After a dozen or so seconds, the three Corpse Puppets were neatly tossed into the corner.
Looking at the now-motionless Corpse Puppets, Chen Qing shifted her gaze to the unsettling red runes on the coffin lid.
Upon seeing these three Corpse Puppets suddenly emerge, Chen Qing had already guessed what those red runes were for.
They gathered the nearby yin energy to refine the Corpse Puppets inside the stone coffins.
These three Corpse Puppets also reminded Chen Qing of the previous one that had attacked Silly Shizun, which was far stronger than the others.
Although these three weren’t a match for that tall Corpse Puppet, they were still a cut above ordinary ones.
After watching Chen Qing dispatch the three emerging corpses, Su Mu breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.
These couldn’t be the zombies from those tomb-raiding novels, could they? But these three zombies were different from the ones in the novels—they were quite agile.
She wondered if Black Donkey Hoof and glutinous rice would work against zombies like these.
“Aren’t you scared of dead people? But these corpses that have been dead for ages don’t frighten you.”
Chen Qing teased with a smile as she watched Silly Shizun curiously staring at the piled-up Corpse Puppets.
“They look like a pile of rotten wood. What’s there to fear? I’m not as cowardly as you say.”
Su Mu shot Chen Qing a dissatisfied look. If these three corpses had been standing intact in front of her, she would have already been plotting her escape.
But with Chen Qing having dismantled the three Corpse Puppets and piled them in the corner, they didn’t seem so scary anymore.
Looking at the stubborn Silly Shizun, a glint of mischief flashed in Chen Qing’s eyes.
“Shizun always hides behind me. I thought Shizun was the one who was scared.”
“Of course not. I was just afraid you’d get ambushed. In battle, you absolutely can’t expose your back to the enemy.”
Called out by Chen Qing for always hiding behind her, Su Mu felt a bit embarrassed.
But to avoid losing face in front of this Detestable Villain, Su Mu stubbornly quibbled on.
“Shizun truly has the best intentions. However, this disciple was injured in the previous battle. If we run into more Corpse Puppets later, let me guard Shizun’s back while Shizun teaches those overconfident Corpse Puppets a lesson.”
“Ah!”
Su Mu stared at Chen Qing, who wasn’t flushed or breathless in the slightest—where was the injury?
“I-I’m better at protecting backs, so let me do it.”
“No can do. I’m injured, so I have to trouble Shizun first.”
Faced with Chen Qing’s firm stance, Su Mu was tongue-tied and couldn’t come up with an excuse.
“You… where are you injured?”
After racking her brain for ages, Su Mu could only ask reluctantly.
“Didn’t Shizun see? I’m bleeding here.”
Chen Qing showed off her shoulder, which had only a minor scrape.
Seeing Chen Qing’s shoulder wound that was already almost scabbed over, the fuming Su Mu wished she could stomp on this thick-skinned Villain’s face and give it a few more kicks for good measure.
Earlier, she’d genuinely worried when she thought Chen Qing was hurt, only for her to turn around and forcefully kiss her.
And now she was using this nearly healed shoulder to claim she was injured and force her to take point.
“Of course, if Shizun admits that this disciple is stronger than Shizun, and that a weaker Shizun deserves to be thoroughly bullied by her disciple, then I can fight on despite my injury.”
Chen Qing smiled at Su Mu, but Su Mu would die before admitting those words.
She could reluctantly concede that this Detestable Villain was temporarily stronger than her.
But the bit about a weaker Shizun deserving to be ruthlessly bullied by her disciple? That was clearly this Detestable Villain’s blatant trap.
If she admitted it, this Detestable Villain would have a perfect excuse to bully her from now on. Absolutely not.
Seeing Silly Shizun shake her head so resolutely was well within Chen Qing’s expectations.
After all, this Silly Shizun might falter elsewhere, but her refusal to cry until she saw the coffin was stronger than anyone Chen Qing had ever met.
“Since Shizun won’t admit it, Shizun should take the lead while this disciple rests up.”
Seeing how perfectly Chen Qing had her cornered, the annoyed Su Mu mustered her courage and actually stepped out in front.
Chen Qing might be much stronger than her, but she’d handled those three zombies so effortlessly.
She, a proper Second-Rank Expert, refused to believe she couldn’t beat mere zombies.
Su Mu proceeded cautiously, one careful step at a time along the long passageway.
Watching Silly Shizun take a single step then probe around several times, black lines appeared on Chen Qing’s forehead.
Caution was all well and good, but this was taking cowardice too far.
Fortunately, the passageway wasn’t too long. Though Su Mu moved slowly, she soon arrived at the next tomb chamber.
This tomb chamber was identical to the previous one, with three stone coffins neatly arranged inside.
No need to guess—these three stone coffins definitely held Corpse Puppets too.
Su Mu cautiously drew her sword, planning to take them down one by one by severing their heads the instant they emerged from the coffins.
Su Mu tiptoed up to a stone coffin and gently rapped on the lid.
Watching Silly Shizun’s delicate motions, Chen Qing would bet that if Silly Shizun were waking her up in the morning, it wouldn’t be anywhere near this gentle.
However, the Corpse Puppet inside this stone coffin was very cooperative with Su Mu. After a few light taps, there was immediate activity from within.
Su Mu gripped her sword hilt tightly, staring tensely at the coffin lid.
This counted as her first real fight; she had to land the strike perfectly.
Moments later, the Corpse Puppet in the stone coffin shoved the stone lid open with its hands.
But the instant its head poked out, Su Mu slashed its neck clean off, leaving the rest of the body flailing inside the coffin.
Staring at the withered windpipe she’d severed, Su Mu’s face twisted in discomfort.
Still, the first zombie was down—but Su Mu’s triumph was short-lived.
Chen Qing quietly picked up a stone and chucked it at the half-open coffin lid, knocking it further ajar.
The resounding crash of stone on stone echoed through the tomb chamber.
Su Mu stared blankly at the flipping lid.
“Impressive, Shizun. One down—now it’s one against two?”
Su Mu nearly burst with rage at Chen Qing’s cool sarcasm.
But the two Corpse Puppets gave her no time to fume, shoving their lids open and climbing out simultaneously.
Faced with the ferocious zombies, Su Mu decisively hurled her sword at one of their heads.
Then she bolted behind Chen Qing to hide.
“I’ve already taken out one. The other two are all yours.”
Looking at Silly Shizun clutching her shoulder and peeking out with one eye at the two Corpse Puppets, Chen Qing remained utterly calm, ignoring the approaching foes as she continued bargaining with Su Mu.
“Since Shizun’s hidden behind me again, does that mean you admit what I said earlier?”
With the Corpse Puppets closing in, Su Mu’s mind was short-circuiting. She couldn’t even recall what Chen Qing had said and just nodded frantically.
“Yes, yes! I admit it!”
