Gossip

Not caring is good, the less they care, the better...

Qin Yang lagged behind among the corpse collectors, blending in as inconspicuously as possible...

His complexion was slightly pale, as if he hadn't seen sunlight in ages, and he was somewhat gaunt. Coupled with his faint spiritual power fluctuations, he was undoubtedly the weakest of the bunch. None of the other corpse collectors paid him any attention...

The weakest among these corpse collectors was at least at Qi Nurturing Fourth Layer...

So, after Qin Yang fell behind, he became completely invisible.

Qin Yang narrowed his eyes slightly, staying at the back without a word. He had seen these corpse collectors before—he knew them, but they didn't know him now. Every time he helped someone resolve their troubles, he used disguise and bone-shrinking techniques to appear as a different person. Ever since he started cleaning up, the only one who had seen his true face, Big Dumb, had died a miserable death. Now, no one knew he was the infamous Ground Washing Master of West City...

Even Big Dumb had been unavoidable—they'd known each other since the early days, and there was no way to hide it. But now, this was perfect.

Qin Yang stayed at the back, playing the part of a nobody.

After walking for a while, another person joined the group, also a corpse collector. He was a pockmarked face at Qi Nurturing Fourth Layer, but unlike the usual silent types, he was quite talkative.

After greeting a few of the other corpse collectors, he spotted Qin Yang trailing behind. His eyes flickered, and he sidled up to Qin Yang, lowering his voice with a sly look.

"Hey, little brother, you new here?"

"I carried corpses for a few days during the plague last year, then quit..." Qin Yang casually made up an excuse.

Before he could finish, this guy, who looked like a thief even when he wasn't stealing, wore an expression of "I know the deal."

"Alright, no need to explain. I get it. I was a rookie once too. I know the mindset—pretend to be a veteran so you don't get bullied. Don't worry, I'm a warm-hearted guy. I won't mess with you. In this line of work, people avoid us, and we earn hard money. We gotta look out for each other, or we'll end up dead without knowing why. You know where we're headed this time?"

"No..." Qin Yang's heart stirred, but he put on a clueless face and cupped his hands toward the guy.

"I knew it. Newbies never know the rules or have good intel. That's normal. Only those who know the rules and have the scoop can make money. You know how much I'm getting this time?" The pockmarked face's eyes rolled as he secretly held up one hand. "This much."

"Impressive, big brother. I'm only getting this much." Qin Yang held up three fingers, then gestured with one finger toward the pockmarked face. "This is for you—a little tip."

"You've got potential. Generous!"

The pockmarked face beamed, slapping Qin Yang on the shoulder. "Let me tell you, this is a big job. Ten Thousand Eternity Commerce is footing the bill—they're rolling in cash. You think North City is the most prosperous just because the north gate leads to the Three Mountains? Wrong. It's because Ten Thousand Eternity Commerce is in North City. They've got everything, and the Green Forest City branch is just a small shop. Their influence is huge—some say even bigger than Boundless Dao Academy. Otherwise, why do you think those two inner disciples from Boundless Dao Academy didn't dare to fight back yesterday?"

The pockmarked face was getting carried away when he suddenly remembered the big shots were up ahead. He looked up and saw one of the servants glancing back at him with an expression that said, "You've got good taste," then tilted his chin, signaling him to keep going...

Seeing this, the guy got even more excited.

"Know where we're collecting corpses this time? Three Mountains Gang. Those bastards ate Evil King Gall and dared to pull a double-cross. A couple days ago, an inner disciple from Boundless Dao Academy—forgot his name, but they say he was a student of White-Faced Scholar Bai Yunfei—tried to steal something from Master Tong of Ten Thousand Eternity Commerce. You probably don't know Master Tong, right? He's a Talismaster for Ten Thousand Eternity Commerce, traveling through here and hired as a guest elder at a high price. Master Tong's skill is top-notch. That disciple tried to steal the chicken but lost the rice—he was no match for Master Tong. But Master Tong got ambushed and badly hurt, so those Three Mountains Gang bastards took advantage..."

"So what are we collecting corpses for?"

"You dumb? Ten Thousand Eternity Commerce is righteous. Remember the plague last year? They're worried it'll break out again, so they're having us clean up these bastards' bodies so they don't harm anyone else. When we get there, do your job well, don't talk too much, and learn from me. If we do a good job, we might even get to work for Ten Thousand Eternity Commerce. That'd be a jackpot..." The pockmarked face drifted off into his own fantasies, chuckling to himself...

Qin Yang let out a dry laugh and didn't respond.

But inwardly, he thought this guy was naive. If it were just corpse collection, would they pay hundreds of spirit stones per person? And hire this many collectors?

This time, it wasn't about cleaning up traces or scrubbing the scene—it was pure corpse collection. That was a completely different skill level from Qin Yang's "trouble-solving." He could shout on the street and get a dozen laborers for ten First Grade Spirit Stones to do this mindless work.

But Qin Yang couldn't say that. He kept silent, mulling it over. What was Ten Thousand Eternity Commerce really looking for? Why all this fuss?

Ten Thousand Eternity Commerce was dripping with wealth. Even a random servant could squeeze out three ounces of oil. They sold all kinds of good stuff—it was said they even directly traded "Dharma"-level techniques, and pills meant for Foundation Establishment cultivators to break through bottlenecks weren't even worthy of auction...

If they were this serious now, could it be some heavenly treasure?

As he was lost in thought, half an hour passed, and they arrived at the gates of Three Mountains Gang.

What met their eyes was a shattered gate. Inside, a pile of minced meat was splattered across the stone slabs. The air was thick with bloodlust, resentment, and Sha Qi that refused to dissipate, making the crowd of corpse collectors outside flinch.

They really were all dead...

The Three Mountains Gang had at least a hundred people, and now they were all dead inside. Just a glance through the gate showed over twenty corpses in the front yard alone. The inside was even worse...

"Alright, go in and collect the bodies," one of the servants called out in a shrill voice.

The corpse collectors exchanged glances. Then the pockmarked face shouted first, striding boldly into the yard.

While the others trembled with fear, Qin Yang knew the score. There wouldn't be any ghosts in there. If that thing was really that important, those double-crossing bastards from Three Mountains Gang wouldn't even have the chance to become ghosts...

The group surged into the yard. Some moved the bodies, others picked up limbs. Qin Yang pulled out his tools and started cleaning up Big Dumb's pile of minced meat...

That guy had died the worst—shattered into pieces, his skull split in two.

Qin Yang bagged Big Dumb's remains and tossed them in. By then, the others had mostly cleared the front yard. As he followed the crowd inside, he slipped a hand into the bag and activated a skill...

In an instant, a faint glow fell into his palm. Qin Yang saw a white halo surrounding it. Without a second thought, he turned and slapped it onto his forehead.

But immediately, his steps faltered slightly, and his face showed a hint of shock...

Huh, not a Skill Book?