Becoming a martial arts god starting from the mortician.

The autumn wind slipped into the room through the cracks in the window.

Shen Qi opened his eyes and spread out his right hand.

Amidst the gray and white life threads, a few strands of solid red have appeared.

He got out of bed, put on a coarse cloth coat, and walked to the center of the courtyard.

With shoulders relaxed and elbows dropped, the first three forms of the Tiger Subduing Fist were performed several times in succession.

Not only did he show no signs of fatigue, but a surge of heat rose from his muscles and bones.

Suddenly, Shen Qi's stomach rumbled loudly.

Practicing martial arts is extremely taxing, and he only ate a few pancakes yesterday, which have long since been digested.

My body is still developing its energy and blood, so I get hungry much faster than before.

Shen Qi walked to the water vat, scooped up a ladle of cold water and washed his face haphazardly. Water droplets dripped down his chin and into his collar, making him shiver from the cold.

He turned and went back into the house to change into the uniform issued to him by the mortuary.

He carefully put away his waist tag, preparing to go to the front yard to find something to eat.

He pushed open the courtyard gate and passed through the heavy wooden door partition.

Even early in the morning, there were already servants moving around in the morgue.

Shen Qi tightened his collar and walked along the bluestone path toward the tent.

Just as I reached the entrance of the accounting office, I saw Zhao Youtian walking towards me. He had a slightly yellowed booklet tucked under his arm, two oil paper packages in his left hand, and a red lacquered food box in his right. He was walking rather hurriedly, and a few beads of sweat clung to his chubby face.

"Hey! Brother Shen, you're up so early?" As soon as he saw Shen Qi, Zhao Youtian's face immediately lit up with a smile, and even the fat on his face looked friendly.

"I was just about to look for you!" Zhao Youtian quickened his pace, pulling the things in his hands closer to his chest. "Did you have a peaceful night?"

"That's good, I slept soundly until dawn." Shen Qi stood on the steps, his gaze sweeping over the things in Zhao Youtian's hands.

"Brother," Shen Qi said with a smile, "you're in charge of this mortuary. I'm new here, so I'll have to rely on you for help. Please don't keep calling me 'Brother Shen,' it sounds too formal. I grew up in Qingping Town, and the neighbors all call me Brother Qi. If you don't mind, you can call me that from now on."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Youtian's smile became even more genuine.

His biggest fear was that the Bureau of Astronomy would send in a proud, arrogant, and socially awkward troublemaker. He never expected Shen Qi to be so well-mannered; not only did he not act superior, but he even went out of his way to offer him a way out. This guy is someone you can get along with!

"Hey! Seventh Brother!" Zhao Youtian seized the opportunity, calling out twice with a smile, his voice brimming with familiarity, "Then I'll take the liberty of acknowledging you as my younger brother!"

As he spoke, he shoved the oil paper package and food box into Shen Qi's hands.

"I was so busy yesterday that I forgot to tell you," Zhao Youtian said, slapping his thigh apologetically. "Our mortuary makes a living by cooking for the dead, so nobody wants to cook for us. We don't have a kitchen, and of course, we don't provide meals."

He pointed to the oil paper package in Shen Qi's hand.

"I thought you hadn't eaten anything last night, so I went to Old Wang's place at the street corner early this morning to buy some. Big meat buns, fresh out of the steamer, and the food box also contains mutton soup, still warm. From now on, I'll take care of all of Seventh Brother's breakfasts!"

Shen Qi was so hungry that his stomach was practically sticking to his back, so naturally he wouldn't refuse.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony. Thank you, Brother Zhao."

"No need to thank me! We're brothers!"

The two entered the accounting room and sat down at the table. Zhao Youtian went to make tea, while Shen Qi unwrapped the oil paper package, grabbed a bun, and took a bite.

Thin-skinned and generously filled, the bun was juicy and flavorful. He ate it very quickly, swallowing a bun in just a few bites. Then he opened the food box, picked up the bowl, and gulped down a mouthful of hot mutton soup. The soup instantly soothed his stomach.

Halfway through the meal, Shen Qi's gaze fell on the notebook that Zhao Youtian had casually placed on the table.

The paper was rough, and the edges of the pages were somewhat frayed. The cover had five large characters printed in ink: "Records of Peaceful Events".

"Brother, what is this?" Shen Qi pointed with his chopsticks.

Zhao Youtian swallowed the meat bun in his mouth, reached out and flipped the booklet over, then pushed it in front of Shen Qi.

"This stuff was printed by the prefectural government, with several large bookstores in the city chipping in to make it. It costs two copper coins a copy." Zhao Youtian wiped the grease from his mouth. "It has all sorts of random stuff on it: imperial proclamations, gossip from various families, strange tales from the streets. I buy one every day to pass the time."

Shen Qi's heart skipped a beat. This was a good thing. He was new here and knew nothing about the place, and he was worried about not having a way to understand the ins and outs of Chengping County.

"Can I take a look?"

"Look! Look all you want! You can throw it away afterwards."

Shen Qi put down his chopsticks, picked up the newsletter, and scanned it from the front page.

The front page took up a huge portion of the article, which was all about praising one person.

"Yan Qing, the newly appointed top scholar of Pingzhou, drank wine at Qiufeng Tower last night and composed a poem called 'Looking at Mount Tai,' which caused a stir in the literary world of Chengping. The prefect personally inscribed the poem..." The poem was then attached in a long and detailed manner, along with a rough portrait.

Turning the page, I looked at the next edition. It was filled with the chaotic scenes of the outer city.

"Yesterday afternoon, the Chang Le Gang and the Blood Tiger Gang clashed in the eastern district of the outer city over protection fees for two streets, resulting in a fierce battle involving hundreds of people from both sides. The leader of the Chang Le Gang lost an arm, while the Blood Tiger Gang suffered nineteen casualties. The city patrol did not intervene, but strictly prohibited fighting after nightfall."

Further down, there was a public notice from the government to reassure the people.

"The war on the northern border is still raging, and recently, martial arts masters clashed, exacerbating the severe drought and leaving the land parched. A large number of refugees are now flocking to Chengping County. The Prefect's Office has ordered that soup kitchens be set up ten miles outside the city, and no refugee is allowed to enter the inner city without permission; anyone who disobeys will be executed."

Shen Qi read it extremely slowly, almost chewing over each word.

Sitting opposite, Zhao Youtian held a teacup, his eyes darting around Shen Qi's face.

Shen Qi finally closed the book and pushed it back to the center of the table.

"I've finished reading it, thanks a lot, bro."

He picked up the bowl and drank the last mouthful of mutton soup.

Zhao Youtian suddenly stood up, walked to the door, and peeked out to make sure no one else was in the corridor. Then he closed the door, turned around, and quickly walked over to Shen Qi and sat down next to him.

The chair made a soft creak as he pressed it down.

Zhao Youtian leaned forward, bringing his chubby face closer to Shen Qi.

"Seventh Brother," Zhao Youtian's voice was low and menacing, "Brother, your eyes are sharp. I saw those corpses you were cleaning up in the inner room yesterday. The stitches, the skin..."

Zhao Youtian raised his short, thick thumb.

"Incredible skill!"

Shen Qi didn't respond, but just looked at him quietly.

Seeing that Shen Qi wasn't falling for the trap, Zhao Youtian chuckled, rubbed his hands together, and continued speaking.

"Seventh Brother, working here provides a stable livelihood, but a corpse only costs two hundred coins. How much money can you make in a month? You martial artists need to spend a lot of money on training and medicine."

Zhao Youtian stared into Shen Qi's eyes and revealed his true purpose.

"I wonder if Seventh Brother... has ever considered taking on some side jobs to earn some quick money?"