Chapter 31: Corpses in the Forest

Several more days passed.

After the blow of their previous failure, Wei Ming and the others had learned their lesson and dared not make any more rash attempts.

They changed to catching one every other day, enduring the stench around the stove; even Ning Caize pinched his nose and joined in, pooling their wisdom to study and practice.

Even so, a certain situation was rapidly worsening.

——The area around the Grave Digger's small courtyard was now filled with a thick, putrid stench, and it was still spreading outward.

"Damn it! These bastards, they're actually doing this again!"

"Abominable fellows, cough, cough, cough..."

Facing Du En's blunt and direct words, Wei Ming felt a bit embarrassed and discouraged, but then he turned to another matter: "Then I will go find some medicinal herbs for you!"

The six of them split into two groups.

Facing the stubborn Du En, he truly had no tricks left, so he could only leave in low spirits.

However, once they reached the corpse-transporting path, he still couldn't figure it out, so he asked Du En for advice: "Boss, how exactly should one practice the Sand-Raising Technique to have obvious power like you?"

Wei Ming appeared proactive and volunteered to demonstrate the Sand-Raising Technique that Du En had instructed them on that morning.

Du En waited quietly for him to recover before saying, "Hmm, because there are no more spirit stones."

Because there were bite marks and claw marks on them, they must have been left by some kind of demonic beast, which was why these great owls dared not touch them.

Wei Ming began to get distracted, pondering something.

Du En approached cautiously, and the familiar stench soon drilled into his nose.

"Then go ask the steward for some!"

"I don't dare go."

Today's corpses were, as usual, neither many nor strange, and they were successfully buried before dusk.

The Sand-Raising Technique of those few was currently only at a beginner's level, or even worse; the sand was so fine and light that when it hit one's face, it was like a thin layer of flour, making it difficult even to affect one's vision.

This was also the reason why, even though they took the initiative to catch owls, they could only catch the old and weak individuals.

Regarding this, he just shook his head lightly: "No need, that wastes too much time."

On the way, he discovered that the situation was somewhat strange and immediately became alert.

But now, this bad omen seemed about to come true?

"We aren't paying the protection fee anymore."

Clang!

A large owl that had been eating happily fell asleep at the sound, very deeply and with a peaceful expression on its face.

He said it, he really said it!

Liu Qixiang had a headache; he tried hard to strike a frightening pose amidst the stench, wanting to speak fiercely, and then, he was choked by taking a big breath.

Therefore, now, when faced with questions, he was naturally able to offer guidance with ease.

Du En tracked the great owls that were still visible to the naked eye.

"Damn it, if I didn't think it was bad luck to touch them, I would have beaten them up already!"

"Hmm?"

Liu Qixiang's voice was hoarse, and his eyes were covered in bloodshot veins.

However, Du En noticed the unusual movements of the carrion-eating birds and beasts along the way.

Although it would still require Du En to verify it in the end, it could indeed save some time, so he nodded slightly to indicate it was acceptable.

It was also because of this that Du En had never cared about their feelings.

Through diligent practice, he had become skilled and everything had fallen into place; all the key points and secrets had long been thoroughly understood and engraved in his heart.

Facing Du En's righteous reply, he was actually speechless for a moment.

Seeing this, the others also asked for advice one after another, asking about the difficulties they had encountered.

"Cough, cough, hurry up and pay this month's protection fee!"

"Boss, do you want me to go catch one for you!"

Because if it were him, he wouldn't dare go either!

There was no need to specifically inquire about the working style of the corpse-duty steward He Bo; just looking at the trouble Du En had received last time was enough to scare away most people.

It was better to go himself.

Seeing that there were no other abnormalities in the surroundings, Du En then stepped out of the bushes.

It was the group of strange owls that had originally been returning to their nests, suddenly changing their flight direction.

Including Ning Caize.

This was within Du En's expectations.

As expected, the boss is the most reliable!

Regarding such requests for advice, Du En did not hold back, asking about the specific crux of the matter.

The other strange owls were startled and flew up; facing these persistent natural enemies, the grave diggers, they cooed and shrieked in great unwillingness, but in the end, they still squeezed through the gaps in the branches and scattered away from here.

"What, not paying?"

The others were suddenly full of energy, their attitudes serious and eager.

Choking on the air, he couldn't speak for a moment.

On the road.

He had come to collect the protection fee again.

It was not something that had only started today, but had developed gradually over these past few days.

Simply put, as other grave diggers also began to catch owls, this group of birds and beasts, greedy for carrion and blood, finally realized that the grave diggers were all their natural enemies!

Forcing himself to step through the stench barrier, he didn't dare open his mouth at all, cursing inwardly.

The smell of a corpse.

Seeing how things developed, the other corpse-buriers all breathed a sigh of relief, then straightened their backs, feeling quite triumphant.

"This situation has become a little troublesome..."

The reason he slaughtered Zhang Lin was precisely to bring about this situation.

As for these carrion-eating beasts, the stench they left along the way was enough for him to easily track them and find their old or new nests.

Regarding these words, Du En's expression did not change; he only shook his head.

He hurried his pace to intercept them.

"That old bastard actually didn't die, tsk!"

Liu Qixiang.

Du En did not pay much attention to these birds; watching them leave, he lowered his head to look, his gaze piercing through the dimness to examine and size up this person who had died such a miserable death.

But, it was only a little.

If he let Wei Ming go, who knew how long it would take; time was precious, and if it dragged on too long, his cultivation work for tonight might be affected.

"Fuck!"

The others also wanted to help and spoke up one after another in agreement.

Liu Qixiang's heart skipped a beat.

Furthermore, with the continuous picking and plundering of medicinal herbs, the yield around the wasteland was inevitably decreasing, so it was likewise necessary to expand the search range.

Then, they saw the small courtyard gate open, and the corpse-buriers, carrying their tools, were about to head out to work.

Of course, the main reason was that Zhang Lin's death had made them, his subordinates, quite fearful and anxious lately, and they did not want to attract any attention at all.

Du En thought silently.

The neighbors of the small courtyard displayed their usual cold, disgusted looks.

Yet, amidst this hurried, avoidant foot traffic, there was one person moving against the current.

To tell the truth, when he smelled this stench, he had started to feel that something was wrong.

So today, seeing that Du En and his group had finished their work early and the shadows of those delicious corpses were no longer to be seen, they—regardless of whether they were bold or timid—all flew or walked away quickly, not daring to linger.

"Ugh..."

He approached with quick steps and struck down with a shovel.

It was on the way.

Pushing aside the bushes and weeds in front, one could see a dead body lying in the mountain forest, with a large flock of strange owls scrambling to squeeze through the branches and weeds, pouncing on it to enjoy this unexpected feast.

The corpse's clothes had already been torn to shreds by sharp beaks and claws, and the face had been pecked beyond recognition; however, there were still some parts that remained intact, which the strange owls had instinctively avoided.

Explaining and clarifying, he arrived at the corpse-burying wasteland before stopping.

One cannot always remain passive; when one has the ability, of course, one must take the initiative to strike!

"The way things are now, it should be quiet for another period of time..."

Thinking this, he led the others away.

"Fuck! Although I'd heard about this, I didn't expect it to be so ruthless and so smelly! No wonder that early-dying ghost Luo Heng couldn't collect the spirit stones; who would want to come to such a stinking place!"

Liu Qixiang scratched his head and ears, wanting to say something harsh, but in the end, he only spat out this one word.

"The Fugitive?"

Please follow and read! Please add to your collection!

(End of this chapter)