The Living Corpse and the Martial Hall’s Bladder Test

The instant the scream rang out, Murong Qihuang was already airborne, murmuring a sword incantation before letting out a delicate shout, “Strike!”

Her Fengwu sword at her waist immediately hummed and vibrated, then suddenly slid out like a streak of light.

Following her sword, she took several quick steps in mid-air, pursuing the flying sword as it streaked like a meteor.

After she landed gracefully, she glanced around and spotted three figures.

No, to be precise, there were two corpses and one living corpse.

Among the corpses, one belonged to the commoner who had just screamed.

His eyes were wide with terror, blood streamed from his seven orifices, his lips were cyanotic, and his face was deathly pale.

The other corpse had a large hole in its chest, impaled by her own Fengwu sword.

From it, dark blood bubbled continuously.

With a thought from Murong Qihuang, the Fengwu sword, still embedded in the corpse, trembled slightly before flying back into her hand.

She turned her head to look at the other living corpse still standing before her.

Though its face was caked with grime and riddled with scars, its original features were still faintly discernible.

Murong Qihuang gave a flick of her slender hand.

Her longsword unleashed a dazzling arc of light, humming like a thirsty blade as it swiftly cleaved towards the living corpse’s face.

The living corpse reacted instantly, swiftly shifting its body to dodge Murong Qihuang’s intentionally wide swing.

When it raised its head again, the living corpse’s face bore expressions of terror, anger, and even hatred.

Murong Qihuang flicked her fair wrist, retracting her longsword, and narrowed her brows, intently scrutinizing the living corpse.

It could not only dodge attacks but also seemed to possess normal human emotions.

She had intentionally swung wide with that last strike to test its capabilities.

It was more agile than an ordinary person and had remarkably keen reactions.

Yet, observing its movements and footwork, it was clearly not a trained martial artist who had formally studied kung fu.

Before Murong Qihuang could piece together an explanation, the curious onlookers from behind had already arrived.

They huddled together, murmuring and exclaiming in low voices:

“What the hell is that thing?”

“Judging by its appearance, could it be an evil spirit at work? I knew something was off with the strange illnesses plaguing our city lately. Have we angered the gods and brought down divine wrath?”

“Yes, yes, exactly! This must be a grave disrespect to the deities! We must hurry back and offer incense, burn mugwort, and ward off evil spirits!”

Murong Qihuang paid no heed to their chatter, her gaze still fixed intently on the living corpse before her.

Someone shrieked, their finger trembling as they pointed at it:

“Oh! Isn’t that Aunt Zhang from South Street’s youngest son? The one who came for medicine a few days ago?”

Upon hearing this, everyone eagerly scrutinized the corpse’s face.

Some turned ashen after a single glance, rushing to the wall to retch.

“It seems… it really is him!”

“Yes, yes, his youngest son has a mole near the corner of his mouth; I couldn’t possibly mistake that!”

Murong Qihuang frowned, thinking, ‘So he’s a citizen of Quzhou City?’

Suddenly, another person whispered:

“I heard Aunt Zhang’s youngest son had a persistent high fever, which is why he came to Sword Immortal Murong for medicine… but now, how could he be like this…”

Murong Qihuang froze at the words, immediately turning her head to look at the speaker.

Under her piercing gaze, the person felt their insides turn to ice, their tongue tied in knots, unable to utter a single word.

“What do you mean by that? Are you slandering Sword Immortal Murong’s reputation?”

Someone grasped the implication and immediately retorted angrily.

“Exactly! Sword Immortal Murong is generous and righteous, treating and saving people for free in Quzhou City. How can you be so ungrateful?”

The person instantly fell silent after being scolded.

They meekly said:

“I… I just happened to mention it. I certainly didn’t mean to slander Sword Immortal Murong…”

Murong Qihuang noticed the conversation had shifted from speculating about the living corpse’s identity to condemning the speaker.

She didn’t intervene, a single thought revolving in her mind:

‘Did this person end up like this because they took medicine from my pharmacy?’

No, no one else had shown similar symptoms. This was an isolated case, a problem unique to him.

Behind her, the burly man in plain cloth clothes approached.

He was no longer boisterous or crude in his demeanor.

He first glanced at the living corpse still standing motionless.

Suddenly, he let out a roar and lunged forward.

Before the living corpse could react, it was struck in the chest and abdomen by his shoulder and elbow.

“Thud!” it fell to the ground, pinned beneath him.

The burly man looked down, carefully examining the living corpse’s expression, and murmured:

“Exactly. It’s precisely the same as what happened last night.”

He dared not be careless, still tightly restraining the living corpse’s limbs beneath him.

He turned his head and bellowed at the whispering crowd:

“What are you waiting for? Go report this to the authorities!”

The clamor of the crowd quieted for a moment, then someone immediately responded:

“Alright, alright! I’ll go right away!”

A group of people, realizing the urgency, also started running, and the crowd quickly dispersed, leaving a large open space.

The scene instantly fell silent, and the air was thick with the scent of death.

Murong Qihuang, just snapping out of her thoughts, glanced over and met the gaze of the burly man who had subdued the living corpse.

He stared intently at her, his eyes filled with scrutiny, suspicion, and inquiry.

Murong Qihuang suddenly felt intensely annoyed.

She no longer lingered, leaving the crowd and the chaotic scene behind as she gracefully turned and departed.

****

The doors of Lei Ling’s Martial Arts Hall remained tightly shut.

Small stools were arranged in a circle, with sunflower seed shells and fruit peels scattered across the floor.

Finally, a male disciple raised his hand, his face flushed:

“Grand-Martial Aunt, could you please pause for a moment?”

Having not seen Ye Di for a full day, Xu Niantang, now suffering severe withdrawal symptoms, cast a cold glance at him.

She stopped narrating the eighth chapter of ‘The Flying Thief Chasing His Wife to the Cremation Ground: Revised Edition,’ and said testily:

“What is it?”

The male disciple’s legs trembled like a sieve:

“Could you… could you please put the exciting parts aside for a moment? I, I can’t hold it in much longer!”

By the fourth day, Xu Niantang’s complexion had significantly improved; she was now full of vigor and bouncing around.

Having recovered, her mind was exceptionally sharp, and she could spin tales without batting an eye. The intricate, dramatic plot twists severely tested the disciples’ bladders.

Xu Niantang frowned delicately and said:

“Then go ahead. We won’t wait for him. I’ll continue telling you how that utterly wicked bad guy forcibly kissed me in front of everyone…”

A female disciple sprang up from her small stool, her legs pressed tightly together, feeling a few drops had already escaped:

“G-G-Grand-Grand-Grand-Martial Aunt! I, I, I feel like I, I, I also need to go, go, go!”

A male disciple suddenly exclaimed loudly:

“Strange! There’s a puddle on the stool!”

Another female disciple retorted furiously:

“You big idiot! Is your mouth only for speaking nonsense!”

Instantly, the female disciples began a furious assault on the male disciple who lacked situational awareness.

The male disciple felt deeply wronged. ‘I merely stated what I saw and heard, and now I’m being mercilessly berated.’

Fortunately, Lei Ling arrived from afar, observing the unruly disciples with amusement.

“Old Lei here knew you inexperienced little chicks would be glued to your seats once you settled down. What, you’d rather wet your pants than miss out? You might be able to hold it, but your Grand-Martial Aunt is getting thirsty just talking!”

He sat down with a cup, placed it on a nearby stool, and then began rolling up his sleeves.

“Come, come, let your Grand-Martial Aunt rest. Your master will tell you about the earth-shattering, soul-stirring, eternal love story between me and Little Hong from the neighboring village…”

He had barely begun when the disciples below started cheering:

“Hooray!”

Lei Ling was delighted.

“Good, good! I see you all have excellent taste, knowing to first applaud your master’s moving love story…”

But the disciples had already vanished, racing towards the outhouse as if in a sprint:

“Damn it! Finally, Master’s going to spout nonsense. Quick, let’s hit the toilet first!”

“It can’t always be exciting shows; not enough ‘pee breaks’ is really a test!”

“Mmm-hmm! I don’t even know if I got wet listening to Grand-Martial Aunt’s story, or if I just couldn’t hold it anymore and leaked a little…”

Lei Ling chuckled, rising to his feet as he listened to the defiant disciples’ comments while they sprinted towards the outhouse.

Xu Niantang’s side suddenly became deserted, and she felt a little unaccustomed to it.

“Master Lei, where are you going?”

Lei Ling snorted, two streams of air puffing from his nostrils:

“I’m going to the outhouse to secretly take away their toilet paper, damn it!”

Xu Niantang simply said, “Oh,” not particularly concerned.

She used to be quite the extrovert, almost wilting from being cooped up in grand mansions every day.

Yet, for some reason, ever since she started spending time with him, all her wild energy seemed to have transferred to him.

Whenever he wasn’t around, Xu Niantang would feel somewhat listless and unmotivated to do anything.

Xu Niantang watched the martial arts hall’s occupants: some went to the toilet, others went to steal toilet paper.

Left alone, her restless spirit stirred once more.

She planned to quietly slip out to the street and buy a skewer of candied hawthorns or a piece of pear blossom cake.

Just as she reached the main entrance of the martial arts hall, a squad of officers, dressed in official attire, galloped past:

“Citywide lockdown, citywide lockdown! No one is allowed to leave without urgent business!”

Xu Niantang paused, momentarily stunned, then looked up at the sky.

Her illness was almost completely cured, which should have been good news.

However, the sky was gloomy, as if about to press down, seemingly foreboding a fierce storm.