In their spare ti, however, Shen Bai and Qin Shuang often went out to eat together.
Upon hearing this, Shen Bai imdiately stood up.
"A mission for the Ding Division?"
It had been a long ti since his last mission. Now that one had suddenly appeared, he couldn’t help but rub his hands together in excitent.
The prospect of a new mission was even more thrilling, especially given his current lack of Evil Qi.
"Elder Mu, I can’t chat right now. I have to go," Shen Bai said, turning to bid him farewell.
Elder Mu shook his head helplessly, watching as Shen Bai left the room.
...
After leaving the room, Shen Bai joined Qin Shuang, and they walked toward a courtyard up ahead.
"This isn’t the way to the Ding Thirty-Second Division, is it?" Shen Bai asked. "Does this an the mission is particularly important?"
Qin Shuang nodded. "It’s not just the Ding Division this ti; the Bing Division is participating as well. The two divisions are supposed to complete it together, or so I’ve heard."
Shen Bai frowned. "A joint mission... But isn’t the Ding Division currently handling the matter of the Three Flas Temple? Were they all recalled?"
They still hadn’t found any leads regarding the Three Flas Temple, a case Shen Bai had been following closely.
Now the Ding Division had been suddenly recalled. ’Does this an they’re dropping the Three Flas Temple investigation?’ he wondered.
Qin Shuang, who was leading the way, glanced around after hearing his question. Her eyes darted about before she leaned close to Shen Bai and began to whisper.
"I heard that a group of Corpse Drivers is about to pass through Fenglin State, so we need to take this seriously and prevent any incidents."
’Corpse Drivers?’
Shen Bai rubbed his chin. "To think that profession would be passing through Fenglin State. They’re certainly rare visitors, and dangerous ones at that."
The Shen Bai of today was no longer the rookie he once was.
After studying for so long, Shen Bai had co to understand a few things about the Jianghu.
This was especially true for so of its more peculiar professions, like that of the Corpse Drivers.
Judging by the na alone, one might think people in this line of work were utterly evil.
But that wasn’t the case at all.
The Corpse Drivers earned their living through arduous work.
A Corpse Driver’s job was to transport the bodies of those who died in foreign lands back to their hotowns for burial, charging a fee for the service.
Furthermore, the Corpse Drivers were by no ans a minor profession; they even had a large organization.
This organization spanned the entire Great Zhou Country and was officially recognized by the state.
Because the Great Zhou dynasty was currently in turmoil, death was a common occurrence.
To prevent the lingering resentnt in corpses from building up and turning them into supernatural abominations, the Corpse Driver profession beca increasingly valued.
"If Corpse Drivers are passing through, then it’s only natural to take strict precautions," Shen Bai said with a nod.
The reason the Observatory had to guard against Corpse Drivers was simple. The special thods they used to make the corpses move on their own would inevitably taint the bodies with so degree of resentful energy.
Wherever the Corpse Drivers went, the Observatory had to assu jurisdiction and watch them closely to prevent any major problems.
After all, the ergence of such abominations would inevitably cause harm.
"This group of Corpse Drivers is different. Their numbers are huge—about a thousand strong—which is why we need both divisions to mobilize."
"A thousand strong? You an a thousand corpses, don’t you?" Shen Bai asked with a frown.
Qin Shuang, realizing her slip of the tongue, nodded. "Right, a thousand corpses. But there are also over a hundred Corpse Drivers. We’re just worried there might be trouble. You know how it is around here—with the Upper Evil Sect, the Wild Taoist Sect, and the Wild Buddha Sect all present, we have to be extra vigilant."
As they talked, they arrived at the largest courtyard on the grounds.
At that mont, not only was Jian Taiwen present in the courtyard, but the head of the Bing Division was there as well.
As they entered, all eyes fell upon Shen Bai and Qin Shuang.
Qin Shuang returned to her place among the mbers of the Bing Division, while Shen Bai went to stand beside Huang Guang and Kong Fang.
With their arrival, nearly everyone from the Bing and Ding Divisions was now present.
Jian Taiwen cupped his hands in a salute toward the head of the Bing Division. "Lord Hong, everyone is here. You are the leader of this mission, so I’ll let you announce the details of our plan."
The leader of the Bing Division was nad Hong Feng. His power was unfathomable, and he was a master of the bare-handed Eagle Claw Bow technique.
It was said that when he fought his enemies, a single strike from his claw would be accompanied by the sound of thunder and wind, a terrifying display of power.
In his youth, Hong Feng had been arrogant and rebellious. It was said that when Liu Wufeng recruited him, Hong Feng even felt that Liu Wufeng was unfit to be the State Governor of the Observatory in Fenglin State.
But after being taught a lesson by Liu Wufeng, Hong Feng quickly fell in line.
Now, in his middle age, Hong Feng even had a certain scholarly air about him.
Hong Feng returned Jian Taiwen’s salute and replied in a slow, leisurely tone, "In that case, it would be rude of to refuse."
As he finished speaking, Hong Feng raised a hand.
Following his gesture, two mbers of the Observatory brought out a massive map and unfurled it before the crowd.
Shen Bai watched intently as they opened the map.
He noticed several special markings on it, which ford a line that cut across the whole of Fenglin State.
All the marked locations were in remote, uninhabited wilderness.
Then, Hong Feng pointed to these locations. "These markings show the route the Corpse Driver procession will take. His Majesty once said that Corpse Drivers help the deceased return to their hotowns, and thus they have the support of the Great Zhou Country. That being the case, our two divisions will stand guard along this route."
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