He Bo's Peeping

The latter half of March had just arrived.

At the end of this spring day, a light rain was drizzling down.

Evening had just fallen, and the sky was already pitch black. Outside Nanmo Border City, in the shantytown area, the newly lit torches flickered unsteadily, their weak glow barely illuminating anything.

"Unpleasant weather, tsk!"

Muttering curses under his breath, He Bo, the Steward of the corpse services, stood at the entrance of the pavilion. After a moment's hesitation, he finally stepped out, entering the humid, muggy rain.

The light rain couldn't wet his clothes, and his feet didn't touch any puddles. After leaving the Elegant Courtyard, he quietly cast a spell. Upon entering the shantytown area again, he moved stealthily through the people coming and going.

They only felt a chill run down their spines, as if some ancient beast had passed by. They instinctively made way, but when they looked around, they saw nothing. Cold sweat broke out on their brows, and they were filled with fear, not daring to linger.

He Bo advanced silently, his target clear.

The Corpse Burier's small courtyard!

This was because the leader there, Du En, hadn't come to him for wages in a long time.

Perhaps he had learned his lesson and was now behaving, realizing he was outmatched. This wasn't something that would normally warrant attention.

However, at the Corpse Burier's place, no one had died for a long time either.

Although He Bo felt that this was actually quite good, saving him the trouble of wasting his time there pointlessly.

But, thinking of Du En's calm face, he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.

So, today, he finally decided to take action and check the situation.

As soon as he got close enough, he couldn't help but stop and wave his hand in front of his nose.

"What's that stench?"

In the humid, muggy air, there was a faint smell of decay, persistent and unending.

"These bastards are indeed stinky, tsk. I'll just stop here and use my Spiritual Sense to take a look."

He Bo struggled forward a few more steps, observing the Corpse Burier's courtyard with his Spiritual Sense.

He could just barely reach the courtyard. He didn't want to get any closer.

Du En and his men hadn't returned yet. However, He Bo didn't have to wait long. Six people, splashing through the muddy puddles, hurried back towards the courtyard in the light rain.

They were all soaked, and five of them couldn't stop shivering.

These were the Corpse Buriers.

Because on rainy days, Yin Evil and dark energies were particularly difficult to dispel and could easily be carried by the rainwater onto the Corpse Buriers. Thus, being infiltrated by Yin Evil was unavoidable.

As soon as they returned, they immediately took off their dirty, wet clothes, downed several bowls of the Spirit-Expelling Soup they had prepared that morning (which had long since cooled), and then huddled together, like a flock of plump quails, for warmth.

Du En also casually drank a bowl to moisten his throat, then brought out his mud stove and started a fire.

The warmth of the flames dispelled some of the dampness.

"This looks the same as ever, no different from animals," He Bo sneered from afar.

He also noticed something strange: Du En hadn't taken off his clothes, and his face was still as calm and serene as ever.

In his hand, he was holding a Great Owl.

"A Rotten Owl?"

He Bo was surprised, and then he saw Du En boil water, start bleeding it, plucking its feathers, and gutting it.

"Bad luck!"

A foul odor immediately permeated the air, becoming a new force that intensified the stench, catching He Bo completely off guard.

He quickly retreated a few steps, flicking his sleeves, his eyes filled with disgust. Then, he couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Hahaha! So that's what it is! So that's why!"

Why hadn't they asked for wages, and yet no one had died? How could they sustain themselves?

Especially food, Qi Refining Stage cultivators couldn't practice Grain Avoidance, and here, they could only buy things with Spirit Stones.

Without wages or any side income, normally, several of them should have starved to death by now.

However, he now understood completely. These guys were forced to eat Rotten Owls!

"That's right! Maggots only deserve to eat rotten flesh!"

He Bo felt instantly relieved and refreshed. Looking at Du En's face again, he no longer saw it as calm and serene as a still well, but as numb and indifferent, already expressionless.

Furthermore, his aura was faint and ethereal, clearly the result of the hidden attack he had launched earlier!

So, he readily turned around and left, feeling disgusted, without bothering to look any closer.

Du En was unaware of the Steward's covert observation, but he was actually prepared for it.

The pervasive stench was one part of his preparation.

At the same time, his Breath Concealing Technique had long since reached a level of Proficient.

Practicing it ten times a day, the lingering effect was enough to cover the entire day, and he could even make subtle adjustments to make himself appear as if he had suffered an internal injury that hadn't healed, making it convincingly realistic to anyone who tried to pry.

When the Great Owl started stewing, Du En could go take a shower and do laundry.

After finishing his chores, he returned to find the others gathered around the stove, their complexions beginning to regain color.

Compared to before, the speed at which they were recovering was clearly much faster.

As soon as they saw Du En approaching, they naturally stood up to make way, letting him pass before lining up to take a bath.

"Old Ning, how are you feeling?"

Du En asked Ning Caize at this point.

"Cough... Very good!"

He still coughed easily as usual, but it was much better than before. The coughing fits were less severe, especially considering the wretched weather today. The Yin Evil seeping into his body hadn't worsened or flared up, and he couldn't help but marvel at it himself.

Clearly, over this period, through everyone's collective efforts, continuous hard work, and Du En's guidance, their Spirit Cuisine cooking had finally broken through. They could now make a barely passable stewed owl.

Although the taste was still terrible, quite unpalatable, as long as it was effective, it wasn't a problem at all!

As Ning Caize ate, not only were his recent residual ailments easing, but even his old chronic illness was starting to feel better. His complexion had been visibly improving lately.

If this continued, he would eventually be completely cured!

It wasn't just him; the others were also changing.

Of course, their changes weren't significant. Even with the aid of Spirit Cuisine, breakthroughs in cultivation level were still measured in decades.

Even so, this was already a qualitative leap!

After asking his question, Du En returned to the stove, tending to the heat and adding medicinal ingredients, while quietly contemplating in his mind.

"Things have been calm lately, but summer is fast approaching. The rainfall is increasing, and if a typhoon passes through this year, the impact will undoubtedly be significant."

Besides natural weather factors, there were also human elements.

"The Blood Eagle Gang is quite well-behaved for now, so I don't need to worry too much. However, the situation with the Evil Cultivators is completely unpredictable, so I can't let my guard down."

"And Steward He Bo, I still need to remain vigilant against him..."

Du En now conducted a review every day to ensure he missed nothing.