The ultimate master in the city

The room fell silent for a while before a voice asked, "Who is it?"

"We, three humble Taoists, have wandered here! We have important matters to report! Open the door quickly!" Zhang Shisan's voice was very serious.

After lingering inside for a while, the door creaked open a crack, and half a face peeked out. "What...what do you want?"

"What are you doing?" Zhang Shisan coldly rebuked, "Your family is about to face a terrible disaster, do you understand?"

"what?"

The lights were turned on inside, and a series of footsteps rushed in. Then the door was flung open, and seven or eight people peered out.

The elderly man with gray hair leading the group was the same one who had led the sacrificial ceremony. He chuckled dryly and asked, "Three masters, what...does that mean?"

Zhang Shisan said, "The three of us, being Taoist priests, passed through this area and noticed dark clouds swirling above your house. This is an omen of impending bloodshed!"

Zhou Fengchen also said, "This humble Taoist sees not only a bloody disaster, but also the danger of annihilation of the entire family!"

"That's right!" Zhang Shisan added, "I can also see that your family associates with evil spirits; I'm afraid your ancestors for eight generations will never have peace!"

The nun, Kuzhu, made the final decision: "Do not harbor any illusions. Mountain gods and ghosts are not human; their thoughts are unpredictable, and they cannot distinguish between good and evil. If you worship them, great disaster will not be far off!"

The three men, dressed in neat Taoist robes and Buddhist attire, with serious expressions, bombarded the room with a barrage of questions, leaving everyone stunned!

The old man who was leading the group shouted and knelt down, "Three masters, I didn't want this to happen! Please save my family!"

Upon seeing this, a group of people behind him also knelt down!

Ku Zhu quickly helped the old man up. "No, no, no! What exactly happened in your family? Why are you worshipping them? Don't hide anything, tell us everything so we can make a plan!"

"Alright, alright!" The old man quickly ushered the three into the house and had tea and water served.

Zhou Fengchen and Zhang Shisan took the opportunity to glance at the two coffins in the inner room, exchanged a look, and meant that they should open them later to make sure they didn't smother the people inside.

After the three of them sat down, the old man closed the door and, as if afraid someone was eavesdropping, looked around the house thoroughly before leaning over with a bitter expression and saying, "This matter is a bit complicated, and I can't explain it all at once. Can you listen to me slowly?"

The nun, Kuzhu, nodded and said with a smile, "Don't rush, tell me slowly!"

"That's how it is..."

The old man began to tell his story slowly.

His name is Liu Zhenguo, and he is a Han Chinese. Although his hometown is in this remote mountain village, he is a big shot in the city. He owns a furniture factory and a toy factory, lives in a big house, drives a car, and lives a very comfortable life.

Why did he run back to his hometown in the middle of the night to worship the mountain god? That's a very complicated and bizarre story, and it all started when he was young.

Liu Zhenguo only became wealthy after the age of thirty-five. Before that, he was a bachelor who spent his days wandering around doing nothing productive. His mother died early, and he and his father depended on each other for survival. His father, Old Liu, was a bamboo craftsman.

Speaking of bamboo craftsmen, they are probably rare to see nowadays. It's not enough for someone to just weave a basket or a crate to be considered a bamboo craftsman. They need to be skillful and dexterous. They can weave anything you can imagine, whether it flies in the sky or runs on the ground. That's what makes a bamboo craftsman.

In the surrounding villages, there are only two bamboo craftsmen: one is Old Liu, and the other is Su Sungua, a bachelor who is much younger than Old Liu. Because they have the same profession, they can chat together and have an excellent relationship. Today you give me a piece of pork, tomorrow I will give you a chicken. On free days, they sit together and drink. Liu Zhenguo always pours wine for Su Sungua and calls him Uncle Gua.

On market days, Old Liu and Su Sungua would bring their handicrafts, squat down on the street, smoke, and boast, not caring how much they could sell them for, they were just happy.

It was market day again, so the two of them put their handicrafts on the side of the street, took off their shoes, put them on their bottoms, and started playing loudly on their trumpets, singing things like "Widow Zhang from the East Gate" and "Sister Yang from the North Village"...

He had certainly bragged his way out of it, but even by midday, not a single customer had come in.

Both of them were getting a little anxious. They could usually sell a couple of items, so what was wrong today? Didn't they have enough bamboo strips and baskets at home?

Just then, a middle-aged man, covered in sweat, hurried in from the east. Upon reaching the two men, he looked around at their handicrafts and asked urgently, "Excuse me, do you know how to make paper maids, paper cars, paper houses, dressing tables, and large beds for the dead?"

Old Liu and Su Sungua were taken aback and said, "You've come to the wrong place! You should buy these things at a paper craft shop; we don't make these!"

The middle-aged man grew anxious and said, "There's only one paper-craft shop in this remote mountain village, but they only sell paper figures!"

Old Liu said, "Then we can't help you. Why don't you buy two baskets to make do?"

"What would I need a basket for?" the middle-aged man spat, his eyes welling up with tears.

Curious, Su Sungua asked, "There's no need to use these things when there's a funeral in the family, is there? Who uses these trendy items for a funeral?"

The middle-aged man sighed and explained the reason: his wife had died when he was young, and he was raising his son alone. Later, he wanted to be with a woman, but he had a child to support and his reputation wasn't very good. So he saved up some money and asked someone to bring back a fair-skinned city girl from a big city to be his wife. He felt great!

Unfortunately, the girl didn't want to be with him, so he would beat her up every day in a fit of anger. But the girl was very stubborn and refused to submit no matter what, and would try to run away whenever she had the chance.

The middle-aged man grew impatient and asked her what it would take for her to agree. The young woman replied, "I want maids to serve me, a house to live in, a car to ride in, a dressing table, and a big bed. Can you provide that?"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!

Isn't this ridiculous? Everyone in the mountains is poor, who has this? The middle-aged man went up and gave him another beating.

Well, yesterday the little girl committed suicide by drinking pesticide. Before she died, she clung tightly to her five-year-old son's arm. The middle-aged man tried everything but couldn't pry her hand off. The child couldn't move at all and has now passed out.

Just as things were getting tense, someone nearby reminded them that the dead man wasn't letting go because he had unfulfilled wishes.

After thinking it over, the middle-aged man went out to find someone to make paper houses, paper cars, and other things, so that the dead girl could fulfill her wish and let go of her son.

Upon hearing this, Old Liu realized it was a suicide, which was terrifying and a bad omen. He said, "That's even worse! You'd better leave! We don't take this job!"

The middle-aged man gritted his teeth and said, "I'll offer a hundred!"

One hundred dollars was a huge sum of money back then!

However, Old Liu was still unwilling, feeling that it wasn't worth getting a hundred yuan and getting himself into bad luck. But Su Sungua was tempted and ignored Old Liu's advice. He asked Old Liu to watch his things and followed the middle-aged man away happily.

When Su Sungua arrived at the middle-aged man's house, he had someone prepare a bunch of bamboo, rattan, and other materials. Then he strung together paper with all his might, and it took him a whole day and night to finish. The paper houses, beds, and the like were truly lifelike.

The middle-aged man then asked someone to burn paper. After finishing, he called out the dead girl's name and burned it on the spot. Strangely enough, as soon as it burned, the dead girl's hand loosened.

After watching the commotion, Su Sungua felt a surge of emotion. He took the money and strolled home, still thinking about treating Old Liu to a drink.

When he got home, it was just getting dark. He noticed that the light was on in his little house and wondered who was in there and what they were doing. He peeked inside and was shocked.

Guess what?

A table full of dishes was prepared inside, and a pretty girl was sitting next to him, smiling at him.

I like the novel "The Strongest Master in the City".