In the dim mountain forest before dawn, the light was still faint, and the drizzle from last night had left the air saturated with cold dampness.
The sky was cloudless today. Normally, the carrion beasts and birds that gathered along the trail at this hour, waiting for their meal, should have already begun to appear. Now, however, they all lay silently in the forest, not daring to move a muscle.
That was because several people stood on the corpse-transport trail, each one tense beyond measure as fluctuations of magical power churned and interwove, spreading outward.
They were the corpse transporters!
Quite a few of them had come, working together to deliver a corpse here. Yet none of them dared enter the wasteland, so they had reached a standoff at its edge.
Until now, when the appointed time had finally arrived.
"Quick, quick, quick!"
The burly man at the head shouted in a booming voice.
The corpse transporters did not dare hesitate. They gripped the thick hemp ropes in their hands and gave them a fierce pull. Amid the rumble of wheels, they dragged a handcart forward.
There was nothing unusual about the handcart. It should have been pulled by a Green-skinned Water Buffalo, but fearing an accident, they had switched to pulling it by manpower.
A Corpse Bag lay on the cart, wrapped around the corpse. Yet its bulging shape looked rather strange, as if the person inside were still alive, stretching their hands and feet out to the fullest and struggling to crawl free.
As the handcart moved closer to the Corpse Burial Wasteland, the Corpse Bag swayed back and forth, making everyone's nerves draw taut as cold sweat continually seeped out.
The leader was even brewing a spell, his magical power running wild. It was plainly an attempt to bluff—fierce in appearance but weak within—to intimidate the corpse. Yet the longer they watched, the more uneasy everyone became.
Under the gaze of pair after pair of eyes, the handcart was finally dragged into the wasteland.
Nothing unexpected happened. They let out sighs of relief, and a few of them even collapsed limply onto the ground.
The leader reined in his magical power and was about to say something.
But at that moment—
Rumble, rumble~
The familiar sound of turning wheels frightened them into snapping their gazes toward the handcart in the wasteland.
They were nearly scared shitless, horror and terror filling them!
However, the handcart was perfectly fine. It had not moved at all.
That was even more frightening!
The handcart clearly had not moved in the slightest, so why was there still the sound of wheels turning?!
How bizarre!
Everyone was struck pale with fright. Their legs trembled as they stared at the handcart and the Corpse Bag, swallowing repeatedly while their whole bodies shook without stopping.
What were they supposed to do?
What on earth were they supposed to do?!
Ah...
"Boss, I've brought them over!"
The voice coming from behind frightened everyone there into leaping straight up. They were just about to scramble away in all directions.
They absolutely could not count on someone else to save them!
At a time like this, they did not need to outrun the bizarre thing. They only needed to outrun their companions!
In short, they would run first... Hmm? Wait!
The group had only run two steps. Fortunately, they had dealt with corpses for years, and they did not get far before coming to their senses.
They hurriedly shifted back into place and looked resentfully at the ox-drawn handcart emerging from the depths of the dim trail.
Xu Ran was sitting on it, waving a whip and driving the ox.
When the Green-skinned Water Buffalo reached this place, it seemed to relax as well. It let out a simple, honest bellow, as if saying, "Stop beating me. I'll walk obediently."
Xu Ran indeed stopped beating it.
They had already arrived.
Du En and the others climbed down from the cart and walked toward the rapidly gathering corpse transporters.
The leader was Li Yue, the head of this small group of corpse transporters. He was burly and powerfully built, with a square, upright face. His fright had yet to fully subside, and cold sweat beaded his brow while his face remained pale.
Still, seeing Du En leading his group over, he forced himself to put on an imposing air. After all, he had worked here for several decades and was at the Mid-stage Qi Refining realm—a genuine old-timer and senior!
"Little Du, it's good that you've come."
As he spoke, he gave Du En no chance to reply. Without even turning his head, he raised a hand toward the handcart in the wasteland and said, "The corpse is right there. From here on, burying it is your job. Work hard. We'll be leaving first!"
After saying this in a tone that brooked no argument, he tried to retreat as quickly as possible, putting distance between himself and this haunted place he had not visited in a long time—and that exceedingly bizarre, terrifying corpse.
The others felt the same. They all wanted to withdraw as quickly as possible.
Du En glanced into the wasteland and, at that moment, stepped sideways to block him.
"What are you trying to do?! I'm warning you! The supervisor assigned this job. He may not be the supervisor from your side, but as corpse buriers, you still have to do the work properly. Don't even think about shirking responsibility!"
Li Yue was like a cat with its fur standing on end, hysterical and frantic. Seeing him, Wei Ming and Ning Caize felt a chill in their hearts.
Even Li Yue, a Mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator with genuine seniority in corpse affairs, was this frightened and panicked now. Just how terrifying was this rush corpse delivered this morning?!
The corpse buriers were inwardly timid. Du En blinked once and remained calm and composed. "Doesn't the Corpse Bag need to be retrieved? If I remember correctly, it was used last time. It's the supervisor's magical artifact."
"Don't tell me you're going to say... Huh? Ahem!"
His agitated words came to an abrupt halt, and Li Yue could not help flushing awkwardly.
Then, quite naturally, he looked toward the culprit who had just given them such a fright and left him flustered and rattled—Xu Ran.
Huh? What does this have to do with me?
Xu Ran, struck by the unfriendly gazes, felt utterly bewildered.
Wasn't it you, the boss, who told me to bring Du En and the others over?
Why are you blaming me now, as if taking your anger out on me?
"Ahem! A-Ran, you did a fine job this time. You actually brought the entire corpse-burying crew over!"
"Uh, well, that wasn't exactly..."
"No need to be modest. I say you did well, so you did well. Besides, you know how to undo and retrieve this Corpse Bag magical artifact. Since the capable should do more, you stay here and recover it!"
After saying this in an unquestionable tone, Li Yue ignored the dumbfounded Xu Ran. With a grand sweep of his hand, the corpse transporters worked together to lift the ox cart, turn it around, snatch up the whip, and climb aboard. They then lashed the ox's rump viciously and fled the area in a panic.
"My ox..."
Xu Ran helplessly raised a hand, his expression utterly tragic.
The corpse buriers looked at one another, exchanging bewildered glances.
Although they had long known that the head of the corpse transporters was no decent human being, they had not expected him to be this shameless. He had blamed others, dumped the problem, and fled in one smooth motion. And his attitude toward Du En just now had been genuine from the bottom of his heart, making them loathe him to the extreme!
"What kind of corpse was it that scared you all so badly you practically wanted to grease your soles and run?"
As Du En gestured for the others to put the spare tools in their usual place, he carried two iron spades and tossed one to the dazed Xu Ran.
Since they were already here, they might as well work together!
Xu Ran was still somewhat dazed, but he raised a hand and caught the spade. Then, with lingering fear written all over his face, he stammered, "You'll find out soon enough. I can only say this: prepare yourselves mentally."
"Tsk! Little Xu, why are you being so mysterious? Could it be even more disgusting than that Powdered Corpse?"
Ning Caize gripped his spade, his palm sweating somewhat nervously, and could not help cutting in.
The mere mention of the corpse he referred to immediately changed the expressions of the other three once more.
They—and Du En—had all personally witnessed that corpse. Without exception, they believed it was the most disgusting and nauseating corpse they had ever seen!
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