Inside the coffin lay the corpse of Old Master Ren.
But now, his body looked downright eerie.
The skin was a sickly greenish-black, yet the flesh remained unrotted.
His skin was like dried, cracked tree bark.
Keep in mind Old Master Ren had been buried for twenty years.
Normally, a corpse that old would've long since decayed into bones…
Even more disturbing, his fingernails had grown absurdly long, like the claws of a wild beast.
With his Qing Dynasty official robes still intact, the entire scene looked horrifying.
"Oh no! This is bad!"
Wesley cried out in alarm. "It's turning into a corpse demon!"
Vincent Fox calmly closed the coffin lid and smiled. "Thanks for your cooperation. Don't worry, your arm's just dislocated. It'll be fine once it's set."
"Oh, and tell Uncle Nate he doesn't have to worry about Old Master Ren turning into a zombie. I'll take care of it."
With that, Vincent let go of Wesley, lifted the coffin from the base, and hoisted it onto his shoulder.
This massive solid-wood coffin, plus Old Master Ren's body inside, had to weigh four to five hundred pounds easily something that would require four men to carry.
Yet Vincent lifted it alone without even breaking a sweat.
Wesley was stunned.
He now realized this man had terrifying strength.
"Where… where are you taking Old Master Ren's body?" Wesley asked, mustering some courage.
Vincent didn't reply.
Wesley chased after him, shouting, "You're just leaving like this? What am I supposed to tell my master?!"
"Figure it out," Vincent said flatly.
Just as he was about to leave, his eyes landed on a few talismans and peach-wood swords laid out on a table in the main hall. He casually grabbed some and walked off without hesitation.
Leaving behind a miserable-looking Wesley…
…
In the world of Mr. Vampire, Old Master Ren wasn't the only initial zombie.
Uncle Nate's fellow disciple, a corpse-wrangler, had several zombies under his command too.
But that disciple was currently traveling the country and wouldn't return to Renjia Town anytime soon.
So for now, the only zombie in the vicinity was Old Master Ren.
Now that Vincent had taken his body, those who had accepted the "kill a zombie" quest were probably going to be dumbfounded.
Some of them were absolutely going to be screwed over by Vincent's move.
Of course, Vincent didn't care about that at all.
After leaving the mortuary, he just so happened to run into Autumn Summer, who had rushed over from the town.
"What took you so long?" Vincent frowned.
Autumn's expression was tense as she said, "Vincent, someone was following me in town. I had to lose them before coming."
"Oh?"
Vincent raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Someone was following Autumn?
What for?
"Forget it for now. Let's move," Vincent said.
Wesley had mentioned that Uncle Nate would be back any moment now.
And Vincent had no interest in clashing with him.
It wasn't that he feared Uncle Nate.
With his current power, he could easily one-shot the man.
He just didn't want to hurt someone like Uncle Nate.
Vincent had seen the original story and knew exactly what kind of person the man was.
Sure, he was willing to do whatever it took to complete a mission.
But deep down, he still had a line he wouldn't cross.
People like Uncle Nate honorable, righteous Vincent didn't want blood on his hands.
Autumn glanced at the coffin on his shoulder.
"That looks really heavy. Want me to help?"
"No need. Just hold onto these," Vincent said, tossing her the talismans and ritual items he'd taken.
"These are used to ward off evil spirits. Keep them for self-defense."
Autumn felt a bit flustered… and sweetly touched.
Was this big dummy actually worried about her?
"What about you?" she asked.
"I've got the Flame Talent. Fire naturally counters spirits. I don't need them," Vincent said casually.
Hearing this, Autumn nodded and tucked the tools away obediently.
Vincent added, "We have to move fast. We need to reach the next town before nightfall, or we'll have a problem."
Mr. Vampire was a world filled with ghosts and monsters.
At night, anyone out in the wild had a high chance of encountering evil creatures.
Autumn understood and quickened her pace to match his.
…
Not long after Vincent left, Uncle Nate finally returned from town.
He was surprised to see Wesley sitting on the threshold, looking miserable and nursing his arm.
"Wesley, what are you doing here? What happened to your hand?"
"Master!!"
Wesley burst into tears at the sight of Uncle Nate, his face full of grief.
"A bandit came to the mortuary this afternoon, broke my arm, and stole Old Master Ren's body!!"
"Master, I've never been so miserable…"
Uncle Nate's face changed dramatically.
He hurried over to inspect Wesley's arm and, realizing it was just dislocated, let out a breath of relief.
"It's just dislocated. Hold still."
With a quick pull, the bone snapped back into place with a loud crack.
"Don't do any heavy work with this hand for at least a month."
Uncle Nate gave a final warning, then rushed into the annex where the coffins were stored.
Sure enough, the coffin of Old Master Ren was gone.
His face darkened.
Without the body, how was he going to answer to Old Master Ren's family?
Then he noticed something else: several of his ritual tools were missing from the living room altar.
"What happened? Where are my tools?" he snapped.
Wesley replied, "The bandit took them too!"
Uncle Nate's expression turned even uglier. "Explain everything to me clearly."
"Alright, Master…" Wesley began, exaggerating the story slightly. "This afternoon I was feeding the chickens when someone knocked on the door. I opened it and saw this well-dressed, pretty-boy type. He asked if you were home, and when I told him you'd gone to town, he immediately showed his true colors…"
As Wesley added dramatic flair to the tale, Uncle Nate's face fell even further when he heard that Old Master Ren's body was about to transform.
When Wesley finally finished, Uncle Nate got to his feet.
"Where are you going, Master? That bandit was insanely strong. He carried the whole coffin like it was nothing and ran off ages ago. You probably won't catch up to him…"
Uncle Nate said, "You stay here and guard the mortuary. I'm going to inform Old Master Ren's family and have them send men to intercept him."
With that, Uncle Nate strode quickly toward Renjia Town.
----------------------------------------------------
Enjoying the adventure so far? If this tale has you hooked, please drop a review and let me know what you think! Your feedback powers the next chapter.
The deeper he goes, the more the truth unravels. Don't wait read ahead and witness Vincent's rise before the world catches up!
[ Happening's in advanced chapters:She defies her powerful family for love. He's chosen to lead a rookie squad into a national-level tournament inside a MOBA-style Forbidden Zone?! As Autumn breaks free from her past and Vincent faces a battlefield like no other, their destinies collide. ]
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