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

The scarred man ignored Jin Wanliang's polite words, turned around, and circled our car.

Finally, he stopped in front of the passenger window, his scrutinizing eyes landing on my face through the glass.

I didn't flinch, but simply turned my head slightly and gave him an innocent smile.

"Brother, hello."

I even raised my hand to greet him.

The scarred man frowned slightly.

In southern Xinjiang, ordinary men are either terrified out of their wits or avoid eye contact when they see these patrolling Gu masters.

Clearly, he hasn't seen many people as calm and composed as me, who even dared to greet him.

Suddenly, he raised his hand and slammed it against the passenger-side window.

"Bang"

A muffled thud was heard.

The instant his palm touched the glass, I sensed an extremely subtle, chilling aura trying to creep toward my face.

That was his "qi" (vital energy).

Although it's not a deadly poison, if an ordinary person were exposed to this aura, they would at least fall seriously ill.

In severe cases, it could even result in serious injury on the spot.

The malevolent energy within me, almost instinctively, instantly condensed at the center of my forehead.

The moment that chilling aura collided with my murderous energy, it was like hitting a red-hot iron wall, melting away silently.

I maintained that harmless smile, without even blinking.

The scarred man's eyes changed slightly.

He withdrew his hand, his palm seemingly burning hot.

He casually wiped his hands on his trouser leg, and a hint of wariness appeared in his eyes as he looked at me.

"A martial arts expert?" he asked in a deep voice.

I shook my head, my voice still calm: "Brother Hei brought me here to broaden my horizons. I'm just an embalmer, someone who's pretty steady on my feet."

Seeing this, Lao Hei quickly smoothed things over: "Yes, yes, Brother Lan."

Brother Chen is a close friend of Boss Jin. He does have some solid skills, but he has absolutely no bad intentions.

We've come here with the utmost sincerity.

The scarred man remained silent for a moment, seemingly weighing his options.

After about half a minute, he waved to the other two young men dressed in Miao clothing.

The two men withdrew their hands from the hilts of their knives, but their eyes remained hostile.

"Since Old Hei has given his assurance, let's go in."

The scarred man gave Jin Wanliang a cold look.

"However, I remind you, once you enter the Lan family's territory, keep your eyes and your mouths shut."

If you accidentally disturb any old man's precious possessions, you won't even be able to bring his ashes back to Jiangcheng.

"Yes, yes, I will definitely pay attention, I will definitely pay attention."

Jin Wanliang nodded repeatedly and climbed back into the car as if he had been granted a pardon.

Old Hei quickly got into the car, stepped on the gas, and the car slowly drove through the mountain pass.

The moment I crossed the mountain pass, I felt the air around me seemed to become heavier.

The sunlight was still there, but it was fragmented by the towering ancient trees overhead.

Strange things started appearing by the roadside.

Some tree trunks had dried cow heads hanging from them, with red strips of cloth stuffed into their eye sockets.

At some intersections stand stone pillars taller than a person, covered with densely packed runes, and at the base of the pillars remain some dried dark red bloodstains.

"Phew... I'm finally in."

Jin Wanliang slumped in the back seat, panting heavily.

"Brother, when that guy was banging on the window just now, my heart was in my throat."

You're really good at staying calm, I admire you.

Looking out the window at the exotic and eerie decorations, I calmly replied, "Guests are guests, after all. The Lan family is a prominent local family, and I trust they won't make things difficult for their guests."

I didn't tell Jin Wanliang about that brief exchange, because I was afraid he would tremble even more if he knew.

But one thing is for sure: that scarred man is not having a good time right now.

The backlash from the malevolent energy, tsk tsk.

At this moment, Lao Hei reminded him while driving, "Boss Jin, that was just the first hurdle."

The Lan family, a large clan, has countless rules and regulations.

We'll arrive at the village entrance soon, and then we'll have to get out of the car and walk.

Outside vehicles are not allowed to enter Lanjia Village.

After driving for about twenty more minutes on the mountain road, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

In the center of the basin surrounded by mountains, a large village appeared.

Hundreds of stilted houses stretch upwards along the mountainside, with the tallest ones even built on the edge of a cliff, surrounded by clouds and mist.

The most striking feature is a huge stone tower in the center of the village.

Several thick bronze chains are wrapped around the tower, and a huge bronze bell hangs at the end of each chain.

As the mountain wind blew, the copper bells emitted a deep and resonant sound that echoed throughout the basin.

"That's Lanjia Village."

Old Hei's voice was filled with awe.

"That stone tower is called the Ten Thousand Gu Tower, and it is said to be the foundation of the Lan family."

The car was parked on a wide, flat area.

Several jeeps with Yunnan license plates were already parked here, indicating that the Lan family has frequent dealings with them.

We got off the car. Jin Wanliang clutched the silver briefcase tightly, while Lao Hei led the way.

The road leading to the village gate is paved with bluestone slabs, each slab carved with different poisonous insect patterns.

Walking on it, I could feel a faint chill emanating from the soles of my feet.

This entire road is probably a giant Gu formation.

At the entrance to the village, four guards dressed in black and leading huge mountain dogs stood.

The mountain dogs were enormous, with bloodshot eyes, and they stared at us, emitting low growls.

Old Hei stepped forward and negotiated for a moment, then handed over the bamboo token he had received at the mountain pass.

A guard gave us a cold glance, then turned to the side and opened the heavy wooden gate.

"Go inside. The elders are waiting for you in the council chamber."

The moment I stepped through the village gate, I felt countless gazes being cast upon me from behind the windows of the surrounding stilted houses.

These gazes were filled with curiosity, as well as repulsion.

The village has a strong sense of daily life; you can see herbs drying in the sun, women weaving cloth, and children running around in the alleys.

But every adult has a bamboo tube or pottery jar of various shapes hanging from their waist; that is the standard equipment of a Gu master.

I followed Lao Hei, walking slowly along the bluestone path.

After passing through several narrow alleys, we arrived at a large wooden hall.

Above the main hall's entrance hangs a black plaque with two powerful characters written in gold:

Blue Hall

"Boss Jin, Brother Chen, this is all I can take you this far."

Old Hei stopped and said to us, "You'll have to walk the rest of the way yourselves."

I'll be waiting for you at the tea stall outside. Be careful.

Jin Wanliang swallowed hard and turned to look at me.

I patted him on the shoulder and smiled: "Let's go, Lao Jin."

Since Grandpa Lan is willing to see us, it means there's room for discussion."