Warmth

After Chen Xiuzhu finished speaking, everyone spread out through the courtyard to rest.

Only Lu Mian tucked himself away in a corner and began practicing Turtle Fist on his own.

The other corpse collectors thought nothing of it.

When they first encountered Tortoise-Snake Fist, they had been just as excited as Lu Mian, convinced they could master it.

But after practicing for a while, they had realized they simply were not cut out for it.

Chen Xiuzhu merely cast him an indifferent glance, then took out a jade pendant, a trace of longing crossing his face.

An hour later.

A man in a short black outfit walked in. "Someone died over in North Street Sixth Alley. Probably worked himself to death."

"Lu Mian, go collect the body."

"Make sure you burn it thoroughly."

Chen Xiuzhu spoke without even raising his head.

Hearing this, Lu Mian had no choice but to stop practicing.

He pushed a small handcart out after the man in black.

"Brother, are you new here?"

The man asked with a smile.

"I only entered the Refugee District yesterday."

Lu Mian nodded.

"No wonder I didn't recognize you."

"Corpse collecting is tough work, but it pays well. Not a bad job."

"My name's Gu Chuan. I'm with the Three Wolves Gang on North Street."

"If you run into any trouble, brother, come find me."

The man laughed heartily.

"So you're Brother Gu. My name's Lu Mian."

Lu Mian hastened to introduce himself.

"Lu Mian. That's a good name."

As Gu Chuan spoke, he even lent Lu Mian a hand with the cart.

Lu Mian tried to decline, but Gu Chuan insisted, leaving them each pushing one side.

Half an incense stick later.

The two arrived at a low stone house in North Street Sixth Alley.

When Lu Mian went inside, he found that the place had already been stripped bare. The body was merely wrapped in a tattered straw mat, clearly having been robbed of everything valuable long ago.

No wonder Chen Xiuzhu sent me.

There's nothing to skim from hauling bodies in the Refugee District. The gangs have already picked them clean.

Lu Mian inwardly shook his head.

"The fellow who lived here was called Xiao Ergou. An honest, simple sort. He joined the General Affairs Office two months ago, but he had bad luck. They kept assigning him hard labor, and his body couldn't take it. He worked himself to death."

"Let's hope he's reincarnated soon."

Gu Chuan sighed.

Lu Mian said nothing and moved to lift Xiao Ergou's body onto the cart.

Seeing this, Gu Chuan lent him a hand as well.

Together, they lifted the body onto the cart.

"Brother Gu, I can take it from here."

Lu Mian felt too embarrassed to trouble him any further.

"All right."

"If you have any trouble, come find me at the Three Wolves Gang."

"If I can help, I will."

Gu Chuan waved.

Lu Mian pushed the cart away toward Corpse-Burning Valley, lost in thought.

Is Gu Chuan genuinely kindhearted, or does he have something else in mind...?

Ever since evil entities began multiplying unchecked, morality and compassion had ceased to exist. This was a chaotic age where social order had crumbled and human lives were worth no more than weeds.

Whether in the original owner's memories or in Lu Mian's own experience, people like Gu Chuan were a rare sight.

Coldness, selfishness, and numbness like Chen Xiuzhu's were the norm.

Even the kindest person would not bare his heart to a stranger he had only just met.

So Lu Mian felt that Gu Chuan's supposed goodwill was more likely a case of the latter.

Forget it. I live on South Street anyway. I'll just avoid him.

Lu Mian shook his head and kept pushing the cart.

Chen Xiuzhu had already taken him along the road to Corpse-Burning Valley the previous night, so the way was familiar.

Along the way, he encountered another corpse collector.

The man was pushing two bodies by himself.

He glanced at Lu Mian but said nothing, simply pushing his cart in silence.

Although Lu Mian had been at the Dust-Returning Courtyard for less than two days, he had already grown used to the corpse collectors' disposition.

He, too, said nothing and continued pushing his cart.

After the two reached Corpse-Burning Valley one after the other, they each burned their own bodies without exchanging a word.

Once the body had burned to ashes, Lu Mian pushed the cart back to the Dust-Returning Courtyard in the Refugee District.

Chen Xiuzhu was reasonably fair. Whenever more work came in, he sent the other corpse collectors in turn and even went out once himself.

Lu Mian stayed in the Dust-Returning Courtyard, tirelessly practicing Turtle Fist until dawn.

Breakfast was another bowl of egg noodles.

After Lu Mian ate his fill, the digestion provided by his gluttonous stomach restored some of his energy despite his sleepless night.

If I rely on the food here, who knows how long it'll take to build up abundant qi and blood?

I'll have to buy some food at the market later.

After finishing his meal, Lu Mian pondered his options.

Aside from talent and diligence, proper nourishment was essential to martial arts training.

With plentiful qi and blood, he would have more energy and get twice the results from his practice.

Besides, his greatest advantage was his gluttonous stomach, which could rapidly absorb food and nourish his body.

As for money, he did still have ten taels of silver pieces hidden on him.

The money had belonged to the original owner, who had kept it on him ever since fleeing Southern Sky County.

I'll check the current food prices at the market first.

With that thought, Lu Mian got up, said a word to Chen Xiuzhu, and left the Dust-Returning Courtyard.

The Refugee District had something resembling a market.

Besides everyday necessities, it sold various grains and meats, with a fairly complete selection.

After asking around, he found that one tael of silver could buy only five jin of pork or seven to eight jin of eggs.

Vegetables and the like were not something Lu Mian considered.

After some mental calculations, Lu Mian bought two jin of pork, three jin of eggs, and one jin of noodles, spending one tael of silver in total.

He did not dare buy too much.

After all, security in the Refugee District was only somewhat better than in the shantytown. If someone noticed him taking so much food home and stole it while he was away, he would be in trouble.

Once he finished shopping, Lu Mian hurried back to his house.

He lit the stove and waited for the water to boil, then cooked the eggs first, followed by the sliced pork and noodles.

Lu Mian did not even add any seasoning.

He even felt that, with his gluttonous stomach, cooking the food was unnecessary. Given his digestive ability, eating it raw should have posed no problem.

Still, longstanding habit led Lu Mian to cook his food.

While the noodles cooked, Lu Mian began peeling the eggs, swallowing each in a single mouthful.

In the blink of an eye, he had swallowed all three jin of eggs.

Yet his stomach seemed like a bottomless pit that no amount of food could fill.

Soon, he scooped out the noodles and pork and gulped them down without caring how they tasted.

Even after all the food was in his stomach, Lu Mian still did not feel full. His digestive tract kept churning, however, releasing a steady stream of warmth that spread throughout his body.

If I eat like this every day, my qi and blood will definitely improve quickly.

I still have nine taels of silver. That'll keep me fed for a while.

Besides, I can earn a little silver searching bodies.

Chen Xiuzhu can't possibly refuse to leave me even a few scraps.

Having settled his plans, Lu Mian began practicing Turtle Fist again.

This time, perhaps because of the warmth radiating from his digestive tract, he was in unusually good form.

The breath held within his body lasted exceptionally long, only slowly dissipating after Lu Mian finished his punches.