Starting with the flesh-based stimulant

The boy was cut in half by the ink line.

The ink line was sharper than a knife. It sank into the boy's clothes and body. The boy was unaware of what was happening; he only felt his vision lower.

Looking up, the boy saw Li Ermao's face, a mixture of fear and shock. Confused, he asked:

"Uncle, what's wrong?"

"Uncle, uncle, my body hurts, what's wrong?"

As they asked, the voice grew softer and softer, and finally, he died, lying in the courtyard with a bewildered expression.

"Don't, don't move, don't touch that ink line."

Li Ermao spoke in a trembling voice, looking at the others in the courtyard. Everyone in the courtyard was terrified; some who wanted to cry out were too frightened to utter a sound.

With a "thud," the head with braids hit the ground.

A young woman was so frightened that she fainted, her neck rubbing against the wire.

The carpenter's voice came from inside the wide-open doorway:

"You son of a bitch Li Ermao, keep an eye on your bastards! A few more of them might die, or you won't have enough to go around!"

"Young Master Zhou, in this trade, there are many who kill and eat, but few are as ruthless as carpenters."

The peddler gestured with his lip, making lighthearted and teasing remarks, but there was little mockery in his eyes.

Zhou He gripped the brim of his hat, his hand tightly on the knife hidden behind his back, and pursed his lips:

"When will you move?"

"Don't panic, wait for the mortise and tenon to be cut."

Zhou He felt a surge of curiosity, but he was also somewhat agitated.

The peddler was too much of a riddle-maker.

"Mr. Chen, what is a tenon?"

The peddler leaned against the wall, turned his head, and whispered in Zhou He's ear:

"The carpentry trade is ruthless. When you first start out, you're called a lever; when you get on the right track, you're called an axe; after the third hurdle, you're called a saw; the fourth hurdle is the ink line; and the fifth hurdle is the key, which is called a mortise and tenon joint."

"Mortise and tenon joint?"

Zhou He thought of terms commonly used in the construction industry: a tenon is an open piece in the middle, and a mortise is a piece that protrudes in the middle. The two interlock to ensure stability and prevent deformation under stress.

But putting it here doesn't mean what I intended.

Sure enough, the peddler's smile remained, but his eyes grew increasingly cold.

"No matter what profession you're in, getting started is the foundation. Passing three or four levels just broadens your path, but only when you reach the fifth level can you truly be considered extraordinary."

"Extraordinary methods are related to the profession. In the carpentry profession, passing five tests means first selecting the material, then shaping the tenon, and finally inserting yourself as the tenon into the tenon. Only when you are stable can you pass the test."

Zhou He frowned, waiting for the peddler to continue.

The peddler remained silent, and like Zhou He, he hid his hands behind his back.

Inside the small, low-ceilinged hut with its door open and a coffin placed there, a bright blue light shone. A very short voice rang out, but before it could be heard clearly, it stopped abruptly.

The sound was not loud, and time passed slowly.

In the courtyard, two more people died sometime during the night.

It's possible that the body went numb from maintaining the same posture for too long and accidentally touched the ink line, or it could be that the fear caused the person to lose control of their limbs and rub against the ink line.

The blood in the courtyard pooled together, reflecting the moonlight and intertwining with the bluish light emanating from inside the gate, blending into a dark, murky green that flowed through the courtyard and rolled around the feet of Li Ermao's family, but no one dared to touch it.

As the moon slowly sank to the east and some sunlight began to peek through, a long, deep burp came from inside the house.

Then came the sound of footsteps.

The person who walked out was a fair-skinned and handsome young man, tall and slender, naked, with a gentle face. However, the satisfied smile at the corner of his mouth reminded people of the chewing sounds just now, making them feel a little uneasy.

Upon closer inspection, the boy's eyes were bloodshot, as if blood was about to drip out. When he saw the crowd in the courtyard, his steps became much lighter.

"Xiao Hai?"

Li Ermao instinctively wanted to move closer, but then he remembered the ink line and quickly stopped.

"You still think this is your son? Kneel down and call him Grandpa Carpenter."

The peddler spoke with a mocking laugh.

The handsome young man, who was actually the carpenter in disguise, seemed oblivious. His greedy grin widened, and he paid no attention to what the peddler was saying. As he walked, a saw appeared beside him. The saw blade was thin, and when the carpenter flicked it, it made a short, deep sound.

Holding a saw in one hand, the carpenter walked up to the people.

Regardless of whether he was male or female, young or old, he pulled the saw incredibly fast while it was still in the air.

The white carpenter was still not entirely satisfied.

While counting the remaining people in the courtyard, he turned his gaze to Li Ermao, who was kneeling and kowtowing.

The saw danced faster and faster, the buzzing sound in the air thick and sticky, making one's heart tighten.

Li Ermao stuck his butt out, his head pressed firmly against the ground.

Blood mixed with some unknown substance spread stickily all over the ground.

The crowd in the courtyard finally couldn't hold back any longer, and cries and screams filled the air.

Any creature that tries to run away gets cut off when it touches the ink line.

Those who stood there trembled, the blood on the ground now tinged with a filthy yellow.

"Master! Master! Help!"

"Er Mao, tell him to stop!"

"Don't come any closer!"

The cries did not stop the carpenter even for a moment. As he walked, blood and flesh flew everywhere, and the screams gradually subsided.

"Ooh-ooh!"

With a rooster's crow, the sun finally rose above the eastern mountaintop.

The carpenter stood amidst flesh and blood, his body covered in it.

"You son of a bitch! You bastard, didn't I say you can't raise chickens?"

"Grandpa Carpenter, Grandpa Carpenter, have mercy! I really didn't raise it!"

Li Ermao was terrified. He knelt in the blood and kept kowtowing, his face covered in blood, but he didn't dare to stop for a moment.

"Young Master Zhou, your rooster has crowed."

The peddler chuckled, looked at Zhou He, hid his hands behind his back, and slowly moved his body.

Zhou He's eyes were already icy cold. He had no time to discern whether the peddler's words were a joke or a statement. He simply said in a low voice:

"Mr. Chen, you'd better tell me now, or you'll have to take action."

"What are you doing?"

The white carpenter stood in front of Zhou He, his saw buzzing. Li Ermao, unaware of what had happened, was already dead.