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

The ritual officially began.

On the afternoon of the first day of the Lunar New Year, in the desolate mountains and wilderness, Li Qing changed into a bright yellow Taoist robe.

Although he usually seemed carefree and irresponsible, at this moment, as he brandished his peach wood sword and chanted incantations, he actually exuded a hint of the aura of a grandmaster.

"By imperial decree, all wandering souls are liberated. Ghosts and all living beings receive this grace!"

Li Qing pierced a talisman with his sword, ignited it over a brazier, and then tossed it into the air.

"Kill the chicken!"

Although Jin and Wan were both fat, they moved nimbly.

With a swift stroke, he splattered the blood of nine roosters evenly around the cracked cement seams.

Chicken blood, being of pure Yang nature, produces a hissing sound when it encounters resentment from the ground.

I stood at the edge of the formation, hands in my pockets, seemingly relaxed, but in reality, my whole body exuded a murderous aura that I did not reveal.

The ritual lasted for about an hour.

As the last talisman turned to ashes, the hazy mist that had enveloped the graveyard finally dissipated completely.

The winter sun pierced through the clouds and shone on the desolate cemetery.

"Wow--!!"

A clear cry came from the back seat.

I turned around and saw that Qian Xiaobao had already opened his eyes.

The vertical pupils in his eyes had disappeared, and they had returned to clear black eyes.

The horrifying cracks on the skin were rapidly drying and peeling off, revealing the skin underneath, which was somewhat red and swollen but still relatively normal.

Looking at his unfamiliar surroundings, he burst into tears.

Qian Dafu rushed over, tumbling and crawling, and hugged his grandson tightly. The two of them burst into tears.

Watching this scene, I didn't feel much sense of accomplishment; instead, I felt somewhat bored.

The cycle of cause and effect, retribution is unhappy.

If Qian Dafu had had a little reverence back then, he wouldn't have ended up shortening his lifespan and losing his fortune.

……

On the way back, the atmosphere in the carriage was much more relaxed.

Qian Xiaobao fell asleep with the help of the nanny.

Although Qian Dafu looked extremely tired and seemed to have aged ten years, his eyes revealed a sense of peace after liberation.

Jin Wanliang sat next to me, holding a small notebook in his hand, and was calculating accounts with great enthusiasm.

"Brother Chen, Li Qing, we've really struck it rich this time."

Jin Wanliang lowered his voice, his smile so wide it was almost impossible to see his eyes.

"Mr. Qian said that the five million is a deposit, and he will give two more big red envelopes after the Liuxian Temple is built."

Moreover, although the half of his assets he just promised to donate is to a charity, he entrusted me to take the lead in its implementation.

The profits from this... hehe.

Li Qing closed his eyes to rest, but upon hearing this, he snorted coldly: "Old Jin, I advise you to give up on that money."

That's money to buy your life, and also money to accumulate good karma.

If you dare to rummage around in there, be careful, Liu Xian might follow the internet cable to have a heart-to-heart talk with you.

Jin Wanliang shrank his neck and chuckled dryly, "How could that be? I, Old Jin, am a man who believes in rules."

"I was just thinking that it was too boring on the bus, so I told you a joke to cheer you up."

I turned to look out the window.

It was already evening, and smoke was rising from every household's chimney.

In the distant villages, the occasional sound of firecrackers can be heard.

"Old Jin, let's find a place to eat."

I said softly, my voice gentle.

"On the first day of the Lunar New Year, I can't stay in the car forever, I'm hungry."

"Alright!" Jin Wanliang slapped his thigh.

"Back to Jiangcheng! I've booked the entire Haiyanlou restaurant! We're drinking until we drop!"

……

Late at night, in Jiangcheng.

The heating was on full blast in the private room on the top floor of Haiyanlou Restaurant.

The table was laden with all sorts of delicious dishes, but none of the three of us actually ate much.

The ordeal on the first day of the Lunar New Year took a toll on my energy and spirit.

Li Qing took a swig of his drink, then suddenly looked at me and asked, "Chen Yang, when you were negotiating with that Willow Fairy just now, if it didn't agree, were you really planning to kill it?"

I put down my chopsticks and remained silent for a moment.

"If it killed someone, the cause and effect lie with it. If it didn't kill anyone, the cause and effect lies with Qian Dafu."

I looked at Li Qing calmly, my tone still gentle.

"I took the job, so I have to protect the child."

If it insists on possessing me, the knife in my hand will not hesitate.

Li Qing sighed: "With your temperament, you're bound to suffer sooner or later."

Those who cultivate the Tao strive for perfection, but you, your murderous aura is stronger than a ghost's.

"I am a corpse stitcher."

I replied casually.

"The job involves dealing with the dead. If you don't have a strong killing aura, you can't subdue those things."

Jin Wanliang, trying to smooth things over, said, "Alright, alright, it's the New Year, why talk about this? Come on, let's have a drink! Wishing us great wealth and peace next year!"

The wine glasses clinked together, making a crisp sound.

I finished the wine in my glass and felt a surge of heat rising from my stomach.

Outside the window, the city of Jiangcheng is ablaze with lights.

……

The seventh day of the first lunar month is known as "Renri" in Chinese folklore.

It had just rained lightly in Jiangcheng last night, and the roads were wet. When the cold wind blew in the morning, pedestrians hunched their necks.

I got up early, ordered two fried dough sticks and a bowl of savory tofu pudding from the breakfast stall downstairs, ate them slowly and deliberately, wiped my mouth, and drove my newly purchased car to the suburbs.

When we arrived at the entrance of the funeral home, the bright red lanterns were still up.

I parked my car in the parking space and just as I walked into the lobby, I bumped into Old Zhang, who was carrying a thermos.

Although Director Wang said that Old Zhang's skills weren't that great, he was indeed a veteran at the restaurant.

Approaching sixty, having dealt with corpses for years, he looked gaunt and his face always bore an indelible sallowness.

"Hey, Xiao Chen, you're here early."

When Old Zhang saw me, his droopy eyelids lifted slightly, revealing a smile.

"How was your New Year? You look radiant, your face glows! Your family must have given you plenty of good food, right?"

I smiled sheepishly and nodded. "Not bad. Happy New Year, Lao Zhang. Is the museum busy these days?"

"Don't even mention it."

Old Zhang sighed, lowered his voice, and whispered in my ear.

"It hasn't stopped since the third day of the Lunar New Year. Just last night, another one was brought in. The way he died was quite bizarre. The director is really worried about it."

"You're here just in time; I reckon you'll be put on the field soon."

A thought flashed through my mind, but I didn't show it on my face. I simply asked casually, "How is it strange?"

"She's a young woman."

Old Zhang shook his head, his expression somewhat strange.

"It was said to be suicide; he cut his wrists in his rented room."

But the strange thing is that, although there was blood all over the ground, the corpse was as white as paper, without any blood at all.

Moreover... that girl's face, though clearly only in her early twenties, looked like that of a fifty-year-old woman.

I frowned slightly.

It doesn't sound like a normal suicide; it sounds more like someone drained his life force or he was under some kind of evil spell that harms others for his own benefit.

"Okay, I got it. I'll go change my clothes now."

I said goodbye to Lao Zhang and went straight to the locker room.