Headless Immortal

Chapter 121 Noble Character, Deadly Murder
The laughter and banter gradually faded away.

Old Deng and Xiao Douzi had been tense for a long time, and now that they relaxed, they quickly sprawled on the bed, their eyelids blinking and closing.

The captain knew the importance of conserving his energy, so he stopped talking about it and silently circulated his internal energy. After circulating his energy through the small and large meridians, snoring gradually began to rise in the inn.

Lu Xun gleamed with his wolf-like eyes, lost in thought.

My consciousness sank into the space containing the head and saw the beautiful head.

The skull of "Feng Qiniang," a member of the Qinghe branch of the White Lotus Sect.

Type: 蠃 (氓—人)

Quality: Normal

Drama: Liansheng

Spell: White Text

Dual-sword technique

Commentary: When will the Pure Land of Emptiness descend to earth? Killing, drinking blood, eating flesh, returning to a Pure Land of Lapis Lazuli, welcoming the Unborn Mother.

The grand plan of the Holy Church cannot be hindered.

"Crush."

[Received ashes: 2.9 taels]

Lu Xun nodded slightly; this was far beyond what ordinary martial artists who haphazardly cultivated true qi could achieve.

What puzzled him was why it wasn't 'rare'. It wasn't rare, yet it far surpassed the executioner Song Zhan in the fight. It seemed that its combat strength wasn't entirely based on its quality.

Looking at the stern-faced scholar's head again, it was just as ordinary.

Becoming a Great Confucian Scholar

"Crush."

[Received ashes: 2.7 taels]

The skull of Juan, the monkey trainer.

[Playing with a giant monkey demon]

"Crush."

[Received ashes: 3.1 taels.]

Lu Xun was somewhat disappointed, but he did not expect that the ordinary-quality head of the monkey trainer would be crushed into a few ounces of ashes, which was probably not rare but even rarer.

This unique skill is indeed remarkable, but unfortunately he couldn't make a copy from the monkey trainer's head and turn it into a universal supernatural ability.

They also smashed the heads of the yellow and black monkeys.

[Ashes obtained: 1.8 taels.]

The skull of the scalpel demon 'Kong Hui'

Type: 蠃 (氓—人)

Quality: Rare

Spell: Iron Transformation

Wind blade
Blade light

Blood stabilization
The commentary states: There is a secret technique in Guanzhong that captures demons and monsters and forges their bodies into black, iron-like flesh and blood. This technique allows one to wield a knife incessantly and behead hundreds of people.

[Returning to Guanzhong]

"Crush."

[Received ashes: four ounces]

This was Lu Xun's first time shattering a 'rare' quality skull, and the resulting ashes were indeed plentiful, weighing a full four ounces, enough to enhance the Peach Blossom Living Buddha's magic once.

These heads certainly possess decent magic, but they require effort to fulfill wishes in order to be enhanced; otherwise, they are merely 'blank slates' and not as useful as the black cat head.

The skull of the cannibalistic bear 'Miao Man' from Gaoli

Species: Snakehead (Miao-Human)

Quality: Rare

Spell: Copper Skin and Iron Bones

ghost
Power Gu
Thousand-pound staff technique
履水
Annotation: A monstrous sea demon suddenly appeared in Gaoli Township, with withered hair and flying sand that spread all kinds of diseases. This is recorded in historical records as the "Gaoli Demon." Later, a person accidentally obtained a map of the Heavenly Queen crossing the sea and glimpsed a trace of its spirit. Using witchcraft, they recreated the "Gaoli Demon," which possessed immense strength, a body of copper and iron, and could walk on rivers, lakes, and seas as if on flat ground.

[Murder, cannibalism, and womanizing]

"Crush."

[Ashes obtained: 4.9 taels]

Without hesitation, Lu Xun crushed the head of the man-eating bear, and then crushed the three heads he found in the pile of bandits' corpses, obtaining seven coins.

He was indeed very interested in the secret techniques of the 'Gao Li Gui', and if possible, he would also like to see the Heavenly Empress Crossing the Sea Map, but Lu Xun obviously did not want to wear the head of the Miao barbarians and become a cannibal.

He has discovered that he is influenced by his physical instincts, and therefore he is even less willing to get involved with these things.

At least live like a human being.

Even if you're a demon, you have to live like yourself.

His eyes turned.

Cremated remains: 1.95 jin (approximately 0.675 kg)

Lu Xun quietly left the bedding, got up and went outside to find a secluded spot to replace the head of the Peach Blossom Living Buddha.

The enormous turtle-like monster, nearly ten feet tall, sat cross-legged under the moonlight. Its thousand-fold eyelids slowly lifted, and its tapir-like nose twitched. The sweltering heat made it feel uncomfortable, as if it couldn't breathe properly.

The Eighth King is a great monster in the river. He always feels uneasy when he comes ashore. In addition, Zhang County is suffering from a severe drought. The wind at night is hot and it crawls into people's noses like caterpillars, making them feel both prickly and itchy.

Fortunately, he was carrying a large sum of money and wanted to enhance the magic of the Living Buddha of Peach Blossom Spring, so he didn't pay too much attention.

[Should the skull of the Living Buddha of Taoyuan Township, known as the "Eight Great Kings," be reinforced?]

"Yes."

[Spell: Peach Blossom Spring (Beginner's Guide)] → [Spell: Peach Blossom Spring (Mastery)]

Lu Xunxiang pursed his lips and pondered for a moment. The Peach Blossom Spring spell could refine a place into something like a 'Buddha Kingdom in the Palm of Your Hand', but it consumed a lot of magical power and was easily hampered.

He's a lone wolf who doesn't build up his own power base, so why would he need this magic? Didn't you see that when he went back to the modern world, all his little monsters ran away when he came back?

"strengthen."

[Spell: Six Paths (Beginner's Guide)] → [Spell: Six Paths (Mastery)]

"strengthen."

[Spell: Mystic Armor (Beginner)] → [Spell: Mystic Armor (Master)]

"strengthen!"

[Spell: Cannon Fist (Beginner)] → [Spell: Cannon Fist (Master)]

Although he had expected it, Lu Xun still felt a little regretful when he saw that none of the spells had been enhanced to a superb level. He wished he had waited before enhancing them, as he might have been able to create a superb spell.

The slight disappointment was fleeting; he didn't possess the great power to interfere with time and space, so he might as well just accept that his luck wasn't good enough.

They switched back to Wutongshan Jun.

With its head held high, facing the moon, it coiled into an odd pose, the moonlight like a veil covering its silvery fur, and its depleted magical power rapidly recovered.

The space where the head is stored can also be restored, but it's a slow and laborious process, which is incomparable to directly absorbing and exhaling moonlight.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the fangs snapped shut, and Lu Xun noticed that the surroundings had darkened somewhat. As the moonlight shifted, the light and darkness returned to balance, and he couldn't help but nod. The spiritual energy in the ancient world was indeed abundant. If he were in modern times, he could sit there all night and barely manage to make a few moves.

Thinking about the stability of modern times, he felt that the Dharma-ending Age might not necessarily be bad.

Lu Xun got up from the rocks, his thick, furry tail sweeping the dust off his rear. The water-loving Wutong God was also getting impatient with the heat, so he took back the executioner's head and returned to the inn. He lay down on the bed, yawned, and drifted off to sleep.

I slept until dawn, when everything was still in a state of chaos.

Old Deng got up early to wash his BMW, rummaged through the cargo compartment and mixed it with beans and grass, then carefully combed the horse's mane with a small brush.

As soon as Lu Xun came out, he saw Lao Deng comforting his BMW.

"An ox plows the field, a dog guards the house, a rooster crows at dawn, and a horse pulls the cart. Which horse doesn't pull a cart? This is an age-old truth. You Cai, don't think I'm not talking about you. What's with that tilted head? You Qing, you too, look at You Tian, ​​eating and drinking as you please, running away as you please..."

Upon hearing Deng Youfu's words, the tired horses perked up, lowered their heads, and climbed onto the carriage frame. In no time, the three horses were fully dressed.

Lu Xun smiled gently.

Little Bean trembled. He had already accepted that his master was fake, but he never expected him to be a monster.

But what could he do? It was better than dying in the inn and becoming that tall meat bun. So, following his master's original rules, he fetched clean water for his master and handed him a towel to wash his hands.

The wheels are rolling.

Dust swirled along the official road.

The outline of Zhang County gradually became clear.

Lu Xun asked casually, "What kind of torture is ordered to be used by the imperial decree from the capital?"

He had no real reverence for the imperial power or the high-ranking officials in the capital, even though he knew that they were in such positions and their cultivation was far superior to his own. Yet, he had none of the piety that Song Zhan possessed.

Little Bean paused for a moment before realizing he was being asked, and immediately replied, "Behead him and send his head to the capital."

Lu Xun then asked, "Why not escort them to the capital to be killed?"

In the modern TV dramas and storybooks he watched, county magistrates who committed crimes were always escorted to the capital. Some were lucky enough to meet the emperor, pour out their grievances, and present their good policies for governing the country before being killed.

How come he traveled all the way to Zhang County to behead someone?

Little Bean said, making something out of nothing: "I heard...I heard that His Majesty was furious and reprimanded the officials of the Ministry of Justice, so they sent us here, saying before we left that it was to intimidate other officials outside the capital."

Lu Xun nodded slightly. If it was just beheading, he wouldn't have any problem with it. It would just be a matter of sharpening the knife to avoid causing the other person any suffering.

Glancing at the red-tasseled ghost-head broadsword stored to the side, Lu Xun reached out, picked it up, tested it with his thumb, and said, "It's dull."

Little Bean lowered his voice: "I haven't had time to grind it yet."

The soldiers guarding the city wore masks and strictly guarded the city gates.

The old official, wearing a black turban and an indigo robe, picked up his pen to make a registration.

Few people enter the city; many leave.

After Gao Qingzhi revealed his identity, they encountered no further obstacles, and the carriage proceeded smoothly to the county government office.

The county magistrate, along with the six departments of clerks and the three shifts of yamen runners, greeted them at the gate, with the county lieutenant and county assistant standing on either side. However, the number of people was limited, and it could not be described as a grand occasion.

The magistrate in the lead, wearing a black gauze hat, a green robe with dark patterns of purple mandarin ducks, a fair complexion, a short beard, and a dignified appearance, clasped his hands in a salute and announced: "Magistrate Niu Xiaoting of Zhangzhou County, together with the officials of Zhang County, respectfully welcomes the Imperial Envoy."

Niu Xiaoting's forehead was covered in sweat, clearly indicating that he had rushed over.

Lu Xun thought that even if the other party didn't leave, he wouldn't be so calm. On the way here, he had thought about where he would see this magistrate. Perhaps he would be in the prison, or perhaps he would be pretending to be calm and guarding the back hall of the county government, or perhaps he would simply resign and leave.

I heard from Xiaodouzi that "Song Zhan," the executioner himself, was a veteran of the Ministry of Justice. He had been working there since he was sixteen and served for forty years. Although he was not an official, the heads of officials of the sixth rank and above that he beheaded could fill a basket. When disaster struck, people reacted in all sorts of ways, but it was rare to see someone so calm.

For that courage alone, Lu Xun had to give the other party a shout of "Good!"

Gao Qingzhi returned the greeting with his hands clasped, showed his waist badge, and said: "Gao Qingzhi, Commandant of the Earth Division under the Three Judicial Offices, Demon Suppression Captain."

"This is Aunt Song from the Ministry of Justice."

Niu Xiaoting cupped his hands slightly and said with a smile, "Good, fortunately the court is understanding and did not send a nephew."

The executioners in the Ministry of Justice were not considered officials, but clerks. Clerks had no rank, but they had their own internal standards for evaluation. Someone like Song Zhan, who could inflict a thousand cuts on a person, could be called an aunt.

As for his nephew, he had essentially left the apprenticeship and acquired the title of executioner, and he was ruthless in his killings.

"please."

Niu Xiaoting gestured for them to stay, then asked, "You two have arrived early. The execution date is the day after tomorrow. Why don't you rest for a while? There's no room at the post station, so please make room for Captain Gao and Aunt Song in the back hall of the yamen. I will have someone prepare a cell. There's no more room than that."

Please forgive the simple meal.

As the county officials entered the yamen, a junior constable hurried along, noticing two unfamiliar figures beside the magistrate. The burly man with a leopard-like head and piercing eyes, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit and carrying a sword, didn't approach to disturb them. Only after the magistrate was a step behind did he hurriedly step forward and whisper something to him.

Niu Xiaoting said, "County Magistrate Li, please arrange a welcoming banquet for the two imperial envoys on my behalf."

"Excuse me."

After saying this, Magistrate Niu cupped his hands and hurried to the side.

"This..." Deng Youfu was surprised and full of doubt. He didn't think Magistrate Niu was a coward, so why was he acting so strangely?

However, he still went to dinner with the two of them. He still had some money left over, and since Master Gao had personally promised it, he certainly couldn't just leave like that.

Magistrate Li sighed, “Please forgive me, it’s just that the yamen has received too many patients infected with fever. The magistrate himself designated a special area, but things are stable now. Actually, fever is not so scary. The main problem is the drought. We can’t grow any crops. The locusts wipe out everything. People are more likely to get sick when they are hungry.”

Indeed, it was all simple food, with only a fish and a chicken as meat dishes.

After three rounds of drinking.

Gao Qingzhi asked doubtfully, "Since the people have no food, doesn't the county government have a granary? They just need to open it up for disaster relief."

Li, the county magistrate, raised his cup and shook his head helplessly: "Isn't it just because he opened the granaries to provide disaster relief that the capital was furious and wanted to bring Lord Niu's head back to the capital? Lord Niu is a good official. Under his governance, the people of Zhang County live in peace and prosperity. He also led troops to clear out bandits and restore transportation. He personally reclaimed wasteland and lent it to the people to cultivate."

Even as a member of a powerful clan, Magistrate Li had never seen such an official before.

It's said that a prefect can earn 100,000 taels of silver in three years, but Lord Niu couldn't even come up with ten taels in six years. Just because he opened the granaries for disaster relief and submitted three memorials explaining the pros and cons, he was accused of spreading heresy and was to be beheaded as a warning to the public.

The officials in the imperial court should really come to Zhang County to see for themselves; this drought is anything but ordinary.

Lu Xun picked up some food while listening quietly.

If the county magistrate's description is accurate, then this Niu Xiaoting is probably far superior to Lü Qian of Meilan County.

If all officials were like this, the world wouldn't be in such a state. Yet now he's here to kill such an honest official with outstanding political achievements.

I just complained about how bad the world is, do I have to become someone who makes it even worse?

"Ugh!"

Gao Qingzhi put his wine cup on the table and sighed heavily. He was just a martial artist, good at catching demons and monsters, but when it came to getting involved in these things, he could only sigh in vain.

Another constable whispered in the county magistrate's ear. The magistrate nodded, stood up, and said, "I am busy with official duties, please excuse me."

The captain said, "The county magistrate should leave now; the people's affairs are more important."

The area was empty except for them.

Deng Youfu pondered for a moment and said, "Could it be that they're lying to us? If he were truly a good official, would the capital be wrong?"

"Everyone says that the current emperor is a true dragon, that he is incredibly intelligent and has a divine ability to predict the future. But who knows if this Niu Xiaoting is just faking it, trying to lower our guard so he can escape."

The captain said, "If they wanted to run, they would have run long ago. Why wait for us?"

"I see him as upright, honest, and of noble character."

"Those who are honest and upright deserve to die, and those who are noble and virtuous deserve to be cut into a thousand pieces."

Little Bean quickly covered his mouth and shook his head like a rattle drum, saying, "I didn't say that."

“I said it.” Niu Xiaoting sat down and picked up a flatbread to eat with the vegetable soup.

(End of this chapter)