Funeral Escort, Generous Rewards

"If the chief steward thinks I'm unsuitable, then please seek someone more capable."

Bai Yu turned and left without the slightest hesitation.

This matter was strange and dangerous. The less he involved himself, the better.

No matter how generous the reward, nothing was more important than safety.

If Uncle Jiu had not instructed him to come, he would not have wanted to come at all.

The moment Bai Yu left, Xiao Fu grew anxious.

"Chief Steward, all the renowned Yin-Yang Practitioners around Jiang City have been summoned away by the prefectural governor. Who knows when they'll be free?"

The chief steward thought for a moment and said,

"If that's the case, let this young lad take a look first. If he truly can't handle it, Xiao Fu, make a trip to neighboring Lan City and invite Master Ku."

Xiao Fu thought to himself that by the time Master Ku arrived, the yellow flowers would have gone cold.

He hurriedly stopped Bai Yu and said,

"Little brother, don't leave just yet. Take a look and see whether there's anything unusual with the feng shui. Don't worry, your reward definitely won't be lacking."

After some persuasion, Bai Yu found it hard to refuse.

After all, the Xiao Family was one of Jiang City's four great Aristocratic Clans. They were not people he could offend lightly, and he could not turn down this job.

Left with no choice, Bai Yu took out a compass and began investigating.

Over the past few months, Bai Yu had learned quite a bit about yin-yang arts and feng shui from Uncle Jiu.

He picked things up quickly, so checking feng shui was not a problem for him.

However, after investigating for a while, Bai Yu could not help frowning.

Xiao Fu hurriedly asked,

"Little brother, what did you find?"

Bai Yu said,

"That's precisely it—I found nothing. Your residence faces south with its back to the north, upright and harmonious, brimming with yang energy. It doesn't resemble a place plagued by demonic evil at all."

Hearing this, the chief steward snorted coldly.

"Your mouth's barely dry, yet you want to handle affairs. I knew this young brat was useless."

"If no demonic evil is causing trouble, then how did those guards die?"

"Xiao Fu, ride at full speed to Lan City."

Xiao Fu wore a bitter expression as he said,

"Chief Steward, Lan City is at least two or three hundred li from here. Not only would the journey there and back mean sleeping rough and eating in the wind, but more importantly, we can't afford the delay."

"If this continues, forget finding the demonic evil—even those dead guards will turn into Baleful Corpses."

The chief steward's face also showed difficulty upon hearing this. At last, he said,

"Young man, go conduct funeral rites for those guards first and disperse their Baleful Intent."

"Do it properly. We are a wealthy household, and your reward will not be small. But if you dare play tricks, be careful you don't bite off more than you can chew."

Bai Yu snorted inwardly. Everyone in the Xiao Family, from top to bottom, reeked of arrogance. It was thoroughly unpleasant.

However, the Xiao Family was powerful at present, so Bai Yu could not afford to lose his temper.

He followed Xiao Fu to a secluded courtyard.

Three corpses lay in the courtyard, each covered with white cloth.

Bai Yu lifted the white cloths and stepped forward to inspect them, his heart immediately jolting in alarm.

The three corpses all had their eyes wide open, their faces twisted as though they had witnessed some unspeakable terror.

Moreover, the corpses had not decayed. Some had begun growing fangs, some had sprouted long fingernails, and one had started growing white fur across its face.

Bai Yu sucked in a cold breath.

"They died with their eyes open, with fangs and sharp claws. These are signs that they're about to turn into Baleful Corpses."

The chief steward said disdainfully,

"We already know that. Can you give them a proper funeral or not?"

Bai Yu said unhurriedly,

"I can give it a try."

He took out the suona and began playing a tune.

Rows of messages surfaced in his mind.

Funeral target: Li Xingkui.

Identity: Xiao Family guard.

Cultivation: Fifth-Rank Martial Artist.

Funeral participation: 1%.

Ordinary reward: Vitality and blood +140, life experience +999.

Optional rewards: Three years of inner force, Strength +10, Flying Star Needle Technique, Poison Dragon Whip Technique, Seven Star Sword Technique.
...

Funeral target: Qiu Feilong.

...

Funeral target: Qian Sanliang.

...

Bai Yu glanced over them. All three were Fifth-Rank Martial Artists, and the rewards for conducting their funeral rites were exceptionally generous.

More importantly, through the Burial World Record, Bai Yu could view fragments of their lives before death.

The three had lived vastly different lives, yet they shared one thing in common.

Their vitality and blood had all been abundant, and they had all been on night watch before they died.

As Li Xingkui passed through the rear garden, he saw a young man in white admiring the moon. Just as he was about to step forward and pay his respects, a withered claw suddenly seized his throat.

Before dying, all he saw was the young man in white's smiling face suddenly twisting into a savage ghostly visage.

Qiu Feilong and Qian Sanliang had been the same. Both had seen the young man in white, then suddenly been attacked by a monster and killed on the spot.

Bai Yu could not help freezing.

The figure of that young man in white looked extremely familiar.

He remembered that when he had conducted funeral rites for Mangzi, the same young man in white had appeared in Mangzi's memories. Mangzi had died by his hand.

That was far too much of a coincidence.

Bai Yu only felt that he had been swept into some vortex, one that could grind him to dust if he was not careful.

His thoughts raced as he considered how to extricate himself.

Just then, the tune ended.

The chief steward looked impatient.

"Young man, can you actually do this or not? The three of them are about to become Baleful Corpses."

There was also some doubt in Xiao Fu's eyes as he looked at Bai Yu. He thought to himself,

"Daoist Lin Jiu said this kid had half his ability. Why does he seem completely useless now?"

"If he really can't do it, I'll be scolded along with him. They may even dock my wages."

Bai Yu's expression did not change in the slightest. He took several yellow talismans from his robes and affixed them around one corpse.

"Let the yellow talismans serve as the guide—expel evil and suppress Baleful Intent!"

Bai Yu chanted an incantation, then waved his hand. One yellow talisman ignited without wind.

At once, a puff of white qi emerged from the corpse's mouth. It was the lingering Baleful Intent trapped in its chest.

Bai Yu waved the Soul-Suppressing Banner again. The White Banner swayed, and the clump of Baleful Intent was directly scattered.

Bai Yu repeated the process, forcing out and clearing the Baleful Intent from the other two corpses one by one.

The temperature in the small courtyard immediately dropped by several degrees.

Delight appeared on Xiao Fu's face. It seemed this little brother truly had some skill.

The chief steward covered his nose with a handkerchief, and the way he looked at Bai Yu was no longer so full of needless faultfinding.

At that moment, Bai Yu picked up the suona and played a tune called the Soul-Calming Song.

"Whose ground lies beneath the wormwood's shade, gathering souls without regard for wise or fool?"

"How urgently the Ghost Earl presses them on; no life is allowed even the slightest delay."

"Have you not seen it? Heroes of ages past are all worn away, turned to earth beneath North Mang Mountain."

The soul-calming meaning within the song flowed gently, echoing through the small courtyard along with the suona's notes.

When the tune ended, the three corpses slowly closed their eyes.

Xiao Fu cried out in astonishment,

"They've closed their eyes! They've closed their eyes! This young master truly has two tricks up his sleeve. He looks to have at least eighty or ninety percent of Daoist Lin Jiu's skill."

The chief steward's expression changed as well. He rebuked Xiao Fu,

"What are you standing there for? Hurry and serve this young master some tea."

As he spoke, he turned back to Bai Yu with a beaming smile.

"We'll have to trouble you with the funeral rites, young master. With you here, we can rest easy."

Bai Yu said flatly,

"The funeral rites are easy enough, but these three corpses would be best cremated, lest some other accident occur."

The chief steward nodded repeatedly, saying everything would be done according to Young Master Bai's instructions.

Only then did Bai Yu let out a breath of relief. He stretched lazily, caught sight of a figure, and his expression changed drastically!