"Hello, Mr. Luke Chen."
"Excuse me..."
"The talisman you're carrying is fake."
The farmer spoke up. I stared at him in surprise, then glanced at my chest—the talisman I’d received from Master Wang today. He hadn’t wanted to give it to me, and now it was obviously a fake.
"Are you a Taoist priest?"
I hurried after him and asked.
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I asked around about the farmer. He lived on the east side of town, not far from here. His name was Luke Chen, and he looked after the orchards.
I decided to go straight to him. It wasn’t late yet, and I was on the south side of town. By the time I returned to the center, panic had already spread—every household had Master Wang’s yellow talisman pasted on their doors. When I passed Master Wang’s house in the east, the place was packed; townsfolk were shouting, begging him for talismans.
The herbal concoction smelled foul; I had no idea what it was made of. Gradually, under the moonlight, I saw a shadow bobbing closer. It was a zombie—an Ironhide Revenant. I recognized it immediately: red eyes, fur on its cheeks and body. Only a skilled Taoist could handle a zombie of this level. It was the same rank as Little Black.
"How do you know about the Evil-Blessing position?"
I quickly explained.
As soon as I got home, my fierce wife rushed over, her face stricken with terror. I glanced around and saw several yellow talismans pasted on the walls.
The farmer looked puzzled for a moment, then glared at me.
"Stop following me."
I returned to the scene. The officials had already dragged the corpse aside, preparing to burn it.
Little Qi had warned me—I’d be bitten by a zombie. I needed to find a Taoist who could deal with zombies.
I spent the whole night crouched atop the wall, keeping watch over the town. The night passed in uneasy silence—nothing happened.
I decided to go straight to him. It wasn’t late yet, and I was on the south side of town. When I returned to the center, panic had already spread—every household had Master Wang’s yellow talisman pasted on their doors. As I passed Master Wang’s house in the east, the place was packed; townsfolk were shouting, begging him for talismans.
I took the small path out of town on the left and walked straight ahead. Soon, I saw a large orchard with a small house beneath the trees. The farmer was outside, brewing medicine. I approached slowly.
"Hello, Mr. Chen."
I greeted him, but Luke Chen just sneered and glared at me. He said nothing, grabbing his carrying pole as if to chase me away.
"Do you know how to deal with zombies, Taoist?"
I quickly asked, backing away several steps. Seeing Luke Chen advancing menacingly, I prepared to run.
"I told you, I’m not a Taoist. I don’t know how to deal with zombies."
"You’ve seen what’s happening, Taoist. If we don’t stop it, more people will die."
Luke Chen stood in front of me, his tense face relaxing. He sighed.
"I only learned a little Taoist magic, just the basics."
Luke Chen began to speak. Five or six years ago, he’d apprenticed under a Taoist priest. Life had always been hard. The priest said he was slow-witted, but had a destined connection, so he taught him some skills. But those skills couldn’t earn him a living. Luke soon grew weary; when his parents died, he was still studying. After receiving the news of their deaths, he returned home, already thirty but penniless and unskilled. He tried to perform simple rituals for people, but no one believed him. Everyone went to Master Wang in town. After a while, rumors spread that Luke was a fake Taoist, and soon, nobody came to him at all.
Now, nearing forty, Luke Chen could only eke out a living as an orchard caretaker.
The sunset cast its afterglow on the flagstones as I walked quietly down the deserted street. Luke Chen spoke at length—part complaint, part accusation. He’d begun studying Taoism at fourteen, wasted fifteen years, and ended up with nothing to show for it.
Every door and window in town was plastered with fake talismans. Anxiety gnawed at me—days had passed in this dream, but nothing had changed. I still had no idea what would happen next. I had to find a Taoist who could subdue zombies.
As soon as I got home, my fierce wife rushed over in terror. I noticed several yellow talismans pasted around the house.
"They’re fake. Putting them up won’t help."
After I explained for a while, my wife’s face darkened.
"That damned Master Wang! Each talisman cost me a hundred coins!"
My jaw dropped. A hundred coins would have been enough for my wife and me to enjoy a good meal at a restaurant.
I spent the whole night crouched on the wall, watching the town. Nothing happened; the night passed in uneasy peace.
The next morning, as soon as I stepped outside, I saw everyone heading in the same direction. I joined the crowd.
Master Wang and all his family were dead—eighteen people in total, killed by zombies overnight. Everyone looked pale. The mayor couldn’t sit still and sent people out to find a Taoist.
At that moment, someone in the crowd burst out laughing. The mayor glared at him angrily and cursed.
"It’s just a zombie. What’s the big deal?"
A loud, confident voice rang out, clear above the crowd. The people parted, and a man in white, carrying a wine gourd and a peachwood sword, looking around forty, walked over.
"Tonight, the zombie will come out again. Let me take care of it, how about that?"
The newcomer claimed to be a Mount Mason Taoist, but his attire didn’t match. He spoke convincingly, and I could tell he was genuine. He produced a yellow talisman, completely different from Master Wang’s—it was the real thing.
He introduced himself as Evergreen Sage, a wandering Taoist who had come because he’d seen ominous clouds gathering over the town.
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Soon, after negotiating with the mayor, the officials set up a net in a household as instructed. Evergreen Sage drew symbols on it with an ink brush.
At night, the officials and several strong young men lay in ambush around the courtyard. They’d rubbed Evergreen Sage’s herbal concoction on themselves. I crouched on the roof, watching quietly.
The herbal concoction smelled foul; I had no idea what it was made of. By moonlight, I saw a shadow moving up and down, coming closer. It was a zombie—an Ironhide Revenant. I recognized it at once: red eyes, fur on its face and body. Only a skilled Taoist could handle a zombie of this level. It was the same rank as Little Black.
With a crash, the Ironhide Revenant smashed through the gate and floated into the courtyard. The net dropped instantly. Evergreen Sage kicked open the door and leapt out, brandishing his peachwood sword and forming hand seals.
There was a thunderous roar and a burst of flames struck the Ironhide Revenant, but it was unharmed. It lunged at Evergreen Sage, swinging powerfully, but he dodged nimbly.
"Now!"
Suddenly, Evergreen Sage stabbed his peachwood sword at the revenant’s chest, bit his finger, and pressed it to its forehead. The Ironhide Revenant froze. Evergreen Sage chanted incantations as the strong men, lying in ambush, scaled the walls and bound the revenant tightly with ropes soaked in Black Dog's Blood.
I was puzzled. With a snap, Evergreen Sage slapped a yellow talisman onto the revenant’s forehead.
Applause rang out all around. The Ironhide Revenant didn’t move. I swallowed, full of doubt.
It shouldn’t be possible to subdue an Ironhide Revenant with such simple methods. When we fought Little Black, we had to attack from within to injure him. Basic spells and a few restraints shouldn’t work. Just then, amid the praise, a strange voice cut in—it was Luke Chen.
"Excuse me, Taoist. This is an Ironhide Revenant, and the immobilization spell, fire technique, and net you used might work on Green, Purple, or White Revenants, but they’re far from enough for an Ironhide. How did you subdue it?"
Faced with Luke Chen’s question, Evergreen Sage smiled and shook his head. After a brief explanation, he said:
"My friend, you’ve probably read too many strange novels."
Then Luke Chen was quickly dragged away by the officials.
The Ironhide Revenant was subdued. Evergreen Sage had it carried to the county office, saying fire wouldn’t work—it needed to be exposed to sunlight for forty-nine days before it could be burned.
The mayor immediately ordered a banquet to honor Evergreen Sage, but he warned that the revenant’s curse could cause an outbreak. He needed to resolve it, so he asked the mayor to tell all townsfolk to come to the county office for inspection, so he could check for infection.
Standing in the crowd, I remained suspicious of Evergreen Sage, unsure of his intentions. I noticed a subtle, excited smile in his eyes.
Evergreen Sage said he had other matters to attend to and declined the mayor’s invitation. The mayor, clearly afraid, asked Evergreen Sage to check him for infection.
I stood in the crowd, uneasy, planning to consult with Luke Chen.
But the officials grabbed me, insisting I join them for a celebratory drink. I refused, saying my fierce wife was waiting at home. After everyone dispersed, I hurried toward the east side of town to find Luke Chen.