Chapter 1 starts off dead.
On the bustling street, the sounds of hawking and shouting accompanied the footsteps of passersby. However, the arguing coming from the door of a house not far away attracted the attention of many people.
Wearing a pink coarse cloth shirt, Tao Tao was once again shoved out of the gate and onto the street in a disheveled state, her thin and slender body staggering forward a few steps.
Having finally regained her balance, she quickly turned around, her voice urgent: "Sir, sir! I have twenty years of professional experience, you can rest assured, I will make sure my clients feel at home! Would you like to consider..."
The butler, surrounded by servants at the door, his previously kind face instantly turned furious, unleashing a torrent of abuse:
"Even if you have thirty years of experience, it's useless! Who would introduce such unlucky business to their doorstep?! I think you're obsessed with gains and losses. If you know what's good for you, get the hell out of here! Otherwise, you'll regret it!"
After he finished speaking, with a loud bang, the two vermilion doors slammed shut.
The dull thud of the door closing made Tao Tao shudder.
Tao Tao awkwardly rubbed her ears, which were still numb from the shock, glanced back, and sighed helplessly.
She lowered her head, seemingly unconcerned, and sighed as she walked to the stone steps of the small bridge and sat down.
She thought to herself, "Why is it so difficult to promote a business? These people in ancient times are really hard to talk to. They all avoid talking about matters of life and death, which really makes it impossible for me to know where to start."
[Ding! Dear host, there are 6 hours and 8 minutes left until you complete your first order and activate the system—the funeral system is at your service~]
A deliberately cute electronic notification sound popped into her mind, causing Tao Tao to slightly twitch the corners of her mouth, scratch her chin, and say:
"Couldn't you give me two more days? You saw what happened..."
[Host, don't blame me for not warning you! Failure to complete the task or exceeding the designated time will result in a deduction of 40% of your health points.]
Your current body only has 41% health remaining.
Tao Tao instantly became furious. If she had known she would time travel, she would never have agreed to switch shifts with her colleague!
Originally, she was a college student majoring in funeral services in modern times. During her internship at a funeral home, after preparing the body of a "client," she accidentally fell to her death while going downstairs in the middle of the night. When she woke up again, she found herself transported to ancient times.
The original girl in this body shared the same name and surname. Her family had made their fortune in the business of selling the dead in a funeral shop years ago.
Good times didn't last long. Her father became addicted to gamble and eventually lost all their savings. To escape his debts, he abandoned her, her mother, and her younger brother and ran away. He hasn't returned for several years, and no one knows whether he's alive or dead.
When the gambling den people came to collect their debts, they wanted to take over the funeral shop that the family relied on for survival. Without the shop, the widow and her children would really have to starve.
It was her mother who knelt down and kowtowed to them. The gambling den owner, seeing their pitiful state, only took away their valuables as interest and gave them a year to pay it off.
Unexpectedly, business became increasingly sluggish. The one-year contract had expired, and he couldn't even come up with ten taels of silver, let alone three hundred. A few days ago, the gambling den came to close the shop.
Upon hearing the news, the original owner of this body, who was out buying groceries, rushed back, but accidentally slipped on the way and hit the back of his head on a rock, resulting in his immediate death.
Upon waking up, she found herself as Tao Tao, who had transmigrated through a funeral system.
However, to activate the system, she first had to complete the novice task and receive an order within a week. Fortunately, the system gave her a cheat code, which allowed her to see the lifespan value of each person.
The owner of this house had the lowest lifespan value she had seen in recent days, only 10%, which is why she had to bite the bullet and go to inquire again, which led to the scene just now.
Today is almost over, and I haven't gained anything yet.
It was already noon, and the shouts of various vendors naturally filled the streets. She looked in the direction of the sound, paused for a moment, and then a sudden inspiration struck her.
"Yeah, why didn't I think of that sooner..."
Having made up his mind, he didn't waste a moment and excitedly ran to the calligraphy and painting stall. He gave the owner two copper coins, borrowed a brush and ink, and bought a sheet of Xuan paper from him. He confidently began to write a few words, and then randomly found an open space on the side of the street and set up his stall in a proper manner.
To her disappointment, even as dusk fell, the sun began to set, fewer and fewer people were on the street, and vendors started to pack up, no one came to inquire.
Only a few people stopped to look for a few more seconds out of curiosity, but after seeing the two huge words "funeral" on the Xuan paper, they hurriedly waved their sleeves and ran away in a panic, as if avoiding some kind of plague.
[Beep! There are 1 hour and 12 minutes left until the mission ends. Please hurry, host!]
He spoke in a cutesy tone that made people want to punch him.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry... what are you rushing me for! Haven't I tried my best?! You're a system, not a clock, do you need to be watching me every minute of every second?"
Tao Tao sat on a small stool, her chin resting on her hand, her lips twitching, clearly speechless.
She also wanted to finish the task quickly, but people in ancient times avoided this business like the plague. They wouldn't even give her a chance to stop and talk, so no matter how capable she was, she couldn't use it!
[Host, please work even harder to unlock the system's abundant benefits and advantages!]
Just as Tao Tao rolled up her sleeves, ready to have a good argument with the system in her mind, a sudden commotion of carriage wheels and the noise of being driven away came from behind her.
"All bystanders, get out of the way immediately!"
Snap—
The whip, whistling through the air, cracked and snapped, startling the crowd who scattered in terror, fearing the sharp, forceful whip would strike them and tear their skin apart.
Tao Tao looked back and stood there, stunned.
A finely decorated carriage, inlaid with precious jade, and exuding an exceptionally luxurious and grand air, was slowly approaching her.
The carriage was escorted by a group of guards wearing black robes embroidered with eagle and falcon patterns, and everyone on the street looked terrified and hurriedly dodged.
How impressive!
Tao Tao sighed to herself.
Under the emperor's nose, which royal relative or high-ranking official could be escorted by so many armed guards?
Just when she thought she had witnessed a spectacle, her expression suddenly froze, and her gaze stopped on the carriage.
In her view, a progress bar suddenly appeared: Lifespan value 1%?
Her pupils constricted, and she stood up to take a closer look, but suddenly the sky darkened and a blue horse appeared in front of her, blocking her way.
Tao Tao frowned slightly and looked up in confusion.
The man, seated high on horseback, was backlit, wearing a scarlet robe embroidered with eagles and falcons. His dark hair was tied up high, and half of his handsome face was hidden in shadow, creating a ghostly and eerie atmosphere, which, combined with his expressionless face, gave him a chilling and unsettling quality.
However, this was nothing to her, who was used to seeing dead people. She reacted quickly and looked at her stall: "Sir...sir, is my daughter blocking your way? I'll move aside right away."
Tao Tao felt a chill run down her spine. She held her breath and quickly packed her things, thinking that she was probably doomed. In ancient times, the lives of ordinary people were at the mercy of the powerful and wealthy. Judging from the situation just now, if she really offended them, she would have to start over!
Unexpectedly, the man ignored him, staring at the papers at his feet with his eyes slightly narrowed. His gaze was unfathomable and mysterious. He tugged at his thin lips and slowly called out, "Wait a minute."
Then he added, "Does the young lady specialize in funeral arrangements?"
Upon hearing this, Tao Tao casually glanced at him up and down. He looked extraordinary and dressed in fine silks and satins that only the powerful and wealthy could afford. She became even more convinced that this person must be an important figure, and it seemed that the three hundred taels of silver were secured.
Her eyes lit up, and she exclaimed with delight, "My lord, my family has been in this business for generations, and I have been immersed in it since I was a child. I have over twenty years of experience, and I can say that no one in the capital is more skilled than me. You have come to the right person..."
Her little mouth kept chattering away. Duan Gan frowned slightly, impatiently raised his hand to interrupt her, and quietly glanced at her, a soft sneer escaping his lips.
More than twenty years? This immature girl really knows how to make things up.
"There's work coming up later, want to take it?"
Tao Tao immediately uttered a single word from her tightly closed mouth: "Catch!" She did so quickly, as if afraid he would change his mind.
As soon as he finished speaking, an arrow flew through the air with unstoppable force. Under the moonlight, the black eagle-hook arrowhead gleamed with a sharp and cold light. In the blink of an eye, it passed through the crowd and shot into the carriage. At that moment, the carriage was completely silent.
In an instant, the seemingly impeccable guards were thrown into chaos.
Tao Tao witnessed firsthand how someone who had just retained 1% of their lifespan was gone in the blink of an eye, after only a few words.
The man remained calm and unconcerned about the chaotic noise behind him, his composed demeanor suggesting that everything was within his expectations.
Oh no, did I mess with the wrong person?
At this moment, a man rushed over from the chaos. He clasped his hands together, knelt on one knee, lowered his head in grief, and said in a hoarse voice, "Deputy Envoy! I deserve to die! I failed to protect him properly, and the Privy Councilor... he... is dead."
Upon hearing this, Duan Gan raised his hand, clenched his fist, coughed lightly, his face turned cold, and angrily rebuked, "A bunch of good-for-nothings..." Although his tone was furious, upon closer inspection, his eyes were calm and unwavering, as deep and unfathomable as an ancient well.
He turned around, slightly raised his chin, gazed at her for a moment, reached out and took the jade pendant hanging from his waist, and threw it to Tao Tao.
"Bring the jade pendant to the Privy Council tomorrow. I am Duan Gan."
After saying that, without waiting for her reply, he pulled on the reins and drove straight ahead.
Tao Tao watched his departing figure and murmured, "Duan Gan?"
Dust billowed, and soon the group, along with the luxurious carriage, disappeared down the street.
[Congratulations, host, on successfully receiving your first order! The funeral service system is now officially open for you!]
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