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

Sui Nanfeng.

Inside the Shuiyuanju (Water Source Residence), steam rises, and the air is filled with enticing aromas.

The stableman had already raised his voice to announce: "A table full of good wine and food, two bowls of spirit rice, pack them tightly, don't steal any."

Not long after.

The waiter served wine and meat, and finally, the grand finale was Lingmi (spirit rice).

The stables were already impatient and began shoveling food into their mouths.

Gu Zhao was the same; he had spent the whole day at the lake dam and was quite tired.

After the stable boy finished his bowl, the bottom of the bowl was scraped clean.

"Waiter, another bowl, please!"

Gu Zhao knew that Shuiyuanju was one of the few places in the servants' quarters where a second bowl of spirit rice could be added.

"Master Dao, you're here!"

When the second bowl of spirit rice was served, Gu Zhao and Ma Fang slowly began to eat.

The stableman drank a few sips of rice wine, and his originally pale face became flushed. He then let out a burp.

"Brother Zhao, I have a question for you."

He picked up a piece of stir-fried rapeseed, which was crispy and glistening with oil, and savored it slowly in his mouth.

"Everyone in our Dingzi District is saying that you, Zhao Ge, are destined to be with the black zombies. But I know you, Zhao Ge, are definitely capable."

"Otherwise, neither Envoy Gong nor Fairy Ni would value you."

The stableman poured Gu Zhao a glass of wine, and before Gu Zhao could answer, he continued talking to himself.

"Brother Zhao, don't think I talk too much. I've been in the morgue for a long time and have seen a lot of people."

Gu Zhao took a sip. In his previous life, he had no habit of drinking alcohol, but unexpectedly, he had come to enjoy a little bit of it in this world.

"Not at all, Brother Ma, please feel free to speak."

The stableman then put down his chopsticks and said slowly, "Brother Zhao, you've received too much reward money these past few days."

"There are already quite a few people in the morgue who are eyeing you."

"Today I offended the supervisor Jiang Xiubao again. With Commander Gong around, he wouldn't dare to use any tricks on the Yinshui River."

The stableman looked at Gu Zhao with unusually clear eyes, "But there are quite a few dirty tricks used by the servants in this backyard."

Gu Zhao put down his wine glass.

The stableman added, "Killing someone doesn't even require a knife."

Gu Zhao had already understood that the attack in the water today was a vivid lesson.

Within the demonic sect, even without provoking others, one can still suffer unexpected calamities.

On the first floor of Shuiyuanju, a group of servants rarely had a chance to rest, eat, and drink, creating a lively atmosphere.

The stableman looked around and slowly said, "Jiang Xiubao, this fat pig only needs you to distribute the money in your hand, and he won't even have to lift a finger."

"Some of the people in the other houses in the lower courtyard will always take the risk."

"Perhaps, Zhao-ge'er, your name is already on someone's desk."

"They are waiting for you to receive the reward money from Commander Gong in a few days."

"Then... take action."

"In the Mingyi sect, a menial servant is not worth any Dharma money."

"They might not be from the morgue, so they're not afraid of the River Guard. They're confident they can do it without anyone noticing."

Ma Fang took a sip of wine and then picked up a piece of food: "I worked in the morgue for five or six years, and I just lived a low-key life."

"The servants' quarters are just as dangerous as the Yinshui River."

He hadn't originally planned to say these things, but Gu Zhao was currently riding high, and if he didn't listen, it would ruin their relationship.

But after spending so much time together, he still hoped that Gu Zhao would be alright.

Gu Zhao nodded slowly, "Thank you for the reminder, Brother Ma."

He already understood that he had offended Jiang Xiubao, Cen Pan, and even Sun Chan from the Zhenhe Division.

Improving your own abilities is the key.

The stable chuckled again: "Brother Zhao, let's not talk about these things anymore."

"Maybe I'm overthinking it."

He winked at Gu Zhao and asked, "Zhao-ge, shall we go up to the second floor today?"

Gu Zhao calculated the amount of money he had; the [Body Washing Cream] was indeed useful.

Moreover, he also had the [Fetal Breathing Pill] given to him by Gong Yuzhou. If he used both together, the effect should be doubled.

The stableman called out, "Is number eighty-eight still there?"

This top courtesan at Shuiyuanju has quite good skills.

The waiter asked the maid and replied with a smile, "Master, it's just a coincidence, number eighty-eight is still here."

"Would you like some?"

Gu Zhao greeted the stable master and then each went into a small room on the second floor of Shuiyuanju.

He swallowed the Fetal Breathing Pill, but didn't take it while in the Yinshui River, for fear of interfering with the retrieval of the corpse.

Now there's no need to worry about that anymore.

Having eaten and drunk their fill, and having also consumed the sacred rice, it was the perfect time.

The cool-tasting pill slid into my stomach and slowly dissolved.

The medicinal power spread throughout the limbs and bones, and then converged into the dantian, stimulating the generation of internal energy in the dantian, which was four or five times stronger than usual.

He then circulated the "Corpse Water Azure Wave Scripture" again, and the Qian Yuan True Qi, along with his internal energy, slowly circulated throughout his body, at a speed several times faster than before.

Gu Zhao looked inward and saw his internal energy slowly increasing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The exhilarating feeling of this practice is indescribable; the lingering effects of the alcohol I had just drunk were instantly dispelled.

"call--"

Gu Zhao felt the internal energy circulating within his body, like a boiling furnace.

It nourishes all the acupoints and pores of one's skin.

"This is what medicinal supplements are all about!"

"Those born into noble families take potent medicines, swallow precious pills, and bathe in medicinal baths from a young age. How can I compare to them in terms of physical strength and internal energy?"

"Even in the pursuit of immortality, one must win at the starting line."

On the Zhenhe Division's boat, Yuan Shao and Yang Yueqi looked down on Gu Zhao's cultivation level.

They broke through the fetal movement realm after only two years of training, but they had never lacked resources since childhood and had been laying a solid foundation since they were young.

How could someone like Gu Zhao, a peasant, possibly compare?

Fifteen minutes later.

There was a knock on the door of the small room where Gu Zhao was.

"Master Dao, may I come in?"

It was that familiar voice again.

Gu Zhao wasn't nervous this time and simply responded.

The door opened, and a burly man walked in, carrying a steaming wooden bucket in his hands.

When the burly man saw Gu Zhao's face clearly, he couldn't help but show a look of surprise and delight.

He suddenly became a little shy, and his words were soft and sweet, even more charming than a woman's.

"Master Dao, it's you again..."

"Master Dao, you're so kind to choose me again."

If Gu Zhao hadn't already known this last time, he would have blurted out, "Who's speaking!"

The burly man said softly, "Master Dao, you can just take off your shirt and lie down."

He turned around and rummaged through the box, taking out several ointments and powders. He smiled and said, "Since you've come to see Qiaogu again, I have some top-quality body wash left over from these past few days. You can use it."

Qiao Gu!?

So this must be the name of the Great Han.

Gu Zhao already knew that the price of body wash varied considerably depending on its quality, so he thanked her, saying, "Thank you, Qiaogu."

The burly man blushed slightly, but his full beard obscured any imperfections.

As he spoke, he had already applied the ointment evenly to Gu Zhao's back, and then he used his ten fingers to rub and push with steady force.

Although Gu Zhao was prepared, he still gritted his teeth; the force was too strong.

Moreover, this time he noticed that there was a surge of internal energy coming from the big man's back.

A moment later, the burly man named Qiaogu showed a look of surprise:

"Master Dao, you had just broken through to the fourth level of the Fetal Movement Realm when I last visited."

"It's only been a few days... and he's already reached the fifth level?"