The Tale of the Ghost Eyes Chapter 55 The Secret of the Flying Zombie (1)

Master Liu called past the hulking snake, "Show yourself!"

The unseen figure began to laugh a low horrible chuckle that reverberated off the stone walls.

The low-pitched laughter lingered in my ears, diluting the confidence that once filled me. Even the massive snake seemed to be shaking in terror.

"You've been around for a hundred years!" I thought at the writhing snake, "Why are you scared?" It wasn't scared of Master Liu. The idea stabbed into my stomach like a frozen blade. Is this laughing monstrosity stronger than Master Liu?

My legs shook below me, but I couldn't seem to move. Every molecule in my body was screaming at me to run, but nothing happened.

When everything seemed to be falling apart and my vision started to speckle with white dots, I heard something that put the ground back below my feet. Master Liu gave out a low, derisive snort of laughter. It was as if that one sound took all of the power from the unseen figure. All at once I was here again, I was me, and I could withstand whatever was coming.

A shadow grew from the left side of the giant snake, a man shaped shadow. The sound of leather on stone slapped out as it walked.

Master Ge raised an eyebrow and called to Master Liu, "Liu Chunan, you told me that it was a ferocious flying zombie. Zombies don't go on casual strolls of mocking laughter! This is a 魃!" That Chinese word again, pronounced 'bah' sunk into my head.

Master Liu shook his head, "This is no demon, Master Ge. It's merely an over zealous zombie, reeking of decay and empowered beyond its means." He raised his voice, directing the taunt to meet the shadow as it rounded the large snake. "Perhaps its been enchanted by some fun loving Taoist?" Master Liu barked out laughter at his own jest.

The thing that appeared from behind the giant trembling snake had a pale sunken face and hollow blank eyes. It was adorned with a green tunic suit and shining leather shoes.

The connection was forming in my mind when Master Liu politely asked, "Are you the boy who followed his master into the living grave?"

The dead face fell into a look of despair and it said, "Master? Yes it is me, help me!" The first was a plea. "Help me!" The second was a scream. "Help me!" The third could only be described as a roar. It echoed off the walls and shook dust from the ceiling. The dead face curled into a smile.

"This body belonged to that boy, yes. How very clever of you. Now however, it's mine. I can use this boy's flesh to inhale all of the Yin air I need. One day I'll be able to return to my own glorious self. And then I'll be a complete 魃. More powerful than anything."

"A vessel?" Master Liu asked in disgust. "Are you the one who founded this Taoist temple?"

The demon uttered a laugh and named itself, "Yes! I am Gui Yuanzi, the host of Hou's Spirit Temple."

"Gui Yuanzi? The Taoist who brought ruin to northern China during the War of Jiangnan?" Master Ge's called out, his voice shaking in rage and awe.

Master Liu turned to Master Ge, "You know of him?"

Master Ge nodded. "There are legends in my circles. A story of the monster Gui Yuanzi in Hebei province. It is said that Gui Yuanzi was destroyed, but..."

Gui Yuanzi threw his gray face back and laughed, "You're so naive. Your ancestors begged to be immortal as I am! Your family, Lao Ge, brought me here and killed twenty-seven of my men! You don't come from a line of Taoists, yours is a family of murderers and hypocrites! "

Master Ge's face turned a deep red and he stuttered an angry cry. Master Liu cut him off, "You and yours are evil!" He spat, "Lao Ge's family rid the world of scum and locked you here to rot!"

Master Liu asked Master Ge, "Lao Ge, did you know about this place or Gui Yuanzi's imprisonment?"

Master Ge shook his head. "No, I've heard tales, but who could have known it was true!"

Gui Yuanzi touched the black snake's large head and said, "I can't believe that today is the day, I get revenge!" Before he was done speaking, Gui Yuanzi was hurtling towards Master Ge.

I let out a surprised scream and stepped back. Only a few meters behind him, I watched Master Ge raise his copper sword. He swung in what felt like slow motion and the blade shone a white blue as it connected with Gui Yuanzi's stomach.

A snake of fire danced around Gui Yuanzi's body and then exploded outwards. Master Ge shielded his eyes from the immense heat. The undead body flew back and landed on its feet by the massive snake. Gui Yuanzi opened his corpse mouth to shout at Master Ge. Inside the open mouth were two fang-like tusks that stuck out at odd angles.

"He's changing…" Master Ge gasped.

Master Liu called to Master Ge, "This is why he distracted us back in the corridor! The vessel is a zombie, it gets stronger at night!"

Gui Yuanzi raised a decaying hand and pointed to Master Liu. "Stay out of this whoever you are! You'll get yours after I get my revenge!"

Master Liu forced a smile and said, "You arrogant bastard. It doesn't matter who I am, all that matters is today is the day you die!"

Master Liu attacked first. His peach wood sword sank deep into Gui Yuanzi's undead chest. The dead man stumbled backwards, gaping at the sword growing from his body. He raised his eyes to Master Liu and then laughed. An undead hand reached up to slap the giant black snake. The snake responded at once, widening its jaws and lunging towards Master Liu.

Recognizing its imprisonment and trying not to hurt the snake spirit Master Liu dodged to the side. The snake darted past him and curled its head around, fangs bared. It turned its yellow eyes on Master Ge and lunged again. Master Ge, not considering the controlled spirit, raised his copper sword and brought it down on the snake's open maw.

The giant head let loose a pained shrieking hiss and whipped backwards. The copper sword had cut directly through the black scales and opened a long gash down the top of its head. With impossible speed it darted forward again, and smashed into Master Ge.

Master Ge turned his sword at the last moment and blocked the blow with the flat of his blade. He slid backwards, somehow maintaining his feet and stopped only when he hit the stone wall to the right of Zhou Tong and I.

"Lao Ge?" Master Liu called, his voice tinged with worry.

Master Ge grinned and came back with a deep rumbling confidence, "This spirit is too young to hurt me."

I turned to Zhou Tong, "Why is it helping him? It was on our side a moment ago!"

"Witchcraft?" Zhou Tong offered with a slight raise of his eyebrows.

"Can zombies use witchcraft?" I asked Zhou Tong.

"Theoretically, no... but..." He shrugged again. I opened my mouth to persist when Master Liu called to us. He was readying himself for another go with Gui Yuanzi. Master Ge was sauntering over from the wall, stretching his sword arm and grinning like her was fifty years younger.

"Zhou Tong, take Xiao Yong outside. It is going to be dangerous to be in here."

"Take care of yourselves!" Zhou Tong called after them.

Zhou Tong squeezed my hand in his and turned towards the door. Just as we started moving Gui Yuanzi shouted "It's not that easy to run from me!" and waved his hands. The bronze doors before us slammed shut. Zhou Tong gave a quick chirp of fear and we turned back around.

"Master Liu," Zhou Tong called, "It seems that we're in this together!"

Master Liu's voice came back in frustrated spurts that sounded chewed and spat out, "Take care of Xiao Yong! Lao Ge, you deal with the snake spirit, but don't hurt it! Gui Yuanzi is mine."

The room seemed to explode in a flurry of fighting.

Master Liu moved his hands in a Taoist rite and cast an amulet at Gui Yuanzi. The undead monster leapt easily to the side and avoided it. His leap loosened the peach wood sword, which landed on the ground and came to rest at Master Liu's feet. The amulet skittered across the floor, coming to rest on the bar of You Xiaoqing's cage.

Gui Yuanzi watched the amulet touch the iron bars and reeled back from the cage as if it were electrified. The loose mottled skin on his face came together in what must have been a scowl. "You sealed her spirit!" Gui Yuanzi screamed, "How dare you!"

Master Liu smiled. "I thought so. You need her soul to complete the process don't you?" Master Liu took a step forward, picking up and brandishing his sword. "You wanted her soul to darken and decay so you could use it to befoul your own body further! You'll never be a魃!" Master Liu screamed and rushed forward.

Master Ge continued to fight with the giant snake spirit. The copper sword in his hand flashed white with each parried blow of the long white fangs or heavy scaled head. After the third blow he began to bellow laughter and redirect the heavy snake into the stone wall in a macabre dance. The room shook each time it hit and soon the snake was bleeding heavily. Its movements slowed immeasurably.

Master Ge batted away another feeble strike of the large black head and shouted at Gui Yuanzi, "Why should I believe that my family were the ones who locked you away?"

Gui Yuanzi, jumping erratically to avoid Master Liu's strikes, replied with a small smile, "Because all men are weak and decadent! Those men wanted my secret to immortality! They robbed me, beat me, and sealed me in this forsaken tomb! But your kin, oh your ancestors were worse! They were slime! Cowards! Too weak to cope with the monsters they'd become! I watched your great grandfather beg for exemption and flee like a weakling! Evil enough to kill my people, but too small to own up to it!"

Master Liu interrupted him and called to Master Ge, "Come now, Lao Ge! You are not your ancestors! You are not the past! And now is not the time!" He thrust the peach wood sword at Gui Yuanzi, who dodged easily to the side.

Gui Yuanzi grinned at Master Liu with his hideous dead face. The fang-like tusks that grew within that smile were past an inch long now and would continue to grow.

As each moment passed, he was getting stronger.

Chapter end