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

The middle-aged man looked at me, a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth revealing a very amiable smile.

His voice was deep and resonant, with a hint of unhurriedness.

"This humble Taoist priest is Zhang Xuanqing."

Lu Yan is my junior sister, and Zhou Ming, that good-for-nothing brat, is my nominal disciple.

Brother Chen, I apologize for disturbing you.

Sure enough it was him.

I felt a chill run down my spine.

The profound heritage of the Celestial Master's Mansion on Longhu Mountain is truly unfathomable.

A senior brother who casually descended from Lu Yan's head turned out to be a monster of this level.

No wonder Lu Yan said before that this senior brother was extremely protective of his own and had a fiery temper.

With such strong backing, he certainly has the potential to become a sensation.

"So it's Master Zhang, please come in."

I stepped aside to make way and gestured for them to pass.

Zhang Xuanqing nodded slightly and stepped into my rented room.

His footsteps were very light, and they didn't make a sound at all when he stepped on the old wooden floor.

After entering the living room, his gaze casually swept around the room.

This room contains almost all my belongings. Although the most important things have been properly hidden, there is still a faint trace of chilling aura in the air.

To orthodox Taoists, this aura is as blinding as a candle flame in the dark.

However, Zhang Xuanqing did not show any displeasure or aversion on his face.

His gaze didn't linger anywhere; after scanning the area, he looked directly at me.

"Brother Chen, this place, though simple, has a stable energy flow, making it a good place to live where the wind can be contained and energy can be gathered."

Zhang Xuanqing casually offered a compliment, his tone ambiguous as to whether it was merely polite or genuine.

"Master Zhang, you flatter me. This is just a doghouse, and it's usually a mess."

I smiled gently, walked to the water dispenser, took out a clean paper cup, filled it with warm water, and handed it over.

"We didn't keep any tea at home, please forgive us."

Plain water is best; it's refreshing and thirst-quenching.

Zhang Xuanqing took the paper cup, held it in his hands, but did not drink from it.

His seemingly ordinary eyes suddenly began to scrutinize me intently.

A few seconds later, he suddenly spoke, his tone revealing an undisguised admiration:

"Although Brother Chen's aura was slightly cold, it was long and continuous."

"Your foundation is so solid that even among the core disciples of the younger generation at Longhu Mountain, there are few who can rival you."

"Master Zhang, you flatter me. I was just practicing blindly and got lucky."

I pulled up a chair and sat down opposite him, changing the subject:

"Director Lu said on the phone yesterday that your trip down the mountain was about Zhou Ming's matter?"

Upon hearing me mention Zhou Ming, a barely perceptible glint of coldness suddenly flashed in Zhang Xuanqing's originally amiable eyes.

"That kid wasn't skilled enough and was used as a sacrifice for corpse refining. It's his own fault for being incompetent; he has no one to blame but himself."

Zhang Xuanqing's voice remained steady, but the content of his next words revealed a domineering protectiveness:

"However, no matter how useless the people of Longhu Mountain are, they are not to be defiled by a disgraced disciple of the Seeking Dragon Gate."

He paused, his gaze softening again, and looked at me as he said:

"Brother Chen, my junior sister has told me everything that happened in Zhoujia Village last night."

If it weren't for your life-risking rescue, Zhou Ming would have had his soul chewed up by that living dragon corpse.

You not only saved his life, but also preserved the reputation of Longhu Mountain.

At this point, Zhang Xuanqing actually put down the paper cup in his hand.

He stood up, put his feet together, clasped his hands together, left hand holding right hand, thumbs interlocked, and solemnly performed a very proper Taoist Zi Wu Jue (a Taoist incantation) in front of me.

"I, Zhang Xuanqing, on behalf of my unworthy disciple Zhou Ming, thank Brother Chen for saving my life."

Seeing his action, I quickly stood up and stepped aside to avoid his full bow.

I held his wrists in my hands and said gently:

"Master Zhang, you're making me feel too flattered."

Zhou Ming and I are comrades-in-arms. In that situation, anyone would have stepped in. Please don't be so polite.

Zhang Xuanqing withdrew his hand and looked at me, his smile deepening.

"Brother Chen not only possesses profound cultivation, but also a remarkably calm and composed temperament."

He sat down again, slowly took something out of the pocket of his gray tracksuit, and placed it on the table.

"I don't like owing favors to others, especially huge favors."

My junior sister said you cultivate extremely yin evil energy, and I figured you wouldn't even look at ordinary yellow and white things.

So before I came down the mountain this time, I made a special trip to the inner treasury of the Celestial Master's Mansion and found a little trinket that you might find useful, as a token of my gratitude.

I followed his gaze and saw a small black box, about the size of a palm, on the table.

My gaze fell on the quaint little black box.

Although the box was sealed tightly, it did not reveal the slightest trace of its contents.

However, the murderous aura that had just filled my body instinctively produced a very faint tremor.

This feeling is wonderful.

It's like someone who's been starving for three days suddenly smelling the aroma of food—a craving stemming from the body's instincts.

I didn't rush to touch the box, but instead looked up at Zhang Xuanqing sitting opposite me.

"Master Zhang, this gift is too heavy. I'm afraid my small body can't accept it."

I smiled, my tone calm, and I didn't show the kind of greed that comes with seeing treasure.

Zhang Xuanqing looked at me, his eyes filled with even more admiration.

He didn't directly urge me to accept it. Instead, he picked up the paper cup, took a small sip of warm water, and slowly began to speak.

"Brother Chen, you don't need to try to fool me."

Regarding the lineage of your corpse-stitching practitioners, I learned a little about it when I was browsing through ancient books in the library of the Celestial Master's Mansion in my early years.

"People generally believe that dealing with corpses and evil spirits all year round must be a heretical and crooked path."

But in my view at Longhu Mountain, all the paths to enlightenment lead to the same goal.

You corpse stitchers use malevolent energy to enter the Dao, stitching together mutilated corpses to quell the resentment of the dead and allow their souls to rest in peace.

This is essentially doing good deeds that accumulate merit in secret and align with the natural order.

Although malevolent energy is dangerous and domineering, it can easily backfire on oneself.

However, as long as one's intentions are righteous, this malevolent energy becomes a protective sword, still belonging to the orthodox lineage of the Xuanmen.

Hearing this high-ranking Taoist master speak so highly of the lineage of corpse sculptors, I couldn't help but feel a sense of respect.

There are many vulgar people in this world who see things in black and white. To have such tolerance and vision is truly the mark of a wise person who has returned to simplicity.

"Master Zhang has a keen eye; I have learned a great deal from you."

My grandfather often said that malevolent energy is like a knife, and only those who wield a knife can distinguish between good and evil. I nodded and said.

Zhang Xuanqing put down the paper cup, his gaze suddenly becoming profound.

"Before I came down the mountain this time, I specifically looked up your information and also asked Lu Yan to give me a rough understanding of your situation."

Now that we've met in person today, I can be absolutely certain of the level you've reached in your cultivation.

He extended a finger and tapped the table lightly, making a soft "thud" sound.