Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

Zhou Qingfeng stood with his hands behind his back, unhurried. The blood of the Devourer in his body was already seeping out from the pores on his chest and back, covering his skin. It was not visible because of his clothes.

With a thought, he could instantly unleash his Devouring Thief Divine Power to defend against enemies.

For safety's sake, he even donned the Calamity-Chasing Cloak, a top-tier flying magic artifact of the Calamity level. If he were to encounter any fatal danger, he could safely escape back to Sword Tower City in an instant, covering a distance of seven miles.

Although this magical artifact cannot be used for long-distance rapid flight, it is very practical for short-distance rapid movement.

Besides, there's the old cripple protecting him.

A mere zombie corpse trying to ambush him is simply delusional.

The old cripple observed a pool of green flesh hurtling towards him. His face remained expressionless and unmoved. With a casual, swift, and precise flick of his cane, which supported his lame leg, he sent the zombie's remains flying back to the ground.

Throughout the entire process, the old cripple did not use any magic or supernatural powers, nor did he show even the slightest fluctuation of magical power. He was just like an ordinary mortal. However, this seemingly unremarkable attack directly paralyzed the zombie's mutilated body on the ground.

The mangled remains, resembling both jelly and minced meat, lay writhing and struggling on the ground.

"Hmm? Interesting." The old cripple raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, because even a cultivator at the Devouring Fiend Realm would die instantly from his seemingly ordinary attack, yet this crippled body was still alive, its vitality was truly tenacious.

However, that's all. For cultivators who consume turbidity, high-level attacks on low-level ones are like a dimensional reduction attack.

The fact that it didn't die only means that this zombie possesses the power of immortality, making it more difficult to kill compared to other life forms of the same level. It's not that it's unkillable, it's just a matter of taking another blow.

Zhou Qingfeng said, "Mr. Liao, don't kill it, it will be useful to keep it."

Upon hearing this, the old cripple calmly withdrew his cane and did not deliver another blow.

"Protect Commander Zhou!" Yang Dalang led his men back to Zhou Qingfeng's side, ordering the remaining servants to gather in front of Zhou Qingfeng. He dared not let Zhou Qingfeng, the fourth young master of the Sword Tower, get injured here.

Otherwise, if the city lord were to blame them, the entire Yang family would be held accountable.

In that brief moment, the two zombie remains merged back into one, and the zombie seized the opportunity to retrieve the paralyzed, mushy lower body remains, integrating them into its own body and quickly restoring itself to its original state.

Zhou Qingfeng was surrounded by a group of people in the center, completely protected.

Holding a demon-level magic sword, Yang Dalang turned around and instructed, "Third brother, you and your entourage must protect the commander well and not leave his side for even a moment. Second brother, you and I will work together to capture the zombie!"

Zhou Qingfeng's attack terrified Yang Dalang.

We dare not let anything like this happen again, otherwise he would be scared to death even if he wasn't killed.

With guidance from Zhou Qingfeng, Yang Dalang and Yang Erlang changed their tactics this time. Instead of killing, they aimed to capture the enemy alive. Each of them took out a demon-binding rope and a demon-catching net, both of which were of the highest level.

One person was responsible for tying up the zombie's hands and feet, while the other was responsible for casting a net to catch the monster.

With a clear division of labor, the battle was resolved quickly.

"Awooo!!!" The evil-level zombie roared incessantly, but it was all in vain. Its entire body was bound tightly with the demon-binding rope. Apart from being able to twist its neck and open and close its mouth, the rest of its body was restricted and unable to move.

"Scatter." Zhou Qingfeng said calmly, and the crowd around him quickly parted to make way. He walked out of the crowd with his hands behind his back, came to the front of the evil-level zombie, and bent down to examine it carefully.

The three young masters of the Yang family stood in a row and bowed deeply: "Commander Zhou, it was our oversight that caused you to be in such a dangerous situation and almost get into danger. Please punish us, Commander Zhou."

Zhou Qingfeng waved his hand: "It's nothing, just an accident. You are all innocent."

The three young masters of the Yang family exchanged a secret glance and simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.

The attack on the young master is a matter that could be serious or minor. If Zhou Qingfeng were to use this incident to his advantage, a charge of treason—premeditated murder of the young master of the first family—could be pinned directly on the Yang family, leaving them severely injured or even killed.

"Grave Digger," Zhou Qingfeng straightened up and called out.

"Here." The gravedigger, holding an iron shovel, moved a hundred meters away in an instant to be close.

Zhou Qingfeng glanced at him and said calmly, "Give me a detailed report of the autopsy."

Upon hearing this, the gravedigger nodded slightly and slowly stepped forward to examine the corpse. Even though Yang Jianxin had now become a zombie, as long as the body still existed, he had a way to find out the true cause of Yang Jianxin's death.

Zhou Qingfeng and the old cripple stepped aside and watched patiently.

They were both self-aware enough to know that everyone has their own area of ​​expertise and should never use their hobbies to challenge someone else's livelihood. Besides, neither of them was an expert in autopsy.

The three Yang brothers also stood aside and watched, but they told the able-bodied servants to take care of the wounded servants and forbade them from watching the naked and ugly corpse of their late master.

"Brother, should we go get our wounds treated?" Yang Sanlang asked in a low voice, looking at his brother's neck wound that exposed bone.

"It's just a minor injury, nothing to worry about." Yang Dalang touched his neck with a calm expression, casually took out a Blood Regeneration Pill of the Fiend Rank and swallowed it, saying lightly, "I'll just take some medicine, it's nothing."

The invasion of the body by the evil-level corpse poison was nothing to Yang Dalang. He only needed to circulate his magic power to refine the evil-level corpse poison. After all, the evil-level corpse poison was also a kind of evil energy, and cultivators in the Eating Evil Realm could also consume it.

Under the treatment of the Blood and Flesh Regeneration Pill, the flesh around the wound recovers at a speed visible to the naked eye.

After swallowing the medicine, Yang Dalang remembered the gravedigger's words and said to his two brothers, "You two go and check if any of the burial objects scattered at the scene are missing. If someone really stole Father's burial objects, this matter must be thoroughly investigated."

Yang Erlang and Yang Sanlang clasped their hands in greeting and replied, "Yes, elder brother."

As the head of the Yang family, Yang Jianxin's beloved possessions and personal items would be buried with him in his coffin after his death. These items included ritual implements and robes, jewelry and jade, precious books, and so on.

If it were actually dug up and sold for money, it could conservatively fetch around 30 million taels of silver.

Money can be a powerful motivator. The recent opening of the temple has proven that the gravedigger was not just spouting nonsense; he does possess some real skills. As a result, Yang Jianxin is no longer so confident in his own family members.

When the two brothers returned after checking and reported back, Yang Dalang's face immediately darkened.

Because there were no burial items in the scattered coffins.

Looking at his father's naked body, Yang Dalang realized that the Yang family members who stole the burial goods had even stripped his father of his evil-grade robes. He clenched his fists, filled with shame and indignation, and roared through gritted teeth, "Bastards!"

"Brother, please calm down."

"Big brother, family scandals shouldn't be aired in public!" The two younger brothers quickly restrained their eldest brother, who was about to explode.

Yang Dalang's face hardened: "Investigate, even if it means turning the place upside down, we must find them."

"The gravedigger said it was our own doing, so let's start by investigating our own people."

"Third brother, go back to the village now and tell your mother to seal off the village immediately and lock it up, so that no one is allowed to enter or leave."

Upon hearing this, Yang Sanlang clasped his hands in a salute and said, "Understood, I will take care of it right away."

After saying this, Yang Sanlang patted the shoulders of several of his followers, signaling them to follow him back to the manor.

Zhou Qingfeng observed the whole thing, remaining silent and observing. He didn't care about the internal affairs of the Yang family, and as long as it didn't affect his meritorious service in solving the case, he had no intention of exposing the scandals within the Yang family.

A moment later, the gravedigger stood up with an iron shovel in hand, facing Zhou Qingfeng. With his back hunched, he recounted the information obtained from the autopsy to Zhou Qingfeng, which was exactly the same as the autopsy report issued by Ren Wuji.

Zhou Qingfeng frowned slightly: "Besides that, have any other unusual findings been discovered?"

The gravedigger was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Yes, I've noticed that this zombie's body is somewhat different from the others."

"First of all, this zombie has no self-awareness and is purely a walking corpse that acts on instinct."

"Furthermore, the flesh and blood of this zombie contain some unknown evil-level corpse poison."

"This corpse poison possesses astonishing power; it is constantly dividing and multiplying."

"This grants zombies powerful immortality and eternal life."

"No matter how you try to kill it, you can't kill it completely using normal methods."

"Even if only a single drop of blood is missed during the killing process, that drop of blood will continue to divide and multiply. Given time, it can be resurrected."

"Forgive my frankness, but I have never seen a zombie like this before. However, I am certain that without human intervention from cultivators, it would be impossible for such a drastic mutation to occur suddenly from the body's natural transformation."

"So this corpse poison isn't produced by the body itself, but rather invaded from outside. Young Master Yang was bitten by it, and now there's probably already this unknown corpse poison in his body. Do you feel any discomfort?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Dalang frowned and said, "No, I'm perfectly fine. How could a mere level-evil corpse poison possibly kill a cultivator like me who's at the Devouring Fiend Realm? No matter how powerful it is, I'll have to eat it. You think you can hurt me? What are you thinking?"

Upon hearing this, the gravedigger lowered his head in silence.

He was only responsible for performing autopsies, and whatever the results were, that was that. The only thing that interested him was this unknown corpse poison; he was thinking of digging up some of the flesh and blood to study it privately.

But there was no chance in front of so many people, so I had to suppress the thought in my mind.

Seeing this, Zhou Qingfeng patted Yang Dalang's arm and said, "Young Master Yang, if you feel unwell anywhere or if there is anything unusual, please tell me. This may be helpful for me to solve this case."

"You heard it too, your father's death wasn't that simple."

"This unknown corpse poison was likely transmitted to your father by the perpetrator through biting."

Yang Dalang clasped his hands in a salute: "Commander Zhou, I really feel great right now, without any discomfort at all."

Seeing this, Zhou Qingfeng didn't say anything more. He wasn't really concerned about Yang Dalang's life or death, so he simply changed the subject and said, "I want to transport your father's body back to Sword Tower City tomorrow for a more detailed examination."

"I would like to trouble you, Young Master Yang, to find an opportunity to convey this to your wife, and it would be best to obtain her consent."

Yang Dalang hesitated for a moment, then clasped his hands in a fist and replied, "Yes."

While Zhou Qingfeng's autopsy team made new discoveries, Yang Family Village was sealed off and locked under Madam Yang's orders. Yang Sanlang was ordered to lead dozens of private soldiers to conduct a thorough search of the entire village.

In a servant's quarters, a servant named Lai Gui was taking care of Uncle Wangcai.

“Uncle, you’ve been sick for several days now. The medicine the doctor in the village prescribed for you is expensive and ineffective. In fact, your condition is getting worse. We can’t delay any longer. Let’s go to the city for treatment tomorrow.”

"I... I can't go on." Uncle Wangcai lay weakly on the bed, his arms supporting him on the edge of the bed. With the help of his nephew Laigui, he managed to drink the medicine. Then he reached out and grabbed Laigui's hand, saying, "Laigui."

“Hey, hey, Uncle’s here,” Lai Gui responded with concern.

Uncle Wangcai said weakly, "Uncle has already thought it through. Once things calm down, Uncle will take you to Sword Tower City to sell the goods. Then we'll have money. We can redeem ourselves and become city dwellers, buy land and houses, get married and take concubines. From now on, we won't have to live under someone else's roof anymore. We can be in charge of our own lives."

"But... I'm afraid my body won't be able to hold on. If anything happens to me, remember to hide the things well and find an opportunity to sell them at the Sword Tower. Sell them one by one, be discreet, and don't attract attention."

Uncle Wangcai's face was ashen, and his body was covered with numerous pustules.

These pustules would ooze a large amount of disgusting green unidentified liquid when squeezed even slightly. He felt pain all over his body, as if countless ants were crawling around inside him, gnawing at every inch of his flesh and bones.

The pain was gradually blurring Uncle Wangcai's consciousness. The things he had done kept flashing before his eyes, and he kept muttering incoherently: "Quick, nails, money, no one will find out~~~"

Wangcai and Laigui led unremarkable lives; they were just ordinary servants in the Yang family.

These kinds of household slaves are almost always replaced like cattle and horses, and are considered consumables that are replaced very quickly.

They spend their entire lives doing heavy labor, and without a master to give them a chance, they basically have no chance of turning their lives around.

Of course, they also lacked the awareness to turn their lives around.

However, just last year, the uncle and nephew were on business in the city. After finishing their business, they should have returned to the village immediately, but since it was still early, they followed the example of others and went to a teahouse to pay for tea and listen to storytellers.

A storyteller named Zhou Zi'ou tells the story of a servant who steals from his master's ancestral graves, becomes rich, and ultimately changes the course of his life.

Because the story was told from a forbidden book, the storyteller was immediately invited for tea by the Night Patrol Bureau after he finished telling the story.

From this day forward.

The uncle and nephew seemed to have opened the door to a new world.

With their impoverished and ignorant minds, they simply cannot imagine that they can become rich in this way.

This experience of listening to the story completely opened their minds, injecting new ideas into their ignorant brains, while also plunging them into a long period of struggle and pain.

When they have successful role models, they can't help but want to emulate them, but they dare not, so they suffer greatly. Just then, Yang Jianxin died, and the two of them were responsible for carrying the coffin and filling the soil.

After everyone left, the uncle and nephew boldly returned and, following the way the protagonist in the story did things, quickly dug up the grave and looted the burial goods, even stripping Yang Jianxin of his robes.

That is, when Uncle Wangcai was taking off his robes, his hand was accidentally scratched by Yang Jianxin's sharp fingernails.

However, Uncle Wangcai was in a great mood and didn't care when he was scratched by a corpse's fingernail. He was only concerned with covering the coffin and filling it with soil. He then took his nephew, Lai Gui, back to the village without anyone noticing.

However, the next day, Uncle Wangcai began to feel unwell. His body gradually became covered with pustules, and his bones and flesh began to ache. He gradually became so weak that he could not walk, until he became like this.

"Uncle, Uncle Wangcai, what are you saying? Wake up, don't sleep!" Lai Gui looked anxiously at Uncle Wangcai talking nonsense, and helped Uncle Wangcai sit up with some concern, patting Uncle Wangcai's face with care.

Uncle Wangcai was barely breathing. The tiny blood vessels from his neck to his face were all bulging, like green spider veins covering his skin. He suddenly opened his eyes, which were a ghostly green. His stomach churned, his throat throbbed, and in an instant, he vomited a large amount of dark green pus and blood, which filled Lai Gui's mouth and face with blood.

"Ugh~~~" Lai Gui was caught off guard and almost vomited. He immediately got up and backed away, letting Uncle Wangcai roll and fall to the ground. He kept spitting out pus and blood.

When I turned to look at Uncle Wangcai again, he was still kneeling on the ground vomiting pus and blood.

"Uncle, Uncle, are you alright, Uncle?" Lai Gui, suppressing his nausea, approached Uncle Wangcai and reached out to help him up.

Uncle Wangcai suddenly looked up, his eerie green eyes devoid of any humanity.

It suddenly leaped up and pounced on Lai Gui, biting Lai Gui's throat.

Like a predator precisely biting its prey's throat, it gripped the prey's head with both hands and gently tore it apart, separating the flesh from the skin and breaking the neck bone. It made no sound, but simply devoured the flesh and blood of the living person.

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