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

He lowered his voice, muttered something to himself, and a bitter smile appeared on his lips:

"Fortunately, back when I was in the mountains, I learned this skill of breath control and energy cultivation the most thoroughly."

That brat's eyes were like searchlights, scanning me all over.

"If I had relaxed even a little bit, and my inner energy had leaked out even slightly, this brat would have definitely noticed it today."

At this point, a hint of undisguised admiration, and even a touch of satisfaction, flashed in Director Wang's eyes.

"However, this brat is really sharp-minded; his sense of smell is even better than a dog's."

He picked up the thermos, stroked the body of the cup, and sighed softly.

"Based solely on a few hearsay stories from ten years ago, coupled with Lao Zhang's usual attitude towards me, he was able to fix his suspicious gaze on me."

They even dared to come to my office to test me...

"He truly lives up to his elder brother's reputation; his courage and intelligence surpass even his father's back then."

Director Wang put down the purple clay teapot, slowly stood up, and walked to the office window.

He peered through the blinds at the Land Cruiser Prado slowly pulling out of the funeral home in the parking lot below, his gaze becoming unusually distant.

"It looks like I can't afford to slack off any longer for the time being."

Director Wang muttered to himself, a sharp, cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"I warned Zhang Zhi ten years ago that that thing was a hot potato and told him to get rid of it quickly."

Now look what's happened; trouble has come knocking again.

"Since Chen Yang has already brought this matter to the Bureau of Folklore, those brats are so reckless in their investigations, they might actually dig up all those old grievances from ten years ago."

It seems I'll have to personally investigate this matter...

……

As I drove my Land Cruiser out of the Jiangcheng Funeral Home, I followed the wide asphalt road towards Tingyuxuan in the old city.

The midday sun shone through the windshield onto the driver's seat, bringing a slight warmth.

I gripped the steering wheel with one hand, my mind replaying every detail from Director Wang's office.

From his surprise when he heard that Lao Zhang had disappeared, to his bewilderment when I revealed those insider secrets, to his final angry reprimand for joking.

Every expression, every movement, every heartbeat of his seemed so natural, so flawless.

Today's attempt has indeed failed.

However, now that I have doubts about Director Wang, I will not give up so easily.

The days ahead are long.

If we don't figure all this out, and just have this person of unknown identity, who seems to be an expert in the field, as our boss...

It really makes it hard for me to feel at ease staying in the funeral home.

I reckon we'll have to start with Lao Zhang about this.

Now it all depends on whether the Bureau of Folk Customs can help and whether they can successfully find the person.

The car drove through the streets of Jiangcheng for about twenty minutes before finally turning into that familiar old street paved with bluestone.

The old street was quiet at noon, with most of the shops on both sides having their doors half-closed, and only a few neighbors taking their afternoon nap chatting and fanning themselves under the shade of the trees.

I parked my car in a parking space outside Tingyuxuan Alley, opened the car door and got out.

Walking through the alley and into the lobby of Tingyuxuan, a faint aroma of Pu'er tea fills the air.

Because it was close to lunchtime, business at the teahouse was relatively slow.

Only two or three tables of guests sat sparsely in the corner, talking quietly.

I followed the wooden stairs all the way to the third floor.

As soon as I stepped into the lobby on the third floor, a burst of intense game sound effects, accompanied by the frantic "clack-clack" of controller buttons being pressed, hit me.

I looked up and saw Li Qing sprawled out on the large leather sofa in the center of the hall, completely lacking any decorum.

He was wearing a slightly faded, oversized T-shirt, his legs casually propped up on the coffee table, a game controller clutched tightly in his hand, and his eyes glued to the huge LCD screen on the wall.

On the screen, two fighting game characters are locked in a fierce battle, with dazzling skill effects flashing across the screen.

"Damn it! What kind of lousy judgment is this?! I clearly blocked it!"

Li Qing was frantically fiddling with the controller while muttering curses, completely immersed in the game world, and didn't even notice me walk in.

I walked over to the coffee table, picked up a clean apple, and took a bite.

Then he walked behind the sofa and patted him on the shoulder.

"Hey, Master Li, what are you doing here in the middle of the day, not eating lunch, but just battling it out with a bunch of pixelated figures?"

I made a lighthearted joke and then sat down on the single sofa next to me.

Hearing my voice, Li Qing finally glanced at me, but her hands didn't stop moving at all:

"You don't know anything! This is called a man's romance!"

Besides, I call this a balance between work and rest.

"I was fighting to the death with those bug-playing guys in southern Xinjiang all the time recently, my brain cells are almost dead, I need to play some games to recharge, right?"

At this point, the character on the screen was caught off guard by the opponent's attack because he had been distracted by me, and was taken down in a combo.

Suddenly, the word "KO" popped up on the screen.

"Damn it! It's all your fault!"

Li Qing threw the controller on the sofa in frustration, turned to look at me, sized me up, and asked with some puzzlement.

"Didn't you go to work at the funeral home? Why did you come back in the middle of the day?"

"You got fired by your bald-headed director?"

"What do you mean 'fired'? I'm on paid leave."

I swallowed the apple in my mouth, looked at him, and said:

"However, we're not as relaxed as you are."

This morning I went to visit my colleague Lao Zhang, who was absent from work, and guess what happened?

The person has disappeared, and what's more, it has uncovered a ten-year-old tomb raiding case and a powerful "big boss" with connections throughout Jiangcheng's underworld.

Upon hearing the words "old tomb raiding case" and "big boss," Li Qing's previously somewhat lazy gaze instantly sharpened.

He sat up straight on the sofa, grabbed a can of Coke from the table, opened it, and took a swig.

"Oh? That's interesting."

Li Qing raised an eyebrow, a hint of interest on his face.

"Tell me in detail, what earth-shattering news have you uncovered during your first half-day of work?"

"It's not exactly earth-shattering news, but it's certainly quite surprising."

I accurately tossed the apple core I had left in my hand into the trash can a few meters away, and then took out a tissue to wipe my hands.

Then, I told Li Qing everything that had happened in the past two days, starting with the case of the body found in the reservoir.

After listening, Li Qing stared at me with wide eyes, her face full of disbelief:

"Holy crap! You're not kidding me, are you?"

"That old Zhang from your funeral home, who looks so frail? He used to be a tomb raider?!"