All Heavens: Dual Cultivation of Magic and Martial Arts Starting from the Republic of China

Should we go and take a look?

Fu Ze hesitated for a moment.

After all, before Yu Mingzi left, he had said that just in case, he hoped that Yu Mingzi could stay in Sanshui Town at night.

However, that is only a "possible" risk.

But this situation of "the rats getting married" means that someone will immediately and very likely suffer!

The so-called "rat wedding" is a story about rats that have become spirits and want to "marry" living people into their burrows. Then, through this simulated "marriage," they completely seize the living person's essence, spirit, and soul for their own use.

It's somewhat similar to the rituals and procedures of orthodox esoteric Buddhism, both of which use fixed ceremonies and processes to obtain bonuses to cultivation characteristics from the unseen rules of heaven and earth.

"No! We have to go and see."

Fu Ze made up his mind.

He took out a yellow talisman that Yu Mingzi had obtained from there, bit his finger, and squeezed out a small amount of blood. Then, his fingertips flew, quickly drawing a complete inscription on the talisman and sticking it to his chest.

"Be careful when encountering a monster for the first time."

The standard material for drawing talismans is ink mixed with cinnabar and rooster blood.

However, sometimes, in order to make the spell more effective, the sorcerer will choose to use his own blood to draw it.

It's more powerful, but it hurts more and damages the body...

The talisman Fu Ze just drew with his own blood was a high-level talisman from the Southern Maoshan tradition, called the [Netherworld Concealment Talisman]. Once drawn by a highly skilled sorcerer, it can be affixed to the chest to conceal one's form and spirit, making one undetectable.

Fu Ze's magical skills were not up to par, so he could not conceal his physical form, only his spirit.

The living can still see him, but evil spirits and other supernatural beings will be deceived.

After Fu Ze affixed the [Netherworld Concealment Talisman], he leaped out of the second-floor window and landed silently on the ground, following behind the rat wedding procession.

The stray dogs carrying the sedan chair and the rats playing the suona horn were completely oblivious to his presence and continued walking forward on their own.

Fu Ze pondered to himself.

"The real culprit should be sitting inside the sedan chair. I'll follow them and see which family's daughter they're trying to harm. The best strategy is to catch them off guard and strike when they're least prepared."

To put it bluntly, it was a sneak attack!

Why talk about martial virtue with a harmful monster?

A bizarre rat wedding procession walks along the deserted stone-paved streets of a small town late at night.

Wherever they passed, there were houses on both sides of the road with big yellow guard dogs outside their gates. But when the dogs saw the scene before them, they all lay down tightly on the ground, heads buried, tails tucked between their legs, trembling all over.

They didn't dare utter a sound!

The poultry, such as chickens, ducks, and geese, huddled together, as quiet as if they were dead.

The sounds of the rats' wedding procession, with its gongs and drums and the shrill suona, echoed only in Fu Ze's ears.

"That's really weird!"

Although Fu Ze had heard of it before, he was still amazed when he saw it for the first time. He became even more wary of the "rat demon" inside the paper wedding sedan chair.

A while later, this strange wedding procession stopped in front of a house on the western outskirts of Sanshui Town.

"It seems this family has been chosen."

Just as Fu Ze was pondering this, the curtain of the sedan chair, which looked somewhat eerie, was lifted from the inside.

The real person has been revealed!

It was a large rat with grayish-white fur all over its body.

This was the first time Fu Ze had ever seen such a huge rat!

It's bigger than a typical adult mixed-breed dog!

At this moment, the white-haired rat demon stood upright like a human, about 1.3 to 1.4 meters tall. Its tail was as thick as a copper coin and nearly a meter long, wrapped around its waist.

It was also draped in some red and green tattered cloth strips, and wore a paper flower on its chest, which it had somehow gotten from some abandoned grave, giving it an eerie and sinister air.

The giant rat alighted from the sedan chair, its two paws tucked behind its back like human hands. With its belly protruding, it strolled leisurely across the courtyard and arrived at the main gate.

Then it raised its paw...

Bang, bang.

It slammed its fist on the large wooden door twice, while making a strange squeaking sound.

Fu Ze frowned slightly.

"Judging from its behavior, this rat demon's intelligence is already very close to that of a human! I wonder how many people it has harmed during its cultivation."

The area surrounding the small county of Fuling is teeming with zombies and rat demons; the world is truly chaotic beyond belief! The concentration of demons and monsters is exceptionally high!

The white-haired rat demon pretended to knock on the door a few times, then its tail, which had been wrapped around its waist, suddenly unfurled and sprang out nimbly, inserting itself directly into the keyhole.

Click!

With a click of the lock, the door opened.

The moment the door opened, Fu Ze was startled!

It was just like a "sudden appearance" scene in a horror movie; there was someone "standing" behind the door.

She was a girl, about fifteen or sixteen years old.

Her condition looked very strange.

He was unconscious, his head drooping, his body seemed to be lifted up by an invisible rope, his heels and soles were off the ground, only his toes were still in contact with the ground.

It's more like it's floating than "standing".

Fu Zedu's eyelids twitched slightly as he watched.

"This rat demon has already reached this level?"

It is said that animals that become spirits—that is, those that cultivate into demons—awaken some strange abilities. And illusions that bewitch people, manipulate minds, and suppress souls are techniques that almost every demon possesses.

However, some are strong and some are weak.

And this rat demon right now is clearly an expert in this!

It is estimated that it used some kind of evil means to put the girl into a coma, causing her to automatically float from her boudoir to the doorway to "wait" for it.

As for the girl's parents and relatives, they are probably under the influence of sorcery and are in a deep sleep.

Fu Ze recalled that along the way, all the cats, dogs, chickens, and ducks were intimidated by the spiritual aura naturally emanating from this rat demon.

He was even more grateful that he had been cautious enough.

Although Fu Ze's recurring nightmares since childhood, coupled with his training in traditional Chinese martial arts, had made him exceptionally resilient, he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't be bewitched and subdued by the rat demon without knowing its true nature.

"A sneak attack! When facing an unknown and extremely vicious enemy, a sneak attack is the best approach."

Fu Ze's moral compass is very flexible, and it varies depending on whether someone is good or evil.

He had planned to take action now.

But on second thought, that might not be a good idea!

This rat demon's strength is unknown, and it has a group of henchmen nearby. If a fight breaks out, it could affect the people inside the house. Things would get complicated.

"Let's continue to observe, keep an eye on them, and find the best opportunity to strike a fatal blow! Or even if we don't kill them, let's make sure it doesn't affect anyone else."

While Fu Ze was pondering...

Squeak!

The white-haired rat demon was very satisfied when it saw the girl behind the door, and made a strange sound that sounded like laughter. Its long tail curled forward and wrapped around the girl's fair wrist. It turned around and led her to the bridal sedan chair.