What do you mean by saying that the corpses I sew are all ominous creatures?

"Why can't I be here?"

Jin Wanliang cut a piece of the peeled apple and stuffed it into his mouth, speaking indistinctly.

"The commotion you and that kid Li Qing caused has shaken the entire Jiangcheng entertainment circle."

"Of course I had to come and see my two lucky gods of wealth!"

Li Qing?

Hearing this name instantly brought back my memories.

The underground palace, General Zuo, the high-ranking guardians of the cauldron, Li Qing's feng shui formation, and that final sword strike...

"Li Qing...how is he?"

I asked anxiously, trying to sit up, but the movement aggravated my wound, causing me to wince in pain.

"Lie still and don't move."

A cool, clear voice came from the window.

I turned my head and realized that Lu Yan had been standing there the whole time.

She was wearing a loose hospital gown, her left arm in a sling across her chest, wrapped in thick bandages. Although her face was still somewhat pale, her eyes remained sharp.

The setting sun cast its light on her profile, softening her usually aloof demeanor.

Lu Yan walked to the bedside, adjusted my pillow, and said calmly:

"Li Qing is in the next ward, probably eating right now."

His injuries weren't as severe as yours; he was just a bit overexerted.

Hearing this, I finally felt relieved.

As long as people are alive, that's all that matters.

I let out a long breath, then closed my eyes and began to sense my physical condition.

This realization gave me a sudden jolt.

air.

His dantian was completely empty; he couldn't even feel a trace of the malevolent energy that he usually controlled so easily.

What's going on?

What are the aftereffects of the Pisha?

But I've never encountered this situation before when I activated the Demon-Slaying Armor.

I was somewhat unwilling, so I gritted my teeth and forcefully activated the Qi-guiding technique, trying to squeeze out a trace of power from the depths of my meridians.

"hiss--"

A sharp pain struck instantly, making me stop immediately.

However, amidst this excruciating pain, I sensed something unusual.

If my meridians used to be likened to streams, now... they seem to have become dried-up riverbeds.

Although it has dried up, the river channel has widened!

And it's more than twice as wide!

I was startled, then overjoyed.

The most difficult aspect of cultivation for the Corpse Stitcher lineage is expanding their meridians.

Because we cultivate malevolent energy, which is volatile and can easily damage the meridians if we are not careful, we can only proceed step by step with painstaking effort.

Is this what they call "destruction before construction"?

Once I recover from my injuries and rebuild my killing energy, my total internal energy will be twice as much as before, or even more!

Then I will be able to control the bone needles more freely, and even try to control heavier objects.

"Although I don't know what happened while I was unconscious... well, it wasn't all bad."

I smiled slightly and muttered to myself.

"Oh, you can still laugh?"

Jin Wanliang came closer, his bright little eyes scanning me over and over.

"Brother Chen, I heard from Director Lu that you used some kind of forbidden technique this time, which was extremely dangerous?"

Wow, young people are so energetic!

However, I must warn you, this method of overdrawing your potential should be used sparingly in the future, as it can damage your kidneys.

I rolled my eyes at him: "Boss Jin, you still haven't told the truth."

Someone as shrewd as you wouldn't have come all this way just to visit me in the hospital, would you?

Jin Wanliang chuckled, dropped the pretense, pulled up a chair, sat down, and lowered his voice to say:

"You can't hide it from me. Actually, I came here for Li Qing."

Just as I guessed, this old guy already knew Li Qing.

Although I knew the answer in my heart, I still feigned surprise: "You and Li Qing are very familiar?"

"It's more than just knowing each other, it's a long-standing friendship."

Jin Wanliang sighed, a look of reminiscence on his face.

Three years ago, I was buying a batch of jade in Yunnan when I was tricked and almost lost my life there.

Li Qing happened to be passing by and immediately saw through the feng shui arrangement. He casually broke it for me and even gave me a few pointers.

"If it weren't for him, my grave would be overgrown with weeds by now."

"Oh, I see."

I nodded, then changed the subject: "So when I asked you to introduce me to a feng shui expert, why did you act like you didn't know Li Qing at all?"

Upon hearing this, Jin Wanliang's face stiffened.

"This...this..."

He scratched his head, then said awkwardly, "Well, we weren't that close back then, Brother Chen. Besides, it's business... I understand... Brother Chen, you understand..."

I laughed and cursed a few times, but didn't pursue the matter further.

After all, just as he said, Jin Wanliang and I weren't really that close back then.

However, I have a feeling that this kid is definitely not telling the truth.

"Besides Li Qing, where are the others?"

I looked at Lu Yan, not wanting to get too entangled with Jin Wanliang on this topic.

Lu Yan's eyes dimmed slightly.

"Master Xuanzhen has suffered a loss of vital energy, his natal magic weapon is damaged, and he is getting old, so I'm afraid... it will be difficult for him to fight again in the future. He has been sent back to the provincial bureau to recuperate."

"Iron Pillar..."

At this point, Lu Yan paused, her voice becoming somewhat hoarse.

"I broke a few ribs, but that's a minor thing."

The important thing is... his left leg suffered a comminuted fracture, and although it has been set, he may have to use crutches in the future.

He has already applied for a transfer to an administrative position.

"As for Qianji, he suffered a concussion and internal bleeding and is still under observation in the intensive care unit, but the doctor said there is a high chance he will wake up."

I was silent.

Although everyone survived, the price... was really heavy.

Even a highly skilled master like Master Xuanzhen had his cultivation crippled.

Tie Zhu, that honest and simple man, will never be able to rush to the front again.

There's also Qianji, who still hasn't woken up.

All of this stemmed from the ambition of the person guarding the cauldron.

"Has the guardian of the cauldron been caught?"

I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails dug into my flesh.

Lu Yan shook her head, walked to the window, and looked at the city lights gradually lighting up outside.

"no."

"Although Li Shan and Liu Bai joined forces to force him to retreat, a sorcerer of his level was determined to escape, and it was difficult to keep him."

and……"

She turned around, her expression grave: "He took away all the evil energy and corpse energy from the underground palace and the corpse domain, as well as the original essence after General Zuo's corpse was refined."

Analysts at the provincial bureau believe he might use this energy to power something far more terrifying.

"The Nine Cauldrons?"

I blurted it out.

"That's probably it," Jin Wanliang interjected.

At this moment, the playful smile on his face disappeared, replaced by a seriousness I had never seen on his face before.

"Brother Chen, I've also heard some rumors about this matter."

The Guardians of the Cauldron have recently been frantically buying up all sorts of extremely yin and cold materials on the black market.

The fact that they went to such lengths, even exposing elders, to seize the corpse energy indicates that their plan has reached a critical juncture.