Corpse in the Woods

A few more days passed.

After the setback last time, Wei Ming and the others had learned their lesson and no longer dared to try anything rash.

They changed their approach, catching one corpse every other day. They endured the stench around the furnace, with even Ning Caize pinching his nose to join in, pooling their efforts to figure things out and practice.

Even so, a certain situation was rapidly worsening.

--The Corpse Burier's small courtyard was now filled with a heavy stench of decay, and it was still spreading.

"Damn it! These scumbags are doing it again!"

"Those detestable guys, cough cough cough..."

"That old geezer isn't dead yet, tsk!"

"Damn it, if I didn't think touching them would bring bad luck, I would have beaten them up long ago!"

The neighbors to the left and right of the courtyard displayed their usual disdain and disgust.

It was precisely because of this that Du En had never cared about their feelings.

But amidst this hurried avoidance, one person was heading straight into the storm.

Liu Qixiang.

He had come to collect protection fees again.

"Tch! I heard about this, but I didn't expect it to be this brutal and smelly! No wonder that deadbeat Luo Heng couldn't collect Spirit Stones; who would want to come to a place this stinky!"

Pushing through the stench barrier, he didn't dare to open his mouth, cursing inwardly the whole time.

Then, he saw the courtyard gate open, and the Corpse Buriers, carrying their tools, were about to head out for work.

He quickly sped up his pace to intercept them.

"Ahem, the protection fees for this month, hand them over quickly!"

Du En's expression remained unchanged as he simply shook his head.

Liu Qixiang's heart skipped a beat.

Honestly, when he smelled the stench, he had already started to feel uneasy.

But now, was this unease about to come true?

"We're not paying the protection fees."

"What, not paying?"

He said it, he actually said it!

Liu Qixiang's head began to ache. He tried to put on a menacing look amidst the stench, wanting to speak fiercely, but then he choked from taking a deep breath.

Coughing, he couldn't speak for a moment.

Du En waited quietly for him to recover before saying, "Mm, because we have no Spirit Stones left."

"Then go ask the Steward for them!"

Liu Qixiang's voice was hoarse, his eyes bloodshot.

"We don't dare to go."

"Uh..."

Faced with Du En's righteous answer, he was speechless for a moment.

Because if it were him, he wouldn't dare to go either!

One didn't even need to specifically inquire about the work style of the corpse affairs Steward, He Bo; just seeing the difficulty Du En had faced last time was enough to scare most people away.

"Tch!"

Liu Qixiang scratched his head, wanting to say something harsh, but in the end, only this one word came out.

Facing Du En, who was completely unyielding, he had no other recourse and could only leave dejectedly.

Of course, the main reason was the death of Zhang Lin, which had made them, his subordinates, quite fearful lately, and they didn't want to attract any attention.

This was within Du En's expectations.

The reason he had killed Zhang Lin was precisely to bring about this situation.

One couldn't always be on the defensive; when one had the ability, of course, one had to take the initiative!

"With things like this now, it should be quiet for a while longer..."

Thinking this, he left with the others.

The other Corpse Buriers, seeing how things had unfolded, breathed a sigh of relief, straightened their backs, and felt quite triumphant.

As expected, their boss was the most reliable!

On the way.

Wei Ming began to get distracted, pondering something.

However, when they reached the corpse-carrying path, he still couldn't figure it out, so he asked Du En, "Boss, how exactly should one practice the Sand Raising Technique to have obvious power like yours?"

The Sand Raising Technique these few people knew was only at the beginner's level, or even worse. The fine, light sand they threw felt like a thin layer of flour on the face, barely affecting their vision.

This was also why they could only catch old and weak owls when they actively hunted them.

Du En did not hold back when asked for advice, inquiring about the specific issues.

Through constant practice, he had become proficient, and the process felt natural. He had already thoroughly understood and internalized all the key points and tricks.

Therefore, when asked, he could naturally offer guidance.

Seeing this, the others also began to ask for advice, voicing the difficulties they had encountered.

Ning Caize included.

After answering their questions and clearing up their doubts, they arrived at the Corpse Burial Wasteland and finally stopped.

There weren't many bodies today either; they were all successfully buried before dusk.

However, Du En had noticed the unusual activity of the carrion birds along the way.

This wasn't something that started today but had been gradually developing over the past few days.

Simply put, as other Corpse Buriers also started hunting owls, this group of birds, greedy for rotten flesh and blood, finally reacted. The Corpse Buriers were all their natural enemies!

So today, seeing that Du En's group had finished early and there were no more tasty corpses in sight, the birds, regardless of their boldness, scattered quickly, flying or walking away, not daring to linger.

"This situation is becoming a bit troublesome..."

Du En thought to himself.

But it was only "a bit."

The stench left behind by these carrion birds was enough for him to easily track them to their old or new nests.

Furthermore, as they continued to harvest medicinal herbs, the yield around the wasteland inevitably decreased, so they also needed to expand their search area.

It was a convenient coincidence.

"Boss, should I go and catch them for you!"

Wei Ming seemed eager, volunteering to try out the Sand Raising Technique Du En had taught him that morning.

Du En simply shook his head: "No need, that would be a waste of time."

If Wei Ming went, it was unknown how long it would take. Time was precious, and if it took too long, their cultivation for the night might be affected.

It was better for him to go himself.

Although Wei Ming felt a bit embarrassed and discouraged by Du En's blunt words, he quickly shifted his focus: "Then I'll help you find some medicinal herbs!"

The others also wanted to help and chimed in.

Although Du En would still need to identify them in the end, it would indeed save some time, so he nodded slightly, agreeing.

The others immediately became energized, their attitudes serious and enthusiastic.

The six of them split into two groups.

Du En tracked the Great Owls, which were still visible.

"Hmm?"

Along the way, he found the situation strange and immediately became alert.

It was a flock of Strange Owls, originally heading back to their nests, that suddenly changed their flight direction.

Du En approached cautiously, and a familiar stench soon filled his nostrils.

The smell of a corpse.

Pushing aside the bushes and weeds in front of him, he saw a corpse lying in the forest. A large flock of Strange Owls was scrambling to get to it, diving through the branches and weeds to enjoy this unexpected feast.

The corpse's clothes were torn to shreds by sharp beaks and claws, and its face was pecked beyond recognition. However, some parts remained intact, and the Strange Owls instinctively avoided them.

Because there were bite and claw marks on those parts, likely left by some Demonic Beast, these Great Owls dared not touch them.

Seeing no other anomalies around, Du En emerged from the bushes.

He quickly approached and swung a shovel down.

Clang!

A Great Owl, happily feasting, fell unconscious with a deep thud, its face peaceful.

The other Strange Owls were startled and flew up. Facing their persistent natural enemy, the Corpse Burier, they hooted in annoyance. But in the end, they squeezed through the gaps in the branches and scattered away.

Du En paid little attention to the birds. As they flew away, he looked down, his gaze piercing the dimness to examine the person with the tragic death.

"A Fugitive?"

Please read! Please collect!