The King of Feng Shui

As soon as Zhang Yunliang's hands tightened around my throat, I realized something was terribly wrong. I had assumed he was possessed, so I struck him with the Tianpeng Ruler—but to my shock, it had no effect. That sacred tool was meant to drive out evil spirits, and if it didn't work, that could only mean one thing—there was no spirit possessing him.

He wasn't under a ghost's control—he was under some kind of dark spell.

His grip grew tighter, cutting off my air. He let out deep, animalistic growls, saliva dribbling from his lips, nearly landing on my face. I twisted away in disgust, doing my best to avoid it. That's when I noticed something—within the bloodshot whites of his eyes, a faint white thread shimmered around the pupils.

A curse!

It all made sense. He wasn't possessed by a spirit, but rather being manipulated by someone using sinister magic. Somewhere nearby, a person was controlling him like a puppet.

Even though I had practiced martial arts since I was a child and had considerable strength, it was no match for someone driven by dark magic. When a person is pushed to their physical limit—especially under spellwork—they can exhibit strength many times beyond normal, much like a drowning person pulling their rescuer under with sheer panic.

I was losing consciousness. But just then, Zhang Yunyao, who'd been paralyzed in fear, snapped out of her daze. She grabbed a stone from the ground and hesitated behind her brother, clearly torn—he was her blood, after all. But hesitation would cost lives.

With my last breath, I forced out a single word: "Hit!"

That one word gave her courage. She closed her eyes and brought the stone down on her brother's head. It wasn't a heavy blow—more like the rock had just fallen on him—but it was enough. Zhang Yunliang's body shuddered, and his grip slackened just enough for me to breathe.

Gasping for air, I freed my hands and quickly formed the Outer Lion Seal with my fingers. I recited the Vajra Satha Protective Mantra and slammed my palms against his chest.

Boom!

Zhang Yunliang was sent flying, crashing four or five meters away. I rolled to my feet and rushed to him before he could recover. I stomped on his chest, formed the Outer Binding Seal, and roared the final command of the Mantra: "Jie!"

This seal was meant to break mind control, to free those whose hearts and minds had been seized.

I pressed it to the center of his forehead. Zhang Yunliang convulsed, his eyes rolling back as he spasmed on the ground—then, silence.

Just as I dealt with him, Zhang Yunyao screamed.

"Young Master Wu! The corpse—it's moving!"

I spun to look. Sure enough, the ancestor's corpse propped against the tree had opened its mouth and spewed black mist into the air. Its body trembled violently.

My heart skipped a beat. Fangs were now protruding from its mouth, and its fingers had sprouted long, black nails—seven or eight centimeters in length, sharp and deadly.

It was turning into a jiangshi—a hopping vampire.

The thing I feared most was happening right before my eyes. Corpses buried in "Yin lands" that remain uncorrupted for centuries are particularly prone to transformation.

There were likely two causes here: one, someone had tampered with the Zhang family's ancestral tomb; two, Zhang Yunliang, under a spell, had used the ritual candle to burn corpse oil and smeared it on his face, transferring his living energy to the corpse, triggering the transformation.

This was what the eight-tailed fox inside me had been trying to warn me about. The Zhang ancestral graveyard was far more dangerous than I had imagined.

No matter how dangerous, I had no choice but to fight. If this thing got loose, it could cause a massacre.

"Zhang Yunyao! Run! Wait for me in the car!" I shouted.

I grabbed the Tianpeng Ruler from the ground and charged the now-animated corpse.

Before I reached it, the jiangshi let out a deep, guttural roar and leapt at me.

Its jump covered four or five meters in a flash. It landed right in front of me, clawing with its razor-sharp nails.

I swung the Tianpeng Ruler hard—it struck the creature's shoulder with a loud thud, sending it staggering back a few steps.

But it wasn't done.

It lunged again, this time sweeping both arms toward me with terrifying speed and force.

I struck again with the Tianpeng Ruler, hitting its chest—but at the same time, its powerful arms hit my shoulders. I was flung several meters back, crashing to the ground. The impact numbed my arms, and I nearly dropped the Ruler.

The thing's limbs were hard as iron.

Gritting my teeth, I rolled and leapt back to my feet.

To hell with it.

If it's a fight it wants—then it's a fight it'll get.