Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Third Generation Zombie, Awakening

Li Fei urged the temporary laborers he had hired from nearby villages to set up two tents—one for the three coffins, placed side by side inside, and another for Uncle Mao and us, the temporary grave watchers.

As the sky grew darker, Li Fei handed over responsibility to Uncle Mao, then drove away with his family in his long Mercedes, saying he would return early the next morning. After Li Fei left, the laborers caught their bus home when their shift ended, leaving the already quiet wilderness with just the four of us. In the deepening night, the silence grew even more profound.

Uncle Mao, Tong Xuan, Wang Sheng, and I sat in the temporary tent, gazing at the radiant full moon and realizing it was the fifteenth day of the lunar month. I didn’t know if this particular fifteenth held any special meaning, but judging from Uncle Mao’s somber expression, it seemed significant.

Wang Sheng and Tong Xuan went outside to enjoy the moonlight and invited Uncle Mao and me along. Uncle Mao refused to go, so I stayed behind to keep him company. Yet I could sense Uncle Mao wasn’t in good spirits; his face remained shadowed, and his gaze kept drifting toward the adjacent tent where the coffins lay, as if he feared the corpses inside might escape.

It was a summer night, and mosquitoes were everywhere. Despite the luxurious amenities in the Li family’s tent, nothing could keep out the relentless airborne invaders. Thankfully, Tong Xuan had come prepared; I found two boxes of mosquito coils in her bag and lit them, immediately halving the number of pests.

As I lay back on the soft blanket, ready to rest, Uncle Mao, who had been silent, began to speak. It sounded like a chant or incantation—perhaps something to do with feng shui, though I couldn’t understand it.

After finishing his ritual, Uncle Mao got up and walked out. I watched him leave and called out, “Uncle Mao, where are you going?” He paused, turned with a furrowed brow, and snapped, “Brat, I’m just going to take a leak—do you have to ask about that?” Then he left the tent.

No sooner had Uncle Mao gone than I heard a thud from the neighboring tent where the coffins were stored, followed by silence. A few moments later, as I relaxed, the sound of wood scraping returned, as though something inside was pushing against the coffin lids.

At first, I thought it might be Uncle Mao or Wang Sheng and Tong Xuan playing tricks, so I ignored it. But after about ten seconds, the noises grew more frequent. The scraping of coffin boards echoed with a creaking, “squeak, squeak,” reverberating through the quiet night. I began to feel uneasy and pressed my ear to the thin wall of fabric separating our tent from the next.

As I listened, I heard a loud crash, like a coffin splitting open. My heart sank; Tong Xuan had mentioned earlier that the coffins held corpses, and now, deep into the night, it seemed one had broken free.

I could almost sense something unknown pressing against the cloth where my ear was placed, coming closer. Holding my breath, I waited for whatever might happen, but instead, I heard Uncle Mao’s anxious voice from the adjacent tent, calling out to me, “Xiaodong, come quick and help—the boards have rotted too long in the earth and are breaking apart!”

Hearing this, I rushed over to help. As I entered, I saw the three corpses nearly touching the ground, blue light from the earth rising and entering their nostrils. I wasn’t sure if Uncle Mao had noticed this detail, but I knew he was worried. While working, he said, “This is bad. If the corpses absorb earth energy, they might come to life. Go find Wang Sheng and Tong Xuan and bring them back to help.”

I mumbled an assent, sensing the seriousness in his tone, and hurried out to search for Wang Sheng and Tong Xuan.

I found them sitting hand-in-hand atop a large mound beside a quiet path, and I regretted not joining them earlier. Watching for a moment, it seemed they were about to kiss, but the presence of three corpses in the tent forced me to steel myself and call out from ten meters away, “Wang Sheng, Tong Xuan, something’s happened—come back and help!” As soon as I spoke, Tong Xuan quickly turned aside and pulled her hand from Wang Sheng’s, clearly embarrassed.

Wang Sheng, looking frustrated, stood up and shouted, “Are you doing this on purpose?” He grabbed Tong Xuan and hopped off the mound, heading toward the tent without even glancing at me.

That kid really was on a lucky streak—even a wild girl like Tong Xuan had been won over. It was almost unbelievable. I shrugged in resignation and followed them back to the tent.

Time was of the essence. I hurried inside, where Uncle Mao was already setting up his altar. Through the transparent tent, faint moonlight bathed the faces of the three ancient corpses, transforming into eerie ghostly light that seeped into their wrinkled skin.

Uncle Mao wielded a peach-wood sword, Wang Sheng held a talisman infused with pure yang energy, and Tong Xuan arranged a Five Venoms formation. Only I, the rookie, stood dumbly by, unsure what to do.

Uncle Mao waved his sword, muttering words I couldn’t tell were meant for me or Wang Sheng: “The sun at its fifteenth is pure yang; the moon at its fifteenth is pure yin. Tonight, the full moon’s light turns into the utmost yin energy, merging into the corpses. This will activate the corpse qi inside them. These corpses are different from others—they first harm their own kin before wreaking havoc among the living. Their bodies are extremely hard, impervious to blades and bullets. Worse still, anyone scratched by them will turn into a corpse within seven days.”

After speaking, Uncle Mao glanced at the three of us.

To be honest, his words were directed more at Wang Sheng and Tong Xuan. As for me, I was the first generation of demon corpse king, the progeny of the ancestor of ten thousand corpses, Jiang Chen. Traditional corpses of this level could never harm a hair on me, nor could their corpse qi infect me, turning me into one of those hopping monsters from the movies. If that were possible, it would defy all reason.

Wang Sheng and Tong Xuan both responded affirmatively. Wang Sheng then said, “Master, instead of waiting for them to wake, why not take action now?”

Uncle Mao shook his head and wagged his finger. “Sheng’er, these corpses are not as simple as you think. In fact, they’ve already awakened.”

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