Chapter 19: The Voodoo Mage

The moon rises above the willow branches, a time for lovers to meet after dusk.

The air is thick with the hormones of romance.

Although Xiao Yulou, with his ethereal, Taoist-immortal demeanor, is only meeting her for the first time, every glance and gesture of this short-haired girl is enough to completely captivate him, turning his world upside down.

Even though Xiang Yunjiao hails from the mystical and venomous witchcraft traditions of western Hunan, it does not hinder the two of them from suddenly developing a deep affection and mutual attraction.

Most importantly, the crafty and scoundrel-like Xiao Yulou has already calculated everything in his mind.

Firstly, having a beautiful companion for the rest of his life without any cost is a supreme blessing.

Secondly, through this young woman from western Hunan, he might be able to gather intelligence regarding the wandering zombies, which would be even more perfect.

Thirdly, if Xiao Yulou wants to completely transform his big brother corpse into the Golden-Armored Zombie God, he cannot do without the secret arts of western Hunan.

...

Who is Xiao Yulou, anyway?

He is an absolute expert in the realm of scoundrels! Would he ever engage in a losing business?

In summary, this cunning fellow acted so gentlemanly, so childishly chuunibyou, and so overwhelming earlier for these very reasons.

As for Xiang Yunjiao, that naive and innocent girl, she is just as inexperienced with the outside world and sheltered in the deep mountains as Lady Yama Jiang Jingshui.

Coupled with the fact that she is right in the radiant prime of her youth, her simple romantic aspirations are more than enough for her to fall deeply into love.

Squatting on the ground, Xiao Yulou looks at the petite maiden before him, who looks even more haggard than chrysanthemums in autumn. He cannot help but sigh inwardly:

'Brother Gu~ Oh, Brother Gu, for your sake, this poor Taoist has even bartered his good looks! No matter what you say this time, you have to pay me extra!'

With this thought, Xiao Yulou casts a stealthy glance at Gu Mo out of the corner of his eye.

While Xiao Yulou is busy flirting, Gu Mo, currently in his frenzied zombie state, acts like a complete simpleton, continuously harassed by a massive swarm of wasps.

As for the other zombies, who have long since been scared out of their wits, they can only cower behind a large tree, stiffly peeking at Gu Mo's wild rampage.

Seeing this scene, an inexplicable wave of guilt suddenly wells up in Xiao Yulou's heart.

'Brother Gu, you must hold on. Give this poor Taoist just a few more minutes, and I will definitely win over this western Hunan girl. By then, we'll have clues regarding the western Hunan clan!'

Right in the midst of this intensely subtle romantic atmosphere, several piercing sounds suddenly cut through the air.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Xiao Yulou, who was swallowing a mouthful of stagnant blood, snaps back to reality, a sudden sense of impending doom gripping his heart.

At the critical moment of life and death, Xiao Yulou violently urges the Taoist Qi within his body, instinctively pulling Xiang Yunjiao into his embrace.

Thud, thud, thud!

Seven or eight soft impacts immediately strike Xiao Yulou's back.

Pierced by a stabbing, agonizing pain, Xiao Yulou shudders all over. A foul, pungent, and nauseating odor instantly diffuses through the air.

True enough, playing the hero to save the beauty always comes at a price!

In an instant, Xiang Yunjiao, cradled in Xiao Yulou's arms, freezes in shock. This scent is far too familiar to her!

With a cry of alarm, Xiao Yulou, clad in his black Taoist robes, abruptly twists his head to the side and spits out a mouthful of dark, fresh blood.

The blood he spits out is mixed with black, clearly indicating that Xiao Yulou has been poisoned by a deadly toxin!

Looking closely by the moonlight, one can see seven or eight red-headed centipedes, each about the length of a thumb, burying themselves directly into the black Taoist robe on Xiao Yulou's back.

Hiss, hiss...

After burrowing into Xiao Yulou's flesh, these horrifying red-headed centipedes continue to wriggle deeper inside.

In an instant, a feeling of utter terror, bone-chilling coldness, and hair-raising dread spreads wildly!

Within just a few breaths, Xiao Yulou's previously handsome face takes on a pitch-black hue.

Seeing this, Xiang Yunjiao widens her clear, spring-like eyes, breaks free from Xiao Yulou's embrace, and shields him behind her. Her sharp, gleaming Miao saber is gripped tightly in her hand.

At the critical juncture, with a mere flick of her small hand, Xiang Yunjiao brushes away all the red-headed centipedes clinging to Xiao Yulou's back.

She then pops a cool medicinal pill directly into Xiao Yulou's mouth.

Having swallowed the pill, Xiao Yulou's complexion finally begins to recover slightly.

Wielding her Miao saber, Xiang Yunjiao glares coldly in the direction from which the enemy launched their attack, letting out a furious shout.

"Since you are also of the western Hunan lineage, why don't you crawl out here, you coward!"

---

Moonlight flickers through the patchy shadows, and a chilly wind blows desolately.

Not far away, a burly man dressed in black steps forward with a sinister grin.

"Hahaha~ Yunjiao, it's been many days, but your temper is still as fiery as ever!"

Hearing this familiar voice and physique, the nameless wrath in Xiang Yunjiao's heart blazes up furiously.

"Xiang Haitang, you traitor! You really were hiding in Northern Desolation Town!"

Looking up closely, one can see that the burly man in black speaking across from her is concealing his true face with an embroidered Miao shamanic scarf.

His bloated, short, and stout figure stretches the coarse black cloth of his garments to the bursting point. 'As thick as a water vat and just as tall, minus the buttocks it's all waist' perfectly describes such a person!

Xiao Yulou, poisoned by the centipedes, sits cross-legged to regulate his internal energy. Hearing the conversation between the two, he struggles to lift his heavy eyelids.

The bright moonlight happens to shine directly upon Xiang Haitang's "Mediterranean" hairstyle. A few stubbornly defiant and messy strands of hair dance gracefully in the gentle breeze.

This is rather comical.

Pfft!

Enduring the pain in his body, Xiao Yulou bursts out laughing. Yet, no sooner has he laughed than a sharp, searing pain tears through the wound on his back.

"Immeasurable Heavenly Lord!"

Tormented by the immense agony, Xiao Yulou can only grit his teeth and utter those words viciously.

Hearing this, Xiang Yunjiao, who is standing guard in front of Xiao Yulou, knits her brows tightly and whispers without turning her head.

"Quiet! This is a grievance belonging to our western Hunan clan, and it has nothing to do with you!"

With that, the young woman from western Hunan turns back around and glares furiously at the burly man in black named Xiang Haitang.

"You traitor, why on earth did you attack and injure an innocent person?"

At these words, Xiang Haitang on the opposite side lets out a sinister laugh before speaking unhurriedly.

"Yunjiao, no matter what, I am your clan uncle. Is that any way for you to speak without respect?"

Hearing this, Xiang Yunjiao, grasping her Miao saber, widens her eyes in blazing fury.

"Clan uncle? If it weren't for you, how could the Grandfather's soul have been dislodged, leaving him unconscious to this day? You traitor, how dare you pull rank with me!"

Hearing Xiang Yunjiao's angry reprimand, Xiang Haitang bursts into uninhibited, wild laughter.

"Hahahaha! If that old codger hadn't stood in my way, I would have broken through my bottleneck long ago. Having his soul dislodged is nothing less than what he deserves!"

Hearing this, Xiang Yunjiao feels that this so-called clan uncle is a disgrace to their ancestral heritage.

"Xiang Haitang, if you hadn't broken the taboos to practice evil arts, why would the Grandfather have cast you out from the clan registry?"

At the mention of taboos and the clan registry, Xiang Haitang across from her can no longer laugh.

"Hmph! Insolent brat, how dare you be so arrogant! Today, your clan uncle will teach you a proper lesson!"

With a fierce roar, the western Hunan witchcraft master Xiang Haitang violently flicks a single hand.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle~

A black shadow flashes, and seven or eight red-headed centipedes screech through the air, shooting rapidly toward the two of them.

Xiang Yunjiao, standing before Xiao Yulou, twists her wrist and spins her Miao saber in a blur of flashing blades.

Clang, clang, clang~

Beneath the bright night sky, a dazzling array of blade lights instantly erupts.

Within the span of a few breaths, the speeding red-headed centipedes are chopped into a pulpy mash.

Plop, plop~

The shattered remains of numerous red-headed centipedes scatter across the ground.

Xiang Yunjiao gives her Miao saber a single flick, and a thick, viscous green liquid slides off the metal. The razor-sharp blade itself remains immaculate, without a single stain.

Truly a fine weapon!

Hiss~

The sound of intense corrosion echoes out.

The pool of viscous green liquid that has fallen to the ground immediately emits wisps of white smoke upon contact with the earth.

In no time at all, the wisps of smoke are blown away by the wind, leaving shallow pits of varying sizes starkly visible on the previously flat ground.

For a moment, it truly gives off the eerie visual of 'rain striking a sandy beach, leaving ten thousand pits'!

Seeing this, Xiao Yulou goes completely numb, a heavy wave of self-blame washing over his heart.

'Immeasurable Heavenly Lord, did I play this game too recklessly?

I only wanted to look a bit more miserable to elicit the western Hunan girl's sympathy. Who would have thought these red-headed centipedes were so terrifying!'

With this thought, Xiao Yulou hastily gathers his remaining spirit, concentrating a portion of his Taoist Qi onto his back to begin healing.

He has no desire to be left with a horrifying scar on his back. In a physically impaired state, how could Xiao Yulou possibly continue to charm women?

Suddenly, failing in his previous strike, Xiang Haitang smiles coldly and pulls several items from his sleeve.

Taking a closer look, what Xiang Haitang holds in his hand are several yellow paper talismans and a small transparent bottle.

Inside this transparent bottle, a silvery liquid flows slowly, resembling a shifting liquid-sand perfume.

Even under the pitch-black night sky, this bottled nocturnal liquid gleams with eerie, starry points of light.

For a moment, the silvery liquid-sand inside the bottle looks breathtakingly surreal and deeply mesmerizing.

At a single glance, anyone can tell this item is a rare and precious treasure!

And seeing this bizarre liquid, Xiang Yunjiao, gripping her Miao saber, instantly draws in a sharp breath.

"The sap of the Corpse Flower Datura!"

Just as Xiang Yunjiao finishes speaking, Xiang Haitang on the opposite side lets out another uninhibited, cold laugh.

"Hahaha~ I didn't expect a little girl like you to have some knowledge!"

Hearing this, Xiang Yunjiao feels a sudden chill in her heart.

This traitor really has been to the forbidden grounds!

In a flash, Xiang Haitang on the opposite side raises his hand and exerts sudden force.

A crisp snap echoes out!

The transparent bottle shatters into dust, and a large mass of eerie, liquid-sand-like fluid swirls around his fingertips as if endowed with life.

As the Corpse Flower Datura sap evaporates, a rich, heavy fragrance immediately diffuses through the air.

Catching the scent, a dozen or so zombies abruptly pivot their bodies toward the scene, sniffing the air with their noses in unison.

Then, with a wave of Xiang Haitang's hand, this mass of bizarre liquid and several yellow talismans fly straight toward the group of zombies.

In an instant, eerie red lights flash within the eyes of these zombies.

Thud, thud, thud!

Accompanied by several heavy thuds, the zombies contaminated with the mystical liquid charge toward Xiang Yunjiao in massive strides.

Even Gu Mo, still harassed by the wasps, along with the big brother corpse, hops over hurriedly.

Seeing this from his cross-legged position, Xiao Yulou is scared out of his wits.

"Girl, what on earth is that liquid? Why are all those zombies acting like they've been injected with adrenaline!"

Suddenly, with a twist of her Miao saber, Xiang Yunjiao plunges directly into the horde of zombies, engaging them in fierce combat.

The graceful figure kicks and slashes at the zombies while calling out an explanation to Xiao Yulou.

"The liquid in that bottle is the fruit sap of the Corpse Flower Datura.

The conditions for the Corpse Flower Datura to grow are extremely harsh; it requires a cold, gloomy corpse-nurturing ground and must be cultivated upon a centennial corpse.

It grows one leaf every ten years, and only blooms after producing nine leaves. Fruiting takes another decade.

Therefore, the sap of this corpse flower has the power to control corpses and fix souls!"

Hearing this, Xiao Yulou, who is gradually recovering, experiences a sudden flash of enlightenment.

"No wonder these zombies are acting like they're high on drugs, and Brother Gu is no exception."

As his voice trails off, Xiao Yulou takes a deep breath and pulls three Black-Chicken White-Phoenix Pills from the sleeve of his Taoist robe.

"It's time for this poor Taoist to give it everything I've got!"

...