Burial Furnace

Zhang Yuan nodded repeatedly, but in his heart he didn't think so.

He has already provoked four enchantresses from the Hehuan Sect, one of whom is even a candidate for the next sect leader, but he is still alive and well.

He chatted with Liu Boyuan for a long time, listening to him tell many anecdotes about the Yin-Yang Ancestor and the Hehuan Sect, until the sun began to set, before he finally took his leave, satisfied.

Walking home, Zhang Yuan felt exceptionally relaxed.

This trip not only helped us learn about the life of the Yin-Yang Ancestor, but also confirmed the origin and value of the "Yin-Yang Rejuvenation Manual".

This technique is absolutely heaven-defying.

As long as he finds a suitable cultivation partner, his cultivation speed can be greatly improved, and he may even be able to reverse his aging and rebuild his foundation like Qin Mubai.

……

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Zhang Yuan's crematorium business gradually improved.

At first, I could get one or two orders a day, but now it has stabilized at around three orders.

Most of the corpses are Qi Refining stage corpses, with the occasional Foundation Establishment stage corpse. On average, you can earn two mid-grade spirit stones and four low-grade spirit stones per day.

For a small crematorium, this is already a very good income.

Zhang Yuan used most of the spirit stones he earned for cultivation, and saved the rest for a rainy day.

In the past two weeks, Hua Jinhuan, Liu Mei, Qi Jiaojiao, and Jiang Yao each came twice, each time late at night.

After disposing of the body, when Zhang Yuan asked for spirit stones, they blinked their watery peach blossom eyes and pitifully said, "I have no money," and then voluntarily crawled into his bed.

Zhang Yuan was already used to it.

Anyway, he didn't lose out.

Although he didn't receive any spirit stones, he could increase his lifespan and improve his talents. Moreover, with these beautiful Hehuan Sect enchantresses warming his bed, his sleep quality had improved considerably.

He never practiced the Yin-Yang Rejuvenation Technique with them.

It's not that I don't want to, it's that I don't dare.

He doesn't trust them.

Although these enchantresses acted intimately and ambiguously towards him, who knows what they were really thinking?

Every husband is not guilty, and he is guilty of his crime.

If people knew that he had comprehended the sect's most treasured technique, which no one had been able to comprehend for thousands of years, countless experts would probably come knocking on his door immediately, forcing him to reveal the secrets of the technique.

At that point, if he speaks out, he will be silenced; if he doesn't speak out, he will be tortured and forced to confess, and in the end, he will still face certain death.

The only person he could trust was Liu Ruxue.

"Liu Ruxue, when are you coming?" Zhang Yuan sometimes gazes at the moon outside the window at night, silently missing her.

He even considered whether he should take the initiative to go to the Saintess Gate to find her.

But after thinking it over, I gave up on the idea.

Not to mention the dangers along the way, with his limited cultivation level, if he left Qingmu Town and entered the dense forest teeming with demonic beasts, he probably wouldn't survive more than three days.

He can't just abandon his crematorium business.

Qi Jiaojiao once asked him, "Old man, have you mastered the cultivation technique I gave you?"

Zhang Yuan shook his head, saying in distress, "It's too difficult, I can't understand it at all. The pathways of those meridians are too complicated. I tried to cultivate it a few times and almost suffered a qi deviation."

A hint of disappointment flashed in Qi Jiaojiao's eyes, but she quickly regained her smiling demeanor and comforted her, "It's alright, take your time. That technique is not something that ordinary people can comprehend; no one has succeeded in it for thousands of years. You don't need to worry about it too much."

"Hmm." Zhang Yuan nodded, but thought to himself: Perhaps you are genuinely kind to me, but I'm sorry, I can't tell you now. I'll repay you when I become stronger.

……

The afternoon sun shone through the carved windows of Lingfu Pavilion, casting dappled shadows on the blue brick floor.

The air was filled with the faint scent of talisman paper and cinnabar, with a hint of herbal fragrance.

Boss Li sat in a grand chair in his workspace, holding a steaming cup of spiritual tea, sipping it slowly.

Standing before him was a young monk in blue robes.

The cultivator was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, tall and slender, with a handsome face and a hint of youthful arrogance and sharpness between his brows.

His hands were long and fair, with distinct knuckles—hands perfectly suited for drawing talismans.

His name is Shen Qing, and he is a rogue cultivator who recently arrived in Qingmu Town.

Boss Li put down his teacup, looked Shen Qing up and down, and slowly said, "Your spiritual power is naturally very strong. Although you are only at the third level of Qi Refining now, your spiritual power is already comparable to that of a cultivator at the fifth level of Qi Refining. If I teach you to draw talismans, you will soon be able to draw low-level talismans. Given time, you will definitely become an excellent talisman master."

Shen Qing's face instantly lit up with wild joy.

He immediately knelt down, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said with barely suppressed excitement, "Boss Li, please accept me as your disciple! I, Shen Qing, swear here and now that if I can become your disciple, I will study diligently and practice assiduously, and I will never let you down! If I achieve anything in the future, I will certainly be filial to my master, and I will go through fire and water for him without hesitation!"

As he spoke, he kowtowed three times, his forehead hitting the blue brick floor with a dull thud.

A meaningful smile appeared on Boss Li's lips.

He didn't immediately agree, but instead picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and then said, "It's not impossible for you to become my disciple. However, I need to put you through a test. If you pass, I will formally accept you as my apprentice. Otherwise, don't mention this matter again."

Shen Qing raised his head, his eyes filled with anticipation and determination: "What test? Please tell me, Master! I will brave any danger, no matter what!"

"You knew that a new crematorium recently opened in town?"

"This disciple knows. The owner of that crematorium seems to be surnamed Zhang, and he's an old man at the first level of Qi Refining."

"That's right." Boss Li stood up, walked to the window with his hands behind his back, and looked at the bustling crowd on the street outside. His voice was calm and even. "That crematorium's business is getting better and better. My cremation talismans are becoming harder and harder to sell."

He turned to look at Shen Qing, a cold glint in his eyes: "Tonight, you kill him. Then throw him into the furnace and burn him to ashes. No one will know."

Shen Qing's expression changed slightly.

The crematorium owner, Zhang Yuan, was a relative of Liu Ruxue, the Holy Maiden of the Holy Maiden Sect.

If he killed her relative and she came looking for him, he would be in deep trouble.

But then I thought—if we just throw Zhang Yuan's body into the furnace and burn it, who could find out?

He could then smoothly become an apprentice of Boss Li and become a talisman master.

A talisman master!

That's one of the most lucrative professions in the cultivation world!

Then he'll be able to live a life of luxury, with beautiful women throwing themselves at him, and reach the pinnacle of life!

Thinking of this, Shen Qing's hesitation and concerns vanished instantly.

He nodded emphatically, a glint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes: "Master, rest assured, I'll send him on his way tonight!"

Boss Li nodded in satisfaction and patted Shen Qing on the shoulder: "Go ahead, I'll be waiting for your good news."

Shen Qing stood up, cupped his hands in greeting to Boss Li, and strode out of the Spirit Talisman Pavilion.

Boss Li stood by the window, watching Shen Qing's figure disappear at the end of the street, a smug smile playing on his lips.

"Why should I personally deal with a small-time boss?" he muttered to himself. "Using someone else to do the dirty work is the best strategy."

He put down his teacup, turned around and sat back down in the armchair, closed his eyes, and leisurely hummed a little tune.

In his view, the matter was already a sure thing.

The outcome of a decrepit old man at the first level of Qi Refining facing off against a young cultivator at the third level of Qi Refining is self-evident.