My words have become law; I truly have no desire to display my divine power before others.

Sunlight streamed through gaps in the clouds, casting dappled patterns on the mountain path.

Ye Qingfeng and his two companions followed Miao Gui, walking along the mountain path for most of the day.

The seven corpses continued to hop and skip behind, the bell in Miao Gui's hand ringing out clearly in the silent mountain forest.

Lu Yang's legs were aching from walking, and he was about to complain when he suddenly saw an open space ahead.

It was a valley, surrounded by mountains on three sides, with the road coming from one side.

The valley is densely packed with wooden houses, with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys and faint sounds of people coming from inside.

Miao Gui breathed a sigh of relief:

"We've arrived. This is Caishen Village."

Lü Yang's eyes lit up:

"We're finally here! Let's go!"

He quickened his pace and rushed forward, but Miao Gui grabbed him.

Miao Gui rolled his eyes:

"What's the rush? There are guards at the gate. If you rush through like this, they'll think you're here to rob us."

Lu Yang stopped in his tracks, feeling embarrassed.

When the group arrived at the village gate, they indeed saw several strong men guarding the entrance.

They were dressed in animal skins and carried knives and spears. When they saw the newcomers, they looked them over warily.

Miao Gui stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting:

"Brothers, I am Miao Gui, a corpse driver, and I often pass through here. These are my friends who would like to rest in the village and buy some things."

The guards glanced at Miao Gui, then at the seven corpses behind him, and their wariness lessened somewhat.

One of the bearded men laughed:

"Old Miao, here again? Which company are you delivering to this time?"

Miao Gui smiled wryly:

"Don't even mention it. There was a slight mishap on the way, and the body was bumped a few times. The family doesn't know how to explain it yet."

The bearded man laughed heartily:

"Your line of work isn't easy either. Alright, go in. Same rules as always, don't cause trouble."

Miao Gui thanked him repeatedly and led Ye Qingfeng and the others into the village.

As soon as he entered the village gate, Lü Yang was stunned.

This isn't some mountain stronghold; it's clearly a small county town!

The streets are paved with bluestone slabs, and there are densely packed shops on both sides—selling cloth, grain, medicine, wine, as well as teahouses, restaurants, and inns, you name it.

The streets were bustling with people, carrying loads, pushing carts, and leading donkeys; it was very lively.

Lü Yang opened his mouth wide:

"This...this is a village?"

Miao Gui nodded as if it were commonplace:

There aren't many villages in the mountains, but wherever there's a place that can be built, there are many people.

Think about it, deep in these mountains, there are only a few places where people can live. It needs to be safe, convenient, and have water, game, and medicinal herbs.

"We finally found a nice place, how could we not live there?"

He pointed around:

"This ginseng-gathering village has been built for over a hundred years. It started as a few shacks built by ginseng gatherers, but as more and more people came, it gradually became like this."

There are now several thousand permanent residents in the village, and with the constant flow of caravans, corpse-driving peddlers, and spirit mediums, it's quite lively.

Lü Yang was stunned.

Shen Zhaoyue said calmly from the side:

"The people in the mountains are smarter than you think. They know how to survive."

Miao Gui nodded:

"That's right. No one who can survive in the Hundred Thousand Mountains is a fool."

Miao Gui went to take care of important business first.

He led the seven corpses, winding his way through the streets, until he arrived at the door of a house. It was a rather imposing courtyard, with blue brick and tile houses, and two stone lions crouching at the entrance.

Miao Gui told the corpses to wait at the door while he went in to negotiate.

Curious, Lü Yang peered inside from the doorway.

A short while later, a plump middle-aged man came out of the house, followed by Miao Gui. The middle-aged man walked up to the corpses and examined them one by one, his brows furrowing more and more deeply.

Miao Gui stood by, smiling obsequiously, and kept explaining:

"Master Zhang, it really wasn't an accident. We encountered a mountain demon and an old ghost on the road, and these corpses were slapped a few times... Look here, this arm, this leg... they're just minor injuries, they won't affect the burial..."

The old man had a stern face:

"Minor injuries? Look at this, your arm is almost broken! And this, such a big gash on your face, if your family sees it, they'll think I'm abusing a corpse!"

Miao Gui looked distressed:

"Mr. Zhang, please have mercy, my journey has been difficult..."

The two haggled for a long time, and finally, Mr. Zhang sighed:

"Alright, alright, I'll let it go for your sake, Lao Miao. But the money has to be less. We agreed on thirty taels, but now I can only give you twenty."

Miao Gui's face fell:

"Twenty taels? That's far too little..."

Master Zhang glared at him:

"Twenty taels isn't enough? Why don't you take the corpse back yourself?"

Miao Gui quickly waved his hand:

"No, no, no! Twenty taels it is!"

Master Zhang took out some silver from his pocket, counted out twenty taels, and handed it to Miao Gui. Miao Gui took it, wincing with heartache.

Lu Yang, watching from the side, couldn't help but laugh:

"Old Miao, you've lost money on this trip."

Miao Gui glared at him:

"What do you know? You'll be lucky to get twenty taels. If you run into an unreasonable person, you'll get nothing and even have to pay compensation!"

He tucked the silver into his pocket and let out a long sigh.

After finishing their business, Miao Gui led a few people to stroll around the village.

The most eye-catching things on the street are the stalls selling ginseng.

There was one almost every few steps; some were placed by the roadside, some were set up in a small shed, and some were simply squatting on the ground with a few ginseng plants in front of them.

They come in all shapes and sizes, thick and thin, and some are even tied with red ropes, making them look festive.

Ye Qingfeng glanced at it and asked Miao Gui:

"Why are there so many ginseng vendors here?"

Miao Gui smiled and said:

"Master, you may not know this, but this village is called Ginseng Gathering Village because most of the people here are ginseng gatherers."

For generations, they dug ginseng in the mountains, bringing it back to their village to sell. Over time, this place became a ginseng distribution center, attracting merchants from hundreds of miles around to buy ginseng.

He pointed to the stalls:

"Don't let their unassuming appearance fool you, these ginsengs are all high-quality. Grown in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, they are full of spiritual energy and have excellent medicinal effects, far superior to those artificially cultivated ones outside."

"If the Taoist priest needs them, he can buy a few to take with him; they could be lifesavers in a critical moment."

Lü Yang's eyes lit up as he listened from the side:

"Shall we buy a few?"

Ye Qingfeng glanced at him.

Lü Yang immediately realized what was happening and gave an awkward laugh:

"Um... Immortal Master, we don't seem to have much money on us..."

Miao Gui rolled his eyes from the side:

"What will you buy if you don't have money?"

Lü Yang was unconvinced:

"The immortal master has a solution!"

He stared at Ye Qingfeng with longing eyes, like a puppy waiting to be fed.

Ye Qingfeng remained silent for a moment.

Of course he has a way. Turning lead into gold is a piece of cake for him.

But doing this too often will inevitably attract attention.

However... it's just buying a few ginseng roots, it won't cost much.

He looked at Lü Yang's expectant face, then at the ginseng on the stalls, and finally nodded.