Making Yin-Nurturing Coffins

Zhou Yan hurried back to his dojo and quickly laid the locust tree trunk on the ground, his eyes practically gleaming.

"Just how many coffins can I make from a locust tree this big...?"

Locust wood was yin in nature, so artifacts made from it tended to be yin as well.

Although Zhou Yan had practiced the Mystic Yin Art, he only knew how to control corpses and had no other Taoist arts.

Therefore, using this tree to make coffins that could nurture zombies would make the best use of it.

As soon as dawn broke, Zhou Yan hurriedly called Ma Yan over.

"You want to make coffins?"

Ma Yan was startled at first, but then seemed to realize something. "The best place to get a coffin made isn't a carpenter's shop. It's a coffin shop."

At that, Zhou Yan suddenly understood.

Carpenters generally made furniture, while coffins were almost always made by coffin shops.

In those days, ordinary people struggled to make ends meet, and did many things themselves.

So the people with the most experience making coffins weren't carpenters, but coffin-shop owners.

"Brother-in-law, which coffin shop does the best work?" Zhou Yan asked.

"The Qi Family Coffin Shop."

Ma Yan answered without hesitation.

Before long, Ma Yan brought the Qi father and son over.

"Old Qi, this is the material I want you to use for the coffins. Take a look."

Ma Yan pointed at the locust tree and spoke.

Old Qi glanced at Ma Yan and Zhou Yan, then walked over to the tree. He gently ran a hand over it, and his expression changed at once.

"This locust tree is at least several hundred years old, and it once nurtured a demon soul. It won't be easy to make coffins from it."

At this, Ma Yan's expression shifted, and he looked toward Zhou Yan.

He hadn't expected the Qi family, who seemed like ordinary, honest folk, to know about such things.

Zhou Yan, however, remained calm. He could tell Old Qi had no magic power, so he must have inherited some Luban Arts.

When he realized that, he felt pleased rather than worried.

"Master Qi, you have a keen eye. I want to make coffins from this locust tree. How many can you make, and how much would you charge?" Zhou Yan asked Old Qi directly.

Old Qi looked at Zhou Yan and realized that he was the one truly in charge.

He hesitated slightly before speaking. "Locust wood is yin in nature, so using it to make coffins is a major taboo. May I ask why you want them? The Old Qi family has been in this trade for six generations. Though it's an unconventional line of work, we've never done anything harmful."

Ma Yan frowned, about to lose his temper.

But Zhou Yan stopped him.

He needed the other man to put everything he had into making the coffins. That was the only way to nurture the zombies as well as possible.

"Master Qi, please come inside."

Zhou Yan gestured for him to enter.

Old Qi hesitated, but after glancing at Ma Yan, he didn't dare simply walk away.

Otherwise, the Qi Family Coffin Shop might as well close for good.

Old Qi gave his son a look, then followed Zhou Yan into the room.

"Master Qi, this is why I asked you to make the coffins."

Zhou Yan led Old Qi into the inner room. The moment he saw the zombie lying on the ground, Old Qi's expression changed.

But soon, he seemed to notice something and stepped closer for a better look.

"So you're a corpse-controlling mage. My apologies for not recognizing you sooner." Old Qi hurriedly clasped his hands in greeting.

He was over fifty and had seen plenty in his time.

Just one look was enough for him to understand, and he quickly apologized.

Mages like these had eccentric temperaments, and Old Qi didn't want to offend one lightly.

"As long as you understand, Master Qi. I need you to make several coffins to nurture my controlled corpses," Zhou Yan said plainly.

"Understood, understood."

Old Qi's attitude changed completely, and he nodded repeatedly. "Rest assured, Mage. I'll use every skill I have and won't let you down."

Knowing his earlier attitude might have offended Zhou Yan, he hurriedly tried to make amends. "This locust tree is enormous, so the heartwood should be sizable too. I'll find a way to remove it. Coffins made from the heartwood will be several times more effective."

Zhou Yan's eyes lit up. He quickly clasped his hands. "Then I'll leave it to you, Master Qi. I'll reward you handsomely when the work is done."

Seeing Zhou Yan's friendly manner, Old Qi realized he wasn't the sort to put on a false front. He, too, quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

After that, Old Qi and his son truly gave the job everything they had.

Although the Locust Tree Spirit's demon soul had been destroyed, its trunk was still incredibly hard. Ordinary tools were useless against it.

Zhou Yan had tried chopping it with a kitchen knife, but the blade hadn't even broken the bark.

But Old Qi took several tools from an old toolbox. He and his son, Little Qi, paid their respects before getting to work.

In the father and son's hands, the once-hard trunk was split open with ease. Zhou Yan's eyes lit up as he watched.

As expected, every trade had its own impressive techniques, hidden from outsiders.

Old Qi and his son were both skilled coffin makers, and they worked at full tilt almost without pause from morning until night.

Apart from eating and drinking, they spent every moment making coffins.

The coffins Zhou Yan needed were meant to nurture zombies, so they only had to be sturdy and durable. There was no need to polish them to perfection.

By the time the sun set, six coffins and a number of locust-wood parts had been laid out in the dojo's courtyard.

"I've done my best and delivered what I promised."

Old Qi looked at the coffins, finally allowing himself a small sigh of relief, and spoke to Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan nodded in satisfaction and handed him twenty silver dollars. "Master Qi, thanks for all your hard work."

"That's too much, too much."

Old Qi hurriedly tried to refuse.

But Zhou Yan pressed the money into his hands. "Your craftsmanship is worth it."

For one thing, the coffin made entirely from the tree's heartwood was beyond the ability of an ordinary craftsman.

Even before Zhou Yan had refined it, that heartwood coffin was already almost an artifact.

Besides, Zhou Yan showed no mercy when dealing with the rich, but he wasn't so stingy with ordinary people.

Old Qi happily accepted the money and thanked him again before leaving with his son.

After seeing them off, Zhou Yan quickly shut the gate.

He had plenty to do that night. He needed to work on all six coffins to make them better at nurturing zombies.

The Profound Yin Corpse Refining Technique contained detailed instructions for this.

The Profound Yin Corpse Refining Technique was a remarkable book. It taught no other cultivation methods or spells, but its knowledge and teachings on corpse refining and corpse control were comprehensive. It even described in detail the various materials and preparations needed for corpse refining.

What Zhou Yan was about to make was a "Yin-Nurturing Coffin."

As the name suggested, Yin-Nurturing Coffins absorbed yin energy and nurtured controlled corpses, greatly increasing their strength.

After working until late at night, Zhou Yan finally finished all six coffins. He had covered them with various talismanic symbols.

As the cinnabar markings gradually dried, they began to sink into the coffins.

That meant he had successfully made them and turned them into Yin-Nurturing Coffins.

Zhou Yan placed all six Yin-Nurturing Coffins in the inner room, where the yin energy was strongest, then laid the first controlled corpse inside the coffin made from the tree's heartwood.

This zombie was already at the mid-stage of the Black Zombie level. With a little more nurturing, it might soon break through to the late stage.

The second controlled corpse had only recently reached the early stage of the Black Zombie level. It, too, was placed in a Yin-Nurturing Coffin to consolidate its cultivation.