Iron Birch arrows cost one copper plate for every five, and Black Bull's two elder uncles were more than happy with the deal. They could produce around 340 arrows a day. These were true craftsmen—generations of ancestral skills couldn't be matched by Liu Guanan's amateur attempts. The arrows were flawlessly uniform, each with less than 0.2 millimeters of error. The head inlays, feather count, feather direction, and even the part of the bird each feather was taken from—all of it was exacting.
When Liu Guanan compared his arrows to theirs, he felt embarrassed. Still, he gave a practical suggestion: aesthetics could be ignored. These were disposable arrows. Beauty didn't matter in the middle of a battlefield.
But for artisans who had spent their entire lives on craftsmanship, appearance was everything. Even if they didn't carve elaborate patterns, the subtle, elegant lines were non-negotiable. After adopting Qin Huan's suggestion to simplify the process, their daily output increased to 400 arrows.
That meant 40 copper coins per person per day—a small fortune compared to the 8–10 copper coins the average person earned. Even Black Bull, with his steady courier job, only brought in 12 coins daily. Liu Guanan recalled his own "before-luck" days, scraping by with just six copper coins a day. No wonder life had been so hard.
With arrows no longer a concern, Liu Guanan's efficiency in slaughtering carrion corpses skyrocketed. He ate when hungry, restored his stamina with power seeds when tired, and spent the entire day killing without pause.
At night, he logged out to strengthen his physical body with power seeds. When he awoke, his strength was renewed—and often, his level had risen.
On Day 1, he killed 300 carrion corpses.Day 2: 330.Day 3: 350.Day 4 and 5: 360 each.Day 6: 370.
But he noticed something—the effects of power seeds were beginning to diminish. They still worked, but the explosive growth from the early days was gone. The changes now came in subtle increments, almost unnoticeable.
He felt some regret, but he also understood: power seeds were advanced supplements, not divine elixirs. To have come this far already was blessing enough.
Despite the constant grind, Liu Guanan was in good spirits. Killing corpses day in, day out—it was a good life, in its own twisted way.
In just six days, he earned 6,624 silver coins from selling corpse materials—thanks to Sun Shouwu and the "Heal the Undead" pharmacy. Without their support, he'd have earned a third of that. Including loot from meat sacs, he now had over 7,000 silver coins. Every day, he followed a caravan, hoping to catch a glimpse of "Missy," but he never saw her again—much to his disappointment.
That said, the Sun family's reputation had real power. After they claimed ownership of the corpse loot, no one dared mess with Black Bull's caravan. Whether Liu Guanan was there or not didn't matter.
Black Bull and his two partners were busy too—hauling corpses back and forth. But like Liu Guanan, they were happily busy. Making over 100 coins a day? Opportunities like that were rare. At this rate, they'd be sitting on a small fortune soon enough.
Offline, Liu Guanan removed his helmet and collapsed in exhaustion. He didn't complain. Instead, he rushed through dinner and swallowed thirty power seeds in one go before bed. His strengthened body demanded more energy than before—he started with five seeds a day, and now needed six times that.
Night passed quietly.
The next morning, Liu Guanan opened his eyes and could feel the strength surging through his veins. After a quick call with Zhou Xingchen—his last night shift of the month—he changed clothes and stepped out.
Clothes make the man. What was once a skinny, malnourished frame now stood tall and defined. His height had shot up from 1.68 to 1.72 meters. With new clothes and hardened muscles, he looked like a completely different person—a handsome one, at that.
As he walked the streets, he noticed heads turning more often. Too bad there were hardly any young women around—just older aunts and tired-looking ladies. Understandable. The really attractive women didn't dare step out this early—it wasn't even 7 a.m. yet.
The chaos from the slave riot a week ago had slowly faded. On the streets and under the eaves, slaves were beginning to gather again—some rummaging through garbage, others begging with bowls in hand. Their eyes were cold, their expressions numb.
Citizenship Management Office
"This is sixty gold coins." Liu Guanan placed the stack on the desk along with two fabricated identity packets. "I've got two more coming."
"Nice." Zhou Xingchen's eyes lit up. Three border crossings at once—this was a big deal. "As long as the money's here, we're all good."
"Handle mine first," Liu Guanan said. "The other two can wait. You'll still get your cut."
Zhou scooped up the gold coins and skimmed through the documents. Fake, of course, but who cared? The money was real, and that was all that mattered.
"Wait for my call."
Liu Guanan nodded and left. He wasn't worried Zhou would scam him—greedy as these guys were, they still had their reputations. With the right price, things got done.
He picked up a delivery, bought breakfast, and returned home. With money flowing in again, he'd resumed eating three meals a day. No more skipping meals or surviving on scraps. Zhao Nannan still kept her distance, but her little sister Zhao Xin's skin had clearly become more radiant.
He finished breakfast quickly and logged back in.
Graveyard.
This place had basically become Liu Guanan's personal territory. It was remote, and the thick corpse miasma kept most people away. Even though antidote pills were available now, the price alone made most players turn back.
Five days flashed by. Liu Guanan was killing 400 carrion corpses daily—but something was off. Their numbers were dwindling. The graveyard was nearly cleared. Before, he just had to shout and the corpses would come rushing. Now? He had to actively hunt them down.
Boom—
The earth erupted. A decayed coffin exploded upward, sending soil and filth flying. A carrion corpse leapt out, and a thick wave of corpse gas followed. A hollow shriek echoed through the air.
Liu Guanan's bow snapped into motion—wherever his eyes landed, an arrow followed. Arrows flowed like lightning, and none missed. Four corpses fell mid-air, and two more were hit before they even landed.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
One final arrow pierced through a corpse's skull and embedded itself into the one behind it. A double kill. He'd just perfected that move the day before.
Though the swarm seemed overwhelming, Liu Guanan was calm. His arrows flew seemingly in all directions, but in truth, they always struck the most dangerous targets first. Not all carrion were equal—some were stronger than others. It was subtle, but Liu Guanan had become a seasoned hunter. He could tell at a glance.
Eighteen corpses rushed him. Only one managed to get within a meter before having its head blown apart. Liu Guanan hadn't moved a single step.
More than ten days of rigorous training hadn't been for nothing. Within ten meters, unless there were over twenty carrion, he didn't need to retreat.
After just 200 kills, his arms were already aching—but he wasn't at his limit yet. He figured he had maybe ten arrows left in him.
But the deeper he went into the graveyard, the more uneasy he felt. He didn't want to push his luck. Just as he was preparing to collect the loot—
BOOM!
A dirt mound exploded twenty meters away. Soil shot out like shrapnel. A shrill, piercing screech ripped through the air.
A massive shadow charged straight toward him, moving with terrifying speed.
Whoosh!
Liu Guanan fired an arrow like a comet, aiming for the heart. He'd wanted the head, but the thing was too fast—he had to play it safe.
The next moment nearly made him swallow his tongue.
THUD!
The arrow shattered against the creature's chest like it had struck solid rock.
Now only a meter away, the creature came into full view.
A Walker.
An advanced undead. Similar in shape to carrion, but much larger. Its skin was tight, its muscles like hardened stone. Unlike a carrion's rotting flesh, a Walker's body was stiff and solid.
Buzz—
Liu Guanan fired two more arrows, one after the other, both aimed at the heart.
Snap!
Both arrows shattered, but the impact caused the Walker to pause, just for a split second.
That was all he needed.
In a blur, Liu Guanan fired again. Before the first arrow even hit, the second was already flying. As the first arrow struck the Walker's brow and snapped, the third was already on the string.
Snap! Snap!
The first two shattered. But the third arrow—a reinforced nailhead—burrowed in.
The Walker's claws slashed forward like blades. Liu Guanan twisted backward at the last possible second. The claws raked across his chest, tearing five deep gashes. Blood soaked his shirt in an instant.
Then the Walker slammed into him.
It was like getting hit by a truck.
Liu Guanan screamed as he was thrown more than ten meters through the air. Blood spurted from his mouth. His bones felt shattered.
But the Walker collapsed mid-charge. It twitched a few times... and lay still.