Chapter 55 – Open the Door, I'm Your Captain, Ah Wei!
"I'll think about it. I'll definitely give you an answer before you leave."
Ren Tingting was deeply conflicted. She just couldn't make a decision right away.
On one side was Panda, and on the other, her father. It was a tough choice.
Old Master Ren, standing nearby, had heard their entire conversation loud and clear. Renji hadn't tried to hide it at all. He opened his mouth several times, wanting to say something.
'I thought you were a respected Daoist… and now you're trying to take my daughter?'
Truth be told, he didn't want Ren Tingting to leave Renjia Town. First, because she was his only daughter—he wanted her to stay close. Second, the Ren family business needed an heir. If she left, who would inherit it?
Besides, being a Daoist priest wasn't exactly a popular career choice these days.
It was an era ruled by warlords and the wealthy. Without guns, you were nothing!
"Cousin, I think he—"
Ah Wei tried to speak, but when he saw Renji's smiling face, and remembered how he got electrocuted earlier in the day for no apparent reason, a bit of fear welled up inside him. In the end, he didn't dare say anything critical with Renji right there.
Especially since he'd just eaten Renji's food—he felt it wasn't right to talk behind his back after taking his hospitality. He decided to badmouth him later instead, since Ren Tingting wouldn't be leaving any time soon anyway.
"Master Ren, would you like to try some?"
"I suppose I will."
Looking at Renji, then at the coffin beside him, Ren Fa wasn't really hungry, but still decided to taste the meat they had called "immortal food."
"Daoist friend, it should be just a few more hours now, right?"
Uncle Jiu could already feel the increasing yin energy from the coffin.
The sun had fully set, and no protective measures had been taken. Thanks to the heavy presence of human qi absorbed during the day, the old master inside the coffin had likely begun reviving.
"Almost. We might not even have to wait until midnight. There's just too much human energy in this place."
In the movie, the old master had only revived at midnight, and even then, he drew on the qi of just Uncle Jiu, Wencai, and Qiusheng.
But now, with so many of his own family present, the corpse inside was already eager to break free. It might not even wait until midnight to burst out of the coffin.
"Then we should be prepared. There are too many people here. I'm sure we can handle the situation, but if someone else gets hurt, it'll be a problem."
There were too many security personnel—and they were armed.
Guns might not work on zombies, but they could definitely hurt people.
Uncle Jiu feared that, in the chaos of seeing a zombie, they might panic and start shooting wildly, injuring innocent people—or worse, giving the zombie more to feed on.
That would be hard to explain afterward.
"So what do you suggest, Daoist friend?"
Renji turned to look at Uncle Jiu's worried expression and smiled faintly.
He more or less understood what Uncle Jiu was thinking.
"Is there any way to get the security team out, even just outside the building?"
Uncle Jiu didn't want that many people inside the mortuary. First, he wouldn't be able to move freely. Second, he worried they'd mess things up. Injured or dead—either way, blame would fall on him and Renji.
"Of course." Renji nodded, then turned to ask, "Master Ren, there are too many people here. Can we have the security team wait outside? Just leave Ah Wei behind."
Leave Ah Wei?
'So Daoist Brother wants to kick everyone out after all.'
Uncle Jiu gave a bitter smile. He suddenly remembered how Renji had said earlier that he'd punish Ah Wei. Looks like he really meant it.
Still, Uncle Jiu didn't plan to stop him.
"This…!"
Master Ren hesitated. But Ah Wei immediately puffed out his chest and reassured him, "Uncle, don't worry. Even if I'm alone, I can protect you and Tingting!"
Ah Wei didn't resist—on the contrary, he eagerly pushed for it!
He practically wanted to kiss Renji on the spot. This guy was handing him the perfect opportunity!
He imagined showing off his heroic bravery and winning Ren Tingting's heart instantly.
"Alright then. They can wait outside, but just outside the door—okay?"
"Of course!"
Renji readily agreed.
So, the security team was ordered out by Ah Wei.
Perhaps trying to assert dominance or hint at something, Ah Wei made a statement just before they left: "Listen—no matter who tells you to open the door next, don't open it!"
"Got it, Captain!"
Perfect.
Ah Wei nodded in satisfaction. He planned to expose Renji's so-called trickery tonight. And when Renji tried to flee, he'd have his men block the door.
That would humiliate Renji in front of Ren Tingting.
And it'd be the perfect chance to strike at Uncle Jiu's disciples too.
Ah Wei had noticed both Wencai and Qiusheng were smitten with Ren Tingting.
He'd throw all four of them in jail, then bask in glory as the night's hero and win Tingting's heart. The perfect rise to the top.
After speaking, Ah Wei grabbed a stool and sat down. The others remained silent, all staring at the coffin.
Time ticked away. Ah Wei sat bored, yawning and picking at his fingers.
"Still nothing?"
Master Ren pulled out his pocket watch. The closer it got to midnight, the more anxious he became—he had the distinct feeling that something terrible was about to happen.
Thud… rumble
"Who's there?!"
The coffin?
As the lid began to tremble, a low growl echoed from inside, like some kind of wild beast.
"Daoist, don't tell me my old man really turned into a zombie?!"
Master Ren grabbed Uncle Jiu's arm in panic. He was terrified.
And deeply grateful that he came to the mortuary tonight. If he had been home and his undead father showed up, he didn't even want to imagine the consequences. Zombies sucked blood—and just thinking about that made him shiver.
"Daoist Renji… is that really my grandfather?"
Even though Ren Tingting didn't believe in the supernatural, the scene before her was terrifying.
A coffin in a mortuary… a corpse that didn't rot… and all those old legends she'd heard.
No matter how rational she claimed to be, she was just a young girl. How could she not be scared?
"Hmph! Uncle must be faking all this nonsense. I'll expose their little tricks right now!"
Ah Wei was burning with jealousy. He was determined to expose Renji's so-called trickery.
After all, he had a gun. He didn't believe that the "actor" inside the coffin would actually dare to do anything to him.
He drew the gun from his waist and, bracing himself, walked up to the coffin. But the closer he got, the weaker his legs felt, and his hands began to tremble.
The growling inside grew louder as he neared, and he could even hear his own heartbeat.
Behind him, Uncle Jiu glanced at Renji. Seeing that Renji was still smiling like he was watching a show, Uncle Jiu sighed silently. His hands folded behind his back, and in the next second, a talisman appeared between his fingers—ready to act at the first sign of danger.
"No rush. He's coming out."
"Sigh, if only I could be as calm as you, Daoist brother,"
Uncle Jiu forced a bitter smile. He knew Renji was trying to comfort him, but he simply couldn't stay that calm. Youth really was different.
"He's out!"
The moment Renji finished speaking, the coffin suddenly exploded. One of the coffin boards blasted Ah Wei several meters away.
From inside, a corpse in an old Qing official uniform sat up in an eerily unnatural motion.
At the sight of that terrifying face, Master Ren and Ren Tingting felt like their very souls had fled in fright!
It was the old master's face. Though now horribly distorted, they could still vaguely recognize it.
"H-he's really turned into a zombie!!"
Master Ren muttered in disbelief. Ren Tingting let out a sharp scream in sheer terror.
The scream and the familiar scent of blood instantly caught the attention of the zombie.
"Hold your breath for now. Zombies can't see—they locate people through breathing. Don't breathe!"
Renji reminded them softly.
Though the old master was indeed a zombie raised in a fengshui-rich site, he wasn't particularly powerful yet.
He hadn't even consumed antelope blood like in the movies. At this point, he was still starving and weak.
"Master, what do we do?"
Wencai trembled as he looked at Uncle Jiu. It was his first time encountering a real zombie. Sure, he'd seen corpse drivers before, but those were technically living corpses, not undead zombies.
Even those had scared him half to death. And this one… this was far worse.
"Hold your breath."
Uncle Jiu offered the same advice as Renji. Neither of them planned to make a move—both felt it was time Ah Wei learned a lesson.
Everyone else was in on it, too. Meanwhile, Ah Wei, coughing from the blast that nearly gave him internal injuries, fumbled for his glasses and put them back on.
But before he could catch his breath, he saw the terrifying face of the old master—and his whole body went numb.
Damn it—it really was a zombie!!
"A zombie?! So what! I don't believe you're bulletproof!" Ah Wei shouted, raising his gun and firing a burst at the zombie.
A second later, he froze. "What the—?! That really didn't work?!"
As the zombie crept closer, Ah Wei scrambled to his feet and looked back, panicking as he shouted, "Uncle Jiu! Daoist Renji! Help me!!"
But when he saw that neither of them moved, regret overwhelmed him.
If only he'd known this was real, he would've never acted so arrogant!
"Open the door! Open the damn door!!"
He bolted to the entrance. The zombie was locked onto him—he was the only one breathing, after all.
"Our captain said no matter who it is, we don't open the door!"
"Open the door! I'm your captain, Ah Wei!!"
Ah Wei had no time to argue. The zombie was almost on him. He was terrified now, swearing to himself that if he survived, he'd sincerely apologize to Renji and Uncle Jiu.
For now, he just wanted to run.
The guards opened the door—only to spot the horrifying zombie charging forward—and instantly slammed it shut in fear.
"You bastards, open the door!!"
Ah Wei nearly cried on the spot, despair setting in.
No loyalty!
They shut the door on him at a time like this?!
"Daoist brother, is it time?"
Uncle Jiu gave Renji a meaningful look. The punishment had gone far enough—surely they couldn't let Ah Wei die, right?
Judging by the look on Ah Wei's face, he was scared senseless. It was probably enough.
"Allow me."
"Should we do it together?" Uncle Jiu asked, surprised.
"No need. Don't forget—our Divine Firmament Sect specializes in dealing with zombies."
Renji still had a recruitment quota to fill. If he didn't show off a little, how would future disciples take him seriously?
Seeing Renji's resolve, Uncle Jiu didn't press the issue.
He was curious to see Divine Firmament Sect techniques in action.
He had heard of them, but this generation hadn't witnessed them firsthand. Ever since the Dragon Vein was cut off, Taoist sects had been isolated for years.
Such was the end of the age of Dharma—everyone scrambling for a slim chance at revival.
"Idiot! If you'd just held your breath, it wouldn't have found you!"
Renji's voice boomed in Ah Wei's mind like thunder.
With the zombie's claws inches from his face, Ah Wei had no time to think—he stopped breathing immediately.
And just like that, the zombie froze.
The old master had no intelligence and couldn't understand the situation, but then he sensed another breath behind him—and an intense craving surged from within.
He didn't know why, but instinct told him: if he drained the blood of the person behind him, he would become stronger.
The old master spun around and leapt toward Renji.
"Master Ren, is it alright if I destroy your father's corpse?"
"N-no problem! Do as you please."
Master Ren forced a nervous smile. After seeing how terrifying his father looked, he didn't dare oppose it anymore.
He even wished Renji would hurry up and end it.
A father trying to suck his son's blood, and a son wishing his father would die faster—truly a day of filial piety!
"In that case, I won't hold back."
Renji nodded, then turned toward the zombie. Slowly raising both hands, a flash of lightning streaked across the sky. Everyone's attention turned upward in shock.
Even the old master zombie flinched at the sight and froze in place.
"Heaven is dead, and the Yellow Heaven shall rise. The cycle returns to Jiazi—may the thunder god aid me!!"
From within the clouds, a massive bolt of lightning crashed down.
At Renji's command, the thunder struck like a pillar, swallowing the zombie completely.
All evil beings feared thunder above all.
"What the hell?! Aren't you from the Divine Firmament Sect?! That was Taiping Dao incantation!!!"
Uncle Jiu's eyes widened. Rarely did he curse—but this time, he did.
(End of Chapter)
Get early access to my chapters and read more frequently by joining my Patreon! You'll unlock 20 chapters immediately and can enjoy up to 65 chapters weekly. Support my ongoing work and become part of my reader community.
Patreon: patreon.com/anish_44
Support via Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/anish_44