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

An hour later.

Gu Zhao, relying on the broadened vision gained after injecting Qian Yuan Zhen Qi into his eye apertures, swam along without discovering any more purple corpses.

They did see a black zombie, but when they got closer, the cauldron didn't react at all.

This sacrificial cauldron is really "picky" when it comes to food.

Gu Zhao did not manage to retrieve the black zombie.

He darted around in the water.

Nowadays, there are many people retrieving corpses from the lake dam, but as Gu Zhao was swimming, he vaguely felt several pairs of eyes secretly observing him.

I don't know if it's just my imagination?

A sense of wariness crept into my heart.

He simply stopped going into the deep water and just swam around the corpse retrieval boat, which he considered "paddling".

He would go aboard the ship every now and then to rest and recuperate.

Gu Zhao took advantage of the time to adjust his breathing to cultivate, allowing the Qian Yuan True Qi to circulate throughout his body with his internal energy.

Cultivation is like water dripping on stone, eventually wearing it down.

The stableman also boarded the boat, soaking wet, shaking off the cold water, his lips trembling.

He saw Gu Zhao and came closer.

"This place is much colder and more gloomy than our Dingzi District."

The other corpse retrievers around them were the same; their skin was completely pale.

The stableman looked Gu Zhao up and down and noticed that his face was somewhat rosy. In fact, after going into the water these past few days, he also noticed that Gu Zhao's originally thin figure had become more robust.

"Brother Zhao, you seem even more handsome than before!"

This was something Gu Zhao hadn't expected; perhaps it was because he had been in the water for over half a month, coupled with his breakthrough in cultivation.

In the past few days, he was surprised to find that he actually had the abs he had dreamed of in his past life.

The stable master then said, "How about we go to Shuiyuanju for a meal tonight?"

"It's been so long since I've had spirit rice, I'm really craving it."

Gu Zhao nodded.

I just don't know when I'll be able to finish work after coming here with Gong Yuzhou today.

A chilly atmosphere lingered over the lake dam.

Several large ships were moored there, and boats carrying body retrieval crews came and went, constantly busy.

The stableman remembered something else: "Zhao-ge'er, have you noticed?"

"The body retrievers underwater are all experts from Zone A and Zone B. I've heard of some of them before."

"There is someone who, like you, Zhao-ge, once escaped from the water monkeys. He is extremely fast underwater and is known as 'Water Arrow'."

Gu Zhao was surprised. He knew how powerful the water monkey was in the Yinshui River, and this person was no pushover.

The stableman continued, "There's another person who once pulled out three purple corpses and eighteen black zombies in a single day. He's a corpse retriever from District B, and his nickname is 'Searching Three Feet of Water'."

"It is said that he was naturally skilled in swimming and could hear sounds underwater."

Three purple corpses and eighteen black zombies!

This reputation for "searching three feet into the water" is well-deserved.

The stableman laughed and said, "Brother Zhao, do you know that you've gotten a nickname in our Dingzi District these days?"

Gu Zhao asked curiously, "What is it?"

The stable chuckled and said, "Black Zombie King."

Gu Zhao's forehead creased with annoyance; he naturally knew the origin of this title.

It's just that for the past half month, he's always been the first to fish out the black zombie.

A scene suddenly popped into my mind:

Someone raised a wine glass and exclaimed, "Ah, the Black Zombie King has arrived!"

What nickname is wrong? "White Streak in the Waves," "River Dragon," or "Young Master of the Yin River" would all work.

There are only wrong names, not wrong nicknames.

The stable owner didn't see anything wrong with it; making a name for himself among the corpse retrievers was already quite an achievement.

He's been soaking in this Yinshui River for over six years, and still hasn't made a name for himself.

At this moment, the stableman's eyes shifted, looking at the four people walking towards the bow of the boat.

"Brother Zhao, look! Isn't that Fairy Ni?"

Gu Zhao was taken aback: "Fairy Ni? Which Fairy Ni?"

He turned his head and saw four people walking towards him.

The woman at the head of the group wore a pristine white dress, spotless and tall with delicate and refined features; she was none other than Ni Shengyan.

Three people followed behind: a young man in brocade robes, a burly man with blond hair, and a woman in a palace dress.

The moment the four boarded the boat, it naturally alerted Gong Yuzhou and his two companions.

Yuan Shao frowned: "Why are the people from the Mountain Patrol Hall here? They've never gotten along with our River Control Division."

Yang Yueqi glanced at the woman in white and said with a sneer, "Ni Shengyan, so what if she has a good senior brother? She was already arrogant before, and now that she has taken on a master, she's probably going to turn the world upside down."

Yuan Shao shook his head and said, "Ni Shengyan entered the Qi Refining Realm with two high-grade precious Qi, and she also cultivates the Sword Control Technique, a first-grade Daoist technique."

"Last time, she used her sword control technique to kill a water monkey in the Yinshui River."

"Water monkeys, these spirits from the Yin River, are very troublesome even for those in the mid-stage of Qi Refining."

"This woman is an outstanding member of the Patrol Hall, and her rank should be that of a captain, equivalent to the guard commander of our Zhenhe Division."

"The two of us are no match for her; I'm afraid only Senior Brother Gong can outdo her."

Gong Yuzhou entered the Qi Refining Realm with three top-grade treasure Qi, one of which was an extremely rare demonic Qi. Among his peers in the Zhenhe Division, only a handful could rival him.

Although Yang Yueqi was somewhat unconvinced, she knew that what Yuan Shao said was true.

Gong Yuzhou put away the white snake in his left hand and laughed, "Let's go. Since she's here, we can't just not see her."

The three of them walked down the cabin.

Ni Shengyan and his party also boarded the official boat of the Zhenhe Division.

Upon seeing such a luxurious ship, Li Wanwan, a woman in a palace dress, couldn't help but say, "This Zhenhe Division really treats the Yinshui River as their own private property."

"The business in Yinshui River is booming; the main hall of the Zhenhe Division is almost taller than the ancestral hall of the Mingyi Sect."

"The events on the Yinshui River were kept tightly under wraps, for fear of others interfering."

"You must understand that the entire Mingyi Sect, including the Yinshui River and the thirty-six lower courtyards, ultimately belongs to the Mingyi Sect."

"Since it belongs to the Mingyi sect, it should be placed under the supervision of the Xunshan Hall."

The young master in brocade robes, Chen Mu, laughed and said, "Junior Sister Wanwan, do you know that the Mingyi Sect rose to prominence thanks to this Yinshui River?"

Li Wanwan retorted, "So what?"

The blond-haired man stood by, chuckling, without interrupting.

Chen Mu brought up the main topic: "Shengyan, why do we want to cooperate with Gong Yuzhou?"

"He was only promoted to the position of Guard Commissioner in the last two years and hasn't started managing things yet. I'm afraid he can't compare to Sun Chan and Chen Qian, who have been Guard Commissioners for many years."

Ni Shengyan slowly walked onto the deck, her gaze sweeping over the corpse retrievers on the ship, her eyes flickering slightly.

She withdrew her gaze and replied, "This Senior Brother Gong is well-known within the Zhenhe Division. Some of his teachers say that he is calm, resourceful, and decisive, a true talent."

To be called a Daoist talent is already an excellent compliment.

In the Mingyi Sect, once you enter the outer sect, regardless of which hall, department, or position you hold, you are all addressed as fellow disciples.

The young man in brocade robes, Chen Mu, frowned. He didn't like hearing Ni Shengyan praise other male cultivators.

The body retrievers around seemed to have recognized the four people, and one of them whispered, "It's Fairy Ni."

Upon seeing this, Li Wanwan, the woman in the palace dress, was somewhat surprised: "Aren't these corpse retrievers the same people from the boat we were on when we killed the water monkeys?"

Gong Yuzhou and the other two had already left.

The young man in brocade robes, Chen Mu, also looked up at Gong Yuzhou opposite him, their eyes meeting from afar.

Ni Shengyan glanced around and looked at a young man, her eyes lighting up.

She walked over and smiled.

"Gu Zhao, we meet again."