The Unremarkable Little Taoist Master - Chapter 132 - Corpse

The incense suddenly flared up as if it had encountered a stimulus.

The air was thick with the smell of burnt flesh, making me feel nauseous.

Once I confirmed that Wang-Ge had left, I hurriedly ran out of the daoist temple.

Just as I stepped outside, Wang-Ge suddenly appeared right where I had just been standing.

“You can’t escape.”

After saying that, he disappeared in a few leaps.

By this time, I had already run quite far, and I spotted a shop in the distance.

I rushed towards the shop.

As I got closer, I felt a tingling sensation on my scalp.

I saw that outside the building lay numerous bright red coffins, haphazardly arranged, and there was still a lingering smell of burning joss paper in the air.

At the entrance of the shop hung two large red lanterns, on which were the words: “Living beings, do not enter this door.”

I wanted to turn and leave, but there was nowhere nearby for me to rest, and I was both hungry and exhausted.

I softly approached and knocked on the door, startled as a crisp bell chimed in response.

“Creak.”

The door slowly opened a crack, revealing a young woman standing before me.

She scanned me up and down, then asked with some confusion, “Who are you? Why are you here?”

I briefly repeated my situation to her, and she looked at me coldly.

It seemed she was trying to determine whether I was telling the truth.

“Come in, but remember, don’t wander around tonight.”

After saying that, she led me into the courtyard.

After a simple meal, I learned through conversation that her name was Ren Yue.

She was the owner of this shop and also the proprietor of this mortuary.

This mortuary was quite special, meant for corpse herders¹.

When she heard about the daoist temple, she seemed very interested and eagerly pulled me towards it.

Now that I was outside the daoist temple, I was astonished to find it intact, seemingly unchanged from when I had arrived.

“Do you still think their deaths were accidental?”

Ren Yue suddenly asked curiously, but of course, I couldn’t mention that it was Wang-Ge’s doing; no one would believe me.

I pretended to be unaware and asked, “Is there anything strange about their deaths?”

Ren Yue sighed helplessly and nodded.

I felt as if my brain had been struck by lightning; it was hard to accept.

Images of the daoist temple flashed back into my mind.

Before I knew it, tears had already begun to well up in my eyes.

Ren Yue looked at me with a complicated expression, then quickly tried to comfort me.

I gritted my teeth and said firmly, “I have to find out what really happened.”

I wiped the tears from my face and marched towards the daoist temple.

Worried that I might encounter something unexpected, Ren Yue hurriedly followed behind me.

We stepped into the daoist temple, one after the other.

I looked around and noticed that nothing had changed; it was just as I had left it.

Taking a deep breath, I began to walk forward slowly.

Ren Yue seemed anxious and uneasy, as if it were her first time in a place like this.

She clung tightly to my collar, trailing closely behind me.

I walked coldly toward the main hall, the moonlight casting an eerie glow, filling the night with an atmosphere of death that made my scalp tingle.

As I reached this point, I couldn’t help but frown and continued to walk forward, step by step.

The entire corridor was remarkably empty, with only the heavy sound of my footsteps echoing against the floor.

Thud, thud, thud, Ren Yue and I walked on.

Suddenly, I stopped at the entrance to the main hall.

I noticed that Ren Yue’s face had turned a bit pale.

She looked at me with fear, and I shook my head and said, “Don’t worry, nothing will happen.”

Although I said that, I still felt a bit nervous inside.

I gently pushed the worn door in front of me, and it creaked in response.

As the door slowly opened, a rush of Yin wind mixed with a strong smell of blood assaulted my senses.

Ren Yue looked over with a pale expression and suddenly screamed.

“Ah, that corpse is moving!”

I glanced in the direction Ren Yue was pointing, and I was startled enough to take a few steps back.

There, I saw a male corpse hanging from the ceiling, swinging side to side with the wind.

I forced myself to stay calm and looked up at the male corpse.

When I saw the somewhat rotten and grotesque face of the corpse, I could no longer control the fear rising within me.

This male corpse was actually the Daoist priest who had been burned in the fire; how could he possibly appear in the main hall?

The state of the corpse suggested that he had just recently shown up here.

I managed to calm myself down, though I nervously glanced back at Ren Yue.

“Do you know this person?” Ren Yue’s voice trembled slightly.

I nodded and said, my voice a bit frantic, “This man is the Daoist priest, the master of this daoist temple.”

It was because of him that I got entangled in this matter.

I then explained everything to Ren Yue just as it had unfolded.

Ren Yue looked pale as she said to me, “I think there’s definitely something wrong here.”

I nodded in agreement.

As we were about to continue our exploration, a strong smell of blood suddenly reached us.

Then we heard heavy footsteps approaching. We exchanged quick glances and hurriedly hid.

With a loud bang, the door was thrown open.

I crouched nervously under the bed, peeking outside.

I saw a black-robed man angrily throw a cloth bag onto the ground.

He then turned and left. Because it was too dark, I couldn’t make out the man’s features.

Looking at the bag on the floor, a strong smell of blood wafted up, and I quickly covered my nose.

After confirming that the black-robed man had truly left, I slowly crawled out from under the bed.

Blood smeared the area around the bag, which continued to ooze fresh blood.

I took a deep breath and slowly squatted down, trying to suppress the discomfort in my stomach as I carefully opened the bag.

The moment I opened it, I was stunned.

Inside the bag was a male corpse, its face so mangled that I could hardly discern its features.

Blood flowed continuously from the face.

Ren Yue, appearing frightened, said to me, “This person can’t be from this daoist temple too, can he?”

I shook my head, though I didn’t truly believe it.

However, when I saw the daoist robe the male corpse was wearing, I was completely shocked.

The corpse was dressed in a gray daoist robe that had long been stained red with blood.

Footnote:

1. Corpse Herder(赶尸人): A corpse herder is a figure in Chinese folklore who is believed to have the ability to guide the dead back to their hometowns for burial.