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

Faced with his sarcastic remarks, I simply changed my shoes calmly and retorted:

"Yeah, I'm planning to find a good feng shui spot, dig a hole, and bury myself. Do you want to find a burial site for me beforehand?"

Li Qing rolled her eyes, muttered "crazy," and turned to go into the bathroom.

Looking back now, although I spent those two weeks in monotonous meditation and late-night wanderings every day, I still feel a sense of accomplishment.

But they lived a very peaceful and fulfilling life.

I was immersed in the sense of fulfillment that came from the steady improvement in my strength and the gradual filling of a cool, refreshing atmosphere.

It was as if all the conspiracies and grudges of the outside world were temporarily irrelevant to me.

But this is ultimately just a superficial illusion.

Actually, during this period of dormancy, I had a small test in my heart.

I took leave before going to Qingshi Town, and my leave has long since exceeded the allotted time.

But I deliberately didn't call the funeral home or mention the extension of my leave to Director Wang.

I just want to see what kind of response Director Wang will give at this critical juncture when the Zhang disappearance case is making such a big fuss.

But as it turns out, the reaction from this bald, fat man who always carries a thermos and looks shrewd and worldly was exactly what was expected.

On the morning of the third day after I returned to Jiangcheng, my phone, which was on the coffee table, vibrated.

The number flashing on the screen was Director Wang's number.

I answered the phone and said "hello" in a calm tone.

"Hey Chen, where have you been running off to?"

"My leave has already exceeded the limit by several days, why haven't I returned to the office to cancel my leave yet?"

Director Wang's voice came through the receiver, carrying his usual slightly greasy bureaucratic tone.

But his tone also subtly conveyed a hint of concern.

"I couldn't get through to you on the phone these past few days. I was worried something had happened to you back home."

"Director Wang, thank you for your concern."

I responded calmly, my voice carrying just the right amount of apology.

"I've been running around in the mountains these past few days, and the signal back home isn't very good, so I haven't received any calls."

I'm so sorry.

"It's alright, it's alright, as long as everyone is safe."

Director Wang visibly breathed a sigh of relief on the other end of the phone.

"What's wrong? Haven't you finished dealing with things back home yet?"

"Hmm, it's not over yet."

I continued to fabricate the excuse I had used to ask for leave.

"Some old grievances left by our elders involve many relatives and are quite complicated to deal with."

I estimate I'll need to stay a few more days, so I'd like to shamelessly ask for a few more days off.

"Alright, since it's a serious family matter, you can focus on handling it over there. I've approved the fake news for you."

Director Wang agreed very readily, without even asking a single unnecessary question.

"Anyway, the museum isn't too busy lately. While you're away, I'll have others cover for you."

At this point, Director Wang seemed to recall something and casually uttered a sentence:

"By the way, Xiao Chen, I have some good news to tell you."

Thank goodness, the police found Old Zhang a few days ago.

It is said that he was found in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. He was not seriously injured, but he fainted from hunger.

I spent two days in the hospital, but I went back to work at the museum a few days ago.

You can just stay home and relax, we've got you covered at the hotel."

"Really? That's great! I'm glad Old Zhang is alright."

I feigned surprise and relief, exchanged a few more polite words, and then hung up the phone.

After hanging up the phone, I casually tossed my phone onto the table and started quickly calculating in my mind.

I already knew that Lao Zhang had been found.

After all, before I went to Qing Shi Town to find Shi Cuishan to make a scabbard, Lu Yan had already told me that Lao Zhang had been "released" and dumped in an abandoned warehouse.

He was later rescued by the folk customs bureau and remained unconscious in the hospital.

However, I really didn't expect that Lao Zhang had already woken up, and that Lu Yan had so casually put him back to work at the funeral home.

After sitting on the sofa for a while, I didn't pick up my phone to call Lu Yan to ask about the details of the matter.

Lu Yan and I had long ago established a tacit understanding that didn't need to be explicitly stated.

She has always acted decisively and efficiently.

If she manages to extract any crucial information from Lao Zhang, she will definitely notify me immediately.

Since she didn't do that, it can only mean two things.

Either Old Zhang is tight-lipped or he really doesn't know anything, because Lu Yan's people couldn't get any useful information out of him.

Either Lao Zhang, in this whole affair involving the Qi family and the guardian of the tripod, is simply an insignificant pawn.

It didn't reach the point where they needed to call me specifically to inform me.

Since that's the case, there's no need for me to create any unnecessary trouble; I'll just pretend I don't know anything about it.

……

That afternoon.

I sat cross-legged in the small room on the third floor where the evil spirits were gathered, with my eyes slightly closed.

The room was dimly lit, and the air was filled with a chilling atmosphere that was difficult for ordinary people to detect.

With each rise and fall of my breath, wisps of invisible malevolent energy seeped into my body through my mouth and nose, merging into my surging meridians.

However, this time, my cycle did not go smoothly.

I can clearly feel a slight throbbing pain coming from all the meridians in my body.

The throbbing pain wasn't severe, but it felt like a container filled with water, and no more water could be forced in.

At the same time, I felt a slight swelling in my mind.

It seemed to be warning me that I could no longer force myself to breathe.

I took a deep breath, slowly stopped breathing, and gradually suppressed the surging evil energy within my body back into my evil core.

Opening my eyes, I felt the overwhelming, almost overflowing, malevolent aura emanating from me, and I frowned slightly.

It seems that simply shutting oneself away for solitary study is indeed not advisable.

The path of spiritual practice emphasizes a balance of tension and relaxation.

I have squeezed every last drop of time out of the past two weeks, whether it's physical strength, malevolent energy, or mental power.

They have all reached the saturation point that can be accommodated at this stage.

This is like a knife whose blade has been sharpened to its sharpest point.

If you continue to rub the knife on the whetstone, it will not only fail to make it sharper, but may even break the blade.

It's time to balance work and rest.

I stood up, walked to the corner of the room, and pulled up the small flags that Li Qing had set up as the core of the formation, thus dispelling the evil-gathering formation in the room.

Since arduous self-cultivation can no longer bring about a qualitative leap, then find something to do.

After a period of stillness, it's time to get out and stretch your muscles.