Burial Furnace

"Oh? What's a good place to go?" The women immediately became interested and gathered around.

Liu Mei cleared her throat, and after whetting everyone's appetite, she slowly said, "A new crematorium has opened in Qingmu Town."

"Crematorium?" The women looked at each other, completely bewildered.

"Yes, a crematorium." Liu Mei nodded. "It's called 'Immortal Crematorium.' The owner is an eighty-year-old man who looks like he's about to die, but he has a distant relative who is Liu Ruxue, the Holy Maiden of the Holy Maiden Sect. She helped him set up an array specifically for cremating corpses."

"And the price?" Senior Sister Hua pressed.

"As for the price—" Liu Mei drawled, "A Qi Refining stage corpse costs two low-grade spirit stones. A Foundation Establishment stage corpse costs two mid-grade spirit stones."

"So cheap?" the women exclaimed in surprise.

"And—" Liu Mei lowered her voice and said mysteriously, "That old man is really easy to talk to. Tonight, I brought a corpse that was clearly in the early stage of Foundation Establishment, but I acted cute with him, hugged his arm and shook it, and he didn't even examine it. He just accepted the spirit stones at the price for Qi Refining stage."

"Wow! Such a good thing?" The woman in the yellow shirt's eyes lit up; she was so excited she almost jumped up. "I'm definitely going to patronize his business next time!"

"Me too! Me too!" The other women chimed in, chattering excitedly as if they had gotten a great deal.

"Sisters, let me warn you, when you go back, whatever you do, don't seduce that old man," Liu Mei warned.

"Why?" a woman in white asked, puzzled. "Could it be that you've taken a liking to him, Senior Sister, and want to have him all to yourself?"

"Get lost!" Liu Mei spat at her, laughing and scolding, "I'm just afraid you'll be too rough and kill that old man. How can an eighty-year-old mortal withstand the torment of you demons? What if he suddenly passes away in the throes of pleasure, and then where will we find such a cheap cremation place?"

The women were taken aback at first, then burst into laughter.

"Senior sister is right, we can't let him go on his journey happily."

"Yes, yes, keep him, it'll last a long time."

"Senior Sister Liu Mei is indeed very thoughtful."

Senior Sister Hua laughed so hard she nearly fell over, her chest heaving. It took her a while to stop laughing before she patted Liu Mei's shoulder and said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I won't let him go on his way so easily."

A woman in red leaned over and winked, saying, "Senior Sister Hua, you're not even sparing old men?"

Senior Sister Hua rolled her eyes at her and said matter-of-factly, "What's wrong with an old man? Old men have their charms too. Besides, if you can make him comfortable, you might even save a couple of low-grade spirit stones."

"Giggle giggle..."

"Hahaha……"

The women burst into laughter again, their voices echoing through the night and startling a few night birds perched on a branch.

……

There was no business that night, but Zhang Yuan slept exceptionally soundly.

If you don't open for business for three years, you can live off it for three years once you do.

Although only one deal was completed, the gains were exceptionally huge—six months of lifespan, a one percent increase in talent, and a low-grade spirit stone.

This low-grade spirit stone might be insignificant in the eyes of cultivators, but for Zhang Yuan, it was a huge sum of money.

Because it could be exchanged for one hundred taels of silver, enough for an ordinary family to live comfortably for a year.

The next day, Zhang Yuan bought a large amount of daily necessities.

Tooth powder, towels, changes of clothes, brand new quilts, rice, flour, and cooking oil.

They bought lime and paint and carefully repaired the mottled walls, painting them snow-white.

The leaky areas in the roof were filled with new tiles, and the windows were covered with new paper, allowing light to pass through while blocking the wind.

The counter and chairs have all been replaced with new ones.

They also partitioned off a room in the front yard, bought a bed, and laid out a soft mattress and brand-new quilts.

Several potted plants were placed in the yard—a pot of roses, a pot of jasmine, and a pot of an unidentified green plant with thick, glossy leaves.

Now, the Immortal Crematorium looks quite proper.

As evening fell, Zhang Yuan changed into a clean gray cloth long gown, combed his white hair neatly, sat behind the counter, lit an oil lamp, and flipped through a book he had bought from a bookstore, "Guangyuan Local Customs," while waiting for customers to come in.

The dim, warm glow of the oil lamp illuminated his wrinkled face, giving him a serene appearance.

He looked at the book, but his thoughts drifted away involuntarily.

How is Lin Qingxue now?

She is a prodigy who has ascended to the Heavenly Gate, and she is about to get engaged. Who is her fiancé?

Has Liu Ruxue heard that a crematorium has opened in Qingmu Town, and the owner claims to be a distant relative of hers?

When will she appear?

Do your children and grandchildren worry about you now?

Are you searching for yourself everywhere?

What would they think if they knew that this old geezer was not only alive, but had also opened a crematorium in Qingmu Town?

Just as I was lost in thought, there was a knock on the door.

"Thump, thump, thump."

The three tones, neither too light nor too heavy, were steady and powerful.

Zhang Yuan perked up, put down his book, went over and unlatched the door.

The moonlight outside the door poured down like mercury, illuminating a tall, slender figure.

It was a monk wearing a bronze mask.

The mask covered most of his face, revealing only a pair of deep eyes that gleamed coldly in the moonlight.

A long sword hangs at his waist, its scabbard simple and unadorned.

Dressed in a black outfit, with a tall and straight figure, he exuded a sharp and imposing aura.

He exuded a faint smell of blood, which, though faint, was particularly clear in the night wind.

Zhang Yuan smiled gently and cupped his hands, saying, "Fellow Daoist, are you here to deal with the corpse? Please come in quickly."

The masked monk nodded slightly, stepped over the threshold, and entered.

His gaze swept over the newly renovated shop, and he said casually, "Old man, you cultivate immortality too?"

Zhang Yuan smiled, puffed out his chest, and said with feigned pride, "I'm about to advance to the first level of Qi Refining. It was my distant relative, Liu Ruxue, who taught me the technique."

The masked monk gave him a deep look without saying a word, but his eyes clearly showed a hint of disdain.

Even with guidance from the Holy Maiden of the Holy Maiden Sect, what kind of achievements could an eighty-year-old man possibly make?

But this is not important.

Importantly, this is a place where bodies can be cremated, and it's cheap.

Zhang Yuan led the masked cultivator to the backyard.

"We have three corpses, all at the Qi Refining stage, that need to be disposed of." The masked cultivator examined the furnace. "Could you offer a discount?"

Zhang Yuan's eyes lit up.

Three corpses!

This is a huge order!

He was overjoyed, but his face showed reluctance. He rubbed his hands and said, "Fellow Daoist, this is a small business, and the profit margin is really thin. As you know, activating this formation consumes spirit stones. Originally, it's two low-grade spirit stones per corpse, so three corpses would be a total of six. How about this, I see you're a straightforward person, so I'll give you a discount and only charge you five. What do you think?"