Start with everyday skills and grind your way to immortality.

Chen Qian reached out and pried the severed hand off his leg, then casually threw it into the river, feeling the warmth in his chest gradually subside.

"The Li family's reputation is truly impressive."

"That water demon was clearly driven mad by the blood energy and wanted to drag me down with it, but in the end it gave up out of reluctance."

This mark resembles a tag imprinted on livestock, or a pass issued by the government.

In this Black Mountain region, all demons and evil spirits who know the rules treat the sign as if it were their master, and will give it some face.

But Chen Qian was not happy about this; instead, his brows furrowed even more.

"If this mark can truly intimidate all things in Black Mountain, then why went to the trouble of scattering that powder around to 'draw a circle' as a prison' when you saved me?"

With a protective mark already in place, why bother with powder to draw circles?

Chen Qian pondered for a moment, then murmured:

"Unless this mark is only useful to certain people."

"Just as an official's token can frighten law-abiding citizens and petty officials, it cannot frighten wild beasts and madmen in the mountains."

or……

Chen Qian looked into the depths of Black Mountain, where the outline shrouded in mist resembled a giant beast ready to devour its prey.

"Or perhaps, in this vast Black Mountain, the Li family isn't the only one in charge."

Having figured this out, Chen Qian's initial confidence, which stemmed from verifying the power of the mark, instantly diminished by more than half.

"Indeed, we cannot rely too much on external things."

"In these places, even if someone is protecting you, it doesn't necessarily mean that no one will dare to do anything."

He went into the water and retrieved the floating bundle and peach wood sword.

They had originally planned to pick up the glowing magical artifact as well, but even with the night vision, they still couldn't see through the shallow water.

I could only note the location and plan to come back and search for it during the day.

Fortunately, the water demon did not reappear, which made Chen Qian feel much more relaxed; otherwise, that face would have been terrifying to look at.

He threw the wet bundle and peach wood sword onto the shore, piling them together with the Taoist's satchel.

Using the moonlight and night vision, they began to take stock of the loot they had robbed.

A peach wood sword and a stack of about ten blank yellow talismans.

There wasn't a single coin of the expected gold, silver, or valuables; they must have been hidden close to his body and had already gone with the Taoist priest.

Chen Qian silently put the peach wood sword and talisman away separately; if he couldn't sell them, he could only give them to Xiaoyu to play with.

Then, he untied the bundles from the two tomb raiders.

The first bundle contained only a porcelain vase.

The bottle is about the height of a palm, with a delicate body and a serene sky blue glaze. However, the surface is covered with fine, spiderweb-like dark red stains, as if dried blood has seeped deep into the porcelain body.

As soon as he got his hands on it, Chen Qian couldn't help but shudder.

It was as if the bottle itself was breathing, slowly drawing heat from his palm.

"This is bizarre!"

Chen Qian's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly put it down.

Peering intently into the bottle's opening, even with night vision, all one could see was an impenetrable, bottomless blackness, as if it could suck in even one's gaze.

"If they're willing to risk bringing this to the ghost market to sell it as stolen goods, it must be something extraordinary, but..." He frowned. The strangeness of this porcelain bottle was why the pawnshops wouldn't accept it.

Suppressing his doubts, he opened the second bundle, which also contained no gold, silver, or valuables.

Inside is a ceramic headrest, with an archaic shape, somewhat similar to the imperial kiln pieces from the previous dynasty mentioned in the book. It is curved and has a bluish-white glaze.

Chen Qian held it in his hand and examined it; it felt cool to the touch and nothing unusual.

"Am I supposed to use it as a pillow?"

He hesitated for a moment, recalling fragments from certain tales of the strange and supernatural, and as if possessed, gently placed it against the back of his head.

In an instant.

A tiny, yet incredibly clear, cool current, like a living thing, quietly seeped into the pillow.

It brings an indescribable sense of clarity and relaxation, as if the fatigue and tension of the past few days have been quietly soothed by this coolness.

But that's about it.

Chen Qian held it, leaning his head against it, for a moment.

A cool sensation traveled slowly through my head, making me feel very comfortable, but it had no other effect.

"Strange, neither of these two items seems to be ordinary. Which wealthy family's tomb did they rob?" Chen Qian pondered.

"The porcelain vase is said to absorb heat, while the headrest provides coolness and calm the mind."

"Now we can only try to find out how to convert these two items into cash on the black market."

Pack your bags carefully.

Chen Qian didn't look back. Carrying his machete, he strode across the desolate, puddled beach and headed towards the dense forest deep within the reeds.

After passing through the reeds, the path underfoot became even muddier and more difficult to traverse, and the surrounding temperature seemed to drop several degrees.

Ahead lies a grove of old locust trees.

These trees are extremely strange-looking, with twisted and gnarled trunks and branches reaching out to the sky like countless struggling, pleading hands.

What's even more unsettling are the things in the woods.

coffin.

Coffins were everywhere.

Some were half-buried in the soil, with a corner of rotten black wood showing.

Some were wrapped in straw mats and carelessly tossed onto tree branches.

More often, they are scattered haphazardly among the weeds by the roadside.

This place is practically a showcase of a mass grave.

"Click"

"Click"

In the silent forest, the occasional rustling sound that sent shivers down my spine could be heard.

Using his night vision, Chen Qian could see that inside several thin-skinned coffins that were not yet fully sealed, there were faint white bones sticking out and scratching at the coffin lids.

Some coffins were already tightly sealed, but heavy breathing could be heard coming from inside, or a sharp sound like fingernails scratching wooden boards.

It was as if what was locked inside was not a dead person at all, but some kind of monster about to break out of the coffin.

If it were half an hour ago, Chen Qian would probably have been terrified with every step he took.

But at the moment.

Having just verified it at Laoqiaotan, this "Li Family Mark" gave him immense confidence.

He walked steadily among the restless coffins, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

Just as he expected, as he approached, the coffins that had been scratching and trembling seemed to sense something and suddenly fell silent.

Even the heavy breathing was suppressed.

All the ghosts fell silent, making way for the people.

They walked for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Chen Qian stopped in his tracks under a huge, dead old locust tree deep in the forest.

There was a large, newly dug pit. The soil around the pit was still fresh and had a strong, damp, fishy smell.

In the very center of the pit, a coffin lay quietly.

Unlike the rotten, blackened junk around it, this coffin was entirely painted red, its color so vibrant it looked as if it had just been brushed with blood, and it gleamed with an eerie luster under the dim moonlight.

The coffin lid was slightly ajar, revealing a bottomless darkness inside.

"Is this the red coffin?"

Chen Qian took a deep breath to calm his slightly rapid heartbeat.

He took out the black copper coin he had bought from the coffin shop from his pocket and put it under his tongue.

A chilling sensation instantly shot from the tip of his tongue to the top of his head, causing him to shiver involuntarily. It seemed that the coin had suppressed the yang energy that belonged to a living person to its lowest level.

Chen Qian tightened his pack and machete, then jumped into the pit.

He reached out and pushed open the heavy coffin lid, and without any hesitation, lay down inside.

The surface was slippery and cold to the touch, and the cushion beneath me was either rotten silk or some kind of animal hide, emitting a nauseating stench of decay.

Despite his discomfort, Chen Qian reached out and grabbed the handle on the inside of the coffin lid, slamming it shut.

"Bang."

The last ray of moonlight disappeared.

Narrow, confined, suffocating.

Absolute darkness enveloped him in an instant.

Immediately afterwards, a strong feeling of weightlessness came over me.

It wasn't as if someone was lifting the coffin; rather, it looked as if the entire coffin was rapidly falling downwards, passing through the thick layer of soil, and sinking into a bottomless abyss.

A faint rubbing sound came from my ears, as if countless tiny hands were stroking and scratching the outside of the coffin.

And high-pitched whispers pierced through the wooden board:

"Hehe, it's hot!"

"It smells so good, like meat, I really want to eat it..."

"Don't move, the money is in your mouth, you're a customer."

[Auditory recognition experience points +1]

Chen Qian kept the old man's advice in mind. Even though his night vision ability allowed him to vaguely see some liquid seeping from the coffin lid in the dark, he forced himself not to pay attention to it.

I don't know how much time passed.

It might be a moment, or it might be half an hour.

"Thump!"

With a dull thud, the feeling of falling suddenly disappeared.

The coffin appears to have landed on the ground.

Followed by.

"Thump, thump-thump, thump."

Three very rhythmic taps rang out above the coffin lid.

That's the signal that's been received.

But he didn't rush out. Instead, he used his hearing and smell to carefully investigate before forcefully pushing open the coffin lid above his head.

"Squeak"

Contrary to expectations, there was no blinding light; instead, a dim and enormous underground cavern dome came into view.

Countless stalactites emitting a ghostly green light hang upside down from the top, resembling will-o'-the-wisps in the sky.

Chen Qian sat up and realized that the red coffin he was in was resting on a huge stone platform.

A person was already standing beside the stone platform.

The man was completely shrouded in a large black cloak, obscuring his face. Only a withered, claw-like hand was visible, stretched out in front of Chen Qian.

Chen Qian understood, and spat out the black copper coin that had become warm from under his tongue, placing it in that hand.

The man in black robes put away the copper coins and let out a hoarse, unpleasant laugh.

He turned to the side, revealing the enormous fortress behind him, which appeared to be made of countless white bones and black stones, faintly visible in the dim light.

The sounds of clamor, hawking, and blacksmithing mingled with an intoxicating aroma, wafting towards you.

"Please come, sir."

The man in black robes bowed slightly, his voice echoing in the empty cave:

Welcome!

"The City of the Wrongfully Dead".