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

I took a deep breath, and my gaze gradually became focused.

The evil core in his dantian trembled violently, and a surge of pure evil energy flowed through his meridians into the bone needle in his right hand.

……

Two hours later, I put away the bone needles, ending my practice for the day, and wiped the fine sweat from my forehead.

Improving one's skills takes time and effort, but this kind of tedious practice, though boring, can save one's life in critical moments.

Around 8 p.m., I made myself a quick meal and was about to take a shower when my phone, which was on the coffee table, suddenly vibrated.

I picked up my phone and was slightly taken aback by the name flashing on the screen.

It is ten thousand taels of gold.

This fat guy "disappeared" for seven whole days, and now he's finally decided to resurface.

I swiped to answer the call, put the phone to my ear, and said with a hint of joking, "Hey, Lao Jin."

I thought you'd been out making a fortune these past few days and had forgotten about your brothers in Jiangcheng.

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, followed by Jin Wanliang's familiar voice.

But to my surprise, he seemed to have lost some of his usual smoothness and shrewdness, and his tone revealed a subtle gravity and weariness.

"Brother Chen, I haven't been trying to make a fortune these past few days; instead, I've gotten myself into a lot of trouble."

Jin Wanliang gave a wry laugh on the phone: "Are you at Tingyuxuan right now? I'll come find you right away."

I had just enjoyed a few peaceful days in Jiangcheng, and then... sigh.

This is a bit strange; I'm not sure, I need to get an expert like you to take a look.

Hearing him say that, my eyes narrowed slightly.

Old Jin is the kind of person who won't get up early for nothing.

The matter that made him feel "strange" and take the initiative to come to me for advice was definitely not some ordinary grudge between江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world).

"I'm at Tingyuxuan, just come over here," I replied.

After hanging up the phone, I walked to the window and looked at the flashing neon lights on the streets of Jiangcheng below.

It seems that the calm of these seven days was just a brief respite before the storm.

Around 8:30 p.m., the roar of a car engine came from downstairs at Tingyuxuan.

I stood by the window on the third floor, watching the familiar black Mercedes-Benz park steadily in the parking space by the roadside.

The car door opened, and Jin Wanliang's round body climbed out of the driver's seat.

However, he didn't even bother to lock the car door properly before hurrying towards the teahouse entrance.

Less than two minutes later, Jin Wanliang, panting heavily, walked up to the third floor.

I looked up and saw that his silk short-sleeved shirt was soaked with sweat, and he looked exhausted and anxious.

He completely lacked his usual composed and shrewd demeanor.

"Sit down first, have a drink of water and catch your breath before we talk."

I pointed to the sofa opposite the coffee table, picked up the purple clay teapot on the table, and poured him a cup of tea that had already gone cold.

Jin Wanliang plopped down on the sofa, which immediately emitted a dull protest.

He picked up the teacup, tilted his head back, and gulped down the cold tea in one go.

He then let out a long sigh of relief and hastily wiped the sweat from his face with the back of his hand.

"Brother Chen, I've been through a lot these past few days, I haven't even had a proper night's sleep."

Jin Wanliang shook his head with a wry smile, his tone full of helplessness.

I poured him another cup of tea and looked at him calmly: "Take your time, the sky isn't going to fall."

You mentioned on the phone that you got into a lot of trouble. What strange thing has happened in Jiangcheng this time?

"It's not Jiangcheng, it's Southern Xinjiang."

Jin Wanliang sighed, leaned forward, and looked at me, asking:

"Brother, do you remember the business we talked about in the bamboo house that night after we finished our business trip to the Lan family in Southern Xinjiang?"

Hearing this, I nodded slightly.

Of course I remember.

That night, after the Lan family's dinner party, I returned to the bamboo house and found that the fat man was still awake most of the night, as excited as a 200-pound child.

He told me that the young men in charge of the Lan family approached him and agreed to let him open up a business route from the Ten Thousand Mountains to Jiangcheng.

At the time, Lao Jin confidently declared that all profits from this route, after deducting costs, would be split 50/50 with me.

They told me I didn't have to worry about anything, and I could just wait in Jiangcheng to collect the money.

"I remember you said you wanted to get those aged wild medicinal herbs, molted insect shells, and Miao ritual implements from the Lan family to resell on the black market."

I said softly.

"So, are you ready to start now?"

"If we only start now, the daylilies will be too cold!"

Jin Wanliang slapped his thigh, and the fat on his face jiggled.

"Brother Chen, you underestimate my efficiency in doing business."

After returning from southern Xinjiang, I had already completed all the preparations, sales channels, warehousing and logistics.

This business route originating from the Lan family has actually been quietly operating for over a month!

At this point, a hint of shrewdness and pride, typical of a businessman, flashed in Jin Wanliang's eyes.

He lowered his voice mysteriously and leaned closer to me, saying, "Brother, do you know how much money we've made in the past month or so since this project got off the ground?"

Looking at his expression, I found it somewhat amusing, so I casually guessed a number.

"One million?"

Upon hearing this, Jin Wanliang shook his head, then held up a short, thick finger and waved it vigorously in front of me.

His lips curled into an exaggerated smile: "Ten million! A full ten million in gross profit!"

Brother, even though it's just gross profit, that's after deducting the cost of bribing all sorts of people and transportation fees.

"If we split it up, each of us will get a solid few million!"

Upon hearing this number, I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in my eyes.

With a net profit of several million a month, the speed at which they make money is even more exaggerated than a money printing machine.

Although I now have over ten million in my account, my desire for money isn't as strong as it used to be.

But hearing this number still makes one sigh.

No wonder so many people throughout history have taken risks for the black market; it is indeed extremely profitable.

"Isn't this a good thing?"

I picked up my teacup, took a sip, and asked in return.

"May your business prosper and your wealth increase. Then why were you talking about strange things and getting into trouble on the phone just now?"

Upon hearing my question, Jin Wanliang's smug smile instantly vanished.

He was like a punctured ball, his anxiety and exhaustion returning to what they had when he first entered the room.

"If I could keep making money like this, it would be an incredibly lucky thing, like my ancestors' graves were emitting auspicious smoke."

Jin Wanliang leaned back on the sofa with a worried look on his face, rubbing his cheeks with both hands: "But, well, something bad has happened!"

He took a deep breath and began to explain the whole story to me in detail.