I immediately took everyone back to the first floor. When we passed by the duty office, Captain Liang commented, “Weird.”

“Why is that?” I asked.

Captain Liang replied, “The police station always has people on night duty. Why is no one here tonight?”

“Our enemy this time is too cunning. Since he dares to come here, he can easily take care of those officers on duty. We should be on high alert.”

We rushed to the morgue without sparing a second. Officer Liang led the way; Li Mazi was in the middle, while Yin Xinyue and I were right behind them. I kept the Corpse Subduing Talisman at hand in case something unexpected happened.

While walking, I felt as if someone was behind me. I quickly looked down to check the ground; sure enough, there was an extra shadow.

I immediately turned around... and sighed with relief when I saw it was Fengshen Nana. “Nana, when did you find us? Why the silence?”

“Brother Zhang, she… she doesn’t look right!” Yin Xinyue sounded fearful.

I soon noticed Fengsheng Nana’s strange appearance thanks to Yin Xinyue’s reminder. Her face was covered in tears, her eyes lacked focus, and both of her hands were firmly holding her pistol.

Slowly, she raised the weapon and aimed at us. It seemed her mind was clear, but she had no control over her body.

“Nana, put the gun down!” Captain Liang shouted and took out his pistol.

“Don’t shoot! She’s being controlled…” I hurried to pull Officer Liang back to prevent him from acting rashly.

Fengshen Nana tried to shake her head. It seemed she was trying her best to resist the force that was controlling her, but she was helpless.

Then, an ear-splitting gunshot resounded, and I instinctively closed my eyes. When I opened them, I found Fengshen Nana gasping for breath as she slumped to the ground. Blood was streaming from a hole in her shirt.

The sudden gunshot had stunned all of us.

I looked askance at Captain Liang, completely baffled. Smoke was still coming out of his gun.

“This woman was pointing her gun at us. I had to do that to prevent any unexpected things from happening,” Officer Liang said. I spotted the trace of a sneer on his face. It became clear that he was just posing as a righteous and nice man. This was his real face.

He was still young and had already climbed up the ranks to his current position. I guessed that he’d taken down many rivals along the way. This sort of man could sacrifice anybody for his own benefit.

I hated being unable to punch him right then. All things considered, he was still a police officer, so I could only suppress my anger.

I went to check Fengshen Nana’s wound. The bullet had pierced through her belly, and blood had soaked her clothes. She curled up on the ground while her body convulsed. Her mouth whispered, “Cold… It’s cold...”

“What are you waiting for? Call the ambulance!” I shouted at Li Mazi while taking off my jacket to cover her up.

Li Mazi returned to his senses. He hurried to take out his phone and call for help.

I scooped Fengshen Nana up and took her to the morgue. The corpses inside the morgue were all gone, and only the corpse that I had interrogated remained. He was still writing on the sand; Officer Liang had almost shot him when he noticed him.

Although the atmosphere was gloomy, it was still the safest place at the moment. We covered Fengshen Nana with the quilts. Although her life was not in danger, she was really weak, which would make it easy for the murderer to control her once again! I crumpled two Soul Subduing Talismans and used them to stuff her ears.

There was only one talisman left. I bit my lip and discreetly handed it to Yin Xinyue so that she could protect herself.

“Mr. Zhang, there’s someone outside! You should figure out a way to deal with those walking corpses!” Captain Liang said as he guarded the door. Not once did he ask about Fengshen Nana’s wound since we entered the morgue; I pretty much hated the man at this point.

“Li Mazi, come give me a hand,” I said. Then, I untied the corpse and cut open an eel to pour its blood into the corpse’s throat.

After a few seconds, the corpse stopped writing and started to shake hard. I asked Li Mazi to hold the corpse down, then I told Yin Xinyue to get me a pair of scissors. I pricked eight small holes on the corpse’s neck.

Shamanism believed that the human soul was like a tree that took root in one’s chest and used blood as nourishment. The tree would grow and emerge through your head. That was why men considered their queues their life during the Qing dynasty. Cutting their queues off was no different from having their souls severed.

Right now, I was trying to release the soul inside the corpse. Since it wasn’t being controlled by the drumbeat, it seemed that a departed soul from the Qing dynasty had taken possession of it.

This was a really dangerous method as the soul could attack us if it was evil. If that happened, we wouldn’t have to worry about our next meal anymore. Still, I had to give it a try since it was our only ray of hope.

The corpse suddenly opened his eyes. They weren’t white and opaque anymore; it was a pair of bright and high-spirited eyes. He gazed at me and asked, “Who are you? Why am I here? Where’s that dog emperor? I want to kill him!”

I suddenly had a flash of inspiration when I heard this. “Are you Ao Bai, the Number One Warrior of the Qing Dynasty?”

“You dare call my name? Are you tired of living?” the corpse said with a snarl, baring his teeth.

It seemed I wasn’t wrong. He had been one of the greatest contributors to the Qing dynasty. However, he had become too arrogant after achieving several merits... that was why Emperor Kangxi had plotted to kill him! He was the great chancellor Ao Bai!

The reason why I could pinpoint this easily was because of the intimidating vibe of the soul attached to this corpse. Such an aura was just a bit less intimidating when compared to Xiang Yu, the Hegemon King of Western Chu. Moreover, people living in the Qing dynasty had been indoctrinated with the idea of being completely loyal to the monarch. Since he was really formidable and dared to curse at the Qing emperor, it could only be Ao Bai.

I coaxed him while he was trying to get up, telling him that the dog emperor had sent a team of his elite imperial guards to ambush him outside; he would have to defeat them if he wanted to leave.

Ao Bai laughed crazily once he heard that. “Haha, they are just some guards from his imperial palace. I can easily tear them apart. I’m the Number One Warrior of the Qing Dynasty!”

But then, Ao Bai suddenly sobbed, catching all of us off guard. He’s crying and laughing at the same time. Is he all right?

I gently called him, “Mr. Ao?”

Ao Bai sighed. “Kid, you don’t need to deceive me. I know I died. Just tell me honestly, does this nation still belong to the Aisin Gioro family? [1]”

“No, not anymore. Five hundred years have already passed,” I told him after some thought.

“The world has changed so much in the blink of an eye!” Ao Bai looked at the sky, sighing. “Could you please tell me how people in recent generations think about me?”

“Oh, the recent generations talk about you as…”

Li Mazi feared that I would tell him the truth. He jumped in and said with a flattering tone, “Our generations praise you for being the greatest and most loyal official! You were even more loyal than Yue Fei! Still, it was unfortunate that corrupted people brought harm to you. Several years ago, a book about your life called the Duke of Mount Deer was published. It presented you as unparalleled, strong, and loyal. You were a righteous official of the imperial court. It’s a touching and moving book, indeed.”

Li Mazi shot me a glance. I was completely convinced and overwhelmed by this flattering skill of his, able to persuade both the dead and the living.

Ao Bai said with emotion, “Turns out this old man is now in a book. History preserved my name. Good, very good. It seems that people claimed the justice I was owed later on. My one regret is having served under that despicable Kangxi. He betrayed my loyal heart.”

Then, all of us heard someone banging on the door. Officer Liang’s face turned pale. “Damn, those walking corpses are here!”

“You bold evil scum!” Ao Bai suddenly shouted and jumped up from the bed he was sitting on. He kicked the door open; the morgue’s door couldn’t bear his kick and collapsed on top of one of the corpses. Ao Bai stormed forward like a tiger. We then heard the sound of bones breaking. A corpse had been torn in two!

His strength was formidable.

There were records of Ao Bai’s exploits when he commanded the army. Some alleged that on one occasion, he killed the enemy’s soldiers with his bare hands when his saber gave out.

He had killed more than fifty and torn more than a hundred. All of his soldiers and peers were stunned. That’s why Emperor Hong Taiji had ordained him as the Number One Warrior of the Qing Dynasty.

As the other two walking corpses saw this, they bared their teeth and stormed toward Ao Bai with arms extended. Ao Bai was like a small mountain, standing firm as he fought against them!

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aisin_Gioro