Chapter 481: The Corpse King
Chapter 482: The Corpse King
Refining corpses involved so many intricacies…
Indeed, the inexperienced only saw the excitement, while the experts understood the subtleties.
Mo Hua’s thoughts stirred slightly, and he said in a deep voice:
“Then let me test you again. Suppose… I refine a corpse that can command a horde of zombies. What should such a ‘corpse’ be called?”
“Command a horde of zombies…”
Lu Ming frowned, thinking for a while before answering hesitantly:
“I’m not too sure…”
Mo Hua said, “It’s an open-book test. You can consult the texts.”
Lu Ming was a little puzzled. “Open-book?”
“Yes.” Mo Hua nodded, giving off the aura of a lenient teacher—if you can’t answer, just look it up; no need to worry.
Lu Ming felt a small surge of gratitude.
He immediately pulled several books on corpse refinement from his storage pouch, checked through them a few times, and finally stammered:
“There… there are a few types…”
“One is called a ‘Bell Corpse,’ which involves embedding a corpse bell to control other zombies…”
“There’s the ‘Lamp Corpse,’ which acts as a light, guiding the way…”
“And another type is called a ‘Corpse King.’”
“Corpse King?”
Mo Hua’s expression showed slight surprise.
Lu Ming looked uncertain and asked, “Is there something wrong?”
“No,” Mo Hua nodded, “That’s correct. Corpse King. You got it right.”
A corpse capable of commanding thousands of zombies… what Lu Chengyun refined should indeed be a Corpse King…
Corpse King…
Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then asked again:
“Let me test you further. How is a Corpse King refined, and what effect does it have once completed?”
Lu Ming flipped through the books and said:
“It seems to be more complicated than refining a normal corpse…”
“The corpse used to refine a Corpse King must be special; ordinary corpses won’t do.”
“The zombies it commands should ideally have been loyal to it in life, so their residual instinct allows them to be easily controlled after death…”
“Controlled zombies have a much lower chance of going berserk or turning against the master.”
Lu Ming thought for a moment, then gave an example:
“In the past, a powerful corpse cultivator wiped out a sect, refined the sect leader into a Corpse King, and turned the disciples into zombies.”
“This way, these ‘disciple’ zombies naturally fell under the Corpse King’s control…”
“Some records mention small southern kingdoms wiped out by demonic cultivators…”
“The ruler was killed and refined into a Corpse King; the citizens were exterminated and turned into zombies, thus the entire nation became a kingdom of the dead…”
Mo Hua remained expressionless, but he couldn’t help sighing inwardly.
A whole sect, even an entire nation of cultivators…
They had parents, families, yet suffered cruel fates, dying without peace.
Demonic cultivators indeed committed abundant slaughter.
Selfish and unscrupulous, stopping at nothing to advance their cultivation…
Lu Ming continued:
“Only rulers like these are qualified to become a Corpse King, the best corpse seed for refinement.”
“But this is the method of a powerful demonic cultivator. Ordinary corpse cultivators, with crude methods, cannot achieve this…”
…
Mo Hua asked more detailed questions, and Lu Ming answered them one by one.
Mo Hua nodded in satisfaction and praised:
“You’ve studied diligently. That reassures me. Tomorrow, I’ll speak a few words for you in front of the head of the Lu family, help promote you, so that your corpse path cultivation succeeds, and you rise above others…”
“Don’t disappoint my expectations…”
Mo Hua thought of Instructor Yan’s expression, adopting a look of solemn instruction on his face.
Lu Ming looked troubled, hesitating to speak.
Mo Hua frowned: “What’s wrong? You’re still not satisfied?”
“I… I…” Lu Ming stammered, unable to say it.
After struggling with himself, he earnestly asked: “Young Master, could you… speak to the Lu family head and let me go?”
“What do you mean?” Mo Hua asked seriously.
“I…” Lu Ming forced a bitter smile, “I don’t want to be a corpse cultivator…”
Mo Hua deliberately put on a stern face. “You ungrateful wretch?”
Lu Ming panicked, waving his hands:
“I dare not…”
Mo Hua snorted. “The Lu family head treats you well, gives you the opportunity to become a corpse cultivator, to learn corpse refinement. This is your blessing, your chance to contribute as a Lu family disciple, and you don’t appreciate it?”
Lu Ming wanted to cry but had no tears:
“If I become a corpse cultivator and enter the demonic path, my life is over…”
No chance to marry a Dao partner, no chance to repay filial duty.
Even if one cultivates highly, it must be in secret, dealing daily with corpses, hunted by the Dao Court Division, living in the shadows. One day, exposure might come, and then one would be ‘punished by Heaven.’
Thinking of this, Lu Ming felt utterly regretful.
Mo Hua nodded slightly.
This Lu Ming, though somewhat foolish, still had some sense.
Mo Hua pretended to hesitate, pondered a while, and finally sighed:
“Fine. We met by fate. You don’t want to be a corpse cultivator, so I won’t force you.”
“But getting the head of the family to release you? That’s unlikely…”
“If you leave, you’d inevitably reveal the secrets of this corpse mine.”
“You’d better stay here quietly…”
Lu Ming’s face turned ashen.
Not going out meant that someday, he would have to refine corpses.
If he succeeded, he would be inseparable from the zombies.
If he failed, and the zombies went out of control, he might even be devoured.
He was done for…
A chill ran through Lu Ming’s heart.
Suddenly, he glanced at Mo Hua. Seeing Mo Hua calm and composed despite his young age, even within the corpse mine, handling everything with ease, sparked a flicker of hope in Lu Ming’s deadened heart.
He immediately stood, kowtowing to Mo Hua:
“Please, Young Master, save me!”
Mo Hua blinked, then asked curiously:
“Why should I save you?”
Mo Hua leisurely sipped his tea and continued:
“Helping you get promoted is just a word; a simple favor, no big deal. But saving you is more troublesome, and might offend the Lu family head.”
“What benefit would I get?”
Mo Hua’s words left Lu Ming stumped.
Indeed, no kinship, shallow connection—why would this young master save him?
What could he offer?
Spiritual stones were few, he wasn’t a young lady of twenty, cultivation low, talent mediocre. Even if killed and used for corpse refinement, he wouldn’t make a good corpse seed…
Lu Ming felt a chill. He hadn’t realized how useless he truly was when faced with real danger…
No skill, no ability.
Mo Hua said again:
“Offer me a benefit, then I’ll consider whether to save you.”
Lu Ming’s heart sank.
What could he offer? This young master was extraordinary, unfathomable.
What benefit could catch his eye?
Yet, unwilling to give up, he clung to a desperate hope:
“I am willing to serve you, Young Master! To brave fire and sword, I will not refuse!”
Mo Hua’s eyes lit up.
Just the words he wanted to hear.
Mo Hua first frowned: “You, low in cultivation and status, neither skilled in Dao methods nor corpse refinement, a mere Lu family disciple… serving me wouldn’t help much, right?”
These words crushed Lu Ming with shame; he couldn’t lift his head.
Mo Hua pretended to ponder, then sighed:
“But since I’m young and kindhearted, I’ll test you. Do a small task for me. If you do it well, I’ll save you once.”
Lu Ming’s life was saved; he was overjoyed:
“Please, Young Master, instruct me!”
Mo Hua’s large eyes twinkled; in a low voice he said:
“Gather information on the Lu family patriarch and the Lu family head…”
Lu Ming blinked. “What kind of information?”
“Anything,” Mo Hua said. “Gossip, anecdotes, rumors… solid or hearsay, secretly find out, then report to me.”
Lu Ming was hesitant and timid, whispering:
“You… why do you want this information?”
Mo Hua’s face grew stern:
“I want to see if the Lu family head is a bad man.”
Lu Ming opened his mouth: “Bad… man?”
“Yes,” Mo Hua said. “The worse someone is, the more likely they succeed.”
“I’m working for him now; naturally, the worse he is, the better.”
“The worse, the more ruthless, shameless, unscrupulous. The greater the chance of success…”
Lu Ming was confused.
For a moment, he didn’t know if this young master was praising or criticizing the family head…
“Do you understand?” Mo Hua asked Lu Ming.
Lu Ming nodded, pretending to understand.
“Good. Go do it,” Mo Hua said. “But be discreet. Don’t expose yourself. And remember, this has nothing to do with me. I am only a kind, innocent person trying to save you from suffering.”
Lu Ming nodded: “Yes, Young Master!”
Then he began to investigate.
Mo Hua occasionally released his Divine Sense, observing what Lu Ming was doing.
Lu Ming wasn’t very clever, and Mo Hua worried he might mess up.
Fortunately, he was only gathering information subtly.
Sometimes he just started a conversation, letting other corpse cultivators talk while he listened secretly.
Being a lowly Lu family disciple, no one suspected him or paid attention.
A few days later, Lu Ming reported the information to Mo Hua.
Details about the Lu family, the family patriarch, and Lu Chengyun…
What Mo Hua heard about the Lu family patriarch matched what he had learned from Qing Lan:
Harsh, greedy, extravagant, capricious.
Not only exploiting and mistreating the miners, but also harsh to his own disciples, punishing and scolding them, while living lavishly and stingily toward others.
Exactly as the nickname “Lu the Skinflayer” implied.
Indeed, the wrong name, but not the wrong nickname.
From Lu Ming, Mo Hua also learned some rumors between Lu Chengyun and the Lu family patriarch.