Fugitive

Escape.

Escape this human hell known as Border City.

On the frontier of the immortal sects, the oppressed lower-class cultivators, more or less, had all harbored such thoughts.

However, this was by no means an easy feat.

It wasn't that they couldn't do it, but rather that they didn't want to or didn't dare to.

Normally, the stewards wouldn't come to the site themselves, preferring to reside in the Elegant Courtyard, like clouds on a mountaintop.

And the foremen, in truth, didn't care at all about what happened to the lower-class cultivators after work. They only paid attention to the labor situation during work hours, watching and urging them on.

In other words, although Nanmo Border City had a tall and long city wall to the north, which made one sigh, as long as one wanted to escape and dared to escape, they could completely find an opportunity to flee into the southern forests!

The vast and primeval forests of the Southern Border were, in fact, just within reach.

It's just that they also harbored many dangers.

In the area near the border city, demonic beasts didn't appear frequently, and various miasmas and poisons were eradicated for production needs by the immortal sects. Aside from the climate being truly unsuitable for human habitation, there weren't many natural dangers.

But venturing deep into the forest was another matter entirely.

Looking at the corpse in front of Du En, judging by the tattered clothing, this person, like him, was a lower-class cultivator living in the shantytown outside the border city.

If that were the case, then this person appearing here in the form of a corpse generally only had one explanation: a fugitive.

Because the lower-class cultivators of the border city wouldn't venture this deep.

Du En had a special need that drove him to chase after the Strange Owls here, and he had never traveled south to this dense, pathless area before.

"This person seems to have encountered a demonic beast and wanted to run back, but didn't succeed, and was ultimately bitten to death here."

Scanning the surrounding traces, it wasn't difficult to reach this conclusion.

As for why the demonic beast wasn't here now and hadn't eaten the person, perhaps after killing them, it realized this spot was already somewhat close to the border city, and thus chose to leave, leaving the corpse behind?

After confirming that there was no danger around, Du En used his shovel to dig and examine what the Strange Owls had pecked out.

He found five Low-grade Spirit Stones in the putrid bloodstains, as well as a small bamboo slip, the length of his palm.

He carefully infused it with magic power and boldly picked it up.

He wiped the spirit stones and put them in his pocket. The bamboo slip looked very old, its base color a grayish-black. Upon untying the cord, he saw it wasn't stained with blood and could still be read.

The inscriptions on it, due to the passage of time, appeared mottled and blurred, exuding a profound sense of history.

"All spirits leave their traces..."

Muttering to himself, Du En quickly finished reading.

"So, it wasn't a desperate escape, but a risky attempt to seek a way out."

The bamboo slip recorded a guide on finding spiritual items.

Overall, it wasn't obscure or complicated. If one could grasp the basics and search accordingly, they would likely find low- to mid-tier spiritual items in this vast forest.

However, without power, embarking on such a risky endeavor could very well lead to one's demise.

Perhaps this person had indeed found some spiritual item and then encountered the demonic beast that guarded it like a treasure, and was consequently hunted down and killed.

Subsequently, the demonic beast, concerned about its treasure, didn't linger and returned to continue its watch.

Du En pondered, feeling this possibility was more realistic.

Without further thought, he dug a reasonably deep pit there and buried the corpse and the bamboo slip together.

Then, carrying the Strange Owl, he returned under the cloak of night.

The road at night was long, without a single lamp.

In the small courtyard, everyone watched Du En return late, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief that he had made it back.

They didn't ask many questions, merely presenting the medicinal herbs they had gathered.

"Mm, thank you."

Du En said this, and though it was as plain as ever, it made them feel flattered, excited, and thrilled.

This night, like any other, was calm and uneventful.

Time passed swiftly, and the next day arrived.

In the early morning.

Wheels turned on the corpse-transporting path.

The Corpse Transporters, as usual, were loading the corpses gathered last night and transporting them to the burial grounds.

A total of forty-eight corpses, with various causes of death, emitting foul odors and leaving behind trails of remains, becoming a feast for scavengers.

The unremarkable Zhang Song was currently buried among the pile of corpses, enduring the stench up close and the soft, cold touch of the bodies.

His heart was filled with excitement and anticipation.

He had gone to great lengths to impersonate a corpse, hiding within the pile and being transported like this to the outer burial grounds... It was clear he was a fugitive.

However, he seemed somewhat different from other fugitives.

"Ah! Ah! Great Lord, do not worry, soon, very soon!"

Heading north would surely mean no escape, he'd be caught without a doubt. But heading south... that was different. As long as he could escape into the miasmic jungles of the Southern Border, he was sure he could start anew!

"That's right! I hear it! This is the grace of the Great Lord! Deep within those mountains and forests lies the promised land for us who are called!"

"But it's still not enough, still lacking, this way, it's not enough, it won't do!"

Various thoughts, like thick foam, continuously bubbled up from the depths of his heart.

Like a corpse, he'd fool the corpse collectors, fool the corpse transporters, and be placed in the wilderness like any ordinary body.

As the sun gradually rose, Zhang Song waited silently.

When the cries of the Strange Owls and Grey Jackals rang out, he knew his targets, the Corpse Buriers, were coming.

"Ch-ch-ch~"

He couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.

Zhang Song, head tilted, eyes slightly open, watched six Corpse Buriers emerge from the brightening woods.

"Weak! Truly weak! Just as the rumors say, weak!"

"Blood! Sacrifice! Only by paving my path with living souls can I reach the land bestowed by the Great Lord!"

He evaluated the Corpse Buriers with disdain, his fangs of killing intent slowly bared.

And the reality was pretty much as he thought. The Corpse Buriers, with an average of only half a year of cultivation, were indeed a rather frail group, which was precisely why they were looked down upon.

Because they were too easy to bully, and there was no fear of retaliation if they were bullied.

However, the current situation was a bit outside the norm.

Hm?

The moment Zhang Song's gaze fell upon him, Du En vaguely sensed something and immediately became alert. He remained outwardly calm, quickly scanning his surroundings.

Finally, a sliver of his peripheral vision landed on the corpse.

"Someone's faking their death?"

This was quite rare.

Du En remained calm, speaking naturally, "There isn't much work today, and no strange corpses. Everyone just needs to maintain normal vigilance."

The others didn't notice anything unusual. Hearing these ordinary words, they all nodded, their expressions serious, not wanting the misfortune that befell Ning Caize not long ago to happen to them.

Then, it was the usual burying of corpses.

Zhang Song, however, was somewhat puzzled.

"What's going on with these guys? Why aren't any of them coming near me?"

Because the weather was quite clear today, the Corpse Buriers' method was to dig a pit, bury a corpse, then dig another pit, and bury another corpse.

Zhang Song, feigning death, was lying towards the back. Moreover, the area they were burying corpses in today was farther from the place where the bodies were laid out, so naturally, no one would approach him at this moment.

He quickly realized this and silently endured and suppressed his impatience.

But in his heart, he gained another reason to kill the Corpse Buriers.

How dare they neglect me?!