Chapter 749: Bai Lang's Money

"Oh, so that's how you get killed," Bai Lang said, curious; he wanted to see what his own death would be—he had never actually died. "This way of dying is a bit plain," Bai Lang said, looking at the script's description, which only said "died by a sword piercing the chest." Bai Lang has killed many people, so of course he has also thought about his own…

"I am a failure, I hardly pay any attention to whether the sun is shining or not, because I have no time.

"My parents can't support me, my education isn't high, and I wander alone in the city looking for a future.

"I've applied for many jobs, but none have hired me; perhaps no one likes someone who is not good at speaking, doesn't like to interact, and hasn't shown enough ability.

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"I went three whole days eating only two pieces of bread; hunger kept me from sleeping at night. Fortunately, I paid a month's rent in advance, so I can keep living in that dark basement without having to go outside and endure the unusually cold winter wind.

"Finally, I found a job, night‑watch at a hospital, guarding the morgue.

"The hospital at night is colder than I imagined; the corridor wall lights aren't lit, everything is dim, and I can only rely on the faint light leaking from the rooms to see my feet.

"The smell there is foul; from time to time a corpse is shoved into a body bag and delivered, and we help move it into the morgue.

"It's not a great job, but at least it lets me afford bread, and the idle night hours can be used for study. After all, few people want to go to the morgue unless a body needs to be delivered or taken away for cremation. Of course, I still don't have enough money to buy books, and I see no hope of saving up.

"I have to thank my former coworker; if he hadn't quit suddenly, I might not have gotten this job at all.

"I dream of rotating to work during the day; now I always sleep when the sun rises and get up when night falls, leaving my body a bit weak, and my head occasionally throbs.

"One day, the movers brought in a new corpse.

"I heard from others that this is the former coworker who quit suddenly.

"I was a bit curious about him; after everyone left, I pulled out the cabinet and quietly opened the body bag.

"He was an old man, his face blue‑white, covered in wrinkles, looking terrifying under the very dim light.

"He had little hair, most of it turned white; all his clothes were stripped, not even a scrap of fabric left on him.

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"I saw a strange mark on his chest, bluish‑black; I can't describe its exact shape, the light was simply too dim.

"I reached out and touched the mark; nothing special.

"Looking at this former coworker, I wondered, if I keep going like this, when I grow old, will I end up like him…

"I told him, tomorrow I'll accompany him to the crematorium and personally take his ashes to the nearest free cemetery, so those in charge won't find it troublesome and just dump them in a river or wasteland.

"That will cost me a morning of sleep, but it's fine; Sunday is coming, I can make it up.

"After saying that, I prepared the body bag again and shoved it back into the cabinet.

"The light in the room seemed even dimmer…

"After that day, every time I sleep, I always dream of a vast fog.

"I have a premonition that something will happen soon, that sooner or later some thing that may not even be called human will come looking for me, but no one believes me, thinking that in such an environment and job my mind has become abnormal and I need to see a doctor…

A male patron sitting at the bar looked toward the narrator, who had suddenly stopped.

"And then?"

The male patron was in his thirties, wearing a coarse brown woolen jacket and light‑yellow trousers, his hair slicked flat, and he had a simple dark round hat at his side.

He looked ordinary, like most people in the tavern, black hair, light‑blue eyes, neither handsome nor ugly, lacking any distinct features.

In his eyes, the narrator was an eighteen‑ or nineteen‑year‑old youth, tall and slender, also with short black hair and light‑blue eyes, but with sharply defined features that caught the eye.

The young man looked at the empty glass before him, sighed, and said:

"And then?"

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"Then I quit my job, returned to the countryside, and came here to brag to you."

As he spoke, a smile spread across his face, a somewhat mischievous smile.

The male patron was taken aback for a moment:

"Were those things you just said just bragging?"

"Ha ha." A burst of laughter erupted around the bar.

As the laughter subsided slightly, a gaunt middle‑aged man looked at the slightly embarrassed patron and said:

"Outsider, you actually believe Lu Mian's story? He tells a different tale every day; yesterday he was a hapless fellow whose fiancée broke off the engagement because of poverty, and today he's become a morgue guard!"

"Right, he keeps saying he's spent thirty years on the east side of the Sai Lun Zuo River, thirty years on the west side, just spouting nonsense!" another regular tavern patron added.

They are all farmers from the large settlement of Ke Er Du, wearing short jackets in black, gray, or brown.

The black‑haired youth called Lu Mian propped himself on the bar with both hands, rose slowly, and said with a grin:

"You know, I didn't write these stories; they're all written by my sister. She loves writing stories and is a columnist for something like 'Novel Weekly.'"

After speaking, he turned his body, spread his hands toward the outsider, and said brightly:

"Seems she writes quite well.

"Sorry for the misunderstanding.

The man in the coarse brown woolen jacket, whose appearance was ordinary, didn't get angry; he stood up and replied with a smile:

"A very interesting story.

"What should I call you?"

"Isn't it common sense to introduce yourself before asking others?" Lu Mian laughed.

The outsider nodded:

"My name is Lai En Kos.

"These two are my companions Walentai and Li Ya.

The latter sentence refers to the man and woman sitting beside them.

The man was twenty‑seven or twenty‑eight, his yellow hair dusted with a bit of powder, his not‑large eyes a shade deeper than lake‑blue, wearing a white vest, a blue fine‑wool coat and black trousers, clearly having taken care in his appearance before leaving.

He wore a rather cold expression, barely looking at the surrounding farmers and herders.

The woman appeared younger than the two men, her long light‑gray hair tied into an intricate bun, with a white veil wrapped around it serving as a hat.

Her eyes were the same color as her hair, and the look she gave Lu Mian Li carried an unabashed smile; the recent events seemed only amusing to her.

Under the tavern's gas wall lamp, the woman named Liya displayed a pretty nose and gracefully curved lips; in a countryside like Kelerdu Village she was certainly a beauty.

She wore a white, seamless cashmere bodysuit, a cream‑colored jacket, and a pair of Marseille long boots; a veil and the boots each had a small silver bell tied to them, and as she entered the tavern she jingled all the way, drawing great attention and making many men stare.

In their eyes, this must be the fashionable attire only found in big cities like Shengfu Bi Ge Er or the capital Trill.

Lu Mian Li nodded at the three outsiders.

"My name is Lu Mian Li; you can just call me Lu Mian."

"Li?" Liya blurted out.

"What's wrong, is there a problem with my surname?" Lu Mian asked curiously.

Lain Kos explained to Liya:

"Your surname is terrifying; I almost couldn't control my voice just now."

Seeing the surrounding farmers and herders with puzzled faces, he added:

"Anyone who's dealt with sailors or merchants knows that a saying spreads across the Five Seas:

"Better to encounter those pirate generals or even kings than to meet a man named Frank Li.

"That person's surname is also Li."

"Is he scary?" Lu Mian asked.

Lain shook his head:

"I'm not sure, but if such a legend exists, it can't be harmless."

He stopped the topic and said to Lu Mian:

"Thanks for the story; it deserves a drink. What would you like?"

"A glass of 'Green Fairy'." Lu Mian said bluntly and sat down again.

Lain Kos frowned slightly and said:

"'Green Fairy'… absinthe?"

"I think I should warn you, absinthe is harmful to the body; it can cause mental disorder and hallucinations."

"I didn't expect Trill's trend to have reached here," Liya added with a smile.

Lu Mian let out an "Oh":

"So people from Trill also like the 'Green Fairy'…

"For us, life is already hard enough; we don't need to worry about a little extra harm—this drink lets our spirits relax even more."

"Fine." Lain sat back, looked at the bartender, "One 'Green Fairy', and add a 'Spicy Heart' for me."

"Spicy Heart" is a famous fruit brandy.

"Why don't you give me a 'Green Fairy' too? I was the one who told you the truth just now, and I could recount this kid's situation verbatim!" the first gaunt middle‑aged man who exposed Lu Mian's daily storytelling shouted in displeasure, "Outsider, I can see you still doubt the story's truth!"

"Pierre, you'd do anything just to get a free drink!" Lu Mian replied loudly.

Before Lain could decide, Lu Mian added:

"Why can't I tell it myself? Then I could have another 'Green Fairy'."

"Because they don't know whether to believe what you say." The middle‑aged man named Pierre said smugly, "Your sister's favorite story for children is 'The Wolf Is Coming'; a perpetual liar inevitably loses credibility."

"Fine." Lu Mian shrugged, watching the bartender push a pale green drink in front of him.

Lain looked at him and asked:

"Is that okay?"

"No problem, as long as your wallet can cover the cost of the drinks." Lu Mian was indifferent.

"Then another 'Green Fairy'." Lain nodded.

Pierre's face lit up instantly:

"Generous outsider, this kid is the village's biggest prankster; you'd better keep your distance."

"Five years ago, his sister Ao Luo Er brought him back to the village and he never left. Think about it—back then he was only thirteen, how could he have gone to the hospital to be a corpse keeper? The nearest hospital is Da Lie Ri down the mountain; it takes a whole afternoon to get there."

"Brought back to the village?" Liya asked sharply.

She turned her head slightly, the jingling sound echoing.

Pierre nodded.

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"Then he followed Ao Luo Er's surname 'Li', and even the name 'Lu Mian' was given by Ao Luo Er."

"I've forgotten what he was originally called." Lu Mian took a sip of absinthe and said with a grin.

It seems he isn't at all embarrassed or ashamed that his past has been exposed like this.