Chapter 1 The Beginning

"Jin Tao! Jin Tao! Wake up!"

"Jin Tao! Wake up!"

In his dazed state, Jin Tao felt a familiar voice calling out to him.

He struggled to open his eyelids, and the face of his master, Gu Xiuxuan, came into view.

The sky outside had already darkened again, leaving only a bright moon hanging high.

"Cough! Cough, cough, cough!"

Jin Tao couldn't help coughing, his mouth full of a salty, fishy taste.

"What on earth happened? I told you to stay with the xi shen (festive corpse), and you still managed to get injured?"

Gu Xiuxuan frowned and began to treat Jin Tao's injuries.

"Xi shen? Injured?"

Jin Tao's pupils refocused, and he vaguely recalled the scene before he lost consciousness.

"Master! After you left, two coffin bearers came to the mortuary, an old one named Pu Tianrui and a young one named Feng Li. They wanted to snatch our xi shen!"

Jin Tao spoke rapidly, recounting the situation that had transpired.

"Pu Tianrui, who smokes a dry pipe? Impossible!" Gu Xiuxuan's brows furrowed into a deep frown.

"If he wanted to snatch it, how could the xi shen still be here unharmed? I've heard of his skills!"

Gu Xiuxuan pointed to Qiao Yu, who was still standing in place.

"It...it was the xi shen!"

Jin Tao's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.

"I saw the xi shen take off the immobilization talisman himself, and then he took a big cleaver and killed Pu Tianrui and his apprentice!"

*Slap!*

Gu Xiuxuan slapped Jin Tao across the face.

"Nonsense, gibberish! How could a xi shen take off the immobilization talisman himself? That's just a fantasy!"

"And the xi shen killed Pu Tianrui? If this xi shen had such great abilities, I'd gouge out my eyes and let you stomp on them!"

"Besides, if Pu Tianrui is dead, where are their bodies?"

Jin Tao was also confused. Ever since he saw the xi shen turn his head yesterday, nothing he had experienced had been normal.

However, the pain in his body couldn't lie. He was certain that Feng Li and the others had been here yesterday.

"The coffin!"

Jin Tao's eyes lit up. He remembered that Feng Li had carried a coffin with him.

"Master! There's a coffin that can prove Pu Tianrui and the others were here!"

"Oh? Where is it?" Gu Xiuxuan asked indifferently.

Jin Tao struggled to stand up, his eyes scanning the mortuary. Cold sweat immediately poured down his back.

Where was the dark red coffin in the mortuary?

"This...this..."

Jin Tao stammered, unable to speak.

"Sigh!"

Gu Xiuxuan sighed softly.

"It hasn't been long, and you've already learned to lie to me."

"After this corpse driving is over, go back to the village. Perhaps you're really not suited to this line of work."

"Master!"

Jin Tao's eyes instantly turned red.

"Don't send me away! Believe me, I really didn't lie to you! Pu Tianrui really came, and there really is something wrong with this xi shen!"

Jin Tao rushed to Qiao Yu's side, grabbing Qiao Yu's shoulders and shaking him desperately.

"Move! I know you can move, move now! You have the ability to kill people, you have the ability to move!"

Qiao Yu: "..."

If I moved, how would I get you to take me to Spirit Mausoleum Mountain?

"Jin Tao!!!"

Gu Xiuxuan rushed forward and kicked Jin Tao to the ground.

He glanced at Qiao Yu and breathed a sigh of relief after seeing that there were no signs of corpse transformation.

"Are you crazy?" Gu Xiuxuan turned his head and roared at Jin Tao.

Tears welled up in Jin Tao's eyes. He didn't understand why his master didn't believe him.

This xi shen really could move on his own!

"Pack your things and get on the road! After this corpse driving is over, you can go raise pigs, you jinx!"

Gu Xiuxuan cursed and kicked Jin Tao in the rear.

Jin Tao glared resentfully at Qiao Yu's expressionless face. He vowed to expose the true nature of this xi shen and prove to his master that he hadn't lied!

"Open the Heavenly Court, grant longevity, reunite the three souls and seven spirits, return to infancy."

"The deceased is on the road, the living should avoid. The dead must go, the living must not watch."

After packing their bags, Gu Xiuxuan and his apprentice set off again in the moonlight.

The dense bamboo forest rustled in the evening breeze.

Along the way, Jin Tao kept his eyes fixed on Qiao Yu, determined to catch Qiao Yu's flaws!

But no matter how he looked, Qiao Yu was just hopping forward with his hands raised, without any abnormalities.

"Stop!"

Gu Xiuxuan, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped.

"There's someone ahead! And the sound of fighting!" Gu Xiuxuan's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Master, why would there be people fighting so late?" Jin Tao asked, puzzled.

"Maybe... not people! There's a strong aura of death!" Gu Xiuxuan twitched his nose. "Stay here and don't move. I'll go take a look ahead."

"Master! Master!"

Jin Tao anxiously whispered a few times, but as soon as he finished speaking, Gu Xiuxuan disappeared into the dark bamboo forest ahead in a few flashes.

Looking back at Qiao Yu's expressionless, pale face, Jin Tao's heart tightened again.

This was a xi shen who could suddenly transform into a corpse...

Fortunately, there were no accidents this time. Gu Xiuxuan soon returned under Jin Tao's worried gaze.

Following Gu Xiuxuan back was another man, who was followed by two xi shen, one fat and one thin!

The man wore the same straw hat as Gu Xiuxuan, straw sandals, and strips of cloth wrapped around his calves.

Judging by his attire, he was also a corpse driver.

"Old Gu, is this the apprentice you just took in? He's got a good build!" The man looked at Jin Tao and said with a smile.

Gu Xiuxuan shook his head when he heard this.

"Don't even mention it, this kid is all brawn and no brains, timid as a mouse, and talks nonsense all day long. I'm planning to send him back to the village to raise pigs."

"You watch him first. I'll contact the other fellow apprentices to see if they're having the same problem."

Gu Xiuxuan walked to a distance, picked up a handful of soil from the ground, closed his eyes, and muttered something.

Seeing Jin Tao lower his head, the man patted Jin Tao on the shoulder.

"Don't listen to your master's nonsense. Corpse drivers can't randomly accept apprentices. It has to be someone like you, tall and ugly enough to suppress evil spirits, and with a strong fate. Your master took you in, so he won't easily send you away."

"By the way, my name is Gu San. According to seniority, you have to call me Shishu (uncle-master), just call me Third Uncle."

Jin Tao glanced at his master and called out "Third Uncle" after seeing that his master didn't react.

"Mm! Don't worry, if anything happens in the future, just tell Third Uncle, and Third Uncle will take care of you!"

Compared to Gu Xiuxuan, Gu San was obviously a more outgoing character. He took out a wine gourd from his waist, took a swig, and handed the wine gourd to Jin Tao.

"Take a sip, it's cold at night!"

Jin Tao took it and took a sip, but coughed from the spiciness. The gourd was actually filled with high-proof baijiu (white liquor).

He didn't know how Third Uncle could drink it.

Gu San was amused by Jin Tao's appearance and laughed heartily.

After a few sips of wine, Jin Tao finally became a little familiar with this Shishu.

"Third Uncle, what happened to you just now?" Jin Tao couldn't help but ask curiously.

Qiao Yu next to him also perked up his ears.