Chapter 46: The Flying Corpse in the Well (1/2)

"Master, is there a problem?" Ma Hong asked.

Earlier, I mentioned "yin-nourishing land"—usually at the foot of a cliff, but this well was man-made! Glancing at their cowering yellow dog, I asked, "Where are your chickens?"

Ma Hong sighed, "That's the strange part. All our chickens died overnight, necks broken, but the dog and sheep are fine."

"I see. Why is the village barricaded?"

"After my sister-in-law went mad, livestock started dying—two puncture wounds on their necks. Some blame her, so everyone stays indoors fearing she'll attack." She pointed to the sister-in-law's room, whispering, "Could she be responsible? She hides during the day, screams and smashes things at night. My brother can't subdue her—some say she offended a Yellow Immortal."

Earth immortals don't avoid light; yin-nourishing land breeds only one thing: zombies. The brick factory's yang fire had blocked yin qi, starving the well's zombie.

Zombies (jiangshi) are corpses that don't decay, usually from unfulfilled grudges. Humans have 三魂七魄 (three souls and seven spirits). When only the soul departs and the spirits remain trapped in a man-made yin-nourishing land, a zombie forms.

There are four zombie stages:

Zombie (jiangshi): 僵硬不腐 (stiff and non-decaying)Hairy Zombie (maojiang): 长毛发 (hairy)Flying Corpse (feijiang): 能短暂飞行 (can fly briefly)Drought Demon (hanba): 引发旱灾 (causes drought)

(We'll discuss these in detail later.) Why kill livestock instead of humans? Movies mislead—real zombies don't wear Qing official robes. They attack living things for yang energy, like a magnet, preferring kin with similar energy fields.

This sister-in-law wasn't a zombie, but a corpse puppet—a pet of the flying corpse in the well, sent to steal vital energy. She killed chickens because their strong yang energy irritated her; breaking their necks released the energy.

I said solemnly, "Miss, this may be hard to believe, but your sister-in-law is dead."

Ma Li burst from hiding with a shovel: "Bastard! She's alive—how dare you curse her! I'll kill you!"

Dodging behind Ma Hong, I shouted, "Check her room—does she have no mirror? Hold a mirror up to her—you'll see."

"Stop, brother!" Ma Hong blocked him. "He's right—she's been strange. Three days ago, she came home soaking wet, stopped eating, yet grew stronger than you. Isn't that odd?"