Although my situation is terrible, Lao Dao's situation is much worse than mine!
He was first infected by something inexplicable in the Dragon Palace, turning into a living corpse whose body began to rot, covered with large and small livid spots.
Later, we tried to use the yin energy in the cemetery to suppress him, but the skinner discovered us and we were almost turned into human skin puppets.
I could see large and small livid spots on his body, and thick yellow pus was still oozing out. Some of the flesh had rotted and turned inside out, and there were even live maggots wriggling inside!
Anyone looking at him would not think that Lao Dao is a living person.
Later, Lao Dao himself probably didn't think so either.
Upon hearing this, Daoist Zhang Qingxiao leaned over, ignoring the foul-smelling pus, rotten flesh, and wriggling white maggots on his body, and reached out to press his hand on his forehead.
A faint golden light flashed in his hand, then quickly went out.
Master Zhang Qingxiao's face turned pale instantly. He slowly withdrew his hand, and I could clearly see that his fingertips were stained with a wisp of viscous black energy.
The black mist was still wriggling like a living thing, trying to crawl onto him. Master Zhang Qingxiao took out a yellow talisman and made a hand seal to burn the black mist into ashes.
"The corpse seed has entered the marrow, and the yin energy has entangled the soul."
The Taoist priest's voice was so deep it could drip water, and his expression was also very unpleasant.
"What kind of hellish place was that Dragon Palace you went to before? That evil magic is just too vicious!"
Upon hearing this, Luo Tianhe and I exchanged a glance and gave a wry smile.
That Dragon Palace is indeed a terrifying place; we almost lost our lives there several times.
Later, by a twist of fate, they were rescued by the ghost bride, but Old Knife and Ant were infected with this evil magic inside.
Once the ant emerged, it was already dead, and although Old Knife was still barely clinging to life, it was no different from being dead.
Master Zhang Qingxiao paused for a moment, then, without pressing further about the Dragon Palace, continued:
"The yin energy of that skinner was like adding fuel to the fire! He can now be said to have his three souls and seven spirits fixed in this decaying body. He can sense everything, but he can't move. He can only watch helplessly as he rots away."
Suddenly, the depression fell into a deathly silence.
Luo Tianhe's eyes were bloodshot, and his fists were clenched so tightly they cracked, but he was powerless to do anything.
Li Huai turned his face away, not daring to look at the wriggling maggots on Lao Dao's body.
Although he didn't know Lao Dao, he could tell that Luo Tianhe and I had a very deep relationship with him.
Otherwise, I wouldn't have risked my life to save him.
At this moment, I naturally felt a little reluctant.
I lay on the cold stone, the night wind chilling the exposed wounds on my back.
But what's even colder is the heart; it seems Old Knife is beyond saving.
Everything we did seemed to be in vain.
Old Dao's empty eyes stared at the night sky, unfocused, with pus mixed with blood seeping from the corners of his eyes.
He should be conscious now, able to hear what we are saying, and know that he is practically dead.
"Master, is there really no other way?"
I looked at Master Zhang Qingxiao with a sense of despair, my voice hoarse like a broken bellows.
After a long silence, Master Zhang Qingxiao took out a palm-sized sandalwood box from the depths of his bag. Inside were three shiny black nails engraved with thunder patterns.
Suddenly, a glimmer of hope flashed in my eyes. Could this thing possibly help Old Dao?
"These are the corpse-suppressing nails passed down from my master. They were originally used to deal with century-old flying zombies. By driving them into three vital acupoints, they can temporarily lock their souls and stop their transformation into zombies. However, it's only temporary, and..."
At this point, Master Zhang Qingxiao looked at the old Taoist priest, a hint of reluctance flashing in his eyes.
"The process of driving the nail in is like being torn apart by a thousand knives, causing excruciating pain to the soul, yet one cannot cry out and can only keep it bottled up inside. After all, this thing is not used to save people, but to deal with zombies! Once the nail is driven in, if a way to restore him to normal cannot be found within seven days, the nail must be pulled out immediately. The nail will then become permanently attached to the soul, and when the nail is pulled out, the soul will be scattered!"
I opened my mouth, but no words came out.
No wonder Master Zhang Qingxiao didn't initially intend to reveal this method.
This would not only cause Lao Dao immense suffering, but he would also likely end up with his soul scattered, without even the chance to be reincarnated.
"Ding!" Before Lao Dao could speak, Luo Tianhe hissed, "Even if it's just one day, it's better than this. Lao Dao, listen to me, ding, ding! There are still 7 days left. Within 7 days, we will definitely find a way!"
As he shouted, he rushed to the old Taoist priest's side and, without any hesitation, grabbed the hand that was oozing pus.
Old Dao's eyes turned to him very slowly, and his previously empty eyes were now filled with complex emotions.
His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but only a stream of black blood gushed out.
My heart sank. Grandma's condition had deteriorated to the extreme; she couldn't even speak.
Seeing this, Daoist Zhang Qingxiao gritted his teeth and took out the first corpse-suppressing nail, preparing to nail it to Lao Dao's brow.
Suddenly, an extremely cold wind swept by, and we were instantly chilled to the bone, our bones aching.
Along with this chilly, eerie wind, a festive suona horn sounded.
The sound didn't come from any particular direction; it seemed to come from the ground beneath our feet. It was clearly the sound of a festive suona, but the melody was distorted and strange, making one's scalp tingle and one's heart race.
At the same time, it was as if a scarlet filter had been applied to our vision, making everything appear eerily red.
I immediately realized that the ghost bride had arrived.
Eight maids in green, carrying white lanterns, appeared first. Their faces were still painted with exaggerated blush, their mouths stretched to the roots, and their eyes were empty, without any pupils.
Then came four paper figures in red carrying a large red sedan chair, the curtains of which were tightly closed.
As the bridal sedan chair came to a stop, the curtain was drawn back. A red figure stood silently beside the bridge—the ghost bride.
She was still wearing that red veil that looked like a bloodstain, facing directly in our direction.
Even though we couldn't see her face or her eyes, we all felt a cold, sticky sensation, like a venomous snake crawling across our skin as her gaze swept over us.
Finally, that gaze settled on me, or more precisely, on the human skin sachet in my hand.
The temperature in the depression plummeted to freezing point instantly.
Master Zhang Qingxiao, holding the ruler nail in his left hand, stopped moving and froze on the spot, his face extremely solemn. The lightning sword in his right hand trembled slightly and emitted a low hum.
Luo Tianhe instinctively stood in front of Lao Dao, even though this action might be meaningless in front of the Ghost Bride.
There was no confrontation, no words exchanged; the ghost bride simply raised a pale hand and pointed to the sachet in my hand.
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