For thirty years, he has roamed the Northeast, his divine might overwhelming all immortals under hea

My father forcibly pulled my mother back towards the village, and my mother looked back every three steps.

"Thirteen, don't be reckless! If things get really bad, just run!"

I gritted my teeth and waved for them to leave quickly. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of the flying zombie's eyes, which were filled with increasingly intense killing intent. It was confronting the Yin-Yang Dog, and the chill emanating from its body was almost freezing the air. A thin layer of white frost had already formed on the ground, and the tools that the young expert had dropped were now covered with a layer of ice.

"Awoo."

The Yin-Yang Dog raised its head and let out a long howl, the sound carrying a terrifying force that shook the eardrums. Its originally gray fur stood on end instantly, like steel needles, and its red and green eyes blazed with evil light. Its body swelled up a bit, now as big as half a cow, its four limbs leaving deep hoof prints on the ground, and the surrounding dust trembled from the aura emanating from its body.

The flying zombie stood still, its black burial shroud somehow intact, the material resembling some rare silk, gleaming eerily in the morning light.

His handsome, almost eerie face was expressionless, his skin was the bluish-white color typical of the dead, but his lips were a glaring red, as if he had just drunk blood.

The claw marks left by the Yin-Yang Dog faintly emanated a black aura on its chest, but they healed almost completely in the blink of an eye, leaving only faint marks. Seeing this, my heart sank.

The self-healing ability of these flying zombies is even more terrifying than I imagined.

"Kid, this guy absorbed the yin energy from beneath the foundation and devoured the life force of that expert earlier; his strength has increased again!"

The little fox's voice rang urgently in my mind.

"I remember when we sealed it away, it wasn't this evil. It seems that all these years, by some twist of fate, it has actually grown into a formidable force!"

"Did you seal it away back then?"

As I watched the flying zombie warily, I asked myself the same question.

"Otherwise, why do you think I'm following you?"

The little fox's voice carried a hint of arrogance.

"Back then, I made a pact with the first generation of shamans in this area to protect Zhujiakan for a hundred years. After a hundred years, I would refine him with the new shaman. But less than a hundred years have passed, and this guy has unexpectedly become a powerful flying zombie that takes a hundred years to cultivate."

"How is that possible? You participated in sealing him back then, but this place is a Yin-gathering formation."

"What? A Yin Gathering Array?"

"impossible!"

The little fox's eyes suddenly lit up as it looked across the entire construction site.

"It is indeed a Yin Gathering Formation."

"The feng shui of this place has been disturbed."

"I told you, how did things suddenly become so powerful?"

"Has the feng shui been affected?"

The little fox paused.

"The changes in the feng shui of this place are not natural changes, but rather the result of someone deliberately altering the feng shui to accelerate the accumulation of yin energy."

"Is anyone there?"

"Who the hell is this? Who's so malicious as to create a flying zombie?"

"Don't worry, let me check."

The little fox perched on my shoulder without moving.

After a long while, he slowly spoke.

"We can't find the exact person, but this person is probably related to you. Pay more attention to the people around you."

"The people around you?"

My heart was pounding. I've been foolish for so many years, where is anyone by my side?

Even if there were, it would only be my father and mother.

Could it be that they disturbed the feng shui of this place?

No, no, no, absolutely impossible.

Who could it be...?

Suddenly, the flying zombie moved.

It didn't pounce on me again, but suddenly turned around and flew in another direction.

That was the direction the villagers had fled in panic.

The Yin-Yang Dog roared and, with all its might, chased after the flying zombie like a gray lightning bolt, biting at its hind leg.

With a "rip," a piece of cloth was torn off the flying zombie's shroud by the Yin-Yang Dog, with some bits of flesh on it.

I exclaimed inwardly, "This Yin-Yang Dog is indeed powerful. Flying zombies have skin and bones of copper and iron, yet it can even bite through such a tough body. It's truly formidable."

The flying zombie, in pain, turned around and struck the Yin-Yang Dog with a palm strike. The palm wind carried a bone-chilling cold air. The Yin-Yang Dog could not dodge in time and was struck in the chest. Its huge body flew out like a kite with a broken string and crashed heavily to the ground.

The Yin-Yang Dog swayed its body and then got up.

The dog's already sinister smile looked even more sinister now.

It pounced forward, this time faster and with considerable force.

It was unclear whether the flying zombie didn't want to dodge or simply didn't know how to dodge.

It was suspended two meters above the ground, surrounded by black mist.

From a distance, it looks like a black fog.

It's too late to say.

The Yin-Yang Dog had already pounced on the flying zombie.

One dog and one corpse.

They all fell into the foundation pit.

I ran over quickly, and there was a large hole in the foundation pit.

Black, deathly energy constantly lingered at the cave entrance.

Perhaps the commotion was too great, because a lot of rats appeared in the foundation pit.

Without exception, when these rats came into contact with the black, deathly aura emanating from the hole, they all turned into dried corpses.

Just as I was about to go down the scaffolding, the little fox's voice rang out.

"Don't go, that old dog can handle it."

"Can it be solved? What if it can't be solved?"

"If this can't be resolved, the flying zombie will absorb the old dog, and then there will be no one left to defeat him, neither in the sky nor on earth."

"What?"

"Shouldn't we go help?"

While I was surprised, I was also amazed by the little fox's composure.

Everything has a cause and effect, and its destiny is predetermined.

"Let's go, leave this to him. I think the key is to find out who messed up the feng shui here."

After the little fox finished speaking, it actually sat on my shoulder, with its two front paws behind its back, looking like a very old man.

"Where can I even begin to investigate this? I was an idiot back then, and it's only been a short time since I recovered."

"Those things from years ago are hard to remember clearly, and besides, this place has been dug up to form a foundation, and the original appearance is long gone. How can we investigate it?"

There's always a way out; try to look on the bright side.

I followed the little fox into the village, but I was still worried about the Yin-Yang Dog.

On the way back, the road was a mess, trampled by the villagers. Scattered hoes, carrying poles, and bamboo baskets that hadn't been put away lay crookedly by the roadside, and the sound of their hurried footsteps still seemed to echo in the air.

A few bold sparrows landed on the bamboo basket, pecked at the remaining grains, and were startled by a deep, distant roar, scattering in all directions. The sound of their wings flapping was particularly clear in the quiet village.

I headed straight home.

I pushed open the door, and when my mother saw it was me, she hugged me tightly.

"Thirteen! You're finally back!"

"That monster didn't chase after us, did it? Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

I shook my head.

"Mother, I'm alright."

"Thirteen, tell your father, did you already know about that thing?"

"Yes, Father."

"So...so does that mean we've been keeping that thing in Zhujiakan all along?"

My father was very shocked, but I could understand what he meant by "raising".

"Father, that thing was sealed by the previous generation of shamans in Zhujiakan. It was said that after a hundred years, it would be handled by the next generation of shamans, which is me."

"But because someone disturbed the feng shui here, he gained power."

"The feng shui was disturbed? By whom?"

"Father, I'm thinking about this too."

"Father, think about it, have you ever heard of the previous generation of shamans, or anything else?"

"The spirit said he couldn't find the specific person, it was very vague, but it was related to me, someone close to me. Dad, I was stupid before, how could I remember? Please help me think."

"Even something related to our family would be fine."

"At least we have a direction. Once we find this person, we can solve the mystery."

"I've seen it. Our Zhujiakan is already a dilapidated place. I dealt with the water ghost in the Blackwater River last time, but the river water is still black. I think all of this is related to the people who manipulated the feng shui."

"Dad, think carefully. Is there anyone who is related to our family, or is familiar with them, but also harbors hatred towards the people of Zhujiakan?"

I could only place my hopes on my father, since he was born and raised there and might have heard something about it when he was a child.

My mother was completely confused, but she held my hand tightly and wouldn't let go.

"Thirteen, no matter who they are, let's just leave it at that, okay? Let's move, leave Zhujiakan, find a place in the city to live a peaceful life, and never touch these evil things again."

My heart ached as I looked at my mother's wrinkled face and my father's graying temples. All they ever hoped for in their lives was peace and safety, but I was born to be entangled with these sinister things.

But I know it's too late to move now. Since the flying zombie has already been born, if I leave, everyone in Zhujiakan will be buried with it.

"Mother, there's no escaping it."

"As the old saying goes, first is fate, second is luck, third is feng shui, fourth is accumulating good deeds, fifth is studying, sixth is name, seventh is appearance, eighth is respecting gods, ninth is associating with noble people, and tenth is maintaining health."

"Fate is the most important thing; this is my destiny."

"Mother, don't you always say that what is destined to be yours will be yours, and what is not, you cannot force?"

My mother listened to what I said without saying a word, but just held my hand tightly.

My father, on the other hand, was squatting on the doorstep, puffing away on his cigarette.

His brow was furrowed, and he was clearly trying to find something in his memory that could help me.

Time passed slowly, and the area around the foundation pit remained completely quiet, without any sounds of fighting.

Between the Yin-Yang Dog and the Flying Zombie, who ultimately won?

My heart was pounding, like a rabbit was jumping around inside me.

"Oh, right, Thirteen, I just remembered something, I don't know if it can help you."

After a few hours of silence, my father suddenly spoke.

I was overjoyed.

"Dad, tell me quickly, what happened?"

"Oh, this isn't anything unusual."

"That was in the 1960s...yes, autumn of 1965."

My father spoke, his voice deep and smoky, with a hint of smokiness.

"Sun Dahong, that's Sanlu's father, fled from his home in Guanli to escape famine. That young man, hey, he was really spirited, tall, broad-shouldered, square-faced, and could do the work of three men. It's just that he was unlucky; he lost everything at home and drifted alone to our Zhujiakan."

"Back then, Sanlu's maternal grandfather's family was one of the few wealthy households in our village. The old man's surname was Hu, and his name was Hu Mancai. He didn't get the name for nothing; his family was really well-off. They had made their fortune in the early years by collecting hides and dealing in mountain products. It's just that they didn't have many children. They only had one daughter, named Hu Xiu'e, who was Sanlu's mother. Xiu'e's appearance... well, how should I put it? She wasn't a bad person, but she was spoiled by her parents. She was independent and had high standards."

"When Sun Dahong first arrived, he worked for the Hu family. He worked day and night, taking care of the livestock shed, the vegetable garden, chopping wood, and carrying water all by himself. He was always busy. Hu Mancai appreciated his strength and also saw his honesty. But from the beginning, the old lady of the Hu family and Xiu'e disliked him because he was an outsider, a 'stinking drifter,' and felt that he was only after the Hu family's wealth."

My father lit another pipe, the embers flickering in the twilight.

"Later, Hu Mancai made the decision to let Da Hong marry into the family. Everyone in the village said that Da Hong had fallen into a lucky hole. But once he entered the Hu family, his good days were over."

"When Xiu'e spoke to him, she always looked down on him. 'Hey, fill that water vat!' 'It's getting dark, why did you only chop this little bit of firewood? Did you not eat enough?' The old lady was even more strange. She wouldn't let Da Hong sit at the table to eat, complaining that he 'smells like an animal shed.' She would just give him a small stool and make him squat by the stove to eat the leftovers."

"Da Hong was patient and resigned to his fate. He thought that as an outsider, he was content to have a place to live and a hot meal. But the Hu family mother and daughter were always finding ways to bully him. In winter, they made him sleep in a cold room with a quilt as thin as a piece of paper. In summer, when there were many mosquitoes, they didn't provide a mosquito net. Da Hong gave all the work points he earned to Xiu'e, who held onto them tightly. If he wanted to buy a pack of cigarettes, he had to think about it for several days and watch his wife's expression."

"Sanlu's maternal grandfather, Hu Mancai, couldn't stand it anymore. He was also afraid of what the villagers would say, or maybe he wanted the Hu family to have an heir, so he forced Xiu'e to live with Da Hong."

"And you know what? Even though it was annoying, she actually had a chubby boy the following year, Sanlu."

"Back then, everyone in the village said that Da Hong would have an easier time now that he had a child."

"But no one in Zhujiakan expected that when Hu Mancai saw that the child was a boy, his face turned stern, even more so than the mother and child."

"Once, Da Hong was driving a cart carrying grain when it overturned, injuring his leg. He was lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) unable to move. Xiu'e didn't say a single kind word. Instead, she scolded him for being a 'spendthrift' and 'delaying work.' She wouldn't even buy him good medicine, just some herbal paste to tide him over. The old lady was even more extreme, saying, 'A son-in-law is just a laborer. If his legs are injured, what's the point of keeping him?' Those words, tsk tsk, made everyone in the village shake their heads."

"Da Hong's leg never fully recovered and became a chronic problem. It would hurt so much that he would sweat profusely on cloudy or rainy days. But he couldn't miss a single day of work, so he had to go even though he was limping. He became less talkative and kept his head down all day. The light in his eyes slowly disappeared. He was only in his early thirties, but he looked like he was fifty."

I listened from the side and kept wiping away tears.

"The Hu family is too heartless. Are sons-in-law who marry into the family not human?"

"Hey, that's ruthless, the ruthlessness is yet to come."

"It was probably seven or eight years after Da Hong married into the family that Hu Mancai died suddenly from an illness. After that, the old lady of the Hu family and Xiu'e became even more unscrupulous. If anything went wrong at home, or if the harvest was a little bad, they would blame it on Da Hong, saying that he was unlucky and had killed his father-in-law and was going to bring ruin to the whole family."