Chapter 148: Don't Ever Chase After Me

Leaving Wolf Howl Mountain behind, Zhou Qing walked alone down the pitch-black mountain path. When he reached halfway down, he heard footsteps behind him. Turning his head, he saw that it was Yin Mao, the bandit.

“Master, please wait!” Yin Mao called out, panting as he caught up. When he was not far from Zhou Qing, he raised his voice.

“What is it?” Zhou Qing asked in puzzlement, seeing the bandit's actions.

“Master, I have a request, though it may be presumptuous. I hope you can agree to it.”

“Speak then. What is your request?”

So, as Zhou Qing paused, Yin Mao voiced his plea. His request was much the same as Zhu Yidan’s—he wished to become Zhou Qing’s disciple.

Yet the calculations between these two were different. Zhu Yidan merely wished to learn the art from Zhou Qing, then avenge his father and rescue his aunt. Yin Mao, in contrast, sought to learn whatever skills he could, even the smallest trick, so he would never want for food or shelter again. With the mountain stronghold destroyed, he needed to find a new path in life.

“Another one who wants to become my disciple? How is it that in this small, remote place, people keep coming to me with such requests?” Zhou Qing muttered in confusion after hearing him out, but in the end, he shook his head. He had no intention of taking on a disciple right now.

Even if he were to take one, it would not be Yin Mao, for the man looked nearly ten years older than himself.

“If you wish to pursue the path of cultivation, you should seek another master. I have no intention of accepting disciples at present,” Zhou Qing replied decisively and continued down the mountain.

Yin Mao did not give up, however, striding after Zhou Qing. In his eyes, Zhou Qing was a man of great skill, and even learning a fraction from him would be invaluable.

“Please accept me, master. I only ask that you teach me a few tricks to ward off evil and spirits, so I won’t have to worry about making a living in the future…”

On the dark mountain road, Yin Mao trailed behind, shamelessly addressing Zhou Qing as “master” again and again. Zhou Qing found himself at a loss when faced with such thick-skinned persistence.

At last, when Zhou Qing reached the great ravine at the foot of the mountain, he leapt into the water in a single bound.

“Master, don’t leave me behind!” Yin Mao cried out and hurriedly followed the trail Zhou Qing left on the water’s surface.

He pursued, shouting as he ran, until he was nearly out of breath. Finally, he had to stop—not because his strength was spent, but because a stream more than ten feet wide blocked the way, and he could not leap across.

Breathing heavily, Yin Mao scanned his surroundings in the pitch-black forest. In this wild, desolate place, he had no idea how far he’d come. With Wolf Howl Mountain destroyed, there was no point in going back.

Staring at the ripples Zhou Qing left as he floated down the stream, Yin Mao took a deep breath when the water’s surface calmed. He turned and walked into the forest.

The ground in the woods was rather level. After walking for a while, Yin Mao found a narrow path, and following it, he soon came upon an old, dilapidated temple, abandoned for who knows how many years.

Standing outside, he peered inside and heard the chirping of crickets. This eased his mind somewhat; if the temple had been utterly silent, he would have left at once.

Entering, Yin Mao found some withered grass behind the door. He pulled out a pair of flints from his belt, set the grass alight, and placed some rotten wooden doors and windows atop the flames.

Firelight blossomed, illuminating the ruined temple. Apart from a battered statue and a roll of straw mat on the floor, there was nothing else.

“So you knew I’d be spending the night here and especially left me a mat. How considerate,” he joked, glancing at the straw mat as he walked over to pick it up.

He had just lifted the mat when he exclaimed, “Heavens!” For this was no bedding but a corpse shroud.

Inside the rolled mat was a body. Yet it was an odd corpse—there was no stench, and the flesh had not decayed. Still, from the shriveled skin, it was clear the body had been dead a long time.

Though he’d never seen such a thing before, Yin Mao was not ignorant. From stories he’d heard, he could tell this was most likely a zombie.

The thought sent a chill through him. He quietly edged toward the door, holding his breath, then spun around and dashed out, fleeing down the path.

He had not gone far when the shroud in the temple was torn open from within, and the desiccated corpse let out a low, guttural roar.

Because Yin Mao had been so close and had breathed directly onto the mat, his living breath had awakened the corpse.

A roar echoed through the night, carrying far and wide. Yin Mao shivered violently and ran even faster.

“Don’t chase me, please don’t chase me,” he prayed silently as he fled.

Yet the zombie had only just risen and managed one roar before Zhou Qing destroyed it.

In the midst of the wild, mountain darkness, an ordinary man had followed him here. If Yin Mao died, Zhou Qing would bear some responsibility. Thus, not long after Yin Mao reached the shore, Zhou Qing emerged from the water and followed him.

Fortunately, Zhou Qing had caught up; otherwise, Yin Mao would surely have died by the zombie’s hand that night.

After the corpse’s roar, silence fell again. Yin Mao, running down the path, let out a sigh of relief and glanced back, but the faint moonlight revealed little.

As he turned his head, he tripped over a stone in the path and tumbled down a small slope, finally coming to rest at the edge of a grove.

Grabbing a sapling to steady himself, Yin Mao checked his wrist and found a deep gash where a sharp stone had cut him during the fall.

As he was about to tear a strip from his clothing to bandage the wound, a light appeared in the woods, catching his attention.

In the glow, Yin Mao saw a woman emerge from a small cabin. The light shone from within the house.

Though he was separated from her by some distance, her face was clear to him.

Though he’d had his share of women on Wolf Howl Mountain, none could compare to the beauty before him.