After listening to my master's words, I responded with a hum.
I then asked my master more questions about zombies, how to deal with them, and other precautions. After all, we were facing such a creature tonight. Although my master was present, I didn't want to be a burden to him. I wanted to contribute my own efforts and learn more about demon-exorcism knowledge to improve my own strength.
My master was quite pleased to see my earnestness in seeking knowledge. He stroked his mustache slightly and gestured for me to follow him as we continued to search the mountain, familiarizing ourselves with the surrounding geographical environment. As we walked, my master explained in detail about zombies, these malevolent beings.
My master said that zombies are neither demons nor humans, nor ghosts. They are corpses that have gained sentience, a completely new form of malevolent spirit that has appeared. Because their bodies are stiff and they are reborn from dead corpses, they are called "zombies."
The appearance of zombies is often related to the grievances held by the deceased during their lifetime. Their lingering obsession at the time of death, refusing to pass on, causes a breath to get stuck in their throat, neither ascending nor descending, gathering but not dispersing. If such a corpse appears, it is called a "resentful corpse." If the resentment in the corpse cannot dissipate, it plants the seed for the appearance of a zombie. If the burial site has good feng shui, this lingering resentment will be dissipated by the earth's脉 (mai) and feng shui. However, if there is any flaw in the feng shui, the corpse buried in the earth will stop decaying. Instead, it will gather corpse energy, absorb Yin Sha, and absorb moonlight, causing its body to remain uncorrupted and unfading. Over time, it can essentially rise as a zombie.
There is also another cause, which is purely due to feng shui. For example, the Yin corpse ground of Wuyou Mountain, such a gravely inauspicious place for raising zombies. Corpses buried in such places, regardless of whether the corpse itself has any issues, will not easily decay as Yin energy gathers and nourishes, and earth energy circulates. Over time, zombies will also appear.
Zombies, these gravely inauspicious beings, once they appear, are very difficult to deal with because their skin hardens, making their defense extremely strong. Moreover, their strength is also inexhaustible. Physical attacks can hardly harm them. Especially the zombie we might face today, it is very likely to be a Black Sha Zombie. This is the third type among the five types of zombies: "Xing Bai Hei Hong Ba" (行白黑红魃). These types of zombies, due to the heavy corpse-Sha energy within them, grow black hair all over their bodies. The hardening of their skin can almost be said to reach the point of being impervious to blades and spears, and they possess immense strength. If one's Taoist cultivation cannot absolutely suppress the opponent, one can only rely on talismans and the zombies' weaknesses to attack.
When I heard the word "weakness," my eyes widened, and I earnestly asked, "Master, what are the weaknesses of zombies?"
My master glanced around and then said, "Although zombies have bronze skin and iron bones, and their skin is thick and tough, their weaknesses are also apparent. Firstly, these evil creatures move relatively slowly. There are three main weaknesses: the eyes, the mouth, and the hindquarters. Even if a zombie's Taoist cultivation is high and it is fierce, it cannot cultivate to be indestructible in these three areas. Therefore, when dealing with zombies, one must find the right moment to strike at these three locations. In addition, one can also use glutinous rice to disperse their corpse energy, and ink lines, etc., are good spiritual tools for subduing zombies..."
After hearing this, I secretly took note. It would certainly be useful tonight.
At the same time, my master and I had arrived at a relatively flat area of forest in the mountains. Corpse energy still permeated the air here, and there was a faint smell of decay. The zombie was nearby. However, after searching around, we could not find its exact hiding place. So, my master stopped and said to me, "Little Qin, it's almost dark. This place is flat and open, so we'll prepare here. Tonight, we will perform the ritual here and capture the zombie!"
"Alright, Master. Is there anything I need to do?" I asked.
My master surveyed the surroundings and said, "You clear away the surrounding weeds, and I will draw a Heavenly Star Big Dipper Seven-Star Formation here. Tonight, I will guard the formation's head, and you will guard the formation's tail. We will gather the power of the Big Dipper's heavenly stars to capture the zombie..."
My master also explained to me the principles and functions of the Big Dipper Seven-Star Formation, which involved Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. I found it a bit confusing and didn't fully understand. I only remembered that this Big Dipper Seven-Star Formation is a Heavenly Star formation. It can accommodate up to seven people to form the formation, and its power is greatest. At the minimum, it can be formed by one person. However, one person guarding seven positions would be stretched thin. Since there were only my master and I, we would need to guard seven positions. My master said that once the zombie entered the formation, I must guard my position well. My cultivation is low, and I am not familiar with formations, so my master only had me guard two positions: "Yaoguang position and Kaiyang position," also called the [Wuqu] and [Pojun] positions. My master would need to guard the remaining five positions: Tianshu (Tanlang), Tianxuan (Jumen), Tianji (Lukun), Tianquan (Wenqu), and Yuheng (Lianzhen), which correspond to the five stars in the constellations.
After my master explained it clearly to me, he first called Mr. Ma and asked him to prepare live poultry and send it to the mountain immediately. These would serve as bait. After hanging up, he took out coils of ink line. He also made small flags from yellow talismans and branches and began planting them on the cleared ground. Simultaneously, he connected them with ink lines. He also drew spiritual talismans on the surrounding trees to serve as formation pillars. I stood by and watched carefully, not disturbing him, observing and learning earnestly. Although I didn't quite understand, from the formation's diagram, it resembled seven stars forming a dipper. There was an opening at the front, covering an area of about thirty meters in diameter. Each formation position had ink lines for control, which could be used to form "ink line walls."
I couldn't help much. While my master was setting up the formation, I helped with odd jobs nearby, connecting lines, pulling weeds, and so on. After completing these tasks, an hour had passed. The Heavenly Star Big Dipper Seven-Star Formation was now fully formed. Within a thirty-meter radius, ink lines were densely buried, wrapping around trees. The seven formation gates were opened, and in several positions within the formation, there were small flags with yellow talismans. Once the formation was activated, these buried ink lines would tighten first, forming an ink line wall, trapping the zombie within the Big Dipper formation filled with ink lines. The small flags at the formation gates would simultaneously be activated, gathering the power of the seven stars to subdue and suppress the zombie. At that time, we would only need to guard our respective positions within the formation, and we could slowly wear down the zombie...