Starting from his vigorous old age, he began to conquer Liaozhai.

A short while later, Zhu He came in from outside, carrying a hen in each hand.

"General, these are the only two hens we have left."

Cao Xiong glanced at them and noticed that, perhaps because they had been kept in the cellar for some time, the two hens looked listless and thin, not plump at all.

However, it should be enough to attract the attention of the zombies.

"Tie it with a rope and give it to me this evening."

"Alright, leave it to me."

Zhu He originally thought that Cao Xiong wanted livestock to have a feast.

Just like the constables who came to Xiahe Village before, they asked for wine and meat, ate and drank their fill, wandered around a couple of times, and then returned to the county town.

So when Cao Xiong asked him for live livestock, Zhu He appeared enthusiastic, but in reality, he was already disappointed.

Now it seems that he misunderstood. Zhu He did not ask Cao Xiong why he tied up the hen, but simply did as Cao Xiong instructed.

Time flies like water, and the sky gradually darkens.

Cao Xiong snapped out of his state of rest with his eyes closed.

Carrying the two hens that Zhu He had prepared, he led Wang Er and the others out of the courtyard.

Cao Xiong walked all the way to the big tree at the entrance of the village and tied the hen around the tree.

Then he led Wang Er and the others to hide in an abandoned house not far away.

Quietly wait for the appearance of the corpse monster.

One incense stick, two incense sticks...

They waited from dusk until late at night, but the corpse monster never appeared.

During this time, Cao Xiong repeatedly flicked small stones he had collected at the hen to make it squawk.

"Uncle Cao, is the corpse monster not coming to Xiahe Village?"

Wang Er moved his arm, which was numb from being pressed down by his body, and his tone carried a barely perceptible sense of relief.

"Don't rush~"

Cao Xiong wasn't entirely confident, but this was the best solution he could think of.

As night fell and fog rolled in, Cao Xiong estimated that it was already past midnight.

He felt increasingly that the chances of finding any trace of the Corpse Monster tonight were slim.

"Giggle~"

A sudden crowing of a rooster rang out, drawing everyone's attention.

"This is not a normal cry."

Cao Xiong spoke softly to Wang Er and the others, sensing their anxiety from the hen's short, sharp cries.

"Roar~"

A faint, almost imperceptible roar came from afar.

"Here it comes~"

Cao Xiong narrowed his eyes slightly.

Sure enough, the roars grew closer.

Soon after, three or four corpse monsters emerged from the night.

Their walking posture was peculiar, like that of a hunchbacked old man.

At first, it moved slowly, but when it was still seven or eight meters away from the hen, it suddenly sped up and crawled on its hands and feet.

"Roar~"

"Hehehehehe~"

After a short, mournful cry, only a few chicken feathers and the feeding corpse monster remained on the spot.

"Strange, weren't they saying that the corpse monsters only suck blood?"

Cao Xiong muttered to himself, his confidence in the intelligence he had greatly diminished.

At this moment, more and more corpse monsters gathered under the big tree. Cao Xiong's eyes pierced through the hazy night, and he roughly counted nearly ten.

Cao Xiong's heart beat faster involuntarily, not out of fear, but out of excitement.

If he can kill all these zombie monsters, he will definitely be able to awaken the second or even the third attribute.

However, he restrained his urge to attack. His goal tonight was to use these corpse monsters to find out the main camp of the corpse horde.

After lingering in place for a few minutes, the group of corpse monsters began to disperse.

"Yu Tong, Qiu Ming, you two go together. Wang Er will stay with me. If there's an emergency, release a signal flare. Survival is the priority."

"yes!"

Then, Yu Tong and Qiu Ming stealthily moved in one direction.

Cao Xiong then led Wang Er in the opposite direction.

Cao Xiong and Wang Er hung behind the two corpse monsters.

The two corpse monsters were like wild beasts wandering aimlessly, searching for prey.

The corpse monster brazenly barged into the villager's fenced yard, but being a monster without the ability to think, it decisively left after hearing no human voices.

Cao Xiong wasn't in a hurry, so he followed the corpse monster from Xiaohe Village to the depths of the valley outside the village.

Finally, we arrived at the bottom of an inconspicuous cliff.

The two corpse monsters disappeared behind the raised mound.

Cao Xiong moved with light and agile steps and soon arrived in front of the mound.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a grave.

However, due to the passage of time, its shape has become somewhat deformed, and from a distance, it looks like a mound of earth.

Cao Xiong circled the ancient tomb and saw a collapsed hole on the back of it, as if it had been dug by a wild animal.

The entrance is small, just big enough for one person to pass through.

"This should be it."

At this moment, more corpse monsters rushed towards the ancient tomb from afar.

A murderous glint flashed in Cao Xiong's eyes. Now that they had found what appeared to be the headquarters of the zombie horde.

Then he can intercept and kill lone zombies.

Cao Xiong approached Wang Er and said, "Keep an eye on the ancient tomb. Notify me immediately if anything unexpected happens."

Then, Cao Xiong drew his willow-leaf knife from his waist and charged at the returning corpse monster.

"Roar~"

Upon seeing Cao Xiong, the corpse monster opened its mouth and roared, revealing its sharp fangs.

Cao Xiong did not slow down; with a swift stroke, the corpse monster was cleaved in two.

"Slay one early-stage Spirit Awakening Realm Corpse Monster, Fragment +0.1"

"What's going on, Pinduoduo?"

Cao Xiong's mood inexplicably soured when he saw the additional fragments on the panel.

"Is the number of fragments obtained directly related to the strength of the target killed?"

This corpse monster was at the same early stage of the Spirit Awakening Realm as the corpse demon he killed at Caizhuang Inn, but its strength was vastly different, and its attack power and defense were inferior to the corpse demon.

If that corpse demon also possessed the speed of a corpse monster, he would probably have to put in a lot more effort.

He was too optimistic before.

To obtain the second entry, it may seem that the number of fragments required has increased from 1 to 2, but in reality, the difficulty of obtaining the fragments has also increased exponentially.

Before he obtained the "Old but Still Vigorous" attribute, he could get 0.5 fragments for killing a dog demon in the early stage of the Spirit Awakening Realm. Now, he can only get 0.1 fragments for killing a corpse monster in the early stage of the Spirit Awakening Realm.

Cao Xiong quickly calmed his emotions and turned to look into the distance.

All he wants now is to kill more zombies.

Cao Xiong was not disappointed. Just a few moments later, two more corpse monsters returned from a distance.

"kill!"

"Slay one early-stage Spirit Awakening Realm Corpse Monster, Fragment +0.1"

……

After easily dispatching the two more corpse monsters, Cao Xiong didn't encounter any more. Instead, he met Yu Tong and Qiu Ming.

"Greetings, Commander!"

Yu Tong and Qiu Ming's clothes were covered in mud, showing how carefully they had been on their journey.

Cao Xiong nodded. "Thank you for your hard work. The ancient tomb ahead should be the main base of the corpse monster."

Yu Tong glanced at the unremarkable mound and said, "No wonder the county constables couldn't find the gathering place of the corpse monsters. This place is really unexpected."

Cao Xiong put away his scalpel. "I'll go in and take a look. You all wait outside. If I haven't come out after an incense stick has burned, don't worry about me. Go straight back to the garrison for help."

After exchanging a few words with Wang Er and the others, Cao Xiong crawled into the cave behind the ancient tomb.

He wanted to find out the exact number of the corpse monsters. If there weren't many, he would deal with them directly without waiting for the garrison to send troops.

Cao Xiong first put his legs into the hole and felt around. He found that it wasn't bottomless inside, but rather like an uneven road surface.

Cao Xiong braced himself on both sides and slowly entered the ancient tomb.