Serving the Tiger as Its Accomplice

Ren Qing waited a moment, until Black Rat Dao Child brought over the coffin and its lining from the cave abode, before pushing his cart back along the same road to the front of the abbey.

Ren Shanshi could not help but freeze. He had never seen this coffin at home before.

The wood was thick and heavy, gleaming a deep dark red, its surface covered in carvings of varying depths.

"Qing, this..."

"Dad, I remembered there was a coffin tucked away in a corner, so I specifically went to fetch it."

After hesitating for a few breaths, Ren Shanshi paid it no mind. He merely assumed Ren Qing had made it himself in his spare time, so the two of them carried the coffin to its designated spot by the entrance.

The watching Daoists did not react at all, their faces full of impatience.

Once they were done, the two hurried home.

After leaving the street where Wish-Fulfillment Abbey stood, things finally became somewhat quieter.

Ren Shanshi sighed. "Qing, I've been thinking... how about we take on less work from the coffin shop from now on? We can focus on practicing martial arts instead."

Ren Qing looked him up and down. Ren Shanshi had already begun to take on the broad-shouldered, thick-backed build of a tiger.

"Qing, you don't know this, but the instructor praised me again today. He said my aptitude for external martial arts isn't bad. Given time, I might amount to something."

Just as Ren Qing was about to respond, he heard Ren Shanshi murmur softly, "Yun Niang wouldn't want me dealing with funerals anymore either."

"Yun Niang?"

Ren Shanshi jumped in fright, his old face flushing crimson as he stammered, "N-No, it's nothing..."

Ren Qing watched Ren Shanshi with a smile. It seemed Granny Wang had truly done her work after taking the money. His bargain father had finally wised up, and the heat of the great medicine for attaining the Dao was growing ever more perfect.

Afraid Ren Qing would be angered, Ren Shanshi hurriedly forced himself to add, "Your father did say before that I wouldn't remarry, but... Yun Niang is different."

"I'll introduce you to her after some time. Yun Niang is about my age, and she's a very kind person."

Ren Qing nodded approvingly. Daoist texts from his previous life spoke of how, "When not a single thought arises, one is free; when a thousand calamities scatter, what worries remain?" This showed that women easily invited disaster.

But that would not hinder him from tempering his Dao heart. His bargain father could bear all the suffering of marriage.

This humble Daoist need only wait for the great medicine of attaining the Dao to form its pill!

Noticing that Ren Qing had no objections, Ren Shanshi's steps grew a little lighter.

Ren Qing turned back to glance at Wish-Fulfillment Abbey, nearly forgetting the important matter.

All that remained was to wait for midnight.

The night was black as ink, yet Wish-Fulfillment Abbey was brightly lit.

The coffins collected during the day were now being carried one after another into the courtyard by the Daoists. The creaking of carts rolling over bluestone paths echoed constantly through the darkness.

Sun Zu watched the unusual blood sacrifice being held for Song Baizhou's ascension to immortality.

If one day I can attain immortality and the Dao as well, what would the deaths of a few mortals matter?

Suddenly.

Sun Zu heard a rustling from the shadows, like countless rats scurrying about. Yet when he tried to listen closely with his divine sense, it vanished without a trace.

"Forget it."

For no reason, he felt irritated, as though something was not quite right.

Little did he know that on a nearby tree branch, Sparrow Dao Child quietly poked out its head.

Yellow Mud Eye was embedded in Sparrow Dao Child's brow. The talismanic treasure was riddled with cracks, and through it Ren Qing's divine sense peered into Wish-Fulfillment Abbey, while he himself remained far away at the coffin shop in the southern part of the city.

Ren Qing had no intention of putting himself in danger. He silently calculated the time.

Sun Zu's gaze fell on the coffins passing by, and he turned to ask the Daoist beside him, "Junior Brother Luo, how are those three believers doing?"

Luo Dazhu hurriedly cupped his hands. "In reply to Senior Brother, the believers have long since gone to rest. When midnight comes, I'll wake them up. I absolutely will not delay Master's affairs."

Sun Zu said nothing more, but inwardly weighed which of the two junior brothers he should choose.

Liu San would certainly do. He came from a poor background and had no connections, so he would be easy to deal with after his death.

As for the other one...

Zhang Kui had some backing, but the silver he had given me before was far too little.

Sun Zu gradually came to a decision. Then, from the corner of his eye, he noticed a dark-red coffin. The carvings of varying depths across its surface gave it an eerie air.

He could not explain why he cared so much about it. He only felt his throat tighten.

Unable to stop himself, he swallowed again and again as he slowly approached.

"Stop!"

Sun Zu called out to halt them, his voice carrying a faint, almost imperceptible tremor.

The coffin was set down heavily.

Sun Zu waved a hand, dismissing the Daoists transporting the coffin, then said to Luo Dazhu, "Junior Brother Luo, go attend to your work first. I'll call for you if there's anything."

Luo Dazhu did not dare ask further. Bowing, he withdrew.

In the gap when no one was around, the stirring in Sun Zu's heart grew ever more maddening, as though something inside the coffin were calling to him.

Without realizing it, he pressed a hand against the edge of the coffin lid and suddenly shoved hard.

The lid opened, revealing nothing inside.

Only a blood-soaked undershirt lay spread within, giving off a faint reek of blood.

Sun Zu stared at the bloody garment, his gaze gradually turning unfocused. As if possessed, he reached out, picked it up, and actually put it on.

"Senior Brother! Senior Brother!"

Luo Dazhu's call came from outside. "Midnight is almost here. Should we wake those three now?"

Sun Zu jolted awake, and an indescribable terror instantly seized his heart.

What the hell am I doing?!

He tried to pull off the bloodstained garment, only to find the undershirt perfectly clean. The blood had vanished, as though it had silently seeped into his flesh.

Sun Zu staggered back several steps. How could he spare thought for anything else? Scrambling and crawling, he rushed toward the main hall.

Had Chen Jiuliang not died suddenly and without warning?

Someone must be plotting against Wish-Fulfillment Abbey!

No!

I have to tell Master!!

Sparrow Dao Child perched atop the eaves of the main hall, seeming to have gradually found his place.

As a battlefield reporter, the livestream's angle had to be sharp enough.

Sparrow Dao Child cocked his head, faintly sensing Ren Qing's satisfaction through his divine sense.

Chirp chirp.

Sure enough, he had not mistaken it—Immortal Master was quite petty.

Sun Zu crashed through the main hall doors. "Master! This disciple has discovered—"

Before he could finish, his pupils suddenly shrank. At some point, a pit had been dug into the floor in the corner, with half a coffin exposed from within.

How could Sun Zu fail to recognize it? It was one of the coffins originally buried in the courtyard.

"How could Zhao Xiaoliu's coffin be—"

Bang.

The nails on the coffin had long since loosened, and the lid shrieked as it flew backward.

Then an indescribable gigantic monster crawled out of the coffin.

The monster stood over three meters tall. Its deformed head was grotesquely swollen, its features twisted into a knot. One could vaguely make out the outline of a cat's face, yet it was a hundred times more ferocious.

Hiss!!!

The monster let out a shriek unlike any human sound, saliva dripping from its sharp fangs.

The immortal statue's eyes opened.

Song Baizhou also sensed that something was wrong, but he had no time to react.

The monster had already pounced toward the altar on all fours, the foul wind it raised making the candle flames sway violently.

Sun Zu was scared out of his wits. His legs gave way, and he tumbled backward down the steps before the doorway, smashing the back of his head heavily against the wall. Darkness swam before his eyes.

A deafening commotion erupted within the main hall.

The altar collapsed, the immortal statue shattered, mingled with Song Baizhou's shocked and furious roar.

"Chang... chang?!!"

"The prefect has yet to arrive. Clearly, it is not yet the time for us to become immortals—why..."

Sun Zu shook like chaff in a sieve, not even daring to raise his head.

Sparrow Dao Child, on the other hand, watched with great interest.

Ren Qing froze for a moment, carefully considering the word Song Baizhou had uttered.

"Chang?"

"Making a chang for a tiger?"

Legend had it that those devoured by tigers became chang ghosts. Their souls could not find release, and they could only be reduced to slaves.

"If all the constables are chang ghosts, then the Mountain Lord the hunters at the market spoke of must be..."

"The prefect is a tiger demon?!!"