Please control me, my divine being!

Gu Qinghan frowned as she recalled the two rituals that could free her from her predicament. These were high-level rituals that required a large number of special offerings, and she had not yet mastered the methods and secrets of the grand sacrifice.

One of them was in the hands of her family, the "Yinqi Gu Clan".

The other one is in the hands of the "Crying Bones Society".

"Obtaining these two ritual incantations is not easy, and gathering all the necessary items for the grand sacrifice is even more difficult." Gu Qinghan put aside his plan to use the grand sacrifice to restore his human form.

The immediate priority is to find a way to suppress the rigor mortis's instinctive thirst for blood and hunger.

The mortal god who just offered help may not be able to continue to help, or even whether he is still paying attention to her is a question.

Gu Qinghan stood up from the stall, spat out the crumbs of soup noodles in her mouth, and hurriedly left.

The longer she spends in contact with other living people, the harder it is for her to resist hunger. If she can't help but take action, she will not only destroy her hope of starting anew, but also attract the attention of constables or even demon hunters.

In the giant city of Jiang'an, there are quite a few people who do things like "exorcising demons and monsters".

If you were to be wanted by these groups, or even put on the list of demons to be exterminated, you would be left with no one to turn to for help.

She strolled along the streets by the river, and as time passed, the surrounding noise gradually subsided, except for the flower boats on the river, which remained bustling with activity.

Gu Qinghan endured his hunger and went to the riverbank.

Feeling lost and helpless...

For the first time, she felt lost and uncertain about what to do next.

She definitely can't go back to the Gu family of Yinqi now; in her current state of corpse stiffness, she can't even enter Yinqi Valley.

Moreover, given her pride, she wouldn't allow herself to return in this state. Now she's just an ordinary rigor mortis, and returning would make it even harder to influence the situation.

Getting rid of rigor mortis cannot be done in a short time.

As for how to suppress the abnormal hunger in her body, she had no clue.

"The reason for this is that I know too little about rigor mortis."

Gu Qinghan was racking his brains.

After becoming a rigor mortis, her thinking slowed down considerably; things that she used to be able to figure out easily now took her a long time to understand.

Fortunately, she managed to sort out the memories in her mind.

"In Yinqi Valley, a dragon turned over and an evil corpse emerged from the tomb. Just then, the Crying Bone Society was eyeing them covetously, and evil thoughts arose. What followed was a great battle, in which many people from the Gu family of Yinqi and the Crying Bone Society died."

Gu Qinghan recalled scene after scene; only now that she was completely free did she have the time and energy.

I can't remember any of the other details.

The effects of rigor mortis were too great; the images were deep within her mind, yet she couldn't see or touch them.

After the battle at Yinqi Valley, the only image she could recall was waking up in a large corpse pit outside Jiang'an City, enveloped by a magic array, being turned into a zombie along with hundreds of other corpses, and then sent to the evil mine to mine.

Corpses of unknown origin like hers are usually processed in a standardized manner, which is efficient and environmentally friendly.

One cannot linger in the evil mine.

Once the miners have dug for a certain period of time, they must leave the mine; otherwise, trouble is bound to arise over time.

This is a lesson learned from countless tragic incidents in the past.

After spending three months in the mine, Gu Qinghan could no longer continue working in the mine, so the corpse merchant took him to a kiln workshop and gave him another job.

That's all she could remember.

As for memories related to cultivation, they only flash through her mind from time to time, and she has only remembered a very small part of them after all this time.

Lost in thought, she found herself waiting by the secluded riverbank until sunrise, but her mind remained empty, just like her stomach.

The hunger worsened.

She was about to stand up when she realized she had no strength left in her body.

If she doesn't eat and doesn't have the corpse control bell, she'll probably lose her ability to move very soon.

"Hehe, interesting."

Suddenly, a laugh rang in her ears.

Following the direction of the sound, Gu Qinghan looked down and saw a strange face emerging from the water's surface by the river.

He was a one-eyed old man who looked quite old; his eyebrows and beard were already white, hanging down to his chin.

Gu Qinghan became vigilant.

Jin Buhuan of the Black Workshop was just an ordinary person who had come into contact with the cultivation world. He might be able to barely control zombies through the Corpse Merchant's Corpse Control Bell, but he would never have such bizarre methods.

She extended her sharp fingernails, stirring the water and creating ripples.

"Don't be nervous, young lady. I was just passing by and happened to see such an oddball as you, so I couldn't help but offer a few words of advice."

The old man's smile faded, and he sighed, "Ah, I know you must be feeling terrible right now. I've been through what you're going through. If you really can't take it anymore, you can come to the old lamp shop on Niwa Street in the north of the city and find Yu Liangshan."

After saying this, the old man's strange face gradually disappeared.

Gu Qinghan stared at the water, his brows furrowed.

She certainly wouldn't go looking for this cultivator of unknown origin just because of a single sentence.

Furthermore, the other party spoke with such certainty, claiming to know his own predicament and difficulties, which sounded like those who were swindlers or set traps, making her even more suspicious.

"If we stay here, trouble will inevitably arise sooner or later."

Gu Qinghan decided to go to the gathering place of cultivators, which was the place she could think of that might help suppress her hunger.

Cultivators tread carefully within Jiang'an City, unable to act openly. However, within this vast city, there are naturally shadowy areas where these cultivators spontaneously gather.

It's practically impossible to manage every aspect of a city with millions of inhabitants.

Jiang'an covers such a large area that even a single riverside residence is like a maze, making it difficult to find one's way out.

Gu Qinghan was not familiar with Jiang An.

But she was quite familiar with the illegal workshop where she had spent a whole month, and with its unscrupulous boss, Jin Buhuan.

She found a secluded corner by the river and waited until dark before setting off again to return to the dark workshop where the kiln was fired.

Just like yesterday, the corpse workers in the workshop continued their tireless work.

Several trusted men guarded the front yard. They would usually stay outside until the end of the workday to prevent the corpse workers from making a mistake and setting the entire workshop on fire.

Gu Qinghan did not enter the neighborhood, but instead looked at a small detached building next to her.

That was Jin Buhuan's small courtyard where he rested, where his wife, children, and elderly parents lived. As for other properties, he couldn't afford them.

She slipped in quietly.

This workshop owner, who had come into contact with cultivators, had pitifully few skills other than the Corpse Control Bell.

Even with the characteristics of her rigid body, she could be easily subdued.

After entering the courtyard, Gu Qinghan was completely relieved. This Jin Buhuan Jin Fangzhu was being intimate with his concubine in the bedroom, completely unaware that someone had broken in.

Until that faint stench of death wafted into the room.

Upon seeing the woman behind her with a face covered in livid mortis and sharp teeth, the concubine's eyes rolled back and she fainted.

Jin Buhuan shuddered, turning around as if facing a formidable enemy. He was startled and quickly grabbed the corpse-controlling bell from his pocket: "You beast, who let you in here?!"

Even as the bell jingled and started to smoke, Gu Qinghan remained unmoved, his eyes filled with amusement.

Just as Jin Buhuan was about to cry for help, cold sweat dripped down his forehead, and she extended her black, sharp fingernails and pressed them against the other person's neck.

in an instant,

Jin Buhuan's legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground, his eyes filled with fear.

Gu Qinghan snatched the corpse control bell from his hand, pointed outside, and growled twice.

"Grandma Corpse, I was wrong, I was wrong! I didn't know you were still alive. If I had known, I would never have let you work in the workshop even if I had ten lives. Just take whatever you want, I only beg you to spare my life."

Gu Qinghan frowned, extended her fingernail, and carved three words on the table: Follow me.

"Fine, I'll go with you. Just don't kill my whole family. You can do whatever you want with me."

Jin Buhuan quickly stood up, but a strong smell of urine came from his pants.

When he was working outside the city, he did nothing more than theft, robbery, human trafficking, and murder, and he dealt with ordinary people.

Who would have thought that his first encounter with these "cultivators" would result in such a huge mess!

Isn't rigor mortis supposed to be a sign of inanimate objects? How come this one can actually write?!

And just looking at how sharp those fingernails are, they could probably pierce right through him.

Fifteen minutes later.

Jin Buhuan carried his clothes and a small wooden box, walking silently ahead.

Gu Qinghan was wrapped up tightly, with only his eyes showing, and followed behind.

There weren't many people on the street, but several acquaintances greeted him, all of whom he brushed off with vague excuses.

"Grandma Shi, it's at the Jijin Wharf ahead. You need to find a special boatman to enter that gathering place for cultivators," Jin Buhuan explained as he led the way. "Don't worry, I remember it perfectly well, there's no mistake."

Gu Qinghan did not respond.

The hunger and thirst within me might be temporarily suppressed by other cultivators, but only by returning to normal can I move freely and normally.

……

Shortly after Gu Qinghan left the kiln workshop, two middle-aged men carrying firewood and charcoal arrived at the gate.

"Brother, this...this place has the strongest smell!" the tall man stammered.

"Hmm." The short man was expressionless and sparing with his words.

"How...how should I put it, brother? Let's go in and ask! After all, she's the top...top quality tomb guardian of the Gu family in Yinqi this generation!"

"Walk."

The two men, carrying loads on shoulder poles, burst through the gate.

The men in the front yard who were Jin Buhuan’s confidants were immediately startled and stood up.

The interpersonal relationships in this area along the river are complicated, and there are many illegal workshops. There are bound to be various disputes and conflicts. Many workshop confidants are both workers and henchmen employed by the master.

These two men came with ill intentions, so the trusted men in the courtyard naturally wouldn't give them a friendly look.

Before they could even make a move, the taller, stuttering man blew a breath, and the group of burly workers immediately began to stagger and turn pale.

"Gentlemen...we're just here to ask you something, we'll leave after we're done," the stutterer said with a smile.

Another shorter man opened his mouth.

A carrion beetle crawled out from under his tongue and burrowed into a worker's mouth: "I ask, you answer."

After some questioning, several corpses were found lying neatly in the front yard.

The two frowned.

"We can't get an answer from these guys, they don't know!"

"Um."

After another incense stick's time, Jin Buhuan's wife, children, and elderly relatives lay neatly in the courtyard.

"We found out...that person from the Gu family...regained consciousness, tied up this workshop owner, and escaped. She has the Gu family's treasures, as well as our Crying Bone Society's treasures on her. What should we do?"

"Chase."