Making the Yin-Nurturing Coffin

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

"With a locust tree this large, I wonder how many coffins I can craft..."

Locust trees are Yin in nature, and most magical artifacts crafted from them lean toward that same affinity.

Although Zhou Yan practiced the Mystic Yin Art, he only knew Corpse Controlling and possessed no other Taoist techniques.

Therefore, using this locust tree to craft coffins for nurturing zombies was the way to maximize his benefits.

When dawn broke, Zhou Yan hurriedly called for Ma Yan.

"You want to have coffins crafted?"

Ma Yan was startled at first, but then, as if realizing something, he spoke up: "The best place to have a coffin made isn't a carpenter, but a coffin shop."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan suddenly realized his mistake.

Carpenters generally specialized in furniture, while coffins were almost exclusively the domain of coffin shops.

In this era, ordinary people lived in hardship, and they often had to handle many things themselves.

Thus, those with the most experience in crafting coffins were not carpenters, but the coffin shops.

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

"Qi Family Coffin Shop."

Ma Yan said decisively.

Soon, Ma Yan brought the father and son from the Qi family over.

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

Ma Yan pointed to the locust tree and spoke.

Old Qi's gaze swept over Ma Yan and Zhou Yan before he walked to the side of the locust tree. He ran his hand lightly over it, and his expression changed instantly.

"This locust tree is at least several hundred years old, and it has even nurtured a demonic soul. Crafting it won't be easy."

At these words, Ma Yan's expression shifted slightly, and he looked toward Zhou Yan.

He hadn't expected that the seemingly honest and ordinary Qi family would actually know such things.

Zhou Yan, however, remained calm. He could see that Old Qi possessed no magical power, meaning he must have inherited some of the Luban Arts.

Upon learning this, he felt not worry, but joy.

"Master Qi has a sharp eye. I intend to use this locust tree to craft coffins. I wonder how many you can make, and what the payment would be?" Zhou Yan looked at Old Qi and asked directly.

Old Qi looked at Zhou Yan, knowing he was the one truly in charge.

He hesitated slightly, looked at Zhou Yan, and said, "Locust wood is Yin in nature; using it to craft coffins is a great taboo. May I ask why the guest wishes to craft these? The Qi family has passed down our trade for six generations, and while we operate in a niche field, we have never done anything harmful or wicked."

Ma Yan frowned, ready to lash out.

But Zhou Yan stopped him.

He needed the other party to exert their full effort to craft the coffins so that he could better nurture his zombies.

"Master Qi, please, come inside."

Zhou Yan gestured with his hand.

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

Otherwise, the Qi Family Coffin Shop would have no business left to conduct in the future.

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

"Master Qi, this is the reason I asked you to craft the coffins."

Zhou Yan led Old Qi into the inner room. Seeing the zombie lying on the ground, Old Qi's expression changed immediately.

However, he soon seemed to notice something and leaned in closer to take a look.

"So the guest is a master of the Corpse Controlling path. My apologies for the disrespect." Old Qi hurriedly cupped his hands in a salute.

He had lived over fifty years and was quite knowledgeable.

Therefore, after just one look, he understood the situation and quickly apologized.

These masters had eccentric temperaments, and Old Qi did not want to offend one lightly.

"As long as Master Qi understands, that is fine. I need you to craft several coffins to nurture my controlled corpses," Zhou Yan said directly.

"Understood, understood."

Old Qi's attitude shifted drastically, and he nodded repeatedly: "Master, rest assured. I will certainly use all my skills and will not let you down."

Knowing his previous attitude might have offended the other party, he quickly added, "This locust tree is massive, and the heartwood inside should be quite substantial. I will find a way to extract the heartwood; the coffins crafted from that will be at least several times more effective."

Zhou Yan's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly cupped his hands: "Then I will have to trouble you, Master Qi. Once the work is done, I will reward you handsomely."

Seeing that Zhou Yan's attitude was kind and that he wasn't the hypocritical type, Old Qi felt a silent weight lift from his heart.

From then on, the father and son of the Qi family truly gave it their all.

Although the locust tree spirit's demonic soul had been extinguished, its trunk remained incredibly tough, rendering ordinary tools useless.

Zhou Yan had tried hacking at it with a kitchen knife, but a single strike couldn't even break the bark.

However, Old Qi took several tools from an old toolbox, bowed with his son, Little Qi, and only then began to work.

In the hands of the father and son, the once-hard trunk was easily sliced open, making Zhou Yan's eyes light up.

Indeed, every trade has its own formidable methods that outsiders find hard to fathom.

Old Qi and his son were both excellent at crafting coffins, and putting forth their full effort, they worked almost without pause from morning until night.

Apart from eating and drinking water, all their time was spent building the coffins.

The coffins Zhou Yan needed were for nurturing zombies; they only needed to be sturdy and durable, with no need for fine polishing.

Therefore, by the time the sun set, six coffins and some locust wood parts were already laid out in the courtyard of the dojo.

"I have fulfilled my duty."

Old Qi looked at the coffins, feeling a slight sense of relief, and spoke to Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan nodded in satisfaction, took out twenty silver dollars, and handed them to Old Qi: "You've worked hard, Master Qi."

"It's too much, it's too much."

Old Qi hurriedly tried to refuse.

But Zhou Yan firmly pressed the silver dollars into his hand and said: "Master Qi's craftsmanship is worth it."

Not to mention anything else, that one coffin made entirely from the heartwood of the locust tree was something an ordinary craftsman could never achieve.

Even before Zhou Yan had refined it, that heartwood coffin was already nearly equivalent to a magical artifact.

Moreover, while Zhou Yan showed no mercy when targeting the wealthy, he was not so stingy with ordinary folk.

Old Qi happily accepted the silver dollars, thanked him once more, and then left with his son.

After seeing the two off, Zhou Yan quickly shut the main gate.

He had a busy night ahead; he needed to finish crafting all six coffins to better nurture his zombies.

The Profound Yin Corpse Refining Technique contained detailed records on this aspect.

The Profound Yin Corpse Refining Technique could be considered a remarkable book; while it lacked other forms of cultivation or incantations, its knowledge and heritage regarding corpse refining and Corpse Controlling were extremely comprehensive, even detailing various preparations used for refining corpses.

What Zhou Yan was about to refine were "Yin-Nurturing Coffins."

As the name suggests, Yin-Nurturing Coffins could absorb yin energy to nurture the Corpse Controlling, which was of great benefit to increasing the strength of the Corpse Controlling.

Working busily until late at night, Zhou Yan finally finished crafting all six coffins, covering them with various runes.

As the cinnabar runes gradually dried, they began to fade into the coffins.

This signified that he had succeeded in refining them into Yin-Nurturing Coffins.

Zhou Yan placed all six Yin-Nurturing Coffins in the inner room where the yin energy was heaviest, then had his first Corpse Controlling lie down in the Yin-Nurturing Coffin made from heartwood.

This zombie already possessed the strength of a mid-stage Black Zombie; with more nurturing, it might soon break through to the late-stage Black Zombie.

As for the second Corpse Controlling, which had only recently broken through to the early-stage Black Zombie, it also lay down in a Yin-Nurturing Coffin to consolidate its cultivation.