Oh no! I've been reincarnated as a corpse!

The smell of blood floated in the night wind, like some kind of sticky glue, stuck in everyone's nasal cavity.

The rat demon and Nangong Yi turned their heads almost simultaneously, their eyes fixed on the figure that emerged from the darkness.

The moonlight, like a layer of cold frost, slanted across Lu You's shoulders.

The linen coat she bought from Dazhu's family hung loosely on her body, revealing a section of her pale collarbone.

A night breeze blew, causing the hem of his clothes to flutter and rustle, which, combined with his excessively handsome face, created an eerie sense of elegance.

Nangong Yi's pupils constricted sharply, somewhat incredulous.

Is this a monster?

So handsome?!

He originally thought that what would come would be an accomplice of the rat demon, perhaps a weasel spirit, or some other minor demon of the first realm, something with a rat-like face and a foul stench.

But the man standing here, with his bearing and appearance, could easily be mistaken for a direct disciple of some immortal sect on a journey!

wrong.

Nangong Yi narrowed his eyes, his instincts honed by years of fighting making him sense something amiss.

The person's skin was too white, not the pampered white of someone who had lived a life of luxury, but the deathly white of someone who had died.

In the flickering light of the torches, one could even see the faint bluish-gray veins peeking through the skin.

"A living corpse?"

Nangong Yi's voice deepened, as if it were being squeezed out from between his teeth.

The moment that word was uttered, the already tense atmosphere seemed to solidify even further.

Corpse cultivators are more troublesome than demons, as demons eat humans to replenish their vital energy.

The living dead eat people out of their very nature; they are hungry ghosts that exist purely to satisfy their bloodlust.

After all, bloodlust is one of the inner demons of corpse cultivators.

However, due to the Yin Sha and Yin Domain, most of the corpses turned into mindless Corpse Sha.

Corpse cultivators with consciousness are rare, and I never expected to encounter one here.

The rat demon clearly noticed something was wrong as well.

It sniffed, licked its crimson tongue at the corner of its mouth, and its gaze swept over Lu You, revealing a hint of apprehension: "Friend, your corpse aura... is a bit too strong. Such pure Yin energy... you must be a true disciple of some powerful corpse cultivator?"

Lu You opened her mouth, about to speak, but was interrupted by a clear, childlike voice.

"Ah! It's you! A very handsome man!"

Nangong Yi and the rat demon suddenly turned their heads.

Lu You's lips twitched when he heard the somewhat familiar voice.

He turned his head and saw Dazhu staring at him with a pair of round eyes.

Dazhu's mother's face was noticeably paler.

She covered her son's mouth with her hand, so hard that she almost pulled the child into her arms, her knuckles turning white from the force.

Dazhu's father held up the chipped woodcutter's knife, the tip of which was trembling.

His mind went blank, with only one thought racing through his head: Damn it, why is this bastard acting so recklessly now?! That's a zombie! A zombie that eats people without spitting out the bones!

Despair washed over us like a tide.

He stole a glance at Lu You's clothes—the rough texture of the linen, the frayed edges at the elbows, and the faded patch on the collar…

All of this was so familiar, so familiar that it made him want to cry.

It turns out that it wasn't some young master passing by that night, but this terrifying figure!

Why?

His mind was buzzing.

Why didn't the zombie eat their whole family back then?

They even left behind that piece of silver.

That silver is still buried in the soil under the altar of the Kitchen God in his house.

Lu You withdrew his gaze, his eyes sweeping back and forth between the rat demon and Nangong Yi.

He coughed lightly and forced what he thought was a harmless smile: "Well, I was just passing by. You guys carry on, don't mind me."

Nangong Yi and the rat demon were both stunned.

They never expected Lu You to say such a thing.

In their minds, Lu You's appearance was tantamount to making his stance clear.

Clearly, they intend to join forces with the rat demon to hunt down this martial arts master.

So you're saying you were just passing by?

Nangong Yi sneered, "You think such a clumsy lie can fool me? You think you can lower my guard so I can launch a sneak attack? Dream on!"

He was convinced it was a scam.

Pretend to be neutral, wait for him to make a mistake, and then strike him dead.

He'd seen this kind of trick many times before.

After hearing Nangong Yi's words, the rat demon also showed an "I understand" expression.

He grinned, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth: "Friend, with our combined strength, taking down this martial artist is more than enough. No need for beating around the bush, just go straight for him!"

Lu You was speechless: "I was really just passing by. I just wanted to watch the drama unfold, so just pretend I don't exist."

"Just watching the show?"

Genuine confusion appeared on the rat demon's rat-like face: "Friend, zombies eat flesh and blood, right? Have you switched to a vegetarian diet?"

Lu You: "..."

The corners of his mouth twitched.

He silently gazed at the sky, feeling that his jokes were completely misunderstood in this world.

He genuinely had no intention of taking action.

Although his emotions did become much more detached after he became a corpse, the socialist education he received in his previous life was still there.

These people posed no threat to him, so he naturally wouldn't want to kill them for no reason.

If he really did that, he would probably be devoured by his bloodthirsty demon on the spot and turned into a mindless corpse demon.

But these two guys clearly misunderstood, thinking he was playing a tactical deception.

Lu You sighed, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

He crossed his arms, striking a mysterious pose, and slightly raised his chin: "Alright, since you insist on not believing me... then I might as well be frank. I've always been upright and honest, and I can't stand bullying the weak. If we're going to fight, it'll be a one-on-one duel."

He turned to the rat demon and said casually, "If you let me do it, I'll kill this martial arts master, and all his life force will be mine. How about it?"

Upon hearing this, the rat demon immediately became displeased.

He hurriedly said, "How can that be?!"

Lu You shrugged, the outline of his shoulder blades barely visible in the moonlight beneath his hempen robes, and smiled innocently: "Then you go first. If you can kill this martial arts grandmaster, all his life force is yours."

The rat demon's eyes darted around, somewhat skeptical: "Friend, is it true?"

"I'd be a dog if I lied to you." Lu You's tone was as sincere as could be.

The rat demon began to make its plans.

He worried that the zombie would reap the benefits.

After he and the martial arts master fought to the point of exhaustion, the zombie jumped out and ate them both.

The undead eat flesh and blood; the flesh and blood of humans and demons are equally delicious to them.

But the zombie spoke with far too much confidence.

Coupled with that pure Yin energy, his strength is probably quite extraordinary.

If he makes the first move, I might not even get a sip of soup.

Thinking of this, the rat demon glanced at Nangong Yi again.

The life force of a martial arts master...

The rat demon swallowed hard.

He was already at the late stage of the first realm, only one step away from perfection.

Defeating this martial arts grandmaster might allow me to directly reach perfection, bringing me only one step away from becoming a demon soldier!

He gritted his teeth, then added, still uneasy, "Friend, my master is the Crimson Wolf Demon General of these eight hundred miles of green forest mountains! I've come out here to do his bidding. If anything happens to me, my master won't be so forgiving!"

Lu You looked completely bewildered.

Red Wolf Demon General? Who's that? Never heard of him.

A complete novice in the cultivation world has no idea who this person is.

He nodded perfunctorily, "Okay, okay, your master is awesome, I understand. Are you going to make a move or not? If not, I'll go for it!"

The rat demon quickly replied, "I'll go! I'll go!"

Nangong Yi's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

Since Nangong Yi reached the level of a martial arts grandmaster, he has become a well-known figure in this town within a radius of a hundred miles.

When did I become treated like a piece of meat to be slaughtered, pushed around like this?!

The zombie's dismissive attitude was even more unbearable than being slapped in the face.

But he just couldn't let it happen.

For him, a one-on-one situation was obviously much better than being surrounded.

A greater chance of winning!

Nangong Yi sneered inwardly.

Let's deal with this rat demon first, then we'll deal with that zombie!

The rat demon hadn't thought that far ahead.

He let out a sharp laugh: "Human brat, your rat grandpa's here!"

He squeaked and transformed into a blur, rushing straight towards Nangong Yi.

It moves extremely fast, and its form is almost invisible in the dark.

Nangong Yi has already put away the Demon-Seeking Compass.

He gave a cold shout, and his body moved as if released from its cage, like a tiger unleashed from its cage.

The fist form is completed, and the qi and blood surge.

A golden tiger phantom materialized behind him.

Golden Fiend Tiger Fist!

This is his signature boxing style!

If he can take another step forward and master the Golden Fiend Tiger Fist Intent, he can build a foundation in martial arts and break through to the realm of a Grandmaster of Martial Arts.

That's equivalent to a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator!

Every move they make can influence a small world!

Although his Golden Fiend Tiger Fist is now only in form and not in spirit, as a martial arts master known for his blood and qi killing techniques, he is already close to perfection.

Extremely strong combat power.

This is also the source of his confidence that he could fight even two lesser demons!

Nangong Yi's eyes widened in anger, and with a roar, he pounced out like a tiger descending a mountain.

The human and the demon collided violently.

All the villagers stared wide-eyed, watching the battle that would determine their fate with bated breath.

But all they could see were two afterimages constantly intersecting and separating under the moonlight.

It's so fast you can't even see it.

These ordinary people had no idea what the specifics of the battle were.

To them, whether they are martial arts masters or rat demons, they are all beings with divine abilities!

Of course, for Lu You, the speed of this human and demon was just so-so.

He even felt that he might have overestimated these two guys.

That's it?

As Lu You watched the two people locked in fierce combat, a strange thought suddenly occurred to him.

It seems that my speed is a little faster than theirs.

I'm only at the mid-stage of being a zombie.

Why do they seem so weak?

Could it be that their cultivation level is lower than his?

Lu You scratched his head, looking puzzled.