Chapter 103: Corpse-Killing Needles
He Yin was furious and was about to give chase when suddenly a sharp pain shot through his shoulder. Qin Mu had used the scabbard to recall the Shaobao Sword. Although the strike wasn't particularly powerful, the Shaobao Sword was incredibly sharp, piercing his shoulder blade and leaving a gaping hole in his shoulder!
He Yin endured the pain, taking out various jade bottles. He first applied a hemostatic medicine (zhi xue yao), then medicine to heal broken bones and promote regeneration, and finally a salve to regenerate flesh. The intense pain was almost unbearable.
Behind him, a flying corpse was scooping medicine from a jar and applying it to the neck of another flying corpse whose head Qin Mu had severed. It then picked up the head and placed it on the medicated neck.
The head wobbled and made cracking sounds, but it had been put on backward, facing behind it.
The flying corpse performing the "treatment" seemed oblivious, moving to the bisected flying corpse, piecing its body together, and smearing it with the foul-smelling ointment.
Even when decapitated or split in half, these flying corpses wouldn't "die." As long as the Corpse Immortal Sect's ointment was applied and the severed limbs reattached, they could still hop around lively. It was truly remarkable.
The Corpse Immortal Sect was skilled in handling corpses; they indeed had their unique methods.
Suddenly, sounds of breaking air came, and several Corpse Immortal Sect disciples quickly arrived beside He Yin. One female disciple asked in surprise, "Senior Brother He Yin, you're injured? Is that kid very strong?"
"Not strong."
He Yin's face was ashen. He gritted his teeth and said, "He's at most in the Five Radiance Realm, but his cultivation base is solid, and his movement technique is very strange. He's proficient in sword control and spells. He has a precious sword whose scabbard can automatically recall the flying sword, and this sword is extremely sharp—my flying corpses can't block it! His injuries are also severe; he shouldn't have gotten far!"
The many Corpse Immortal Sect disciples were startled. The female disciple said, "If he's proficient in sword control and spells, then he probably has little skill in combat techniques. Let's chase him down, capture him, and hand him over to the Sect Leader for judgment!"
Over a dozen Corpse Immortal Sect disciples quickly departed.
He Yin stood up, intending to follow, when another figure flew over. Seeing this person's face, He Yin was startled and quickly bowed, saying, "Uncle-Master Qiao!"
Uncle-Master Qiao frowned and said, "You still haven't caught the kid who killed the Sect Leader's son, and instead, he injured you. He Yin, you're becoming quite capable."
He Yin felt ashamed and said, "Uncle-Master Qiao, the Sect Leader..."
"The Sect Leader already knows about this and is extremely furious, but he's still stabilizing the situation and quelling the chaos in the city."
Uncle-Master Qiao said, "The Yan Kang National Teacher has been severely wounded. Heroes from all over the world are seizing the opportunity to rise up, killing the treacherous party to rectify the court. Our Corpse Immortal Sect has a just cause this time. We'll first cut off the National Teacher's wings and occupy Dijiang County. Dijiang County will be our Corpse Immortal Sect's territory; we must establish a firm foundation and wipe out the National Teacher's remaining forces! Although the Sect Leader is heartbroken, he still prioritizes the bigger picture."
He Yin acknowledged this and said, "Please, Uncle-Master Qiao, follow those junior brothers and sisters. That person, though young, has a sharp sword that can transform into a fish-dragon..."
Uncle-Master Qiao was surprised: "A sword that transforms into a fish-dragon? What shape exactly? Tell me in detail!"
He Yin described the Shaobao Sword and its strange scabbard. Uncle-Master Qiao's heart shook violently, and he exclaimed, "This is the ceremonial sword of a First-Rank official of the court, one of the finest treasures under heaven! Our Corpse Immortal Sect doesn't even have such a powerful treasure! How could such a heavy treasure appear on this youth? Could he be the offspring of some First-Rank official in the court?"
His eyes flickered, and he smiled, "This sword is extraordinary. Heaven is truly blessing our sect by sending us a First-Rank ceremonial sword! I'll go and seize this sword!" With that, he vanished in a flash.
He Yin frowned, thinking to himself, "A First-Rank official's ceremonial sword? This is a treasure symbolizing status and position in the court. How could a First-Rank official give their court sword to their offspring? Uncle-Master Qiao's thinking is a bit careless... I'd better quickly report this to the Sect Leader!"
He hurried back toward Dijiang County.
Uncle-Master Qiao followed the trail left by Qin Mu and the Corpse Immortal Sect disciples. Suddenly, he frowned slightly upon seeing the first corpse—a Corpse Immortal Sect disciple's body.
This disciple had a thin line of blood on his throat, with no other wounds and no blood nearby. Judging from the wound, it seemed he had been struck on the throat with a sword tip, severing the two major blood vessels.
From the angle of the strike, this disciple must have been flying on yellow talisman paper and was ambushed from behind. Before he could react, the sword had slit his throat.
But strangely, there was no blood nearby.
Uncle-Master Qiao frowned. This could only mean the disciple didn't die here but had flown for a while in the air before being dropped.
His blood had already drained while in the air.
What did this imply?
It meant the youth who killed him had been standing right behind him!
This disciple must have been stepping on yellow talisman paper, moving forward to search for Qin Mu's trail, while the youth silently appeared behind him, slit his throat with a single sword stroke, then pressed his body against the disciple's back, controlling the sword box. The sword box continuously spat out yellow talisman paper, spreading forward.
The youth was simultaneously controlling the Corpse Immortal Sect disciple's corpse to keep walking forward, making it appear alive, keeping pace with the other disciples.
"This is corpse control technique!"
Uncle-Master Qiao's expression changed slightly: "This youth also understands corpse control! My sect's disciples are in danger! But come to think of it, there doesn't seem to be any First-Rank official in the Yan Kang court who is proficient in corpse control. What is this youth's background? Where did he learn such corpse control methods?"
It was deep night, nearing the third watch. Though there was moonlight, visibility was poor and limited.
Uncle-Master Qiao could imagine that Qin Mu must have been using the cover of night to control the Corpse Immortal Sect disciple's corpse. When he approached the other disciples, they would have had little chance to be on guard. By the time they could see clearly, it would be too late to dodge his sword!
All corpse control methods under heaven, aside from the Corpse Immortal Sect, also existed in other evil cults and demonic sects, though their techniques differed.
The Corpse Immortal Sect was a standout in the art of corpse control and corpse nurturing, though its reputation wasn't great.
Judging from Qin Mu's corpse control technique, it was also extremely impressive. Being able to kill a Corpse Immortal Sect disciple and then control their corpse to make it appear alive, fooling other disciples into seeing no flaw, was a very rare skill.
"It looks a bit like the Heavenly Demon Sect's Great Corpse Control Art..."
Uncle-Master Qiao continued his pursuit. Before long, he found the second corpse, then the third, the fourth...
His eyelids twitched as he came upon the seventh corpse. This one had no skin—it had been flayed—but there was no blood. Despite being skinned, not a single drop had flowed out.
Uncle-Master Qiao's face changed drastically, and he exhaled a turbid breath: "The Creation Heavenly Demon Art! This youth is a disciple of the Heavenly Demon Sect!"
The corpse was unrecognizable, meaning Qin Mu could now be disguised as any one of the pursuing disciples!
A fierce light flashed in Uncle-Master Qiao's eyes as he continued his pursuit. Before long, he encountered several Corpse Immortal Sect disciples. They were huddled together, warily scanning their surroundings. When they saw him arrive, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
One disciple called out, "Uncle-Master Qiao..."
Uncle-Master Qiao flicked his fingers repeatedly. Needle-thin strands, fine as ox hair, shot out like lightning, piercing the foreheads of these disciples!
Their eyes instantly went blank, their souls rapidly dissolved, and foam bubbled from their mouths.
These needles were Uncle-Master Qiao's spirit weapon, called Corpse-Killing Needles. Once struck, the victim's soul would dissolve, leaving a walking corpse with a shell but no soul—beyond even a great immortal's power to save!
A female disciple stammered, "Uncle-Master Qiao, why..."
Uncle-Master Qiao moved swiftly, checking the bodies of these Corpse Immortal Sect disciples, frowning slightly.
He didn't find Qin Mu!
If Qin Mu had used the Heavenly Demon Sect's Creation Heavenly Demon Art to flay someone and disguise himself as a Corpse Immortal Sect disciple, there should have been a red line on the skin. But none of these disciples had such a mark!
This meant Qin Mu wasn't among them!
"Damn it, I've been tricked. I killed the wrong people."
Uncle-Master Qiao's eyelids twitched. He looked at these Corpse Immortal Sect disciples and calculated silently: "If I leave their corpses, the Sect Leader and the other old ghosts will surely notice. It's safer to destroy the evidence."
He flicked his fingernails, and the powder hidden within flew out, landing on these disciples. Their flesh and blood instantly dissolved, along with their bones and clothes, turning into pools of pus.
Uncle-Master Qiao breathed a sigh of relief. He squinted, scanning the surroundings but finding no trace of Qin Mu. Suddenly, his body shook, and countless red dots flowed out from under his robe—tens of thousands of corpse beetles.
These corpse beetles spread their wings and flew off in all directions.
The moon was setting in the west, and the east was growing pale. The swarm of red corpse beetles flew through the air, like fireflies wandering the wilderness before sunrise.
"A First-Rank official's ceremonial sword would be enough to serve as our sect's founding treasure."
Uncle-Master Qiao looked up at the eastern morning glow and murmured, "The Sect Leader has been sitting in that position for too long. It's time for him to move his butt..."
The Great Ruin, Crippled Elder Village.
"Mu'er, time to get up and eat. Why are you still sleeping?"
Just after Granny Si said this, she froze. Qin Mu had been gone for a few days. During these days, every time she cooked, she would make an extra portion and call for Qin Mu to come eat, forgetting each time that he had already left the village.
Granny Si sighed, silently finished her breakfast alone, tossed the pots and bowls aside without washing them, and sat at the table in a daze.
Suddenly, the little old woman stood up, tiptoed into her room, packed a basket, and, tiptoeing on her bound feet, walked out of the house toward the village entrance.
At the village entrance, Medicine King and the Village Chief were still leisurely drinking tea.
Granny Si ignored them, carrying her basket as she walked out.
"Old lady Si, aren't you going to say a word before leaving the village?" the Village Chief said leisurely.