First-Year Internship—And You Went to Site 749 to Contain Monsters?!

What does it mean to kill the body and crush the soul? This is exactly what that means.

The Big Ghost in the Thatched Hut that the old man had pinned his hopes on—it popped out for a second and got obliterated.

And it was a one-shot kill.

That was a huge Big Ghost in the Thatched Hut!!!

Nie Huasheng really couldn’t figure it out—how could someone this young have that kind of power?

And why would someone like that show up in a small place like Minshan City?

There’s nothing valuable here.

Did he come just to deal with our clan’s funeral home?

You could’ve just said so!If I’d known someone like him was coming,

Why would I have tried to hike the price?

That Big Ghost in the Thatched Hut would’ve been great for guarding the funeral home, no?

Now it’s just gone. Not even a scrap left.

I got beat up, my disciple got beat up, and even my granddaughter got beat up.

Was that really necessary!!!

Using a sledgehammer to kill a chicken.

It’s not like we were being uncooperative!!

At this moment, Nie Huaqing was on the verge of tears.

Off to the side.

Lu Ding was checking the reward dropped by the Big Ghost in the Thatched Hut.

【Contained Creature: Big Ghost in the Thatched Hut】

【Containment Reward: Corpse-Roasting Execution】

【Corpse-Roasting Execution: Set up bronze pillars in the Hall of Fire and perform the roasting punishment】

Corpse-Roasting Execution......

Lu Ding looked at those four characters, feeling kind of weird inside. Why are all his techniques... just so... so villain-coded?

Then he looked again at the words “Big Ghost in the Thatched Hut.”

Both Miscellaneous Tales of the Strange and Baopuzi have recorded this type of creature.

In particular, regarding the corpse-roasting part:

“Near the end of the Shang Dynasty, the people resented King Zhou, and the feudal lords rebelled against him. In his fury, King Zhou imposed severe punishments, including the corpse-roasting execution. This punishment later spread to various small nations, adapted into new forms. In those lands, unable to afford grand halls, they erected thatched huts with a pillar inside. Those deemed guilty were tied to the pillar, thrown into coals, and burned alive... Fire ignited the hut, burning away the sin, the straw representing the person’s worthlessness...”

Basically, near the end of the Shang Dynasty, people hated King Zhou, and the nobles revolted.

King Zhou got mad, amped up the punishments, and came up with the corpse-roasting execution.

Huge iron pillars were heated red-hot. If someone stirred up trouble, they got tied to one.

Later, this method spread to a few barbaric little states.

They copied it.

But they couldn’t afford fancy palaces, so they used thatched huts instead and stuck a pillar inside.

They said: people who committed crimes didn’t deserve execution in a proper palace. From the moment they sinned, their status and lives were as worthless as straw.

So they tied the person to the post in the straw hut and lit it up.

The whole hut—and the person—burned together.

Over time, the foundation of these charred huts was rebuilt again and again. Each time, another criminal was burned—usually high-status offenders.

Ordinary people weren’t even worthy of such punishment.

Eventually, all the resentment and hatred soaked into these huts, and they turned into Big Ghosts in the Thatched Hut.

Of course, there are other versions of the story, but they don’t have anything to do with corpse-roasting.

Back to the present.

Yeah, this doesn’t sound like a good guy’s technique.

But it’s not like Lu Ding said he didn’t like it. This move, when used, must be seriously badass.

He figured he’d test it on the Corpse King in the Thousand Corpses Honoring the King Formation.

Suddenly, Nie Huasheng’s voice broke Lu Ding’s train of thought.

“Investigator, Investigator sir, I can help you break the Thousand Corpses Honoring the King Formation, we can........”

“Shut him up.”

Lu Ding was annoyed just hearing him.

Do I need your help?

Who asked you?

What a joke.

If the formation’s broken, where’s Lu Ding gonna find a test subject for Corpse-Roasting Execution?

You want me to try it out on your crusty old bones?

Nie Huasheng got cut off and was pissed. Things had gotten to this point, and even an old man like him could tell—

This Thousand Corpses Honoring the King Formation wasn’t going to pose the slightest problem for the young man in front of him.

That terrifying power could level the entire funeral home.

Thousand Corpses Formation?

Probably just a one-punch thing.

So Nie Huasheng was desperate to show his usefulness, to maybe earn some forgiveness.

But Lu Ding didn’t even listen.

Bai Hemen, that one-track-minded guy, heard Lu Ding’s words and didn’t think twice.

He raised his hand, formed a blade from corpse qi,

and chopped.

One stroke. Head flying.

Lu Ding turned his head and looked: “You........”

Bai Hemen: “Huh???”

Lu Ding’s expression was helpless: “Never mind.”

Whatever. He’s dead. Nothing else to say. He deserved it anyway—he dared lay a hand on a 749 Investigator. That’s no minor offense.

If Lu Ding had only been an ordinary station investigator,

that palm strike earlier would’ve either crippled or killed him.

....

Here.

Just as Lu Ding set his sights on the Corpse King.

Over there.

Yunmeng.

The Yu Family.

A waterborne noble clan. Their ancestors used to fish, but one day stumbled upon a manual called Golden-Eyed Water-Avoidance Technique.

Coupled with their natural talent,

the gears of fate began to turn. A new star among Yunmeng’s Cultivator of Qi clans began to rise.

They grew and grew,

Until today, the family boasts over a thousand members.

But in the current generation, only four direct descendants.

Two boys, two girls.

The youngest, Yu Chen, is a well-known playboy in Yunmeng—though “playboy” sounds better than the word wastrel.

Right now, Yu Chen was admiring flowers and teasing birds.

A maid in a maid outfit came hurrying over.

Before she even got close,

his nose twitched. He deliberately took a deep breath, making a noise.

“Mmm, smells amazing. Gotta be Xiangxiang. Come over here and let Young Master get a good sniff.”

“Oh come on, Young Master, stop fooling around. There’s news from the Min Clan Funeral Home—some 749 Investigator showed up demanding a forced demolition.”

Yu Chen didn’t react at first: “So demolish it then. They signed the contract and took the money. It’s supposed to be torn down.”

“But the guy who went there injured Nie Qingfei... and killed Nie Huasheng.”

At that, the smile disappeared from the young man’s face. His aura shifted. Gone was the usual spoiled brat.

His deep, magnetic voice asked,

“He hurt the one I had my eye on?”

“Bold of him. He’s not local, is he?”

“No way local 749 could handle the Big Ghost or the Thousand Corpses Formation. Must’ve come from the provincial-level 749 Bureau. Any idea who it is? Got a photo?”

Xiangxiang saw how serious Yu Chen looked.

Her smile never left her face.

This is the Young Master she liked best.

The whole playboy image? Just a disguise.

Xiangxiang shook her head: “No idea. The intel came from one of your spies at the funeral home—Little Qi. I asked him those questions too, but he hasn’t gotten back to me.”

Yu Chen stood up and brushed the creases out of his robe.

“Well, in that case, I’m not going. What if this person’s someone serious.”

Then his tone shifted: “But he dared lay hands on someone I had my eye on. I gotta weigh him. See if he measures up.”

“Go tell Old Shui to take a trip to the Min Clan Funeral Home and get an explanation. But remember—adjust the attitude based on who he’s dealing with. If it’s someone we can’t mess with, play nice.”

“Say some nice things and bring Qingfei back.”

“If it’s someone we can mess with, then teach him a lesson. However he hit, hit him back the same way. Make sure we’re in the right—don’t give anyone grounds for gossip, and whatever you do, don’t kill the Investigator.”

While Yu Chen was giving instructions,

back over at the Min Clan Funeral Home—

Lu Ding had changed spots.

He was standing on someone, holding a phone.

He tapped the screen to unlock it, leaned down and said: “Taking secret photos of me?”

“Come on, unlock it. Let me see.”

Turns out, just a few moments ago, Lu Ding had been about to head toward the Thousand Corpses Formation.

Suddenly, a blinding white light flashed.

In the crowd, a totally average-looking teenager was holding up his phone, sneakily snapping pics of him.

If you wanna take secret photos, fine.

But why leave the flash on?

Got yourself caught, huh.

Lu Ding blinked over and—smack—pinned him on the spot.