Chapter Nine, Dissection of Corpses

The girl, held by her father, turned pale at the sight and immediately let out a scream.

The middle-aged man was so frightened by this scene that his soul seemed to scatter. However, his daughter was right behind him, and even if he wanted to evade, it was already too late. He could only grit his teeth and hurl the short sword in his hand fiercely at the zombie, then turn around and hold his daughter tightly in his arms

Shi Muxin was taken aback, but the effects of his recent frenzied training in the mountains while wearing black armor were now fully manifested. Although he had not yet practiced any lightness skills, he merely spun in place and narrowly slipped past the two massive arms, appearing behind the monster. With a flash of the blade, four or five shallow wounds appeared on the monster's waist.

The young girl listened and nodded repeatedly

At this moment, a heart-wrenching voice from the girl came from the other side

The monster's attack this time caught Shi Mu by surprise; there was no time left to evade. He could only cross his arms in front of him, gripping the knives tightly, and his entire body was forcefully smashed away like a sack.

Just as Shi Mu was filled with astonishment, the humanoid monster let out a low growl and charged directly at the nearest Shi Mu, carrying a foul stench with it

Father, please stop talking nonsense, I will find a doctor to stop the bleeding right away... the young girl said tearfully upon seeing this

father

His call immediately drew the monster's attention away.

The man let out a loud shout, and a large spurt of fresh blood gushed out.

Since the decline of the Zhong family, there have been hardly any relatives left... Xiuer, listen carefully... your marriage with the Wu family is hereby canceled... Young man, I see you are not an ordinary person... I do not ask that you formally marry my daughter, but as long as you agree to let Xiuer be a concubine, ensuring her future well-being, I can die in peace. Since you are a martial artist, this heirloom of the Zhong family should be useful to you; consider it as my daughter's betrothal gift. If you ever do anything to wrong my daughter in the future, I, Zhong Ming, will not let you off even in death." The middle-aged man quickly uttered the last few words as if regaining his vitality, then took out a small wooden box from his bosom and forcefully stuffed it into Shi Mu's hands. After shouting once, he breathed no more.

If that is the case, I can also send Miss Xiu'er to other relatives

The headless corpse of the monster swayed twice before crashing heavily to the ground

No

"Young man, the head of the zombie is its weak point, quickly attack there." The middle-aged man on the other side, seeing this, hurriedly called out in a panic.

The Wu family... heh heh... if I were still around, I would naturally have a way to have the Wu family accept it, but now... the Wu family will absolutely not acknowledge this marriage. If you were to... send my daughter over, it would only... it would only...

In an instant, the single blade slashed across the monster's chest four or five times, yet it felt as if it had struck against dry wood, leaving only a few shallow wounds from which faint green blood seeped out, but it was of no significant consequence

Of course, this is also related to his immense strength, as he has nearly perfected the Shattered Stone Fist technique. Otherwise, even though the monster's head is a weak point, an ordinary martial artist would be unable to inflict significant damage with bare hands.

Although the monster was not severely injured, it was clearly enraged. It suddenly twisted its body backward, and its upper body bizarrely turned a full one hundred and eighty degrees. With a flourish of its arms, it swung down like a wheel, wildly smashing down towards Shi Mu's head.

The young girl, upon hearing this, became even more heartbroken

At this moment, it was already aware that the stone herder facing it was not easy to provoke, yet it was filled with rage and, without a second thought, let out a roar and suddenly turned to pounce towards the campfire

Something falls down from the leaves

However, the humanoid monster showed no intention of letting Shi Mu go. With a push of its legs and a lift of its arms, it charged forward again, bringing with it a foul wind.

father

Miss Zhong, please do not call me any titles like "young master". My surname is Shi and my given name is Mu. How about this: it seems the rain outside has stopped, so I will first help you bury your father's body. Otherwise, if too much time passes, it may attract the wild beasts from the mountains.

A sound of "pa".

Two fists struck the target like hammers, the force so great that it instantly produced a thunderous explosion, causing the monster's head to burst open like a watermelon, with countless green blood splattering out

The encounter just now lasted only a brief moment, yet this zombie was terrifying and far beyond the beasts he had slain before. Had it not been for the sudden and inexplicable interference caused by the girl's scream, he would never have been able to land such a decisive blow.

"Uncle Zhong, do you have anything to say to me?" Shi Mu sighed and finally walked over, half-squatting beside the man

"Young man, the fact that you and my daughter can meet here is indeed a great fate. I am about to leave, yet I cannot bear to leave Xiuer all alone in this world. I wish to entrust her to you, young man." The middle-aged man began to speak, gasping for breath.

Then I will trouble you, Brother Shi, please call me Zhong Xiu from now on. The young girl appeared quite fragile, but after shedding some tears, she seemed to have grown much stronger.

"It is useless. Xiuer, as your father, I understand a bit of medicine. My heart pulse has already stopped, and I fear I may pass away at any moment. I have enjoyed everything I should have in this life, and even if I were to leave now, there would be nothing to regret. The only thing I cannot put at ease is you alone." The middle-aged man said with a bitter smile upon hearing this, and he looked at Shi Mu with a gaze full of expectation.

Shi Mu immediately turned and walked out of the main hall. After a moment, he returned, holding several thick, large leaves resembling banana leaves, and strode over to the side of the monster's corpse

The monster moved its single arm, deflecting the short sword, while the other beast, with its exceptionally sharp five fingers, effortlessly tore through the man's clothing at the back, directly inserting itself halfway in.

I have never seen this thing either, but since it was given to me by my father, I will not take it back. Moreover, if it were not for you personally slaying this monster, I would not have been able to preserve my life. However, the young girl shook her head.

"Young master, my father was likely not in his right mind before he passed away, so you need not take his words seriously. Once we arrive in Fengcheng, I would appreciate it if you could take me to the Wu family. " After an unknown amount of time, the young girl finally ceased her sobbing, her swollen red eyes gazing at the now upright Shi Mu.

This object is so strange that it cannot simply be left here. Miss Zhong, please wait a moment while I take care of this item as well

Although he had a premonition that trouble might come his way, it was impossible to truly let go and ignore the situation under these circumstances

The young girl, who had originally been so astonished by her father's words that she had forgotten to cry, immediately collapsed onto the man's corpse and began to weep loudly again upon seeing that her father had truly passed away

After the two returned to the temple, although the corpse of the humanoid monster remained in its original place, its surface began to rot at an astonishing speed. At the same time, a large amount of green liquid seeped out from the corpse, making the entire hall emit an exceptionally foul odor

At this moment, the middle-aged man had no trace of color in his face, yet he ignored his daughter's desperate summons for Shi Mu to come over.

"Is it really necessary to entrust this to me? It seems that Miss Ling has a marriage agreement with the Wu family, and I can send her to the Wu family." After hearing this, Shi Mu was slightly taken aback

The sound of the wind howling suddenly rolled in, and with astonishing speed, Shi Mu charged to the back of the monster, leaping nearly ten feet high. With a shake of his arms, he struck fiercely at the sides of the monster's head with both fists.

Shi Mu stood beside, holding a wooden box with one hand, truly dumbfounded and at a loss for what to do

The young man's fingers became hot, and the single knife unexpectedly slipped from his hand, shooting upwards with a "whoosh" and deeply embedding itself in the horizontal beam of the great hall. Shi Mu's entire body also "stumbled" and fell backward.

Only then did Shi Mu turn his gaze, and he saw that the young girl was already half-leaning on the man, desperately using both hands to block the enormous wound on his chest, but the blood continued to gush out incessantly, making it impossible to truly stop it.

He bent down and quickly wrapped up the monster's corpse in a matter of moments. After lifting it with both hands, he was about to walk out.

Roar

The monster let out a mournful cry as it was forcefully struck back by these several shadows of blades, not only adding four more knife marks to its two arms, but also revealing two long cuts on its face, with a large amount of green blood gushing out.

With a loud "bang"

With a loud bang

Puff

A quarter of an hour later, on the hillside behind the ancient temple, a young girl knelt before a grave, enduring the pain in her heart as she bowed three times with a loud thud, before reluctantly following Shi Mu, glancing back three times as she left.

Shi Mu took a deep breath, casting aside all the chaotic thoughts in his mind. Without a word, he lunged forward, his wrist flicking as the single blade instantly transformed into a vast shadow of coldness sweeping out.

A few "bang" sounds.

Shi Mu's back heavily crashed against a thick stone pillar, coming to a sudden stop with a loud thud. After he managed to turn over and jump back up, he felt a bit dizzy, his vision slightly blurred, and he swayed unsteadily.

"Miss Zhong, I believe that Uncle Zhong's final words were indeed somewhat inappropriate. You should keep this item safe," Shi Mu said, exhaling lightly upon hearing this. After awkwardly responding, he handed the wooden box back to the young lady.

Shi Mu forcefully stomped one foot on the ground, causing his entire body to be propelled backward several steps, thus avoiding being splattered with green blood.

The grotesque figure, with its lowly head and foul-smelling mouth wide open, was just about to bite into the man's neck when it heard the girl's scream. To its surprise, it let out a shriek of its own, its body trembling as it instantly withdrew its arms from the man's back, clutching its head with both hands and stumbling backward, displaying a look of great agony

Shi Mu stood firm with his fists clenched, taking a deep breath, yet his complexion still appeared slightly pale

At that moment, an incredible scene unfolded

A muffled sound

Young man, young man...

He actually used his own body to shield the young girl behind him

Upon witnessing this scene, Zhong Xiu did not dare to approach even a fraction closer, yet Shi Mu furrowed his brow and said

Ah

Shi Mu let out a low growl; not only did he not evade, but instead, with a flick of his wrist, his single saber suddenly transformed into six shadowy blades that struck directly forward

The humanoid monster instead had two arms and one mouth, and it fiercely embraced Shi Mu.