Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 10

At this moment, Li Zhuiyuan felt as if a basin of ice water had been poured over his head, and his whole body was chilled.

In a trance, it seemed as if his soul was scared out of his body, but the reason why he was not scared out was because this was not reality and his body was not here.

"run!"

Li Zhuiyuan took Qin Li's hand and stood up and ran.

But before he could run a few steps, the group of old ladies who were washing dishes with sand stood in front of him, blocking his way.

Their seemingly shriveled and old bodies remained motionless no matter how Li Zhuiyuan pushed and hit them.

In desperation, the thought that came to Li Zhuiyuan's mind was: No wonder my grandfather's paper-making business is so good, the materials and workmanship are indeed there.

In fact, there was no hope of forcing his way in, because he was still young and had no strength at all. He didn't know any of the methods that Taiye and Liu Jinxia used.

He originally thought that he could avoid this incident by hiding, and he almost succeeded, but it was ruined at the last moment.

He turned around and looked at the cat-faced old lady, forcing himself to calm down, and then began to quickly recall whether there was any knowledge that could be used.

There was no need to bother looking for it, because he had only read one book, an introductory encyclopedia... and he had only read four volumes.

It is true that one only regrets not having read enough books when he needs them, but now, he can only try to rely on the knowledge he already has.

As a result, Li Zhuiyuan actually found one that seemed to match the number.

The twelfth chapter of the third volume of Jianghu Zhiguai Lu records a special kind of death - the corpse demon.

When a person with deep resentment was floating in the water, he came into contact with the corpse of an animal that also carried an evil aura. By chance, the two merged into a strange creature that was neither human nor demon.

This kind of death does have some special abilities. For example, the corpse demon mentioned in the book is located in the Changbai Mountain area in the northeast. It is a combination of man and Wong Tai Sin. It can set up miasma and confuse people's minds, and will eventually be destroyed by the righteous.

As for what the "right path" here refers to, Li Zhuiyuan is not sure, and he feels there is no need to figure it out, because the ending of every death is "destroyed by the right path."

Whether it was really destroyed or not, by which sect or by which clan, whether by monks, Taoists, Lamas, or sorcerers... it doesn't matter. The author who wrote this book seemed to have used "destroyed by the righteous path" as the period at the end of each article.

The cat-faced old lady in front of me looked very much like a corpse demon.

But if we have to fit the concept into a conclusion, we must first make sure that the person died in the river. If the person died somewhere else, it would not be considered death and would not be included in the "Records of Strange Tales from the Jianghu".

But the old lady's clothes were clean and her hair was gray and fluffy. She didn't look like a water ghost at all. The little yellow warbler, who was wet all over, was the standard template.

Li Zhuiyuan felt that...it might be beyond the scope of the curriculum.

The old lady with a cat face retracted her head, bent down, and reached out to pick up a piece of tiger skin meat and a chicken leg on the ground.

She realized something was wrong through the two things on the ground, because it did not conform to her simple cognitive habits in dreams.

"Such delicious food! How can you waste it like this? You're going to get…"

The cat-faced old lady stopped herself from saying the last word. Apparently, with her current status, it was a real taboo for her to say those two words.

She opened her mouth, regardless of the dirt, put the piece of meat and the chicken leg into her mouth, and chewed them with great enjoyment.

"It would have been great if I had a bowl of corn porridge back then."

There was reminiscence in her eyes. That was her biggest wish for a long time when she curled up in bed and looked at the closed door. It was even... a luxury.

But in the end, she didn't even get a grain of rice or a sip of water.

The cat-faced old lady looked at Li Zhuiyuan again, but before she could speak, Li Zhuiyuan spoke first:

"Hello grandma, happy birthday to you."

Cat-faced old lady: “…”

This birthday wish silenced all the corpse demons.

After a long time, the old lady with a cat face stretched out her hand and reached in front of Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan noticed that the other person also had hair on the back of his hand, and his nails were very long and pointed.

Without dodging, Li Zhuiyuan let the other person's hand touch his face.

The familiar feeling of applying ice on the face appeared again, exactly the same feeling I had in Liu Jinxia's hall that day.

"Grandma, I have discovered that you, my little boy, are not only handsome, but also very smart.

That day, when my eldest son was about to leave, you deliberately asked him to wash his hands beside you so that I, your grandma, could leave you and return to him, right?"

"I'm afraid grandma will forget the way home."

"Really?"

"I also think you are more accustomed to him carrying you."

"No..." The cat-faced old lady's fingers slid down to Li Zhuiyuan's lips, "Now I prefer the little boy to carry me."

Then, the cat-faced old lady looked at Qin Li who was standing behind Li Zhuiyuan: "What a pretty little girl."

Li Zhuiyuan said: "She has a mental problem, can't speak, has a bad temper, and bites people at the slightest provocation."

"Oh, is that so? No wonder when I saw her during the day, she was just sitting there, not moving at all. What a pity, such a pretty little girl."

As she spoke, the cat-faced old lady turned her attention to Li Zhuiyuan's face again: "My little boy, I really like you. Just stay with me."

"You have..." Li Zhuiyuan immediately realized something and changed his words, "Okay, I'll accompany grandma."

He wanted to ask, "Don't you have your own grandson?", but that would be a waste of time.

The cat-faced old lady smiled and nodded, and said to the fat master and others: "Everyone has worked hard, let's eat together."

According to local customs, when a banquet is held, after the first and second groups have eaten and all the guests have been entertained, one or two tables will be set up at the end for the cooks, helpers and family members to eat.

"Okay, old lady." The fat master and the old ladies regained their spirits and began to pack up and prepare to eat.

"The little one is coming too."

After giving the order, the cat-faced old lady turned around and walked out of the kitchen. Li Zhuiyuan noticed that the footprints she left behind had water marks. The cloth shoes on her feet were also particularly dark in color, and they made a constant "crunching" sound when she walked, as if they were filled with water.

This is, did you guess the question?
"Come on, boy, go eat." The fat master grabbed Li Zhuiyuan's hand and interrupted Li Zhuiyuan's thoughts.

Li Zhuiyuan saw that the old ladies did not catch Qin Li. It was obvious that the old lady with a cat face was not interested in her, a girl with a "slow brain". So he let go of Qin Li's hand and turned to say to her:
"You go first... No, just stand here and don't move."

I didn't know where to go, so I might as well stay in the kitchen for safety. After all, the old lady wanted me.

Li Zhuiyuan was taken out of the kitchen. The place outside, which was originally full of people, now seemed deathly silent.

It's not that there were no people, on the contrary, there were a lot of people, shoulder to shoulder, crowded together in a black mass, but no one made a sound, and no one moved at all.

The original tables, chairs and benches have been put away and stacked against the wall, leaving only two slightly empty areas.

In one place there was a table of food and wine, and in the other place were the three people singing children's opera.

The others all stood closely together, waiting to see the performance after dinner.

Li Zhuiyuan was dragged by the fat master to the table.

The cat-faced old lady had already sat in the first seat and patted the empty seat beside her: "Come, little boy, sit next to grandma."

Li Zhuiyuan had no choice but to sit over there. He deliberately looked at the direction he came from, but found that Qin Li did not stay in the kitchen obediently. She also walked out and stood among the crowd, looking at him.

People don't care about you anymore, why do you still want to move forward?
The cat-faced old lady also noticed it and asked with a smile: "Why not ask her to come over and sit with us?"

"No, grandma, she's already eaten. She has a bad temper and is shy about strangers, so she'll easily disturb everyone's meal."

"Oh? Then why are you still playing with her?"

"Neighbor, take her out to play."

"Haha, you are so kind." The cat-faced old lady placed her hand on Li Zhuiyuan's head and gently stroked it. "I helped take care of my grandchildren when they were young. At that time, they all called me 'Grandma'. But when they grew up, they all wished I would die sooner. They all felt that it was because of my old age that they had a hard time getting along, and could not lead a good life or make money."

Li Zhuiyuan listened quietly.

"I just can't figure out why they became like that. Maybe it's really my fault. I lived too long and sucked away their blessings. Am I sorry for them?
I think it would be better for them if I died early and was reborn sooner, my dear, don't you think so?"

If you really thought so, how could you have died?
According to the general outline of the opening chapter of "Records of Strange Tales from the Jianghu", death is the existence catalyzed by resentment.

How can you sit here without any resentment? Is it because of missing someone?
"Grandma, you can't think like that. My mother once told me that when facing a beast, it is ridiculous to reflect on yourself and try to understand it."

"Oh... your mother does have a point." After a pause, the cat-faced old lady smiled to herself, "Haha, I thought so too, but I still feel a little bit reluctant. After all, he is the one I raised."

"So do they treat you as their mother or grandmother?"

"In my eyes, they are still children after all. Children are bound to make mistakes, right?"

"But they are also grandparents, parents, and they don't know how you feel. But they still do it."

"Yeah, they are so abominable!!!"

The green light in the cat-faced old woman's eyes began to flow rapidly, and her sharp teeth were exposed from her lips.

"My dear, you are right. So right. I, your grandmother, really love you so much!"

This time, two hands grabbed Li Zhuiyuan's face and kept kneading it.

Li Zhuiyuan felt that his face was almost frozen.

"Grandma... please don't let them go." The cat-faced old lady let go of Li Zhuiyuan's face and grabbed the table with both hands, leaving ten deep dents on it with her nails:
"That's right, how could I let them go? These guys are worse than us beasts!"

Li Zhuiyuan: Worse than us animals?

So the leader of this corpse is a cat?
The cat-faced old lady turned her head and looked at Li Zhuiyuan, saying word by word: "My boy, watch carefully, I will make them pay for what they have done!"

Can I live to see it?

Li Zhuiyuan immediately agreed: "Grandma, of course!"

He didn't feel any guilt about the hatred he had directed at others. He just knew the answer and filled in the solution process.

The old lady would do this without my guidance. If I try to persuade her to be more open-minded, my own brain will be opened first.

At this time, the fat chef asked, "Old Madam, can we open this table now?"

The cat-faced old lady asked, "Is everyone here?"

"It's just us."

"What about the original family?"

The fat master scratched his head and said, "You are the only one in the family. None of your children are here."

"It's not them. They borrowed someone else's space, tables, chairs, bowls and chopsticks. It's against the rules if they don't invite people to sit at the table."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Grandma, they are not hungry, they are already asleep, don't wake them up."

"How can this be possible?" The cat-faced old lady suddenly turned gloomy and stared at Li Zhuiyuan, "For this final feast, everyone must be called to attend, otherwise it will be against the rules and people will stab you in the back."

"That's really not necessary, grandma."

"Buzz!"

The cat-faced old lady grabbed Li Zhuiyuan's neck with one hand and lifted him up.

"My dear, you were not behaving well just now, hehehe."

……

At this moment, in the bedroom on the second floor, Li Zhuiyuan was sleeping with his forehead resting on the desk, his face showing pain and he was suffocating.

……

"Grandma...I was wrong...I was wrong..."

Li Zhuiyuan grabbed the other person's hands with both hands, but couldn't pry them apart. He could only kick his legs aimlessly.

The feeling of death is so clear.

Qin Li, who was standing in the crowd far away, had her eyelashes twitching and her body shaking, and the amplitude was getting stronger and stronger.

"Snapped!"

The cat-faced old lady loosened her hands, and Li Zhuiyuan fell to the ground. Freed from his restraints, he began to breathe heavily.

She will still kill herself!

She is not a human, she is a corpse demon, and ferocity is her nature!
Li Zhuiyuan turned his head and looked at Qin Li in the crowd. After meeting his gaze, Qin Li seemed to be comforted in some way. She slowly lowered her eyes and her body gradually stopped shaking.

……

In the bedroom on the second floor, Li Zhuiyuan was sleeping on the table. The pain on his face slowly faded away and his breathing calmed down.

……

The cat-faced old lady said: "Little boy, you need to teach him well from childhood."

"Grandma, you are right." Li Zhuiyuan got up and walked back to the table.

"If you think you can't teach him well, you should drown him early, so that he won't become a conscienceless scourge when he grows up, don't you think?"

Li Zhuiyuan picked up a plate of braised fish on the table and swapped it with the fried peanuts in front of the cat-faced old lady.

Then he sat down and nodded:

"Yes, yes."

"Hmm..." The cat-faced old lady smiled again and reached out to gently touch the red mark on Li Zhuiyuan's neck. "You are such a good boy. Did grandma hurt you just now?"

"Grandma is educating me. I understand."

"Yes." The cat-faced old lady looked at the fat master, "Go and invite people, invite all the relatives to come and have dinner."

"Okay, let's go right away."

The fat chef and the old ladies who were washing dishes stood up from the table and went to call for help.

When the fat master walked to the stairs, the stairs that had disappeared reappeared. He trotted up the stairs, with the fat on his body swinging.

Coming to the second-floor terrace, he walked to Li Sanjiang's bedroom, pushed the door open, and saw Li Sanjiang sleeping on the bed.

"Come on, let's have a feast!"

The fat master walked to the bedside, reached out and grabbed Li Sanjiang's wrist. Next, he would pull out this man's soul and take it away for a feast.

however,
Suddenly,
The fat master only felt that the environment around him was distorted. He was originally standing in the bedroom, but now he appeared in a square, surrounded by towering palaces.

Then he saw in front of him:

There was an old man wearing big white ripped shorts, standing at the front, leading a group of zombies jumping around.

The old man jumped, and the zombies behind him also jumped collectively.

The old man accidentally landed on the ground and lost his balance, and the zombies behind him also staggered collectively.

The fat master was so frightened by this scene that his face immediately returned to its original color - as pale as paper.

Just at this moment, the last zombie in the row reacted the slowest and fell down. He looked behind him and saw the fat master standing there.

The zombie seemed to have seen something new and jumped towards the Fat Master.

Fat Master immediately started running and the zombies started chasing him.

"Buzz!"

The fat master appeared beside the bed and returned to the bedroom. He reached out and touched his face, and found a thick layer of powder putty. His makeup was completely removed due to fear.

"Boom!"

The floor suddenly shook.
It was as if a huge monster had fallen to the ground.

……

"Come on, little boy, let's eat first while they go to call people."

The cat-faced old lady reached out and grabbed a handful of dried fruits and placed them in front of Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan looked embarrassed. He had tried this thing before and it was uncomfortable to even put it in his mouth, let alone eat it.

"eat……"

The old lady's tone became lower.

Li Zhuiyuan could only pick up one, swallow his saliva, and put it into his mouth. In an instant, a strong feeling of nausea came over him, but looking at the old lady's expression, he could only reach out and cover his mouth to prevent himself from spitting it out.

"Well, you are so good, little boy, that's right. No matter what time it is, we must cherish food. In my life, I starved before liberation, and after liberation, I was a widow raising three children who starved. When the children grew up, they starved to death.

So, grandma really knows how precious food is."

Li Zhuiyuan could only nod while suppressing his nausea, but he really couldn't swallow the food.

At this moment, the fat master rolled down the stairs in panic, shouting:

"Mammy, it's bad, Mammy, something terrible has happened!"

"what's up?"

The old lady with a cat face stood up. This was her "territory" and she was the one in control here.

"boom!"

A pair of long boots fell and hit the fat master, crushing him into a pile of waste paper and wood strips.

"what……"

The eerie throat sound filled the entire hall, causing the temperature here to drop suddenly.

Li Zhuiyuan raised his head and looked at the existence that suddenly appeared in front of him with a look of astonishment.

This is a statue.
A zombie wearing a Qing Dynasty official robe and a top hat with a peacock feather!
-

There will be another update before 0 o'clock.

(End of this chapter)