Volume One: The Soul-Attracting Gourd, The Soul-Igniting Lamp Chapter 54: The Talking Corpse

The sunlight was radiant, the breeze gentle as it brushed by. After breakfast, Gu Mo and Xiao Yulou sat together, idly chatting.

“Brother Gu, you’ve finally gotten what you wanted,” Xiao Yulou quipped.

Gu Mo responded with a bitter smile, one that looked no happier than a man on the verge of tears. “I’ve gained so much, but now my legs can barely stay together!”

At this, Xiao Yulou cocked his head, leering at Gu Mo’s lap with a lascivious grin. “In that case, Brother Gu, you’d best start training your body. Otherwise, your ‘lightfoot steps’ might not keep up and you’ll run into even more trouble!”

Gu Mo, a complete novice in these matters, was utterly bewildered, unable to make heads or tails of Xiao Yulou’s cryptic words. “Brother Xiao, how does one go about training these moves? Is there a method that’s both simple and painless?”

Xiao Yulou rolled his eyes with theatrical scorn. “Brother Gu, are you still half asleep? When has the world ever offered such convenience?”

Gu Mo’s features twisted in despair, as though struck by a heavy blow. “Ah, life is nothing but hurdle after hurdle!”

Xiao Yulou laughed heartily, his wide mouth splitting into a grin as he leaned closer, eyes gleaming with mischief. “Brother Gu, as it happens, this humble Daoist knows of an interesting place. Would you like to see it for yourself?”

Gu Mo shook his head adamantly. “Spare me! I’ve been run ragged lately, haven’t even slept in, and every night I still have to cultivate. The shop isn’t even open yet. Let’s talk about this another time!”

To Gu Mo’s surprise, the ever-lecherous Xiao Yulou now looked genuinely troubled. “Brother Gu, how can you be so lax? Cultivation must never be neglected!”

But Gu Mo, at his wit’s end, refused to budge. He rolled his eyes, then quickly changed the subject. “Brother Xiao, what do you think I should do about my so-called ‘cheap elder brother’?”

Xiao Yulou frowned, thinking deeply for a moment. “Brother Gu, that’s entirely up to you.”

Gu Mo pondered for a while, then sighed and looked at Xiao Yulou. “Fallen leaves return to their roots, the dead to their rest. I suppose it’s best to bury my ‘cheap elder brother’ beside my grandfather.”

At this, Xiao Yulou had nothing more to add. But Gu Mo, ever curious, pressed on. “Brother Xiao, is there any way to ensure my ‘cheap elder brother’ finds peace?”

Xiao Yulou’s lips curled into a sly smile. “That’s easily done. If this humble Daoist performs the proper rites, your esteemed brother will surely find eternal rest.”

Hearing this, Gu Mo’s heart leapt into his throat. He asked, flustered, “You—you’re not planning to cremate him, are you?”

Xiao Yulou nodded matter-of-factly. “What else?”

Gu Mo reeled, sucking in a sharp breath. “What? My ‘cheap elder brother’ has suffered enough—can’t we at least leave him a whole body?”

But Xiao Yulou’s eyes bulged with indignation. “Brother Gu, has your mind been squeezed by a door? Since the White Lotus Sect has marked him, if you don’t cremate him, won’t they just dig him up again?”

Gu Mo’s brow furrowed, his expression darkening with anger. “It’s your mind that’s been squeezed by a door! If I hadn’t shown up, my ‘cheap elder brother’ would’ve been victimized. Now I’m sitting right here—let’s see who dares try anything!”

At this, Xiao Yulou finally seemed to realize the truth. Gu Mo’s ‘cheap elder brother’ was never an extraordinary figure; after being turned into a walking corpse, he had no special powers, his fighting strength as negligible as dirt. No one with any sense would use something so worthless as a hostage!

After some thought, Xiao Yulou’s face split into a shameless grin as he asked, “So Brother Gu, what do you plan to do?”

Gu Mo leaned back, scoffing. “Xiao Yulou, are you unwell? Why are you so erratic?”

Xiao Yulou waved it off. “Never mind that. What’s your decision?”

Gu Mo, sensing something off, eyed him suspiciously. His instincts screamed that this Daoist was up to no good. “Out with it—what scheme are you brewing?”

With a flourish of his Daoist robe, Xiao Yulou replied with mock solemnity, “Heh heh, since the two of us have no other helpers, why not turn your ‘cheap elder brother’ into a ‘Golden Armored Corpse God’? Wouldn’t that save us some trouble?”

Gu Mo almost questioned reality itself. “‘Golden Armored Corpse God’? What kind of nonsense is that? Why do I feel uneasy about this?”

Xiao Yulou, feigning depth, grinned lasciviously. “Brother Gu, do you know how corpses are classified?”

Gu Mo was utterly at a loss.

Xiao Yulou cleared his throat, shaking out his sleeves and assuming a scholarly air. “Zombies are born of the world’s grievances, the accumulation of miasma and resentment. They are ageless and undying, neither born nor destroyed, neither pure nor defiled. Cast out by heaven, earth, and man, they wander outside the six realms of sentient beings, rootless and forlorn, feeding on resentment and blood.

According to ‘Notes of the Unheard’ and ‘Records from the Thatched Cottage’, zombies have three other names: corpse-movers, shadow-walkers, and corpse-walkers. Transformation can arise in many ways: infection by corpse poison, absorption of a living person’s yang energy, geomantic issues, exposure to moonlight, a black cat passing by, possession by evil spirits, the soul departing but the body lingering, even being struck by lightning…

‘Records from the Thatched Cottage’ divides causes into two: sudden change in a fresh corpse, or a long-buried body that does not decay. The same book describes their appearance: white hair covers the body, eyes red as cinnabar, fingers hooked like claws, teeth protruding like blades, breath reeking of blood.

It’s said that there is a transitional form between corpse and zombie called a ‘Yin Corpse’—if not dealt with, it will soon fully transform. Buried for a hundred years without decay, the body’s hair and nails continue to grow; these are often found in corpse-nurturing grounds.

The ‘Later Notes of the Unheard’ mention miners in Yunnan, trapped by cave-ins for decades or centuries, nourished by the earth’s metallic energy, their bodies preserved, turning into dried mummies.

Some texts detail several varieties of incorrupt corpses: Purple Zombie, White Zombie, Black Zombie, Green Zombie, Hairy Zombie, Flying Zombie, Drought Demon, and Corpse God!

The Purple Zombie’s body appears purple—modern science says this is due to certain toxins turning the blood purple, which spreads postmortem.

White and Black Zombies: the body and its hair are white or black. White Zombies are slow and easy to deal with, fearing sunlight, fire, water, chickens, dogs—even people.

Green Zombies: exude corpse miasma and have green flesh. Faster and more aggressive than White or Black Zombies, they fear only sunlight.

Hairy Zombies: hair sprouts from the body, renowned for their copper skin and iron bones. The higher their cultivation, the tougher their bodies. Agile and able to leap across rooftops and trees, they begin to resist fire and even sunlight.

Flying Zombies: thousand-year-old zombies who have achieved mastery, once seen in Anzhou. They can wield magic and fly, hence the name.

Unyielding Bones: some body parts, through concentrated effort in life, resist decay. For example, a laborer’s shoulder may remain uncorrupted. If such a bone absorbs the essence of sun and moon, it will become restless.

Corpse at Rest: a thousand-year-old uncorrupt body, immobile and whole. With time and the right energies, it can turn into a wandering corpse.

Wandering Corpses: move with the moon’s phases, restless, and may eventually become flying demons.

The Drought Demon is nearly demonic—also known as ‘Dry Demon’, ‘Fire Demon’, ‘Flying Corpse’. After centuries of absorbing spirits, it becomes ever more hideous, with blue faces and fangs, devouring humans and deceiving with its changing form.

As the saying goes: ‘Above, it can slaughter dragons and bring drought to heaven; below, it can spread plague through the underworld.’

From there, plagues and droughts were believed to arise. In ancient times, when drought and epidemic coincided, the people were convinced the Drought Demon was at fault.

The Corpse God is the ultimate and most terrifying form of zombie. It is no longer merely a body, but a demon king, possessing the power to challenge deities, dwelling in places of absolute yin, boasting thousands—even tens of thousands—of years of cultivation.”

At this, Gu Mo’s face turned ashen, his teeth chattering.

But Xiao Yulou, oblivious to his companion’s distress, continued, raising his hand as if lecturing:

“Furthermore, some texts further divide corpses into: Blood, Yin, Flesh, Skin, Jade, Walking, Sweat, Hairy, Wandering, Awakened, Wooden, Armored…

Blood Corpse: a terrifying transformation resulting from absorbing human blood, exuding a powerful baleful aura. Blood Corpses can live like normal people, but cannot marry or bear children, and suffer from monthly bleeding from all nine orifices, requiring fresh blood to replenish themselves.

Flesh Corpse: the so-called living dead. Though essentially dead, they can walk, eat, and move, but usually lack consciousness.

Skin Corpse: essentially a skin without organs, similar to a Yin Corpse in that it grows hair and moves at night. Its skin never rots, while its internal organs are shriveled; it is mischievous and stubborn in temperament.

Jade Corpse: typically green, with growing nails and hair; it neither eats nor drinks and cannot endure sunlight.

Walking Corpse: breathes only shallowly, soulless—such a one is as good as dead. They can move, but are nothing more than walking corpses.

Sweat Corpse: extremely rare and unique. When caught between life and death by certain sorcery, it remains in a state of suspended animation, neither alive nor dead. Its flesh oozes a crystalline blue sweat known as ‘Cyan Dew’, which is a miraculous remedy for regrowing severed limbs.

Hairy Corpse: buried in the earth, it grows hair when exposed to moonlight at midnight, an inch per hour, three inches by cockcrow. It can speak and walk backward, a rarity in the world. Besides its hair, it can move at night, has no organs, but delights in catching and swallowing male crickets, stowing them in its chest cavity. Encased in dense hair, the crickets cannot escape; once enough are collected, the corpse can utter rudimentary human speech, its voice quite clear.

Wandering Corpse: seen only in western Hunan, created by smearing a special Miao herb on the nose and mouth of a semi-dead body, enabling it to walk at night like a living person, though it cannot speak or think, and obediently follows its master.

Awakened Corpse: can think and move like a normal person, never needing sleep, and breathes at a tenth of the rate of the living. Its appearance changes from day to night, and it can revert to a normal human state like a Flesh Corpse.

Armored Corpse: often a former warrior, retaining martial skills after death, immune to blades and spears, as if encased in armor.

Stone Corpse: the most unique of all. Certain evil masters, before dying, would close off their meridians with meditation and pills. The heart stops, blood ceases, but the brain’s biofield persists and senses the world, though the body cannot respond. In short, the souls cannot command the body—a ‘petrification phase’ lasting ten years, during which the stone corpse is essentially in seclusion, practicing ‘Intermediate Meditation’. After ten years, blood tears stream from the eyes, the body is reborn, power greatly increased, and life extended by decades. But during those ten years, the body cannot move or defend itself, so one must practice in absolute solitude.

Vegetable Corpse: black pupils, loose muscles, very weak—barely a zombie, more a food source for higher undead to nourish their powers.

Wooden Corpse: only the head remains; the body and legs are carved from wood, the arms replaced by sticks. This is for those who die far from home; their heads are returned and interred with a wooden body, signifying the soul’s return home.”

After Xiao Yulou’s lengthy, rambling lecture, Gu Mo was completely lost. But he did grasp one thing.

“So, Brother Xiao, are you saying my ‘cheap elder brother’ can only be the lowest class of ‘Walking Corpse’ or ‘Vegetable Corpse’?”

Xiao Yulou nodded without the slightest embarrassment. “Exactly!”

Gu Mo’s brow furrowed in suspicion. “If my ‘cheap elder brother’ is so feeble, why bother with him at all? Besides, he ate all his own organs—could those even regrow?”

Xiao Yulou, full of swagger, burst into wild laughter. “Though I’m not of the Maoshan sect, I’m versed in all the fundamental arts! If Brother Gu is willing, I can certainly transform him into the legendary ‘Golden Armored Corpse God’!”

At this, Gu Mo felt an ominous premonition rising in his heart…