node when he entered Yang Duo’s world.
Yan Shixun immediately pulled out his phone.
The interface sprang to life again, the signal restored, and notifications from his private account popped up like reminders from the afterlife. At the top, the time showed 12:06.
It was the same halted time node he had noticed in Yang Duo’s world.
Under his gaze, the time slowly ticked to 12:07.
Yan Shixun raised his brows seriously as he looked up at Ye Li, “So, Yang Duo has taken the souls of all of us out of our bodies and into her controlled world?”
Ye Li nodded gently, “Yes, in that realm, death means the death of the soul, with no return. But when did you realize it? The power of the fake Yin God is comparable to reality.”
Yan Shixun lifted his phone, “Two different colored moons, the farmstay and village frozen in time six months ago, the stopped time, the different time I experienced compared to Zhang Wubing, and most importantly, what Yang Yun said.”
——’Your bodies are still sleeping in the farmstay.’
Normal people wouldn’t phrase it like that.
“But how about the others?” Yan Shixun attempted to walk towards the room where the guests were, wanting to check on everyone’s safety.
However, as soon as he took a step, he hissed in pain, his body almost unable to move due to the intense pain.
Yan Shixun’s shoulders and collarbones were pierced by Yang Duo, akin to the ancient punishment of threading a pipa bone with iron chains. In such a condition, his ability to still raise his hand spoke volumes about his incredible willpower. He even managed to override his own protective mechanisms, controlling his muscles with astonishing ease.
Especially with several holes in his abdomen and thighs, the wound on his thigh grazed past the femoral artery, narrowly avoiding death by hemorrhagic shock.
Most people would have been writhing in agony on a hospital bed with such injuries. Yet Yan Shixun transformed all his pain into the adrenaline of battle, only now beginning to feel weakness due to severe exhaustion.
Ye Li reached out, slipping his arm under Yan Shixun’s armpit, allowing him to lean on his body for support.
He didn’t stop Yan Shixun’s actions. He knew exactly what kind of person Yan Shixun was, and it was precisely that which captivated him, making it hard for him to look away. So, he wouldn’t interfere with Yan Shixun.
Instead, he would conserve Yan Shixun’s energy in a discreet manner.
— He would first prepare all the answers Yan Shixun wanted to know, ensuring that everything Yan Shixun considered his responsibility was properly arranged.
“Don’t worry, everyone’s souls have returned safely to their bodies. Those who weren’t targeted by the fake Yin God will just think they had a very realistic nightmare. Only the unskilled Taoist, due to severe injury nearing death, will remember the memories of death, causing headaches for a few days.”
Ye Li sighed somewhat helplessly, “Of all the people, you were the only one injured, and the most severely at that.”
“Yan Shixun, take care of yourself a bit,” his voice almost sighed.
Yan Shixun had intended to push Ye Li away, but his body was nearly exhausted, muscles trembling so much he couldn’t stand steadily. He reluctantly leaned on Ye Li for the time being.
Fortunately, Ye Li’s skin felt pleasantly cool, likely due to his constitution, not the discomfort Yan Shixun had imagined. Moreover, Ye Li’s towering figure was as sturdy as a mountain, effortlessly supporting Yan Shixun even when he leaned his full weight against him.
As Yan Shixun’s tense muscles gradually relaxed, he glanced at Ye Li and uttered a noncommittal “Hmm,” without argument.
A smile crept into Ye Li’s eyes.
If you love what Ciacia is doing, then consider showing your support by supporting a cup of tea for her at Kofi. If you can’t wait for the next release chapter, subscribe to advanced chapters membership on her Kofi to get access to up to 10 chapters!
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
