The Unremarkable Little Taoist Master

I smiled at the old man and said, “Aren’t you the one learning to be a corpse herder? Only you can do this.” The old daoist priest shook his head like a rattle drum and responded, “No, I can’t do it. I’m still learning; I’m not that skilled.”

I replied, “Only you can help us. I hope our future corpse herder can assist us in overcoming this challenge.” Hearing my flattering words, the old daoist priest’s face lit up with confidence as he said, “If that’s the case, I suppose I’ll reluctantly help you once, just so you mortals can see what a true corpse herder from Xiangxi looks like.”

The old daoist priest changed into a new daoist robe, held a bell in his right hand, and began to chant. He looked quite serious, leading the corpses, which moved in perfect synchronization to the sound of the bell. Watching him closely, I could see he had the air of a grandmaster.

The old daoist priest strode ahead while I disguised myself as a daoist boy, standing behind him. We walked past the tiger cave, completely unaware of the corpse aura around us. We had no choice but to continue forward, treating it as a practice for the old daoist priest.

Shaking the bell in his hand, the old daoist priest marched confidently ahead, seeming quite pleased with himself, while the few Jiangshi behind him moved stiffly in unison.

Occasionally, the old daoist priest would look back at me, as if to say, “Can you do this?” I selectively ignored his foolishness and quietly followed him.

After a long while, the old daoist priest pulled out a book. I saw him flipping through it carefully, and out of curiosity, I asked, “Old man, what are you doing?”

The old man did not respond; he was immersed in his book as if searching for something. I didn’t bother him and waited quietly for him to speak. He took quite some time flipping through the pages.

Then he looked up seriously and said, “We still have quite a distance to cover tonight to reach the corpse herder inn, where we can finally rest. The corpse herder inn is a place for corpse herders to take a break; it usually looks like any ordinary inn. However, it is specifically run by aging corpse herders. The front entrance is for the living, while the back entrance is for the corpse herders. Only after properly placing the corpses can we enter the inn to rest.”

We walked leisurely, gradually realizing the depth and complexity of corpse herding. I never expected there would be so many stories about corpse herding in Xiangxi. I listened intently to the old daoist priest as he rambled on.

I paid close attention to his chatter, treating it like a story, and time flew by. Before we knew it, we had arrived at the location of the corpse herder inn just as the moonlight began to shine brightly. We just needed to cross one last mountain to reach the inn, and the old daoist priest explained this with a look of joy on his face.

Watching the show-off old daoist priest, I said nothing and simply smiled, surprised at how chatty he could be. We hurried up the mountain.

I asked the old daoist priest, “Do corpse herders only herd corpses and refine them?”

He shook his head and replied, “Not at all. Corpse herders also exorcize demons and capture ghosts. However, it differs from daoism and exorcists. We corpse herders have our own legacy, but our methods mostly revolve around corpses.”

I nodded, still a little dismissive. The old daoist priest smiled at me and said, “At our peak, corpse herders could cultivate a Jiangshi King. An Iron-armored Jiangshi can be formed in just one night.”

This statement made my heart skip a beat. What? A look of astonishment crossed my face as I stared at him and asked, “Are you sure an Iron-armored Jiangshi can be formed in one night?”

The old daoist priest seemed to enjoy my reaction, nodding as he confirmed, “Yes, we can cultivate an Iron-armored Jiangshi in just one night.”

No wonder my father had told me when I was younger that there are many capable people in this world, and I should never underestimate others. I never imagined that the art of corpse herding could be so formidable.

I nodded, feeling a bit apprehensive, and followed the old daoist priest as we slowly descended the mountain. We had no idea how long we walked when we suddenly spotted a huge, luxurious hotel in front of us, with the words “Eight Directions Hotel” displayed prominently. Confused, I turned to the old daoist priest and asked, “Are you sure this is the inn?”

The old daoist priest nodded and said, “The front door is for the living, the back door is for the dead. Let’s go around and enter through the back; that’s the proper way.”

We nodded in agreement and followed the old daoist priest as he made his way to the back door of the hotel. He gently knocked three times, and a dry voice called out from within, “A gentle knock at the door under the moonlight.” The old daoist priest replied calmly, “Visitors from all directions may enter through this door.”

Watching the two of them communicate like secret agents made us feel bewildered. Slowly, the door creaked open, revealing an old man holding a lantern. Beneath the lantern was a withered, sorrowful face. He said nothing and simply stepped aside to let us in.

Under the old daoist priest’s lead, we entered through the main door. He waved his hand gently, causing the bell in his grasp to ring out sharply. A few corpses slowly hopped into the doorway and followed the sound of the bell to a dilapidated little room.

The old daoist priest lightly pointed toward the room, and the corpses jumped inside. He carefully examined the talismans on the corpses, noticed nothing amiss, and nodded to the old man, who gently closed the door behind him.

The old daoist priest pointed in a particular direction, and I followed him until we reached the lobby of the hotel. A few staff members looked at us in surprise but said nothing, quickly processing our registration. Soon, we received our room keys and headed upstairs to our respective rooms.

Once in my room, I took a quick shower and then lay back on the bed, my mind racing. I still hadn’t found any clues about the thief who stole the corpse, and the lack of leads frustrated me. What would it take to lure out the person who had stolen the corpse? Lost in thought, I pondered my next move.

After a while, I realized I was feeling quite hungry; after all, we hadn’t eaten properly throughout the day. I made my way to the door of the old daoist priest’s room and gently knocked.

The old daoist priest opened the door. I stepped in, but he didn’t acknowledge me; instead, he sat on the bed, engrossed in a book about corpse herding. Seeing the old man so earnestly focused, I nodded lightly, recognizing his dedication. If he continued like this, he could become a significant figure in the future. I decided not to disturb him as he read.