Surviving in the Demonic Sect, one begins cultivation by retrieving corpses.

The mountains of southern Xinjiang, the Mingyi Sect.

The spring rain falls gently and silently, nourishing Qingmao Peak.

It was still dark.

"Squeak—"

Gu Zhao pushed open the door, put on a raincoat, and entered the courtyard with his footsteps.

He scooped a ladle of cold water from the vat and splashed it on his face.

"hiss!"

A chill is creeping in.

Gu Zhao shrank his neck and shivered, all traces of sleepiness vanishing.

Looking again at the ripples in the water, a young man's face was reflected, about seventeen years old.

His skin was pale, and he looked sickly, as if he had been ill for a long time.

However, his eyebrows, resembling distant mountains, and his straight nose gave him a cool and aloof appearance.

Only her eyes, warm and clear, held a faint smile, softening the coldness of the place.

A cool and gentle temperament blends together on one face, making it impossible not to take a second look.

"Bro, you smell so good."

Gu Zhao sighed, "If I had this face in my past life, I wouldn't have had to be a simp."

"Forget it, with that face, I would have died of an STD long ago."

"I've traveled through time, or rather... I've broken the mystery of what happened in the womb."

In my past life, I was an ordinary ox or horse, working diligently and risking my life to buy a house and a car.

The housing project was abandoned, and the car model became a collector's item.

I woke up to find myself a proud apprentice in a morgue.

"Zhao-ge'er, up so early, going into the water again?"

A voice called out to him.

Gu Zhao didn't turn around. Before him appeared a thin, wiry middle-aged man with a deeply lined face. When he smiled, his eyes were like blooming chrysanthemums, but they were also cunning.

When he started speaking, he had a young, hoarse voice.

"Zhao-ge, didn't you bump into the water monkey a few days ago? Why don't you rest? Why are you going into the water today?"

This man was called Ma Fang, and he lived in the same courtyard as Ma Fang, so they were neighbors.

Despite his appearance of being thirty years old, he is actually only in his early twenties, not much older than Gu Zhao.

Why is he so precocious?

The menial disciples in the corpse-retrieval room have to go down into the eerily cold Yin River, which makes them age quickly.

The stable had been there for four years, making him seem like a "young programmer".

We are all fellow travelers in this world.

The stableman also glanced at Gu Zhao, looking him up and down. He noticed that although Gu Zhao's face was pale, he seemed perfectly fine.

He muttered to himself: People in the courtyard often say that if a corpse retriever bumps into a water monkey while going down into the river, he's almost certainly going to die.

Gu Zhao is alright, so what makes him so special?

The stableman shook his head again; he and Gu Zhao had been living in this tenement for two years.

Aside from being exceptionally handsome, Gu Zhao had no other talents.

People are lazy, and they always find substitutes to do the work of retrieving corpses; everything is easy and commonplace.

Even so, they still put on a show of effort.

The stableman chuckled, "Brother Zhao, you should at least tell the steward we can take a few days off. If we corpse retrievers encounter a monster and manage to return unscathed, it'll be a source of great pride. Why risk your life like this?"

Gu Zhao was about to speak.

The stableman's eyes darted around. "I know, it must be for next month's celestial abode fee."

"The sect has recently merged with several mortal prefectures and counties, and has taken in a large number of disciples."

"The houses are already too small to accommodate everyone, the servants' quarters are packed to the brim, and the morgue is the most overcrowded."

"Brother Zhao, you need to pay the celestial abode fee."

Gu Zhao said helplessly, "You guessed right, but there's no reward."

Just as the chrysanthemum-like smile on Ma Fang's face was about to bloom, his heart sank. Oh no, what if Zhao Ge'er takes advantage of the situation and asks to borrow money?

Lending money is a difficult matter; it can really hurt feelings.

He usually spends all his money on women, which is a wise way to spend it.

Fortunately, Gu Zhao didn't respond to that.

The stableman quickly added, "Old Ma passed away recently, he'd only been working there for five years..."

"Among the thirty-six rooms of the miscellaneous servants' quarters, the corpse retrieval room has the most deaths. It involves dealing with the Yin River, which will corrode one's physical foundation. Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator, who is supposed to be unapproachable, will have their Dao foundation damaged if they enter the river."

"Alas, it is only because of this job of retrieving corpses that it falls to us disciples with low cultivation levels."

Gu Zhao listened intently, recalling that this was a bizarre and fantastical world of cultivation.

The original owner was chosen to work in the corpse retrieval room because his cultivation aptitude was too poor.

The "fairy dwelling fee" that the stableman just mentioned is actually the rent for this large courtyard.

Payment is due every six months, collected one month in advance.

Which of the menial disciples isn't worried about this?

The original owner was a little different; above him was a fellow villager, a senior sister who cultivated in the outer sect.

Every month, money is sent to him to cover his food, clothing, daily expenses, and spiritual practice costs, including the cost of his hermitage.

The original owner wasn't very polite either. He would only visit that senior sister a few times a month, chat with her, and he could get a lot of money from her.

What senior sister? She's clearly the eldest sister.

A month ago, this senior sister went missing in the outer sect.

Their source of income was cut off.

The original owner was extravagant, and when the sect assigned tasks or performed duties, he always paid for them with magic money.

now,

The remaining money Gu Zhao had was only enough for his food expenses for half a month.

If you don't pay the required fee for the Immortal Abode a month later, the consequences might not be pleasant.

This Mingyi sect is a legitimate and righteous heretical sect, not a benevolent one.

Aside from that, their two years of Taoist studies upon entering the school are free.

Ever since they were assigned to menial tasks, they had to pay money for everything, whether it was to ask teachers or to practice martial arts.

Previously, a disciple owed a fee for his abode in the celestial abode. The lower courtyard steward took the money, skinned and dismembered the disciple, weighed it, and sent it to the mill to exchange it for money.

You can pretend to work hard, but the stun guns of the Demonic Sect won't play along.

I just transmigrated, my older sister is gone, and now I have to pay rent. What kind of situation is this?

Gu Zhao couldn't help but curse under his breath.

Although he survived, his energy channels and dantian, which he cultivated, were damaged.

Now, when I bend over, my abdomen hurts, as if there is a cold draft, it feels bloated and cold, and I feel extremely uncomfortable.

Thinking of this, I felt a faint sensation coming from my abdomen.

It seems that I need to get some medicinal herbs from the pharmacy to stabilize my condition.

If this energy channel is not rectified, future cultivation will be difficult, and the longer it is delayed, the greater the damage to the body will be.

He can't afford to treat this disease right now.

There's only one thing: seeing a doctor and taking medicine both require money.

Gu Zhao sighed. "Alas, the rich have a thousand ways to live, but the poor only have one: suffering."

"Brother Ma, is there any allowance for seeing a doctor and getting medicine at this morgue?"

The stableman was taken aback. "A stipend? We menial laborers don't get stipends. We have to pay for everything we do."

Gu Zhao wasn't disappointed; where would the Demonic Sect get medical insurance?

The stableman said expectantly, "Only by becoming an outer disciple can one be truly valuable, receiving a monthly allowance and the opportunity to learn a master."

"But... how difficult it is to cultivate to the Qi Refining Realm."

Gu Zhao's heart stirred upon hearing this, as this was a common topic among the menial disciples.

He is currently at the "Fetal Movement Second Stage" realm, while the stable's cultivation is at the "Fetal Movement Fifth Stage" realm.

There are nine levels of fetal movement. Above that is Qi cultivation. Once you break through this level, you can leave behind menial tasks and become an outer disciple.

But how easy is it to turn things around?

According to the original owner's memories, out of thousands of corpse retrievers, only a handful became outer disciples.

Gu Zhao didn't think much of it, after all, it was still far from his reach.

at this time,

Suddenly, a burst of brilliant light erupted in his mind, like a volcanic eruption.

Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap, what's going on?

Gu Zhao was at a loss.

In my mind, a large black cauldron, shrouded in chaotic energy, appeared, its surface engraved with exquisite depictions of flowers, birds, fish, insects, mountains, rivers, and lakes.

Countless golden runes, inscribed with profound mystery and wondrous wonder, appeared on it.

"What is this...?"

Gu Zhao stared at it for a while, but couldn't understand it.

The runes changed again, evolving into the Eight Trigrams of the Primordial Heaven, with the characters resembling swimming fish, transforming into the numbers of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches.

This… damn it, I still don’t recognize him.

The jet-black cauldron seemed to possess a spirit, and trembled once more.

boom!

Gu Zhao, with a sudden burst of inspiration, conjured up the name of this object—the [Sacrificial Cauldron]!