Through the Forest, Across the Graves

In addition to the corpse laborers, Cui Family Mill also employed a number of living servants to handle miscellaneous tasks and maintain the workshop's daily operations.

These individuals all hailed from the Cui family lineage in Linhe Fang, and even the few outsiders were indebted to the Cui clan, fostering a strong sense of belonging.

Upon hearing that Courtyard B had an incident, a group of people gathered at the courtyard gate, their scrutinizing gazes fixed on the arriving corpse driver.

Crowds could create an imposing aura, and the clan's strength stemmed precisely from this unity.

A powerful dragon couldn't suppress a local snake; given the current situation, if the corpse driver dared to deceive them in the slightest, he would undoubtedly face considerable trouble!

Upon arriving at Courtyard B and seeing the corpses neatly arranged in a row, Liu Youdao, clad in a dark blue satin daoist robe, immediately frowned.

"Finally, we've managed to invite Mr. Liu!" Steward Cui greeted him with a smile.

After inquiring about breakfast and exchanging pleasantries, Steward Cui got straight to the point.

"These are all new goods purchased from you, sir. Now that there's a problem for no apparent reason, we request you provide an explanation."

"Of course, it's not that we at Cui Family Mill are trying to make things difficult for you, sir, but it's a small business, and we can't afford such losses."

Liu Youdao was around fifty years old, tall and gaunt, with a pair of cloudy eyes that held the peculiar sinister glint of an old fox.

His gaze swept over the zombies in Courtyard B. Without a word, Liu Youdao removed the corpse-controlling bell from his waist and began to ring it while chanting an incantation.

"Old sparrow transforms into toad, commanding nine corpses, earth-bound bodies, heed my command, manifest swiftly, reveal your might."

The old daoist first used the large Soul-Snatching Bell, chanting the General Toad Corpse-Driving Incantation.

"Rise!"

The Soul-Snatching Bell swayed unceasingly. When Liu Youdao uttered the command, the rhythmic ringing of the bell abruptly stopped.

The courtyard was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The striking zombies remained lying on the ground, showing no reaction whatsoever.

Liu Youdao finally showed a flicker of emotion. His voice was hoarse, as if he had swallowed a mouthful of iron filings, and he spoke, "Someone has broken my spell. This is not my fault; it's due to your lack of proper care."

Upon hearing this, Steward Cui's expression visibly darkened.

This daoist Liu claimed to be a corpse driver from Xiangyin, and his background was rather murky. When they initially sought him out to purchase corpse laborers, they wouldn't have proceeded with the deal if his price hadn't been significantly lower than other corpse dealers.

They had hoped to save on the brokers' commissions by securing a direct supply source. However, they hadn't anticipated such quality issues with the new supply in such a short period, and the other party's words carried an implication of no responsibility once the sale was made.

The Cui clan had been doing business in this area of Linhe Fang for so long, and they had never been treated so poorly.

Steward Cui immediately became displeased and spoke directly:

"All the walking corpses in this courtyard were purchased from you. The walking corpses in the other courtyards have no issues whatsoever. Before cooperating with you, sir, our Cui Family Mill had never encountered such a problem!"

"Don't think we're easy to fool, sir!"

As soon as he finished speaking, over a dozen guards and household servants rushed into Courtyard B. Their demeanor suggested they were ready to flip the table if words failed them!

Liu Youdao's slightly hunched back slowly straightened. After surveying the scene, he finally lowered his eyelids.

"I've been driving corpses since I was twelve. Yin channels, earth-tapping, funerals, all sorts of matters – what is there I don't know? You say your business has never gone wrong; does that mean I've never made a mistake in all these decades?"

Liu Youdao muttered to himself as he walked, his steps unhurried, stopping before a stiffly upright corpse. He looked at the lapel that Steward Cui had previously opened.

On the corpse's chest, the vermilion Walking Corpse Talisman bore the inscription 'Imperial Edict: Sun, Moon, Spirit-Piercing Feathers.' Below the inscription were various carved lines etched with a knife.

He carefully adjusted the corpse's lapel, then straightened up and turned to face the crowd.

"However, the Cui family's manager is correct. After all, even the most skilled can err, and even the fastest horse can stumble. Perhaps this time, I was the one who messed up." Liu Youdao sighed:

"If the goods are problematic, it's due to my lack of skill. I admit to this matter."

Steward Cui's expression softened slightly upon hearing this. He smiled and said, "Even if the business fails, friendship remains. Our Cui family has been in business for many years and has made many friends in the Jianghu. Although there's an issue with these goods, we won't truly hold it against you, sir."

"As for these defective goods, you can refund ninety percent. I can agree to keep the remaining part, and as long as there are no further problems in the future, we'll continue to use them for now."

Liu Youdao waved his hand, his tone casual, "I wouldn't dare keep these defective goods. Damaging my reputation is a minor matter, but harming your business would be a grave sin."

As if not understanding the corpse driver's implied meaning, Steward Cui chuckled and readily agreed.

As for whether to offend this old gentleman or not…

Steward Cui genuinely didn't fear him!

When it came to the tricks of the Yinmen trade, the Cui family was a leading expert in Linhe Fang.

However, even within the Yinmen profession, there was a distinct hierarchy.

Practices like corpse driving, funeral escorting, and dealing with the deceased were considered low-class, and Steward Cui looked down on them from the bottom of his heart!

Xu Qing, hidden among the corpse laborers, watched the commotion in the courtyard, daring not to move.

He wasn't sure if it was due to the purification of the Duren Sutra, but the Still Corpse Talisman stuck to his forehead seemed to have no effect on him.

He could sense this from his movable toes and his buttocks muscles, which could be tensed and relaxed.

Once Steward Cui and Liu Youdao had settled their dispute, the zombies in the courtyard were once again returned to the corpse driver's care.

Steward Cui, at least, didn't push things to the extreme. He called for the cart drivers and had them load all the zombies from Courtyard B, whether they were mobile or not, onto a cart. Then, he pulled a piece of coarse cloth over them.

Xu Qing lay amidst a pile of corpses, unsure of what to do.

As the cart wheels creaked, he looked outside through the gaps in the coarse cloth.

The bluestone-paved street already had pedestrians. The hawkers and peddlers, who woke earlier than roosters, began their calls, and the street, which had been silent all night, instantly came alive.

The aroma of steamed buns and dumplings filled the air, accompanied by the unique fragrance of hot, fresh tofu.

A soy milk vendor, using a bamboo ladle, scooped the milky liquid. It flowed through the air like a smooth, white ribbon before landing in a bowl.

Peeking through a gap, Xu Qing watched the bustling scene outside. Perhaps the raw ingredients for the soy milk were what he had helped grind two days ago. Perhaps the flour for the buns and dumplings also owed something to his efforts.

The corpse-carrying cart rumbled down the street, thick with the scent of city life. Following behind the carriage, Liu Youdao felt none of the liveliness.

He only found it noisy.

The dead were so much quieter.

Recalling the events at the Cui Family Mill that morning, Liu Youdao felt increasingly stifled.

While he might not have been a prominent figure in the Yinmen trade, back in Xiangyin, when he was a corpse driver, who wouldn't show him respect?

Who would have thought that upon arriving in Linhe, he'd be so thoroughly suppressed by a group of local thugs!

Others might not know, but he understood perfectly! The corpse laborers he refined could last not just three to five years, but ten or even twenty years with proper use, without any damage.

The people at the Cui Family Mill were clearly bullying him, an outsider.

"Hmph—spit!"

Liu Youdao spat out a glob of phlegm, feeling that the local merchant guild was utterly impolite.

Ultimately, this matter was simply a case of one side feeling outsiders were unreliable, and the other side feeling locals were dishonorable. If not for these prejudices, if everyone calmly sought the root of the problem and discussed what happened this morning, perhaps they could have followed the clues to find the 'flaw' hidden within the corpse laborers.

In front of a bun shop, Zhao Zhonghe, the constable who had pursued the naked youth last night, was having his breakfast.

Several constables followed behind him, chatting idly.

As the carriage carrying zombies passed by, Zhao Zhonghe glanced at it subconsciously before looking away, continuing to bite into his bun.

Behind the carriage, Liu Youdao's lips moved in a silent murmur, his wide sleeves trembling slightly.

This was the Dog Mute Curse from the corpse-driving techniques. Combined with certain powders, it could mask the corpse stench from others and also seal the zombie's seven orifices, making them appear like stone or wood carvings.

After passing through several crowded streets, Liu Youdao followed the carriage to a shop front on Jingxia Street.

This was a shop he had purchased. Previously, it had been a coffin shop. He had found the location's feng shui to be quite good, so he had used his accumulated gold and silver to buy both the shop and the courtyard behind it, planning to start a small business and live out his retirement here.

However, before his business could even get started, he encountered this troublesome affair today.

Liu Youdao unloaded the goods returned by the Cui Family. The driver who came with him didn't look back, driving the empty horse-drawn carriage back to the mill.

"Bad luck!"

Closing the shop door and looking at the pile of corpses covered by burlap, Liu Youdao cursed inwardly.

Compared to them, the people in Xiangyin were honest and straightforward. Not like the people in Linhe, each one as sharp and cunning as a ghost!

Beneath the burlap, Xu Qing couldn't see what the corpse driver was doing in the shop, only occasionally hearing sounds of spitting curses, and the drilling and chiseling noises as bamboo and wood were being worked.

He held his breath. Ordinary zombies encountering a corpse driver were like mice meeting a cat, and Liu Youdao was like an experienced old cat. If he detected anything unusual, the consequences would be unpredictable.

Xu Qing had never felt time pass so slowly. It wasn't until evening, when people's spirits were most relaxed, that the burlap covering him was suddenly lifted by a withered hand!

Fine dust swirled, and Xu Qing's nerves tensed instantly, like a recoiling bowstring.

"The sun has set, my friends. Eat your fill so you have the energy to accompany this old man to the Yi Zhuang," Liu Youdao's voice was surprisingly gentle and calm, as if speaking to an old friend, or perhaps training his pet cat or dog.

Beside Xu Qing, the zombies he hadn't yet helped pass on slowly straightened their upper bodies, their nostrils flaring.

He imitated them, straightening up, and saw Liu Youdao holding a handful of Yellow Incense. The thick white smoke, like the mist exhaled from an ox's nose in the dead of winter, emitted an alluring fragrance.

There were currently seven living corpses in the shop. Liu Youdao, from right to left, had the seated corpses inhale the Spirit Incense.

Xu Qing, glancing sideways, saw that the zombies who had inhaled the Spirit Incense had their chests swell noticeably, as if they had consumed protein powder and worked out for a whole year.

Soon, Liu Youdao approached him with the incense.

Xu Qing, already drawn by the strange aroma, now, to avoid suspicion, did as he saw, taking a deep, "epic" inhale.

"Look how hungry they've made you. These profiteering merchants who only act when there's a benefit should be cursed with childlessness!"

Liu Youdao cursed, then put away the Spirit Incense and began to shake the Soul-Snatching Bell.

Guided by the bell, the seven zombies lifted a stretcher bound by bamboo poles, their movements as synchronized as if they had been rehearsed, stepping in unison.

Xu Qing was at the rear end of the stretcher. On the stretcher were the bodies he had previously helped pass on.

There was an old beggar, a lovesick scholar, and some beggars who had roamed the prefectural city.

Liu Youdao went to the shop door, opened it a crack, and looked outside. Seeing that it was dark and the pedestrians on the road were not paying attention, he changed out of his satin daoist robe from the day and put on his corpse-driving attire.

Grass-straw shoes on his feet, a blue cloth robe on his body, and a blue cloth hat on his head. A black sash was tied around his waist.

This was the distinctive attire of a corpse driver. If they encountered any Yinmen disciples while traveling at night, seeing this attire would prevent them from deliberately causing trouble.

After all, those who worked as corpse drivers were notoriously poor within the industry circles.

So poor that even ghosts would find them shabby!

Traveling with corpses at night was a rule.

Liu Youdao packed his gear, changed his corpse-driving bell, and led a group of the undead towards the Yi Zhuang.

Leaving Jingxia Street, they turned at the vegetable market intersection, the group deliberately choosing paths with less light and shadow.

Xu Qing followed at the very end, not daring to consider leaving the procession. Although the corpse driver was at the front, who could know if he had a third eye growing on the back of his head?

After walking about five or six li, the bluestone path underfoot began to turn into a dirt road.

Another dozen li later, Liu Youdao suddenly took a different path, turning off the flat, open official road into the adjacent woods.

Listening to the rustling of leaves in the wind and the calls of unknown night birds in the distance, Xu Qing felt a chill down his spine, as if countless eyes were watching them.

Passing through a patch of forest, the outlines of graves with a flickering green light appeared before them.

Xu Qing suddenly felt a sense of admiration for the corpse driver leading the way.

Setting aside the fact that ordinary people would never dare to walk through forests and graveyards at night, simply leading a group of dead bodies behind him was beyond ordinary courage.

As Xu Qing's thoughts wandered, the chaotic graveyard they had just passed suddenly made rustling sounds, like mice, or like a few young children hiding in the woods playing.

The sharp, tender voices were initially indistinct, but after a few breaths, they became clearer, as if echoing right by his ears.

Xu Qing's neck went cold; that thing seemed to be coming closer!

He didn't dare to look down, only feeling something crawling from behind his heels up his back, then to his shoulders, and finally to the top of his head.

Xu Qing cried out in his heart, wishing more than ever that Liu Youdao would turn around and look!

Fortunately, the unknown creature on his head didn't stay long before jumping off, seemingly just looking for a free ride.

As the sky grew darker, Liu Youdao, at the front of the group, produced an incense burner from somewhere and lit it with a fire starter. Instantly, wisps of hazy smoke drifted past the sides of the procession, like two thin silk ribbons, protecting everyone within.

In a daze, Xu Qing felt the ground beneath his feet become airy, each step feeling like he was treading on clouds, covering three meters with each floaty stride.

Looking at Liu Youdao again, the old man was no longer leading the way. He sat in front of the stretcher, holding the incense burner in one hand and the corpse-driving bell in the other, ringing the bell with a peculiar rhythm.

At this moment, they were like clouds drifting through the mountains, like a gentle breeze moving through the forest. In the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, they had crossed the mountains and forests and arrived on an unfamiliar dirt road.