The dilapidated cave dwelling of Lu Dayong's family was located at the end of Lu Village, about half a li away from the other households in the village.
It was a cave dug out along the terrain of Miaofeng Mountain.
Now, decades had passed. The cave dwelling had fallen into disrepair, while the mountain it leaned against remained lush and green.
This was a wild mountain with no proper paths. It was only because the villagers who grazed sheep or gathered herbs had walked on it so often that a small loess path had been formed.
I followed Si Jiangchen all the way up. After just a few twists and turns in the wild forest, I could no longer see any signs of human habitation below.
In the forest that blocked out the sky and sun, the sunlight filtered through as mottled golden dots, swaying on the ground.
"Hey... you're not really here for hunting, are you?"
I looked at the tall and straight figure in front of me. That guy was raising his head and looking around, really looking like he was searching for wild game.
"Since everyone says Lu Dayong is dead, what do you think we can find out?"
Si Jiangchen glanced back at me. "It's better to come out and take a stroll to see if there are any clues."
"Take a stroll?"
A sense of unease welled up in my heart for no reason. I averted my gaze, not daring to meet his. "Aren't you a rich man? Rich people are always busy, aren't they?! They have meetings and business trips every day... where do they get the time to idle around in the wild mountains?"
Hearing my words, Si Jiangchen gave a soft laugh. His right hand instinctively reached into his pocket to feel for the cigarette case. "Rich people also need to rest. If they try to earn all the money themselves, they'll work themselves to death."
I thought he was going to take out a cigarette again and was just about to remind him when I saw his hand come out of his pocket. He quickly raised his gun, aimed, and pulled the trigger.
"Bang!"
"Quack, quack, quack, quack..."
A colorful pheasant flew over my head, squawking in alarm as it landed on the other side of the forest.
"You missed!"
My attention was immediately drawn to it. Looking in the direction where the pheasant had landed, I clapped my hands gleefully.
He seemed so proficient with the gun. It turned out he was just a showy but useless guy!
Unexpectedly, Si Jiangchen turned around and walked up to me. He lowered his head slightly and stared at my smiling face. His expression was a bit menacing.
The smile gradually froze on my face. His well - defined fingers reached out towards my face.
"Ah! I'm sorry..."
I quickly shrank my shoulders and raised my hands to protect my cheeks. But Si Jiangchen just wiped my cheek with his thumb, and a small smear of crimson was wiped off.
"It's okay."
Si Jiangchen squinted at me and raised his hand to put that smear of red into his mouth.
Only then did I notice that it was the blood splashed on my face when the pheasant flew over my head.
"You... you hit it!!"
I swallowed hard.
"Let's go!" Si Jiangchen reached out and pulled my fingers that were protecting my face. He took my hand and walked along the bloodstains on the leaves towards the depths of the forest.
"I... I don't want to look for the pheasant. I want to look for Lu Dayong!"
I hadn't forgotten my mission. There was obviously something wrong with the cave dwelling down the mountain.
A place that hadn't been lived in for decades was unexpectedly clean!
Of course, by "clean", I meant there were no "dirty things".
Houses that were unoccupied or temples that were no longer worshiped would often be invaded by wandering ghosts, demons, and spirits after a long time. Although Lu Dayong's home was dilapidated and devoid of any human atmosphere, there wasn't a single ghost to be seen!
This was not normal!!
"What's the hurry? It's already past noon. If we catch the pheasant, we can roast it for lunch."
"No, I'm not hungry!"
I desperately tried to pull my fingers out, but Si Jiangchen held my shoulder tightly and pulled me in front of him. He mischievously bit my earlobe and said, "But I'm hungry... If you don't let me have lunch, I can eat you... too!"
Suddenly, all the hairs on my back stood on end.
Although this place was still near the village, the forest was dense. I suddenly understood the words he had taught me in the villa before...
Don't go out with strangers!
Because you never know what unexpected consequences are waiting for you!
Threatened by Si Jiangchen, I had no choice but to follow his steps and continue walking.
The pheasant must have been hit somewhere by the bullet. Blood dripped all the way on the leaves and grass stems, and Si Jiangchen could always find the trail again.
"Such a good nose..."
I grumbled silently as I watched that guy who seemed to be taking a leisurely stroll.
"Lu Dayong should have become a hopping zombie by now. You'd better stay close to me."
Si Jiangchen's deep voice came from in front.
His voice was deep, steady, and slightly hoarse with a hint of laziness. It must have made many girls fall head over heels for him.
However, the words he was saying now were chilling. Combined with the cold wind blowing through the wild forest, the goosebumps on my body just wouldn't go away.
"A hopping zombie?" I was a bit surprised. "But just now I heard from Aunt Li that only some chickens, ducks, geese, and dogs died in the village. Even if Lu Dayong turned into a zombie, he would only be a white zombie at most."
I used to have a master from the Maoshan School who specialized in hunting zombies.
Unfortunately, I had a low tolerance for those hideous and disgusting creatures, so I only learned some basic knowledge... Otherwise, I would have long ago used my magic to put a spell on this zombie in front of me and call down thunder from the sky to eliminate the harm for the people!!
Although my skills were not very good, I still knew some basic knowledge.
The initial form of a zombie was a corpse that had just undergone a corpse transformation.
This kind of corpse would be covered in white hair. Its limbs were stiff, and it was afraid of light, fire, and people. Usually, it would hide in a dark cave or a dilapidated house during the day and quietly sneak into people's houses at night to steal chickens and ducks from the pens and suck their blood.
White zombies were the easiest to deal with, but ordinary people rarely saw them.
It was the black zombies, whose white hair had turned black after sucking enough blood from livestock, that were more well - known to the public.
Because black zombies were no longer satisfied with the meager blood of small livestock like chickens and ducks. They had a bigger appetite and more strength. They could attack large livestock like cows and horses, and they also began to crave human flesh and blood!
At this time, black zombies dared to move when the sun was about to set. They also began to look for opportunities to attack children and the elderly.
The zombies that Taoist priests and mages usually hunted were this level of black zombies.
If a black zombie was not captured and several decades passed, it would turn into a hopping zombie!
The black hair on this kind of evil ghost would all fall off, and its skin would become as tough as tanned leather. It would move quickly by hopping on its feet.
They were no longer afraid of humans or fire, and they would feed on human flesh and blood... Almost all the powerful zombies in those old zombie movies were this kind!
The cold wind blew, and I shivered several times. I couldn't help but look at the guy in front who claimed to be a "zombie" again.
He moved normally, was not afraid of sunlight, and even imitated human body temperature and expressions perfectly...
It would take hundreds of years for a hopping zombie to turn into a flying zombie. Si Jiangchen didn't look like the ugly flying zombie at all!!
What level of zombie was he? How many years had he lived?!