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

Don't worry.

Li Qing took a sip of bitter black coffee, which invigorated him somewhat.

"Last night I reinforced the security formation with three more layers downstairs and around the perimeter."

Now, I can even tell if a fly carrying a menacing aura flies in.

Be careful over there. You're new there and don't know their customs, so don't get taken advantage of.

"Okay, I understand."

I responded, picked up my things, went down the stairs to the first floor, and pushed open the door of the teahouse.

After leaving the alley, the modified Toyota Prado was still quietly parked in the old street's parking space.

I walked over and threw everything I was holding onto the back seat.

I got into the driver's seat, started the engine, rolled down the window, and waved to Li Qing, who was standing on the third-floor balcony of the teahouse.

With a press of the accelerator, the SUV roared and drove out of the old street, merging into the gradually awakening traffic of Jiangcheng in the early morning.

There weren't many cars on the highway in the early morning, so I picked up the speed, and the green belts and buildings on both sides rushed past in my sight.

The carriage was quiet. I didn't turn on the stereo and started to review the message Jin Wanliang sent me last night.

The craftsman who lived in seclusion in Qingshi Town was named Shi Cuishan.

The name itself has a rugged, fiery feel to it, like something that's been forged through countless trials and tribulations.

As a descendant of a master forger, his craftsmanship is undoubtedly superb.

But the fact that he chose to live in seclusion in a remote town on the border of Hunan and Hubei instead of staying in a big city is itself quite unusual.

And then there was the condition he set... to do him a favor.

What kind of situation would require someone with top-notch forging skills and a small reputation in the local circle to seek help from outsiders?

Was it a revenge killing? Or a search for a lost item?

Or is it some kind of bizarre event that requires a special destiny or special techniques to resolve?

As I gripped the steering wheel, I silently assessed the various possibilities in my mind.

The evil core within my body circulated smoothly with my breathing, and a wisp of golden light flowed within my dantian, giving me a powerful sense of confidence.

No matter what Shi Cuishan wants to do, as long as it doesn't violate my bottom line as a person, I can accept it at my discretion.

If the other party really has any ill intentions, my cultivation at the Fiend Core Realm, along with the bone needles and black knife, is enough to make him think twice before taking action.

As the car continued south, the scenery outside the window began to change noticeably.

The once flat and open Jianghan Plain was gradually left behind, replaced by rolling hills and increasingly towering mountains.

The vegetation on both sides of the road became increasingly lush, and the air began to be filled with a unique dampness and grassy smell characteristic of the southern mountains and forests.

After driving for nearly four hours, the navigation system indicated that I was about to exit the highway.

After exiting the toll station, the car turned onto a two-lane provincial highway.

The road conditions here have deteriorated significantly, with potholes and repair marks appearing frequently on the asphalt surface.

Heavy trucks carrying timber and ore roared past on the mountain road, kicking up clouds of dust.

I slowed down and continued driving along the winding mountain road.

The area bordering Hunan and Hubei provinces is characterized by typical karst landforms.

The mountains are steep and the forests are dense.

Such places, due to their inconvenient transportation and complex terrain, have historically been favorite hiding places for independent cultivators and hermits who were unwilling to be subject to official constraints.

After another hour of bumpy travel on the mountain road, it was almost 1 p.m.

After rounding a huge bend in the mountain, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

Nestled among the mountains, a cluster of old buildings has emerged along the river.

We've arrived at Qingshi Town.

This town is older and more isolated than I imagined.

There were no fancy welcoming archways at the entrance to the town, only two ancient banyan trees, each as thick as a few people's embrace.

They stand like two silent guardians on either side of the road.

Most of the buildings in the town retain the style of the last century.

The blue bricks and black tiles, and the wooden doors and windows, are somewhat blackened from years of wind and sun exposure.

The streets are not wide, and the ground is paved with large, smooth bluestone slabs worn smooth by time.

This is probably where the town's name comes from.

I drove my Toyota Prado, which looked rather conspicuous in the town, slowly along the main street.

There are a few scattered shops along the street, selling mountain products, farm tools and daily necessities.

There weren't many pedestrians on the road, and most of them were dressed in simple, durable clothes.

I keenly noticed that the people here, whether it was an old man sitting on a street corner smoking a pipe or a burly man unloading goods by the roadside, all exuded a ruggedness and wildness that was hard to find in big cities.

Their gazes were direct; when they looked at my out-of-town SUV, there was no curiosity in their eyes, only a cold scrutiny.

Li Qing was right; the local people are indeed tough and fierce.

I ignored those stares and, following the address Jin Wanliang sent, turned into a slightly secluded alley at a fork in the road in the center of town.

The alley was very narrow, and an off-road vehicle could barely pass through.

After driving about two hundred meters forward, the alley came to an end, revealing a relatively open space.

At the end of the open space was a detached courtyard surrounded by a high wall.

The courtyard wall was built of thick bluestone, and it was covered with moss.

The two heavy, black lacquered wooden doors were tightly closed, with no plaques above them, only two rusty iron rings hanging on them.

Outside the courtyard wall, I didn't see any modern signs.

However, a very faint smell of charcoal lingered in the air.

This is where Shi Cuishan lives.

I parked the car on one side of the open space and turned off the engine.

The carriage fell silent instantly, with only the soft "clicking" sound of the engine cooling system.

I didn't get out of the car immediately. Instead, I sat in the driver's seat, closed my eyes, and slowly released the cool sensation between my eyebrows.

Within a 50-meter radius of my perception network, I carefully examined the tightly closed courtyard.

The courtyard was quiet, and there was no sign of any malevolent energy or evil magic.

But at the edge of the sensory network, deep within the courtyard, I vaguely sensed an extremely intense masculine energy.

This aura is restrained and calm, like a dormant volcano.

Without a doubt, that was the aura of someone who spent years working with a furnace and had cultivated a certain masculine method to an extremely high level.

It seems that the person Jin Wanliang found is indeed very capable.

I opened my eyes, pushed open the car door, and got out.

I opened the back door and lifted the heavy alloy case out with one hand, then slung the guitar case containing the black knife over my shoulder.