Lu Xiang's Corpse

Throughout this day, the Corpse Buriers, still feeling the aches and pains, appeared anxious and uncertain, their attention drifting from their work from time to time.

Will the Spirit Stones hidden at home be stolen? Will they be discovered?

This was their current main concern.

They had never been this wealthy before, and their hearts felt truly unsettled!

Du En watched them, shaking his head inwardly.

Fortunately, there weren't many bodies today, and no Monstrous Corpses or rotten corpses, otherwise, they might have lost one or two people right after getting rich.

Time quickly passed until evening.

As soon as they finished burying the bodies, they felt a jolt and just wanted to go back quickly.

Rumble~

The sound of the Corpse Transporter's cart suddenly echoed.

"Holy crap! We've been discovered!?"

Everyone was shocked, their nerves tensing up again, completely on edge.

"Calm down."

Du En spoke.

"I'll go take a look."

As he said this, he walked out.

Watching his composed and steady back, the others' hearts finally settled.

A bovine head then emerged from the small path.

A Green-skinned Water Buffalo, pulling a cart, drove straight into the Corpse Burying Wasteland.

This situation made Du En's brow twitch, and the other Corpse Buriers were also a bit surprised.

They knew that Corpse Transporters generally avoided this wasteland unless absolutely necessary.

Even though the wasteland held no danger during the day or at dusk, they still acted with great hesitation!

This was naturally because among the Corpse Transporters, there were those with true seniority, and their teachings had led to this behavior.

It was a world of difference compared to the Corpse Buriers, whose average tenure was often less than a year!

"So, what kind of body is this urgent delivery?"

Only one person, one buffalo, one cart, and one corpse had arrived.

On the cart was a corpse, specially wrapped in a bag.

The Corpse Transporter was someone they knew, Xu Ran.

He was very nervous, sweating profusely, but his mouth, nose, and head were all wrapped as tightly as the Corpse Buriers.

No matter how you looked at it, one conclusion could be drawn.

This corpse was sinister!

Du En's gaze grew serious.

Xu Ran hesitated and sighed, saying, "Du En, I know this is asking a lot, especially since you're injured, but there's no other way. The higher-ups instructed that you must bury it, and not too many people should be involved."

Was this Steward He Bo's targeting?

Perhaps a little, probably done incidentally.

"Mm, I understand. You guys go back first. I'll bury this body and then return."

Du En said crisply. The others exchanged glances. Seeing his continued calm, and with Xu Ran watching, they finally just told him to be careful before turning back.

They weren't in a hurry to check on their Spirit Stones; their hearts were now filled with worry for Du En.

Watching their clearly exhausted figures, Xu Ran breathed a sigh of relief and then lamented, "You guys have it tough too, dealing with so many things with so few people... Alright, enough talk. Let's hurry and dig the grave; it's getting dark."

Watching the sun slowly set, he stood in the wasteland, looking exceptionally nervous.

Du En had already started shoveling earth nearby to dig a pit, asking casually, "Aren't you leaving?"

"I wish I could, but this Corpse Bag is a Magic Tool. I can't bury it with the bag. I have to take it back to the Foreman later," Xu Ran sighed.

Then, looking at the sky, he didn't say more, picked up a spare shovel left nearby, and joined the digging.

After a short while.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

"Holy crap! Why does this Yin Evil black mist stink so bad?!"

He was used to the smell of corpses, so he originally thought this legendary Yin Evil black mist would be nothing special. But upon actually smelling it, he immediately cried out that he couldn't handle it.

Du En gave him some pointers, telling him not to inhale it directly.

The two then worked together, digging the pit before nightfall.

Together, they used shovels to lift the corpse bag and place it into the pit.

"Step back... release!"

Xu Ran formed a hand seal and circulated his magic power, which shot out and landed on the corpse bag.

It unsealed itself without wind, shrinking and pulling away before quickly floating back into his hand.

At the same time, a wave of fragrance assailed their nostrils, overpowering the stench that permeated the surroundings and penetrating the thick clothes soaked with sweat and grime.

Fragrant!

So fragrant!

It was like a huge plate of stir-fried chicken!

Upon closer inspection, what lay in the pit was a pile of stir-fried meat.

Stir-fried human flesh, incredibly fragrant!

It directly stirred the gluttony within people's hearts, causing their appetites to erupt. Yet, just as they were about to indulge, a sudden realization would strike: these were cooked and stir-fried remains of their own kind!

Even knowing this, their appetites remained voracious, beyond their control!

"Ugh..."

Xu Ran struggled to resist the bizarre situation, but he couldn't help it. He vomited through the cloth, simultaneously dropping his shovel and rapidly retreating, fleeing without looking back.

Du En understood. He raised his shovel and patted the green-skinned water buffalo standing by, looking extremely agitated.

As if granted a great pardon, it immediately pulled the cart and chased after Xu Ran.

The sound of the cart wheels faded, and the surroundings became deep and silent.

The strange owls were also withdrawing, and the grey jackals were fleeing.

The western sun slowly sank, and the deep night curtain gradually unfurled.

This desolate burial ground seemed to have undergone some change.

Du En's eyes were calm as he filled the pit, shovel-full by shovel-full.

When the sun had completely set, he patted the soil with his shovel, completing the burial.

His heart was heavy.

Not because of the stir-fried corpse's strangeness, but because the body belonged to Lu Xiang!

"There are indeed problems! So, is this aimed at me? Or is it a probing warning? Or perhaps, a mere coincidence..."

Regardless, the evil cultivators lurking in the shadows had become somewhat rampant recently.

One must be strong to face adversity!

With the enemy hidden and their intentions difficult to fathom, he could not afford to panic now. The only thing he could do was to strengthen himself as much as possible, to respond to all changes with constancy.

Carrying two shovels, Du En calmly left the desolate area.

In the darkness of the night, the desolate ground, as he looked back, was as black as death, utterly silent.

The surrounding animals had long since departed, as if following the footsteps of the last living creature to leave, Du En's own. Their movement had halted, expanding outwards.

Until a certain boundary.

In the surrounding forests, insects chirped and beasts roamed, and everything returned to normal.

Du En withdrew his gaze and changed direction.

He still had to hunt a great owl.

When he employed his usual tactic again, carrying the captured great owl and swaggering away under the watchful eyes of a flock of strange owls, the night was already quite deep.

Returning to the small courtyard under the starlit sky, everyone else, except for Ning Caize, had succumbed to exhaustion and fallen asleep, dreaming of counting spirit stones.

"You've really gotten addicted to eating strange owls." Ning Caize wanted to lighten the mood and spoke with feigned emotion, but his brows were still furrowed in worry. Finally, he got straight to the point, "So, what exactly happened?"

Du En busied himself as usual, answering casually, "The tricks of evil cultivators, and the body was Lu Xiang."

Upon hearing this, Ning Caize's eyes narrowed.

"Are you sure?"

Although he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, just from the way the corpse bag was packed, the experienced Ning Caize could already infer what kind of mess was inside.

"Yes, the last time he came, I noticed he was missing a small piece from the little finger of one hand, which must have been cut off recently. The other hand's finger was filled with dirt, staining the nail root black, likely a habit from years of labor."

"I see, then it must have been him."

Ning Caize also recalled these two characteristics. Though vague, they matched.

He wasn't happy, but rather worried that his fears had come true!

"This morning, when someone else came to collect protection fees instead of Lu Xiang, I suspected he might already be dead. But I haven't seen his body yesterday or today... Targeting Lu Xiang specifically, could it involve us?"

Du En merely shook his head slightly at this. "Old Ning, don't overthink it. After all, thinking about it won't change anything."

"..."

Hearing such blunt words, Ning Caize fell silent.

Sometimes, bluntness is the most hurtful.

Because that's truly the case. Even if he, prematurely aged and worn out, racked his brain, if he truly encountered an Evil Cultivator, he would only have death awaiting him.

What nonsense are you spouting, telling the plain truth!

He smacked his lips, Ning Caize finding it utterly uninteresting. Shaking his head, he got up and went to sleep.

Meanwhile, Du En continued his nightly routine.

Seeking readership! Seeking collections!