txolops Chapter 84 The Night Visitor, Two Dollars to Buy a Life
Chapter 84 The Night Visitor, Two Dollars to Buy a Life
Chapter 84 The Night Visitor, Two Dollars to Buy a Life
The streets and alleys the next day.
The people's faces showed less of the past sorrow and more of the vigorous anticipation for the future.
The 30,000 shi of grain from Master Zhao's family actually went into the rice bins of poor people, which was more heartwarming than any empty teachings of saints.
In the back hall of the Demon Suppression Division, Gu Yan sat cross-legged with his eyes closed.
The City God's seal in his arms was burning hot like a branding iron, continuously transmitting a gentle power.
That is the will of the people, the most precious and profound force in the world.
Deep within Gu Yan's dantian, the first drop of liquid mana, which originally required months of arduous cultivation to condense, had already taken shape.
It was a drop of golden liquid, suspended in the center of the dantian, like the rising sun illuminating the originally gray dantian.
He had silently stepped over the threshold of the Foundation Establishment stage.
"As expected of a sacred path of incense offerings, it is truly domineering to the extreme."
Gu Yan slowly opened his eyes, a golden light flashing briefly in the depths of his pupils.
If he were to follow the orthodox cultivation methods of the Flowing Cloud Sect, even if he possessed four spiritual roots, it would still take him at least three to five years of painstaking effort to reach this stage.
But now, simply using someone else's flower to present to Buddha, doing a good deed that goes with the flow, is equivalent to years of arduous cultivation.
The thrill of taking a shortcut can easily lead one astray.
But he also understood that the incense was the power that the people gave to Gu Qingtian. If one day he was no longer Qingtian, the incense would turn into the most poisonous karmic fire and burn him to ashes.
"Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Wu Decai may not understand this principle, but I do."
Gu Yan stood up and opened the window.
Outside the window, Xiao Chen was practicing his sword in the courtyard.
His swordsmanship has changed. He no longer pursues sharpness and killing as he did before. His swordsmanship now contains more roundness and a sense of protection.
Clearly, the cheers of the people last night deeply moved this swordsman who was devoted to the Dao.
"Good morning, Lord Gu."
Xiao Chen sheathed his sword, his forehead beaded with sweat, his eyes unusually bright. "I have reported last night's events to the sect as you requested. I admire your unconventional approach."
"Senior brother, you flatter me."
Gu Yan smiled, resuming his humble and gentle demeanor. "I just did what I was supposed to do. It's just—"
He changed the subject, looking in the direction of the county government office with a playful look in his eyes, "Our local official probably didn't sleep well at all last night."
Gu Yan is right.
In the back room of the county government office, Wu Decai indeed did not sleep all night.
The finest pre-rain Longjing tea that he usually loved to drink tasted as bitter as bitter melon juice in his mouth.
"Rebellion! Rebellion! They've all rebelled!"
Wu Decai paced back and forth in the lobby, his obese body resembling a restless, trapped beast.
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The ground was a mess, littered with shattered porcelain shards.
"That Gu Changsheng, how dare he?! How dare he open the Zhao family's granary directly?!"
Wu Decai roared, his eyes bloodshot.
This is not just a matter of losing face.
Master Zhao was not only his moneybag, but also the key link connecting him to the person above.
Now that Master Zhao is dead and his family fortune has been scattered, it's as if his source of income has been cut off, and he has also trampled the entire Changning County government underfoot.
If everyone acted like Gu Changsheng, disregarding rules and the exchange of benefits, and simply overturned the table, how would these officials make money? How would they maintain their dignity?
"Sir, please calm down, please calm down."
The advisor, sporting dark circles under his eyes, cautiously advised, "Although Gu Changsheng is arrogant, he is, after all, a member of the Flowing Cloud Sect, and we really can't do anything about him. However—"
The advisor lowered his voice, a sinister glint in his eyes, "Didn't you already send a message to that official? As long as that official takes action, even if Gu Changsheng has three heads and six arms, he will die without a burial place."
Wu Decai's expression softened slightly upon mentioning that official.
Blood River Sect.
That was one of the most notorious and ruthless sects in Yong'an County, and also Wu Decai's true backer.
Although colluding with the demonic sect is a heinous crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family, in this world where poverty is mocked but prostitution is not, who cares about whether the methods are dirty or not?
As long as I can keep my official hat, as long as I can get promoted and make money, what does it matter if I sell my soul to the devil?
"But why hasn't that person arrived yet?"
Wu Decai glanced at the already bright sky outside the window, feeling uneasy. "Logically speaking, given that lord's abilities, a reply should have arrived long ago."
Just then, a draft blew through the room.
The doors and windows, which were originally closed, suddenly opened by themselves without any wind, making a "creaking" sound.
The candles in the lobby went out, and a suffocating stench of blood rushed in like a tide, instantly filling every corner.
"Who?!"
Wu Decai was so frightened that his fat body trembled, and he subconsciously shrank behind the clerk.
The advisor was so frightened that his legs trembled and he couldn't even speak.
In the dim shadows, a dark figure had somehow appeared and was now standing on the desk.
It was a man dressed in tight-fitting night clothes, wearing a demon mask with fangs painted on his face, and two short blades hanging at his waist.
He carried the murderous aura unique to demonic cultivators, sending chills down one's spine.
This is the high-level paper doll that Gu Yan created after upgrading the Yin Iron Rakshasa, which he hadn't used for a long time. It is codenamed "Seven Kills".
.
To make it look realistic, Gu Yan specially attached a wisp of pure demonic energy from the Blood River Sect's clone to the paper figure, making it look like a genuine demonic cultivator.
"Lord Wu, were you waiting for me?"
Qi Sha looked down at Wu Decai, his voice dry and hoarse, like sandpaper grinding against bones.
Wu Decai was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed.
He recognized the unique bloodthirsty aura; it was the hallmark of the Blood River Sect.
"It's the envoy! You've finally arrived!"
Wu Decai, as if seeing a savior, scrambled over and knelt before the official's desk. "I've been waiting for you like the stars and the moon! That Gu Changsheng is simply outrageous! You must do me justice!"
Qi Sha ignored his pleas and gracefully jumped off the table, circling Wu Decai like an elegant black cat.
"The sect leader is very angry."
Qi Sha said coldly, "The supplies you promised were not only not delivered, but were instead used by that little Taoist priest to win people's hearts. Wu Decai, you have a lot of nerve."
"Injustice! Injustice!"
Wu Decai was so frightened that he kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead thumping against the bluestone slabs. "This was all done by that Gu Changsheng! I was a victim too! He not only stole the grain, but also killed Master Zhao. I couldn't stop him at all!"
"waste."
Qi Sha kicked Wu Decai in the shoulder, sending the 300-pound fat man tumbling over.
"The sect leader said that Gu Changsheng must die tonight. But—"
Qi Sha squatted down, the demon mask almost touching Wu Decai's face, the painted eyes glowing with a ghostly green light.
"Since the Zhao family's share is gone, you'll have to pay for the murder."
"I'll pay! I'll pay!"
Wu Decai nodded hastily, as if grasping at a last straw, "As long as that Gu fellow can be killed, this official is willing to offer ten thousand taels—no, twenty thousand taels of silver!"
"silver?"
Qi Sha scoffed, his laughter filled with disdain. "Lord Wu, are you trying to fob me off like a beggar? When have the people of my Blood River Sect ever needed such mundane things?"
Wu Decai's heart skipped a beat: "Then—what does the envoy mean?"
"I want that thing in your private stash."
Qi Sha's deep voice exploded in Wu Decai's ears like a thunderclap, "That piece of extraterrestrial meteorite iron, and that three-hundred-year-old Blood Spirit Mushroom."
Wu Decai's face turned deathly pale, devoid of any color.
That was all the wealth he had amassed over half a lifetime!
That was his last trump card, which he had prepared to use to pave the way for himself, hoping to one day embark on the path to immortality!
This news was kept extremely secret; even the advisor didn't know about it. How did the Blood River Sect find out?
"What? You can't bear to part with it?"
The short blade from one of the Seven Assassins was already drawn, its cold edge pressed against Wu Decai's thick carotid artery. "Money can be earned back, but life is gone forever. Gu Changsheng is in the Demon Suppression Division now, and as far as I know, he's already investigating your accounts. Do you think you can live past tomorrow?"
This sentence became the last straw that broke the camel's back.
Wu Decai trembled, and the greed in his eyes was ultimately defeated by fear.
"Give it to me—I'll give it to you!"
He gritted his teeth, his heart bleeding, "If I can see Gu Changsheng's head tonight, I will offer it up with both hands!"
"very good."
Qi Sha sheathed his short blade, patted Wu Decai's fat face, which was covered in cold sweat, and made a contemptuous gesture as if he were patting an obedient dog.
"Lead the way."
Fifteen minutes later.
Wu Decai dismissed his attendants and shakily opened a hidden door in the study.
Behind the hidden door was a secret room of less than ten square meters.
Although the secret room was small, it was filled with precious light.
Several boxes of gold bars were casually piled in the corner, and calligraphy and paintings by famous people hung on the wall. On the altar in the center, there was a sandalwood box and a dark stone that gleamed with starlight.
When Gu Yan saw this scene through the paper figure's perspective, he couldn't help but whistle in his heart.
"Good heavens, this Fatty Wu is really something, taking in but not giving out. The quality of this meteorite iron is even better than the previous piece of Gengjin, enough to upgrade my paper doll core again."
As for the Blood Spirit Mushroom, it is one of the auxiliary ingredients for refining the Foundation Establishment Pill. Although Gu Yan plans to follow the path of incense and deity and does not need the Foundation Establishment Pill, this thing is still a top-quality commodity, whether for sale or for further body tempering.
Qi Sha showed no mercy and waved his sleeve.
A flash of black light appeared, and the two treasures on the offering table disappeared, stored in a specially made storage bag.
"I'll accept the things."
Qi Sha turned around, his back to Wu Decai, and said in a chilling tone, "Open the county government gates at midnight tonight. I will bring you Gu Changsheng's head."
"Yes, yes, yes! Thank you, envoy! Thank you, sect leader!"
Wu Decai looked at the empty offering table, his heart aching so much he could hardly breathe. But when he thought that his thorn in his side was about to die, a morbid pleasure appeared on his face.
"Gu Changsheng, you used my money to buy people's hearts, and I'll use my money to buy your life! This is called karma!"
Qi Sha ignored the corrupt official who had gone mad and turned into a wisp of black smoke, disappearing outside the secret chamber.
The headquarters of the Demon Suppression Division.
Gu Yan opened his eyes and took out an exquisite little paper figure from his storage bag.
As the incantation changed, the little paper figure opened its mouth and spat out the piece of extraterrestrial meteorite iron and the blood spirit mushroom.
"Tsk tsk, this assassin is really something, making a killing on both sides, it's incredibly lucrative."
Gu Yan toyed with the heavy meteorite iron, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
Wu Decai probably never dreamed that the assassin he hired with most of his life savings was actually the person he was supposed to kill.
The feeling of being both referee and player, and even part-time executioner, is simply wonderful.
"Sir, is there anything good happening?"
Outside the door, Song Hong pushed it open and entered, carrying a steaming bowl of lotus seed soup. "Look at that wicked grin on your face, who are you plotting against now?"
Gu Yan quickly put away the treasure, his face switching to that honest and simple expression.
"Senior sister is joking. I have no bad intentions whatsoever."
He took the lotus seed soup, sighed, and said, "I was just thinking that our magistrate will probably have trouble sleeping again tonight."
"Oh?"
Song Hong raised an eyebrow, her red dress blazing like fire, her eyes sparkling. "Could it be that you, sir, have some new ideas?"
Gu Yan took a sip of lotus seed soup, its sweet and glutinous texture filling her throat.
He raised his head, looking at the setting sun outside the window, and said softly, "It wasn't me who did it; it was that demonic cultivator who was about to take advantage of the situation to cause trouble again."
Tonight at midnight.
Since Wu Decai has handed over all his wealth as a life-saving fee, wouldn't it make the Blood River Sect seem untrustworthy if Gu Yan didn't take his life?
After all, this money to buy life wasn't for Gu Changsheng's life, but for Wu Decai's own.
The deal is done, and there has been no deception of the young or old.
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