At this moment, Li Zuiyuan felt as if a bucket of icy water had been poured over him, making him feel chilly all over.
In a daze, it seemed as if his soul had been frightened out of his body, but it hadn't left because this wasn't the real world; his body wasn't here.
"Run!"
Li Zuiyuan took Qin Li's hand and ran.
But after only a few steps, the group of old women who had been washing dishes with sand earlier stood in front of them, blocking their way.
Their withered and aged bodies remained unmoved no matter how Li Zuiyuan pushed or collided with them.
In despair, the thought that came to Li Zuiyuan's mind was actually: No wonder Grandpa's paper-making business is doing well; the materials and workmanship are indeed here.
In fact, there was little hope of breaking through by force because he was still young and had no strength. Grandpa and Liu Jinxia's skills were something he didn't possess.
He had originally thought that he could avoid the incident by hiding, and he was almost successful, but it was ruined at the last moment.
He turned around, looked at the cat-faced old woman, forced himself to calm down, and began to quickly recall if there was any usable knowledge.
There was no need to search extensively; he had only read one book, an introductory encyclopedia, and only four volumes at that.
It's truly when you need knowledge that you regret not having enough, but now, he could only try to use the existing knowledge points to make do.
As a result, Li Zuiyuan really found something that seemed to fit.
In the twelfth article of the third volume of "Jianghu Zhiguai Lu," there is a record of a special kind of corpse demon.
A person with deep resentment, when floating in water, comes into contact with the corpse of an animal with an evil aura, and under certain circumstances, the two merge to form a weird existence that is neither human nor demon.
This corpse demon would have some special abilities. For example, the one recorded in the book was in the Changbai Mountains of Northeast China, a combination of a person and a yellow weasel, capable of creating a (míwǎng, a state of confusion or bewilderment) and bewitching people's hearts, and was eventually destroyed by the righteous path.
As for what the "righteous path" here refers to, Li Zuiyuan was unclear, and he didn't think it was necessary to clarify it, because the ending of every corpse demon's story was "destroyed by the righteous path."
Whether it was truly destroyed, by which sect or school, whether by monks, Taoist priests, lamas, sorcerers... none of it mattered. It seemed as if the author of the book had used "destroyed by the righteous path" as the period at the end of each article.
The cat-faced old woman in front of him was very much like a corpse demon.
But if he were to force the concept, he would first have to determine that she died in the river; otherwise, if she died elsewhere, she wouldn't be a corpse demon and wouldn't be listed in the "Jianghu Zhiguai Lu."
But this old woman's clothes were clean, her hair was gray and fluffy, and there was no sign of the waterlogged appearance that a water ghost should have. The little yellow oriole, with its completely wet appearance, was the standard template.
Li Zuiyuan felt... it was beyond the syllabus.
The cat-faced old woman retracted her head, bent down, and picked up a piece of tiger skin meat and a chicken leg from the ground.
She had noticed the inconsistency through these two items on the ground, as it didn't match her simple understanding in the dream.
"What a waste of good food, this is going to bring..." The last word was stopped by the cat-faced old woman. Obviously, saying those two words with her current identity was truly taboo.
She opened her mouth, regardless of the dirt, and put the meat and chicken leg into her mouth, chewing with evident enjoyment and (táo zuì, intoxication or being enraptured).
"I wish I had a bowl of corn porridge back then," she said with a look of reminiscence in her eyes. That was her greatest longing, even a luxury, as she lay curled up on the bed, staring at the closed door for a long time.
But in the end, she didn't get even a single grain of rice or a drop of water.
The cat-faced old woman looked at Li Zuiyuan again, but before she could speak, Li Zuiyuan spoke first:
"Happy birthday, Grandma."
The cat-faced old woman was speechless.
This birthday greeting silenced the corpse demon.
After a long time, the cat-faced old woman stretched out her hand toward Li Zuiyuan.
Li Zuiyuan noticed that there were fine hairs on the back of her hand, and her nails were long with sharp tips.
Without dodging, Li Zuiyuan let her hand touch his face.
The familiar sensation of an ice pack on the face returned, just like the feeling he had when he was in Liu Jinxia's hall.
"Grandma, I've discovered that you're not only handsome but also smart.
That day, when my eldest son was about to leave, you intentionally let him wash his hands by you so that I could leave you and return to him, right?"
"I was afraid Grandma would forget the way home."
"Really?"
"Also, I thought you were more used to having him carry you."
"No..." The cat-faced old woman's fingers slid down to Li Zuiyuan's lips, "Now I like having the boy carry me better."
Then she looked at Qin Li, who was standing behind Li Zuiyuan, "What a pretty girl."
Li Zuiyuan introduced, "She has brain problems, can't speak, has a bad temper, and bites people easily."
"Oh, is that so? No wonder when I saw her during the day, she just sat there without moving. What a pity for such a pretty girl."
As she spoke, the cat-faced old woman shifted her attention back to Li Zuiyuan's face, "I really like you, boy. Stay with Grandma for a while."
"Do you not have..." Li Zuiyuan immediately realized something and changed his words, "Sure, I'll stay with Grandma."
He had intended to say, "Don't you have your own grandson?" but that would be like opening a can of worms.
The cat-faced old woman smiled and nodded, and said to the crowd including Master Pang, "Everyone's worked hard. Let's eat together."
According to local customs, when hosting a banquet, after the first and second batches of guests have eaten and been attended to, a table or two would be set for the cooks, helpers, and family members.
"Alright, Grandma," Master Pang and the old women regained their vitality, began tidying up to prepare for the meal.
"Come on, boy," said the cat-faced old woman, turning and walking out of the kitchen.
Li Zuiyuan noticed that the footprints she left had water marks, and the color of her cloth shoes was unusually dark, making a "squeaking" sound as she walked, as if they were full of water.
Was this the correct answer?
"Come on, boy, let's go eat." Master Pang grabbed Li Zuiyuan's hand, interrupting his thoughts.
Seeing that the old women didn't grab Qin Li, obviously the cat-faced old woman wasn't interested in this "brain-damaged" girl, Li Zuiyuan let go of Qin Li's hand and turned to her, saying:
"You go first... No, just stand here still."
He didn't know where to go either, it was safer to stay in the kitchen. After all, what the old woman wanted was him.
Li Zuiyuan was led out of the kitchen, and the outside, which had been filled with people, now seemed deathly quiet.
It wasn't empty; on the contrary, there were many people, shoulder to shoulder, crowded together in a black mass, but no one made a sound or moved.
The original tables and benches had been tidied up and stacked against the walls, leaving only two relatively open areas.
One had a table set with wine and dishes, and the other was where the three child actors were.
The rest were all crowded around, waiting to watch the post-meal performance.
Li Zuiyuan was forcefully led to the table by Master Pang.
The cat-faced old woman was already seated at the head of the table, patted the seat next to her, "Come, boy, sit next to Grandma."
Li Zuiyuan had to sit down, deliberately looking back at the direction he came from, only to find that Qin Li hadn't obeyed and stayed in the kitchen, but had followed him out and was standing among the crowd, looking at him.
Why are you still coming forward when you're no longer interested in me?
The cat-faced old woman noticed too, and asked with a smile, "Shall we call her over to sit with us?"
"No, Grandma, she's already eaten. She has a bad temper, is shy of strangers, and would make everyone uneasy during the meal."
"Oh? Then why do you play with her?"
"She's a neighbor, so I take her along."
"Ha ha, you're kind-hearted." The cat-faced old woman's hand rested on Li Zuiyuan's head, gently stroking it, "My granddaughters, when they were little, were also taken care of by me. Back then, they called me 'Grandma' one after another, but when they grew up, they all wished I would die sooner, thinking that my lingering was the reason for their misfortunes, preventing them from living a good life and getting rich."
Li Zuiyuan listened quietly.
"I just can't figure out why they turned out like that. Maybe it's my fault for living too long, absorbing their good fortune, and thus owing them an apology?
I think I should die early for their sake, to be reborn early. Isn't that right, boy?"
If you really thought that way, why did you become a corpse demon?
According to the opening general principles of the "Jianghu Zhiguai Lu," corpse demons are beings catalyzed by resentment.
If you didn't have resentment, how could you be sitting here now, relying on longing?
"Grandma, you mustn't think like that. My mother told me that when facing beasts, self-reflection and trying to understand them are ridiculous things."
"Oh... Your mother does have a point." After a pause, the cat-faced old woman laughed to herself, "I think so too, but I still feel a bit reluctant, after all, they are the children I raised."
"Then do they treat you as their mother and grandmother?"
"In my eyes, they are still children, aren't they? Children will always make mistakes, right?"
"But they have already become grandfathers and grandmothers themselves, have been fathers and mothers, how could they not understand your feelings, yet they still act like that."
"Right, they are truly despicable!!!" The green light in the cat-faced old woman's eyes began to flow rapidly, and her sharp teeth protruded from her lips.
"Boy, you're absolutely right, Grandma just adores you!"
This time, it was both hands grabbing Li Zuiyuan's face and kneading it relentlessly.
Li Zuiyuan felt his face was about to freeze.
"Grandma... you mustn't let them off."
The cat-faced old woman released Li Zuiyuan's face, grabbed the table with both hands, leaving ten deep dents with her nails:
"Right, how could I let them off? These people are worse than beasts!"
Li Zuiyuan: Worse than we beasts? So the leader of this corpse demon is a cat?
The cat-faced old woman turned to look at Li Zuiyuan, enunciating each word: "Boy, watch well, I will make them pay for what they've done!"
Can I live to see it?
Li Zuiyuan immediately echoed, "Grandma, definitely!"
He had no sense of guilt for guiding her hatred. He was just filling in the answer based on the known solution.
Without his guidance, this old lady would still do it. If he tried to persuade her to let it go, his head would be the first to roll.
At this moment, Master Pang asked, "Grandma, can we start eating?"
The cat-faced old woman asked, "Are all the people here?"
"Just us."
"What about the host family?"
Master Pang scratched his head, "It's just you. Your children didn't come."
"It's not them. Since we borrowed other people's place, tables, benches, and bowls, it's not proper not to invite them to the banquet."
Li Zuiyuan: "Grandma, they're not hungry, they've already slept, don't wake them up."
"How can that be?" The cat-faced old woman suddenly stared at Li Zuiyuan with a sinister look, "The final banquet must have everyone present, otherwise it's a breach of etiquette and will be gossiped about behind our backs."
"Really, no need, Grandma."
"Woosh!"
The cat-faced old woman grabbed Li Zuiyuan's neck with one hand and lifted him up.
"Boy, you weren't being good just now, hehehe."
...
At this moment, in the second-floor bedroom, Li Zuiyuan, with his forehead resting on the desk, was asleep and looked (tòng kǔ, means painful or distressed, but in this context, it's more like showing signs of distress or discomfort) and was suffocating.
...
"Grandma... I'm wrong... I'm wrong..."
Li Zuiyuan grabbed her hand with both hands, but couldn't pry it open, kicking his legs aimlessly.
The feeling of death was so clear.
Qin Li, standing among the crowd, began to flutter her eyelashes and tremble, and the amplitude was increasing.
"Slap!"
The cat-faced old woman released her hand, and Li Zuiyuan fell to the ground, gasping for breath.
She would kill him!
She wasn't human, she was a corpse demon, ferocity was her nature!
Li Zuiyuan turned to look at Qin Li in the crowd, and when their eyes met, Qin Li seemed to be soothed, lowered her eyelids, and her body gradually stopped trembling.
...
In the second-floor bedroom, Li Zuiyuan, sleeping with his head on the desk, gradually lost the look of pain, and his breathing became even.
...
The cat-faced old woman said, "Boy, you should teach them well from a young age."
"Grandma, you're right," Li Zuiyuan got up and walked back to the table.
"If you think you can't teach them well, you should drown them early to save them from growing up to be ungrateful pests, don't you think so?"
Li Zuiyuan picked up a plate of braised fish from the table and swapped places with the fried peanuts in front of the cat-faced old woman.
Then he sat down and nodded:
"Yes, that's right."
"Um..." A smile reappeared on the cat-faced old woman's face as she gently touched the red mark on Li Zuiyuan's neck, "Were you hurt by Grandma just now?"
"Grandma was teaching me, I understand."
"Um." The cat-faced old woman turned to Master Pang, "Go invite the people, bring the host family to eat."
"Alright, we'll go right away."
Master Pang and the other washing-up old women got up from the table and went to invite people.
When Master Pang reached the staircase, the previously vanished stairs reappeared, and he ran up, his fatty flesh jiggling.
He came to the second-floor balcony, walked to the door of Li Sanjiang's bedroom, pushed it open, and saw Li Sanjiang sleeping in bed.
"Come on, let's eat!"
Master Pang walked to the bedside, grabbed Li Sanjiang's wrist, and was about to lead his soul away to the banquet.
However,
Suddenly,
Master Pang felt the environment around him twist. He was originally standing in the bedroom but now found himself in a square with towering palaces around him.
Then, he saw in front of him:
An old man wearing white (pò dòng dà kù chà, white refers to white loose-fitting shorts with holes) was leading a group of zombies in jumping.
The old man jumped once, and the zombies behind him also jumped once collectively.
When the old man accidentally didn't stand steady upon landing, the zombies behind him also collectively staggered.
Master Pang was so frightened by this scene that he immediately returned to his original color—pale as paper.
Just at this moment, the last zombie in the line reacted the slowest and fell down. His face turned to look behind him and saw Master Pang standing there.
This zombie seemed to have found something new and interesting, and jumped toward Master Pang.
Master Pang immediately started running, and the zombie began chasing him.
"Woosh!"
Master Pang appeared by the bedside, returned to the bedroom, touched his face, and found thick powder, which had come off due to fear.
"Bang!"
The floor suddenly trembled as if a huge creature had landed.
...
"Come on, boy, they've gone to invite people, let's start eating first."
The cat-faced old woman grabbed a handful of nuts and placed them in front of Li Zuiyuan.
Li Zuiyuan looked difficult, having tried this before; even putting it in his mouth was uncomfortable.
"Eat..."
The old woman's tone dropped.
Li Zuiyuan had to pick one up, swallowed some saliva, and put it into his mouth. Instantly, a strong feeling of nausea and vomiting came over him, but looking at the old woman's expression, he could only cover his mouth to prevent himself from vomiting.
"Um, good boy, that's right. No matter what, we mustn't waste food. Grandma knows the value of food all too well.
I suffered hunger before liberation, then as a widow raising three children after liberation, and finally starved to death after the children grew up.
So, Grandma truly knows how precious food is."
Li Zuiyuan could only nod while barely suppressing his nausea, but this mouthful was really hard to swallow.
Just then, Master Pang, in a panic, rolled down the stairs, shouting loudly:
"Grandma, something's wrong, big trouble!"
"What happened?"
The cat-faced old woman stood up. This was her "territory," and she was the controller here.
"Bang!"
A pair of long boots landed right on Master Pang's body, crushing him into a pile of waste paper and wooden strips.
"Ah..."
A(sēn rán, eerie or grim) throat sound echoed throughout the banquet hall, causing the temperature to drop suddenly.
Li Zuiyuan looked up in shock at the sudden appearance before him.
It was a,
A zombie dressed in Qing Dynasty official robes and wearing a mandarin's hat with a peacock feather!
---
There will be another update before 0 o'clock.