Volume One: The Soul-Summoning Gourd and the Soul-Igniting Lamp Chapter Six: A Night of Fright, Fright in the Night!

A bright moon hung high in the sky, casting a thousand points of cool light. The mottled shadows of moonlight fell cold and pale, shrouding the ground in a layer of white frost. Not a soul was present on the street; even the shops across the way had closed early.

Gu Mo once again found himself on his hometown's streets, and a wave of melancholy swept over him. He walked up to the entrance of his shop, curiously surveying the surrounding stores.

This little street was split in two by the main road. Three ancient-looking shops stood opposite the residential complex. The businesses across the way all bore modern facades—white walls, white paint.

But the candle shop and its two neighbors on either side were clad in black tiles and dark walls, appearing utterly out of sync with the world. The shops flanking the road formed a stark contrast. One could only wonder how the town had managed its cityscape!

After letting his imagination roam, Gu Mo turned his attention back to the three incongruous shops.

The one furthest to the left had a large bell hanging above its door, its purpose unclear.

The second shop had a cloth banner draped from the eaves, bearing a bold character that meant “fortune.” It was likely a place for divination and fortune-telling.

After a moment’s pause, Gu Mo carelessly took out his keys and unlocked his shop’s door, reaching for the pull cord switch on the wall.

Snap!

The cord broke with a sound, and even the electric light showed no mercy, likely due to years of neglect. Gu Mo’s lips curled in an awkward smile as he fished out a cigarette and clamped it between his teeth.

Click!

A faint flame flickered from his lighter, igniting the cigarette. He took a deep draw.

As darkness met flame, less than ten centimeters from his face a corpse hung upside down, stark and shocking! Two paper figures in the corner seemed to smile, their expressions both mocking and sinister.

The corpse’s ghastly pallor and twisted expression were horrifying. Its large, hollow eyes stared fixedly at Gu Mo. Unidentified maggots wriggled freely through its teeth.

Stunned, Gu Mo’s cigarette slipped from his mouth and scattered sparks across the floor.

He felt his scalp tingle with terror, cold sweat soaking his clothes.

Call the police!

The thought flashed across his mind.

Before Gu Mo could step outside and retrieve his phone—

Suddenly, the corpse emitted a series of cracking sounds from its joints! Razor-sharp iron claws sliced through the air, whistling toward him.

Realizing the danger, Gu Mo crouched down just in time, and the claws barely grazed his scalp.

The missed attack enraged the zombie, who opened its mouth wide and let out a deafening howl.

A wave of maggots surged forth, accompanied by a foul, chilling stench. Gu Mo’s wildly pounding heart seemed ready to leap from his throat.

His stomach churned violently, and the undigested food he’d eaten earlier spilled out onto the floor. The candle shop was now covered in a messy puddle.

Perhaps it was for the best—it meant less weight to carry should he need to run.

Ah—

At that moment, a hysterical scream echoed in Gu Mo’s mind.

Panicked, he grabbed the paper figures beside him and hurled them at the monster, but in the next instant, the paper figures proved useless, disintegrating into scraps.

In a frenzy, Gu Mo instinctively moved his trembling legs and fled in terror. The chill in the night air grew even colder.

“Damn it, everything was fine during the day—how could there be a corpse in the shop? And I almost got scared to death by that idiot spirit!”

As he ran, Gu Mo glanced back with the corner of his eye.

The yellow streetlight shone directly on the bloodless face, its eyes eerily white, brimming only with emptiness and void.

The corpse wore simple clothes, a red talisman exposed. Its ten black fingers were unnaturally long and sharp, as if manicured, and seemed to be wreathed in a dark aura.

Crack, crack, crack!

The zombie bounced rapidly behind him, its stiff neck twisting with every joint's sound. As it opened its mouth, two rows of jagged fangs were revealed, and the stench hit Gu Mo like a wave, threatening to bite his neck at any moment.

Thud, thud, thud!

The creature chased him, legs rigid, hopping after him. Scattered black insects dotted the street in the distance.

Gu Mo didn’t dare think further, desperately running forward as his mind finally rebooted.

“Zombie? If this isn’t a zombie, what is it? How else can I explain all that’s happening? Damn it! How could I be so stupid? What do I do? What do I do?”

Suddenly, a spark of hope flashed in his mind, and he cried out, “King, save me!”

Yet the spirit possessing Gu Mo’s body—the cowardly king—showed not the slightest response.

Clearly, that timid fool had already fainted from fright!

The unreliability of that spirit flooded Gu Mo’s thoughts.

The zombie’s iron claws threatened to slash his back at any moment.

Gu Mo, sensing disaster, ran while tears welled up in his eyes, clutching his head as he fled. Half an hour of frantic escape did nothing to shorten the distance between him and his pursuer.

Out of breath, Gu Mo could only gasp desperately as he fled.

Seconds later, he spotted a long flight of steps, at least a hundred, maybe more. Gritting his teeth, he dashed upward.

The zombie followed, and as Gu Mo reached the top, he glanced back, shocked at its speed.

“God, I must have lost my mind picking this path! This isn’t working! How does this monster have so much stamina? What did it do when it was alive? My goodness, were you raised on feed?”

Gu Mo cursed under his breath, dragging his exhausted body onward. But the zombie was impervious to fatigue; neither old nor young, neither dirty nor clean, tireless and relentless. This couldn’t continue!

In terror, Gu Mo panted desperately as he fled.

“Wait! The candle shop!”

A flash of inspiration struck, and he hurried back toward the shop. But who could say if this was the right move?

Soon, Gu Mo spotted the battered wooden door and felt a surge of hope, summoning every last bit of strength.

The zombie’s bouncing grew louder, its shadow cast by the streetlight was even more terrifying, and that persistent stench followed.

Panicked, Gu Mo grabbed whatever was on the shelves and hurled it at the zombie.

Gold ingots, candles, paper money, incense burners—all became projectiles in Gu Mo’s hands. But the zombie brushed them aside, uninterested in these offerings to the dead, leaving the shop in utter chaos.

Whish!

The iron claws swept past again; Gu Mo ducked, and the black, slender nails skimmed his scalp. From his crouched position, Gu Mo launched a powerful sweeping kick!

Thud!

He felt as though he’d kicked a utility pole—pain shot through his bones and muscles. Yet the zombie toppled over, its head crashing onto the counter with a resounding blow.

Sweat pouring off him, Gu Mo scrambled out on hands and knees.

With no options left, he fled again. The offerings in the shop had been useless, nearly trapping him instead!

After only a few minutes of running, Gu Mo’s foot slipped on something slick.

Thud—a dull sound rang out.

Gu Mo lost his balance, crashing onto the curb, pain wracking his body and filling him with despair.

“It’s over… it’s over!”

As expected, darkness fell, and that ghastly, twisted face pressed close to his own.

“Ah—”

In an instant, the zombie’s ten iron-like claws plunged deep into Gu Mo’s shoulder, blood spurting forth.

Red blood filled his vision, horror engulfing him.

Gu Mo gritted his teeth, struggling desperately, knees pounding at the zombie’s lower body. But the creature was as solid as reinforced concrete, impossible for Gu Mo to shake.

Suddenly, his neck went numb, strength draining away.

Bitten by the zombie, Gu Mo felt like a tomato with a straw stuck in it, his blood draining away.

Grimacing, his mind began to wander.

“How am I this unlucky? Barely thirty years old, and I’m going to die here?”

Glancing sideways, Gu Mo realized the culprit was a rubber jump rope abandoned on the ground!

Instantly, rage surged in his heart.

“Damn it, which kid’s parents didn’t keep watch? Is a busy street the place for jumping rope?”

As he thought, blood loss blurred and scattered his vision.

In his final moments, Gu Mo heard marching footsteps in the distance, and two columns of unknown objects burning with green flames advanced toward him.

He struggled to raise his left hand, reaching weakly toward them, hoping to grasp that last straw…

In the darkness close by, three figures in white tracksuits watched the scene unfold.

“Young master, something feels off! If this gets out of hand, we’ll have two deaths on our hands! The people from 749 Food Factory won’t let us off! Besides, this kid doesn’t have any energy fluctuations—is he really…”

The white-clad attendant hadn’t finished before the young master’s blood-red gaze silenced him.

“Rotten wood? If not for him, how would there be ghost soldiers?”

Another attendant smiled, speaking with utmost reverence.

“Young master, if you infuse the zombie with ghost energy… isn’t that counterproductive?”

The young master looked up at the bright moon and replied calmly,

“You are all dreaming! If you wish to uncover the secret of immortality, you must start with the ancient underworld artifact, and this boy is the only candidate!”

With that, the young master laughed, hands clasped behind his back, and walked away.

Gu Mo lay unconscious on the ground, and in a flash, the menacing zombie vanished from the scene…