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

Yinshui River, Dingzi District.

Dusk was falling, and night had already descended.

Eight or nine people had already blocked the only way for the corpse retrievers to return to their lodgings in the tenement.

"Why haven't they arrived yet?"

"They should have finished work long ago. These corpse retrievers always have only two routes to take when they come back."

The speaker was a burly man squatting by the roadside. He was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with a face full of scars and bloodshot eyes, looking like a demon.

However, the crimson color was not natural; it was caused by the smoke and fumes from the crematorium.

This man's name was Liu Tang, and he was a notorious gambler in the Lower House.

Relying on his brother-in-law's position as a deacon, he acted with impunity and often engaged in petty theft and bullying of the weak in the lower courtyard.

In previous years, he repeatedly robbed corpse retrievers of their hard-earned savings. Some people refused to tolerate his actions and were killed by him, earning him the infamous reputation of "Red-Eyed Ghost".

Liu Tang grew impatient and ordered one of his men in a low voice, "Go to the other road and see if Brother Xiao makes any moves. He's not planning to keep it all to himself, is he?"

Not long after, a few people hurried over.

The leader of the group had a sallow complexion, an ugly appearance, a dragon tattooed on his arm, and a furrowed brow with a look of anxiety.

"Brother Liu, we've been guarding this road for two whole hours, and we haven't seen a single person."

"Damn it, did it just vanish into thin air?"

This man was named Xiao Ying, nicknamed Ugly Dragon. His fearsome reputation was even greater than that of Red-Eyed Ghost Liu Tang. He bullied the weak and even committed acts of torture and murder against servants.

His background was even more powerful than Liu Tang's; his elder brother was a minor officer in the Zhenhe Division. With such powerful backing, he was even more unscrupulous.

The two men colluded to commit crimes, recruiting more than a dozen ruthless idlers in the Lower House to rob people and cause trouble. They were already notorious in the surrounding areas.

Ugly Dragon Xiao Ying looked up at the darkening sky; night was gradually falling.

Something's not right.

He frowned deeply. "The Yinshui River always freezes on time, so there's no reason for the corpse retrievers to delay until this hour."

"Could it be... that they got wind of it beforehand?"

Liu Tang, the Crimson-Eyed Demon, slowly shook his head, his crimson eyes filled with gloom: "Impossible. We only acted on short notice after discovering they had just received their reward of eight thousand magic coins. Who could have known?"

His gaze swept over the group of idlers around him, and his fiery red eyes, like those of a demon, glanced at them indifferently. The people around him immediately felt a tightness in their hearts, and everyone became uneasy.

Seeing this, Xiao Ying said, "Brother Liu, why would anyone tip us off when we're brothers?"

"These guys are all no good; they're just after a piece of the pie."

Upon further reflection, Liu Tang realized that this was indeed the case.

The group of desperados he recruited might be capable of betraying their comrades for personal gain, but they would never kindly tip off complete strangers who were retrieving corpses.

"That would be truly strange."

"All five body retrievers have vanished without a trace."

They had already found other body retrievers to draw a sketch of the entire group from the stable.

Among the thugs blocking the road were local corpse retrievers from the Dingzi District, who were very familiar with Gu Zhao and his group.

Ugly Dragon Xiao Ying felt annoyed and said in a deep voice, "That Gu Zhao is a real piece of meat."

"He just received a reward of eight thousand magic coins today, and with the savings he accumulated from his previous first-place finishes, his net worth is probably close to twenty thousand magic coins."

"We've been watching from the shadows for so long, we absolutely can't let someone else snatch this easy fruit first."

Seeing Xiao Ying's gritted teeth, Liu Tang smiled and said, "Brother Xiao, there's no need to be anxious."

"I've already sent people to Yinshui River to investigate the situation; I expect news will come back soon."

He suddenly changed the subject: "However, I've heard that Gu Zhao is highly regarded by a guard commander in the Zhenhe Division."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ying's face immediately turned disdainful, and she sneered, "So what if you value her? In the end, she's still just like us, wearing the same clothes, a menial servant."

"We chopped up his bones and sank them into the Yinshui River, without anyone knowing."

"We can't blame it on us brothers."

Liu Tang chuckled sinisterly. Despite his fearsome reputation as the "Red-Eyed Demon," he was far more cautious than the violent Xiao Ying.

That's why, despite committing numerous murders and robberies, they never caused any major trouble that could bring them down.

Moreover, they had already secretly investigated Gu Zhao and Ma Fang's group thoroughly, figuring out their backgrounds, connections, and cultivation levels. They were definitely easy targets with no connections or connections.

If you die, you die.

Not long after!

A man came running up, panting heavily.

"Brother Liu, Brother Xiao, oh no, something terrible has happened."

Xiao Ying was already anxious, and upon hearing the sound, she suddenly stood up, kicked the man who brought the news to the ground, and shouted angrily, "I'm perfectly fine, don't come here to curse me."

"What's wrong? Tell me quickly."

The man fell heavily to the ground, but didn't dare utter a sound. "It's...it's Gu Zhao!"

"Gu Zhao and his group went to Suibei Peak. Some corpse retrievers saw them enter the peak!"

Liu Tang's expression was grim: "This Sui Beifeng is backed by an outer sect disciple who runs a business."

"It's not easy to do it."

"If we break the rules, we'll probably be in deep trouble too."

Previously, there were indeed desperate criminals who dared to kill and rob at Suibei Peak, but without exception, they were all killed on the spot by the Qi Refining Realm cultivators stationed there.

Sui Beifeng has outer sect cultivators who refine Qi stationed there.

It should be noted that among their group, the highest cultivation levels were held by Xiao Ying and Liu Tang, who were only at the eighth level of the Fetal Movement stage.

He usually only bullies ordinary servants with his fists and feet, but if he faces a cultivator who has entered the Qi Refining Realm,

They died without even knowing how they died.

Besides Sui Beifeng, Sui Nanfeng, where the most servants gather, also has a place with the support of outer disciples, namely Shuiyuanju.

Liu Tang and his men dared not make a move there.

Then there are the large courtyards and dormitories in the outer courtyard, as well as the thirty-six rooms for workers.

The sect has rules that these places must not result in deaths.

As for other places, Gu Zhao and his group probably can't avoid them.

Xiao Ying couldn't help but ask, "What are they going to Sui Beifeng for?"

Sui Beifeng was expensive, and it was never a place for menial servants like them to set foot in. Normally, no one wanted to go there.

Liu Tang suddenly realized what was happening, his face instantly turning ashen. "You bastard!"

"These corpse retrievers have gone to spend money on religious rituals."

Xiao Ying also realized that these corpse retrievers went to Sui Beifeng just to spend money on rituals.

He had already figured out how to spend the eight thousand coins tonight.

Go to the earthen kiln and find a new chick to taste. No, you need to find two.

Then, he dominated the gambling den, winning back all the money he had lost in the previous days.

Now it's all gone, he gritted his teeth and growled:

"Fuck you!"

"You dare spend my money!"