Chapter Six: The Corpse Fiend

The two of them walked through a stone forest, joking and laughing. The stone pillars in this forest had all been carved into fierce, grotesque faces. When they first entered, Song Nianqiang was a little shocked; to complete such a vast project must have cost a fortune.

“Hey, Qiangzi, if we become famous in the ghost-hunting world, do you think we can drive luxury cars, live in mansions, and have beautiful women around us?” the fat man fantasized aloud.

“In your dreams! The number one taboo in ghost hunting is extravagance! If you become a celebrity in the ghost-hunting world, living in a small townhouse would already be considered pretty good!” Song Nianqiang wasn’t trying to dampen his friend’s enthusiasm; he was simply stating the facts. Unless you’re wealthy enough, like the old man, to build a palace deep in the mountains, that kind of life is impossible.

The old man, after all, was comparable to a master ghost hunter. Everyone in the ghost-hunting world knew his name, and even he didn’t know how much money he had—just a lot, that’s for sure.

“But I still like Jiang Ningzhi best! I’d rather spend my whole life with her!” Song Nianqiang couldn’t forget the matter of the love letter. He always felt like an ugly duckling in front of Jiang Ningzhi. Still, he believed that someday the ugly duckling would become a swan, and after learning ghost hunting, he felt renewed hope of winning her heart.

“Look at you, so hopeless!” the fat man scoffed. He placed the flashlight beneath his chin and intoned dramatically, “Young friend, seeing your devotion, allow this handsome ghost to bestow upon you a treasure that will make your dream lover fall for you!”

“Get lost!” Song Nianqiang laughed and cursed, then draped an arm around the fat man’s neck and asked suspiciously, “After five years in elementary and four years in middle school, I’ve never seen you like a girl. Are you sure your preferences aren’t a little off?” After he finished, Song Nianqiang laughed wickedly. The fat man played along, using his chubby hand to stroke Liu Xiaohun’s chest. “Oh, you devil, you really guessed right!” Hearing the fat man’s effeminate tone, Song Nianqiang nearly vomited up yesterday’s dinner.

“We’re almost out of this stone forest. Who knows what monsters or ghosts are waiting ahead.” He shone the flashlight forward, and Song Nianqiang saw the end of the stone forest. “To hell with it! Anyone who dares block my way will be killed!” The fat man strutted forward, marching like a general.

They walked out of the stone forest without encountering any ghosts. Song Nianqiang was puzzled when suddenly a ghostly shadow flickered where his flashlight shone. He and the fat man exchanged a knowing smile. This time, however, it would be harder than before—the ghost knew how to dodge.

“Looks like we’ve met a real opponent!” Song Nianqiang placed his flashlight on a stone pillar to free his hands for forming incantation gestures. Although the Maoshan Daoist Techniques included single-handed gestures, Song Nianqiang hadn’t had time to learn them; he had only barely mastered the basics of the two-handed ones.

The fat man set down his backpack and pulled out his own hand-drawn talismans, keeping a close watch on their surroundings. Since everything they did was being observed, Song Nianqiang was sure that as long as he stayed put, the ghost would come for him.

Sure enough, a ghost with three eyes and covered in black fur suddenly appeared to Song Nianqiang’s right. The moment it showed itself, it was struck by Song Nianqiang’s Five Thunder Curse. The fat man quickly moved behind the ghost and slapped a talisman onto its back.

The ghost winced in pain and tried to retreat, but the fat man swiftly pulled three more talismans from his pocket and pressed them onto the ghost’s body. Song Nianqiang seized the opportunity to cast another Five Thunder Curse, hitting the ghost squarely between the eyes.

Although this was a particularly vicious fur ghost, one that specialized in eating the hearts of people and animals, with Song Nianqiang and the fat man’s precise teamwork, it was dispatched in less than a few minutes. Watching the ghost dissolve into smoke and disappear, the fat man laughed heartily. “See? I told you—anyone who dares block my way gets obliterated!” His expression was smug.

“Yeah, right! You, a general? Look at all that flab!” Song Nianqiang scoffed, but the fat man was unfazed, instead taking pride in his bulk. “This is the look of a distinguished person! What do you know!” He shouldered his backpack and continued onward with Song Nianqiang.

By their calculations, they had been here for over a week, and the start of high school was approaching. Though they came here to learn ghost-hunting skills, they couldn’t neglect their studies, so the old man watching them on the monitor said to the technicians, “Let them see what a corpse fiend really is!”

A corpse fiend is a type of zombie, but since modern corpses must be cremated, finding a genuine zombie in an ancient tomb requires expertise in feng shui. Thus, people use corpse fiends as substitutes for zombies.

Though not authentic zombies, corpse fiends are still formidable—covered in blue fur, with long claws. This particular corpse fiend’s teeth had been filed down; otherwise, if it bit a student, the consequences would be dire.

After leaving the stone forest, Song Nianqiang and the fat man came to a graveyard. Judging by its appearance, it had been there for years; the tombstones were ancient, and the graves stood tall. The graveyard was full of creatures resembling fireflies, only their glow was several times brighter, so they could see clearly without their flashlights.

The ground was overgrown with weeds, making their footsteps uneven. It was a vast graveyard, and soon the two were dizzy from wandering around. They sat on a tombstone to rest when Song Nianqiang suddenly heard a sound, growing louder and louder—a steady thumping. “Damn!” he muttered as the tombstone beneath his feet shook, and he quickly jumped off.

He hurried aside, both he and the fat man looking on as if facing a formidable enemy. No ordinary ghost could muster such strength, and from movies they knew this was the kind of scene where the legendary zombie appears.

Sure enough, a furry claw emerged from beneath the tombstone. “Damn! Fatty, we hit the jackpot today! We actually ran into a zombie!” At this moment, Song Nianqiang and the fat man couldn’t tell the difference between a corpse fiend and a zombie. The two weren’t even on the same level; if it were a real zombie, not even the old man might be a match for it, let alone novices like Song Nianqiang.

“While it’s still not out—” Song Nianqiang and the fat man, perfectly in sync, quickly found a large stone and rushed to the corpse fiend, whose body was halfway out of the tombstone, smashing its head with all their might.

Watching their actions on the big screen, the old man groaned, “My corpse fiend!” But it was too late to regret; once the bow is drawn, there’s no turning back. The old man’s corpse fiend was a lost cause.

Corpse fiends may not be zombies, but their bodies are still exceptionally tough. Song Nianqiang smashed it several times but failed to do any real damage, though he managed to stop it from climbing out any further. “Fatty! Find a bigger stone, crush the damn thing!” Song Nianqiang kept hammering the corpse fiend’s head with the stone while shouting to the fat man, who was holding talismans nearby.

Upon hearing Song Nianqiang’s command, the fat man quickly disappeared. Song Nianqiang waited nearly ten minutes with no sign of him, thinking something might have happened, but soon realized the fat man was exerting all his strength to roll over a stone pillar the size of a millstone.

“Holy hell! Where did you find that?!”

Seeing such a massive stone, Song Nianqiang’s heart trembled. Thinking about the stone crushing the corpse fiend beneath his feet, he couldn’t help but feel the fat man was a bit ruthless.

“Qiangzi—lift your foot!”

The fat man’s face was bright red as he finally rolled the big stone over. He released it, and the stone pressed down on the corpse fiend. There was a loud crunch, and Song Nianqiang reckoned the corpse fiend had been reduced to a meat patty.

The technicians watching the monitor couldn’t help but laugh at the pair’s antics. These two didn’t follow any conventional methods; it was the first time they’d heard of using a giant stone to crush a corpse fiend, but admittedly, it was an effective solution. As for the old man, he wore a bitter expression, knowing this corpse fiend had cost him a pretty penny at auction.

“Ha ha—mission accomplished!” Song Nianqiang clapped his hands after hearing the crunch, looking like a victorious general. The fat man had already pulled out his food and begun to eat, claiming it was “to replenish energy.”