Chapter 69: Burning

The craoca ran slowly. At night, one didn't know where a tree lay in this winding pathway. Darkness hugged us and we honestly couldn't know if we had come back to the same place again. Most possibly not, we could see the horses and camels…

''No! They have also become zombies!''

I knew just by listening to these animals. Horses didn't growl like lions. They neighed, they grunted, but this noise wasn't something a herbivore would ever make.

''What do we do? Turn back?'' Ling'er nudged me from behind.

''No, there are bags at their back. We should distract the other horses and camels first and then target them. Most have already wandered off,'' I said and got down.

Although these animals were strong, they were not practitioners with tempered bodies. Even after being infected, they couldn't compare to any Body Tempering practitioner rank 3 or above. Now if our craoca had become a zombie, then even I couldn't have done anything.

I unsheathed my sword and cut the ropes that tied the bags to the back of the horses. The bloodied horses tried charging at me but I dodged them. I could easily decapitate them but cutting one would bring another and I wanted to save my energy.

My sister and the two girls searched for any water bottle in the bags that fell from the backs of the animals. Camels were slower to react than the horses. About three minutes passed and Chunu suddenly informed me that human zombies were coming here after listening to the sounds of the animals growling.

I stomped the ground with my right foot and dodged the attack of a camel. Coming beside Linge'er, I told her to keep the matchsticks ready. Feng Yi and Chunu also hoarded any food they could find.

The lamp had a small fire that still kept our surroundings lit. I took out the bottle of crude oil which I had found by searching in our bags. I had kept it in case we needed to light a bonfire on a windy day.

''Give me your shawl,'' I said to Ling'er. ''And go gather some dried up leaves… no, wait. Lets just light up that tree instead.'' I pointed behind us.

''You are really going to burn this forest?''

''If we can break this formation, then why not?''

An environmental activist from earth would probably try to sue me after hearing what I said. Burning down such a huge forest would have adverse effects on the animals and plants living in this region. When the first month of rising (spring) came, there wouldn't be any new buds but ashes instead. I care not what hell the coming travelers would face after this. As long as I was safe, others could just die or live, I didn't care.

''Quick!'' Feng Yi and Chunu had already mounted the beast. How easy it was to hurry us while they comfortably waited… Well, they had already finished packing up whatever could be useful to us.

I stabbed one of the horses in its eye and threw a dagger so that it would get distracted by that. Me and Ling'er then approached the tall tree behind us. In this darkness, it seemed like a terrifying monster standing before us.

I scratched the matchstick on a special stone. However, I was too tense and used up too much energy, snapping the stick in half instead of lighting it up.

''Let me do it.''

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Ling'er snatched the matchsticks and the stone from my hands, while I took the shawl from her neck without a word. I had lost mine during the short battle with the human zombies earlier.

I then told Feng Yi to pass me the lamp. I hung the shawl by my hands and carefully looked at in which direction the wind was blowing it.

''South. Ling'er, light up the tree's right branch!''

''Okay!''

Lingling poured the crude oil on the tree's branches. It was so dry that it could just burn with a little fire. However, we had to be sure.

The fire immediately roared to life after Ling'er threw the lit matchstick on it's trunk. First the right branch, then the left and their twigs, remaining leaves, all started burning. One by one, the trees to the southern side caught fire.

The wind changed directions as me and Ling'er ran for the mount. A light so bright appeared on our visions, temporarily blinding us as we had been accustomed to the night's darkness.

One of the bags slipped down and I scolded Feng Yi for not tying them. Lingling picked that up. There was dry meat, cereal and water bottles. Not much was left and most horses and camels had already wandered off. I was a little worried, would this last for ten days?

''Look, the zombies are running away from the fire!'' said Feng Yi. Chunu and I weren't surprised. Yang would of course neutralize Yin, and these zombies felt fear because they didn't want to be neutralized.

I pulled on the craoca's furs and it started running. Ling'er tightly held onto my waist as Feng Yi reported that the lamplight was about to die. I didn't care if it died or not now. There was a greater light for us.

Trees caught fire to our left and right. Zombies cried, their bodies burning from which black miasma leaked as they turned into ashes.

One of the trees fell right ahead on our pathway and the craoca turned left. Now there was finally another trail to follow. Previously there was only one winding way. No matter which direction we had gone, we always came to the same pathway but not this time.

Suddenly, Hao Gosai appeared ahead of us. He didn't cry nor did he put on that lost act. Gone was the pitiful attitude which was replaced by utter shock. He shouted but we didn't stop for him.

''What have you done?! You insane maniacs, you are killing me!'' His voice contained bitter hatred.

I finally realized what Hao Gosai was, a formation spirit. This Yin formation had been in this place for so long that it had given birth to a sentient and even somewhat intelligent spirit.

There must have been a treasure hunter named Hao Gosai who came to this forest when the spirit was still forming. After dying due to thirst for water, the spirit could've taken his form and last wishes. To drink water, to find his lost friends, and to warn others of this place.

According to the dead Hanai merchants, there hadn't been such a problem in earlier journeys. That meant the spirit had only recently awakened and the Yin formation itself was dormant till this year. So there was a cause to this. Something or someone had made the formation active.

I didn't know if my guesses were correct.. These thoughts remained in my tired mind as we rode the beast amidst this fire, amidst the crying voices.

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