Sleeping Corpse Path

Not long after, Shen Qingtang walked out of the bathroom, a faint flush still lingering on her face.

"Buying so many things, won't it be very expensive?"

She held the bag of feminine products behind her back and looked toward Shen Qing, who was sitting on the sofa.

Even though he was a Supernaturalist, this living space really didn't look like that of a wealthy family. It felt like... his salary wasn't very high, yet he had even ordered takeout specifically for her at noon.

"It's alright," Shen Qing said casually.

Although it wasn't exactly cheap—adding up to over two hundred yuan—while he couldn't afford a house, these daily necessities were still within his means.

Save where you must, spend where you should.

"If you want to shower, go to the cabinet in my room and find some clothes. I grabbed them at random yesterday, so they might not be a perfect fit."

Shen Qing didn't notice her expression and pulled up his chat window with Fang Shu.

"Captain, for that car that got smashed up today, just deduct it from my salary."

He wasn't sure if Xie Chong had money, but even if he were wealthy, he couldn't let the other man pay for everything. After all, he had been the one leading the charge; there was no reason for the other man to bear the responsibility alone.

"I wonder when that ten thousand yuan from the Public Security Bureau will come through," Shen Qing muttered.

He was short on cash!

With only thirty or forty thousand in his account, it would barely cover a year of rent. He still hoped to buy a place if possible, especially since housing prices were currently falling.

"?"

"You don't need to worry about that kid; no money will be deducted."

"The car has already been towed back. The main components aren't damaged and it can still be used after repairs. I was just teasing the kid."

In the suburbs of Binhai City, Fang Shu finished typing, put away his phone, and looked up.

Besides the Night Owl team leader, there was also a young man dressed in ancient clothing, sitting boredly on a rock with a piece of foxtail grass hanging from his mouth.

"The mission is over. Are you going to put me under house arrest again?"

He asked lazily.

Fang Shu raised an eyebrow and glanced at the youth. "Don't talk to me about house arrest. Have you been short on food or drink for the past month? Isn't it just to keep you from running around?"

He lit a cigarette and shook his head.

"With the way you eat, I feel like your original home couldn't afford to keep you. You've spent nearly a hundred thousand just on food in over forty days."

The youth rubbed his nose and didn't refute it; there were just so many things here he had never seen before.

"After all, you are an outsider, and your strength is not to be underestimated," the Night Owl team leader said, crossing his arms. "Naturally, we have to be cautious."

"Then, since I helped you so much this time, how are you going to thank me?"

The youth climbed up the pole, glancing at the two corpses on the ground with their grayish-blue skin.

"Disciples of the Sleeping Corpse Path, Seventh-Rank Supernaturalists—or what you call D-Class. With their Walking Corpse, their strength usually exceeds those of the same rank."

"Alright, you were allowed to participate in the operation this time; don't you understand what that means?"

Fang Shu flicked the ash from his cigarette. "These forty days have proven that you are indeed friendly toward us. The higher-ups have already permitted you to join. In your terms, you'd be a Guest Elder."

"Guest Elder?"

The youth's eyes lit up, and he stopped chewing on the foxtail grass. "Does that mean there's a salary?"

There were so many things in this world he was interested in; it was just a pity that silver wasn't worth much here.

"It's called a wage," Fang Shu waved his hand. "Enough, it's getting late. Once the Logistics Department arrives, we should head back."

The next morning, Shen Qing finished tying his shoes and stood before the door.

"I'm heading out."

Shen Qingtang stood a few steps behind him, her hands clasped in front of her, as if she wanted to say something.

"Um..."

Shen Qing interrupted, "If you have nothing to do, you can watch TV to pass the time."

Shen Qingtang shook her head, hesitating. "No... I wanted to ask, is there anything I can do to earn money?"

She had done nothing but eat, sleep, and space out for the past two days. She felt very uncomfortable; even staying at an inn required payment, let alone staying in someone else's home.

Shen Qing paused and turned back.

The young girl's expression was earnest; she was genuinely anxious, not just being polite.

"That... I can't think of anything off the top of my head. Let's talk about it when I get back tonight."

He really did need to think about it.

For someone with a bit of self-respect, staying in someone else's house for free like this would indeed be unsettling.

Of course, if he didn't mind, he would be more than happy to have someone support him so he could just lie flat, ideally with his strength increasing on its own every day.

Although, he knew he was just daydreaming.

"But what can an undocumented person even do?"

Thinking this, Shen Qing soon rode his e-scooter to the base to eat breakfast; it wasn't cost-effective to eat at home, as that stuff cost several thousand a month just for food.

Then he started his patrol, and with nothing happening for half the day, he only delivered two food orders.

At noon, in the shade under a bridge.

"Hey, playing games during work hours, do you have to be so blatant about it?"

Shen Qing looked at Xie Chong and said casually, "We're delivery drivers, is it really appropriate to be this idle?"

"Damn, my armor!"

Watching the three people rush up, the sound of gunfire rang out, the screen went black, and the words "Mission Failed" appeared.

Xie Chong tilted his head back and shouted, "Damn you, Old Hei!"

"Why wouldn't it be? What if it's a rich kid experiencing labor? Isn't it normal to slack off a bit while at it?"

"Sour Horn Delta?"

Shen Qing glanced at the screen, "With your skills, you're playing solo vs. squads? Heh, let's go. Wasting time here is worse than going back for lunch."

"Damn it, what do you know..."

Ignoring Xie Chong's protests, he returned to the base to eat again, and when rest time arrived, Shen Qing didn't stay idle.

He went to a private room in the training hall.

After letting his food digest for a while, he continued his cultivation, palm spread open, Shen Qing looked at the Blood Qi Pill in his hand.

The captain's recommendation was one pill a week, but his soul was powerful and his tolerance was higher, so perhaps he could shorten the interval.

Learning about the mist yesterday had made him feel even more urgent.

He popped the pill into his mouth, and his body turned red and hot once again; this time, it was tempering his limbs, a total of 126 bones, feeling as if someone were scraping them with a file.

Xie Chong passed by the training hall after eating, and a wave of heat immediately rushed toward him.

He subconsciously looked toward the window of the cubicle inside the training hall.

"Damn, he's got guts."

Seeing that Shen Qing was using his lunch break to cultivate, and even dared to use a Blood Qi Pill every day or two—the pain would double, after all.

"A total sweat-lord."

He scratched his head and began to roll up his sleeves to train as well, "If I let a newcomer break through to E-rank first, I'll be humiliated."

At the same time, Sunshine Residential Complex.

"Is this the place?"

A figure, wrapped up tightly and acting suspiciously, appeared at the entrance of the complex.

"Shen Qing has been living this miserably lately?"

Su Xiaoxiao took off her sunglasses and looked at the dilapidated building before her; the wall plaster was peeling, weeds were overgrown, and the entire complex looked like it had been abandoned. Was it even fit for people to live in?

"Could it be because of low self-esteem?"

The thought suddenly popped into Su Xiaoxiao's mind.

Shen Qing's family situation was already mismatched with Gu Jingshi's, and then she had suddenly cut off contact.

Could it be that during this time, Shen Qing felt he wasn't good enough for Gu Jingshi, and then another girl appeared, so he just ran off with her?

She shook her head violently, dismissing the idea herself.

How could that be possible? Thinking back to Shen Qing's situation in high school, how could he ever be insecure? Anyone who provoked him was lucky he didn't just throw hands, and that was only because he was afraid of causing trouble for his big brother.

On the third floor, Su Xiaoxiao stood before the door, staring at the broken padlock on it.

"Who still uses an extra padlock on their door these days?"

She muttered to herself, then discovered the lock wasn't even locked; it was just hanging there as a decoration. "But why isn't it locked?"

Su Xiaoxiao frowned, subconsciously twisting the doorknob.

"Hello, food delivery."