Chapter 375: Daoist Qianhe — I Am the Maoshan General, Unless...
"Corpse Dragon?"
"Sounds like an extremely powerful corrupted monster. We just started the game—better not act recklessly."
Erza shook her head gently and placed her palm over Anya's head,
stopping her from reaching out curiously.
In the Kingdom of Fiore—and across the entire continent of Ishgar—
any information related to dragons was classified as top-secret S-rank material.
Anything involving dragons—whether magic or living beings—was at the pinnacle of existence.
Take Natsu's [Fire Dragon Slayer Magic], for example, passed down from an actual fire dragon.
Even though he hadn't fully mastered it, Erza could still sense the terrifying heat it contained.
If it were a true fire dragon, it could easily raze the continent.
This was not something to be trifled with.
"Anya understands."
Though brimming with curiosity, Anya knew the importance of caution.
She shook her head firmly, her pink bob swinging side to side as she rejected the young prince's offer.
"Anya is really... special."
The young prince had never met a girl who so bluntly turned down his goodwill.
His cheeks flushed pink—just like the second son at the noble academy.
Just as he was about to speak again,
the black feather plume on the back of his princely cap suddenly began to tremble.
The wind picked up.
Cold gusts swept in, carrying a strange, foul stench.
At the front of the funeral procession,
the figure who had never once left the side of the borderland royal's coffin halted,
looking up at the suddenly changing sky.
"Daoist Qianhe, why have we stopped?"
Chamberlain Wu pinched his nose, trying to wave away the corpse-stench in the wind—but it was useless.
Wearing a red robe, a black cloth hat marked with a yin-yang symbol, and carrying a peachwood sword,
Qianhe's expression turned grim.
"This wind came out of nowhere. Something's not right..."
"What could go wrong? Didn't you say your senior's temple is just ahead? Hurry up! We need a warm meal. You mountain folk may be tough,
but the young prince is delicate. If he gets sick, who will take responsibility?"
Chamberlain Wu cut him off before he could finish.
Qianhe rested his hand on the coffin and replied anxiously,
"The yin energy is far too strong. The lack of yang might lead to a corpse transformation."
Just moments ago, the sun had been blazing overhead.
Residual heat should still be lingering.
But the gilded bronze coffin was ice-cold.
The sheer weight of yin energy inside the coffin
had overwhelmed even the scorching sun, copper alloy heat absorption, and black dog blood ritual ink lines—
All objects brimming with yang energy—yet still insufficient to suppress the corpse qi.
This meant one thing:
The royal corpse of the borderland general inside the coffin… had become a zombie.
And not just any zombie.
At that moment, the wind turned strange.
There was no way Qianhe would feel comfortable continuing.
"Recently, for some unknown reason, the balance between yin and yang has been disturbed.
Yin flourishes, yang recedes. Ghosts, spirits, and zombies roam unchecked..."
If not for the Qing Emperor's insistence that the Daoists escort the body to a proper burial in the borderlands,
Qianhe would've burned the corpse on the spot.
Times had changed.
Even the head of the Daoist sect had no solution to the explosive rise of zombies and vengeful ghosts.
Where it once took centuries of yin accumulation to birth a high-grade zombie,
now a mere decade was enough. Or worse—just one injection of random Western toxin could spawn one.
Qianhe didn't dare imagine what would happen if this continued.
The whole world could become a zombie wasteland.
Chamberlain Wu might seem effeminate,
but the aura of authority he exuded from serving a young prince made his words heavy.
"I don't care about your warnings. Exorcism is your job.
All I care about is the young prince's health."
"Understood."
Qianhe gritted his teeth and bowed slightly.
Fine.
Even if there was danger, he was one of the [Four Daoist Geniuses],
renowned as the Maoshan General.
A mere mutant zombie? He could handle it.
Even if it was the notorious [Music Zombie King] from Jiangnan,
he still had his four disciples from the east, south, west, and north. He'd have nothing to fear.
Unless—
Yin winds blocked the sun, yin rain cut off earth's yang energy,
yin lightning forged the corpse's body...
Plus, the general's yang was extremely strong in life—now turned extreme yin in death.
And then—if he were to drink a Daoist's blood...
Only then could Qianhe possibly lose.
But that combination was too improbable.
This was just yin wind covering the sun.
Unless Heaven itself decreed Qianhe's death today, it was impossible.
Relieved, he complied with Chamberlain Wu and resumed the journey.
"Something's wrong. Be careful," Kikyo warned quietly.
She was a shrine maiden trained to battle demons.
Her pure spiritual power, in the world of [Qing Kingdom Ghost Story], was practically the embodiment of yang energy.
Erza caught on a bit late,
but hearing someone as strong as Kikyo speak up, her face turned serious.
"Kikyo-nee, Erza-nee…"
Anya froze for a second, then whispered fearfully,
"I heard Daoist Qianhe thinking that the noble corpse in the coffin has turned into a zombie...
And if it breaks out, it'll eat us."
Anya came from a modern world—
where vampires, demons, and zombies were clichés in movies.
She'd seen all the horror flicks.
Just hearing "zombie" scared her half to death.
"Don't be afraid."
Kikyo gently soothed her.
Though she appeared aloof and divine, unlike most exorcists who looked down on the common folk,
she was compassionate.
Even if she couldn't blend into ordinary life,
she still sat quietly beside others, wearing a faint smile.
That was why she was respected.
Anya gradually relaxed under her calming presence.
Just then,
Qianhe turned his head, his sharp gaze landing on Anya.
"Little girl, reading others' thoughts at will is not polite."
His brows furrowed as he looked between Kikyo and Anya.
"Huh?"
Anya panicked and quickly covered her head like a pink-haired ostrich.
She didn't want to eavesdrop.
Her ability was passive—she couldn't control it.
"A Buddhist's Telepathy?"
Qianhe sensed a calm spiritual power from Kikyo—
definitely someone on the path of cultivation.
Erza's magic felt foreign—he couldn't quite sense it,
but he knew she wasn't normal either.
But Anya? No spiritual power.
Yet her mind-readings were sharp—an intrusion of thought.
"Young lady, your power is unusually pure.
You don't seem wicked, which is why I let you join this funeral procession."
His tone darkened.
"But please control your ward. We don't need unnecessary trouble."
Reading minds was considered a direct provocation among cultivators.
He only stayed calm because Anya was a child.
"You misunderstand, Daoist Qianhe. Anya's ability is innate and uncontrollable.
She means no harm."
Kikyo quickly explained.
Qianhe's expression shifted, then he approached,
gently placing his broad palm on Anya's forehead.
A soft wave of energy flowed.
"Anya feels... totally exposed!"
She said it without filter,
but the cooling sensation flowing through her felt refreshing.
Qianhe retracted his hand, eyes wide.
"Strange… it resembles an innate divine gift—but it's so weak."
Such talents were rare.
Perfect candidates for passing on Daoist legacies.
His own senior, Shijian, was born attuned to lightning.
Anya's gift was more like Buddhist telepathy or Daoist mind-reading.
But far weaker. Only useful for hearing surface thoughts.
What he didn't know was—
Anya came from another world.
Her universe, Spy x Family, was a magicless modern world.
Its world consciousness, desperate to ascend, force-evolved her mind-reading
and created a future-predicting dog as a last resort.
Anya wasn't born with a "true" spiritual root.
She was artificially awakened—thus, weaker.
But even so,
Qianhe was overjoyed.
He ruffled her pink hair and muttered,
"Good. Very good. Excellent…"
His four disciples knew the signs.
Their master was interested.
In the Daoist world,
training exorcists wasn't enough—you had to pass on your teachings.
And a girl like Anya was the perfect heir.
What Qianhe didn't realize was—
when he examined her with spiritual power, the Reincarnation Game detected his aura.
Kikyo and Erza were also stunned by what they saw:
[Daoist Qianhe Lv.40 (Gold)]: Maoshan General. Specializes in Daoist arts and martial arts.
Among the Four Heavenly Masters of Maoshan—
Senior Shijian was famed for lightning spells.
Four-Eyes excelled at divine summons.
Nine-Uncle mastered talismans and incantations.
But Qianhe?
He was the most well-rounded—and youngest.
A true general in exorcism, earning him the title "Maoshan General."
"Anya, would you like to become my disciple and join the Maoshan sect?"
The moment his words landed,
Anya's game interface chimed:
[Daoist Qianhe (Gold)] invites you to become a disciple of the Daoist sect. Accepting will initiate the quest [Personal Transmission: Daoism]. Upon completion, you will join the Dark Gold faction: [Daoist Sect].
Note 1: Completing the quest grants access to the [Daoist Shop] and [NPC Affection System].
Note 2: Spending affection unlocks that character's legacy.
Note 3: Upon completion, you will class change from "Taoist Acolyte" to rare class: [Maoshan Dao Child].
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