Departure

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, Uncle Nine's Public Mortuary was in constant chaos, never quiet for a single moment.

It turned out that ever since Qiusheng successfully taught Wencai the Yu Steps, Four Eyes had taken a fancy to Qiusheng's talent for teaching disciples.

He pestered Uncle Nine relentlessly, insisting that Uncle Nine hand over his top disciple, Qiusheng, to him.

That was impossible, of course. Uncle Nine would never agree, and even when Four Eyes offered his entire life savings, Uncle Nine sternly refused.

Because of this, the two fellow disciples bickered every day, which, ironically, gave Qiusheng and Wencai plenty of room to slack off and catch their breath.

Of course, they hadn't been completely idle these past two days.

Mindful of the major event to come, Qiusheng had been training his martial arts intensely for the last three days.

Furthermore, even Wencai was dragged along by Qiusheng to diligently learn the martial arts of the Maoshan Sect.

Naturally, while Qiusheng claimed he was teaching Wencai, he was actually just looking for a free sparring partner.

Beyond martial arts, Qiusheng and Wencai had also consumed a fair amount of black dog meat and rooster meat over the last two days.

Qiusheng had bought these items in secret, and he certainly didn't buy them just for the food.

Once he brought the black dog and the rooster back, he slaughtered them and drained their blood immediately.

The blood of a black dog and a rooster are both excellent for repelling evil.

Using these, Qiusheng led Wencai in crafting quite a few treasures for dealing with malevolent entities.

Among them was the Ink Marker that had left such a deep impression on Qiusheng. To ensure he wouldn't run out, Qiusheng had prepared three of them for himself.

They were currently covered in red cloth and placed before the statue of the Maoshan Sect patriarch, receiving the blessings of the incense.

"Qiusheng, Wencai, are you both ready?"

On the morning of the third day, Uncle Nine looked at his two disciples and asked.

"Master, we are ready. We can set off at any time."

Today, Qiusheng and Wencai each carried a large, bulging pack on their backs, clearly filled with plenty of gear.

"Very well, let's go."

Uncle Nine gave the signal, and the three of them set off.

After walking for a short while, the master and his two disciples met up with Master Ren and his group, who had been waiting by the side of the road.

Once they joined the main party, Qiusheng and Wencai naturally handed their heavy packs over to the servants of the Ren household to carry.

The entire group walked with their heads bowed, silent as they headed toward their destination.

After all, this was an exhumation and reburial; it certainly wouldn't do to be overly festive.

Ren Tingting, who had been riding in a bamboo sedan chair alongside Master Ren, caught sight of Qiusheng joining the group. A hint of joy flashed in her eyes, and she shyly signaled that she wanted to get down.

Soon, Ren Tingting stepped out of the sedan and ran over to where Uncle Nine and Qiusheng were.

Wencai, seeing Ren Tingting's beauty for the first time, lived up to his reputation by wearing a look of pure, drooling infatuation.

It was only after Qiusheng gave him a secret kick that he reached up to wipe the saliva from the corner of his mouth.

"Uncle Nine, I'm afraid we'll be troubling you a great deal today."

After running over to them, Ren Tingting spoke to Uncle Nine first.

"Miss Tingting, rest assured. We take your money to resolve your troubles; my disciples and I will certainly give it our all today."

"That's right, that's right, Miss Tingting, you can rest easy."

No sooner had Uncle Nine finished speaking than Wencai leaned in close to Tingting with a greasy, lecherous grin.

"Ah!"

To everyone's surprise, Wencai's behavior startled Ren Tingting so much that she ducked directly behind Qiusheng, clutching his sleeve tightly as she asked, "Brother Qiusheng, who is he? Why is his expression so frightening?"

Seeing his goddess make such a move, Wencai was left completely stunned.

"Tingting, don't be afraid. That is my junior brother. Although he doesn't look like much, he's actually a good person."

Even without his junior brother's consent, Qiusheng felt it was only right to hand Wencai a "good person" card.

Wencai watched as Ren Tingting held his senior brother's arm like a little bird, and then saw his own senior brother gently patting the goddess's small hand—his heart shattered instantly!

"Wencai, come here."

Uncle Nine turned around, noticed the awkward atmosphere, and called out, dragging Wencai away immediately.

"Brother Qiusheng, your junior brother's appearance is... well, quite unique," Tingting whispered, watching Wencai's retreating back as she quietly released Qiusheng's arm.

"Haha, although my junior brother looks a bit old, he really is a good person. You'll see once you get to know him better."

"By the way, Tingting, have you passed on your makeup techniques these past few days?"

Qiusheng spoke casually to put in a good word for Wencai before asking softly.

Seeing Qiusheng steer the conversation toward topics she enjoyed, Ren Tingting's face immediately lit up as she launched into a long-winded account.

Qiusheng listened quietly, hearing Ren Tingting recount all the amusing anecdotes that occurred while she taught others how to apply makeup.

Sometimes, being a good listener is the most effective move when pursuing a girl.

However, just as Qiusheng was chatting happily with Ren Tingting, an uninvited guest suddenly burst onto the scene.

"Cousin, why did you get off the sedan chair? This mountain path is rugged and difficult to traverse; don't tire yourself out."

The moment that sycophantic voice rang out, Ren Wei, dressed in a brown suit, squeezed past Qiusheng and forcibly wedged himself between Qiusheng and Ren Tingting.

"Oh, kid, I recognize you. Aren't you that little clerk from the Rouge Shop? What are you trying to do, getting so close to my cousin? Let me tell you, if you dare have any improper thoughts about her, I'll have you eating prison food in a heartbeat."

Ren Wei had barely appeared before he began firing away at Qiusheng with an aggressive air.

"Captain Ren, there's no need to be so hostile. Trying to send me to prison without any evidence makes it very easy for people to mistake you for a bad guy."

"Don't you agree, Tingting?"

Facing Ren Wei's aggressive posturing, Qiusheng remained remarkably calm.

To be precise, the Ren Wei standing before him wasn't actually a man of great evil.

He merely had a few minor flaws, but Qiusheng believed that once the zombie incident in Ren Family Town fully erupted, those flaws would vanish.

Therefore, facing Ren Wei's provocations, Qiusheng had remained indifferent, avoiding conflict whenever possible while waiting for the day the man would be scared out of his wits.

"Cousin, don't go around talking about arresting people all the time. Qiusheng is a good person."

Ren Tingting stepped in front of Qiusheng and said this to Ren Wei.

Seeing his cousin actually protecting this kid, Ren Wei was instantly incensed, but unable to say anything more, he could only remark:

"Cousin, we're almost at your grandfather's grave. Your uncle is calling for you."

Hearing Ren Wei say this, Ren Tingting had no choice but to follow him and leave.