Chapter Twelve: The Strange Potion

The extra strand of true energy, combined with what Fang Mu already possessed, became two. Though it was simply a matter of addition, the change for Fang Mu was nothing short of transformative.

Now, he could use one strand of true energy to defend against enemies and the other to protect himself, or even devote both to offense or defense as needed. Compared to his previous scarcity, he suddenly found himself in abundance.

Another boon was the Hairpin Thrust Technique, an offensive method distilled to its essentials, targeting five key points on the enemy with movements that were swift, clean, and direct. For Fang Mu, this was an unexpected delight, as he had lacked such an attack technique; the Hairpin Thrust was truly a timely gift.

Moved by the thought, Fang Mu found himself holding a pure white jade hairpin and a verdant bracelet. The white jade hairpin could calm the mind and steady the spirit, so he readily tucked it into his hair. In this world, men also wore their hair up, so a jade hairpin was common enough, and the translucent jade, paired with Fang Mu’s features, lent him an even more heroic air.

As he donned the jade hairpin, a cool sensation spread from his crown, and his mind grew much clearer.

“The bracelet…” Fang Mu brought it close for a careful look. The bracelet was an emerald green, with serrated patterns along one edge, making it rough to the touch.

“A perfectly good jade bracelet—why the serrated pattern, and only on one side?” He pondered for a long while without reaching any conclusion, then turned his gaze to the woman’s corpse in blue below.

“Is this the Yin Sha?” The information he had gleaned earlier reminded Fang Mu of the legends passed down in Jinglong County. When he first arrived and learned he was to serve as a coroner, he had hastily studied the taboos and lore of this world.

When a person dies with great resentment and is buried in a place dense with yin energy, a malevolent force can form. This place was a mass grave, so the yin energy was certainly present. As for resentment… One of the four great joys in life is the wedding night; for an unmarried person to die before experiencing it leaves behind considerable bitterness.

With all these factors, it truly was an ideal site for the formation of Yin Sha.

“Coo… coo…” The strange bird’s cry echoed again, and Fang Mu looked up. The bird perched on a branch, its eyes fixed on the woman’s corpse in blue, as motionless as a statue, eerily still.

“You cannot be allowed to remain.” Fang Mu gazed at the Yin Sha below, and with a flourish of the Ghostly Dagger, he unleashed the Hairpin Thrust Technique.

Empowered by the technique, the Ghostly Dagger moved with greater speed and precision than ever before. True energy surged through it, turning its blade a fiery red.

A muffled thud sounded, and the Yin Sha vanished without a trace, leaving behind only a lock of hair. Fang Mu used the Ghostly Dagger to lift it, the black hair quickly turning to ash.

Just then, a strand of true energy pulsed within him, and its warning made Fang Mu wary. He turned to see the woman’s corpse in blue standing not far behind him.

She faced away, her long hair growing rapidly until it reached her hips, making her appear hunched from Fang Mu’s perspective.

The hunched silhouette seen by the traveling merchant…

She turned, her face covered in corpse spots, terrifying to behold. Her gaze was cold, filled with despair and rage. Yet she did not attack Fang Mu; instead, she raised her foot and began to walk away.

Fang Mu reversed his grip on the Ghostly Dagger, true energy coursing through his legs. In one stride, he covered over ten meters, the dagger tracing a path as he called out, “Don’t run!”

Under the dark night sky, a man and a corpse chased each other madly. Fang Mu, with his wooden box slung across his back and the Ghostly Dagger in hand, pursued with genuine excitement.

He had reason to be thrilled. Moments ago, a bold idea had struck him: this woman’s corpse in blue could move, which meant she might yield even more treasures if he continued to search her. He recalled the second surprise brought by the headless woman’s corpse.

The woman in blue stopped and turned to face Fang Mu, her expression twisted with rage. Terrifying yin energy surged forth, and she began to float upward.

“This must be a type of Yin corpse,” Fang Mu thought, remembering Qing Ruowu’s teachings. Since she had a physical body, she was likely a Yin corpse.

As she ascended, Fang Mu expected some great feat, but after a moment realized her intent was simply to escape.

“Where do you think you’re going?” A strand of true energy flowed into Fang Mu’s right hand, turning it bright red. He rushed forward and grabbed her foot.

The woman corpse in blue slowly lowered her head, and upon seeing Fang Mu’s mocking gaze, let out a wailing screech, sharp as glass scraping metal.

“Get down here!” Fang Mu shouted, and with a powerful swing, slammed her to the ground.

The earth resounded with a loud crack as the corpse fell miserably at Fang Mu’s hands. Anyone unaware of the truth might have thought Fang Mu was the real Yin Sha.

Time pressed on. Fang Mu climbed atop the woman’s corpse, one hand stabbing the Ghostly Dagger toward her brow, the other swiftly searching her body. Both actions happened nearly simultaneously.

[You search the Yin Sha and obtain a strange potion. Effect unknown.]

“Aaah—!” The dagger struck her brow, and the woman in blue let out a ghastly scream before turning to smoke and vanishing.

“Is she dead?” Fang Mu stood up, only to find a lock of hair on the ground, slowly turning to ash.

“Again with the hair. If she keeps escaping like this, won’t she go bald?” The surroundings had returned to silence. Fang Mu searched the area but found nothing, so he headed toward the mass grave.

There were still so many to harvest; he had to investigate further.

Yet before he could approach, a commotion interrupted him. He crept closer, discovering it was the constables of Jinglong County.

“A traveling merchant said someone was stealing corpses here, and it turns out one really was taken.”

“Who would steal a corpse these days? Some kind of fetish?”

“Probably not. Most likely for a ghost marriage.”

“What? A ghost marriage? Just say so—many families with relatives buried here would be willing.”

“You don’t understand. Maybe the deceased was immoral in life, so no one wants to match them. Even in death, they care about social status.”

Fang Mu: “…”

It seemed there would be no opportunity tonight—the constables had been alerted. But how could a merchant be passing through so late at night?

Fang Mu pondered for a while but found no answer, and quietly slipped away.

As for the fruits and other items, there was no fingerprint analysis in the Ancient Yue Kingdom, and the loss of a corpse from the mass grave would not be investigated deeply.