Under these circumstances, many people began to direct their thoughts toward that person.
Hearing this, Lian Li and Yun Huizhou had already calmed down.
The two exchanged a look, and Lian Li said, “Those two people should be shills.”
Yun Huizhou understood what he meant by “shills.” He nodded and said, “It’s likely that our Sect Uncles, Senior Jin, Alliance Leader Zhao, and the others have taken action. They intend to muddy the waters and then drag that person down into it.”
A gratified smile appeared on Lian Li’s face. “That’s wonderful. I thought our side wasn’t going to do anything, just waiting for the opponent to make a move before reacting. I didn’t say it before, but I was so anxious I was scratching my head in frustration.”
Yun Huizhou paused for a moment, feeling the need to explain on behalf of these Jianghu seniors. “It’s mainly because that person is hidden too deeply. They didn’t dare to act rashly for fear of startling the snake.”
Lian Li patted his shoulder and said, “I understand. Although the righteous path is flourishing, its factions are numerous and complex. Conversely, the opponent has likely been laying their foundations for decades. Even if they aren’t completely unified, they are probably eighty percent of one mind. Their mobility and execution would naturally be much stronger.”
Yun Huizhou felt helpless. Lian Li was actually a relatively simple person, but he was also very transparent; these words were actually quite tactful.
To put it bluntly, Lian Li’s meaning was that the Jianghu had been peaceful for so many years and the righteous path had been dominant for so long that everyone had lived the good life for too long, and they all had their own petty calculations in their hearts.
Before nightfall, news that there were living corpses in Fengling Villa was also leaked.
The last time living corpses were active was a hundred years ago. Currently, there were not many people in the Jianghu who knew what a living corpse was.
But that didn’t matter. The people who arranged this series of events would naturally arrange for people to properly educate these Jianghu folk.
From the moment the news of a horde of living corpses in Fengling Villa came out to the moment everyone in Jiaopan City knew about it—and roughly understood what a living corpse was—it took less than half an hour in total.
This efficiency made Lian Li marvel; it was truly too fast.
Anyone who listened seriously to the explanation would know the dangers of living corpses. Driven by those with ulterior motives, the level of discussion regarding living corpses far exceeded that of the Imperial Tomb treasure within a mere half hour.
After all, the Imperial Tomb treasure was basically a game played between top experts. Those with lower martial arts could only gamble on that one-in-ten-thousand chance of picking up a scrap.
But living corpses were a greater threat to those with lower martial arts. Many people were already starting to lose heart and consider retreating.
However, this was not enough.
Just as night fell, a living corpse emerged from nowhere and began pouncing on people in the most crowded street.
Because it was night, ordinary civilians had basically gone home and locked their doors and windows. Most of those still wandering outside were Jianghu people.
Lian Li and Yun Huizhou were also on this street. The moment he saw the living corpse, Lian Li prepared to rush forward to deal with it.
But Yun Huizhou reached out and grabbed him, preventing him from going over.
Lian Li turned to look at Yun Huizhou. Although he didn’t speak, his eyes were full of surprise and confusion.
Yun Huizhou shook his head and said, “Think about the new rumors that appeared this afternoon and evening.”
Lian Li paused and immediately calmed down.
He looked up at the living corpse, only to find that it was indeed a living corpse, but its movement speed was much slower than the ordinary living corpses in Fengling Villa.
A prepared third-rate martial artist could easily dodge its attacks.
An ordinary adult with a healthy body and slightly agile movements could also just barely escape from this living corpse’s hands.
In an instant, Lian Li judged that this living corpse posed no threat.
However, this living corpse was uglier and more terrifying than any they had seen in Fengling Villa before.
The living corpses in Fengling Villa were actually not that terrifying once one got used to them; they looked no different from ordinary corpses. Before being destroyed by them, one could still see a complete human shape, and their faces were relatively intact.
But the living corpse that appeared now, while showing no difference in its body, had a face that was vastly different from the living corpses of Fengling Villa.
This living corpse’s face was still a deathly, pale blue-gray, but the face was not intact.
The flesh on its face had rotted away from the corners of its mouth toward both sides. Because the flesh on the cheeks had rotted, one could see its stark white teeth, allowing its mouth to open exceptionally wide when it roared.
Its eyes were also different from the living corpses in Fengling Villa. The eyes of the Fengling Villa corpses were dead and silent, but they looked no different from the eyes of ordinary people.
While this living corpse’s pupils were black, the parts that should have been the whites of the eyes were entirely blood-red.
It looked exceptionally terrifying.
Its sudden appearance gave the Jianghu people on this road a great fright.
Especially when it began pouncing and biting at people. Although the people being pounced upon dodged in time, both the victims and the onlookers were left with lingering fears.
After a brief moment of chaos, someone regained their senses and shouted, “What is this? Could it be the so-called living corpse?”
As soon as these words came out, someone immediately echoed, “It looks like it is that living corpse. It’s actually real!”
Another person said, “To think it’s such a terrifying thing. I heard there are many more in Fengling Villa. The person who refined such things is simply insane.”
Lian Li looked at the people speaking. They seemed to be in a panic, but after looking closely, he discovered that the panic of these few people was feigned.
They kept talking but didn’t have the slightest intention of stepping forward to subdue the living corpse. They kept emphasizing the horror of the living corpse and its connection to Fengling Villa.
And as for who Fengling Villa once belonged to, that news had already spread throughout Jiaopan City this afternoon.
Lian Li knew that this was likely the handiwork of his Sect Uncles and the others again.
The living corpse scurried around the street for a long time. It had knocked people down, but it never truly injured anyone.
However, the living corpse’s appearance was truly terrifying. Even just being pounced upon was enough to make someone seeing a living corpse for the first time lose their mind momentarily out of fear.
Fortunately, everyone here was a Jianghu person. They were used to fighting and killing and had seen many corpses. When they were knocked down, they initially cried out in fear, but they quickly reacted and struck the living corpse away.
Even if there were those whose martial arts were truly poor and whose psychological fortitude was also weak enough that they couldn’t push the living corpse away, people around would go up to help. However, they only helped by striking the living corpse away and did nothing more, instead shrinking back to the side to continue talking about the horror of the living corpse and its link to Fengling Villa.
Lian Li and Yun Huizhou could tell at a glance that these people were likely the ones arranged to be there, coming over to ensure nothing truly went wrong while simultaneously guiding the direction of public opinion.
Once Lian Li was certain that nothing would truly go wrong here, he pulled Yun Huizhou and retreated a bit further, then whispered, “There shouldn’t be any problems here. Where shall we go next to check the situation?”
