Chapter 171: Encounter on the Road

"Giddyup! Giddyup!"

"Quick, run! The barbarians are killing their way over here!"

On a country road, a man who looked somewhat like a martial artist was galloping wildly on horseback.

Seeing people ahead, this man who was fleeing immediately shouted out loud.

"Whoosh~ Whoosh~"

But the next moment, the barbarian soldiers pursuing from behind drew their bows and nocked arrows, and several arrows shot toward the group in an instant.

"Clang~ Clang~"

The man riding on horseback immediately drew a soft sword to block the incoming arrows, but some arrows still shot toward the Corpse-Collecting Zhiren and the other disciples.

"These animals!"

Seeing this scene, the man galloping on his horse couldn't help but curse under his breath, yet he dared not stop.

After all, the barbarian soldiers were numerous and powerful; once surrounded, it would be hard to fight off so many, so he could only rush past the ox cart and continue galloping forward.

However, the next moment, the Corpse-Collecting Zhiren struck instantly, turning a common hardwood stick in its hand to block the incoming arrows, and then charged directly toward those barbarian soldiers.

Behind it, Shitou and Goudan, who had taken out God-Inviting Talismans, also ignited their talismans one after another, and then a mysterious power descended upon them from the void.

"Ah~ Kill!"

The powerful sensation of strength made their minds tremble, and then, without a second thought, they followed the Corpse-Collecting Zhiren to charge at those barbarian soldiers.

Seeing that there were actually people who dared to charge at them, those ferocious barbarian soldiers sneered, then drew the scimitars at their waists and rode their remaining wolf-beasts to pounce toward the three.

"Pfft~"

Yet the next moment, the barbarian soldier in the lead, along with the wolf-beast he was riding, was sent flying away with a single strike.

The bones in their bodies were smashed and broken by the formidable force, blood sprayed wildly from their mouths and noses, and then they hit the ground heavily and lost their lives.

Such a scene not only stunned the barbarian soldiers in the rear, but even the man who had just fled widened his eyes.

"Clang! Bang!"

"Awoo~"

"Kill!"

"..."

Following this, more than a dozen barbarian cavalrymen were sent flying one after another; the slightly more timid barbarian soldiers were already preparing to turn around and flee.

"Rip~ Pfft~"

But then, a hardwood stick flew directly from behind him and pierced through his body!

Under the empowerment of the Corpse-Collecting Zhiren, an ordinary hardwood stick contained immense power, and even in the hands of the not-yet-proficient Shitou and Goudan, it could become a lethal weapon.

Because the power of the Play-Ghost was truly too unique, it provided them with extremely strong enhancements in every aspect: strength, technique, reaction, martial arts, and even the control of danger.

"Well killed!"

At this moment, the man from before also returned. After first exclaiming in admiration, he dismounted and reported his background to the Corpse-Collecting Zhiren: "I am Zhang Shiyong of the Black Cloud Society. May I ask for your names?"

"..."

However, after he cupped his hands, he was met with the extremely vigilant gazes of the disciples, and the indifferent reaction of the Corpse-Collecting Zhiren.

After finishing off these barbarian soldiers, the Corpse-Collecting Zhiren began to take out the corpse-wrapping bags to collect the bodies, showing not the slightest interest in this person's background.

And Shitou and Goudan were still in the state of being possessed by the Play-Ghost's power, so they were also full of vigilance toward this person.

"Cough, cough. I merely admire your martial arts and wish to make your acquaintance; I harbor no ill intent."

Seeing the vigilant gazes around him, Zhang Shiyong realized he seemed to have been a bit rash, so he spoke again to express his intentions.

"Nowadays, the barbarian army is rampaging, the nation is in peril, and the people of Yun Province are displaced. My Black Cloud Society has also led a portion of the people to retreat and defend the area around Thunder Wind Mountain in the southwest of Yun Province. If you do not mind, you may come to this place."

But after he finished speaking, the few people in front of him still had no reaction.

At this time, Shitou glanced at the Corpse-Collecting Zhiren who was busy collecting bodies, then replied to him directly:

"You go; my Master is not interested in you!"

Where they went was always decided by the Corpse-Collecting Zhiren; they dared not agree recklessly.

"... Since that is the case, I shall take my leave. If fate allows, we shall meet again."

Seeing that the Corpse-Collecting Zhiren was only burying its head in collecting the barbarian soldiers' bodies, Zhang Shiyong felt somewhat puzzled, but he dared not linger any longer and immediately mounted his horse and left.

"Phew~ That scared me to death just now!"

Once the other party was far away, Goudan finally let out a long breath, and at the same time, the power of the God-Inviting Talisman on his body gradually dissipated.

"Hehe, the feeling of having the Ancestor Master possess you is powerful, right?"

Shitou looked at him and said with a mischievous smile.

"Powerful! Extremely powerful!"

"Ch-ch-ch, it's just that it's freezing cold right now; my body feels like it's about to freeze stiff!"

Goudan shivered, then his teeth began to chatter uncontrollably, as if he had fallen into an ice hole.

"You'll get used to it after a few more times, phew~"

Shitou also felt a bit cold, but he was already somewhat accustomed to it.

"What are you two still waiting for? Why don't you hurry over and help? Do you want to exhaust our Master to death?"

At this moment, Xiaohui's voice reached their ears, making them jump, and they hurriedly grabbed their own corpse-wrapping bags and began to work.

"Eh, this wolf is still alive!"

Suddenly, a wolf-beast stood up shakily, giving Xiaohui, who was collecting bodies, a fright.

"Wait, don't kill it! Maybe we can get it to pull the cart!"

Seeing that Goudan was about to take action, Shitou had a sudden inspiration and hurriedly stopped his movement.

"That sounds nice, but what if this thing doesn't listen? And this thing eats meat, right? Where are we going to find that much meat to feed it?"

Gou Dan gripped the hardwood stick in his hand, watching the swaying wolf beast, still not daring to lower his guard.

"Don't those barbarians have dried meat on them? We don't dare eat that stuff, but we can feed it to it!"

Shi Tou carried the hardwood stick to the other side of the wolf beast to prevent it from running around or biting people.

"Master, should we keep it?"

Gou Dan could not speak, so he hurriedly asked the Corpse-Collecting Zhiren.

"Click-clack."

The Corpse-Collecting Zhiren stood up and came before the wolf beast that had been struck in the head; it had to be said that this thing was quite tenacious, as it dared to bare its fangs and snarl at people the moment it woke up.

"Bang! Bang!"

The Corpse-Collecting Zhiren patted the beast a few times, and then the eerie power on its body erupted instantly.

"Whimper~"

Immediately, the wolf beast was so frightened that its whole body trembled, and it tucked its tail and began to whimper.

Soon, the Corpse-Collecting Zhiren withdrew its hand and found some rope to tie the wolf beast's mouth shut; throughout the whole process, the wolf beast remained completely motionless, as if it had been scared out of its wits.

Seeing his master subdue the wolf beast so easily, Shi Tou also appeared quite excited; having this thing pull the cart was better than him and Gou Dan pulling it.

"Hahaha, it's done!"

"I'll be in charge of it from now on; if it doesn't behave, see how I deal with it!"

The incredibly excited Shi Tou grabbed the reins on the wolf beast directly, then took a small paper man out from his bosom.

This was given to him by the Corpse-Collecting Zhiren when he became an apprentice; if anything happened, he only needed to throw this paper man out to solve the problem.

"Fine, since Master agreed anyway, but we have to lock it up well at night!"

Gou Dan was still a bit uneasy; after all, the wolf beast's size was quite large, and it looked somewhat ferocious and terrifying.

Soon, all the corpses here had been collected, and the ox cart began to move forward again with a "creak, creak."

It was just that this time, the one pulling the cart had become the wolf beast; the two little apprentices sitting on the cart were afraid, but also even more curious.

The others following around the ox cart were also quite concerned about this newly joined wolf beast; if this fellow didn't bite people, traveling in the future would be much more convenient.