Chapter 44: Live Stream Accident

Sensing the sudden explosion of majestic Yin Energy from the dense forest, Xie Sui was momentarily stunned.

With his eyesight, he could see numerous stiff, shadowy figures rising within the woods not far away.

Was this soil, so barren of Yin Energy, actually a Corpse-Nurturing Land?

In this day and age, it seemed any remote backwater could raise a Zombie… this pathetic forest was far inferior to the places where he used to sleep.

The dark shadows in the forest began to move, rushing with clear purpose toward the direction where Xie Sui and Liu Wuyong stood.

Facing these menacing Zombies, Xie Sui instead turned to look toward the village.

The village was brightly lit. To provide a better filming environment for the guests, the production crew had set up four large camping lights, positioned around the guests to illuminate the live stream from all angles.

The high-power camping lights made the small village as bright as day.

To avoid disturbing the villagers’ rest, the crew’s workspace was located in an abandoned, uninhabited section of the village, and their sleeping quarters were also in this area.

However, out of curiosity toward these outsiders, the villagers who usually slept at this hour were all awake. Not only were they awake, they had gathered near the crew to watch the spectacle.

Even if some elderly villagers had gone to bed, the doors to their homes were likely left unlocked.

Based on Xie Sui’s observations in the village that afternoon, because the population was so small and everyone knew each other, the villagers had no habit of locking their doors… and even if they dropped a wooden bolt, doors that old wouldn’t stand a chance against a Zombie’s charge.

Xie Sui was positioned at the outermost edge of the village. If the Zombies bypassed him and rushed into the village, it would be a one-sided massacre.

Zombies weren’t difficult to deal with; the challenge lay in how to intercept all of them and prevent them from entering the village to harm ordinary people.

Even now, Xie Sui couldn’t understand how land with such barren Yin Energy could produce Zombies.

When a person dies and the body remains rigid without rotting, the lingering Po¹ turns into a malevolent force, creating a Zombie.

As recorded in “Zi Bu Yu²“: “…once the souls disperse and the Po lingers, the shifting corpses and walking shadows of the world are all the work of the Po.”

Humans possess Three Souls and Seven Po. The Three Souls govern the spirit, while the Seven Po govern the physical body. After death, it is the Three Souls that enter the Underworld for judgment and reincarnation, while the Po remains in the flesh, slowly dissipating as the corpse decays.

A Zombie’s ability to move freely relies entirely on the Po remaining in the corpse.

For a lingering Po to turn malevolent, it needs to absorb a vast amount of Yin Energy and Death Qi³, a process that usually takes decades. If buried in a Yin-heavy Corpse-Nurturing Land, this time can be shortened. The heavier the Yin Energy, the faster a Zombie forms.

But when Xie Sui inspected the forest this afternoon, there was clearly no Yin Energy to be found. Its sudden eruption tonight was truly strange.

However, there was another possibility: these sudden Zombies were not naturally formed, but were instead Walking Corpses⁴ being intentionally controlled by someone.

Xie Sui suddenly remembered that shrill cat cry from just before the Yin Energy erupted.

He had only encountered two cat-related spirits recently. One was the cat corpse refined into a Cat Gu, and the other was the Old Cat Spirit that had been torn apart and eaten clean by the One-Eyed Five Gentlemen. Xie Sui was certain both were as dead as could be; it was impossible for them to seek revenge.

Wait.

Xie Sui thought of a possibility.

The cat corpse used for the Cat Gu was the Old Cat Spirit’s child. As everyone knows, a child requires two parents… could there be another Old Cat Spirit out there seeking revenge for its mate and child?

If that were the case, the timeline matched up.

Suppose there was indeed another Old Cat Spirit outside Shao’s Restaurant. After discovering its mate and child had been killed, it came to this village.

First, it disposed of the dogs that posed the greatest threat to it, then it went to the neighboring village to steal poultry and regain its strength. Afterward, it returned here and raised all the corpses buried in the dense forest.

Because the Old Cat Spirit knew he carried the One-Eyed Five Gentlemen who could suppress it, its true body didn’t appear. Instead, it controlled the corpses in the forest to launch an attack… that was likely the situation.

Since ancient times, there have been legends of cats causing corpses to leap. If it were an Old Cat Spirit, it could indeed make bodies that hadn’t fully turned into Zombies stand up.

Therefore, to solve the Zombie problem in one go, he first had to find the Old Cat Spirit controlling them.

Before Xie Sui had much more time to think, a figure emerged from the nearby forest, crawling low to the ground.

It ran on all fours like an animal, carrying a putrid stench of decay as it charged toward Xie Sui at extreme speed.

This Zombie was completely different from the ones in Xie Sui’s memory. It had no distinct color and couldn’t be classified by specific traits; it looked like an ordinary, moving corpse.

Seeing its form only confirmed Xie Sui’s hypothesis.

Xie Sui traced a line of blood across his palm, preparing to capture the Zombie the moment it reached him.

Unlike the Zombies in popular movies, real Zombies do not drink blood. They feed on Death Qi and resentment. They attack humans simply out of an inherent loathing for Yang Energy.

Just as a human burned by fire will grab a bucket of water to douse the flames, a Zombie fueled by Death Qi and resentment cannot withstand the blinding daytime sun, but it can easily slaughter any human flickering before its eyes. They detest all living things that emit Yang Energy.

The Zombie quickly reached Xie Sui, but it didn’t attack him even though he was right there. Instead, it made a sharp turn and lunged toward Liu Wuyong.

In its eyes, Xie Sui seemed to be nothing more than a stone; its hatred was firmly locked onto Liu Wuyong.

Liu Wuyong: ???

In his extreme nervousness just now, Liu Wuyong had accidentally pressed the live stream button. When the Zombie charged toward the camera lens of the phone, neither Xie Sui nor Liu Wuyong reacted in time.

Seeing the Zombie’s sharp claws swiping at him, Liu Wuyong didn’t even have time to let go of his phone. He rolled on the ground to dodge the strike and then took off running.

He had caught a glimpse of the livestream starting. Professional instinct as a new media veteran led Old Liu to explain to the audience even as he ran for his life. “As, as you can see, we… cough, would you believe me if I said we’re filming a zombie movie?”

There was no other choice. A zombie had already entered the frame. If he didn’t offer some kind of explanation before ending the stream, the account might get banned, and this belonged to his boss.

– Right, right, no need to explain, we all understand. The zombies are just special effects makeup. There are no ghosts or zombies in this world, we must believe in science… Where’s the streamer? I want to see the streamer fight the zombie @Xie Sui –

– Old Liu, don’t run! If you’re a real man, go face that zombie head-on! –

– Why is it Old Liu’s voice? I thought I entered the wrong room. Are Horror Old Liu and this streamer a package deal now? –

– Judging from the last stream, they must be partners. Old Liu, give the streamer some camera time. I’m not interested in you, I just want to see a handsome guy being chased by a zombie. –

If Old Liu could see the comments, he would definitely snap back with, “You think I want to be chased?”

However, he was running too hard to check the chat. The cold wind and foul stench behind him were drawing closer. The terrifying pressure of being torn apart at any moment made his spine tingle, and he didn’t dare stop.

Liu Wuyong regretted it now. If he had listened to Xie Sui and gone to the gym, his legs wouldn’t be turning to jelly after only a few steps.

Xie Sui only reacted after the zombie had chased Liu Wuyong for several paces.

Damn it, was he being snubbed because he lacked vitality? The zombie’s move wasn’t very damaging, but it was highly insulting.

As the zombie chased Liu Wuyong, Xie Sui noticed several other dark shadows darting out from the woods in other directions, heading toward the village.

He couldn’t delay any longer. He had to figure out how to deal with this group of zombies.

Zombies were afraid of glutinous rice, jujube pits, old toads, dog blood, fire… Glutinous rice. The porridge they ate at noon was made with glutinous rice, but the rice was back in the village. Besides, glutinous rice required the empowerment of Xuanmen techniques to be effective against zombies.

Jujube pits needed to be driven into the zombie’s spine using specific techniques and incantations. Old toads… there were no rivers near this village. Where was he supposed to find an old toad?

Dog blood? Every dog in the village had disappeared. Damn it, that Old Cat Spirit hiding in the shadows had prepared far too thoroughly. It seemed it wouldn’t rest until it had killed their entire group.

Seeing more and more zombies leaping out from the forest, Xie Sui completely abandoned his train of thought.

Tsk, why bother with so many fancy tricks? Zombies fed on death energy and resentment, two things he had in abundance.

Looking at his ill-fated wrist, Xie Sui let out a heavy sigh.

Time to draw blood again.

Inside the village.

With the help of the production crew, Miao Xinyi found a small table.

She placed her phone tripod behind the table and neatly arranged her cleansing oil, lotions, essences, and other skincare products on the surface.

She had chosen an open space near the edge of the village for her livestream. Although it was a bit far from the rest of the crew, the terrain was wide and the camping lights provided excellent illumination, making her skin look radiant.

This was her first time livestreaming a makeup removal, and she was a bit nervous.

Having participated in so many seasons of this supernatural variety show, her “idol baggage” had long since been discarded during her moments of frantic screaming and ghost-bashing. However, as someone who started in a girl group, Miao Xinyi still felt some pressure about showing her bare face to a live audience.

Despite the nerves and pressure, she had to do it.

She had to make this first livestream a success to attract maximum traffic. She couldn’t let herself be outshone by that “resource hire.”

A few days ago, when Miao Xinyi saw Zhou Yayun, a member of the board of directors, personally pick up Xie Sui at the TV station, she felt a severe sense of crisis.

She had never seen Zhou Yayun place such importance on a company artist. That Xie Sui must have a very powerful background. Although he was only a guest performer for one episode, it wouldn’t be impossible for him to become a permanent cast member if he wanted to.

If one of the four permanent cast members was going to be replaced by Xie Sui, it would most likely be her.

When this show was first being planned, they couldn’t find any guests. Out of desperation, Yayun Entertainment had to pick people from their own company.

Among the four permanent members, Shi Shen was a martial arts star with immense commercial value. Given his status, he didn’t need a variety show to increase his fame; he only joined to repay Yayun Entertainment for discovering him.

Wen Yue was currently the top star at Yayun Entertainment, a famous “traffic” celebrity. Although she didn’t have many notable works, her high beauty standards earned her a massive following and constant media buzz. In the beginning, it was thanks to her fans that this supernatural variety show gained popularity without much promotion.

Su Caichuan’s main job was as a screenwriter for Zhou’s Film Studio. Although he was a non-celebrity, he had been personally invited by the producer to help out. He was humorous, good with quips, could create great TV moments, and always found important clues. Having him around helped drive the show’s progression.

Only she, Miao Xinyi, was a minor actress who had just transitioned from being an idol. She had been brought in originally just to make up the numbers. Because her reactions to being scared were quite funny, the production crew hadn’t considered replacing her even after the show became a hit.

But things were different now. With the appearance of a well-connected resource hire like Xie Sui, she would be kicked out sooner or later if she let her guard down.

Losing one variety show might not mean much to the others, but for her, this show was her most important job at this stage. She absolutely could not lose it.

Miao Xinyi took a deep breath, flashed a sweet smile at the still-black livestream screen, and signaled her assistant standing nearby to start the broadcast.

She had announced her livestream on social media earlier, so the room was already packed with fans waiting for her to go live.

“Welcome to my livestream! Today we’re just going to have a casual chat, and then I’ll introduce some of my favorite skincare products to you all.”

“Finally, the stream is live! I’ve been waiting forever.”

“Sister is still stunning today! Sister, will you release a new album? When will you perform on music shows again? I love seeing you shining on stage!”

Miao Xinyi chatted with the bullet screen while removing her makeup.

However, she couldn’t tell if it was just her imagination, but throughout the livestream, she felt a faint, lingering stench swirling around her nose. Even the fragrance of her skincare products couldn’t mask it.

During a break in the stream, Miao Xinyi used her peripheral vision to glance at the two burly assistants she had brought along.

Both of them were frowning, clearly smelling the same odor.

It was probably just livestock manure from the village that hadn’t been cleared away in time?

Miao Xinyi didn’t pay it much mind at first. However, just as she finished removing her makeup and dried her face with a cleansing towel, the rotting stench became even more pronounced.

Miao Xinyi knit her brows slightly, slowed her breathing, and worked hard to maintain her professional expression as she looked into the phone camera.

On her phone screen, the livestream room was being flooded with a dense wave of exclamation-filled comments.

The bullet screen was scrolling so fast that it made Miao Xinyi feel a bit dizzy. She looked toward the two assistants standing by the phone with some confusion, trying to ask with her eyes what had happened while she was washing her face.

However, when she looked at the assistants, she found that both of the six-foot-three men were staring behind her with expressions of extreme terror.

Miao Xinyi froze for a moment. Submissively, she picked up her handheld makeup mirror and used it to look behind her.

Reflected in the mirror was a terrifyingly hideous corpse.

It was hunched over, standing right behind her. Its mouth, filled with two rows of savage fangs, was wide open, as if it were contemplating where to take the first bite.

A viscous black liquid of unknown composition dripped from its mouth, slowly landing on her clothes.

Seeing the rotting corpse so close to her, Miao Xinyi was so terrified she held her breath.

Don’t panic. This must be something set up by the production crew. That’s right, this has to be a test from the show. If I’m scared, I lose.

Miao Xinyi gritted her teeth and pretended not to see the zombie.

Hah, what kind of test is this? She had seen things far scarier than this.

She held up a small bottle and continued speaking to the camera in a forced, relaxed tone. “This serum is one of my daily essentials. I’ve emptied so many bottles already. Highly recommended! It’s super effective at repairing skin dullness caused by staying up late. And the price is very friendly, you can get a 30ml bottle for only 150. My lovelies can buy this without hesitation!”

She couldn’t cry, and she couldn’t scream. She was currently bare-faced and live on camera. She didn’t want screenshots of her bare-faced expression being turned into memes and spreading across the internet the next day.

Her head could fall and her blood could flow, but her expression management must not falter.

“Aaaaaah, that scared me!”

“I thought this was a beauty and skincare stream, why did a zombie suddenly appear? QAQ”

“Is Sister preparing to film a horror movie for her next project? That zombie’s special effects makeup looks so realistic.”

Because Miao Xinyi had held her breath, the zombie that was about to attack her paused. It hunched over even further, almost resting its half-rotted head on her shoulder.

“Sister, run!!”

“The visual impact is too strong… Is that zombie really not dangerous?”

Miao Xinyi didn’t know if this zombie was real or fake either. She was currently so overwhelmed by the stench that she was completely speechless.

The two burly bodyguards finally snapped out of it. They pulled out two riot batons, staring grimly at the zombie’s movements. If that zombie really dared to bite down, they would swing their batons directly at its head.

Both of them had served in the military. They knew that the zombie’s state of decay was absolutely not something that could be achieved with makeup.

The thing behind Miao Xinyi was a real, moving corpse!

However, just as the zombie was about to open its mouth to bite through Miao Xinyi’s neck, it suddenly stopped.

The zombie’s head jerked violently. It turned around and began to stagger toward the dense forest outside the village like a puppet on strings.

“What exactly was up with that zombie… so scary.”

“I just took a look around and finally found out where the zombie came from. Everyone, go to @Xie Sui’s livestream!”

“Friends, go watch the main perspective at @Xie Sui’s livestream. This streamer not only has a clearer picture, but it also comes with commentary. I never used to watch these supernatural appraisal streams, but today has really opened my eyes.”

Translator’s Notes