"Fool, the Daoist priest is toying with you. You're not actually going to sever your meridians, are you?"
"Don't even think about it. Hurry and find clothes, some of us are injured."
The security team arrived at the bathhouse, got dressed, and left the Zombie-Haunted School.
During the fight with the zombies, some personnel were scratched. Fortunately, the injuries were not severe, and no one was bitten.
After Shi Jian used glutinous rice to treat everyone for corpse poison, this farce finally concluded. The Zombie-Haunted School returned to tranquility, and Mao Xiaofang resumed his lessons, explaining information about dealing with zombies and ghosts.
During this period, Uncle Jiu and his group also arrived at the Zombie-Haunted School as promised. The Zombie-Haunted School now had over a thousand people, forcing Shi Jian to abandon his slacking.
"Master, it's late. Go to bed quickly. Tomorrow night, we still need to use lightning spells to control corpses and act as sparring partners for those students."
During this time, Shi Jian frequently went to a nearby mass grave to practice controlling corpses with lightning spells for the students to practice against zombies. Over these ten-plus days, they had virtually exhausted all the corpses in the mass grave. Uncle Jiu and his group, meanwhile, were leading students in catching ghosts around the Zombie-Haunted School. In a short period, all the ghosts and zombies near the Zombie-Haunted School had been eliminated. If they wanted to engage in practical combat, they would have to travel to more distant areas, preferably regions with stronger Yin energy.
"Your master knows. You go to bed first."
Just as Shi Jian was about to turn to sleep, a paper crane appeared by the window.
"Master, why is there a paper crane by the window?"
Mao Xiaofang picked up the paper crane from outside the window and examined it.
"Paper crane? You brat, don't touch that. That's your grand-master's spell."
Upon hearing "paper crane," Shi Jian hurried to Mao Xiaofang's side and snatched it from him. He bit his finger, then smeared his blood onto the paper crane. The originally white paper crane instantly turned red, and some golden characters appeared on it.
"Return to Maoshan immediately. Something important has happened."
The golden characters lasted for a few seconds before disappearing. The paper crane turned white again, then ignited and turned to ash.
"Wow, Grand-master knows this trick too? Why haven't I seen you use it?"
Seeing the paper crane, Mao Xiaofang's curiosity was piqued. He planned to return to Maoshan and learn the paper crane spell from the old Daoist in purple robes.
"Back then, Master was alone. What use would this 'broken' spell be?"
He glared at Mao Xiaofang, preparing to pack his things and return to Maoshan.
"Alright, Master says Grand-master's spell is a 'broken' spell. Next time, I'll secretly tell Grand-master."
"If you're itching for a spanking, feel free to talk nonsense. Your master has no objections."
Shi Jian put on his black and white Daoist robes, tidied his attire, and prepared to leave the Zombie-Haunted School alone.
"Master, it's so late, and you're still going back to Maoshan. Why don't we go back together tomorrow morning?"
"No need. You and Ah Wei stay here. Your master will return alone."
He had no intention of bringing Ah Wei and Mao Xiaofang back to Maoshan with him. If the Zombie-Haunted School was left unattended, wouldn't the past few days of work be in vain?
"Master, this..."
Seeing Mao Xiaofang dithering, Shi Jian immediately interrupted him.
"No 'this' or 'that.' Stay here obediently. If anything happens, find your other masters. Your master will be back soon."
"Oh, right. Take this silver for you, for any unforeseen circumstances."
With that, Shi Jian tossed a bag of silver to Mao Xiaofang and turned to leave the room to bid farewell to Uncle Jiu and the police officers. After saying his goodbyes, he left the Zombie-Haunted School and rode his horse non-stop towards Maoshan.
A few days later, he arrived at Maoshan and found that white paper had been hung all over the mountain.
"Which junior disciple has passed away?"
The hanging of white cloth on Maoshan indicated that an elder or a disciple who had contributed to Maoshan had died. If the old Daoist in purple robes were dead, he wouldn't have used the paper crane spell. Therefore, Shi Jian guessed that either an elder or a junior disciple had "kicked the bucket."
Upon arriving at the mountain, he saw Maoshan disciples performing a large-scale memorial ritual.
"Eldest Martial Uncle!"
"Senior Brother!"
A group of disciples greeted Shi Jian with their hands raised above their heads.
"What's going on? Which Martial Uncle or Junior Brother has ascended? Or perhaps a disciple?"
"Eldest Martial Uncle, Martial Uncle Qianhe met with an accident. It seems he was bitten by a zombie."
"One disciple managed to escape and brought Martial Uncle Qianhe's remains back to Maoshan. The Sect Leader is currently guiding Martial Uncle Qianhe's soul."
Upon hearing this, Shi Jian's expression remained calm. Martial Uncle Qianhe was not weak; very few zombies could defeat him. Moreover, he had the Purple Cloud Divine Thunder, which could allow him to escape if he encountered a flying zombie. As long as he didn't provoke a Ghost King or an uncorrupted corpse, he would likely be safe. Could it be that Martial Uncle Qianhe was so unlucky as to encounter one of those few? Fortunately, he hadn't brought Mao Xiaofang and Ah Wei with him. The zombies capable of defeating Martial Uncle Qianhe were far beyond anything those two could handle; bringing them would only be a burden.
"What a pity. He couldn't escape fate after all. The vanguard of the Daoist altar is gone."
Shi Jian felt great sorrow. Martial Uncle Qianhe had spent his life in peak competitions, and ultimately died on the path of peak competition.
"Martial Brother Qianhe is gone. Do you know which zombie was responsible?"
Shi Jian inquired about the detailed information of the zombie. The old Daoist in purple robes calling him back this time was almost certainly for this matter.
"Eldest Martial Uncle, we don't know. Key information will have to come from Martial Uncle Qianhe's disciple."
After answering, the Maoshan disciple turned and joined the ritual. The ritual lasted for about half an hour before concluding. After the ritual ended, the remains of Martial Uncle Qianhe were immediately destroyed by the old Daoist in purple robes. The entire ritual and the state of Martial Uncle Qianhe's remains left Shi Jian very confused. Martial Uncle Qianhe was bitten by a zombie, and should have transformed. However, his remains showed no signs of transformation. Instead, the body was gray, resembling a piece of stone.
"It seems this zombie is not simple."
Shi Jian realized the danger of the situation. From all indications, the zombie that Martial Uncle Qianhe encountered was no ordinary zombie.
"Eldest Martial Uncle, the Sect Leader wishes to see you in the Three Pure Ones Hall. He has something to entrust to you."
A Maoshan disciple dressed in a green Daoist robe approached Shi Jian.
"I understand. I'll be there immediately."
Having delivered the message, the disciple in the green robe turned and left.
"Three Pure Ones Hall? Isn't Master in the Nine Heavens Palace?"
Shi Jian rushed to the Three Pure Ones Hall. Upon entering, he saw the old Daoist in purple robes paying respects to the Three Pure Ones. The Three Pure Ones are the supreme deities of Daoism. Both Orthodox and Quanzhen Daoists must venerate them and the Four Imperial Ones. The Three Pure Ones are Taiqing, Yuqing, and Shangqing, also known as Taiqing Daode Tianzun, Yuqing Yuanshi Tianzun, and Shangqing Lingbao Tianzun.