Zombie Life Begins in Hongxi Village

Chu Renmei stood on the cloud, looking down at Uncle Sheng who was busy in front of the stage below.

His lips twitched slightly, as if he wanted to call out "Uncle Sheng," but ultimately he didn't utter a sound.

Xiaoqiang should have already informed the opera troupe of her death. In everyone's mind, she was already a dead person. The sudden appearance of a dead person is not a surprise, but a shock.

"Aren't you going down to meet her?" Lin Yi stood next to her at some point.

Chu Renmei gently shook her head: "One look is enough."

Lin Yi didn't move either.

The opera troupe hasn't started performing yet, the statue of Master Huaguang hasn't been painted yet, and his divine consciousness hasn't awakened. Going down now would be pointless.

His gaze passed over Uncle Sheng and landed on the young people who were setting up the stage next to the theater.

One of them, who looked somewhat like Uncle Shou, was straddling the crossbeam, tying ropes, and chatting with the people below.

Lin Yi recognized those faces at a glance—A-Gui, A-Guang, and A-Biao, the comedic duo from "The Haunted Cop Shop," who were responsible for cracking jokes and creating laughs in the film.

"How could Sister Mei, who's always been so kind and gentle, suddenly become a vengeful ghost who killed forty-four people?"

While tying the crossbeam, A-Biao said to A-Guang beside him.

Ah Guang, holding the hemp rope, glanced back at him with a "you're too young" look on his face, and chuckled:

"You don't know this, do you? As the saying goes, when an honest person gets angry, even a god can't escape it."

Mei-jie is usually quiet and reserved, but that's because she has a good temper, not because she doesn't.

"It's just that Sister Mei was unlucky to have fallen for that scoundrel Bu Wantian. If it were me, I wouldn't have let those people get away with it either."

Ah Gui then jumped down from the ladder, dusted off his hands, and picked up the conversation:

"Who says otherwise? Mei-jie is a good person, and she sings well. As a pillar of the stage, she has no airs at all. She is much better than that bastard A-jia."

"Ah-Jia only became famous after performing in a few plays, and now she thinks she's all that."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a cold sneer came from not far away.

A-Jia, dressed in a white short-sleeved shirt and with her hair slicked back with styling oil that shone brightly in the sunlight, walked slowly with an arrogant expression.

He had clearly heard what A-Gui had said, a disdainful sneer playing on his lips:

"Ah Gui, I won't pretend I didn't hear that."

Chu Renmei was always secretive about her performances, afraid that Bu Wantian would find out and embarrass her. She was often absent from the show. If it weren't for Uncle Sheng speaking up for her, the troupe leader would have fired her long ago!

"Who does she think she is! I am the true pillar of the Linglong Opera Troupe. Without me, you lot wouldn't even have food to eat."

He walked up to A-Gui, looked him up and down, and spoke with utter contempt:

"Are you jealous of my status? With your looks, you can't even play a minor role properly. You'll never become a star in eight lifetimes."

"What did you say?"

Ah Gui's face flushed red instantly, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked. Just as he was about to step forward to argue, Uncle Sheng quickly stepped forward and raised his hand to stop the two of them.

"Alright, setting up the stage is the priority; let's not argue pointlessly."

He turned to look at A-Jia, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness and admonition.

"Ah Jia, say less. We're all brothers in the same opera troupe, we'll see each other all the time, why make such harsh remarks?"

and also--

Do not casually discuss the dead, lest you invite unnecessary trouble.

"That beautiful girl had a tragic life. She's gone now. Have some decency and don't gossip about her behind her back."

Uncle Sheng has lived most of his life, traveling around the countryside with opera troupes and witnessing many strange and supernatural events.

"Uncle Sheng, you're getting more and more timid as you get older."

A-Jia curled her lip in disdain, hummed a theatrical tune, and turned to walk towards the inn.

He was the mainstay of the troupe; the entire troupe depended on him for their livelihood. Although Uncle Sheng was highly experienced, he was ultimately just an old man who managed props, and Uncle Sheng didn't really respect him.

Chu Renmei saw this scene from the clouds and frowned slightly.

When A-Jia first came to the opera troupe, she couldn't even pronounce the singing correctly, and she followed Uncle Sheng around every day asking for advice.

I never imagined that after becoming a star, he would turn into such an arrogant and disrespectful person.

With a thought, an invisible force gently tripped A-Jia's ankle.

A-Jia was walking smugly when suddenly she stumbled and fell forward, landing face-first on the muddy ground in a very classic "dog poop" pose.

"Hahaha--"

Ah Gui and the others burst into laughter, gloating at the sight.

Even Uncle Sheng couldn't help but smile slightly, and he pretended to cough to cover up his laughter.

He knew A-Jia well; in his early years, he was quite humble and eager to learn, and he learned a lot of skills from him and Chu Renmei.

Unexpectedly, after becoming famous, she became arrogant and haughty, bossing around her seniors and making sarcastic remarks to her peers. Compared to Chu Renmei, she was worlds apart.

"You, you guys... Humph!" A-Jia scrambled to her feet, dusted herself off, glared at A-Gui, and turned to leave quickly.

Lin Yi glanced at Chu Renmei, a slight smile curving her lips.

I didn't expect her to become so gentle after regaining her senses, only using such a small method to punish me.

If this had happened to Aunt Mei, who was full of resentment a few days ago, A-Jia wouldn't have dared to say these things to her face; she probably wouldn't even be able to remain a ghost.

Ma Dayong, however, looked at A-Jia's departing figure with a somewhat unfriendly gaze.

He leaned closer to Lin Yi and whispered, "My lord, I'd like to go for a stroll in town."

Lin Yi glanced at him and saw right through his little scheme.

This guy didn't actually want to visit any town; he clearly wanted to get revenge for Chu Renmei.

"Go ahead, but don't go too far."

"Hehe, I know."

Ma Dayong smiled憨厚ly, rubbed his hands together, and his body transformed into a faint black light, following closely behind A-Jia's figure as he floated towards the town's inn.

Not long after, faint screams of terror could be heard coming from inside the inn—

As A-Jia rested alone in her guest room, the tables and chairs around her shook for no apparent reason, the doors and windows banged, and she heard faint murmurs incessantly. Dark shadows roamed back and forth in the corners of the room, and the teacups on the table flew up on their own.

The terrifying ghostly scene terrified A-Jia so much that she huddled in a corner, clutching her head and screaming incessantly. Finally, her eyes rolled back and she fainted from fright.

A moment later, the black light returned, and Ma Dayong was back above the clouds, a smug smile on his face.

Looking at Ma Dayong's smug expression, Lin Yi couldn't help but chuckle: "I didn't expect you to be so chivalrous."

Ma Dayong scratched the back of his head, about to say something, when he suddenly felt a gaze fall on him from the side.

He subconsciously turned his head to look, and saw Chu Renmei looking at him gently.

Ma Dayong's heart skipped a beat when she looked at him, and he subconsciously puffed out his chest, feeling full of energy.

Before long, the stage was set up.

The bamboo frame was securely tied, the curtain was hung neatly, and the stage props from backstage were brought in. The entire troupe of more than twenty people gathered around the stage.

The troupe leader was a middle-aged man in his forties, dressed in a black silk mandarin jacket. He took out a firecracker, lit it, and exclaimed, "May the opening bring good fortune!"

After the firecrackers stopped, Uncle Sheng brought out the shrine of Patriarch Huaguang.

The entire opera troupe gathered around and stood respectfully in front of the offering table.

The troupe leader glanced around, then suddenly frowned: "Where's A-Jia? Where did he go?"

Ah Gui said sarcastically, "He's probably still fast asleep in the inn. He goes out to fool around every night and will be drained dry by women sooner or later."

"Shut up!" the troupe leader scolded angrily. "A-Jia is the mainstay of our troupe. It's none of your business to criticize her."

This afternoon, we still need him to sing the opening of "Wu Song Fights the Tiger." Without him, who among you can fill in?

Upon hearing this, A-Gui's face stiffened, and he lowered his head in embarrassment. His lips moved a few times, but in the end, he said nothing.

The troupe leader then waved to the side: "A-Biao, go to the inn and see if he's there. If he is, ask him to come over and dot the eyes of the Huaguang Patriarch."

Today is an auspicious day for opening the box; the ancestral master must have his eyes personally dotted by this pillar—it's a matter of his prestige.

"Yes, Master."

A-Biao ran quickly towards the inn.

A short while later, he helped A-Jia, who was pale and had weak legs, slowly walk back.

A-Jia's face was as white as a ghost, her lips were trembling slightly, her legs were shaking uncontrollably as she walked, and even her eyes were unfocused when she looked at people.

"There's a ghost! There's a ghost in the inn!" A-Jia kept muttering to herself, her voice hoarse and terrified.

He grabbed Uncle Sheng's sleeve as if it were a lifeline, trembling all over.

The members of the opera troupe were quite frightened by his appearance and began whispering among themselves. Some were already discussing whether to invite monks or Taoist priests to perform rituals.

Uncle Sheng's face darkened, and he quickly walked up to the troupe leader, lowering his voice to say, "Troupe leader, I will immediately open the eyes of the patriarch. Once the patriarch opens his eyes, evil spirits will not dare to approach."

Knowing the situation was urgent, the troupe leader disregarded A-Jia's feelings and quickly nodded, "Alright, everything is in your hands, Lao Zhang!"

Uncle Sheng didn't dare to delay. He turned around and walked to the offering table, scooped up some clean water from the basin next to him to wash his hands, and wiped them dry with a clean cloth.

He took three sticks of incense, lit them on the ever-burning lamp in front of the incense burner, and respectfully placed them into the bronze incense burner in front of the shrine.

He stepped back two paces, straightened his clothes, and bowed deeply three times to the shrine.

He then opened a wooden box next to the offering table and took out a brand-new wolf-hair brush and a dotting ink made of cinnabar and rooster blood.

Uncle Sheng took a deep breath, walked to the clay sculpture of Master Huaguang, picked up the brush with both hands, and dipped the tip of the brush into the ink for the finishing touch.

"Open your third eye, discern yin and yang, suppress evil spirits, and protect the opera world!"

Uncle Sheng's deep and solemn prayer slowly rose, and the tip of his pen landed steadily on the third eye in the center of the clay sculpture's forehead.

Just as the pen tip touched the ground—

hum!

An invisible yet incredibly warm and peaceful light emanated from the clay sculpture, rippling outwards in all directions and sweeping across the entire open space of the stage.

Those around the stage felt their anxiety vanish instantly, replaced by a sense of peace and tranquility that enveloped them, dispelling most of the fear they had felt upon hearing about the ghost story.

A-Jia was still slumped on the bench next to him, his legs weak, but the lingering chill of horror in his mind was slowly fading away, and he let out a long breath.

Uncle Sheng put down his brush, took two steps back, and bowed three times to Patriarch Huaguang, his voice trembling with piety:

"The Linglong Opera Troupe travels to the countryside to set up a stage, earnestly praying to the ancestral master to protect the stage from fire, ensure the safety of everyone, and keep evil spirits away!"

The members of the opera troupe followed closely behind, bowing respectfully to the statue of Huaguang and offering their sincere worship.

Above the clouds, Lin Yi felt the divine aura of incense emanating from the statue and nodded slightly.

This aura is mellow and gentle, carrying a profound weight accumulated over hundreds of years, far superior to the tiger god that the shaman summoned earlier but was then frightened away.

He no longer concealed his aura; the mark of the Underworld King between his brows flashed slightly, and a faint underworld pressure, like a silent tide, flowed towards the radiant light within the shrine.

"We humbly request that Senior Huaguang appear in person."

The clay sculpture in the shrine trembled slightly, and the third eye on its forehead, which had just been dotted with cinnabar, suddenly lit up with a bluish-green flame.

The flames flickered twice, and a blurry, tall, humanoid phantom slowly rose from the statue.

The phantom was clad in a robe of flames, holding a golden brick in his left hand and a golden whip in his right, the whip wreathed in blazing firelight.

A single divine eye, positioned between his brows, gazed majestically ahead, and his body emanated a rich aura of incense.

On His left and right sides, there were two small gods attending Him—one with eyes as big as copper bells and the other with ears as big as palm fans, namely the all-seeing eye and the all-hearing ear.

Hua Guang hovered above the stage, first scanning the surroundings warily, then slightly raising his golden whip, and the blue light in his divine eyes swept across the entire stage.

Then, his gaze pierced through the clouds and he saw Lin Yi and the other two hidden high in the sky.

Lin Yi no longer concealed his aura, and his body exuded a vast and boundless divine power of the underworld, the pressure of which was as unfathomable as a boundless ocean.

Two ghosts and gods with pure Netherworld auras stood beside him.

"Who are you, and why have you summoned me to appear?"

Hua Guang's voice was loud and authoritative, but his tone carried a hint of wariness and probing.

Lin Yi looked at the two minor deities behind Patriarch Huaguang, and the smile on his lips deepened.

Well, it's buy one get two free, including the ability to see and hear things from afar.

He smiled, his tone gentle and sincere: "I am Lin Yi, the King of the Underworld. I have come here today specifically to see Senior Hua Guang."

"The underworld... the King of Hell?" Hua Guang was filled with doubt and surprise.

He is a deity born from incense offerings, who resides in the human world year-round, rarely interacts with the underworld, and has never seen the King of the Underworld.

But the Netherworld divine power emanating from this young man was something that no ordinary Yin deity could possess.

If this person before you is truly Hades, then His attitude cannot be taken lightly—

Hades is the supreme god of the underworld, far superior to a mere incense-offering deity like himself.

Even a local city god is far more noble than him, a mere incense god.

"Your Majesty, what business do you have with me?"

Hua Guang's attitude became more respectful than before, and his tone softened.

Lin Yi didn't beat around the bush and directly stated her purpose:

"Among my four judges, there is still a vacancy for the position of Judge of the Underworld."

Senior, you have guarded the Pear Garden and the Temple for hundreds of years, upholding justice and hating evil while promoting good. This experience and profound knowledge are exactly what the judges of the underworld need most.

I wish to appoint you as the judge of the underworld laws. What do you think, senior?