After returning to the Dead Corpse Land, Wang Nian didn't make Wen Jiu do any more work. He seemed to have put their earlier deal out of his mind, too.
His tone changed along with it.
"Kid" became "Brother Wen."
Before, Wang Nian had treated Wen Jiu well and been polite, but there had always been a hint of looking down from a lofty position, confident in his own status.
Now, that was gone without a trace.
To be honest,
Wen Jiu couldn't help admiring how deftly Wang Nian had changed his attitude.
A pity.
This was the cultivation world,
not the workplace.
Otherwise, with Wang Nian's emotional intelligence, he would have gone far.
Even without any real ability, he could have held on to a leadership position.
Wen Jiu didn't say much about it. No matter how Wang Nian changed, Wen Jiu would always remember his kindness.
He would remember their earlier deal, too.
But he definitely wouldn't carry corpses anymore. There'd be no point in climbing higher if he did. He would still help catch Yin Souls, though. Catching Yin Souls benefited them both, and that was one of the reasons he stayed here.
Besides, when the gravediggers heard from Wang Nian that Wen Jiu had become a Night Patrol Division Apprentice Disciple, they were astonished and looked at him with envy. They still had no idea how long they'd have to wait.
A year?
Three years?
Ten years?
Many couldn't help sighing to themselves. The Unorthodox Path they'd once looked down on had left them far behind.
Wen Jiu didn't know what the gravediggers were thinking. With the Black Zombie in tow, he plunged into the Dead Corpse Land once more.
Now that he was back in the Dead Corpse Land, his frame of mind was completely different.
"Now that I've reached Qi Refining Second Layer, the Black Zombie's reached the middle stage, and I have the second level of Blood Transformation Body, I should be able to venture deeper into the Dead Corpse Land." After looking down from above the night before, Wen Jiu had memorized the place where the Yin Qi was thickest.
That was the heart of the Dead Corpse Land,
and the center of the great battle.
The cultivators who died there had all been formidable. Some had been enemies of Corpse Peak, others its disciples.
But Wen Jiu wasn't in a hurry to go there yet.
He would sweep through the outer area first.
There was no rush to go deeper until he'd cleared out the Yin Souls.
He'd let the Yin Souls there grow stronger in the meantime, too.
Early the next morning,
before dawn,
Wang Nian arrived outside the wooden hut.
Knock, knock, knock!
"Brother Wen, get up! It's your first day reporting to the Night Patrol Division. The earlier, the better."
Wen Jiu hurried to open the door. To be honest, he'd barely slept all night. He was a little excited.
As soon as he opened the door, Wang Nian took out a Cleansing Talisman and activated it with a flick of his hand, cleaning Wen Jiu from head to toe. Then he brought out a set of clothes that were a little nicer than Wen Jiu's and urged him to change.
"My wife made these for me. We're about the same size, so make do with them for now. You can buy something better later... You can't dress too shabbily when you first go to the Night Patrol Division. People will look down on you."
"Oh, and if anyone looks down on you for being from the Unorthodox Path, ignore them. You're the first gravedigger in fifty years to earn a promotion by killing an enemy."
Wen Jiu listened to Wang Nian's reminders and nodded with a smile.
After changing, he left a note for his sister and set off with Wang Nian for the Night Patrol Division.
They crossed the woods and climbed over a mountain.
They passed the trading market they'd seen before.
Then they headed straight for Flying Immortal Peak, five li away, where celestial aura curled around the mountainside and strange beasts and birds could be seen everywhere.
Only seven or eight li separated them,
yet it was like two different worlds.
The gravediggers' home was far inferior in Spiritual Qi alone, so the vegetation on Flying Immortal Peak was lush.
Every blade of grass and every tree brimmed with Spiritual Qi.
After Wang Nian showed his identity token, the two followed the bluestone steps uphill. Everyone they saw along the way was a cultivator.
Most were at Qi Refining Layer One, and there were plenty at Qi Refining Second Layer, too. From time to time, someone swept overhead on a flying sword.
Before long,
Wang Nian brought Wen Jiu to the mountainside.
Several towering brown ancient buildings came into view. Beside them stood an enormous stone sword, with "Night Patrol Division" carved into it. When Wang Nian announced his identity to the Night Patrol Division disciple at the entrance, the disciple's gaze immediately fell on Wen Jiu.
There was no emotion in his eyes.
He simply sized Wen Jiu up.
"Come with me."
Wen Jiu was about to step forward, but Wang Nian stayed where he was. "Go on in. I can't accompany you any farther. This is an important place for the Night Patrol Division. Only its disciples are allowed inside."
"Thank you, Brother Wang!"
Wen Jiu bowed,
then followed the Night Patrol Division disciple.
They walked along,
through corridors and past buildings,
until they stopped in front of an Ancient Tower where a fierce tiger crouched.
Wen Jiu glanced at it, his face suddenly changing. The tiger's aura was even weaker than Wang Nian's.
Was this a spirit beast?
Wen Jiu marveled at it,
not daring to move carelessly.
Before long, someone came out of the Ancient Tower. It was the same Manager Liu from the Night Patrol Division whom he'd met last time.
"Come in."
"Steward Mu is waiting for you."
With that,
Manager Liu turned and went inside.
Wen Jiu quickly followed, though he kept to the side opposite the crouching tiger.
Once inside, Wen Jiu was taken up to the Fifth Floor.
At last, he met Mu Canglong.
"Your clothes and identity token are ready. Starting today, you're a Night Patrol Division Apprentice Disciple."
"Thank you, Steward Mu!"
Wen Jiu hurriedly bowed.
Mu Canglong continued, "Since you've chosen to stay in the Dead Corpse Land, you'll join Manager Liu Xiao on night patrols around it from now on. He'll arrange everything for you. If you need anything in the future, you can come here and ask."
Wen Jiu nodded.
"Understood."
Night patrols around the Dead Corpse Land.
In theory, there shouldn't be much danger now.
He'd already killed two people and captured one. Even the spy searching for the Yin Sha Blood Curse Body would know to keep a low profile after that.
Mu Canglong went on, "As for your stipend, although you're only an apprentice, I'll give you the stipend of a Qi Refining Second Layer disciple: three Low-grade Spirit Stones a month. You can also choose any place outside Flying Immortal Peak to live. A servant disciple will build you a house."
"Thank you, Steward!"
Wen Jiu replied.
Mu Canglong said little else. As promised, he handed Wen Jiu the rest of the Yin Province Corpse Nurturing Art.
Wen Jiu opened it and took a look.
The Yin Province Corpse Nurturing Art had three layers in total, from the third to the fifth. Once he mastered them, he could reach Qi Refining Sixth Layer.
Wen Jiu was overjoyed.
The Yin Province Corpse Nurturing Art also contained quite a few corpse techniques:
methods for raising corpses,
and methods for refining them.
Compared to this, the Yin Province Corpse Nurturing Art he'd obtained from the Dharma Transmission Tower was like night and day.
"You can follow Liu Xiao to the storehouse to collect a Corpse Artifact and a Corpse Nurturing Bead," Mu Canglong said, then left the room.
He said nothing more,
and offered no further instructions.
As soon as Mu Canglong left, Liu Xiao spoke up. "Kid, the Yin Province Corpse Nurturing Art is an Unorthodox Path, after all. Don't rush your cultivation or force it before you're ready. If you reach Qi Refining Fourth Layer one day, it'd be best to switch to a normal Qi Refining Method... Corpse raising can't sustain you forever. It also damages your spiritual constitution and shortens your life."
After offering that warning, Liu Xiao said no more.
Wen Jiu followed him.
In Liu Xiao's eyes,
Wen Jiu's talent for the Unorthodox Path was indeed astonishing, but it wasn't a long-term solution. At this stage, it wouldn't do much harm to his body. The farther he went, though, the more trouble it would cause—and the more likely it was to breed inner demons.
He'd seen plenty of people who'd practiced the Unorthodox Path fall into madness and die before their time, so he didn't want Wen Jiu to follow in their footsteps.
After all, Wen Jiu was the first gravedigger in fifty years to earn a promotion by killing an enemy.
If not for the Unorthodox Path,
the other branches would have fought tooth and nail to recruit him.
But Liu Xiao didn't want to say too much.
Everyone had their own fate.
If Wen Jiu refused to change, he wouldn't bring it up again.
"Come with me. You can choose any first-tier, low-grade Corpse Artifact and one low-grade Corpse Nurturing Bead from the Night Patrol Division's treasury."
"Most of the Corpse Artifacts were seized from Wicked Heretics, though, so choose carefully."
With that,
Liu Xiao strode off.
Before you continue