Starting from his vigorous old age, he began to conquer Liaozhai.

"How could there be a woman in this room?" he thought of a possibility.

"Bang bang bang~"

Cao Xiong's heartbeat grew louder and louder, and cold sweat uncontrollably streamed down his forehead.

"Sizzle~"

The sound of shoes rubbing against the ground could be heard again.

Cao Xiong quickly closed his eyes, leaving only a slit.

A "woman" bent down and looked at Cao Xiong.

This time, Cao Xiong saw it clearly: a face paler than a sheet of paper, with pure white eyes, like those of a dead fish.

Cao Xiong gradually regained control of his body; at least his neck could turn.

As their faces drew closer, Cao Xiong calculated the distance and counted down in his mind.

Just as the "woman" twitched her nose, Cao Xiong turned his neck and turned his face to the left, just like a natural movement a person makes when asleep.

The woman's body stiffened. After a moment's hesitation, she turned to face Cao Xiong again.

Cao Xiong was anxious, so he could only turn his face to the front again.

After spinning around three or four times, back and forth, the "woman" finally seemed to realize Cao Xiong's abnormality. She slowly raised her hands, trying to press Cao Xiong's head down.

This simple action seemed to have used up all of a "woman's" strength.

The moment his fingernail touched his head, Cao Xiong finally regained complete control of his body.

"Die!"

"Bang!"

Cao Xiong clenched his right fist and punched the "woman" in the chest.

The "woman" was blasted away and crashed into the wall of the room, a puff of white smoke coming out of her mouth.

Cao Xiong, seizing the opportunity, quickly got out of bed, grabbed the willow-leaf knife from the bedside table, and slashed at the female corpse.

The female corpse moved stiffly, her body rigid. Cao Xiong's knife struck her as if it were hitting a block of ice.

The woman's clothes were torn to shreds by a knife, and clear cuts could be seen on her exposed skin, but not a drop of blood flowed out.

"Roar~"

The female corpse was completely enraged. Her body was lifted into the air, her hands stretched forward, and her four- or five-centimeter-long black fingernails gleamed with an eerie light.

"A fierce tiger descends the mountain!"

Cao Xiong discarded his knife, clenched his right fist, concentrated all his strength, and faintly heard the roar of a tiger emanating from his chest.

"Bang!"

The "woman" was sent flying backward and crashed into the wall again.

Cao Xiongfei stepped forward and grabbed the "woman" by the neck.

"Click~"

The woman exhaled three breaths of white air, her pale skin rapidly decaying.

The stench made Cao Xiong retreat repeatedly.

[Slay one early-stage Spirit Awakening Realm Corpse Demon, Fragment +0.5]

"So this is called a Corpse Demon? No wonder it's different from ordinary Corpse Demons; it has the special ability to make people faint."

Cao Xiong was unsure whether this corpse demon was related to the corpse monster in Xiahe Village, but it made him more wary.

Just as Cao Xiong killed the corpse demon, a monster with wings on its back, a blue face and fangs awoke from the dilapidated ancient temple.

His scarlet eyes were like two red lanterns.

"Anyone who dares to destroy my demon servant is courting death."

……

After the corpse demon was killed, Wang Er and the others slowly woke up from their coma.

"What's that smell? It's so weird!"

Wang Er pinched his nose and couldn't help but gag.

Cao Xiong sat at the table, moved his chin, and gestured for Wang Er and the other two to look at the rotting female corpse.

"Wang Er, go and inform the manager to come over."

"Okay!"

A short while later, the old man, led by Wang Er, hurriedly entered the room.

"Sir, what business do you have with me?"

"Shopkeeper, your daughter-in-law's body has undergone a reanimation."

The old man looked at the rotting corpse lying on the ground, and was so shocked that he sat down on the ground, muttering to himself.

"How could this happen? How could this happen?!"

"Shopkeeper, how did your daughter-in-law die?"

Cao Xiong gave the old man a moment to calm down before asking him what he wanted to know.

The old man wiped away tears from the corners of his eyes, as if he were reminiscing.

"I don't know. She died very suddenly. If there's anything strange about it, it's that she kept having nightmares about a temple during that time."

"temple?"

Cao Xiong frowned, his intuition telling him that the corpse demon must be related to his nightmares from his previous life.

But the corpse demon is dead, and the innkeeper doesn't know much either; this mystery may never be solved.

Cao Xiong stopped worrying about it.

After having the body burned, he led Wang Er and the other two to Xiahe Village.

The heavy rain had just stopped, and a misty fog hung in the air, carrying a faint, earthy fragrance.

When Cao Xiong and his group arrived at Xiahe Village, it was already noon.

Xiahe Village is nestled among mountains and rivers, with a lake stretching from the edge of the village into the distance, and thatched houses hidden among the trees.

"It truly is a paradise on earth."

Cao Xiong couldn't help but speak up; he had never seen such a sight in his previous life.

Cao Xiong's sentiments flashed by in an instant.

Compared to the beautiful scenery, the quirky nature of Xiahe Village stands out even more.

Since entering Xiahe Village, things have become much quieter.

The entire village of Xiahe was deserted and silent, without even the crowing of roosters or the barking of dogs.

Wang Er and the others also noticed the abnormality of the place and unconsciously tightened their grip on the willow-leaf knives at their waists.

"Go in."

Cao Xiong rode into the village first.

Wherever they went, every house closed its doors.

Cao Xiong finally stopped in front of the only stone house in the village.

Without Cao Xiong needing to speak, Wang Er dismounted and walked to the courtyard gate to knock on the door.

"Is anyone home? Open the door!"

"Bang bang~"

After five or six minutes, the gate finally opened.

The person who opened the door was a burly man in his forties, who was holding a machete.

Upon seeing Wang Er's armor, he quickly hid the wood-chopping knife behind his back.

"So it's you, sir. May I ask what brings you here?"

"We're here to investigate the corpse monster incident and would like to get some information from you."

"Phew~"

The stiffness on the man's face eased slightly.

"Please come in, sir."

"I am the village chief of Xiahe Village. Just call me Zhuhe."

Zhu He respectfully welcomed Cao Xiong and the others into his home.

From the moment Cao Xiong and the others entered, Zhu He was excessively enthusiastic, a relieved smile on his face.

"Gentlemen, how about trying this tea? It's only available in Xiahe Village, nowhere else."

Cao Xiong glanced at the cup beside him, and the faint aroma of tea wafted into his nostrils, instantly invigorating him. He knew then that what Zhu He had said was true.

"Village Chief, I have learned about the events surrounding the Xiahe Village corpse monster from the yamen's files. I have a few questions that I would like you to answer."

"General, please ask. I will answer to the best of my knowledge."

Zhu He quickly straightened his expression.

"When I entered the village just now, I saw that every house was closed, and the village was deathly silent; not even a dog barked. Why is that?"

Upon hearing Cao Xiong's question, Zhu He's eyes showed obvious fear.

"Since about two weeks ago, the zombies have been appearing frequently, and many people in the village have fled to other places for refuge."

"Only some elderly, weak, sick and disabled people had nowhere to go, so I told them to close the doors."

"There used to be many dogs and chickens in the village, but now, they've all been eaten by the corpse monsters."

Zhu He's guess was similar to Cao Xiong's. He continued, "Can you pinpoint the location where the corpse monster appeared?"

Zhu He quickly shook his head.

Cao Xiong picked up his cup, took a sip, and had an idea in mind.

"Village chief, could you please find some live livestock?"

Zhu He pondered for a moment, "I do have two hens hidden in my cellar."

A glint flashed in Cao Xiong's eyes. "That's enough."

"Then I'll go and fetch it for the general."

After saying that, Zhu He got up and walked out of the room.

"Uncle Cao, what do you need livestock for?"

Wang Er scratched his head, somewhat unable to fathom Cao Xiong's thoughts.

You'll find out tonight.