For thirty years, he has roamed the Northeast, his divine might overwhelming all immortals under hea

I ran ahead, and the big gray dog ​​and the little fox chased after me.

I kept glancing back, and there it was—the little fox was riding on the back of the big gray dog.

At first I thought I was seeing things.

But then I realized that it wasn't that my glasses were playing tricks on me, but rather that there were simply too many things in this world that were inexplicable and hard to explain.

I jogged all the way back to Zhujiakan, and it was noon the next day.

Standing at the entrance of the village, I could feel the cool air emanating from the village.

That bone-chilling cold made one's hair stand on end.

"Kid, you don't really think we're going to eat you, do you?"

"What kind of talk is that? I didn't think that way."

After running this whole way, I think I've figured it out.

If the two of them wanted to eat me, would they need to go through all this trouble?

The only explanation is that they were teasing me.

Those two guys are completely unreliable.

As we were talking, the big gray dog ​​standing next to me visibly shrank until it became the size of an ordinary adult country dog.

Gray hair, shiny and glossy.

But those eyes were still one red and one green.

Before I could even take a step into the village, the big gray dog ​​had already gone ahead.

It was like a local, leading the way, and I followed behind.

After crossing a few streets, the big gray dog ​​raised its head and turned to its right.

I couldn't figure out what it was thinking, so I followed it.

But when I turned around, I found that all the zombies were piled up together.

Furthermore, it was surrounded by peach wood branches.

"My father didn't burn them with peach wood."

I couldn't believe it, because before this, I had told my father that these things should be burned with peach wood.

The big grey dog ​​approached the group of zombies and opened its mouth wide.

A large piece of rotten, smelly meat was then swallowed.

Just then, a furious voice rang out.

"Get out of here! Whose stray dog ​​is this, daring to come here to beg for food?"

As he spoke, a stone flew over.

The big gray dog ​​didn't try to dodge; the stone stopped less than ten centimeters away from it.

It looked like it hit something and fell to the ground.

"Zhang Ga Zi, what are you doing here?"

Zhang Ga Zi, a notorious troublemaker in Zhujiakan, is the kind of person who's always there for any trouble.

"Thirteen, this is the first time I've seen you since you recovered, you look great."

Zhang Ga's words made my face tense.

Does this kid really think I'm stupid?

"That's true, after all, you're so busy, you don't have a chance to meet."

"That's right, here I am, I'm the one looking after these corpses now. The leader said these are treasures and research subjects."

Research subjects? Research my ass!

I cursed inwardly, "What's the point of researching these things?"

How did the leader know?

It seems that in the short time I was away from Zhujiakan to Laoheishan, quite a lot had happened in the village.

This led to my father not handling these dead bodies as I had instructed.

While I was talking to Zhang Ga Zi, the big gray dog ​​had already eaten almost all of a zombie.

I can't believe how the big gray dog ​​could eat such a rotten and stinking corpse.

"Kid, don't be so surprised."

"Let me tell you, this old dog is no ordinary dog. It's called the Yin-Yang Dog, a dog that eats the dead. It cultivates by feeding on the dead, and these zombies are just what it wants."

The little fox's voice exploded in my mind.

There are dogs like this in the world.

"Damn it, whose dog is this?"

"Watch out, or I'll kill you and eat your flesh."

Zhang Ga started cursing, and I spoke up.

"Zhang Ga Zi, this dog is mine. You have to consider its owner before you beat it. Watch your mouth, kid."

I didn't give him a friendly look; my tone was cold.

"Hey, Li Shisan, don't think you're not stupid now. You've been stupid before, and you might be stupid again someday. You're even a shaman? I think you're a complete idiot."

Zhang Ga Zi raised his hand to hit me, but I naturally wouldn't give him the chance. I struck first and delivered a kick to the chest.

It hit Zhang Gazi right in the chest.

I didn't feel like I exerted any force, but Zhang Ga rolled twice on the ground before stopping.

"Ouch..."

"Ouch... I'm not done with you... I'm not done with you yet..."

Zhang Ga Zi clutched his stomach and rolled around on the ground.

"I'm only beating you for being so foul-mouthed. If you keep being so foul-mouthed, I'll tear your mouth apart."

I looked down at Zhang Ga Zi, but the big gray dog ​​was quick; in the blink of an eye, it had eaten the whole dog clean.

After it finished eating, I heard a satisfied burp.

"This dog..."

Zhang Ga Zi also noticed something was wrong with the big gray dog, and pointed with wide eyes at the place where the dead dogs had been piled up.

After a brief pause.

"Holy crap, how am I supposed to live like this? What am I going to tell the boss when he comes...?"

"Confess? Confess my ass!"

"These things are a menace. What's the point of keeping them? To spread corpse poison?"

"Fine, you just wait, you just wait."

Zhang Ga Zi clutched his stomach and staggered away from me.

The zombie had been gnawed to death by the Yin-Yang Dog, leaving not even a bone fragment. Half of the circle made of peach wood branches had collapsed, and some dark brown, sticky stuff remained on the ground. When the wind blew, the stench of decay carried far and wide.

I kicked the peach branch on the ground, thinking that the matter was over, but the harsh words Zhang Ga Zi said before leaving were like a thorn stuck in my heart, making me feel uncomfortable.

I had already lifted my feet to walk towards the construction site at the west end of the village, but after taking two steps, my legs felt like they were filled with lead. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw three mud-brick houses with smoke billowing from the chimneys on the roofs—that was my house.

After leaving Laoheishan, even though I had the Yin-Yang Dog and the little fox with me, I was always thinking about my parents, especially my father.

Before I went to Laoheishan, he fought with the zombies while carrying a stick. I don't know if he got injured.

Never mind, I'll go home and check first. Anyway, I can't leave the construction site, so it won't matter if I go a little later.

I turned and walked home, the Yin-Yang Dog following behind me with its tail drooping. Its shiny gray fur was stained with some black mud, but that didn't diminish its sinister aura. Its red and green eyes darted around, and it would sniff the grass by the roadside from time to time.

The little fox jumped off the back of the Yin-Yang dog at some point and squatted on my shoulder, its little paws tugging at my collar, its soft voice floating in my mind.

"You're quite filial, much better than that scoundrel Zhang Gazi."

Stop talking nonsense.

I thought to myself, and quickened my pace.

"That kid is a troublemaker; he'll get what's coming to him sooner or later."

After walking for a few minutes, we arrived at the front door of the house. The wooden gate was ajar. When I pushed it open, I saw my father squatting on the threshold, a pipe between his fingers, the tobacco pipe glowing and the pungent smell of smoke filling the yard.

His face was long and his brows were furrowed; he didn't even look up when I came in.

"father."

My father slowly raised his head, saw it was me, and tapped his pipe on the sole of his shoe.

"What's wrong? Look at your face, like someone owes you two hundred dollars."

"What else can it be? It's just those stagnant things."

My dad lit his pipe again, took a deep drag, and puffed smoke rings out of his nose.

"Didn't you tell me before you left to burn those things with peach wood? I had already prepared peach wood branches, but then people from higher up came. They said it was some kind of research team from the county, and village leaders were with them. They said those zombies were some kind of 'scientific research subjects,' and we weren't allowed to touch them. They even made Zhang Ga Zi watch over them, and nobody was allowed to touch them."

"Subjects of scientific research?"

I immediately lost my temper and raised my voice.

"Research my ass! Those things are zombies; touching them will spread corpse poison. Keeping them around is just asking for trouble! What kind of brain-dead leader said that?"

"Keep your voice down!"

My dad quickly pulled me aside and looked outside the yard, afraid that someone would hear us.

"Do you think I want to keep it? Who dares to disobey the leader? He even said that burning down the building would be considered sabotaging scientific research and would get us labeled."

I cursed under my breath, but there was nothing else I could do.

"And what about my mother?"

I glanced around the yard but didn't see my mother.

"I went to visit Aunt Wang next door. I was feeling down too, so I wanted to chat with her."

I was just about to tell my dad that the zombies had already been eaten by the Yin-Yang Dogs, and even if the leaders came, there was nothing they could do. But before I could finish speaking, I heard footsteps outside the courtyard, and someone shouting.

"Is Li Shisan home? Come out for a moment!"

My dad and I exchanged a glance, and we both sensed something was wrong in each other's eyes.

The voice didn't come from the village; it sounded quite serious.

My dad quickly stood up and was about to open the door when the two wooden gates were pushed open, and two people in blue police uniforms came in with shiny cap badges. There was also a person behind them. Who else could it be but Zhang Ga?

The kid was clutching his stomach, his face was bruised, and when he saw me, he pointed at me and yelled.

"Officer, it's him! It's Li Shisan! He not only beat me, but he also spread feudal superstitions, saying that those zombies were evil creatures, and he even let his dog eat them all!"

I immediately realized that this kid was holding a grudge and had gone to the police to report me!

"You're talking nonsense!"

I took a step forward, but one of the policemen reached out and stopped me.

"Comrade, calm down."

The policeman looked at me expressionlessly and took out a small notebook.

"Someone has reported you for allegedly promoting feudal superstition and deliberately damaging 'scientific research samples.' Come with us for an investigation."

"Damaged research samples?"

I laughed in exasperation.

"Those zombies are harmful people, and I dealt with them to rid the people of a scourge! Also, Zhang Ga hit me first, so I fought back. Why didn't you investigate him?"

Whether someone harms another or whether they struck first is not up to you to decide.

Another policeman stepped forward and grabbed my arm.

"Come with us, don't resist, or we'll treat you as obstructing official business."

The policeman had a strong grip; I tried to break free, but couldn't.

Upon seeing this, the yin-yang dog immediately bared its teeth and charged forward, its one red and one green eye staring at the policeman, letting out a low growl, as if it were about to pounce and bite him.

My dad quickly pulled me back and then smiled apologetically at the police.

"Officer, the boy is young and doesn't know any better. Please don't take it personally and talk things out."

"Dad, don't stop me!"

"Zhang Ga Zi framed me!"

"Enough talk, let's go!"

The police grabbed my arm and dragged me outside, with Zhang Ga Zi following behind, a smug smile on his face.

"Li Shisan, weren't you so capable? Weren't you some kind of shaman? Let's see how cocky you are now!"

My heart sank. I knew that resisting was useless now, and besides, cooperating with the investigation was perfectly normal.

"Dad, don't worry, I'm fine."

I turned around and said something to my dad, then glared at Zhang Ga Zi fiercely.

"Zhang Ga, you just wait and see, this isn't over!"

Zhang Ga Zi pursed his lips, didn't dare to say a word, and hid behind the policeman.

The police dragged me out of the yard. When the villagers heard the commotion, they all gathered around to watch the excitement, pointing and whispering. Some people said I deserved it, that I had no choice but to do this instead of living a good life.

I looked at them.

Each of them looked familiar, but in reality, they were quite unfamiliar.

When I helped them exorcise ghosts and cure their illnesses, they all begged and pleaded with me.

He kept calling me "Mr. Thirteen".

When they saw me being taken away by the police, they all came out and pointed at me.

"Have you all forgotten what happened before?"

"Now you're accusing me of being feudal and superstitious, of using shamanic practices? But when you're in trouble, who's there to help you?"

"Don't forget, the matter at the construction site isn't over yet."

"Let's go, stop talking nonsense!"

The police gave me a push and led me straight to the village committee.

The village committee of Zhujiakan is located at the southernmost end of the village, in a large courtyard with two large adobe houses.

I usually handle all my business here.

"Li Shisan, right?"

The older police officers sized me up.

Then, surprisingly, he offered her a cigarette.

The old policeman's behavior surprised me greatly. I waved my hand to indicate that I didn't smoke.

"Thank you, but I don't know how."

When I said no, he lit it himself and took a deep drag.

"I've met your father a few times; he's a very simple and honest farmer."

"Tell me, what exactly happened?"

"What's going on? Those zombies are a menace, they carry corpse poison. If we don't get rid of them, will they just spread the poison?"

"Corpse poison?"

"You're not trying to say that anyone who gets infected with the corpse poison will become like them, are you?"

The younger police officer suddenly interrupted, clearly anticipating what I was about to say.

I nodded, without denying it.

"You really are..."

The young policeman was about to say something when the older policeman raised his hand to interrupt him.

"I don't want to hear this stuff. Did you hit Zhang Ga Zi or not?"

"He hit me, but he struck first."

"Okay, that's fine then."

"My name is Chen Dagang, and I am the head of the local police station. What happened today is nothing serious."

"We all live in the same village, we see each other all the time, there's no need to fight, let's talk it out."

"You can contact me if you need anything else."

"You can leave now."

"This...that's it?"

I looked at Chen Dagang in disbelief.

"Or what? Do you want to chat a little longer?"

I left the village committee with a surprised look in my eyes.

I don't know why I left so easily. Is it really like Chen Dagang said, that there's no need to take action while living in the village?

A crowd had gathered in front of the village committee building; they were clearly shocked that I had come out so quickly.

"They're out so quickly."

"Oh no, they're definitely going to take some kind of cut."

"We're doomed. We're the ones who will suffer this time."