Chapter 1: Immortal Undertaker

The mountains stretched vast, cloaked in a hazy morning mist.

A suona pierced the tranquility of the mountains, followed by bursts of weeping.

The funeral procession slowly made its way out of Taohua Village.

Within the procession, a young man in a green shirt skillfully played the suona.

He had sword-like eyebrows, starry eyes, a handsome face, and a gentle demeanor.

A white flag was diagonally affixed behind his neck.

A half-grown black dog trailed behind him.

The mournful sound of the suona emanated from his lips, suppressing the gongs and drums, amplifying the sorrow of the funeral procession.

As the group advanced, beads of sweat formed on the young man's forehead.

'Alas, this body is far too frail,' he muttered inwardly.

His name was Bai Yu, a time traveler who had arrived in this world two and a half days prior.

In his previous life, he was merely an ordinary young man. However, staying up late to play the popular game of "immortal cultivation" had caused his sudden death.

Incidently, he had then transmigrated into the body of Bai Changsheng, a young man with a tragic fate.

The family of Bai Changsheng had a tradition of playing the suona.

But a few days ago, Bai Changsheng's parents had been swept away by a mountain torrent while rushing to attend a funeral.

Their bodies were never found.

With his parents gone, the village tyrant Chen family immediately seized the Bai family's house.

Actually, years ago, the Bai family had exchanged two acres of paddy fields for a piece of land from the Chen family to build a home, living peacefully for over a decade.

But now, with only a child left in the Bai family, the Chen family turned hostile and forcefully took over the house.

When Bai Changsheng resisted, he was beaten to death.

It was at this moment that Bai Yu transmigrated into his body.

Accepting his new reality, he adopted the name Bai Yu, with the courtesy name Changsheng.

Homeless, Bai Yu was forced to build a temporary shack on the mountain to survive.

In just a few days, Bai Yu came to a harsh realization:

"Being handsome isn't enough to fill your stomach."

Yesterday, he had run out of food and was starving.

Fortunately, Bai Changsheng had inherited his family's suona-playing skills.

A funeral was being held in the village, and Bai Yu seized the opportunity to join the procession.

Uncle Dazhuang, the drummer, initially doubted whether Bai Yu could keep up with the rhythm.

But Bai Yu's suona skills amazed everyone, nearly outshining the funeral itself.

In the realm of musical instruments, the suona was king—fit for both ascending to heaven and honoring the departed.

When the suona being played , Bai Yu was the rhythm.

Uncle Dazhuang was astonished, praising Bai Yu for his talent, even declaring,

"Brother Bai has a worthy successor. Our Taohua Village drum and trumpet team is complete again!"

Bai Yu joined the team on the spot, officially beginning his career as a funeral musician.

This funeral was his chance to gain a foothold in Taohua Village and become a full-fledged member of the professional team.

Determined, Bai Yu played the suona with all his strength, maintaining steady and deliberate rhythms.

However, as the funeral procession climbed the mountain, beads of sweat the size of soybeans covered his forehead, and his face turned pale.

His weak body, worsened by its previous death, struggled to keep up despite his skill.

"No matter what, I must persevere," Bai Yu resolved trying to keep himself steady.

He endured, concealing his exhaustion from everyone except Uncle Dazhuang, who noticed the sweat soaking Bai Yu's chest.

Finally, the coffin was lowered into the grave.

As Bai Yu's vision began to darken, he barely managed to hold on until the ceremony ended.

Suddenly, a transparent blue light screen appeared before him.

Seeing this change, he momenteraly regained clarity.

Bai Yu looked at the screen infront of him in an antonished gaze .

---

[Funeral Target: Zhao Laogen]

[Identity: Farmer]

[Cultivation: None]

[Skills: Planting, cooking, logging]

[Funeral Participation: 10%]

[Reward: Strength +3, Life Experience +5]

---

Bai Yu's hand trembled as he held the suona, trying to keep his face to remain calm.

In his mind, something like an ancient scripture surfaced:

"The Record of Burial."

The four archaic characters radiated a divine aura, as if containing the truths of heaven and earth.

Below them was a line of text:

"Bury the sky, bury the earth, bury the world!"

The scripture's dark cover occasionally emitted a faint white light, which would quickly dim. If one looked closely, the white light resembled a miniature world.

Focusing on the Record of Burial, Bai Yu instantly grasped its essence:

1. Immortality: From now on, he would no longer age. However, immortality did not mean invincibility—he could still die from injuries, starvation, poison, or curses.

2. Strength through funerals: Every funeral he participated in would grant him a portion of the deceased's abilities—be it physical strength, life essence, or even martial arts and cultivation techniques.

However, these rewards could only be obtained if the deceased was a sentient and intelligent creature and a proper funeral commission had been performed.

---

Having seen it, Bai Yu patiently awaited the funeral's conclusion.

When the Taoist priest finished reciting the final sutras, Bai Yu and the team played the concluding piece, "Blue Sky Song."

"Dust returns to dust, earth returns to earth; the path to the underworld leaves no return."

---

[Funeral Success: Reward - Strength +5,

[Life Experience +5]

[Do you wish to claim the reward?]

---

Bai Yu refrained from claiming the reward immediately, opting for caution.

Who knows if there will be any abnormalities after receiving the reward?

Once the ceremony ended, the team returned to the village for a meal.

Seated at the professional team's table, Bai Yu devoured his food, famished from days of hunger.

In the blink of an eye, a small half of the food on the table was gone.

Uncle Dazhuang and the others, initially engrossed in drinking and boasting, were startled by Bai Yu's appetite.

They quickly joined him, lest he finish all the food.

Half an hour later, Bai Yu left the table for his home with a full belly.

Before leaving, he also placed a red plum from the fruits plate on the table.

Bai Yu was gleaming with excitement,as the most important thing is that he has ten more coins in his arms.

The funeral team is worth twenty coins each.

But, Bai Yu is underage and can only get half of his wages.

This is the law in rural areas. Only adult men are considered as formal labor force.

The team paid him half wages, as children and women in rural areas were only considered "half laborers."

With his ten coins, Bai Yu bought over ten kilograms of sweet potatoes from a shop at the village entrance—enough to last a week.

Whistling, he carried the sweet potatoes home, accompanied by his half-grown black dog, Lao Mo.

"Old Mo, I want fish for dinner," Bai Yu said.

The little black dog seemed to be able to understand people's words and jumped into a creek for a splash.

When Bai Changsheng died, only this black dog stayed with him and never left him.

Earlier, Bai Yu noticed that there is a quota for a companion beast in the " Record of Burial ", which can also live forever along with him.

But the condition is that, it is only applicable for beasts.

Bai Yu didn't hesitate at all and gave this spot to the little black dog.

In this way, he won't be too lonely on the road to eternal life.

Two minutes later, Lao Mo took out a small fish about the length of an index finger from the water.

"Great! Tonight, we'll have roasted sweet potatoes and fish stew," Bai Yu cheered.

He was carrying the sweet potatoes, and Lao Mo was holding on the small fish.

One human and one dog, depend on each other for life.

As they walked home together, Bai Yu took a bite of the plum, its bitterness spreading through his mouth before sweetness followed.

"All hardships come with eventual joy," he remarked.

Bai Yu threw a plump at the dog.

The little black dog took a bite and jumped even higher.

"Woof woof~woo~"

It's bitter, astringent and unpalatable.

Bai Yu put the plum core into his palm and said with a smile:

"It's not ripe yet. It will taste delicious after it is ripe."

The little black dog followed Bai Yu cursing, as if to say:

"Although I'm not a human, you really are a dog."

At home—a humble shack made of branches and thatch—Bai Yu gazed at his few possessions: a blunt hatchet, a suona, and a half-broken jar.

Turning to Lao Mo, he said, "Old Mo, we're not in a hurry. Let the world slander us, ridicule us, and look down on us. We'll endure.

But in a hundred years... I'll dig up their graves, whip their corpses, and erase their entire lineage."