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

Just as I was about to speak, Third Master Liu waved his hand, interrupting me.

"Mr. Chen, what I'm asking for is not for you to use some divine magic to revive him right now."

"I know this isn't within the scope of a corpse-stitching man's business."

He looked at me intently and said, "What I ask of you is that you take this egg with you and keep it by your side."

Upon hearing this, I was stunned.

Carry it with you? What does that mean?

"If you agree to take it, I will immediately use this item as a deposit."

Third Master Liu took out a small bright yellow silk bag from his pocket and slowly pushed it in front of me.

The small package was opened, revealing a clump of seemingly ordinary, yet richly fragrant, dark red soil.

A fleeting golden light shimmered in the soil, seemingly containing boundless vitality.

At this moment, Li Qing's eyes widened suddenly, and he even unconsciously leaned forward, his breathing becoming heavy.

"Dragon Vein Breath Soil..." he murmured.

Our main purpose in heading north to the area beyond the Great Wall this time, besides returning Chang Tianqing's snake molt, is to find materials to repair Li Qingxing's yellow flag.

We've got the meteorite iron; now all we need is the Dragon Vein Soil.

According to Wang Daya, only the Liu family possesses this Dragon Vein Breath Soil.

With this, Li Qing's severely damaged apricot-yellow flag can be restored to its original state.

Master Liu looked at me solemnly and said, "Consider this Breath Soil as payment for Mr. Chen's labor."

Regardless of the outcome, this item will never be taken back.

Furthermore, I, Liu Kun, here today, swear by my demon core—”

He suddenly slapped his chest, and an extremely pure and terrifying azure demonic energy soared into the sky, condensing into a round, bead-like phantom above the pavilion.

"If this child ultimately doesn't make it through, that's its fate, and it has absolutely nothing to do with Mr. Chen!"

"I will never hold a grudge, nor will I seek revenge. If I break this oath, may I be struck down by heaven and earth, and may my demon core shatter!"

This solemn oath shook the black water in the pond violently, and it also shook my mind.

As a powerful demon, swearing an oath with his demon core is the most solemn promise, which shows that Master Liu has truly humbled himself.

"Mr. Chen, if you can really get it to hatch..."

Master Liu withdrew his demonic aura, his expression weary yet resolute.

"You may use my private treasury at will."

You, Chen Yang, can come and go as you please in all the territories the Liu family owns outside the Great Wall.

I'll say it again: from now on, everyone in the Liu family will treat you as if you were me.

I fell into a long silence.

The temptation is just too great.

It's not just about the Breath of Earth, but also about the friendship of a powerful demon like Master Liu.

The risks I need to take seem to have been minimized by Third Master Liu's oath using his demon core.

I looked at Li Qing. Although his eyes were filled with longing for the Breath Soil, he still shook his head slightly at me.

That means, "Old Chen, you make the decision, don't worry about me, the consequences are too deep."

I turned my head and looked at the snake egg again.

Beneath the grayish-white eggshell, a faint ripple seemed to sense my gaze and trembled slightly.

In that instant, I seemed to hear the faint cry for help from a tiny life in the darkness.

The corpse-stitcher stitches together cause and effect.

My grandfather once said that sometimes you can't escape the cause and effect in this world.

Since Zhang Banxian predicted my fate, this snake egg might really be destined for me.

I took a deep breath, reached out, and gently placed my hand on the small package containing the Breath of Life.

"Third Master, you've put it this way. If I, Chen Yang, were to refuse, I would truly seem ungrateful."

I raised my head, my gaze calm and gentle.

"I'll take this."

But I must state beforehand that I can only keep it with me and do my best to nurture it.

Whether they live or die is entirely up to fate.

When Master Liu heard my words, he felt relieved and finally smiled.

"Good...good! Mr. Chen, you are very kind. On behalf of this child, I thank you."

With trembling hands, he closed the wooden box containing the snake eggs and pushed it, along with the small package of the Breath of Earth, in front of me.

"This wooden box contains a trace of my original demonic energy, which can temporarily protect its spiritual consciousness."

Every seven days, Mr. Chen only needs to drip a drop of blood from his fingertip onto the eggshell, using your corpse-stitching aura to guide the circulation of that demonic energy.

Master Liu whispered, "As for when it will hatch, well... I can only wait for your news."

I took the wooden box; it was cold to the touch, yet heavy.

Li Qing breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and muttered softly, "My god, that scared me to death."

Old Chen, you've really caught a bombshell this time.

But with this Breath of Earth, my flag is finally saved.

I carefully put the wooden box into my backpack.

The atmosphere inside the pavilion eased slightly after the snake eggs were properly placed.

Master Liu sat back down on the stone bench. Although the weariness in his eyes was still intense, the tension had finally eased somewhat.

He picked up the jade pipe on the table and finally lit it. A plume of smoke, a mixture of medicinal fragrance and a chilling aura, slowly spread through the pavilion.

As I watched the plume of smoke, I was preoccupied with something else.

Now that I've promised Master Liu to take care of the snake eggs, I should also hand over the item that Chang Tianqing entrusted to me.

After all, Chang Tianqing is also a member of the Liu family. Since the karmic thread has already been entangled, there is no need to pull it from both ends.

I slowly took out a blue brocade pouch from my bosom and placed it on the stone table.

"Third Master, besides what you entrusted to me, I have another item here, which was delivered on behalf of someone from the Liu family."

Master Liu paused slightly in his smoking, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his vertical pupils behind the smoke: "Oh? One of my family's? Which blind fool is causing trouble for Mr. Chen outside?"

I shook my head, reached out and untied the brocade pouch, revealing the snake molt inside.

"His name is Chang Tianqing. Now he lives in an ancestral hall in Qianjia Village, Jiangcheng, where he receives offerings from the locals and has become a guardian deity."

As I spoke, I observed Third Master Liu's expression.

"His physical body has been destroyed, and his spirit is trapped in the small space of the ancestral hall. He will probably not be able to leave for decades."

This scroll of snake molts is the first layer of skin he shed years ago, and it contains his insights into spiritual practice and his confessions to his elders.

He entrusted me with the task of personally handing him over to the elders of the Liu family if I ever came to the area beyond the Great Wall.

When Master Liu heard the name "Chang Tianqing," the fingers holding his pipe trembled almost imperceptibly.

He put down his pipe and reached out to stroke the translucent snake molt, a complex emotion appearing in his usually cold and hard eyes.

It felt like regret, yet also like a heavy feeling that had been anticipated.