Entering the Mortuary, Funeral Career Begins

Bai Yu breathed a sigh of relief, squeezed through the crowd, and cupped his hands in a bow to everyone around.

He bowed respectfully to Manager Wu and Daoist Lin Jiu.

Daoist Lin Jiu nodded without a word.

Everyone else was too busy trying to curry favor with Manager Wu, basically ignoring him completely.

Bai Yu's politeness had already made a good impression.

Daoist Lin Jiu took the initiative to ask:

"Young friend, what are your special skills?"

Bai Yu replied confidently:

"I am skilled at playing the Suona."

"I'd like to dedicate a 'Grand Funeral Procession' to everyone here."

He took a deep breath and began to play the Suona.

The Suona sounds, and parents are raised for nothing.

A song of heartbreak, where in the world can one find a kindred spirit?

The melodious sound of the Suona drowned out the noisy crowd.

The sorrowful tune evoked grief in everyone's hearts.

Some people's eyes turned red, unsure if they were thinking of their deceased parents or the beautiful women they had married.

When the song ended, the arena was silent, and everyone remained speechless for a long time.

Daoist Lin Jiu nodded repeatedly, sighing:

Sad but not wounded, nostalgic for the past, the suona's sound even carries a bit of a soul-soothing effect.

"This kid is born to do this."

He then asked:

"Young brother, I see your Blood Essence is abundant, have you practiced martial arts?"

Bai Yu nodded:

"Daoist has keen eyes, I have indeed practiced a few basic moves."

Martial artists have abundant Blood Essence, and experts can tell the approximate strength of others at a glance.

However, Bai Yu is different. He cultivates the Five Elements Fist, which consumes Blood Essence, so his Blood Essence is only slightly higher than that of ordinary people.

Others would only think that Bai Yu is an unranked martial artist, but they don't know that he is already at the second rank of the Tendon Forging Realm.

Daoist Lin Jiu nodded repeatedly:

"He has practiced martial arts, has sufficient Blood Essence, and is very confident and courageous."

"Most rare is that his Suona playing is almost perfect, already comparable to a master of funerals."

Manager Wu, who was standing next to him, had an idea.

He could tell that Daoist Lin Jiu greatly appreciated this Suona kid.

This kid is indeed very excellent and can be said to be the best candidate for a Mortuary handyman.

Even if they selected from all these hundreds of people, this Suona kid would most likely be chosen.

Since this is the case, why not give Lin Jiu some face?

He would also save himself the trouble of being out here in the wind and sun. Wouldn't it be more enjoyable to go to the Spring Breeze Pavilion to relax?

He said:

"Since Daoist Lin Jiu is very fond of him, then there is no need to choose anymore, let's take this Suona kid."

Bai Yu was overjoyed and cupped his hands in a bow to Manager Wu and Daoist Lin Jiu.

The others in the arena were extremely disappointed, and hundreds of people started to clamor.

Some, knowing that their strength was not as good as Bai Yu's, left dejectedly.

Others were shouting that it was unfair. They did not dare to question the four who had gotten in through connections, but only dared to be jealous of Bai Yu, who had entered based on his own ability.

And those who had originally planned to get in through connections resented Bai Yu, thinking that he had taken their spot.

Just as everyone was about to make a scene, Manager Wu slammed the table and shouted coldly:

"What are you shouting about? If you shout any louder, no one will have a place to bury your dead."

This sentence immediately stunned everyone in the arena.

Everyone reluctantly dispersed.

Manager Wu slowly got up and stretched:

"Daoist Lin, this kid is left to the Mortuary. I'm exhausted today, I have to go to the Spring Breeze Pavilion to relax."

With that, Manager Wu left with a few servants.

Daoist Lin Jiu instructed a handyman named Zhu Tong to help Bai Yu settle in.

This Zhu Tong, nicknamed "Know-It-All" Zhu, was very smooth and knew how to handle things.

After a few words, he became familiar with Bai Yu, addressing him as "brother," which reduced the stranger's sense of unfamiliarity.

"Brother Bai, take this identity plate and this set of handyman clothes. From now on, you're one of us at the Mortuary."

Bai Yu took the clothes and identity plate and said, "Thank you for leading the way, Brother Tong, but there's something I don't understand. Could you enlighten me?"

Zhu Tong said, "Just ask if there's anything you don't understand, Brother Bai."

Bai Yu asked, "Didn't they recruit five people this time? Where are the others besides me?"

Zhu Tong laughed, "You don't understand. They all have connections and don't do any work."

He mysteriously told Bai Yu, "Brother Bai, let me tell you, our Mortuary has more than fifty positions. Guess how many people are actually here?"

Bai Yu hesitated, "The Mortuary is so big, there must be at least thirty or forty people."

Zhu Tong shook his head, "You're still too young. The Mortuary is supposed to have fifty-six people, but only six are actually here, and one of them only cares about getting money."

"The others don't have to work. There's a saying: 'The manager doesn't manage, and the worker doesn't work.' The ones who are really busy are handymen like us."

Bai Yu was stunned.

This embezzlement was too outrageous; they only had a fraction of the supposed staff.

At that moment, Zhu Tong led Bai Yu to a hall and said, "This is where Wu De works and handles affairs. He's in charge of things like paying wages."

"Go find him to get a set of bedding and claim a room."

He pulled Bai Yu aside and whispered, "Wu the Pockmarked is nicknamed Wu the Unvirtuous, so be careful."

Bai Yu entered the hall and saw a pockmarked man who was also very fat, resembling a smaller version of Manager Wu.

He was lying on a rocking chair with his eyes half-closed.

On the table next to him, a pot of tea was brewing, and the aroma was strong.

Bai Yu vaguely remembered that this pockmarked Wu the Unvirtuous seemed to be the one who had been busy attending to Manager Wu.

Bai Yu stepped forward, cupped his fist in greeting, and said, "Officer Wu, I'm Bai Yu, the new handyman. I'm here to register and get a set of bedding."

Wu De slowly opened his eyes and glanced at Bai Yu.

He first picked up the small teapot next to him and took a sip before saying indifferently, "How unfortunate, we're out of bedding here. Go buy a few sets outside to tide you over."

"I'll issue you some when the higher-ups allocate more funds."

Zhu Tong said from the side, "Officer Wu, could you at least approve a room for Brother Bai so he can settle down?"

Wu De glared, "The rooms are all public property. How can I just assign them to someone?"

"If you occupy public property, can you bear the responsibility if the higher-ups blame us?"

Bai Yu understood immediately.

The job advertisement said that accommodation was included, but this Wu the Unvirtuous was going back on his word, wanting to squeeze out some benefits.

He took out a string of copper coins from his pocket and said with a smile, "Officer Wu, I came in a hurry and didn't bring any gifts. This little bit of money is for you to have a cup of tea."

Wu De weighed it in his hand, estimating it to be two or three hundred coins.

He then put on a smiling face, as if he had remembered something, "I just remembered, the higher-ups allocated twenty more sets of bedding a few days ago. They're in the storage room. Just pick one."

"Also, our Mortuary has many houses for receiving relatives and friends of the deceased. No one lives in them usually."

"Little Bai, go pick one in the 'Ren' courtyard. This is also to make your work more convenient."

With Wu the Unvirtuous's approval, Bai Yu finally settled down.

He chose a relatively secluded courtyard to facilitate his martial arts practice in the future.

That night, Bai Yu looked at the moon outside the window and said to Little Black, "Little Black, the Grand Funeral Procession will start tomorrow. Our happy life is about to begin."