Chapter 11: The Soul-Expelling Palm! What a small world, indeed!

After settling the bill, Ye Changsheng tucked the corpses of the Qingyun Sect disciples into his Qiankun bag and led Su Qinqin out of the inn.

"Sir, are we still going to set up our stall?" Su Qinqin asked, full of curiosity.

"The people from the Qingyun Sect have arrived, so there's no need for a stall anymore."

"Then where are we going?"

Ye Changsheng patted the bag on his back and gave a faint smile. "To bury some people, of course!"

Naturally, Ye Changsheng did not stay idle on the way to the outskirts of the city. Any Qingyun Sect disciple he encountered along the road was killed with a single punch and stuffed into the bag. These fellows had gone to great lengths to kill him, putting in so much effort, so Ye Changsheng made sure to return the favor by finding them some "prime burial spots." Once buried, the best they could hope for was to be cast into the cycle of beasts; at worst, they would be denied reincarnation for eternity.

"Thud!" Ye Changsheng waved his hand and tossed the heavy Qiankun bag onto the ground.

Su Qinqin pointed at the bulging bag, looking bewildered. "Sir, just how many corpses did you stuff in there?"

"I've lost track of how many I killed..." Ye Changsheng scratched his head. Never mind, he would just dump them out and see. He opened the bag, and a thick, pungent scent of blood erupted as the corpses spilled out one after another. There were exactly one hundred of them. Seeing this, Su Qinqin stood rooted to the spot, stunned.

"What are you standing there for? Start digging!"

"Right away, sir! I'm on it!"

The two grabbed shovels and set to work, digging a massive pit. Ye Changsheng brushed the dust off his hands and said, "Alright, the grave is ready. Time to bury them." With a wave of his hand, the bodies tumbled into the pit. "Get to work! Time for the funeral rites!"

Su Qinqin pointed to herself and asked curiously, "Sir, what should I do?"

"Cry!"

"Huh? Me? Cry?" Su Qinqin looked shocked.

"Yes! Or do you want me to do it?"

"But I can't cry on command, what should I do?"

Ye Changsheng smiled slightly. "Just fake it and get it over with. These guys deserved to die anyway." That was true enough; if not for the rewards, Ye Changsheng wouldn't have bothered with their funeral arrangements at all.

"Got it!" Su Qinqin beamed, nodding vigorously. She threw herself onto the ground, covered her eyes, and let out a wail. "Waaah! You all died such miserable deaths! Rest in peace on your journey!" She squinted her eyes, trying hard to squeeze out a tear, but after a long while, only drool came out.

"Pfft!" After crying for a while, Su Qinqin actually started to giggle.

Ye Changsheng turned to look at her, puzzled. "Qinqin, what are you doing?"

"Sorry, sir, I couldn't help myself..."

"Forget it, just laugh! It's all the same to them." Ye Changsheng smiled helplessly. He took a deep breath, raised a suona to his lips, and blew with all his might. The sound of the instrument was piercing and fierce, like the roar of ten thousand beasts. It echoed through the mountains, startling flocks of birds into flight. The surrounding trees trembled as if in harmony with the melody. Ye Changsheng was completely immersed, his eyes closed, his body swaying with the rhythm, the veins on his forehead bulging. The sound shifted from the thunder of galloping horses to the fluid grace of flowing water.

Su Qinqin stood by, dumbfounded, and slowly gave him a thumbs-up. "Now that is what I call professional!"

After finishing, Ye Changsheng’s face was flushed and he lowered the suona, panting heavily. "Playing the suona is much more exhausting than killing people." He picked up his shovel and covered the hundred men. "The soil is moved, the rites are paid; see you next Qingming Festival! Let the firecrackers pop, the paper burn, and the candles and offerings be set."

With that, he pulled a piece of spirit money from his pocket and tossed it onto the grave.

"Sir, for so many people, isn't throwing just one bill a bit stingy?"

Ye Changsheng smiled. "Stingy? How so? The price has been the same for years. Besides, if a hundred of them have to fight over one bill, wouldn't that be much more interesting?"

Hearing this, Su Qinqin was completely won over. "Brilliant! Sir, that move is truly brilliant!"

"You've still got a lot to learn!" Ye Changsheng said, hands behind his back, smiling smugly.

The next second, the system's voice chimed in: [Congratulations to the host for burying one hundred Qingyun Sect disciples. Reward: Fourth-tier technique, Soul-Driving Palm!]

"Soul-Driving Palm?" Ye Changsheng closed his eyes as the technique slowly manifested in his mind. "This technique doesn't look half bad. Whatever, it's better than nothing."

...

Northern Region, Xihai City.

A streak of light tore across the sky and landed firmly on the ground. As Jiang Yun touched down, the members of the Qingyun Sect surrounded him.

"What happened? Why was I summoned?"

An elder hurried forward and said, "Elder Jiang Yun, our people have met with disaster here in Xihai City!"

"Oh? Who met with disaster?" Jiang Yun asked, looking indifferent.

"It's not just one person... we have lost..."

"Over a hundred!"

Jiang Yun’s expression froze, turning grave. "Any leads?"

The elder shook his head. "Not yet. We heard a black-clad youth fought them in an inn, and then they all just vanished into thin air..."

"A black-clad youth? It’s him!" Jiang Yun wasted no words, raising his hand to reveal a compass. "That fellow must still be carrying the corpses of our Qingyun Sect disciples. This compass will lead us to him. When we find him, kill him without mercy!"

"Understood!"

...

On the way down the mountain, Ye Changsheng walked in front while Su Qinqin followed behind, clutching the suona and trying to mimic his earlier posture.

"Sir, why can't I get this thing to make a sound?"

"Use more force!"

Su Qinqin took a deep breath and blew hard. "Pfft!"

"Qinqin, are you playing the suona or just passing gas?"

"Uh..." Su Qinqin felt awkward, her face turning red. "Sir, is there any way for me to improve quickly?"

"You need to settle down and refine yourself for a while."

"Sir, that's so vague, I don't understand at all!"

"You will understand in time..."

"Whoosh!" A cold wind blew into Ye Changsheng's face. He slowly looked up to see a group of people standing in his path.

Jiang Yun flicked his sleeve, stowing the compass, and sneered. "We meet at last."

Ye Changsheng looked at him, confused. "Who are you? Who wants to meet you?"

As he spoke, a panel slowly materialized:

[Name: Jiang Yun]
[Age: 60]
[Cultivation: First Level of Spirit Pellet Realm]
[Identity: Inner Sect Elder of Qingyun Sect]

After reading it, Ye Changsheng smiled. "Looks like enemies really do cross paths on narrow roads!"