Taking Leave to Fight Gu: Without Me, Our Village Will Lose

"When are you finally coming back to drive corpses and fight with Gu? Because you haven't returned to the village in three years, our village lost eight oxen and countless chickens and ducks to the neighboring village. If we lose again this year, they'll come take them from your family."

"What have you been doing all this time? You don't answer WeChat messages or pick up the phone."

"The neighboring village has a Gu witch now. Your maternal uncle, second uncle, and third uncle have lost at corpse-driving and Gu battles for three years running."

"If you don't come back, our village will lose its reputation, and so will your family."

Xu Tailang was doing just fine as a livestreamer at a media company when the village chief suddenly bombarded him with messages. With no other choice, he submitted a leave request.

Dear Manager,

Our village in western Hunan will be holding a corpse-driving and Gu-fighting competition in late December. I need to take leave and go home to drive corpses and refine Gu. Without me, our village will lose.

Please approve my request.

Applicant: Xu Tailang

The female CEO stared at the leave request, baffled. "I asked you to livestream products, and you want to go home to drive corpses and fight with Gu!?"

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.