Immortality: Starting with a grave, I'm invincible when burying corpses.

"well……"

Looking at the bloodstains scattered all over the place, and smelling the stench in the air, Mu An sighed softly, unable to bear to look.

孽 孽!

It's decided. Tomorrow I'll first go to the mass grave to dig up some graves, then go to Ling'an Temple to pray to the gods and Buddhas and wash away this evil aura.

Those who frequently commit murder know that after killing someone, they should go to a temple to pray and wash their swords with the clean water in the wishing well.

The Buddha said that one can become a Buddha on the spot by laying down the butcher's knife. Mu An not only sincerely worshipped the Buddha, but was also kind-hearted and could not bear to leave these corpses to rot in the wilderness.

After killing people, he even dug the pits himself so that the corpses could rest in peace and he could be the first to claim a good spot in the underworld.

These days, land prices are incredibly high; the earlier you buy, the more cost-effective it is—first come, first served.

If you miss the opportunity, you might end up spending a hundred or two hundred years in the underworld.

No matter how you look at it, it's an act of immeasurable merit, deserving of longevity and becoming an immortal or ancestor.

As for whether or not he will lay down his butcher's knife, that's not a big deal. He stopped using a knife three years ago; now he uses a sword!

……

West Street, an unnamed alley.

In a dark corner where the sunlight couldn't reach, a boy of about eleven or twelve years old lay sprawled in the deepest part of the corner.

The boy's name was Chen Er, or rather, he didn't have a name; he was called Chen Er because he was the second child in his family.

Her older brother died young, and when her younger sister was six years old, she was sold to a wealthy family as a maid, supposedly to accompany a young lady in her studies.

About half a year ago, Chen Er's father had accumulated debts from gambling that he couldn't repay. While drunk, he accidentally killed his mother, and the house was taken away by the Kaoshan Gang.

Finally, his father was also thrown into Linjiang by the gang, and he will probably become a skeleton in Linjiang now.

Chen Er did not feel much grief over his father's death. Rather, even though the Kao Shan Gang did not take action, Chen Er was already planning to avenge his mother.

The violence perpetrated by the gang actually did him a great favor.

What saddened Chen Er was that the gang that relied on the mountain had taken away everything in his family that could be sold for money, as well as his house.

Even because of his father's debts, he was targeted by the Kao Shan Gang, and no one was willing to hire him as a helper.

As for seeking help from the government, Chen Er never even considered it. He thought all officials were the same; they were all bad people.

Moreover, he had heard people say that the Kaoshan Gang had a powerful background, and it was said that they had people in the prefecture as their backers, and that they had branches in many places in Lingzhou.

Chen Er didn't understand what a local bully was, nor did he understand the struggle between imperial power and local power, but he knew that a prefecture was bigger than a county, and it was not something he could afford to offend.

Having nothing, Chen Er could only wander the streets alone, leaning against the cold wall and eating the steamed buns he had begged from Lin'an Hall on countless lonely nights.

The old doctor at Lin'an Hall was probably the kindest person in the county.

Whenever Chen Er fell ill and had nowhere to go, he would instinctively walk to the front of Lin'an Hall.

The old doctor didn't mind; he treated his illness and even prepared a place for him to stay temporarily until he recovered. He even invited him to work as a helper at Lin'an Hall.

But Chen Er refused the old doctor's kindness, saying only that he wanted to survive on his own and live with the spirit of a real man.

Later, the old doctor told him that he could try going to the Anshan Patrol Office, where the patrol inspector was a good person who might uphold justice for him.

Chen Er just smiled and said a few words in agreement with the old doctor.

An elderly doctor and an ordinary inspector—how could they afford to offend the powerful backers? They couldn't afford to harm such a kind person.

In the boy's small world, the Gang of Backers is the biggest villain in the world, and is invincible.

Half a year passed in a series of twists and turns. Although life was tough, Chen Er survived. The old doctor even praised him, saying that he was ambitious and a real hero.

But only Chen Er himself knew that he was not having an easy time. Sometimes the members of the Kao Shan Gang would cause him trouble and steal the few copper coins he had earned with his hard work.

I don't know why, but the people from the Gang of Backing Mountain never hit him in the face. Every time they beat him, they hit the part of his body that was covered by his clothes.

When he was being beaten, Chen Er thought about asking the old doctor for help, but when he thought of the ruthlessness of the Kao Shan Gang and the kindness of the old doctor, he shrank back and hid alone in a dark corner.

A mouse darted out from the corner and squeaked at Chen Er.

He should have, as usual, huddled closer together to protect the unwanted swill he had picked up from the restaurant.

But today, Chen Er suddenly stood up, his thin fists clenched, revealing glaring blue veins.

He heard it; a voice begging for mercy came from the street. This familiar voice had appeared in countless nightmares, waking him up time and time again.

The members of the "backer gang" are begging for mercy! They're begging for mercy with their voices hoarse!

Without thinking twice, Chen Er rushed out into the street like a madman, staring intently at the base of the Kao Shan Gang.

The figure, clad in official robes and covered in blood, stood tall and imposing in the setting sun, perched atop a plaque bearing the name of a powerful gang.

One by one, the people who once terrified him like tigers were turned into corpses, lying on the ground. Those who were still alive were also crawling on the ground, as wretched as stray dogs.

Staring intently in the direction of the Backer Gang, Chen Er recalled a conversation he had overheard two days ago.

"Have you heard? A very important person is coming to our Qing'an County."

"I know, I know. Princess Yongning is the emperor's favorite daughter. The entire Yongning Prefecture is her fiefdom."

"I've heard that Princess Yongning is kind-hearted, close to the common people, often upholds justice for them, and is exceptionally good to her servants."

It's said that the princess can't stand gangs bullying men and women and acting tyrannically; the gangs in the city might be wiped out in the next couple of days.

"That's right! I heard from my second uncle, who works in the county government, that the county government and the patrol office are already planning to clean up the gangs in the city. I'm telling you some inside information, but you absolutely mustn't tell anyone else."

"Brother, you don't know me. I'm the most discreet person in the whole area."

"I heard from my second uncle that Princess Yongning would actively seek out orphans and train them to be her guards. I wonder if anyone from our Qing'an County will be chosen."

"My goodness! A princess's bodyguard? That's like rising to the top in one fell swoop!"

"Of course! I specially went to Linggu Temple, a hundred miles away, to get a string of Buddhist prayer beads for my child. The master said that wearing these prayer beads will bring the favor of noble people, which is quite remarkable!"

The sound grew fainter and fainter until it disappeared completely.

Faintly, Chen Er seemed to hear the sound of something falling to the ground.

As if guided by some unseen force, Chen Er walked to the location from which the sound came. A bead fell to the ground, attracting all of Chen Er's attention.

The wood, about the size of a walnut, was unrecognizable and carried the unique fragrance of a temple.

The moment Chen Er saw the bead, his heart pounded. He picked it up as quickly as possible, put it in his pocket, and then carefully looked around.

Only after he was sure no one around could see him did he shrink back into the corner and cover himself with a straw mat.