Tang Nian nodded and did not pressure Lin Zhenming.
“I can suppress the corpse energy on them for now, but you must give me an answer before 9 PM today, and you must also give His Majesty an answer.”
It's rare for Tang Nian to bring up Chu Yanjun.
That's why Lin Zhenming's expression was somewhat unpleasant, and he didn't answer immediately.
Tang Nian wasn't in a hurry; she just quietly watched Lou Mu fight against the corpses.
"yes."
After hearing Lin Zhenming finally utter a single word, Tang Nian glanced deeply at the controlled corpse, then glanced at Old Yang, who had been standing quietly to the side.
Then, she took out a dagger from her sleeve and cut her palm.
Fresh blood gushed out.
Lou Mu was about to step forward when Tang Nian stopped him. She gestured to Lou Mu with her eyes and then handed him the dagger.
Lou Mu frowned slightly and glanced at Tang Nian's hand.
He understood immediately and moved to the side so that Old Yang could see the scene clearly.
Tang Nian let the blood drip down, and in her other hand, a copper bell appeared out of thin air. The appearance of the copper bell was very similar to those held by the witch people.
Others couldn't see it, but Lou Mu could see it clearly.
This isn't a copper bell; it's clearly a ghost spirit pearl.
Tang Nian did all this just to impress the person behind her.
As expected, Old Yang's calm expression changed the moment the copper bell appeared.
Tang Nian pretended to ring the bell, and the sound of the copper bell echoed in the crowded tent.
As the copper bell rang, the zombies gradually lost their balance and collapsed to the ground.
Tang Nian put the bell away, calmly picked up the gauze on the table, and casually bandaged the wound.
"I can only control them until 11 PM. If you need to suture them again, please do so as soon as possible."
Tang Nian glanced at Old Yang, then looked at Lin Zhenming.
The three men arrived outside the tent: "General Lin, now can you explain in detail why this happened?"
"This humble general does not know."
Lin Zhenming subconsciously looked towards Elder Yang's tent.
Lou Mu took a step to the side: "General Lin, there are some things that no one will know just because you don't say them."
Lin Zhenming glanced at Tang Nian, who had her arms crossed, and then at Lou Mu, who had a serious expression. After a long while, he gave up.
"My lords, please come with me."
Upon arriving at Lin Zhenming's tent and sitting in the main seat, he saw Lin Zhenming kneeling on the ground.
"What does General Lin mean by this?"
"Do you two gentlemen know why there is a custom of sewing up corpses in Yingzhou?"
The two looked at each other and saw the confusion in each other's eyes.
They only knew about this custom, but as for why it existed, it seemed that it had never been mentioned.
In the end, it all boils down to one sentence: an incomplete corpse cannot allow its soul to enter the underworld for reincarnation.
Tang Nian thought that was the real reason, but now it seems there are other hidden reasons.
"I don't know if it's a curse, but people in Yingzhou City who have wounds or missing limbs before they die must find a mortician to stitch up their bodies as soon as possible, otherwise they will turn into zombies."
"At that time, morticians were a very popular profession, and every household in Yingzhou City needed them."
"What if the remains of those corpses can't be found?"
Tang Nian frowned and interrupted Lin Zhenming.
"The carpenters in the city came in handy; they could make wooden limbs to complete the body."
This was the first time the two of them had heard anything about the carpenter.
Tang Nian sat up straight and continued to ask.
"What about the carpenters? We've been here for so long, and we don't seem to have seen any carpenters in the city."
Lin Zhenming sighed: "In the fifth year since I took office in Yingzhou City, one night, all the carpenters disappeared into thin air."
"At the same time, the people discovered that even if the mortician repaired the body immediately, it would still come back to life."
"However, some people cannot bear to let their loved ones leave in a mutilated state, so they will still find a mortician to stitch up the body, and then burn the body after it is finished."
"Gradually, those rumors started to circulate."
Tang Nian had never heard of such a hidden secret about the custom of sewing corpses in Yingzhou City.
"Has no Taoist priest come to investigate why the corpse has risen from the dead?"
"Several celestial masters once passed through Yingzhou, but they couldn't solve the problem and even lost their lives."
"Everyone has gotten used to it and no one is thinking of bringing in a Taoist priest to die in vain."
Their simultaneous cover-up explains why they didn't receive the news.
"Why not just burn these stitched-up corpses?"
Many corpses had already been stitched up in Old Yang's tent; normally, they should have been burned directly.
Why let them turn into zombies?
“The brothers in the camp all wanted to say a proper goodbye to them, which is why they kept them.”
Without thinking, Lin Zhenming blurted out his explanation.
"How did you handle this situation before?"
Lou Mu's sharp eyes seemed to see right through Lin Zhenming's heart.
Large beads of sweat appeared on Lin Zhenming's forehead, but he dared not wipe them away, letting them drip to the ground.
"This... before, they would have collapsed on their own after holding out for a while, but I don't know why today..."
"Alright."
Tang Nian stood up and interrupted Lin Zhenming: "You should think carefully about what I said earlier."
The two did not linger and left the military camp.
Ming Huan was still resting in the room, and there were no other guests in the inn, so the two asked the innkeeper for a superior room.
Back in the room, Lou Mu grabbed Tang Nian's hand without saying a word.
"What's wrong?"
Lou Mu removed the bandages and re-bandaged Tang Nian, even thoughtfully tying a bow on her head.
Tang Nian looked down at the bandage in her hand, her lips pursed and her face slightly flushed.
She didn't want to let these emotions control her, so she quickly changed the subject.
"Have you noticed that something's off about those corpses?"
What do you mean?
"They are not ordinary zombies."
Tang Nian glanced at Lou Mu, saw the smile on Lou Mu's face, and said in an annoyed tone.
Even at a time like this, you're still in the mood to joke around.
"I can see that; those silver threads are quite noticeable."
Lou Mu didn't tease Tang Nian anymore.
"You fought them, do you think they were puppets, or real zombies?"
Lou Mu pondered for a moment, somewhat uncertain.
"These corpses have been dead for a long time and are stiff, making them difficult to identify. However, nine times out of ten they have become puppets."
"I used the method of exterminating zombies to seize control of those puppets. Old Yang is probably still wondering about it."
"Are you sure it's Elder Yang controlling the puppet?" Lou Mu retorted. "Don't forget, the silver threads connecting the puppet can only be controlled by the Crane Clan."
Tang Nian pursed her lips, thought for a moment, and asked, "Can the crane's magical artifacts be lent out?"
"The Crane Clan mainly relies on magical artifacts for cultivation. Unless someone is an idiot, they probably wouldn't lend them out."
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