Spirit Hunters of Maoshan Sect - c5

Chapter 5: The Last Disciple
Qing Yun Zi smiled faintly: “A Miao region shaman?”

The middle-aged man’s expression changed, though he tried hard to appear uncomprehending.

“No need to pretend with me. You’re the one who placed the dead infant with the female corpse to form the corpse demon!”

“What!” The surrounding crowd scattered with a whoosh, staring at the middle-aged man in shock.

The middle-aged man stammered, his face pale, unable to utter a word.

Qing Yun Zi turned to Old Man Ye: “Does this man have any grudge against your family?”

Old Man Ye’s mouth gaped open as he frowned: “His name is Ye Dabao, he’s the village carpenter. He made our family’s furniture. Oh right! Two months ago, our bed leg broke, and we had him come fix it…”

Qing Yun Zi nodded – everything was clear now. He looked at Ye Dabao and said calmly: “No need to pretend anymore. I smell the corpse oil on you, and I’m never wrong about that. Moreover, the red stains on your hands are from handling cinnabar long-term – there’s no mistake. What grudge do you have against that child to do this to him?”

While Ye Dabao tried to continue feigning ignorance, Ye Bing’s wife suddenly rushed forward, crying and striking at Ye Dabao: “It must have been you, it must have been! How could you be so cruel!”

After Old Man Ye and his son finally pulled her away and questioned her carefully, Ye Bing’s wife Qiao Yun couldn’t hold back. Weeping, she revealed a hidden story: Her hometown was several dozen li away, and in his youth, Ye Dabao had been a traveling peddler who often sold small items from the south near her home. Qiao Yun had bought things from him before, so they knew each other.

Once when Qiao Yun was gathering wild vegetables in the mountains, she heard groaning from a grove. She found Ye Dabao had been bitten by a poisonous snake and was foaming at the mouth, unable to walk. She hurried down the mountain to fetch a doctor, saving Ye Dabao’s life. In gratitude, he insisted on becoming her sworn brother. Unable to refuse his earnest request, Qiao Yun agreed.

After that, whenever Ye Dabao came to sell his wares nearby, he would bring gifts for Qiao Yun. Over time, they grew closer, and Qiao Yun truly saw him as an elder brother. Several years later, when Qiao Yun turned sixteen or seventeen and began to understand the separation between men and women, she reduced contact with Ye Dabao to avoid gossip.

A year or two later, through a matchmaker’s introduction, she became engaged to Ye Bing. When Ye Dabao learned of this, he suddenly came to her one day, offering her a gold ring and asking her to break off the engagement to marry him instead.

Qiao Yun was shocked and naturally refused, but Ye Dabao tried to force himself on her. She managed to escape only by biting his shoulder hard enough to tear out a piece of flesh.

Being a conservative country woman, Qiao Yun feared speaking up would only lead to misunderstandings. Since Ye Dabao hadn’t succeeded, she told no one except her mother. After that, Ye Dabao tried to find her again, but she was careful never to be alone with him. Eventually, Ye Dabao changed professions to become a carpenter and stopped seeking her out.

“I thought this matter was over… I never imagined you could be so vicious, to take revenge on my child. To think I once saved your life – ptui!” Qiao Yun spat on Ye Dabao’s face in fury. Her husband Ye Bing suddenly rushed forward and tore open Ye Dabao’s upper clothing – sure enough, his left shoulder was missing a piece of flesh, with circular marks like teeth marks!

With the evidence clear, Ye Dabao could no longer deny it. His face turned ashen.

“I suspect you learned your black magic while traveling as a peddler in the Miao region?” Qing Yun Zi said casually. “After she rejected you, you harbored resentment all this time. But why wait until now to take revenge?”

“A gentleman’s revenge can wait ten years.” Ye Dabao’s hate-filled gaze fell on Ye Bing’s face as he ground out each word: “You stole my woman, so I’ll end your family line! Watch your child slowly turn into a walking corpse and kill you all one by one! Haha, though the plan didn’t fully succeed, the corpse demon escaped. Your son is infected with corpse poison – he can’t be saved! Haha! Join me in death!”

He suddenly raised his hand to his mouth, stuffing something in and chewing forcefully. His body began convulsing violently as he fell to the ground foaming at the mouth. Soon blood flowed from his seven orifices, and he died!

Everyone was stunned by this sudden turn of events, staring wide-eyed at Ye Dabao’s corpse in silence.

Old Man Ye sighed, muttering: “I never imagined he could be so venomous.”

“Amitabha. Long-term practice of black magic corrupted his nature, making him vicious. Moreover, he used poison arts to kill in order to evade the law – after all, neither gods nor ghosts would know. If not for this poor priest, your whole family would eventually have become walking corpses, bringing disaster to the village.”

The three members of Ye’s family dropped to their knees, repeatedly kowtowing. “Thank you, Master, for saving our lives. Please show mercy and save our child!”

Qing Yun Zi had them rise and accompanied them back to the village.

Ye Dabao’s body was carried back. Since it was suicide, handling it was much simpler. Qing Yun Zi wrote a soul-guiding talisman to send his spirit directly to the netherworld courts, preventing him from lingering to cause trouble.

After checking Ye Shaoyang’s condition, Qing Yun Zi told the Ye family: “You’ve seen how deep the corpse demon’s resentment runs. Its corpse oil carries that same resentment, which won’t be easily cleared. It requires constant treatment for a year. I can’t stay here that long, but since this boy has… has talent for cultivation, I’d like to take him back to Maoshan as my disciple and teach him Maoshan Daoist arts. What do you think?”

The Ye family looked at each other uncertainly. Ye Shaoyang was their only heir, and they were naturally reluctant to let him go. However, compared to saving the child’s life, that was secondary.

“Master, if he becomes a Daoist priest, does that mean he can’t marry and have children?” Qiao Yun asked timidly, showing a mother’s greatest concern.

“Maoshan sect belongs to the Zhengyi Dao tradition, not Quanzhen. Of course he can marry – if he has the ability, he could even marry eight or ten wives!” Seeing the parents’ agreement, Qing Yun Zi was secretly delighted and returned to his usual irreverent manner.

“But the child can’t even read yet…”

“That’s easily solved. There’s a school at the foot of the mountain. He can attend school during the day and study Daoist arts with me in the evening – no conflict. Amitabha, I won’t charge you a penny, I’ll help raise your child and teach him skills – what could be better? You can visit him anytime you miss him.”

At this point, they couldn’t refuse. The family thanked Qing Yun Zi and hosted a farewell feast. Early the next morning, Qing Yun Zi prepared to leave. He left a phone number with Old Man Ye, asking him to watch the surrounding area and call immediately if there was any news of the infant demon. Then, carrying Ye Shaoyang on his back, he cheerfully left Ye Family Village amid the family’s reluctant farewells.