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

I caught the knife.

It feels slightly heavy to the touch and is icy cold.

The once silvery blade has now turned matte black, with faint cloud-like patterns on it—the marks left by the malevolent energy seeping into the steel.

I casually picked up a discarded steel bar about the thickness of a thumb from the side and swung it lightly.

There was no sense of obstruction.

"bite."

The steel bar snapped instantly, leaving a smooth, mirror-like cut.

"A fine knife."

A hint of surprise flashed in my eyes.

This knife was not only repaired, but its quality was also upgraded.

"That's natural."

Old Huo wiped his sweat and sat back down in his chair to drink his tea.

"With your malevolent energy added, and tempered by the corpse poison of that old zombie, this knife is now half a deadly weapon."

Use it less often to cut fruit; it can easily upset your stomach.

"Thank you, Mr. Huo."

I bowed respectfully.

Jin Wanliang then approached, pulling out a card with a pained expression and handing it to Old Man Huo: "Master Huo, I know the rules. There's 500,000 in this card, and the PIN is six eights."

Old Man Huo put away the card and waved his hand: "Get lost, don't keep me from sleeping."

Outside the workshop, the snow was falling even harder.

Sitting in the car on the way back, I played with the newly made scalpel in my hand, feeling great.

"Thanks to you this time, Lao Jin. I'll pay you back."

"Come on, talking about money with me will hurt our feelings."

Jin Wanliang lit a cigarette.

"However, did you listen to what Old Man Huo just said?"

This knife is a vicious weapon, and you are a vicious person too.

"The Shadow Sect and the Guardians are both looking for you now. Your blade will probably draw blood soon."

"I know."

I watched the snow falling outside the window, my gaze gradually turning cold.

"Oh, by the way, there's something I wanted to tell you."

Jin Wanliang exhaled a smoke ring and lowered his voice.

"I heard some rumors on the black market that the Guardians of the Cauldrons have recently been buying up a lot of something called Soul-Stabilizing Pearls."

That thing is usually used to calm the mind or suppress evil spirits.

I suspect they're not just looking for you; they might also be planning to open some huge tomb.

A thought struck me.

Soul-Stabilizing Pearl?

I happen to have one; I got it from the Folklore Bureau.

"Thanks, this information is very useful."

……

It was past eleven o'clock when I got back to my rented room.

Jin Wanliang clearly wanted to continue the previous game. After dropping me off downstairs, he only said, "Brother, I have to go first," before stepping on the gas and driving away.

Before I could even say another word...

After shaking my head with a chuckle, I went upstairs.

The snow was still falling outside the window, enveloping the entire city in white.

I shook the snowflakes off my coat, closed the doors and windows, and kept out the cold wind.

After washing up, I sat cross-legged on the bed and took off the Soul-Stabilizing Bead that I had exchanged from the Folklore Bureau from my neck.

"Why did the guardians go to such lengths to collect this thing?"

I held the bead up to the light and examined it closely.

News about Jin Wanliang is usually true.

Since the guardians of the tripod are buying it at a high price, it means that this item is crucial to their next move.

I tried to channel a wisp of liquid malevolent energy within my body and carefully probed it into the bead.

Without any hindrance, the malevolent energy vanished without a trace, like a clay ox sinking into the sea.

It felt like probing malevolent energy into other inanimate objects.

Next, I tried to communicate with the black bone needles.

The bone needle trembled slightly, conveying a sense of disgust.

That's right, it's disdain.

It seemed that in its eyes, this Soul-Stabilizing Pearl was just a worthless, lifeless rock.

After fiddling with it for more than half an hour, I finally gave up on my plan to find its hidden functions.

This is just a single-function magic tool.

Its only function is to calm the mind and soothe the nerves.

"Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore."

I put the beads away and put them back on.

Although I don't know what the guardian of the cauldron intends to do with it, it is indeed a good thing for me.

With this, my risk of going astray in cultivation will be greatly reduced.

I closed my eyes and began to rest.

……

The next day was a rare sunny day.

The snow from last night reflected a blinding glint in the sunlight.

When I arrived at the funeral home, Grandpa Qin was directing several temporary workers to shovel snow in the yard.

Good morning, Uncle Qin.

"Good morning, Xiao Chen. It's a good day, not much work to do, you can take a break."

Just as Grandpa Qin said, the funeral home was very quiet today.

Perhaps it was a sign of a bountiful year, for even the King of Hell took a day off, and no new bodies were delivered all morning.

I sat in my office, made myself a cup of hot tea, and enjoyed a rare moment of leisure.

Looking at my balance in my mobile banking app, I opened the transfer interface.

Enter the account number for Jin Wanliang, the amount as 550,000, and click confirm.

Although it cost 50,000 more than the repair fee, this money had to be paid.

Even close brothers keep clear accounts, let alone Jin Wanliang, who is a businessman.

He was able to come to find Huo Sanchui anytime in the middle of the night and even paid for the knife repair. This favor is already very heavy, and I can't let him suffer any more financial loss.

After transferring the money, I sent another message in the WeChat group.

The group is called "Jiangcheng Ghost-Catching Squad," and it was created by Li Qing after he accepted Zhao Jianguo's commission.

There were only three people inside: me, him, and Jin Wanliang.

"7 PM, Haiyanlou Restaurant, my treat. @JinWanliang @LiQing"

Jin Wanliang replied almost instantly: "Boss is so generous! I received the money and was just talking about what to eat tonight."

Haiyanlou? I guess I'll have to skip breakfast and lunch and save room for that!

Li Qing sent a "disdainful" emoji: "What a disappointment. Chen Yang, don't spoil him. That fat guy's made a killing lately."

Seeing the banter on the screen, I smiled and replied, "Order whatever you like, all you can eat."

After the battle at the shipyard, I promised Jin Wanliang that Haiyanlou would treat him to a meal. A man's word is his bond.

Besides, I also have some things I need to make clear to him.

……

7 PM, Haiyanlou.

The waiter led me into a private room on the second floor.

As I pushed open the door, a wave of warmth mixed with the aroma of tea wafted out.

Jin Wanliang and Li Qing had already arrived and were sitting at the round table, cracking melon seeds.

"Oh, the main character has arrived!"

As soon as Jin Wanliang saw me, he immediately put down the melon seeds in his hand and smiled so much that the flesh on his face was squeezed together.

"Come on in, Mr. Chen, please take a seat. I've already ordered the dishes, so I'm not being polite with you."

I took off my coat, hung it up, and sat down with a smile: "What did you order?"

"It's nothing much, just a few of our signature dishes."

Jin Wanliang counted on his fingers.

"One bowl of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall for each person, steamed grouper, braised abalone, and some kind of premium lion's head meatball... Oh right, and we also ordered two bottles of 20-year-old Moutai."

Li Qing, standing next to him, rolled her eyes and twirled a white porcelain teacup in her hand: "This fat guy is really shady. This meal must have cost tens of thousands of yuan."

"Old Chen, is your salary as an embalmer enough to cover the bill? If not, we'll skip out on the bill and make this kid pay for it himself."