Chapter 4: A Blade of Justice, A Chilling Presence
“H-How is this possible?!”
Hua Shuya stared in horror at the approaching figure.
The man’s face was a grotesque mask of torn flesh, his eyes vacant and lifeless. There was no warmth in his body, no pulse, no breath. He was clearly a corpse… and yet, he was walking towards them!
Her mind raced, desperately searching for an explanation.
She had heard tales of sinister sorcery practiced in distant lands, dark arts that could manipulate the dead, turning corpses into puppets to do their master’s bidding.
Could it be that they had walked into a trap? That while she had been distracted, her companions had been ambushed and…
As Hua Shuya grappled with fear and uncertainty, Lin Tianlu, after his initial shock, found himself strangely calm.
He stared at the approaching corpse, its mangled face and vacant eyes doing little to stir any fear within him.
It was as if… he were looking at nothing more than a wisp of smoke.
He frowned, a strange realization dawning on him.
His physical transformation aside, his reaction to this horrifying creature was anything but normal. Most people would be screaming in terror, yet he felt nothing but a detached curiosity.
Had his weeks of solitude on the mountaintop… changed him somehow?
Ignoring the approaching corpse, he turned to Hua Shuya and asked in a low voice, “Did you have any conflicts with anyone recently? Anyone who might hold a grudge?”
“Not that I’m aware of!”
Hua Shuya drew her sword, her grip tightening on the hilt as the reanimated corpse closed in.
“Don’t worry, master,” she said, her voice surprisingly steady. “These puppets of dark magic are nothing to fear. Allow me to handle this.”
With a swift, fluid motion, she lunged forward.
Her blade flashed in the dim light, a silver arc slicing through the air. The tip of her sword plunged into the corpse’s forehead with pinpoint accuracy.
Her movements were graceful yet deadly, her expression a mask of cold determination. Despite facing a horrifying abomination, she showed no hesitation, no fear.
A sickening thud echoed through the forest as she withdrew her blade, splattering blood across the forest floor. The corpse swayed for a moment, then collapsed, its limbs contorting at unnatural angles.
But before Hua Shuya could relax, the rustling sounds returned, closer this time.
Her eyes narrowed, scanning the surrounding trees. More figures emerged from the undergrowth, their movements stiff and jerky.
It wasn’t just one corpse. Her entire entourage… they were all gone.
Anger and sorrow warred within her as she adjusted her grip on her sword.
The eight men she had hired were nothing more than hired hands, strangers she had met in a bustling marketplace. But to see them cut down like this, their lives extinguished by some unknown evil… it filled her with a cold fury.
“You vile scum!” she hissed, charging into the fray.
“Grrrr!”
The lead corpse lunged at her, its decaying hands reaching for her throat.
Metal clashed against bone with a sickening crunch.
Hua Shuya’s eyes narrowed. She spun away from the creature’s grasp, her swordsmanship shifting into high gear. A flurry of blows followed, each strike precise and deadly. The air filled with the ringing of steel, punctuated by the sickening thuds of flesh being torn and bones snapping.
With a final, decisive blow, she severed the creature’s head from its shoulders. The headless corpse swayed for a moment, then crumpled to the ground.
Hua Shuya moved through the forest with a grace that belied the chaos unfolding around her. She was a whirlwind of motion, her blade a blur of silver as she cut down one reanimated corpse after another.
“Impressive!” Lin Tianlu thought, watching the spectacle unfold before him.
This young woman, this seeker of immortals… she was a force to be reckoned with. Her swordsmanship was truly a sight to behold.
This was far more entertaining than any special effects-laden action movie he had ever seen.
At this rate, she would have these creatures dealt with in no time.
He decided to stay put. He was a scholar, not a warrior. The last thing he wanted to do was get in her way or, worse, become a liability. He wasn’t taking any chances with whatever unholy magic was animating these corpses.
“—Huh?”
He paused, a shiver running down his spine.
He turned, scanning their surroundings.
The forest was silent, the air thick with the scent of pine needles and damp earth.
But something felt… off.
“That’s strange. I didn’t feel the slightest bit cold on the mountaintop,” he thought, his brow furrowing. “Why do I suddenly feel a chill?”
Meanwhile, Hua Shuya, in the midst of dispatching another reanimated corpse, felt it too.
“What’s going on?!”
She leaped back, narrowly avoiding a swipe from a pair of decaying claws. She countered with a thrust of her blade, pushing the creature back.
But as she did, her eyes widened in horror.
The corpses she had beheaded… they were getting back up!
“But I destroyed their heads! How—”
The dark sorcery that animated these creatures, while powerful, relied on a physical link to the deceased. Severing the head should have been enough to break the spell.
That’s what her grandfather had taught her.
But these creatures… they were regenerating!
She gritted her teeth, pressing her attack, but the relentless assault of the reanimated corpses was starting to take its toll.
“This isn’t working!”
She could destroy them, yes. But they just kept coming back, an endless horde of undead monstrosities.
—BOOM!
A deafening explosion ripped through the air, momentarily drowning out the sounds of battle.
Hua Shuya flinched, her head snapping up in surprise. “Master?!”
“…”
Lin Tianlu stood frozen in place, his arm outstretched, his expression unreadable.
He stared at his hand, bewildered.
“What just happened?”
He had seen something out of the corner of his eye, a flicker of movement, like a swarm of insects buzzing around his head. Annoyed, he had swatted at it.
But as his hand had connected with… whatever it was, he had felt a strange tingling sensation, followed by an intense cold.
And then, the explosion.
He stared at his palm, which was now slightly singed, wisps of smoke curling into the air.
“Did I just… shoot a repulsor beam?” he muttered, his voice barely a whisper.
A low, guttural hiss echoed through the forest, sending chills down their spines.
Hua Shuya trembled, her face draining of color. Her internal energy, once vibrant and potent, felt sluggish and unresponsive, as if frozen solid. She glanced around frantically, her heart pounding in her chest.
“W-What was that?!”
What manner of creature lurked in these woods?
A single hiss… and she felt powerless to resist!
“Hey, Hua Shuya!” Lin Tianlu’s voice cut through her terror. “Is that one of your companions behind you?”
Behind her…?
Hua Shuya blinked, her mind struggling to process his words.
Behind her?
Slowly, she turned.
And came face to face with a woman.
Her skin was deathly pale, her eyes hollow and black. A chilling smile spread across her lips as their gazes met.
“Oh no.”
Terror surged through Hua Shuya as she tried to back away, but it was too late. A wave of icy cold washed over her, paralyzing her muscles, stealing her breath. She watched helplessly as the woman lunged, her hand outstretched, five bony fingers aimed at Hua Shuya’s heart.
She barely had time to raise her sword in a desperate attempt to defend herself before she squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the killing blow.
—Thwack!
The woman froze mid-strike, her hand stopping inches from Hua Shuya’s chest.
Hua Shuya cautiously opened her eyes.
The woman’s wrist was caught in an iron grip.
Her eyes, black and lifeless, flickered with surprise as she turned to see Lin Tianlu standing beside her.
“You’re not one of her companions, are you?” Lin Tianlu asked, his voice deceptively calm. His lips curved into a gentle smile that did little to disguise the coldness in his eyes. “They say a scholar should be a man of virtue, respectful of women. I apologize if my earlier actions caused you any offense.”
“…”
The woman’s left cheek, still bearing the imprint of his hand, twitched.
