Their old headmaster had told them this since they were young, and they had always thought he was just trying to scare them.
The old headmaster gave them a glare and said, "This is true. I will never forget it in my life. It began to rain during the day and continued for three days and nights. Some people even saw the Water Dragon King swimming across the clouds."
Dragons? Do dragons really exist in this world?
Chu Hao hurriedly asked, "Grandpa, where were these bodies buried?"
The old headmaster said, "They're in the woods behind the mountain. Speaking of which, those bodies were quite strange. Most of them were dressed in ancient clothing, and some even wore the uniforms of government officials. At the time, the incident was covered up; the reports said the town was flooded, and many people died."
Chu Hao was also surprised; the situation didn't seem so simple. Why did these bodies need to "come ashore"? If they were washed ashore by rain, he didn't believe it at all. There must be something in the town attracting whatever was in the Yellow River.
The Yellow River, existing since ancient times, contains not only fish and shrimp. The old headmaster and those of his generation would talk about a profession from the older generation called Yellow River Corpse Fishermen.
These corpse fishermen, aside from retrieving drowned victims, also brought up ancient water corpses.
There were bodies from ancient times that had died in floods and were lost to the Yellow River without a trace.
Logically, these bodies should have decomposed, but when they were brought up, apart from being swollen from water exposure and their clothing rotted, they seemed unchanged otherwise.
However, these Water Corpses, having settled in the Yellow River for years, when fished up, might yield some valuable items on them.
After four hours of rainfall, around eleven o'clock, Chu Hao was ready to set out.
He put on his raincoat and set off amid the worries of everyone around.
The rain was too heavy; the water downstream of the town had already reached their knees, and by this point, raincoats were useless.
Even with the flooding, no one dared to come out. The townspeople truly believed that in such weather, it was best not to go outside unless the water flooded their entire house, leaving them nowhere to hide.
Chu Hao walked along the flow of the water, suddenly feeling something in the darkness ahead staring at him.
Through the blurred vision, he could see that it was a person standing upright, seemingly unaffected by the surrounding heavy rain.
Chu Hao, holding the Yin Yang Sword, approached and saw a "person" standing in the rain with their head hanging low, long hair covering their face.
Although Chu Hao was now brave, he couldn't help but be startled by this scene.
"Damn it! Dare to scare your grandpa?" Chu Hao said angrily. He had seen plenty of Ghost Demons in recent times, including the Yin-Yang Child Demon, Corpse-Wrapped Monsters, and Ghost Demon Fetuses—would he be afraid of a standing corpse?
Dragging his feet through the water, he moved toward the "person," ready to deliver a sword strike and teach it a lesson for trying to scare him.
Suddenly, he felt something grabbing his ankle, and he looked down.
Chu Hao jumped in fright, with goosebumps all over, as a swollen corpse with a pale wrist grabbed his leg. He said nothing further and stabbed down with his sword.
The corpse then dissolved into murky water as if it were an illusion and was swept away by the floodwaters.
"DING... Killing a Water Zombie yields 10,000 Experience Points," the System notification rang.
Hearing the System's prompt, he knew it wasn't an illusion.
Chu Hao scoffed. Just 10,000 Experience Points? About the same as an Evil Ghost. These Water Zombies aren't that formidable. With this thought, Chu Hao was no longer afraid. They were just standing Experience Points, waiting for him to harvest them.
Chu Hao began to act smug, waving his Yin Yang Sword and said, "A mere Water Zombie? Before this Taoist Master, it's nothing but dust after a single strike! If you have the guts, bring on some more!"
"DING... Host has successfully shown off, earning 400 Pretentiousness Points."
He had barely taken a step when he bumped into something else—another Water Corpse.
Chu Hao's expression suddenly became awkward. He took out a waterproof flashlight and shone it around.
Immediately, in the hazy view of the rain, he saw bodies, one after another, floating in the water. This sight made his hair stand on end. He rubbed his eyes forcefully, in disbelief.
Under the flashlight's beam, he saw corpses in all directions; there were so many that Water Corpses seemed to cover everything, strewn all over the flooded ground.
Chu Hao couldn't help but shudder and said, "Wasn't this young master just making a joke? You're not going to take it seriously, are you?"
Bodies lay everywhere, countless; he could tread on a corpse with every step.
Now this was awkward.
Just a moment ago, he had been showing off, but his swagger lasted less than a second before he was surrounded.
As the water flowed, he could see these corpses moving towards him as if they were conscious.
"Damn it! They're serious."
Chu Hao thrust his sword again and again into the Water Corpses, turning them into filthy water that disappeared, earning 10,000 Experience Points for each one.
Experience Points poured in. However, Chu Hao wasn't excited. More and more Water Corpses were approaching, and the sensation was truly hair-raising.
Chu Hao had no choice but to climb up a tree, as the number of bodies beneath the water increased. In the pitch-black night, the light from his flashlight couldn't even reveal their extent.
Chu Hao was speechless for a moment, saying, "Everyone, do you have to play so rough? Can't I just admit I was wrong?"
However, swallowing his pride did nothing, as more and more Water Corpses piled up, layer upon layer, seemingly determined to reach Chu Hao's height before giving up.
Especially the Water Corpses under the tree, which seemed alive, stretching out ghastly white hands from the water to grab Chu Hao's ankles.
Chu Hao immediately became angry and shouted, "I'm giving you face, yet you're still so shameless? Mere Water Corpses! Watch how this Taoist Master will destroy you!"
He opened the System store and instantly found something that could defeat the Water Corpses.
Holy Buddha Wooden Fish, priced at 3,000 Pretentiousness Points.
"DING... Host has bought Holy Buddha Wooden Fish, spending 3,000 Pretentiousness Points, 4,700 Pretentiousness Points remaining."
Item: Holy Buddha Wooden Fish
Ability: Buddha Mantra destroys Corpse Demons, can be struck ten times.
This item could only be struck ten times. Chu Hao then checked and saw that the complete Holy Buddha Wooden Fish actually cost fifty thousand Pretentiousness Points.
So this item is actually a Buddhist treasure.
With that in mind, this price was not expensive at all, considering that the complete True Word Brush was also exorbitantly priced.
He took out the Holy Buddha Wooden Fish; it was a gold-inlaid wooden fish that looked like one from Buddhism but was much more ornate than a standard wooden fish.
Chu Hao struck the wooden fish.
This sound was not the dull noise of other wooden fish but rather like the clanging of metal.
In an instant, the sound of the wooden fish manifested as a series of Buddha texts visible to the naked eye, rippling outwards in all directions.
In the pitch black of night, terrifying screams arose—more than one voice, coming from all around—as the surrounding Water Corpses turned to ash and vanished in droves.
"DING... Host has killed a Water Corpse, gained 10,000 Experience Points."
"DING... Host has killed a Water Corpse, gained 10,000 Experience Points." Orıginal content can be found at novelFɪre.net
"DING... Host has killed a Water Corpse, gained 10,000 Experience Points."
"DING... Killed a Water Corpse, obtained a Corpse Core."
"DING... Host's stunning display earned 800 Pretentiousness Points."
Ability: Feed to Corpse Demons