I am a wandering immortal in the mortal realm.

"What...what do you mean, heartless?"

Although it wasn't the first time they'd seen a corpse disemboweled, the constables were still trembling with fear.

Especially in the middle of the night, in such an eerie environment as the mortuary, it was truly terrifying!

The only one who remained calm and composed was Inspector Lu.

However, the other person was also frowning, his face cold and stern, staring at Master Liu who had a strange expression, and said in a deep voice, "Master Liu, what... do you mean by that?"

"The literal meaning!" Master Liu glanced at him, smiled slightly, and then used his blood-stained hands to pry open the corpse's abdomen. "Come, come, Inspector Lu, you'll understand what I mean at a glance!"

Inspector Lu's grip on the knife tightened involuntarily. After a long silence, he slowly stepped forward, and was stunned by just one glance.

But inside the corpse, the intestines had already ruptured and rotted, and the body was utterly decayed. Even so, the outlines of each organ could still be seen, except that the heart and liver were missing.

Inspector Lu's eyes darkened, and he gripped his long knife tighter. He looked at Master Liu and said in a hoarse voice, "This...is this murder?"

The old man simply shook his head, first washing his hands clean in the copper basin, then scrubbing away the stench of the corpse with soap and sand. Only then did he take out a piece of paper and begin to write by the light of the lamp, reciting as he wrote:

"...There is a male corpse, about twenty years old, five feet four inches tall... His lips are purple, there is foam on his nose, sand and mud on his nails, and his hands and feet are swollen, all signs of drowning... However, there are no external injuries to his chest and abdomen, and they feel very weak to the touch. An autopsy revealed that his heart and liver are missing, which is quite unusual. We must investigate his whereabouts before his death in detail, and whether there are any rumors of supernatural or evil magic..."

These words sounded like a monologue, yet also like they were being spoken to someone else. Inspector Lu's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but ask, "Master Liu, do you think this corpse... isn't a murder, but rather the work of an evil spirit?"

Master Liu chuckled, "If it weren't for that, would you have brought him here?"

Inspector Lu immediately frowned.

It's important to understand that this Master Liu is not some charlatan, but a truly skilled and extraordinary person. If he says there's something fishy about it, he certainly wouldn't be making baseless accusations.

Inspector Lu still remembered a strange case that occurred in the county five years ago: the matriarch of the richest family, Shen, was murdered. The yamen worked day and night for three months to investigate, but to no avail.

Normally, the county magistrate would have treated it as an unsolved case, but the deceased was the half-sister of the prefect of Dezhou, and the pressure from his superiors was so great that it almost drove the county magistrate to his death.

Finally, with no other choice, he agreed to the coroner Wang's request to ask one of his friends for help.

This is Master Liu!

When the county magistrate saw that Master Liu was quite old, all alone, and had a limp, he didn't think he had any real skills. He assumed the coroner was making fun of him and almost had him beaten.

In front of everyone, Master Liu used his "spirit possession" skills to summon the spirit of the matriarch of the Shen family to possess him and reveal the truth that the steward had an affair with his concubine, was caught in the act, and was subsequently murdered.

Later, the constables arrested the man, and the time and place of the crime, as well as the location where the murder weapon was hidden, matched his previous statements perfectly, without any errors or omissions, as if he had witnessed it with his own eyes.

Master Liu displayed his divine abilities in front of everyone, immediately stunning the county officials. The county magistrate wanted to offer him the position of coroner, but Master Liu, unwilling to let his friend lose his job, firmly declined.

After much negotiation, it was finally decided that the government would fund the construction of the new mortuary, and Master Liu would take on the role of its manager.

However, he also made it clear to the county magistrate that "walking in the underworld" would bring misfortune and shorten lifespan, and he would never take action unless it was a major case. Otherwise, this skill alone would be enough to eliminate more than half of the cases accumulated in the county government.

Even so, over the past three years, Master Liu has helped the county government solve many problems, proving his value and earning everyone's respect.

For example, even though Inspector Lu was anxious, he didn't dare to urge Master Liu loudly. He just stood quietly by his side, waiting for Master Liu to finish filling out the body form.

"Master Liu, so what exactly happened to this body?" Inspector Lu stepped forward at the right time and asked in a low voice.

Master Liu put down his pen and said, "This corpse is suspicious and quite strange. To avoid any unforeseen complications, you'd better burn it!"

"This..." Inspector Lu hesitated.

Master Liu glanced at him and smiled, "Are you worried that your family won't agree?"

"I do have concerns about this!" Inspector Lu nodded solemnly.

However, he didn't mention one thing: when family members came to the county government to claim the body, they had to pay a "corpse deposit fee." This money didn't go into the county government's public accounts; it was purely extra income for the brothers who worked hard transporting the body.

Otherwise, who would be so bored as to spend all day running around collecting corpses?

If the family refuses to pay, the body can be disposed of however they want. But if they do pay, you can't just hand them a box of ashes, can you?

There's no reason for forcing someone to buy or sell!

Linquan Town is not close to the county seat. The brothers have been working hard for most of the day to find this body, and now it is almost midnight, but they still have to stay at the mortuary.

They had already ascertained the man's identity; he was not a kinsman. If they couldn't get a single penny, how could the brothers not feel resentful?

Master Liu initially intended to observe from the sidelines, but seeing the constables acting so eagerly as if they were courting death, he couldn't help but offer a word of advice: "This corpse is extremely malevolent; burying it will only bring endless trouble. I advise you not to even think about it, lest you needlessly invite misfortune."

The constables were crestfallen: "What are we going to do? Did we really make a wasted trip today?"

They all looked at Master Liu, unwilling to give up, and said, "Master Liu, you've been talking about this corpse evil, but what exactly is evil about it? You have to tell us, right?"

Master Liu sneered, "Fine, I'll show you what I mean!"

After saying that, he stood up straight, disregarding the filth, and directly opened the corpse's stomach. A stench of decay gushed out, and several constables vomited on the spot.

But Master Liu seemed not to have smelled anything, and his expression did not change at all.

Then, to everyone's astonishment, he turned the corpse inside out and lifted it into the air.

"Come and take a look, everyone!"

Several constables, suppressing their nausea, trembled as they stepped forward, looking both wanting to see and too afraid to look, which made Master Liu burst into laughter.

"You yourselves demanded an explanation, and now you're scared?"

Inspector Lu raised an eyebrow slightly, then immediately took the lead, covered his mouth and nose, and moved closer.

With just one glance, he showed an expression of even greater astonishment than when he had seen the corpse with its heart and liver completely gone.

On the abdominal cavity wall of the corpse were numerous black tumors, each the size of a chicken egg. The tumors were dark red, almost black, and covered with a thin layer of blood vessels, emitting an eerie, murky luster.

Not far from the corpse, when the intestines were turned inside out and the tumor was just revealed, Inspector Lu immediately smelled a strange odor that made him dizzy and irritable, which filled the air and assaulted his mind.

He swayed suddenly, but quickly regained his balance, exclaiming in surprise, "Master Liu, what is this?"

"A terrible consequence!"

Master Liu softly uttered a term they had never heard before.

What are the consequences of one's actions?

Master Liu glanced at him and explained, "The 'evil fruit' is not a fruit that grows naturally, but rather a karmic resentment that condenses inside the body of someone who died a violent death. It is extremely difficult for the 'evil fruit' to grow. The deceased must have been a heinous villain, whose resentment lingers after death, and whose soul does not enter the cycle of reincarnation. In addition, it constantly absorbs the filth and death energy of heaven and earth, which is why this kind of malevolent thing is born."

He glanced at the corpse and said disdainfully, "As the saying goes, 'The human heart is like poison, and it bears fruit after death.' If this kind of person had retained even a shred of goodness, no evil fruit could have formed. Now even his heart and liver have turned into nourishment. He must have been a beast worse than a pig or a dog in life. I'm too lazy to even sew it up; it's best to just burn it!"

Inspector Lu was startled and couldn't help but ask, "What's so special about this cursed fruit?"

"What other peculiarities do you need? This thing is ominous to touch, that's the biggest peculiarity in itself!" Master Liu sneered, "Besides, this thing easily attracts evil spirits. Once entangled, at best, one's personality will drastically change; at worst, one will go mad and die. You don't want to end up like that, do you?"

His question silenced everyone in fear.

"Is...is it really that serious?" Upon hearing this, Inspector Lu could no longer remain calm and asked with a dry throat.

"Not serious?" Master Liu merely sneered, then his eyes narrowed, and he said in a low voice, "Inspector Lu, let me tell you this, I've only ever seen this 'evil fruit' in books. I've heard it was once a powerful elixir for some evil alchemists in ancient times. And the last person to bear so many evil fruits was a famous figure—Zhu Can, the 'Garuda King' who enjoyed eating human flesh during the chaotic Sui and Tang dynasties!"

"Does Master Liu have a method to deal with the consequences of his actions?" Inspector Lu asked with a stern face.

Master Liu shook his head: "Is Inspector Lu overestimating me? I'm already struggling to deal with a few ghosts, so how could I possibly resolve a malevolent creature like this? The best course of action is to burn it down before it gains any strength. As for the rest, let's not even talk about it!"

Inspector Lu's expression was rather unpleasant.

For him, money was a small matter; the real issue was that the corpse was now in his hands, and if he didn't handle it properly, he would be held responsible.

It's all my fault for not checking the almanac before going out today; I've ended up with such a hot potato.

Seeing the man's fluctuating expression, Master Liu didn't urge him, but slowly said, "I've said all I need to say. As for how to decide, that's entirely up to Inspector Lu!"

Upon hearing this, Inspector Lu gritted his teeth and said, "Then let's do as Master Liu says and burn the body!"

"Is it really burning?" the constables asked in hushed tones.

Inspector Lu didn't answer, only saying, "Zeng Gui, go prepare firewood; Ma Cheng, go get some oil. We'll burn it here!"

"yes!"

At his command, no one dared disobey and they all sprang into action.

Inspector Lu then turned to the old man and asked, "Master Liu, I'm about to cremate the body. Are there any taboos involved?"

"No, no, Inspector Lu, you can rest assured about burning it!" Master Liu laughed. "I have sealed the gates of heaven and earth around this corpse, so even the most powerful yin energy cannot sense it. However, we must act quickly. The golden ink and inkstone are inverting yin and yang, which is not a long-term solution. Moreover, judging from the celestial phenomena here, the evil energy seems to have already begun to condense..."

With his mind made up, Inspector Lu said no more, simply gripping his sword tightly and waiting quietly.

Since there is strength in numbers, in no time, a deep pit had been dug out on the barren slope behind the mortuary and filled with dry firewood.

Then, two more constables came in and carried the body out the door.

Because the corpse's chest was wide open and its appearance was horrific, they didn't even dare to look at it, and could only silently encourage themselves.

The bodies were piled on dry firewood, and the constables quickly poured in kerosene, each holding a torch and standing guard beside them.

Inspector Lu stepped aside, and Master Liu stepped forward, staring at the mangled corpse in the pit. Suddenly, he let out a cold laugh, saying meaningfully, "Whether it was an accident or something else, the consequences of your actions are unforgivable. It is the will of Heaven. Even if your soul is scattered, you can only blame yourself for your own actions!"

Having said that, he took the torch and threw it inside, and a raging fire instantly rose ten feet high.

The constables were startled. Wasn't the fire burning a little too fast? Even kerosene wouldn't burn that fast!

Master Liu looked up at the sky for a moment before saying, "This matter is settled, Inspector Lu, I'll take my leave now!"

Inspector Lu cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Liu!"

The old man turned his back to the crowd, waved his hand, and slowly disappeared into the night with his limping gait.

Inspector Lu watched them go for a long time before turning his head to look at the campfire.

The stench of the burning corpse was truly unbearable. He could even see, through the raging flames, the skin curling up, shrinking, and finally turning into charcoal.

Of course, his attention was mostly focused on those horrifying fruits of evil.

As he pondered, he suddenly felt a blur before his eyes, and the wicked fruit before him seemed to transform into countless eyeballs, all opening up and staring at him with resentment.

Inspector Lu was startled. He rubbed his eyes and looked again, but there was nothing there.

"Hey boss, look, what's in there?"

Inspector Lu's chaotic thoughts were forcibly interrupted by his subordinate. He looked in the direction the other man was pointing and saw that in the ashes after the fire had burned out, there were actually specks of silver light.

Some people couldn't wait to poke at it with sticks and managed to pull out several silver ingots.

"Wow, we're rich! It's silver!"

"How many? How many?"

"Twenty taels in full! Good heavens, it's actually official silver! How come we didn't notice it when they were carrying the body?"

"Could this guy have some special way of hiding money? Too bad it all ended up benefiting us. It's really a stroke of luck; I thought we were going to go home empty-handed this time!"

"Didn't Master Liu say the corpse was haunted? Will there be any problems if we take this money?"

"What problem could there be if the person has turned to ashes? At worst, I'll go to a temple and pray, and ask Buddha to bless them!"

"Come on, come on, everyone who sees this gets a share..."

"..."

Corpses were burning in the fire pit, while people around the pit were happily dividing up the silver.

Inspector Lu seemed to see the monster called "greed" clearly for the first time.

The subordinates, knowing their place, presented the gifts.

His heart sank. Thinking of the eyeballs he had just seen through his blurred vision, he felt a sense of foreboding.

……

"Master Daoist, I've come to bother you again!"

Early in the morning, just after Shen Yuan finished his work, Zheng Baozhu appeared happily at the entrance of the Taoist temple.

The Taoist priest was speechless: "Didn't you already come yesterday? Why are you here again today? Did something happen?"

Zheng Baozhu said weakly, "Taoist Master, please don't say that. Yesterday, when I went down the mountain, I encountered a corpse, and then my third brother met a ghost. If it weren't for your amulet, I'm afraid he would have been in grave danger!"

Shen Yuan: "..."

Isn't this just too unlucky?

He coughed once: "So, layman, you have come here..."

Zheng Baozhu quickly replied, "I'd like to buy some more amulets!" With that, she took out a small silver ingot. "This time I brought enough money; I want to buy six!"

Then, in an exaggerated tone, she said, "You don't know, after my third brother encountered a ghost, his amulet turned to powder!"

The Taoist priest paused in his hand as he reached for the talisman: "It turned to dust? It seems the ghost that Third Brother encountered was quite ferocious!"

"That's exactly what I was saying!" Zheng Baozhu said with a worried look. "The town has been quite unsettled lately, Taoist priest, do you know? The person who died was Chen Jun, the one you beat up at the funeral hall that day, and the ghost my brother encountered was also him!"

"Is that so?" the Taoist priest exclaimed in surprise.

Zheng Baozhu sighed, "Alas, I don't know how to handle this matter in the end. If I could make the decision, I would definitely ask a Taoist priest to exorcise the ghost, but unfortunately I have no money!"

"Hahaha..." Shen Yuanlang laughed, counting out six talismans and handing them over, saying, "There are many capable people in the world, it's not necessarily that I'm the only one who can do it. There are also fellow Daoists from the Jade Emperor Palace. They will certainly not let the evil spirits run rampant!"

"Let's hope so!"

Zheng Baozhu reached out to take it, but the moment she touched the talisman, her body inexplicably warmed, and then it felt as if something was being drawn away from her body, making her feel much more relaxed.

Shen Yuan also noticed something was wrong. He looked down at the talismans and found that one of them had indeed lost its spiritual essence.

His face darkened: "Layman, are the talismans you bought yesterday still intact?"

"Okay...okay!"

Zheng Baozhu hurriedly took out the talisman from her bosom, opened it and saw that the cinnabar seal on it had long since become dull and lifeless, as if it had been washed with water.

"What... what exactly is going on?"

Shen Yuan frowned: "Did you encounter anything unusual yesterday, Layman?"

"Besides Chen Jun's body, there's nothing else. Could it be his ghost?"

Shen Yuan shook his head: "If it were a ghost, the peace talisman would have broken its spell yesterday, and it wouldn't have hidden its yin energy so deeply..."

"What a tragedy!"

A sharp, thin voice suddenly came from beside him, startling Shen Yuan. He looked at Zheng Baozhu alertly, only to find that she didn't seem to have heard him.

Sister Hu stood quietly at the back door of the main hall, her eyes glowing green, and her voice echoed eerily: "With the Earth God in power, flying corpses run rampant, Taoist priest, this is a calamity!"