Headless Immortal

Chapter 76 Straw Hat and Raincoat
"Uncle, it's just some ordinary home-cooked food, make do with it."

Lao Cheng took out the five ingredients he had prepared long ago.

He especially carefully selected the dried field mice.

Lu Xun didn't stand on ceremony and changed into the body of Wutong Mountain Lord to sit on the stone bench in the courtyard.

Lao Cheng picked up the wine pot and filled three cups.

Cheng Yan, sitting to the side, immediately grabbed a wine glass.

"Go away, you have no manners."

Cheng Yan, who had been hit by the pipe, chuckled and said, "Hey grandpa, I'm toasting Uncle Cat."

Grey Baby stood on the table, picked up a dried field mouse, and started gnawing on it.

"Dry!"

The two men and the oddball raised their glasses together.

"Uncle Cat is back. Can you tell me why we couldn't let the Master sell Qingquan Temple to the Academy?"

Cheng Yan wiped his mouth, put down his wine glass, and looked at his grandfather.

He recounted all the strange and interesting things that happened after he went up the mountain, as well as the banquet he attended with Mr. Sanshan, to his grandfather in detail. The fact that he insisted on waiting for Uncle Cat to return when he wanted to hear the reason shows that his grandfather still treats him like a child.

Have you forgotten that he has already cultivated true qi?

After a moment's thought, Lao Cheng said, "This matter has to start with Wang Si's case a month ago."

It turns out that several murders occurred after that.

Without exception, they were all people who received gold and jewels.

There are more than a dozen cases that have been piling up, all of which are said to be murders committed by monsters, but no matter how they investigate, they can't find any monsters.

The county magistrate, Chief Constable Qian Xiong, led his men to dig three feet into the ground, but to no avail. So the magistrate came up with a clever plan: using Qingquan Temple as collateral, he invited a high-ranking monk from Donglin Temple and a high-ranking priest from Lushan Sect to exorcise the demon.

Those who are not yokai can obtain the right to purchase Kiyosendo Temple.

"what?"

"You have to spend money to deal with monsters?"

"of course."

Lao Cheng chuckled: "This magistrate from our Meilan County is quite famous."

Cheng Yan asked in surprise, "Why didn't you invite the Demon-Suppressing Captain from the Three Judicial Offices?"

If he were an official, he would definitely ask his colleagues for favors, making the process much easier than it is now, which is so complicated.

The high monks of Donglin Temple and the high priests of Lushan Dao also delayed things by coming to the county town.

With the Demon-Suppressing Captain of the Earth Division, it's estimated that the problem was already solved.

Old Cheng tapped his pipe with a sneer and said, "Reporting to the court to request the Demon-Suppressing Captain is official business. Even if you capture a monster, you won't get any credit. Last time, the magistrate suffered a loss, and most of the credit was taken by the local officials. Otherwise, Zhao Tou'er wouldn't have been promoted to the captain's flag. That's why we're planning to use Qingquan Temple as a pretext to get Donglin Temple and Lushan Sect to help."

"Just because of this?" Cheng Yan was shocked. "So many people have died because of this?"

Lao Cheng didn't answer, and just casually puffed on his pipe.

call.

The light flickered, and the old man said with a serious expression, "I'm thinking it doesn't seem like something a monster would do."

He was quite accurate in judging demons. When Wutong Shen used the river mist to intimidate the county government soldiers, he was the first to see that Wutong Shen was arrogant and haughty.

As a retired soldier who had worked in the yamen for many years, the constable had a keen sense of smell.

"If it doesn't look like something a monster would do, then it must have been done by a human." Xiao Cheng shrugged, picked up some dried tofu with his chopsticks, and replied with relish.

"pretty close."

"Why?" Cheng Yan asked curiously.

"The case was handled too cleanly."

"If it were a monster, it wouldn't be so clean; there would be plenty of traces."

Lao Cheng waved his hand as if to sweep away his lingering thoughts, then turned to Cheng Yan and admonished him: "In short, whether you are at the post station or at home, just stay put."

He added, "I'm so busy all day long. Your uncle has things to do too."

The implication.

Don't make things worse.

Cheng Yan sighed helplessly, "It won't work. The academy wants to buy Qingquan Temple to use as a school. I made a promise to the headmaster before I left."

“Your headmaster wouldn’t hold a grudge against a child.”

"broken!"

Cheng Yan suddenly woke up with a start and said in horror, "If it wasn't a monster but a human who did it, then Brother Wu is probably in big trouble."

"Hey." Lu Xun finally understood the situation, turned around and jumped into a black cat.

It greeted me with a "meow".

Grey Treasure held something in each of its left and right paws and walked upright like a human. The black cat Lu Xun thought the mouse was too slow, so it grabbed Grey Treasure and jumped onto the roof to chase after Cheng Yan.

"Meow?"

"He shouldn't be at the post station or at his house."

"Drunken Pavilion!"

Both the person and the cat thought of it at the same time.

……

Wu Agui was indeed at Zui Lou.

There's no reason to take back a thousand taels of silver that's already been transported here; it must be kept.

Unable to resist lust, he slipped into the nearest brothel.

As a regular customer with considerable wealth, he was naturally welcomed by the madam, who quickly arranged for him to work as a prostitute.

But now he wasn't on the couch, but on the floor. He crouched in a corner, huddled with his head in his hands, trembling like a mouse searching for a burrow, not daring to make a sound.

"Where's the money?"

"They're all in the boxes."

Wu Agui asked, his voice trembling with tears, what terrible things had he done?

I've only ever heard of people collecting debts, but how come there are people who collect debts and then come looking for further debts?

So what if I didn't give you the full 1,000 taels? These monsters have come knocking on my door again.

It's not that he didn't want to give it to them, it's just that the monster arrived before the carriages and horses were delivered.

The voice said again, "It's not just this batch of silver; there are still eight hundred taels left."

Wu Agui was suddenly stunned, and without daring to think further, said, "You took all eight hundred taels earlier, right at the East City Wharf, wearing straw raincoats and bamboo hats..."

"You're not in cahoots?"

Wu Agui realized this too late.

After blurting it out, he quickly covered his mouth, his pupils widening instantly.

Wu Agui still doesn't understand.

These people are clearly not monsters, but strongmen who act under the guise of monsters.

They spoke in a feigned awkwardness, deliberately creating an eerie atmosphere, yet they were not at all like monsters, nor did they have that strong dampness and fishy smell of the river.

One of the more robust men said in a deep voice, "I was going to spare your life because you're the young master of the Wu family, but you're so ungrateful."

"No, no, no..."

Wu Agui stammered and quickly begged for mercy: "I didn't see the faces of the two heroes. Please take the money, gentlemen. If it's not enough, just tie me up. I'm the only son in my family, and they'll definitely be willing to spend money to save me. If the heroes kill me, it will only lead to an investigation."

“My brother’s grandfather is a constable. My brother and I delivered silver to the monster together. If you kill me, you will definitely be found out.”

The burly man said calmly, "Oh, so we really can't kill you."

Wu Agui's heart was pounding in his throat, but now he has finally calmed down a bit and managed a forced smile before saying something more.

Then another man spoke up: "Second brother, stop playing around and finish him off quickly. The boss is waiting."

The masked, burly man in a straw hat grinned and said, "Your brother will only think that a monster killed you; he won't be able to figure it out."

……

"not necessarily."

A clear voice echoed in front of the door.

Wu Agui's face, which had been contorted with terror, suddenly lit up with joy. Overjoyed, he wept as if he had heard heavenly music.

crunch.

A young man dressed in a black outfit and wearing a turban stepped across the threshold.

Close the door with both hands.

He first glanced at Wu Agui in the corner, then shifted his gaze to the two people in front of him, dressed in straw raincoats and bamboo hats, looking like monsters.

He gripped the hilt of his sword and said with a smile, "Will you two surrender or put up a stubborn resistance?"

"By you?"

"A novice who has just cultivated true qi."

The burly man grinned maliciously and strode forward.

(End of this chapter)