Liaozhai: Immortality Begins with Becoming Yan Chixia's Apprentice

Chapter 17 Strange Events in the White River

Spring goes and autumn comes, and several months have passed in the blink of an eye.

For the past few months, Zhou Ning has been almost completely isolated from the world.

He gets up at dawn every day, first practicing swordsmanship, then meditating to cultivate the "Innate Qi". In the afternoon, he practices talismans, and in the evening, he practices the art of controlling objects until late at night.

Day after day, rain or shine.

His progress even slightly moved Yan Chixia, who was usually stern and unsmiling.

That initial wisp of energy, barely perceptible at first, has now grown strong enough to circulate freely throughout the body, nourishing the meridians and internal organs.

His physical condition has also improved significantly. His originally weak physique has gradually become stronger, his steps are light, and his breathing is long and steady.

His protective aura had already covered his entire body, and although it was still very weak, ordinary little demons and monsters could no longer harm him.

In terms of swordsmanship, he has mastered the "Twelve Basic Sword Techniques" thoroughly, and every move is well-structured.

With the addition of his inner energy, the wooden sword in his hand could emit a faint sword aura. Although it could not harm people, it was no problem to split tree branches as thick as a bowl.

Regarding talismans, the success rate of "exorcising talismans" has increased from the initial 20-30% to 60-70%, and the spiritual light is much brighter than before.

He also learned several practical auxiliary talismans, such as "house-protecting talisman", "mind-calming talisman", and "insect-repelling talisman".

The art of manipulating objects was the area where he progressed the slowest.

Although the Qingfeng Sword could already lift three feet off the ground and stay in the air for more than ten breaths, its flight trajectory was crooked and distorted, making it impossible to use for attack.

Not to mention someone like Master, who could transform one sword into ten thousand, creating a sky full of sword shadows.

"The art of manipulating objects cannot be rushed," Yan Chixia said, offering rare words of comfort as he saw Yan Chixia's dejected expression.

"This is a skill that requires gradual accumulation over time. If you can lift your sword three feet off the ground within a few months, that's already quite good."

Zhou Ning knew that his master was trying to comfort him, but he was not satisfied.

He wanted to become stronger.

His trip to Black Wind Village made him clearly aware of his shortcomings.

If it weren't for his master's jade talisman protecting him, he would have died long ago from the mountain demon's illusion.

"Master, when will I be able to fly on a sword like you?" he couldn't help but ask.

Yan Chixia glanced at him and said calmly:

"Come ask me again when you can split that boulder in two with a single sword strike."

He pointed to a huge rock, about two people high, on the back hill.

Zhou Ning: "..."

He cleaved that boulder countless times with his wooden sword, leaving only a few shallow white marks on it.

The road ahead is still long.

On this day, Zhou Ning was practicing the art of manipulating objects on the back mountain when he suddenly heard a commotion coming from down the mountain.

He stopped what he was doing, walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down. He saw a middle-aged man dressed as a woodcutter, stumbling and climbing up the mountain path, shouting as he went:

"Immortal Master, Immortal Master, save me!"

Zhou Ning frowned, quickly walked down the mountain, and went to meet him.

When the woodcutter saw him come down, he knelt down with a thud and said breathlessly:

"Young man, are you a disciple of Master Yan? Please, save us."

Zhou Ning helped him up:

"Grandpa, don't worry. What happened?"

The woodcutter, panting, recounted the whole story in fits and starts.

It turns out that he was a villager from a village called "Baihe Village" near Qingshan Town at the foot of the mountain.

Baihe Village is located in a remote area, surrounded by mountains on three sides and water on one side, and is usually peaceful and undisturbed by the outside world.

But just a few days ago, strange things started happening in the village.

First, strange noises came from the mortuary at the east end of the village at night.

The old man on night watch went to check and found that the coffin containing the body had been opened and the body inside had disappeared.

Then there's Old Wang's family at the west end of the village. His elderly mother, who had recently died, crawled out of her grave in the middle of the night and wandered around the village.

Old Wang led several strong men to stop it, but the corpse was incredibly strong. It slapped Old Wang away with one hand and then disappeared into the night.

Later, the village dogs started barking wildly, the chickens and ducks became restless, and the livestock became agitated.

Some people say they saw hordes of zombies in the woods outside the village, walking in a line towards the mountains.

"The villagers are terrified; several families have already moved away overnight." The woodcutter wiped away his tears.

"I heard that Master Yan is incredibly powerful, so I came here specifically to beg him to save my life."

Zhou Ning frowned after hearing this.

Zombies?

And in large groups?

This is no small matter.

He told the woodcutter to wait outside the temple, then quickly walked into the main hall and reported the matter to Yan Chixia.

After listening, Yan Chixia remained silent for a moment, then said calmly:

"I already knew about what happened in Baihe Village."

Zhou Ning was taken aback:

"Does Master know?"

Yan Chixia nodded:

"The village is backed by an ancient battlefield, and countless corpses are buried underground. During seasons when the yin energy is heavy, corpses will turn into zombies. But it is indeed unusual for them to appear in such large groups like this."

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked into the distance with his hands behind his back.

"Go and take a look."

Zhou Ning felt a chill run down his spine:

"Is this disciple alone?"

Yan Chixia turned around and glanced at him:

"What? Scared?"

Zhou Ning shook his head:

"This disciple is not afraid. However... if I encounter a powerful zombie, I'm afraid I won't be a match for it."

"What are you afraid of?" Yan Chixia asked.

"You've cultivated for so long, it's time to go out and gain some experience. The zombies in Baihe Village are just the lowest-level walking corpses, not even ghosts. With your current strength, you can handle them."

He took out a jade talisman from his sleeve and handed it to Zhou Ning:

"This talisman, like the previous one, contains a wisp of my sword energy. Do not use it unless absolutely necessary."

Zhou Ning accepted the jade talisman and solemnly said:

"Disciple understands."

Yan Chixia then said:

"Remember, this time you're acting alone. I won't be following you. If you encounter any problems you can't handle, come back. There's no shame in that."

Zhou Ning nodded and carefully put the jade talisman away from his body.

"Go ahead. Come back soon."

Zhou Ning bowed respectfully and withdrew from the main hall.

He returned to his lodgings, packed his bags, took his Qingfeng sword and talismans, and followed the woodcutter on his way to Baihe Village.

Baihe Village is about 30 li away from Qingshan Town. It is located in a mountain valley, surrounded by mountains on three sides, and only has one dirt road leading to the outside world.

Zhou Ning followed the woodcutter for nearly two hours before finally arriving at the village at dusk.

The village is small, with about forty or fifty households, built against the mountainside in a staggered and orderly fashion.

There is a small river in front of the village, and the water is clear, hence the name Baihe Village (White River Village).

But at this moment, a gloomy atmosphere pervaded the village.

Every household had its doors and windows tightly shut, and the courtyards were deserted.

Under a large tree at the village entrance, several elderly people sat together, their faces solemn, talking in hushed tones.

When they saw the woodcutter return with a stranger, the old men stood up, their eyes filled with wariness.

"Old Zhang, who is this...?" asked an elderly man with white hair and beard.

The woodcutter quickly said, "Village head, this is Brother Zhou, a highly accomplished disciple of Master Yan. I specially invited him to help us get rid of the zombies."

The village head sized Zhou Ning up and down, and seeing that he was a young man in his early twenties, a hint of suspicion flashed in his eyes.

"Young man, are you... really capable of this?"

Zhou Ning didn't explain further, but simply cupped his hands slightly in greeting:

"Sir, could you take me to the mortuary?"

The village head hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said:

"Alright. But it's getting late, and the mortuary is filled with yin energy. Are you sure you want to go now, young man?"

Zhou Ning looked at the sky; the sun was setting in the west, and the horizon was tinged with orange-red sunset clouds.

"Let's go now," he said.

"While it's not completely dark yet, so we can see clearly."

The village head sighed and, with a few strong young villagers, led Zhou Ning toward the mortuary at the east end of the village.