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

In an instant, the chilling atmosphere in the mourning hall dissipated by more than half.

The rooster next to it, which had been bristling with fur, now seemed to have exhausted its strength, collapsing to the ground and crowing no more.

call……

I let out a long breath, and a fine layer of sweat appeared on my forehead.

Although this soul-locking stake is domineering, it is extremely mentally taxing, more than ten times more tiring than ordinary corpse-sewing.

I picked up the scissors and snipped the thread with a "snip".

Looking at Zhao Dong, who was covered in patches but whose limbs were all back in place and whose facial features were back in place, I nodded in satisfaction.

Then, I took out a box of special powder from the box and carefully applied it to his face to cover up the bruises and black stitches.

About half an incense stick's time had passed.

I packed up my toolbox, untied the rooster and released it, then took off my gloves, which were stained with filth, and threw them into the brazier next to me to burn.

I straightened my clothes, turned around, lifted the curtain of the mourning hall, and went out.

The sunlight outside was a bit dazzling. Some of Zhao's relatives, supporting Aunt Zhao who was already exhausted from crying, surrounded me and looked at me anxiously.

"Master Chen, how is it?"

I gently brushed the dust off my hands and said to Aunt Zhao, "Auntie, I've accomplished my mission. I've fixed Brother Zhao's body, and the stitches are tight. Please go in and take a look, but... don't touch the stitches on his body; they're for him to use when he needs to cross a bridge."

After I finished speaking, a group of people from the Zhao family rushed past me and hurriedly entered the mourning hall.

Not long after, suppressed sobs came from inside, but this time the sobs contained less panic and more reassurance.

When Aunt Zhao came out again, she was clutching a thick red paper package tightly in her hand.

"Chen Yang, your auntie is a rough woman and doesn't know how to speak. If it weren't for you today, your brother... sigh!" Aunt Zhao said, about to kneel down. "Please don't think this money is too little, you must accept it!"

I reacted quickly, grabbing her arm and saying gently, "Auntie, you're making me feel terrible. We're all neighbors, it's only right to lend a hand. I'll accept the money to settle this matter and let Brother Zhao rest in peace, but kneeling is absolutely unacceptable."

I took the red paper package; it felt heavy in my hand, and I estimated it contained two or three thousand yuan.

Given the generally low income in Huilongzhai, this is definitely a huge sum of money.

Moreover, Zhao Dong's father had already passed away early, leaving him and his mother to depend on each other for survival. Now, Zhao Dong had also passed away prematurely...

I hesitated for a moment, then took out a few red bills from the red paper packet and stuffed the rest back into her hand.

"Rules cannot be broken. I'll charge three hundred for sewing the body, for the auspicious number of 'three yangs bringing good fortune.' You can keep the rest. Dong-ge is gone, but there are still many expenses at home—funeral arrangements, banquets—all of which require money."

"This...this won't do..." Aunt Zhao tried to refuse.

However, I didn't give her a chance. After stuffing the red envelope back, I waved to Erhu as a greeting and then turned and left.

Zhao Dong's death was indeed suspicious, but I had no interest in investigating it.

The resentment lingering on his corpse was terrifyingly strong; it was inevitable that he would transform into a vengeful ghost after death.

When the time comes, I won't stop anyone from seeking revenge or settling scores.

When we got back to the old house, it was already 12:30 in the afternoon.

I put down my toolbox, finished the porridge I hadn't drunk in the morning, and considered it lunch.

In the afternoon, I plan to visit my second uncle's house in the county town.

After dozing off for a while, I picked up my phone and saw it was 2:15.

After a short while of simple activities, I left the old house, slung a cloth bag over my shoulder, and put a few handy tools inside.

Then, he locked the door and walked towards the road at the village entrance.

The road from Huilongzhai to the county town is difficult to travel; the only way to get there is by those dilapidated rural minibuses.

I waited by the roadside for half an hour before I finally flagged down a dusty minibus that was supposed to stop on demand.

An hour later, the car swayed and bumped its way into the county bus station.

After getting off the bus, I had no interest in seeing the bustling town. I hailed a motorcycle taxi and headed straight for my second uncle's house in Jinxiu Garden.

This is an old residential area that has been around for a while. There is no access control. The security guard at the gate was listening to a story on the radio and didn't even look up when he saw me pass by.

I went straight up to Unit 3, Room 402.

Standing in front of that deep red security door, I first knocked on it.

"Thump, thump, thump."

Is anyone home?

A few moments later, there was still no movement.

As expected, no one answered.

I pressed my ear against the door and listened for a while. It was very quiet inside; there wasn't even the sound of the refrigerator compressor running.

It seems there's been a power outage inside.

I glanced around to make sure no one was in the hallway, then took a wire from the milk box across the hall.

This is one of the basic skills of a mortician. He must be skillful and, in addition to being able to sew leather, he must also be able to untie a few knots—whether they are rope knots or lock knots.

The wire was inserted into the keyhole, and then gently flicked and pried.

"Click".

With a soft click, the door lock popped open.

The moment I pushed open the door, a musty smell mixed with a faint fishy odor hit me.

I frowned slightly and gently closed the door behind me.

The room was a complete mess.

The drawers in the living room were all opened, and documents and miscellaneous items were scattered all over the floor, clearly indicating that someone had hurriedly searched through them.

The valuable appliances were all still there, so it seems that it wasn't a thief, but rather that the owner left in a hurry and only took the valuables and important items.

I ignored the living room and went straight to my second uncle's master bedroom.

The wardrobe in the master bedroom was wide open, and most of the clothes were gone.

The safe on the bedside table was also opened, and it was empty.

"They left so cleanly."

I gave a cold laugh and turned to walk towards the second bedroom—Chen Gang's room.

Pushing open the door to the second bedroom, the sight before me made my heart skip a beat.

Unlike the outside, Chen Gang's room wasn't ransacked; on the contrary... it was incredibly tidy.

The blankets were neatly folded, the computer screen on the table was black, and there was a half-finished glass of water next to it.

It looks as if the owner has just gone out to buy a pack of cigarettes and will be back soon.

But I keenly sensed something was amiss.

I walked to the desk and reached out to touch the glass of water.

The water had dried up, leaving only a faint ring of limescale at the bottom of the cup.

This means that the water has been sitting for at least three or four days.

It seems that my cousin hasn't come back at all since my grandfather's funeral.

"Ha... there's not a single truth in my second uncle's mouth."

I gave a sarcastic remark, but my gaze inadvertently swept over the trash can under the desk.

Inside was a crumpled tissue with what appeared to be some dark red substance on it.

I picked it up and unfolded it to take a look.

That is blood.

The bloodstains had dried and turned black, with a small tuft of... black downy hairs wrapped around them.

I leaned closer and took a sniff; a strange, sweet, fishy smell entered my nostrils.

"This is...butterfly powder?"