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

A gentle male voice pierced through the mist and came over.

This voice sounds...somewhat familiar.

"Who?"

I stood still, my eyes scanning my surroundings warily.

Although I am not protected by any evil aura, my composure, which I have cultivated over many years, remains intact.

The mist slowly dissipated, revealing a winding path.

At the end of the path stands a simple and rustic pavilion.

A man sat in the pavilion, dressed in a blue long robe, his hair casually tied up with a wooden hairpin, his face thin and his eyes deep.

What is most striking about him is his pupils; they are not round, but vertical, gleaming with a faint green light.

When I saw those eyes, I knew who he was.

"Liu Xian?" I asked tentatively.

The man in blue stood up, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards me, and moved with a graceful, ancient style.

"Mr. Chen, please just call me Chang Tianqing. The title 'Liu Xian' is something only a country bumpkin would use. I wouldn't dare presume to use it in front of you, sir."

Chang Tianqing.

It seems this is his real name.

This Liu Xian seems to have quite a background. He belongs to one of the five great immortal families in Northeast China: fox, yellow, white, willow, and gray, and the Liu family mostly has the surname Chang.

I walked to the outside of the pavilion but didn't go in. I looked at him from a few steps away: "Now that you've received incense offerings and had your shrine set up, why aren't you properly cultivating yourself in the ancestral hall? What are you doing coming to my dream? Are you dissatisfied with today's ceremony?"

"No."

Chang Tianqing gave a wry smile and pointed to the stone bench.

"Master Li's feng shui arrangement is excellent, and the chosen location is absolutely perfect."

But... this incense offering, though beneficial, has also become a prison.

He sighed and cast his gaze toward the distant, ethereal white mist.

"I was originally a disciple of the Liu family who cultivated at the foot of Changbai Mountain outside the Great Wall. I left home because I was fond of playing and traveled all the way to this Jiangcheng."

I intended to use the earth's energy to shed my skin and transform into human form, but unexpectedly, Qian Dafu disturbed the earth, ruining my physical body.

As he said this, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes, but he quickly calmed down.

"Now that my physical body is destroyed, although I have reassembled my spirit with the help of that broken bone and incense, I am completely bound to this small place."

"Having received offerings from others, I'm obligated to avert their misfortunes. This karmic connection means I'm afraid I won't be able to leave Qianjia Village for decades to come."

I nodded. This is the price of the divine way.

Since they have enjoyed the offerings of the human world, they must be bound by the boundaries of the earth.

"So?" I asked, looking at him.

"You called me just to vent?"

"Of course not."

Chang Tianqing said seriously, "I would like to ask Mr. Chen for a favor."

I have something I keep close to my body, and I would like to ask that if you ever travel to the Northeast, you could bring it back to Changbai Mountain and give it to my elders.

Upon hearing this, my vigilance instantly spiked.

Delivering things to monsters? This is no joke.

Not to mention the long distance beyond the Great Wall, Changbai Mountain is the stronghold of the guardian spirits, where countless old monsters are hidden.

If I just take his things over there, what if his elders mistakenly think I killed him? Wouldn't that be like walking into a trap?

"Mr. Chang, I'm afraid I can't help you with this."

I refused very decisively.

"I'm just a mortician who sews up corpses; I have no plans to travel far."

Moreover, we are not related, and we have even fought before.

"You want me to meet your elders? Aren't you afraid I'll be skinned alive?"

Chang Tianqing seemed to have expected me to refuse, and he wasn't angry. He just gave me a deep look.

"It's perfectly normal for Mr. Chen to have these concerns. However..."

He paused, then suddenly took a step forward, his vertical pupils fixed intently on me.

"The reason I approached you was not because of your great magical power, but because of the aura emanating from you."

"Aura?" I frowned.

"Not bad." Chang Tianqing nodded.

"The man's aura, though fierce and domineering, subtly revealed a unique rhythm."

I've only ever seen this rhythm in one old friend.

That was decades ago.

At that time, I had not yet developed any intelligence; I was just a small snake.

I once had the honor of witnessing my ancestor receive a distinguished guest from within the Great Wall.

That distinguished guest also exuded a menacing aura, carrying a cloth bag and holding a willow-leaf knife. He was the one who had helped my ancestor mend the celestial wound left from his tribulation.

When I heard the words "Lancet," my heart skipped a beat.

"When that distinguished guest was leaving, my ancestor gave him a piece of his reverse scale and promised to owe him a favor."

Chang Tianqing looked at me and said, word by word, "That distinguished guest's name is Chen Xuan."

boom!

These two words were like a thunderclap, exploding in my mind.

Chen Xuan.

My grandfather.

I never imagined that my grandfather had actually been to the area beyond the Great Wall and had a connection with the Liu family ancestor in Changbai Mountain! He even stitched up their wounds?

No wonder Chang Tianqing was so polite to me, and even became somewhat hesitant and timid after sensing my murderous aura during our previous battle.

So that's how it all started.

"Are you sure?" I stared intently at him, my voice a little strained.

"Absolutely true," Chang Tianqing said solemnly.

"We, the demon cultivators, are most sensitive to auras."

The method by which the gentleman circulates his malevolent energy is exactly the same as that of Mr. Chen Xuan from back then.

Otherwise, how could I dare to entrust my life and fortune to you?

I was silent.

If what he said is true, then this trip to the border region may no longer be a simple delivery of packages.

My grandfather traveled all over the country back then, leaving his footprints all over the land.

The favor he did for me outside the Great Wall may be a huge hidden treasure.

Moreover, I'm also very curious about what my grandfather went through back then.

"What is it?" I finally blurted out.

Seeing that I agreed, a hint of joy appeared on Chang Tianqing's face.

"It is a piece of snake molt brocade made from the first layer of skin I shed back then."

It contains some of my insights into spiritual practice, as well as my farewell to my elders at home.

As he spoke, he bowed deeply to me.

"Rest assured, sir. When you go beyond the Great Wall, as long as you show this item and mention Mr. Chen Xuan's name, my Liu family will not make things difficult for you. On the contrary, we will treat you as an honored guest."

The favor my ancestors made back then has yet to be repaid.

If you go, sir, there will surely be a fortuitous opportunity.

"You can find this item behind the shrine tomorrow morning after the consecration ceremony."

Chang Tianqing's figure began to blur, and the surrounding mist surged again.

"Thank you, Mr. Chen. We may meet again someday. If I one day achieve enlightenment and shed this incense-and-golden body, I will surely repay your great kindness..."

The sound gradually faded away and eventually disappeared into the white mist.

……

I suddenly opened my eyes.

By then, the sky outside the window was already beginning to lighten, and a few clear bird calls broke the silence of the early morning.

I sat up in bed and touched my forehead; it was covered in cold sweat.

Everything that just happened felt so real that it was hard to tell if I was dreaming or awake, but I know it was definitely not an ordinary dream.

Grandpa... the Liu family outside the pass...