Chapter 875: Night

Chapter 875: Night

Upon hearing the other’s words, Li Huowang understood what Chan Du meant.

He wanted him to recognize the value of the Great Qi. Indeed, Great Qi was useful. If he were to possess it, his non-gang warriors would be endless. But that wasn’t what he desired.

Li Huowang’s frown gradually relaxed. “No need to try to win me over anymore. I’ve said before—I help them not because they’re useful to me, but simply because I couldn’t stand watching them suffer.”

With that, Li Huowang walked through the crowd and headed toward Youdu in the midst of their shouts.

“Of course, I know Master Zhuge is compassionate,” the monk replied. “But to be able to assist Master Zhuge in this way is our honor.”

“Getting excited, are we?” Li Huowang turned sharply and glared at him. Seeing that the man still wore his usual serene expression, he ignored him and continued walking forward.

“I know what you’re up to. Stop trying to win me over with these tactics. I’ll say it again—Great Qi’s problems must be solved by the people of Great Qi themselves! I don’t care about the dragon veins!”

“Master Li, there’s no need for you to go out of your way to deal with the dragon veins. It can be done incidentally. Since those people from the Diamond World have come to attack us, it’s a perfect opportunity to strike twice with one stone.”

Li Huowang stopped mid-step and looked again at Chan Du, whose face had completely healed. “What do you mean by that?”

“It means, since we’re already enemies, when we invade the Diamond World, we might as well seize a few dragon veins along the way. I’m sure the Buddha won’t blame us.”

“Hm?” Li Huowang looked at Chan Du in surprise. Earlier, when Chan Du had tried to discuss the dragon veins with him, he had simply dismissed him.

He hadn’t expected that Chan Du’s plan would be this one.

Beside him, Ming Luntang, the Minor Celestial Inspector of Great Qi, quickly interjected, “Master Li, this is excellent!

This will bind Great Qi and Great Liang together completely! It’s not something that can be bought with grain alone!”

“Just take the dragon veins? Is it really that simple?” As soon as Li Huowang spoke, he immediately thought of an answer. Indeed, it could work. Gao Zhijian had once been a dragon vein of Great Qi, yet even after being bound to Great Liang, he could still be used.

“Master Li, since Great Qi belongs to you, no matter how many dragon veins you take to Great Qi, they all belong to you. The dragon energy will naturally be limitless.”

Li Huowang paused again, a sly smile on his face as he looked at Chan Du. Then, he reached out and snatched the rapidly spinning Buddhist beads from Chan Du’s hand.

“Abbot Chan Du, you seem so unassuming, but you’ve been gathering quite a bit of information behind the scenes.”

Chan Du clasped his hands together, eyes closed, and chanted softly, “Namo Amitabha Buddha. Good, good. I am just a humble monk. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, you don’t know. Of course you don’t.” Li Huowang slapped the beads against Chan Du’s chest, drew out his spine sword, and slashed a crack open before slipping inside.

Chan Du placed the beads in his palm and slowly turned them again. “Namo Amitabha Buddha. Heaven has compassion for all life.”

---

Night. Zhao Wu held a lantern in one hand and leaned on a cane, staggering down the narrow path of Niuxin Village, heading home with a letter in his hand.

It had just been delivered by a traveling merchant who had stayed overnight. It was from Qingqiu.

There was no one else who could write to Niuxin Village from Qingqiu—only Sun Baolu, that boy.

Zhao Wu wanted to find a brighter spot to read the letter from Sun Baolu.

They had all escaped from Qingfeng Monastery, and their bond was closer than brothers. It was natural that they cared for each other. Now, he could read perfectly well, and reading letters was no trouble at all.

Just as he was nearing his house, Zhao Wu suddenly felt an urgent need to urinate. He glanced around and, with his lantern in hand, headed toward the outhouse.

After relieving himself, he stepped out of the outhouse. The light of his lantern illuminated the nearby woodshed. A flash of green between the wooden planks made his heart skip a beat.

“What’s going on? Why is there green stuff in the woodshed?” He raised his lantern and tapped the area again—the green disappeared. “Could... Could it be ghosts...?”

But then Zhao Wu reconsidered. “That’s impossible. Are ghosts bothering Li Xiansheng’s territory too?”

Gathering courage, he used a stick to open the door and carefully pushed the lantern into the woodshed.

The next moment, Zhao Wu froze in place. A black ghost, dressed in a garish red-and-green funeral gown, floated motionless in the air.

“A ghost!” Zhao Wu’s terrified scream echoed across Niuxin Village.

As Zhao Wu, paralyzed with fear, turned and frantically flailed his limbs in a desperate escape, Gouwa blocked his path.

“There really are ghosts? A ghost is here?”

Zhao Wu grabbed his clothes, clinging tightly to his back. “In... in the woodshed! Hurry! A ghost wearing a funeral gown!”

Upon hearing this, the frightened Gouwa instantly relaxed. “Hey, I thought it was something else. Scared me half to death.” With that, he led Zhao Wu toward the woodshed.

“Don’t go! There are ghosts!”

“You pull me, that’s not a ghost—it’s the funeral gown I hung up!”

Gouwa pulled out the red-and-green funeral gown adorned with golden coins and showed it to Zhao Wu.

“Look, this is the funeral gown. When we were traveling, didn’t Li Xiansheng nearly die? When I bought the coffin, the shopkeeper sold me this one too.”

“He didn’t die, so I kept it. I figured it was expensive—120 coins—and better to keep it in case we ever needed it.”

Hearing this, Zhao Wu exploded in anger. “You... you put it where?! Put it in your house!”

“Hey, putting it in the house brings bad luck, so I left it in the woodshed. What’s the big deal? You’re acting like you’re scared stiff. Kids who cook every day are used to it.”

“Burn it! Burn it now!” Zhao Wu, disgusted, lunged for it, but Gouwa dodged.

“Tch! How can you throw it away?! I paid for it myself! If Li Xiansheng doesn’t use it, someone else in the village can use it when they die.” Gouwa carried the gown outside and ran off.

Gouwa ran ahead, Zhao Wu chasing behind.

Normally, with Zhao Wu’s cane, catching up to the agile Gouwa was impossible.

Yet, before long, Zhao Wu caught up and snatched the gown from him.

But Zhao Wu quickly noticed something was wrong with Gouwa—he was trembling violently, and his pants were wet. He had peed himself from fright.

“What’s wrong with you?” Zhao Wu raised his lantern, following Gouwa’s gaze. Suddenly, he felt cold all over. If he hadn’t just used the outhouse, he might have peed himself too.

On the dimly lit village path, a dirty, tattered, and grimy sack, full of things, bounced toward them.

It was bulging with contents.

The bottom half of the sack was soaked, stained with blood—a sack filled with body parts.