Extreme Joy Turns to Sorrow

New Year's Eve.

Ning Caize's extreme joy turning to sorrow continued to take effect.

The number of bodies they needed to bury today had already started to decrease, and the weather was also quite good, clear and bright, but not too hot or humid.

Perhaps because of this, the corpse buriers who had been toiling for days felt a sense of relief. Coupled with the matter concerning Zhang Lin, it truly uplifted Ning Caize's spirits, causing him to become a bit careless in his work as they were finishing up.

Following the rules, it was time for the last body.

It was a corpse that looked like it had been pulled from a mud pit, covered all over in mud. Because of this, the corpse transporters had placed it on a separate cart and brought it last.

Having been exposed to the sun all day, the layer of mud had long since dried. Even the body, which had originally been bloated, had deflated due to moisture loss.

Overall, it looked like a beggar's chicken that had been dug up and left to cool.

Ning Caize, with a somewhat lighthearted attitude, lifted it with his shoulder. As he placed it into the pit, he didn't notice that the mud casing around the body had cracked.

Crack~

This faint sound immediately caught Du En's attention.

However, he was now several yards away. As he suddenly looked up and twisted his head, he only saw the mud casing on the corpse's abdomen. During the process of lifting, the sides had borne pressure while the middle was soft and empty, causing it to crack and slightly cave in.

Pfft~

Muddy water immediately spurted out from its mouth.

Due to his carelessness, Ning Caize didn't notice in time and didn't fully dodge. Even though he tried his best to evade now, he was still hit on his side.

It felt like being touched by an unmelting block of ice; a cold, numb sensation quickly spread, seeping through his clothes into his skin and spreading rapidly.

Even though he had already channeled his Magic Power to resist, how could his meager Magic Power, cultivated for just over a year and still considered Beginner's Practice, possibly withstand it?

Like a fragile clay pot, it was vulnerable and easily broken.

Thus, Ning Caize froze in place. From the outside, it looked like he had only gotten a little mud on him, making it difficult to judge the severity of the situation. The person working with him hadn't reacted yet.

It wasn't until Du En suddenly appeared in his field of vision that he jolted in surprise.

Riiip~

Du En used his shovel to precisely cut into the gap between Ning Caize's clothes and skin, pulling outwards to tear the clothes open, and casually tossed them into the pit.

"Continue burying."

"Ah, okay, okay."

The corpse burier, hearing the instruction, was still a bit dazed and mechanically began to bury the body.

Du En, meanwhile, had already raised his hand and pressed it onto the area on Ning Caize that had been hit and was now rapidly turning purple. He used his Magic Power, which had achieved a Minor Accomplishment, to dispel the strange, watery, yin-cold malevolence.

A moment later, it was mostly dispelled.

However, a portion had already deeply infiltrated the internal organs and meridians, nearly reaching the Dantian and the sea of Qi. It appeared very stubborn, and his externally applied Magic Power couldn't meticulously remove it in a short period.

Looking at Ning Caize again, he had already lost consciousness.

Du En thought for a moment and then spoke to the others who had finished their work and were gathering around with worried expressions: "Go find some medicinal herbs around here. They need to be grown in a place that gets complete sun. Find ginseng that's over seventy years old, Eucommia bark that's over fifty years old, and Aconite root that's at least thirty years old."

Upon hearing this, the three immediately scattered, each going to find one type of herb, in a frantic rush.

After all, night was falling!

The last person, after burying the final corpse, said nervously, "Boss, I, I'll go look too."

"You don't need to. Carry Old Ning back, wash off the stench from his body, and then boil a pot of your spirit-warding soup for him to drink and help him hold on for now."

"Okay, okay, I understand."

Saying this, he dropped his shovel, slung Ning Caize over his shoulder, and took off running.

As the sun began to set in the west, the mountain forest rapidly grew dim.

Strange Owls hooted, and Grey Jackals drooled in the darkness, eyeing the carried Ning Caize as they began to move, looking for an opportunity to make him their dinner.

But at this moment, a sudden chill ran through them, and they all stopped in unison.

A handful of yellow sand flew through the air, and a Great Owl landed with a thud.

Du En expressionlessly gathered his shovel and other items, and leisurely walked over. With a sweeping glance, he made these beasts whimper and cry out, fleeing in all directions.

"Found it! Found it!"

"Haha, this ginseng is at least a hundred years old, it's practically a spirit medicine!"

"An axe? Did anyone bring an axe? The bark on that old Eucommia tree is too tough, I can't even gnaw off a piece."

The resources in the Southern Border's mountains and forests were still quite abundant. Du En alone couldn't possibly use them all, so the three quickly found suitable targets.

Du En, carrying a pile of shovels and other items, and also holding a Great Owl, walked towards the Eucommia tree, meeting up with the other two along the way.

They handed over the medicinal herbs as they took the shovels.

They arrived in front of the old Eucommia tree.

"Chop it."

He gave the instruction, and the shovel struck down with a thump.

The old Eucommia ulmoides tree was certainly sturdy; the three of them took turns shoveling for quite a while before they managed to dislodge a piece of bark.

"Let's go back."

With all four having gathered what they needed, they left the Corpse Burial Wasteland before it got completely dark.

The people living around the small courtyard watched their hurried figures with curiosity and interest.

These people, finally freed from their toil today, no longer had to work overtime into the night. They could now finish work at a normal hour and were sitting or lying by their doorsteps, enjoying this brief moment of leisure after their extended shifts. They had all been on the verge of sleep.

"Tsk tsk! Something happened again!"

"If you're in that line of work, it's bound to happen sooner or later."

"Was it that old guy?"

"That unlucky fellow again?"

"But speaking of which, it's been three months since anyone died, hasn't it?"

"Indeed, it's made everyone so used to it they're almost surprised when it doesn't happen."

"Never mind the rest, Du En, as the leader of the group, is truly impeccable."

"Oh, come on. That guy, despite being a lowly laborer, usually..."

These whispers quickly died down.

Rather than dwelling on the Corpse Burial workers, they preferred to enjoy their hard-won leisure time.

However, it wasn't long before the rising medicinal and strange odors forced them to stir.

"What rotten luck!"

"That kid's back at it!"

"He eats strange owls all day, and his stomach doesn't even rot!"

"Heh heh, maybe this time it's for that old guy to eat. What do you call it? Fighting poison with poison?"

"Maybe he's having a good meal before he dies?"

"You're the eloquent one!"

Du En vaguely heard the neighbors' gossip but paid it no mind. He simply increased the heat, making the water in the pot bubble vigorously.

Two pots were simmering: a large one stewing a great owl, and a small one boiling coarse rice.

The others stood by, looking nervous and strange, watching Du En work with both hands.

Can the boss really do this?

Is he actually making some kind of spirit cuisine or medicinal meal?

Should we sneak out and use spirit stones to buy some pills?

Do you even know which pills would be suitable?

Their gazes were filled with questions.

In the end, with their limited knowledge, they could only remain silent and continue watching Du En's actions.

After a while, a hot and fragrant aroma wafted first from the porridge being cooked.

Meanwhile, the foul smell from the large pot quickly diminished, no longer pumping out in waves.

Normally, at this time, Wei Ming and the others would have already left.

But they couldn't this time, which was why they witnessed what happened next.

The fragrance grew richer while the smell gradually thinned.

Then, with quick hands, Du En grabbed the small pot.

Once the stewing owl's smell was completely contained, he skillfully used his magic power to extinguish the auxiliary fire.

Stew the owl again, then do another step!

But it wasn't over yet. He directly opened the lid, scooped out a large ladle of soup, and returned the small pot to the heat. With a slight tremor of magic power, the lid flipped open, and in that instant, he poured the ladle of soup in.

He put the lid back on, turned up the heat, and muttered three times.

Done!