荒野岭.
青崖县郊外的一座小山,尽头连接着一片连绵的山脉.茫茫群山绵延,犹如一道天然的墙,环绕着青崖县.古老的松树林散发着腐烂树叶的恶臭,脚下的地面柔软.
头顶,阳光透过松针,投下斑驳的光斑——美丽而宁静.
通常,这个地方是荒凉的.除了一些人参挖掘者和野熊外,该地区只有松鼠和毒蛇栖息.但今天,它异常热闹.几群人来来去去,甚至爆发了一场战斗,直到最近才平息下来.
"都照顾好了吗?"
"当我采取行动时,没有幸存者."
寒风呻吟,松针颤抖.
两个声音在森林中回荡.随着声音的响起,两个身穿绿色和红色衣服的男人站在树林中,一个在左边,一个在右边,正在交谈.左边的男人戴着一顶宫廷太监帽,白发垂在两侧,狭长的眼睛散发着令人不寒而栗,残忍的气息.另一个男人,穿着沾满血迹的官袍,盘腿坐在一块石头上,头发松散,两腿之间放着一把浸满鲜血的长剑.那一刻,他正在用白布缓缓擦去刀刃上的血迹.
不远处,尸体散落在地上,血腥的恶臭弥漫着这片区域,随着山风蔓延.
一些野生动物被气味吸引,开始聚集.
"最好是这样.这件事太重要了.如果出了什么差错..."
白发太监对这个动作微微皱眉.
"那是你的事.我只是拿着钱杀人.
男人在清洗了剑后站起来,收进了剑鞘,然后转身离开.
"如果这样的事情再次出现,你知道去哪里找我.同样的价格——每个目标一千两.我杀人时不问问题.
当他靠近时,附近的野兽本能地后退.
他们的动物本能感觉到这个男人身上散发出来的危险.
"别问问题,是吧?呵呵..."
直到男人的身影完全消失后,白发太监才冷冷地笑了起来,目光中充满了不屑.
远处,野兽再也忍不住饥饿,缓缓靠近.
砰!
一支箭划过空气,瞬间将最近的野兽固定在了地面上.
片刻之后,一群人赶来,迅速杀死了所有食腐动物.
"魏太监!"
领头的男人单膝跪地,向太监行礼.
其他人也纷纷效仿,没有一个人敢抬头看他.
"清理现场.闭上你们的嘴!魏太监的目光在后面的三个埋尸人上冷冷扫过,说着.
"Understood!"
The lead soldier quickly responded.
The group then scattered, beginning to bury the corpses.
Among them was Chen Laosan, who looked at the bodies littering the ground, a bitter smile forming at the corner of his mouth.
This is serious trouble.
Life went on.
The atmosphere in Qingya County grew increasingly tense. In addition to the first street that had been locked down, two more streets were cordoned off. On his way to martial training a few days ago, Chen Luo overheard rumors saying that the wealthy Lord Bai had colluded with rebels and planned a rebellion. Now, the higher-ups were going to execute his entire clan.
Several prominent families in the county had already been exterminated by imperial agents.
No one knew if the rumors were true, but they spread like wildfire, leaving the townsfolk in a state of fear. Many of those associated with Lord Bai were fleeing. In a small place like Qingya County, a wealthy family like the Bai household had their hands in nearly every aspect of daily life. From firewood and rice to oil and tea—there wasn't an industry that Bai didn't touch. It was said that even the pig feed sold to pig farmers came from the Bai family's businesses.
If Lord Bai were truly executed along with his entire clan, half the town's population might be wiped out.
Chen Luo simply listened to these rumors in silence. He and his third uncle were government workers.
Though the job of burying the dead wasn't glamorous, it was still an official post, and their pay came from the government. Even if the Bai family were wiped out, it wouldn't implicate him or his uncle.
"He's still not back…"
Chen Luo glanced into the house, the worry in his eyes deepening.
Since coming home last time, his third uncle had completely disappeared. Yesterday, Chen Luo even took a day off from Master Ma to visit the local yamen (county office), only to be told that his uncle had gone on an assignment and wouldn't be back for a few more days. Chen Luo had helped on extended tasks like that before, but something about this time felt different—an ominous unease lingered in his heart.
Coupled with all the town rumors, he had a bad feeling about it all.
"I'm still too weak…"
Chen Luo clenched his fists and continued practicing in the courtyard.
Next to him, the medicinal paste for increasing strength bubbled on the stove, emitting a constant stench. After so many days, he had more or less figured out how to use the prescription.
External application!
It could also be taken internally, but only in small amounts—any more would result in diarrhea the next day.
He had learned this the hard way, testing it on a local thug. Just thinking about the guy's wobbly legs when he stumbled out of the latrine the next day made Chen Luo give up on the internal use altogether.
Fortunately, the external application was already quite effective.
After several days of training, Chen Luo could clearly feel his martial skills improving by leaps and bounds—especially after applying the ointment, when the surge of warmth through his body would accelerate at a frightening pace. And the "borrowed brains" he used at night in his dreams to train in martial arts brought equally dramatic gains.
Although it had only been just over half a month, with the help of external medicine and the over one hundred "old friends" in his mind, his progress equaled that of someone training for years.
He was now growing stronger by the day. At this point, even he couldn't accurately gauge what level he had reached.
But one thing was clear: Master Ma, the limping martial arts teacher, was no longer his match.
That day, as Chen Luo was practicing as usual, he suddenly felt a warm current surge from his lower abdomen.
The energy coursed through his limbs and bones, sweeping away all exhaustion.
"Is this… internal energy?"
Chen Luo was first startled, then overjoyed.
Without paying too much attention to the physical changes, he quickly stood in the middle of the courtyard, assumed the stance for his stake technique, and began guiding the energy through his body. Several of the "brains" in his mind surfaced with relevant memories, quickly helping him grasp the basics of using internal energy.
Once, twice…
In his perception, all his muscles began to vibrate rapidly, and his strength multiplied at a geometric rate. He didn't know if others experienced the same drastic change when they made their breakthroughs—but right now, he could feel himself many times stronger than before, even if he couldn't quantify it yet.
"Keep going! I need to be even stronger!"
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Chen Luo resumed training.
Boasting over small accomplishments was childish behavior. He had lived two lives; he could hold himself back.
So, after his breakthrough, he carried on as if nothing had happened and continued training in the courtyard.
While Chen Luo was immersed in martial training—
In the wilderness of the ridge area—
The weather had grown colder, and a light drizzle began to fall from the sky.
Chen Laosan and two other corpse-buriers were methodically collecting and burying the bodies scattered in the woods.
This was the thirteenth batch of corpses they had buried in recent days. The three of them had been kept at the site by imperial agents, forbidden from returning home.
"Let's eat something."
After finishing their grim work, the trio sat by a mound of earth. One of them pulled out a cloth bundle and split a few buns between them.
In the freezing weather, the buns were already rock-hard.
But as low-ranking corpse-buriers, no one cared about their lives. Having food at all was already a blessing.
"This is the fourth day."
The man on the left took a bite of his cold bun and suddenly spoke.
"I knew one of the people who died today." This man, Luo Cheng, was a well-known corpse-burier in Qingya County. Like Chen Laosan, he was a veteran with over a decade of experience. The third man was the same. The three of them were the backbone of Qingya County's burial crew, and no corpse that passed through their hands had ever caused trouble.
"Second Master Bai."
The third man, who had remained silent until now, took a bite of his bun and spoke in a low voice. His name was Wang Laoshuan, and he was older than Chen Laosan—the most senior among the three.
All three men were seasoned and knew exactly what the name "Second Master Bai" implied.
He was the head of the Bai family—the local tyrant of Qingya County. A man they once looked up to. Now, he lay among a heap of corpses like a dead dog, without even a coffin to hold him.
If even someone like Second Master Bai ended up like this, what did that say about the identities of the rest?
Chen Laosan said nothing. He ate his bun in silence. He, too, had his suspicions—but speaking up now was pointless.
The three of them probably weren't leaving this place.
They all knew it in their hearts.
The eunuch who issued their assignment never intended to leave any witnesses.
Rebels?
Traitors?
Who was loyal and who was corrupt—who could say for sure? They had seen too much.