Refining Oneself Into A Corpse

Chao River, in the middle section of Nanhe and Beihe Prefectures.

A black awning boat drifted upon it.

The wind howled, and snow fell silently, with a considerable amount of snow already accumulated on the boat.

A figure, cloaked in black robes, stood at the bow, unmoved by the wind and snow. He stood quietly, gazing at the distant horizon.

A glint of dark light flashed in his eyes, his calm gaze like a still, ancient well, devoid of any emotion.

The old man's voice sounded behind him, his tone full of regret, his face etched with pain:

"I remember it was during the cold season about twenty years ago. I don't remember the exact date, but our family was still living together back then. I hadn't yet taken up the profession of a boatman. Although conditions were harsh, we managed to make a living."

"Later, the Great Wu Dynasty gradually improved the people's livelihood, and our lives got better and better."

"My son had just gotten married, and my daughter-in-law was pregnant. Our days were filled with hope."

"We did hard labor, working from morning till night, and a day's wages were only enough to feed the family."

"At that time, I met a man whose appearance completely changed my destiny."

"It was an afternoon in the cold season. The days were short in the cold season, and we got off work early."

"I usually went straight home after work, but that day, I couldn't resist the man's persuasion and stepped into the doors of the gambling house."

"I was lucky, I guess. The first time I went in, I won three days' worth of wages, which was much faster than doing hard labor. From then on, after work, the first thing I thought about wasn't going home, but going to the gambling house for a while."

"I was also lucky, always winning some money. Our family's life got better and better in those days. We often bought wild animal meat to eat, which we usually couldn't afford."

"This time, I wasn't so lucky. I lost almost all the money I had on hand, but fortunately, I had saved some from the previous days, so it didn't affect our lives."

"I didn't believe in bad luck. In the following days, I ran to the gambling house after work... I had bad luck for several days in a row, constantly losing money. I didn't believe my luck was used up...".

The old man's voice was angry and choked with sobs.

"In the end, I owed a huge gambling debt at the gambling house. I couldn't repay it, so the people from the gambling house broke into my house and took away everything of value."

"And the man who led me into the gambling house was among them."

"It turned out that he also owed a huge gambling debt at the gambling house. He was responsible for bringing people into the gambling house to pay off his debts. I was just one of the people he brought in."

"Later... in that cold season, I lost the most important people to me. Maybe my body was stronger at that time, and I barely survived the cold season."

"Alas..."

The old man sighed softly and stopped talking, continuing to row the boat.

Just then, Chen Xing suddenly felt a movement in his heart. He listened carefully and suddenly heard an unusual sound.

This sound wasn't obvious just now, but now he could hear it clearly.

He turned his head and looked behind him, only to see a White Willow boat several miles away, speeding towards them.

"They're here so soon? I hope it's not Bai Xu, the chief constable of White Willow Town." On this Chao River, Chen Xing wasn't worried about his safety at all. At worst, he would just jump into the river.

With his third-stage early-level physique and the continuous flow of corpse energy from the Corpse Pearl, as long as he didn't encounter any demonic beasts in the river, he could survive in the water.

"Where are we now?" Chen Xing asked the old man.

The old man looked up at the opposite bank and then behind him, replying, "We're almost in the middle section of the Chao River."

The old man didn't have Chen Xing's good eyesight and couldn't see the White Willow boat behind them.

"Speed up," Chen Xing ordered.

The old man didn't say much but increased his rowing speed.

The oars moved through the water, creating splashes of spray.

The old man was covered in sweat, and plumes of white mist rose from the top of his head.

The boat traveled a distance at high speed, then gradually slowed down.

Chen Xing frowned slightly as he watched the boat gradually slow down.

"This old man probably hasn't gone this fast before. His body can't handle such a rapid pace."

Thinking of this, Chen Xing jumped off the bow and came to the stern.

"Spiritual Master, I'm really too tired. I can't go any faster," the old man said immediately when he saw Chen Xing coming to the stern, thinking he was going to blame him.

"I'll help you," Chen Xing said.

Then, Chen Xing placed his corpse energy-filled palm on the old man's body.

As the corpse energy entered his body, the old man immediately felt the fatigue disappear, and his whole body was filled with strength. Even his arms, which he had been too tired to lift, no longer felt any pain.

"Thank you, Spiritual Master. Your methods are truly miraculous," the old man said, feeling his body filled with power, and he rowed even more vigorously.

The oars moved back and forth on the surface of the water, and the black awning boat reached a speed it had never reached before in its life.

Chen Xing looked at the old man's gradually zombified body, his face expressionless.

He looked at the approaching White Willow boat behind him, secretly pondering his next move.

The White Willow boat was extremely fast, and they could gradually see the outline of the black awning boat ahead.

At this moment, the three constables and the boat owner on the White Willow boat behind them were all looking puzzled at the suddenly accelerating black awning boat.

"Why did they suddenly speed up?" one of the constables asked, looking at the boat owner behind them.

"I don't know. That old man is known for being slow among us boatmen. How could he suddenly be so fast?" the boat owner said, looking equally puzzled.

"Let's follow them and see what happens," another constable said.

Then, he activated the formation on the boat, and the spirit stones in the formation were rapidly consumed, converting into energy to propel the boat forward.

The White Willow boat shot out, gradually shortening the distance with the black awning boat until it was about half a kilometer away before slowing down, maintaining that distance behind the black awning boat.

After traveling for a while, Chen Xing's expression gradually darkened.

He could roughly guess that the people on the boat were some constables with weak cultivation, but they were too far away.

Chen Xing looked at the White Willow boat behind him, and a plan came to mind.

"Slow down," Chen Xing ordered.

The old man didn't react, his eyes staring blankly ahead.

Seeing this, Chen Xing knew that the Corpse Dao had taken effect in the old man's body.

He patted the old man and said in a slightly louder voice, "Slow down."

The old man seemed to wake up suddenly and slowed down at Chen Xing's command.

The people on the White Willow boat looked at each other.

"Why did they slow down again?" one of the constables asked.

"They must have been desperately speeding up just now, and now they're out of energy. An old man driving a black awning boat, trying to compete with our White Willow Town's White Willow boat?" the black awning boat owner said with a flattering smile.

His tone was ingratiating, stating an undeniable truth.

"Be careful to control the speed and don't get too close to them. If the person on the boat is strong, I'm worried he might launch a sneak attack," one of the constables said to the constable controlling the boat's speed.

"Don't worry, my driving skills are famous. I can go fast or slow as I please. That old man can't compare," the constable controlling the boat's speed said confidently.

Seeing that the White Willow boat had also slowed down, Chen Xing knew that there were no strong individuals among them.

"If Bai Xu were on that boat, he would have caught up already. Of course, since they're following us, it means that Qizhen on the other side probably received the news and is waiting for me to go ashore," Chen Xing speculated.

"The White Willow boat's speed isn't slow. If I could get one..." Chen Xing thought.

Then, he suddenly patted the rowing old man again and said, "Speed up!"

The old man's rowing speed suddenly increased.

"Why did they speed up again?" the constable behind said helplessly.

"They must have discovered us and are trying to shake us off," one of the constables said.

"Hmph! How ridiculous! The White Willow boat is famous for its speed. How can that black awning boat compare?" The constable controlling the White Willow boat snorted lightly, and the White Willow boat suddenly accelerated, shortening the distance with the black awning boat again.

On the black awning boat, the rowing old man's eyes were lifeless, and even his limbs had become somewhat stiff. If Chen Xing hadn't been continuously injecting corpse energy, he probably wouldn't have been able to hold on.

His pupils were rolled up, and almost nothing could be seen. The whites of his eyes were eerily white.

At this moment, he no longer had his own consciousness, and his hands were just instinctively rowing the oars.

"Almost there," Chen Xing muttered, then stopped injecting corpse energy, and the old man immediately stopped his hands, and the black awning boat stopped as well.

Just then, the White Willow boat was getting closer and closer to them.

"Quick! Slow down and stop! The black awning boat has stopped!" one of the constables shouted.

The constable controlling the White Willow boat was extremely nervous at the moment and finally managed to stop the White Willow boat.

Then, he cursed in exasperation, "Damn it, what's going on? Sometimes fast, sometimes slow. When we get ashore, I'll definitely make the people on that boat pay."

At this moment, they were about fifty zhang away from the black awning boat. The black awning boat was quietly still on the river, and the two figures on the boat were not moving at all.

"What's going on with them? Why aren't they moving?" one of the constables asked, looking at the two blurry figures.

At this moment, Chen Xing was just about to take action.

Suddenly, his expression changed drastically, and then a hint of ecstasy appeared.

He sank his consciousness into his Qi Sea, and he saw that the Corpse Pearl was spinning around, absorbing and refining wisps of Yin energy, and the volume of the Corpse Pearl had also increased slightly.