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

"The authorities have issued the highest-level arrest warrant."

Lu Yan continued.

"The provincial bureau attaches great importance to this and has already dispatched more experts to Jiangcheng."

The incident at the underground palace was publicly stated to have been caused by a partial collapse triggered by an explosion of an underground natural gas pipeline; the ancient town has been completely sealed off.

"And what about me?"

I looked at Lu Yan: "Before leaving, the guardian of the cauldron said that he remembered my scent."

Am I now on their kill list?

Lu Yan did not avoid my gaze and nodded: "Yes."

"You are a corpse stitcher. Your inner energy is an anomaly and a threat to them."

And since you've ruined their plans so many times, they'll never let you get away with it.

She paused, her tone becoming firm:

"However, you've also been added to the Folklore Bureau's whitelist."

You have done a great service this time, and the provincial bureau has a very high opinion of you. During your hospitalization, there will be a special task force here to protect you 24 hours a day.

After you are discharged from the hospital, we will provide you with a new safe house and communication equipment.

Furthermore, the provincial bureau has already specially approved a sum of cultivation resources for you, which you can collect from the provincial bureau when you have time.

Or I can have them deliver it to you after you've made your selection.

I shook my head. "I'm still used to living in my rented apartment. It's close to the funeral home and convenient for commuting."

"You still have to go to work?" Lu Yan frowned. "Do you know how many eyes are watching you right now?"

"I know."

I looked at the ceiling, and images of my grandfather's face and the masked man's back appeared in my mind.

"But I am a mortician, and the funeral home is a place where the living and the dead meet; that is my home turf."

I can only become stronger amidst piles of dead bodies.

Hiding? That's not my style. Besides... there's no reason to guard against thieves for a thousand days straight.

I steadied myself and pointed my gaze directly at Lu Yan: "I don't want the safe house, communication equipment, or cultivation resources."

I guess the Folklore Bureau's counterattack won't be long, right?

I have only one request: I must participate in the next operation targeting the Guardian of the Cauldron.

Only when I personally confirm the death of my enemy can I sleep peacefully.

A brief silence fell over the room.

Jin Wanliang suddenly laughed and gave a thumbs up: "You've got guts! Brother Chen, I love your ruthlessness! This temper is just my type!"

He pulled a gold-embossed business card from his pocket and slipped it under my pillow:

"If you need anything in the future, just let me know."

Buying medicine, buying information, even hiring a killer... cough cough, in short, anything that money can solve, you can't go wrong with me, Jin Wanliang.

Lu Yan looked at me, the worry in her eyes gradually fading, replaced by a hint of appreciation.

"Suit yourself. But don't die."

She turned around, waved to me with her back to me, and said, "Get some rest. The bureau will reimburse your medical expenses."

I agree to your request. Also, come to the bureau to see me after you are discharged from the hospital.

The matter of cultivation resources remains unchanged.

Watching their departing figures, I let out a long sigh of relief.

Lu Yan's words did not refute the fact that the Bureau of Folklore was about to launch a counterattack against the Guardians of the Cauldron, which proves that my guess was correct.

Now, all I need to do is become stronger.

So powerful that I can influence the course of the next action, so powerful that no one will dare to threaten me again.

The ward fell silent again, with only the last rays of the setting sun fading away as night fell.

I closed my eyes, endured the excruciating pain, and began trying to circulate my dried-up meridians once more.

One point, two points...

Although faint, I could feel new energy being reborn within my body.

……

The moon outside the window had climbed to its zenith, and its cool light shone through the blinds onto the floor.

I slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, ending this round of internal energy circulation.

Although the dantian still felt empty, the feeling of weakness from the loss of power had not completely disappeared.

But after several hours of trying, a very faint trace of energy finally appeared in those parched meridians.

It felt like a long-parched riverbed finally getting a little wet; though it was little, it at least proved that the body wasn't completely ruined.

I glanced at the clock on the wall; it was two in the morning.

The ward was quiet, with only the white mist from the humidifier slowly dissipating in the air.

I pulled the IV needle out of the back of my hand, pressed my still slightly aching chest, and slowly got off the bed.

The moment my feet touched the ground, my knees buckled, and I almost knelt down, but I managed to steady myself by holding onto the edge of the bed.

I put on a coat, pushed open the door, and walked into the hallway.

The corridor was lit by dim floor lamps, and two special agents in plainclothes were sitting on a bench keeping watch.

Upon seeing me come out, the two of them immediately stood up alertly, their hands instinctively reaching for their waists. Only after recognizing me did they breathe a sigh of relief.

"Mr. Chen, why are you out? The doctor said you need to rest," one of the younger team members asked in a low voice.

"I can't sleep, I'll go visit my friend next door."

I smiled gently, trying to keep my tone relaxed: "Don't worry, it's right next door, I won't go far."

The two exchanged a glance, probably having received Lu Yan's instruction to "do his best to meet his demands," so they did not stop him, but simply nodded silently and stepped aside.

I walked to the door of the adjacent ward, 306.

Through the glass window in the door, I saw that a bedside lamp was still on inside.

I gently pushed the door open.

A rich aroma of braised pork trotters wafted over, standing out starkly from the strong smell of disinfectant throughout the room; it was even... excessively fragrant.

On the hospital bed, a guy with his head wrapped in gauze and his left leg in a cast was sitting cross-legged, happily gnawing on a shiny pig's trotter.

Hearing the door open, he was so startled that his hand trembled, and he almost dropped the pig's trotter onto the blanket. His peach blossom eyes widened, and there was still a ring of sauce around his mouth.

Eyes facing each other.

The air froze for three seconds.

"Damn, that scared me to death."

When Li Qing saw it was me, he rolled his eyes, stuffed the pig's trotter back into his mouth, took a big bite, and mumbled, "Scaring people like this in the middle of the night instead of sleeping, Chen Yang, are you sick in the head?"

Looking at him, so full of energy, although his face was still pale from blood loss, his spirit was much stronger than when he was lying on the stretcher, looking like he was about to die at any moment.

"Lu Yan said that when you first went to the hospital for a checkup, the doctor determined that you would be in a coma for at least half a month."

I closed the door and pulled up a chair to sit down beside his bed.

Looking at the way he ate, I couldn't help but laugh: "It seems the doctor underestimated the saying that a scourge can live for a thousand years."

"Go away, what scourge? This is called natural beauty that cannot be hidden."

After saying that, he handed the pig's trotter to me: "Want a bite? I had Fatty Jin bring this over specially. It's genuine two-headed black pig, freshly slaughtered and braised that day."