Wherever living people gathered in this world, there were trades that fed on the dead. Once a person breathed their last and passed on, the funeral business had only just raised its curtain. Some of its dealings were lawful and proper; others were anything but.
The secret ingredient of Great Bliss Powder was powder ground from naturally mummified corpses. Since Qiu Ren often visited burial grounds in search of medicinal ingredients, he had long ago made contact with the local Mangbei Hall in Luoyang, and they did some business together.
Young, unidentified female corpses were seldom left to rot in the wilderness. Arranging a ghost marriage could earn a broker at least a dozen strings of cash, and this was how Mangbei Hall made its living. Its intricate network of connections around Luoyang allowed it to collect bodies promptly and match them with suitable families.
Qiu Ren pointed at two middle-aged men. "These two are veteran matchmakers of the underworld from Mangbei Hall. They know all the recently buried brides."
One was named Ruan San, the other Fang Jia. Forcibly "invited" by Ghost-Hand Vajra to help find a corpse, they felt their scalps crawl and hurriedly waved their hands with ingratiating smiles. "We don't know them, we don't know them. We only arrange the matches. Whether they suit each other still depends on fate. We're practically in the same trade, aren't we? Ha ha."
The five from Setting Sun Courtyard split into two groups. Once the professionals pointed out the burial sites, they began openly digging up graves in broad daylight.
If there were tools all of them knew how to use expertly, they were neither swords and axes nor concealed weapons and staves, but iron shovels and pickaxes. Qiu Ren spat into his palms and said to Wei Da