Chapter 17
Unable to bear the boredom, Li Xinjun, after only half a day of confinement, attempted to sneak out of the magistrate’s office. However, she was intercepted by Magistrate Wang in the main hall. After a brief argument, Li Xinjun relented, abandoning her plans to wander around. She went to the back rooms to help treat the injured and asked the resident physician, Doctor Huang, to clean her wounds with glutinous rice water.
Meanwhile, Song Ling and the soldiers were racing against time to set up the traps before nightfall. They worked tirelessly and finally completed all the preparations before sunset.
Tonight’s setup differed slightly from the previous night. In addition to the ropes, they had placed a large fishing net above the roped-off area and dug a trench around the perimeter, ensuring that the jiangshi couldn’t escape.
Once everything was in place, Brother Wu instructed everyone to take their positions in the surrounding houses and wait. Song Ling and Brother Wu were in the same house, observing the situation outside through a crack in the window.
At that moment, a change occurred at the mortuary on the outskirts of the village. The villagers who had been killed by the jiangshi began to transform. Eight coffins among the countless others in the mortuary started to shake violently. The lids burst open with loud bangs, alerting the soldiers guarding the entrance.
One of the soldiers pushed open the door and saw numerous jiangshi moving inside. He froze in terror.
“C-C-Corpses! They’re coming back to life!”
As another soldier regained his senses and shouted a warning, attempting to flee, a jiangshi lunged at him, sinking its teeth into his flesh.
“Argh!”
The soldier was killed before their eyes, blood gushing from the artery in his neck. He twitched a few times and then lay still.
Seeing their comrade fall, the other soldiers panicked and fled. The remaining jiangshi in the mortuary gave chase.
“Roar! Roar! Roar!”
The soldiers stumbled and scrambled, desperate to escape. One of them, lagging behind, was caught by two jiangshi, who leaped onto his back and began to bite him.
“Argh! Help me! I don’t want to die!” The soldier screamed and struggled.
Two other soldiers, seeing his plight, turned back to help. They thrust their spears at the jiangshi.
“Die, you monsters! Let him go!”
Before their spears could reach their targets, the other jiangshi swarmed them, overwhelming them.
“Argh! Get off me! Argh!”
They fought back with all their might, trying to push the jiangshi away, but they were no match for the relentless creatures. All four soldiers guarding the mortuary were killed, their bodies mutilated beyond recognition. Some had their necks torn apart, while others had their internal organs ripped out.
After feasting on the soldiers’ blood, the jiangshi, their eyes glowing red, their bodies radiating power, headed towards the forest behind the mountain. No one knew where they went because no one survived to report the incident. The villagers were unaware of the carnage that had unfolded at the mortuary.
Back in the village, the night was eerily quiet. There was no sign of any jiangshi. The wind kicked up dust, and the blood from the chickens tied to the posts as bait had dried, forming dark clots on the ground. Song Ling and Brother Wu had waited all night, but the jiangshi never appeared. As fatigue set in, Brother Wu, fighting off sleep, asked,
“Doctor Song, do you think they learned their lesson from last night and won’t come tonight?”
“I don’t know. But jiangshi shouldn’t have the capacity to think, right? Remember Uncle Wang? He’s the same.”
“Doctor Song, you can’t be so sure. I often see Little Jun talking to Uncle Wang, and it seems like he understands her. I’ve even seen him throw tantrums at her. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence, but it feels like he still has some awareness.”
“If that’s true, then things are even more complicated.”
“What do we do if they don’t show up?”
“How about we call it a night and get some rest? What do you think?”
“It’s almost dawn, and everyone is exhausted. Let’s tell them to head back.”
“Alright, go inform the soldiers.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Brother Wu went to inform the other soldiers to return to the magistrate’s office. The exhausted men were relieved. They packed up their things and headed back.
By the time they reached the magistrate’s office, dawn was breaking, and the roosters were crowing. Song Ling, weary, returned to the west wing and found Li Xinjun still asleep. She quietly lay down beside her and, within seconds, drifted off to sleep.
Li Xinjun woke up a short while later. Seeing Song Ling beside her, she felt a surge of relief. She had stayed awake all night, worried about Song Ling and the others. She had only fallen asleep from exhaustion moments before Song Ling returned. Now, seeing Song Ling safe and sound beside her, she relaxed, snuggled closer, and fell back asleep.
They slept until past noon. When Li Xinjun woke up, Song Ling was gone. Disappointment washed over her. If only she had woken up earlier, she wouldn’t have missed Song Ling. She got up slowly, washed up, and went to the main hall, where she found Magistrate Wang and Minister Chen discussing something. She greeted them.
“Good day, Magistrate Wang, Minister Chen. Minister Chen, you finally arrived! Have you seen Song Ling?”
“Ah, Miss Li. Yes, I just met with Doctor Song. We discussed some strategies, and she’s currently out making arrangements. I heard you were injured. How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine, just this hand is a bit troublesome.” Li Xinjun showed Minister Chen her left hand.
“Yes, that’s quite a serious injury. Miss Li, you need to rest and recover properly these next few days. Don’t worry about anything else. We’ll handle it.”
“Minister Chen, did Magistrate Wang tell you about the bodies at the mortuary?”
“As a matter of fact, we were just discussing that. I have informed Magistrate Wang about everything. He understands that the bodies cannot be returned to their families. However, we are still discussing how to explain this to them, as we can’t reveal the truth about the jiangshi yet.”
“Minister Chen, Magistrate Wang, please forgive my bluntness, but I believe we can’t keep this a secret any longer. If we don’t warn the villagers about the dangers of jiangshi, more people will be killed. And it’s not just about the deaths. What if they all turn into jiangshi? Then we’ll be facing a catastrophe.”
Minister Chen and Magistrate Wang couldn’t deny the validity of Li Xinjun’s argument. However, before arriving at the village, Minister Chen had already reported the jiangshi matter to the imperial court and was awaiting instructions. He couldn’t disclose the truth without authorization.
The two officials frowned, pondering their options. They had to prevent the jiangshi from harming more people while also adhering to the court’s directives. They were caught between a rock and a hard place.
“Alright, we’ll wait two more days. If the court doesn’t issue any instructions by then, we’ll cremate the bodies regardless.”
“But Minister Chen, I examined those bodies. We can’t wait that long. They might transform within a day or two.”
“Don’t worry. If the soldiers report any unusual activity at the mortuary, we’ll burn it down immediately, along with the jiangshi inside. It will be easier to explain to the families. We’ll just say there was a fire.”
“Yes, that’s a good idea. That way, we won’t have to deal with upset families or reprimands from the court.” Magistrate Wang clapped his hands in agreement.
Li Xinjun, who had been about to protest, seeing their resolute expressions, realized that further arguments were futile. Besides, it was a matter for the court to handle, not a commoner like her. She would leave it to the officials to worry about.
She left the main hall and went to the back rooms to soak some glutinous rice in water to clean her wounds. The corpse poison in her neck had mostly dissipated. Apart from the wound on her palm, she was recovering well. She diligently took her medicine and cleaned her wounds, eager to get better so she could help Song Ling and Brother Wu. She didn’t want to be stuck in the magistrate’s office, feeling useless.
Minister Chen’s arrival had brought not only more glutinous rice and garlic but also additional troops. For now, they didn’t have to worry about a shortage of manpower. Moreover, as Governor, Minister Chen had the authority to make decisions without having to seek approval from higher-ups, unlike Magistrate Wang. This would make things much easier and faster.
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