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

It's Cen Pan's voice!

Gong Yuzhou put away the white snake in his hand and looked up.

The slender man and the woman with a mole at the corner of her eye could no longer contain themselves and stepped forward.

Cen Pan quickly handed over the magic artifact in his hand, which resembled a water mirror.

The slender man glanced around, his eyes suddenly darkening: "That's right, it's this black coffin."

"Drop the hook quickly!"

The woman with the mole urged him repeatedly.

Cen Pan even took matters into his own hands, throwing the ritual implements himself before the corpse retrievers could approach.

His face beamed with joy, and his earlier worries had turned into eagerness.

Before long, an extremely heavy black coffin was slowly hooked and pulled ashore.

Gong Yuzhou took out an item and examined it carefully several times. His originally indifferent eyes gradually showed more delight.

The slender man quickly stepped forward and asked, "Senior Brother Gong, is that correct?"

Gong Yuzhou nodded slightly.

Upon seeing it, the woman with the mole beamed with joy and said to Gong Yuzhou, "Senior Brother Gong, it is indeed this coffin. We can finally report back."

"Upon returning this time, the Commander of the Thousand Divisions will surely bestow a generous reward."

She praised, "Senior Brother Gong is truly capable; he even thought of the corpse retriever."

"Those idiots in the Zhenhe Division are still busy messing around upstream."

The slender man also showed a hint of admiration.

All three came from prominent families, and their ancestors had produced highly skilled cultivators.

In particular, Senior Brother Gong Yuzhou still has a Foundation Establishment True Person in his family.

He was exceptionally talented, and in just three years after joining the Zhenhe Division, he repeatedly made outstanding contributions, rising from a minor flag officer to his current position as the Guardian.

Although the two joined the company at the same time, they always followed his lead.

He also made many contributions.

Gu Zhao had already quietly climbed onto the deck without making a sound to disturb them.

Gong Yuzhou took out a square magic artifact, pointed it with his fingertip, and the artifact suddenly opened a huge mouth, swallowing the black coffin directly into it, and then affixed a yellow talisman to it.

He then smiled.

"Many thanks to Deacon Cen for this. What I promised earlier will be honored."

Cen Pan was already flattered, and his back straightened unconsciously. He quickly bowed and said:

"You flatter me, sir. This is all within my duty."

The slender man chuckled as he looked at Cen Pan, "Don't worry, my Senior Brother Gong is always fair in his rewards and punishments, and never ambiguous."

Gong Yuzhou didn't look at Cen Pan anymore. Instead, his gaze swept over the group of corpse retrievers, and he smiled, "You will all receive a reward today."

The faces of Ma Fang and the others immediately lit up with joy.

Gong Yuzhou then asked, "Who discovered this black coffin first?"

Cen Pan immediately responded, "Reporting to Commander Gong, it is Gu Zhao."

The magical artifact in his hand allowed him to identify the first person who had used the golden hoop to relay the message.

It was already quite strange that Gu Zhao had been repeatedly pulling black zombies out of the Yinshui River in recent days, and today it was him again.

Gong Yuzhou asked calmly, "Who is Gu Zhao?"

Seeing this, Gu Zhao had no choice but to step out from the crowd and bow respectfully.

"Gu Zhao greets Envoy Gong."

Gong Yuzhou smiled slightly: "So it's you. Judging from your appearance and demeanor, you seem more like an inner disciple of my sect than a corpse-retrieval worker."

Most of the corpse retrievers were old and withered, their faces gaunt and their bodies exuding a deathly aura.

In contrast, Gu Zhao had fair skin and bright, clear eyes.

The woman with the mole at the corner of her eye couldn't help but take a few more glances. Among the menial disciples, there were indeed some with decent appearances, but very few possessed his kind of air.

His brows held a touch of cold handsomeness, yet also concealed a hint of gentle warmth, making him quite eye-catching.

Her gaze shifted downwards, and she caught sight of Gu Zhao, who was barefoot and wearing only a coarse cloth shirt from a morgue. A slight smirk appeared on her lips.

Ultimately, he was a lowly servant, and he could never shake off that baseness in his bones.

Gong Yuzhou smiled and said, "Since you discovered it first, the credit should go to you."

Gu Zhao bowed humbly and said, "Gu Zhao doesn't deserve such praise. It was all thanks to Steward Cen's skillful coordination. I just have a slightly better eye."

Upon hearing this, Gong Yuzhou took a jade pendant from his waist and tossed it over: "Today is a joyous occasion. Although this jade pendant isn't a magical treasure, I'll reward it to you."

He paused, then added, "My name is engraved on the jade pendant. If you ever wish to come to the Zhenhe Division, no one will dare to stop you."

"Of course, if you want to exchange some money for religious offerings, feel free to do so."

Gu Zhao caught it. The jade pendant was bluish-white in color, cool and smooth to the touch, with two small characters engraved on the front—"Yuzhou".

He immediately accepted the gift and bowed, saying, "Thank you for the reward, Envoy Gong."

Gu Zhao felt a slight disappointment. The large cauldron in his mind showed no reaction to this object, clearly indicating that it could not be used as a sacrifice.

Cen Pan watched with envy.

This is no ordinary jade pendant; it is clearly something that has won the favor of Envoy Gong.

With this jade pendant, Gu Zhao could enter and leave the Zhenhe Division to see Gong Yuzhou, which was a real privilege.

From now on, I'm afraid I won't be able to order Gu Zhao around as freely as before.

He wondered to himself: I wonder what exactly Gong Weishi saw in this kid.

The woman with a mole at the corner of her eye also found it strange that Senior Brother Gong would so openly show favoritism to a mere corpse retriever. Could this person really have some extraordinary talent?

However, this was just a passing episode.

Not wanting to linger any longer, Gong Yuzhou and his two companions prepared to leave.

Cen Pan hesitated for a moment, but finally stepped forward and said, "Envoy Gong, I have another question to ask you."

Gong Yuzhou paused, turned around, and looked up, his tone calm: "You've done well today, so feel free to speak. Just remember, there are some things you shouldn't ask, so don't meddle."

Cen Pan quickly lowered his head and said respectfully, "I have been serving in the Corpse Retrieval Office for many years, so I dare not ask too many questions. However, I am uneasy and would like to ask what has happened to the Yinshui River recently? Even the officials from the Patrol Hall and the River Suppression Division have come here one after another."

Gong Yuzhou smiled faintly: "I can answer that question. It's not a secret. You'll know in a few days."

"A Foundation Establishment Master's treasure was stolen from the inner sect, and the thief hid it in this Yin River."

"A Foundation Establishment cultivator?!"

Cen Pan's expression suddenly hardened.

He knew better than anyone the weight of the words "Foundation Building"—it was a level of power that could easily crush him with just a single finger.

Gu Zhao heard it all clearly from the side.

The treasure of the Foundation Establishment True Person was stolen, and the thief escaped into the Yin Water River.

A series of strange occurrences flashed through his mind: the mischievous water monkeys, the black coffin that had just been retrieved, and the theft of this Foundation Establishment treasure... layer upon layer, shrouded in mystery.

Cen Pan dared not ask any more questions.

Before leaving, Gong Yuzhou casually advised, "Deacon Cen, the Yinshui River is not as peaceful as it used to be. It's always good to be more careful, lest you lose your life for nothing."

As he said this, he glanced at Gu Zhao, intentionally or unintentionally.

On the other side, Ma Fang and the others received eight hundred magic coins from the disciples of Zhenhe Division, and they were all beaming with joy.

Eight hundred coins are enough for them to live a carefree life.

Today's errand was worthwhile.

People couldn't help but feel a little more favorably toward Gu Zhao.

Holding the magic coins in his hand, Gu Zhao looked at the Yinshui River shrouded in cold mist, and felt a growing sense of worry.

After the entire group from the Zhenhe Division had left.

Cen Pan then composed himself and led the group of corpse retrievers back to the river section to continue their duties.