Gou Zai, a corpse sewn into a spirit in a mortuary during the Republic of China era, became a spirit

The moment the thought crossed his mind, the last remaining essence of the Corpse Demon on Xie An's panel immediately dropped to zero, then transformed into a dark red stream of light, flowing down his fingertip and into "Radish Silk's" forehead bone.

Om-!

Luo Bosi's entire body trembled violently, emitting a series of dense "crackling" sounds like popping beans. Wisps of grayish-white mist seeped from her previously still joints.

It suddenly raised its head, and two pale soul flames that burned silently emerged from the depths of its empty eye sockets.

Evolution... has begun.

First, its skeleton has become noticeably denser and more solid, and the structure of joints such as the finger bones and wrist bones has become more delicate and flexible. There is no longer a sluggish friction sound during movement, and the movements are no longer so mechanical and stiff, but much smoother.

The most noticeable change was... Luo Bosi's frame had become much more robust, her bones exuding strength and a sturdy presence. She looked... not someone to be trifled with.

Through their mental connection, Xie An discovered that Luo Bu Si's intelligence had also improved considerably, enabling her to fully express complex ideas.

Xie An had higher expectations for him. "Show me what you've done."

Radish nodded, then clenched her fist, her five fingers deftly bending, straightening, clenching, and releasing in sequence, so fast that it left afterimages. Then, she shifted her feet, and her entire skeleton moved sideways three feet without warning, her movements as swift as a cat's, landing silently without even stirring up much of the dust on the ground.

"Click, click." Its jaw opened and closed repeatedly, showing great excitement. Immediately following, a clearer and more complete thought entered Xie An's mind:

"Master, I feel something's different than before."

Xie An was satisfied with this, thinking to himself: I used some of the essence of the corpse demon to evolve you... of course it's different.

"Showcase your abilities to the fullest extent."

Luo Bosi nodded, then suddenly turned to face the elm pillar supporting the roof beam in the hall.

The next moment, it moved.

Without a running start, the skeleton floated to the pillar like a wisp of white smoke. The finger bones, like hooks, used the rough bark for leverage, and the whole body flipped in mid-air at an incredible angle. The foot bones gently pushed off the roof beam, and the skeleton floated back to Xie An silently like a falling leaf, as agile as a feline.

Xie An was increasingly pleasantly surprised, and he summarized Luo Bosi's abilities in his mind: agile, nimble, suitable for wilderness survival, stealth and tracking...

Just then, the panel information was refreshed:

[Evolution Successful]

[Level: 2 Skeleton]

[Capability Summary:]

Bone remodeling: Bone strength and toughness are greatly improved, and joint flexibility is close to that of an adult.

Primary intelligence: Possesses basic logic, learning ability, and simple emotional expression; can comprehend complex commands; and has greatly increased loyalty to its owner.

Stealth Instinct: Possesses a keen intuition for scents, traces, and signs of danger, and has the ability to survive and track independently in the wild.

Wildness Awareness: Can slightly affect nearby lower-level skeletons.

[Evolves into a Level 3 Skeleton by consuming 3 points of Ghoul Essence]

Having the ability to survive independently and track others... does this mean that radish shreds is no longer a baby that needs to be protected, and can be let out to roam freely?

Xie An suppressed his excitement and arm-wrestled with Luo Bosi; she was considerably stronger than him. However, she was still no match for a strong adult man. Although he was agile, he would most likely be beaten to death if he encountered a grown man.

Xie An took out the Yin Marrow Stone he had collected earlier and played with it while pondering his next plan.

Based on the memories left by Luo Bu Si, Xie An roughly knew the area of ​​the cave where the Yin Marrow Stone was located. He could ask a porter familiar with the area; finding the location shouldn't be difficult. If he could obtain a few more Yin Marrow Stones, he could continuously evolve Luo Bu Si, and as her level increased, she should become increasingly powerful, proving to be of great help.

However, there are also potential risks.

First and foremost, you must never let anyone discover that you have the ability to command skeleton ghouls.

If a local gang or warlord with malicious intentions finds out, wouldn't they want to capture me and use me as a guinea pig for research?

Possessing extraordinary skills and treasures, without sufficient ability to protect them, is ultimately a major hidden danger.

The more Xie An thought about it, the more he felt uneasy and insecure.

In such chaotic times, whoever has the most guns and soldiers, their word is law.

However, with more guns and soldiers, the target also becomes larger. Just look at the frequent changes in the commanders-in-chief in Tianjin and their eventual fates…

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Xie An's mind: "Since there are ghosts and demons in this world, then... perhaps there are also strange martial arts?"

In an era of rampant guns and cannons, ordinary hand-to-hand combat skills were useless. But extraordinary skills were different…

"I'll ask a few old martial arts practitioners about the situation. If there really are extraordinary skills, I should learn them as self-defense techniques. I also need to buy a gun for self-defense to be on the safe side."

Having made up his mind, Xie An no longer hesitated. He continued testing Luo Bu Si's various abilities while awaiting news from his father.

At three quarters past midnight, a commotion came from outside the door.

When Xie An went out, he saw more than a dozen men rushing back, all of them with bruises and swelling on their faces, and two of them carrying a bloodied man.

Xie An recognized the man; his name was Liu Hu. He was the strongest coffin bearer in the village and had learned some martial arts from a martial arts master.

"Erniu, what's going on?" Xie An stopped Li Erniu and asked.

Li Erniu, his face also bruised, sighed, "The shopkeeper led us to Master Wang by the railway tracks ahead. Master Wang had eaten the head of a cow. We went to capture him, but Master Wang was incredibly strong, and his fingernails were as sharp as iron. More than a dozen of us couldn't capture him, and Master Wang got away. Tiger's neck was scratched; we need to go to his room to apply medicine immediately."

"Go quickly. Also, go to the accounting office and get some money. Give each person five copper coins as a reward for tea. Tell everyone not to talk about what happened tonight," Xie An instructed. Then he hurriedly returned to the courtyard and gave Luo Bosi instructions: "Now that everyone has returned to the estate, you immediately go and track down Master Wang. Find his location and send me a message. That Master Wang is very dangerous. Don't try to fight him. If you encounter danger, retreat immediately. Your safety is the priority."

The soul fire in Radish's eyes burned steadily, and it responded clearly:

[Understood. Hide. Track. Assess danger and communicate with master.]

After sending the message, Roberta went to the wall behind the door and, with a few quick movements, climbed over the wall like a spider and jumped out.

Xie An didn't rush to leave the courtyard, but carefully felt the spiritual connection with Luo Bo Si.

To his astonishment, he discovered that even if Radish ran far away, he could always sense Radish's location, and Radish could even transmit information to him one-way.

Unfortunately, I'm too far away to reply to Luobosi.

Less than fifteen minutes later, Luo Bosi returned with a message: she had found Master Wang in the mass grave on the back mountain. Eager to prove herself, Luo Bosi fought with Master Wang, only to be thrown aside by him. Following her master's instructions, Luo Bosi then secretly followed and observed from a distance.

"The dried radish shreds are delicious..." Xie An was overjoyed, his eyes gleaming. "This is a true ghost scout!"

Xie An hurriedly left the house and arrived at the main room of the east courtyard where his father lived. The candlelight shining through the crack in the door was flickering uneasily.

Pushing open the door, the room was filled with the pungent smell of cheap liquor, mixed with the aroma of aged wood and incense ash. Xie Bingxiang sat at the octagonal table, his fingers unconsciously tapping the surface, his brows furrowed in a deep knot.

The clerk, Zhou Xuli, stood hunched over by the window, gazing at the dark night outside and sighing.

The most eye-catching figure was the man sitting on the bench in the corner, Zhou Fu.

The man was probably in his early forties, wearing a faded, old-fashioned short jacket with a shiny greaseproof cuff and patches of what looked like wine stains or mud on the hem. His hair was disheveled and tied in a bun, haphazardly held in place with a wooden hairpin. He was gulping down wine from a rough earthenware bowl. Hearing the door open, he only glanced at Xie An before lowering his head again to focus on the murky liquor in the bowl.

"Father, Uncle Zhou." Xie An closed the door, shutting out the night wind from outside.

Zhou Xuli turned around, his face etched with deep wrinkles: "The young master is here... Alas, it's all over, all over!"

Xie Bingxiang slammed his hand on the table, making the teacup clang loudly: "Old Zhou, stop talking such discouraging things!"

"Shopkeeper, it's not that I'm being pessimistic!" Zhou Xuli's voice trembled. "According to the elders, if a person's soul hasn't dispersed within seven days of death, and the corpse moves, it's called a 'walking corpse.' If it eats raw blood or gets exposed to the earth's energy, it will turn into a 'fierce corpse'! Master Wang... he ate a cow's head!"

"A dozen of us couldn't even surround a corpse. Liu Hu, who had practiced martial arts for several years, had his flesh torn open by a single claw—this is not something an ordinary person can handle."

A snicker suddenly came from the corner of the wall.

Zhou Fu slammed the empty wine bowl on the ground, wiped his mouth haphazardly with his sleeve, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth: "You've all panicked over a mere corpse?"

He spoke with a heavy Tianjin accent, his tone lazy yet somehow exuding the confidence of a seasoned veteran.

Xie Bingxiang said solemnly, "Master Zhou, this is different. Usually, when a corpse transforms, its joints are stiff, and it wanders along the earth's energy. But Master Wang... he can chase cattle, he can fight people, and his fingernails can break through skin to the bone. This is no longer a 'walking corpse,' he's probably becoming a 'fierce corpse'!"

The moment the words "ferocious corpse" were uttered, the temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees.

According to the old coffin bearers, corpse transformation is divided into three levels, the lightest being "walking corpse" and the more severe being "fierce corpse".

The fierce corpse is not afraid of sunlight, possesses immense strength, and is impervious to black dog blood and cinnabar.

Zhou Xuli shuddered and muttered, "If we really become fierce corpses... not only will our mortuary be in turmoil, but the surrounding towns will also be in danger. When the authorities investigate, we'll all be implicated!"

Humph.

Zhou Fu gulped down a mouthful of strong liquor and snorted, "If I find it, I'll shove a punch into its mouth. What a load of bullshit ferocious corpse!"

A brief silence fell over the room, broken only by the crackling of the candlelight.

Just then, Xie An spoke up.

"Father, Uncle Zhou." His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly broke the heavy atmosphere. "I know where Master Wang is."