Joining Tiandao Company: Starting by mending a zombie world

Seven days later, white banners were hung high at the Ren residence.

Ren Fa's funeral was a grand affair, attended by all the prominent figures in Renjia Town.

Lin Fengjiao presided over the religious ceremony to pray for the souls of the deceased.

Ren Tingting, dressed in white mourning clothes, knelt before the coffin.

In just a few days, the childishness in her eyes faded, replaced by a sense of calm and sorrow.

After the funeral, Ren Tingting sold part of the Ren family's property and donated the proceeds to the town for bridge and road repairs, while entrusting the remaining property to Ren Qiang for management.

She decided to leave Renjia Town with her aunt who had married and moved to the provincial capital, to live in a different environment, saying she would come back when she felt better.

On the eve of her departure, she found Chu Sheng.

Under the moonlight, Ren Tingting changed into a plain dress and wore no makeup, yet she possessed a unique and elegant beauty.

"Brother Chu, I'll be leaving tomorrow." She lowered her head, her voice very soft. "Thank you for everything these past few days."

Chu Sheng was silent for a moment, then said, "Take care on your journey."

Ren Tingting looked up, her eyes slightly red: "You...you still remember me?"

Chu Sheng nodded: "Yes."

"Then I'll come find you when I get back." Ren Tingting forced a smile and waited quietly for Chu Sheng's reply.

"Alright, when you return, you can send someone to Fuxi Hall to find me," Chu Sheng assured him. "I'll come find you then."

Hearing Chu Sheng's words, Ren Tingting felt a slight sense of relief.

She took a small notebook out of her bosom and handed it to Chu Sheng: "By the way, this is what I found in my father's bosom when I was sorting through his belongings. It seems to be my grandfather's notebook."

Another notebook. Chu Sheng took it, thinking to himself: People these days really do love keeping notebooks!

Before he could speak, Ren Tingting suddenly leaned forward and gently hugged him, then let go shortly afterward.

She looked up at Chu Sheng: "Brother Chu, remember to come visit me!"

After saying that, he turned and left, gradually disappearing at the end of the corridor.

Chu Sheng stood there for a long time, then sighed softly.

Everything happened so suddenly, like a dream.

……

Two days later, the matter of what to do with Old Master Ren was put on the agenda.

In the backyard of the mortuary, a high altar was erected. Mao Xiaofang, Shi Jian, Lin Fengjiao, and Master Simu stood at the four corners, while Old Master Ren was firmly bound by an iron chain engraved with runes.

"I never imagined that all my scheming would be thwarted by a few juniors," Old Master Ren said hoarsely. "But do you think... this is the end?"

Master Four Eyes laughed, "What can you do if it doesn't end? You think you can turn the tables?"

"Hmph..." Old Master Ren snorted resentfully, "Aren't you curious about where that sacred scale came from?"

"This..." Master Four Eyes hesitated and looked at the other three.

"Senior brother," Lin Fengjiao said calmly, "There's no need to find out the origin of evil spirits; just destroy them."

"That's right," Mao Xiaofang replied dismissively, "It's pointless to ask!"

"Then I will trouble my three fellow disciples to help me refine the corpse. I, Four Eyes, will repay your kindness in the future." Four Eyes Daoist bowed to Mao Xiaofang and the other two to express his gratitude.

"Stop nagging and get to work!" Shi Jian, always assertive, didn't want to listen and urged them on.

"The auspicious hour has arrived, the four elements are in their proper places, purify the flames and subdue the demons—the formation begins!"

Lin Fengjiao, as the hostess of this place and a master of formations, took the lead by making hand seals and shouting softly.

As soon as he finished speaking, the four-colored array patterns—blue, white, red, and black—that had been pre-carved on the ground lit up in sequence, drawing upon the earth's energy to form a faint phantom image of the four symbols, which firmly locked the central area.

"Hehe, old ghost Ren, to have the four great masters of Maoshan join forces to 'refine you,' your life has been worthwhile!" Master Four Eyes grinned, his eyes behind his glasses gleaming with a burning light.

"You filthy Taoist priest... you're refining my corpse... I curse your Maoshan sect to die a horrible death!" Knowing he was powerless to change the situation, Old Master Ren could only curse fiercely.

"Trying to play curses on us Maoshan?" Master Four Eyes smirked. "Even if your ancestor Nurhaci came, it wouldn't work!"

"Concentrate, stop talking nonsense." Mao Xiaofang muttered to himself, pressing his hands down as if to suppress Old Master Ren's essence with his profound Taoist cultivation.

Shi Jian stood on the Vermilion Bird position in the south, his hands clasped together, and streams of lightning flowed into the formation, eventually transforming into a phantom of a Vermilion Bird and entering Old Master Ren's body.

Immediately afterwards, Lin Fengjiao, Master Simu, and Mao Xiaofang manifested the phantom images of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise, respectively. The four symbols appeared together, illuminating the backyard as if it were daytime.

"Four Symbols Seal the Demon, Refine!" the four shouted in unison.

The four phantom images simultaneously lunged at Old Master Ren, completely enveloping him. Old Master Ren let out a mournful howl as the corpse energy around him was forcibly stripped away and refined by the power of the four images.

"Samadhi True Fire, emerge!" Seeing that the time was ripe, Master Four Eyes opened his mouth and spat out a wisp of flame interwoven with blue, red, and white colors, which landed on Old Master Ren.

"Heavenly Thunder Tempering the Soul, Command!" Shi Jian unleashed lightning from his palm, which thunderously poured into the formation.

"Ah—" Old Master Ren could do nothing but scream in agony.

"Senior brother, how long does it take to refine a corpse puppet?" Chu Sheng, along with Yu Chuda and Shi Shaojian, who were protecting him from the side, asked curiously.

“Normally, it takes forty-nine days to refine a corpse puppet. However—” Yu Chuda glanced at the arrogant Shi Shaojian, “with the help of the Grand Master’s life lightning, it will only take seven days.”

Chu Sheng suddenly realized why his master had agreed to help Daoist Simu refine the corpse puppet; it hadn't taken too long after all.

He glanced at the countdown in his mind, which was about to reach zero, made up an excuse to go back inside, and sat cross-legged.

As a familiar sense of separation arose, he opened his eyes again and found himself back in the real world.

"...I'm back."

The familiar "ding-dong" sound arrived as expected. Chu Sheng picked up his phone, and a series of company notifications scrolled across the screen:

"Congratulations to P1 employee Xiao Fang (ID: 168888) for successfully completing the 'Zombie Taoist Priest' consecutive quests and triggering this settlement!"

"Congratulations on successfully meeting Mao Xiaofang. You have gained 150 merit points."

"Congratulations on completing the side quest 'Eliminate the Hairy Zombies'. You have earned 700 merit points."

"Congratulations on successfully recovering the Celestial Dragon's scales. Reward: Merit Points +1500, Authority Points +50."

Hidden achievement achieved: Receive high praise from at least two key story characters. Reward: +50 Merit Points.

"Hidden achievement achieved: Interact with the special story character 'Wu Gensheng'. Reward: +20 Authority Points, +1 Special Attention Mark."

"Your participation in alchemy and corpse puppet crafting will automatically upgrade your related skills to 'Beginner'."

Overall rating: A+ (Outstanding)

Current merit points calculated: +2400

Merit Points Balance: 5000

"My merit points have surpassed 5,000?" Chu Sheng couldn't help but smile. This was something he earned by risking his life; he was determined to make the most of it later.

However, the next hint surprised him even more:

"The system detected that employee Xiao Fang's personal transmission (ID: 168888) has reached the required permission points, triggering the promotion mechanism."

"The employee level is now officially upgraded from P1 to P3."

"The basic monthly salary for P3 level employees has been adjusted to RMB 52,000 (after tax)."

"Permissions unlocked: Shop access, task search..."

Special Bonus: 1 chance to win a prize in a designated category

"The salary change will take effect on the next payday."

"Your employee handbook has been updated after your promotion to P3. Please be sure to review the new clauses within 24 hours."

"At the same time, you have met the criteria for the 'team responsibility system' and your direct supervisor will contact you soon."

"Tiandao Media wishes you a happy life, continued growth and greater success."

……