Chapter 14 Zombies in the Huangquan Forest

The moment Xiao Hua’s mother heard that they weren’t helping her to find her daughter, she immediately wept as she said, “Your Highness, what about my Xiao Hua? She’s still in Huangquan Forest! Your Highness, my husband already died in Huangquan Forest, so my Xiao Hua can’t die in there too!” Cheng Xiaoxiao recalled the moment her mother died when she looked at the woman who had tragically lost her daughter. Then Cheng Xiaoxiao’s eyes turned red. At the thought that the little girl was stuck in this frightening forest now, she turned to look at Chu Yunshen anxiously as well. “Meow.” Cheng Xiaoxiao scratched Chu Yunshen with her paws. Chu Yunshen couldn’t help feeling softhearted when he lowered his head and saw the cat looking at him longingly. “Do you want me to help her?” “Meow.” Then Cheng Xiaoxiao prodded Chu Yunshen with her little head. “Your Highness, please find the charity in your heart to save my daughter!” said Xiao Hua’s mother as she kept kowtowing until her forehead bled. “Stupid woman! Hurry up and shut up! How can you expect His Highness to search for your daughter at night? His Highness might not know what it’s like in there, but you do,” the post officer quickly reprimanded the woman. Chu Yunshen turned his eyes away from Cheng Xiaoxiao and looked at the post officer as he sneered coldly, “I have fought countless battles. Why would I be afraid of a little forest?” “Master, let’s inform the local authorities so that they can handle the matter,” suggested Xiaowu immediately the moment he detected that the prince planned on interfering. Chu Yunshen sneered, “If the local authorities could handle it, then the problem with Huangquan Forest wouldn’t have lasted this long! Get a few guards! We will go tonight! Also, get Mu Bai to stand guard outside the forest.” “Yes, Master!” replied Xiaowu before leaving. When Xiao Hua’s mother heard the prince was going to search for her daughter in Huangquan Forest, she immediately kowtowed in gratitude and said, “Oh my! Your Highness is such an upright official! Allow me to give my thanks by kowtowing you!” The post officer was instantly startled when he heard the prince wanted to enter Huangquan Forest. He promptly stopped him and said, “Your Highness, that won’t do! There is a dangerous miasma in Huangquan Forest. If someone as important as you meets with any mishap in Huangquan Forest, I’m afraid…” he couldn’t withstand the consequences! Xiaowu sneered coldly, “Do you think His Highness is unable to take care of the deception that goes on in Huangquan Forest?” “Your Highness, forgive me! That was not what I meant!” begged the post officer hurriedly. Chu Yunshen was feeding the cat milk paste when he frowned and glanced at Xiaowu. Xiaowu instantly understood. Then with a cold expression on his face, Xiaowu shouted at the post officer angrily, “Get lost now!” The post officer gazed at Chu Yunshen hesitantly. But Xiaowu glared at him, so he had no choice but to leave. At midnight. Chu Yunshen and everyone arrived at Huangquan Forest. The shadowy trees appeared like the claws of a ghost when the moon shined upon them as they climbed up one side the mountain. The wind sounded like the howling of spirits as it swept across the side of Mu Bai’s face. It felt bloodcurdling to everyone. Then footsteps suddenly came from behind. It was Chu Yunshen with the cat in his embrace. Mu Bai paid respects to the prince and said, “Your Highness, let me go with you.” “It’s fine,” said Chu Yunshen as he shook his head and indicated for Mu Bai to stand guard here. All of Xiao Hua’s fellow villagers gathered outside the forest when they heard the prince was going to enter Huangquan Forest to look for her. Then they knelt and shouted, “Your Highness, is such a good official! Our ancestors have always eked a living off this forest. Now because of its miasma, our youngsters have all gone to other villages to make a living, so only the old and sick remain here. Last year, Xiao Hua’s father, Da Zhu, entered the forest for medicinal herbs but didn’t come back in the end!” When Chu Yunshen saw how angry and frightened the villagers felt about Huangquan Forest, he looked up at the forest before him again. Other than the miasma, it looked no different from any other forest. Xiaowu suddenly brought an old man over to Chu Yunshen and said, “Master, this is Xiao Hua’s village chief, and he wants to enter the forest with us. He is very familiar with the forest since he grew up in it.” “Your Highness!” the old village chief knelt and paid respects to Chu Yunshen. “Please rise, Old Sir,” said Chu Yunshen as he helped the village chief up, “Thank you for guiding us.” Then Cheng Xiaoxiao suddenly saw a little girl dressed in red in the forest who seemed to be chasing something. “Meow, meow!” She suddenly leaped out of Chu Yunshen’s embrace and ran towards the little girl! But the moment Cheng Xiaoxiao entered the forest, she regretted. The little girl was just right there. Why did she disappear? “Little fellow.” Her limbs hung in midair as she got lifted up. Then she looked up to see the prince. “Master, wait up!” said Xiaowu quickly from behind. Four burly guards followed behind him. “Your Highness and Sir, please slow down for me.” The old village chief’s voice came behind. Then Xiaowu turned to look at the two guards who were supporting the village chief as they ran and said, “Hurry up!” “Yes, Sir!” Then the two guards instantly sped up. Chu Yunshen pressed the restless cat back into his embrace. Then he turned and said to the village chief who had just caught up, “Old Sir, can you tell what changed about the forest since you grew up in it?” “Yes, Your Highness,” replied the village chief as he looked at some trees which were over a century old and had rotted away entirely into lifeless trees. Then he said heartbrokenly, “What happened? Why did these trees become like this?” “Heehee!” a girl’s laughter suddenly came from the forest. The village chief stared in shock and said, “Xiao Hua!” Chu Yunshen furrowed his brows tightly and instantly glanced at Xiaowu. Then Xiaowu brought some guards with him and chased after the voice, “Ah, Master!” Chu Yunshen and the old man followed behind Xiaowu and slowly chased towards the voice. Xiaowu suddenly shouted from up ahead. With the cat in Chu Yunshen’s arms, he hurried over with the village chief. A belt hung from a tree branch and fluttered a little along with the wind. A corpse dressed in tatters slightly swayed as it hung from the tree. A rope hung from the corpse’s neck. His facial muscles had constricted downwards, and the entire tongue stuck out of his mouth. His eyes were wide open with eyes bulging while he stared lifelessly at the ground or perhaps somewhere deeper. “Da Zhu?” said the village chief hoarsely, “No…no, that’s impossible!” Xiaowu retreated warily back to Chu Yunshen’s side and signaled for the guards to protect the prince. Then he said, “Your Highness, he died a year ago, but his body is still intact! Something’s wrong!” Chu Yunshen suddenly stopped stroking the cat. They could hear some unknown animals approaching them. “Your Highness, let’s head back first. Something’s wrong with the forest!” said Xiaowu with his sword already unsheathed as he stood guard in front of Chu Yunshen, “Protect His Highness and the village chief and take them out of the forest!” “Yes, Sir!” Four guards encircled Chu Yunshen while two guards helped the village chief along as they ran out of the forest. Chu Yunshen suddenly tightened his grip on the cat. What was that smell? It stank and smelled rancid. “Meow,” said Cheng Xiaoxiao as she leaned her head into Chu Yunshen’s embrace. A strong wind suddenly gusted. Chu Yunshen was unable to see anything, so everyone stopped where they were. As a cold blast of wind suddenly howled past their ears, the sound of leaves rustling came from time to time too. Some kind of animal seemed to be approaching them! Chu Yunshen tightened his grip on the cat as he said, “Xiaowu, be careful!” “Yes, Master!” The wind was too strong. Xiaowu could only sense a black silhouette lunging towards him but didn’t get a close look at it. He raised his sword and struck it. Then with a thud, a round object came rolling on the ground. After the wind stopped, Xiaowu shockingly discovered that the object rolling on the ground was the head of a human who had died for a long time. “Master!” shouted Xiaowu in horror. Chu Yunshen saw the headless corpse and froze where he was. “What’s that? How could it still walk after being dead for so long?” Xiaowu poked the headless corpse with his sword. Then he turned to look at the prince and said, “It’s covered with rotten flesh and looks like it was dead for 20 years!” Then lightning flashed, and thunder roared. The forest turned white instantly before swiftly reverting to pitch-black darkness. “Oh no! A storm is coming!” shouted the village chief in surprise, “Your Highness, we better leave as quickly as we can.” Xiaowu followed the village chief as he guided them up ahead. Then Xiaowu suddenly froze and turned to signal for silence. Chu Yunshen signaled for the guards to give way. When he slowly walked over to Xiaowu, the sight he witnessed made him hold his breath. Cheng Xiaoxiao sensed the stifling silence in the atmosphere, so she stuck her head out from Chu Yunshen’s arms. She suddenly cried in shock, “Meow.” Two perfectly able-bodied zombies squatted up ahead and were happily feasting. Cheng Xiaoxiao’s meowing made the two monsters raise their heads immediately. Cheng Xiaoxiao saw that the monster’s entire face was covered with sticky blood. His huge mouth reached almost to the back of his face as he bared his teeth. There was still a piece of unfinished intestine hanging from his teeth with blood dripping from it even. “Meow,” went Cheng Xiaoxiao before she burrowed into Chu Yunshen’s embrace. What was that? Was that a zombie? “Be careful, Master!” The two monsters seemed to have smelled their prey. They stood up slowly as they let out a low roar, which sounded as though there was phlegm stuck in their throats. The zombies stared at Chu Yunshen and the others vacuously with their gray eyes as they reached their blood-stained hands out and wobbled towards them. Xiaowu hacked his sword, and a head rolled to the side instantly. Just as he prepared to attack the other zombie, the shrill meowing of a cat suddenly came. After Xiaowu cut off the zombie’s head, he looked towards the sound only to see Chu Yunshen getting circled by a bunch of zombies! The six guards who were protecting the prince had already gotten torn into shreds! “Master!” Xiaowu ran over with his sword in hand and pulled the village chief away from a zombie who was biting him. He cut the bothersome zombie into two pieces with his sword and freed them from the encirclement. From the center of the encirclement, Chu Yunshen used his sword to hack the increasing number of zombies that were surrounding him as he anxiously looked at the cat in his arms, which had passed out. Just as he was taking out the zombies before him, a zombie attacked him from behind. The cat surprisingly leaped out of his arms and pounced on the zombie. Then she got hurled onto the ground hard by the zombie. “56789067!” a voice rang by her ear. When Cheng Xiaoxiao regained her senses, she saw the familiar antique-styled main hall. Hei Wuchang was sitting behind an office desk and had raised his head to greet her. Hei Wuchang? Cheng Xiaoxiao looked down to see that she changed back into a human. She raised her translucent hand and rapped Hei Wuchang’s desk as she asked, “Why am I here again? Is the reincarnation quota ready?” The smile on Hei Wuchang’s face suddenly froze. He turned his head awkwardly and coughed as he kept avoiding eye contact with Cheng Xiaoxiao. She quickly realized that these careless buggers had yet to come up with the quota. “Then why am I back in the Netherworld?” Cheng Xiaoxiao quickly shivered as the thought crossed her mind. Was she…