MMLZ CH7
One must never place their hopes on the word “hope” — it can kill you.
“Master, we came all the way here just to exorcise a zombie. What’s in it for us?”
This kind of mission clearly doesn’t offer any rewards. The three of them might just be wasting their efforts.
“What do you know?”
Uncle Jiu shot a glare at the talkative Qiu Sheng, really tempted to slap this rascal.
“But it’s true…”
“Master.”
Xu Yan blinked his eyes curiously. He was also wondering about this. Seeing this, Qiu Sheng gave Uncle Jiu a cheeky smile as if to say:
See? I’m not the only one thinking this way — even junior brother wants to know.
“…”
With both disciples united in questioning him, what could Uncle Jiu say? He sighed and began explaining:
“I wasn’t planning on telling you this so early, but since you’ve asked, I might as well.”
“You should know that as Maoshan Taoists, it’s okay to accept payment for our services, but we must never use Taoist techniques to intentionally seek profit.”
“We know. You said it would damage our yin virtue.”
Qiu Sheng responded with a face full of disbelief. Xu Yan was surprised inside.
Yin virtue — does that have anything to do with merit?
Taoists also need to make a living, so charging fees is normal, but not having any reward at all?
Still, most Taoists seem willing to help without pay. Is this really something mystical, related to yin virtue?
Accumulating yin virtue supposedly affects your descendants and your own next reincarnation. But not many people believe in this — not even all Taoists. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many low-tier or shady practitioners.
“Master, this yin virtue thing… why does it sound like the mythical concept of merit? But some Taoists, even if they don’t do bad things, are still labeled as part of the ‘miscellaneous practitioners’ — why?”
“Merit?!”
Uncle Jiu paused, surprised that Xu Yan linked yin virtue with merit. After a moment’s thought, he vaguely replied, “That’s one way to look at it. But calculating it is too complex. Just know that I’m an officially sanctioned agent of the underworld. Don’t ask too much — it won’t help you.”
“As for those so-called ‘practitioners’ — they’re part of the lower ranks!! Either they raise ghosts to harm others or they lack proper skills and end up harming others and even themselves. They’ll be punished by the heavens!!”
After finishing, Uncle Jiu sighed.
So basically, those crappy Taoists and those who dabble in dark arts all get lumped together as “shady practitioners.” Xu Yan had only recently entered the sect, so there was still a lot he had to learn slowly over time.
“Stop asking. I knew you’d ask.”
Before Xu Yan could say anything else, Uncle Jiu continued, “The three of you are all shady practitioners right now!! Not skilled enough, but know a few flashy tricks.”
Cough cough!
Xu Yan almost choked on his own saliva. Qiu Sheng’s face turned dark.
“Master, we’re part of the orthodox school! How can we be shady practitioners?”
Xu Yan thought for a moment and asked, “Master, how are Taoist ranks classified?”
“Unranked practitioners, Earth Master, Human Master, and Heavenly Master. It’s not just about your skills — you also need recognition from the underworld. I’ll tell you more later. Let’s keep moving.”
Unskilled ones are labeled as shady practitioners, most of whom are just putting on a show and often end up being harmed by ghosts. Once you reach the level of Earth Master, it means you’ve learned a lot of Taoist techniques and can subdue many supernatural beings.
Above that is the Human Master level — Uncle Jiu is currently at that stage. Among all his peers, only his eldest senior brother, Shi Jian, and himself have reached this level.
As for the Heavenly Master level, that’s extremely rare and nearly impossible to reach.
So promotion depends not just on skill, but also on being officially recognized by the underworld?
Xu Yan glanced at Uncle Jiu’s back, deep in thought. Unranked practitioner, huh…
Just thinking about his own level made Xu Yan sigh.
Gotta work harder!!
Time to shake off this “unranked” label.
Night fell. The three finally reached their destination. The journey had left them exhausted, but to prevent further harm from the zombies — and to save the village — Uncle Jiu pushed forward without rest.
“There’s something up ahead!!”
Uncle Jiu, leading the way, suddenly stopped and raised his hand to signal Xu Yan and Qiu Sheng to be cautious. “Give me the torch!!”
Qiu Sheng handed it over, and Uncle Jiu pushed aside some low shrubbery by the roadside. Xu Yan and Qiu Sheng gasped.
Two corpses lay there — their bodies had turned from white to black. Their mouths and fingertips were particularly dark — a clear sign that they were about to turn into zombies.
There were two bite marks on their necks, with all their blood drained.
Judging by their clothes and the scattered coins and cosmetic items nearby, they were clearly traveling merchants who had the misfortune of encountering zombies along the way.
“Sigh… Burn them.”
Uncle Jiu passed the torch to Xu Yan. Xu Yan stepped forward. “My apologies, you two.”
He drew his peach wood sword and stabbed both corpses in the heart. Then, he tossed out an Ignition Talisman.
Boom!
Flames burst forth, and the two bodies ignited instantly — almost like they’d been doused in gasoline.
Under better circumstances, they would’ve gathered firewood for a proper cremation. But pressed for time, this was the best they could do.
Impressive!!
Even making a simple ignition talisman had taken Xu Yan tons of time and materials. Now he could easily use one to ignite corpses — no chant, no fuss.
“What are you staring at?! Weren’t you short on pocket money?”
Seeing Qiu Sheng staring enviously, Xu Yan rolled his eyes. “There’s plenty of money on the ground — why don’t you pick it up?”
“You can take money from the dead?”
Qiu Sheng’s eyes widened. Uncle Jiu’s face darkened — he couldn’t believe he had such a clueless disciple. Clearly, everything he’d taught him had gone in one ear and out the other.
Xu Yan rolled his eyes again. “We’re not grave robbing. Why not take it? Pick it up — 90% goes to public use, burn some paper money for them with the rest. Whatever’s left is yours.”
“Now that’s more like it.”
Qiu Sheng gave Uncle Jiu a quick glance and, seeing he didn’t object, happily started gathering the money. Even after burning offerings, there’d still be a good chunk left for his own use.
“Let’s go.”
With the corpses burned, Uncle Jiu led the group away quickly. They had to find the zombie and end the problem at its source.
“Let’s hope the zombie hasn’t entered the town yet.”
Uncle Jiu looked visibly worried.
If a zombie got into a town, the results would be devastating. Zombies weren’t like animals that left after eating — they bit everything they saw. It could easily spiral into a full outbreak.
“Split up!!”
Soon, the three reached a fork in the road. Uncle Jiu checked and found thick yin energy on both paths — a sign that the zombie had passed through.