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

Gu Zhao dived back into the water.

With the protection of pure Yang Qi, and the ability to infuse his eyes with Qi, he could see objects up to five zhang away.

One afternoon, he discovered several more wandering corpses, including one black zombie.

Unfortunately, none of these corpses could cause the great cauldron in the sea of ​​the mind to tremble in the slightest.

It seems that the spiritual object depicted in this sacrificial cauldron is no ordinary Yin corpse.

Gu Zhao, being cautious, did not attempt to retrieve the black zombie.

Two black zombies appearing in one day is too conspicuous and attention-grabbing, especially on a day like today.

He only retrieved three corpses as usual.

On the body retrieval boat, things were finally not as fruitless as they had been in the morning.

Two corpses were also recovered from the stable.

One person also pulled out a black zombie, but he missed the first prize and didn't get the reward.

At six quarters past the hour of You (6 p.m.), the sun began to set in the west.

Cen Pan glanced at the other deacons' fleets around him and gestured to the boy.

The boy immediately raised his voice and sang, "Work is over for today!"

There was little cheering on the boat. After working on the River of Corpses all day, the corpse retrievers were all covered in a chilling aura, their bones ached and their bodies were exhausted, and they had long since run out of strength.

Cen Pan was the first to disembark and leave.

A glint of brilliance flashed in Gu Zhao's eyes as he looked at the bottom of the ship where the flying sword had been, but it was long gone.

It seems the woman has already removed the flying sword.

A group of corpse retrievers also followed sparsely ashore.

The Yinshui River will be closed to traffic after midnight, and the latest it cannot be closed is 10 pm. Now is the perfect time to stop working.

The stableman looked around in the crowd and spotted Gu Zhao at a glance, then quickly waved to him.

"Zhao-ge'er, over here!"

The two walked back.

"Brother Zhao, you've really made a name for yourself today! You caught a black zombie and even got a reward from Cen Heilian. This is unprecedented!"

Gu Zhao laughed and said, "It's just good luck. You'll run into him tomorrow too, Brother Ma."

The stable master sighed, "I don't know what's been going on these days. Ever since you met the water monkey, this is the third time something like this has happened. A few days ago, the envoy from the Zhenhe Division came."

"The people from the Mountain Patrol Hall have appeared again today."

Gu Zhao's heart stirred, and he caught three words: Zhenhe Division.

This is the yamen specifically responsible for supervising the Yinshui River, and it is also the rightful superior of all the officials.

Gu Zhao was under the jurisdiction of the Lower Court's Corpse Retrieval Department, and thus was naturally within its jurisdiction.

Moreover, as far as he remembered, the officers of the Zhenhe Division rarely went to the "front line" of retrieving corpses from the Yinshui River.

It seems that things are really not peaceful in this Yinshui River.

This matter has already attracted the attention of both the Mountain Patrol Hall and the River Suppression Division.

Those water monkeys causing trouble in the water really need to be dealt with.

Otherwise, it might be my turn someday.

The stableman sighed again: "Another person died today... There are very few who can survive seven years in the morgue and make it down the mountain safely... Never mind, let's not talk about these sordid things."

As long as a disciple serves in the lower courtyard for seven years, he or she can decide whether to stay or leave.

However, if the deadline is not met, let alone a month, even if it is only one day short, the Lower House of Punishments will not show the slightest leniency.

Gu Zhao had never done any water-related work before; he always paid someone to do it for him, otherwise it would be a violation of the sect rules.

He only earns 100 coins a day at the morgue, but it costs 180 to hire someone, which is a losing proposition.

It's similar to hiring someone to teach for you in a university.

The stableman patted Gu Zhao on the shoulder and laughed, "Brother Zhao, you've just recovered from your serious illness today, and you even received a reward. How about we go for a couple of drinks?"

Gu Zhao thought for a moment, realizing he was already short of money, and could only say apologetically, "Brother Ma, you know I'm really strapped for cash..."

As if remembering something, the stableman blurted out, "You still have to pay the fees for the Immortal Abode, how about... this meal is on me?"

But as soon as the words left his mouth, he wanted to slap himself.

He had just sent the money he had saved to Yao Niang, and he didn't have much left. He couldn't afford to treat people to drinks that were too cheap.

Seeing his expression, Gu Zhao smiled and said, "Next time, Brother Ma. I'm really exhausted today."

The stableman chuckled and said, "Alright, alright, then in a few days, I'm tired too."

"Don't insist on treating us then, just give it to your brother. I can afford it."

The two traveled together and returned to the large courtyard where the outer disciples lived.

The two chatted the whole way.

Most of the conversation was about the stables' nagging, but Gu Zhao wasn't annoyed; he just took it as an opportunity to learn more about the corpse retrieval facility.

By the time we reached the courtyard gate, it was almost dark.

It was the color of dusk.

This large courtyard for spiritual practice was rented by four people: the stable, Gu Zhao, and two other households.

One household on the edge of the yard has been vacant for years, meaning it's essentially three households sharing one yard.

The three of them were happy to get a good deal.

The other household was occupied by a woman.

The stableman always lamented that the three households living there were all "young masters and young ladies," while he was the only penniless one.

He had a general understanding of Gu Zhao's situation; with an outer sect senior sister looking after him, he was naturally extraordinary.

Hearing that his senior sister had passed away, Gu Zhao had no choice but to return to work.

The woman, however, was truly from a wealthy family.

He worked as a handyman for three years, nominally in the sewing room of the lower courtyard, but never actually worked a single day.

She only went to the outer gate to listen to sermons every day, and her expenses were like flowing water.

If it weren't for the Mingyi Sect's rule that only outer disciples could reside in cave dwellings, no amount of Dharma money would be of any use.

Otherwise, given her wealth and influence, she would have moved out of the servants' tenement long ago.

For the servant disciples, this large courtyard was already the best place to live. Below that were large communal beds with more than a dozen people per room, filled with the stench of sweat and crammed together, making it difficult to even move around when getting up at night.

It's hard to live comfortably, let alone practice spiritual cultivation.

Among the servants, those with even a little ambition would invariably rent a large tenement.

Now that a new batch of disciples has arrived at the lower courtyard, the accommodations are already full, and the large courtyard has become a hot commodity, causing the cost of living there to rise sharply.

Today, the corner rooms in the courtyard.

The magic weapon has already lit up.

Gu Zhao had heard from the stables that a wealthy woman was hiding in this large courtyard.

According to the memories of the previous incarnation, he had seen this woman several times, and she always seemed to be holding food in her hands.

Gu Zhao and the stable master parted ways.

The stableman hurried back to the house and took two beef wraps from the stove.

"I left this in the morning, and it's been kept warm. Eat it while it's hot, so you don't have to bother cooking dinner."

Aside from highly nourishing foods like spirit rice and demon beast meat, ordinary grains, while unable to increase cultivation, can at least fill one's stomach.

Gu Zhao thanked him and went into his room.

Close the door.

Gu Zhao chewed on a chewy beef wrap, sat cross-legged on the bed, and entered a meditative state.

The Xuan Shui Yuan Jing Lu obtained from the sacrifice of the headless Yin corpse has cooled down after three hours.

His mind sank into the depths of his heart, and the ancient, dark cauldron reappeared before his eyes.

[Would you like to receive two drops of Mystic Water Essence Dew?]

【receive!】

The cauldron trembled slightly, and a drop of water, as if formed from moonlight, slowly swirled out from within it.

Gu Zhao opened his mouth and inhaled lightly, swallowing the drop of primordial essence directly into his body.