North of the city, Fushou Funeral Center.
After nightfall, most of the funeral center's staff had gone home, but a few remained on the night shift.
"The boss still hasn't left today?"
The two middle-aged guards were chatting in the gatehouse.
"Nope. Let's wait until he leaves before calling Old Li over for cards. If he catches us, we could get fined!"
"Good point... huh? Who are you? What do you want?"
One guard suddenly stepped out of the gatehouse. Just as he was about to speak, he caught sight of those gloomy Triangle Eyes.
His questioning expression instantly became a smile.
"Oh, Master Zhong! Looking for the boss? He's in his office."
Watching Zhong Fa head inside without acknowledging him, the guard returned to the gatehouse, muttering under his breath.
"What's Zhong Fa's relationship with the boss? He always comes at night. Last time, if the boss hadn't warned me beforehand, that corpse face of his would've scared me to death!"
"Why worry about all that? And watch what you say. I heard that Master Zhong really knows a thing or two!"
"Seriously...?"
The guards' gossip never reached Zhong Fa's ears. By then, he was already seated in the office of the Fushou Funeral Center's owner.
The owner of the Fushou Funeral Center was named Du Rui. He was a slightly plump, middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses and a refined appearance. Unless he mentioned it himself, no one would have connected him to the funeral industry.
He had just taken a black plastic bag containing something from the cabinet beneath his desk.
"Master Zhong, Fushou gets plenty of business, but we don't have many clients under twelve."
When Zhong Fa said nothing, Du Rui reached up to adjust his glasses.
"Of course, if you need something, Master Zhong, I'll do my best to get it done. But... I heard only one cold-storage attendant died at the Tianmen Funeral Home a few days ago. Isn't that a little too few?"
Zhong Fa's Triangle Eyes shifted to fix on Du Rui.
"Only one died because that corpse had less resentment."
"I didn't just come for your things this time. I also have news for you."
Du Rui's eyes lit up.
"What news?"
Zhong Fa said slowly, "Tomorrow, you'll hear about more deaths at the Tianmen Funeral Home. However many people are there tonight, that's how many will die. You should know what preparations to make."
Excitement gleamed in Du Rui's eyes, along with apprehension.
He immediately stood and handed Zhong Fa the black plastic bag from the desk.
"Impressive work, Master Zhong. Rest assured, I know some people in the Funeral Association, including a few close acquaintances. If I can't meet your needs here, I'll ask them for help."
Zhong Fa nodded without saying anything more, then rose and left with the bag.
After standing in the doorway and watching Zhong Fa leave, Du Rui murmured, "What does he want children's ashes for?"
Click!
The lights came on in the Sever Yin and Yang shop. Zhong Fa went to check the air-conditioned room in the side hall.
Seeing Li Shirui lying quietly in the lidless coffin, with nothing amiss, Zhong Fa left the side hall and entered the secret chamber.
He took four empty little white porcelain jars from the shelves one by one and opened them. Then he scooped the finely ground ashes out of the black plastic bag and filled each jar.
After he filled all four white porcelain jars, a little white powder remained in the black plastic bag.
Soon, he had rolled two cigarettes by hand.
Rather than lighting them immediately, Zhong Fa put them into the cigarette case he carried with him.
After putting the four little white porcelain jars back in place, Zhong Fa turned and took an exquisite wooden box from one of the uppermost compartments on the shelves.
He was about to leave with the box when he turned to glance at the jar on the offering table.
He walked over, lit four incense sticks, and set them in place.
"Good work."
Zhong Fa turned and left.
Only the four incense sticks remained in the secret chamber, burning quietly.
Above them, smoke slowly curled and dissipated.
Back on the first floor, Zhong Fa offered three incense sticks to his master, then headed into the side hall and placed the wooden box on the table beside the coffin.
He opened the wooden box, revealing five compartments.
Aside from the first compartment, which was empty, the others held varying numbers of talismans.
The talismans were all a dull, aged yellow, made of exactly the same material as the one Zhong Fa had placed beneath Li Shirui's corpse at the Tianmen Funeral Home.
The box held five types of talismans: Spirit-Sealing Talismans, Yin-Dispelling Talismans, Yin-Gathering Talismans, Heart-Linked Talismans, and Corpse-Control Talismans.
The Spirit-Sealing Talismans had originally occupied the first compartment, but he had used the last two on the jar in the secret chamber.
Of those remaining, the Yin-Dispelling Talismans were the most numerous, with three. There were two Yin-Gathering Talismans, one Heart-Linked Talisman, and one Corpse-Control Talisman.
Except for the Corpse-Control Talisman, Zhong Fa had drawn all of them according to the Zhong Family Talismans passed down by his master, accumulating them one by one over the past twenty years.
Unlike the fake triangular talisman he had given Li Liang, genuine talismans were difficult to draw. Not only did they require special talisman paper, but the cinnabar and other materials used to draw them also had to be of exceptional quality.
Yet those were only the basic requirements. His proficiency in drawing talismans and the surroundings in which he drew them also had to meet certain standards.
A mistake at any step would ruin the materials outright.
Ten years ago, Zhong Fa could still successfully draw two or three talismans a year. But ever since he had been injured in a magical duel three years earlier and yin energy had entered his body, he could no longer visit places rich in yin energy.
Without access to such places, he could not meet the environmental requirements for drawing talismans.
Thus, every talisman he used meant one fewer in his stockpile.
And among these talismans, the Corpse-Control Talisman was beyond his ability to draw even when he was healthy.
He had kept this sole Corpse-Control Talisman from among his master's belongings after his death.
Whenever he thought of this, Zhong Fa's mood darkened.
His master could clearly have passed down the complete methods, yet because corpse control and corpse refinement violated the natural order and were unsuited to an increasingly modern world, he had actually taken those methods to his grave!
All these years, Zhong Fa had been trying to work out the method of corpse refinement, but the process was far too difficult.
So he had left this Corpse-Control Talisman unused all this time.
But that was about to end.
He had found a suitable corpse and had already been nurturing it for over a month. Once it was ready, he would use what he had worked out over the years to refine and control it!
Once he succeeded, he would go after those people from his past!
A cold light flickered in Zhong Fa's eyes.
After taking a Heart-Linked Talisman and a Yin-Gathering Talisman from the box and setting them aside, Zhong Fa took out the hair and nails he had cut from Li Shirui earlier. He wrapped them in the Heart-Linked Talisman, folding it into a triangle, then sliced his middle finger with a fingernail and smeared blood onto the triangular talisman.
With that done, he carried the Yin-Gathering Talisman and Heart-Linked Talisman over to the coffin.
He slipped the Heart-Linked Talisman into Li Shirui's mouth and placed the Yin-Gathering Talisman on her chest.
Then he poured the crow's blood he had prepared earlier in a circle around the coffin.
He checked the time. Eight in the evening.
Zhong Fa squeezed the wound on his finger open again and flicked blood onto the Yin-Gathering Talisman.
Within two or three minutes, Zhong Fa felt a chill spreading through his body.
Because of his physical condition, he was extremely sensitive to yin energy.
Without lingering, Zhong Fa retreated to the doorway of the side room.
The Yin-Gathering Talisman had taken effect. Over the next few hours, the yin energy around the coffin would grow increasingly dense.
Ordinarily, this yin energy would nourish Li Shirui's body, feeding the resentment lingering within it until she became a vengeful ghost.
But Zhong Fa had placed a Heart-Linked Talisman in Li Shirui's mouth, so the gathering yin energy would pass through it and emerge inside Li Shilei's body at the Tianmen Funeral Home.
That was his true objective.
As for dispelling the twins' resentment?
He had not actually lied. Once matters at the Tianmen Funeral Home were settled, he would naturally help the twins pass on.
After all, his jar could hold more than one little ghost.
An extra pair would be nice.
Clack!
Zhong Fa pulled over a chair and sat right in the doorway of the side room, waiting for the moment to come!
Ten that night, Tianmen Funeral Home.
After organizing the funeral home's recent records, Chen Miao opened Notes on Achieving Divinity in the Mortal World as usual.
One glance, and he could no longer look away.
The table of contents, which had remained unchanged all this time, now contained a new entry without a title.
[Chapter two]
Pages rustled as Chen Miao quickly flipped through the book. Soon, he found the contents of the newly appeared second chapter.
There were only five short characters.
"In the early hours, I died!"
Before you continue