Chapter 161: Borrowing your head for a use

The wind by the water is strong.

The wind, carrying water vapor, slapped against the face; it was bone-chillingly cold and carried a damp scent. After sitting for a while, one's whole body felt as if it were soaked. Even the clothes on one's back were damp.

Chen Guanlou drank wine and invited the Daoist priest to have a sip as well.

The Daoist priest waved his hand, "Many thanks for the young friend's kindness. However, the matter is not yet finished, and it is not the time for drinking."

Hearing this, Chen Guanlou smiled, "What matter does the Daoist priest have? I wonder if I might be able to help?"

"You truly can help."

"What kind of help?"

"This poor Daoist wishes to borrow your head for a use; I wonder if the young friend would agree?"

"Hahaha..."

Chen Guanlou laughed out loud, "I never expected that so many people would be coveting this head of mine; it can be considered a rare commodity worth hoarding. Daoist priest, you do not cultivate the Dao in the mountains seeking longevity, but instead insist on coming down to get entangled in the dust and strife of the world—why suffer so? Even if the Dao Ancestor does not have a body sculpted in gold, I imagine he would not blame you."

"Infinite Longevity and Fortune! The young friend speaks with reason. However, this poor Daoist once made a vow before the Dao Ancestor to sculpt a golden body for him. Furthermore, this poor Daoist once owed someone a massive favor in his early years, and now the time has come to repay it. I ask the young friend not to make things difficult for this poor Daoist; why not let me take your head to repay the favor? On the day the Dao Ancestor's golden body is sculpted, this poor Daoist will certainly set up a spirit tablet for you and offer incense in your honor."

Chen Guanlou wore a mocking expression and laughed, "Daoist priest, you are truly making things difficult for people; how am I to handle this?"

"This matter is simple. If the young friend sits still, this poor Daoist's method of taking heads is extremely practiced; I guarantee you will not feel any pain."

"Daoist priest, were you a butcher in the past?" Chen Guanlou asked, pretending to be curious.

Who could have guessed that the Daoist priest nodded and admitted it, "Although I was not a proper butcher, it was not much different. This poor Daoist used to eat the rice of a soldier; that rice is not easy to eat, often undercooked. Fortunately, this poor Daoist met two noble people. The first noble person is no longer with us. The second noble person bestowed upon me the grace of saving my life and the grace of rebirth. You tell me, with such great grace, should it be repaid or not?"

"It should be repaid! It must be repaid! Since the Daoist priest values grace so much, why not use your own head to repay the favor? That would show sufficient sincerity. If the Daoist priest is worried that the head won't reach the benefactor, you can rest assured; I am willing to do it for you."

Chen Guanlou's suggestion was sincere and belonged to a feasible plan. Compared to the Daoist priest's plan of taking someone else's head to repay a favor, it was much more reliable.

The Daoist priest shook his head with regret, "It is a pity that this poor Daoist's head is worthless. However, the young friend's head is valuable—one thousand taels of gold; how expensive."

Chen Guanlou began to laugh, "After all that talk, even though you have become a Daoist priest, you still haven't changed your bloodthirsty nature from the army. You are an incompetent Daoist; you shouldn't be fishing here, you should return to the barracks and go back to your old trade."

As it happens, Jinzhou is currently at war; if you go to enlist, you would at least start as a small leader. With your abilities, you could rise in rank and get rich within a year.

I hear the rebels in Jinzhou have a large amount of treasure in their hands; the entire Jinzhou has been thoroughly looted by them. In just one year, you could obtain wealth several times greater than one thousand taels of gold—let alone sculpting one golden body, even if you sculpted eight or ten for the Dao Ancestor, you would still have some left over!"

The Daoist priest looked at the surging river water, "The young friend's opinion is very pertinent, but it is a pity that this poor Daoist once made a vow that in this lifetime, I would never eat the undercooked rice of a soldier again. Now, as long as I can obtain the young friend's head, I can sculpt a golden body for the Dao Ancestor. I hope the young friend will fulfill this."

Chen Guanlou sighed repeatedly, expressing great regret, "Daoist priest, why be so obsessed and not turn back? Are you not afraid of losing your life?"

"Since I reached adulthood, countless people have wanted this poor Daoist's head. To this day, this poor Daoist is still able to fish by the river. I wonder if the young friend's martial arts are as formidable as you boast."

Chen Guanlou laughed, pointing at the river surface, "Daoist priest, the boat is here; I must be going."

"Young friend, why must you make things difficult for this poor Daoist? Infinite Longevity and Fortune, this poor Daoist must borrow your head for a use right now!"

The words fell!

The blade came out!

All matters concluded, the boat traveled in the middle of the river.

A corpse floated past the ship's side, and the boatman exclaimed, "This world is becoming increasingly unstable. Who is so cruel as to not even spare a Daoist priest who has left the secular world?"

"It is a pity that a perfectly good Daoist priest ended up in the belly of a fish." Chen Guanlou, carrying his large blade on his back, walked into the cabin, "Boatman, if you sympathize with that Daoist, why not bring the corpse to the shore, dig a pit, and bury it?"

"Cannot, cannot. A dead ghost who dies in the river ending up in the belly of a fish is the way of Heaven and Earth. I am merely a boatman; how can I interfere with the life and death of others?"

"That makes sense."

The boat docked.

Chen Guanlou paid the fare and looked back at the boatman, "You've worked hard!"

"Not hard, not hard, go well, honored guest."

Chen Guanlou waved his hand; as if he had grown a pair of eyes on his back, the flying dart aimed at him suddenly stopped in mid-air, and then flew directly back, burying itself deep into the boatman's neck.

The boatman clutched his neck, dying without ever understanding how all of this had happened.

Bang!

The corpse collapsed onto the deck, and the boat, carried by the river water, drifted in the current. A wave hit, the boat capsized and sank, and everything vanished without a trace.

On the way, having changed his appearance several times, Chen Guanlou finally shook off the tail behind him.

He traveled through famous mountains and great rivers, searching for so-called martial arts masters, but in reality, he was inquiring about the origins of Mount Wanfeng. Just as the old man of the Hu family said, many people had never even heard of Mount Wanfeng, let alone understood it. The few who had heard of it only knew fragments of information.

This was an extremely secretive sect that occasionally appeared in the martial arts world.

Seeing that the accounts were about to be closed for the New Year, Chen Guanlou had no choice but to give up his inquiries and hurry back to the capital.

After resting for a day, he ended his leave and returned to work.

The two Master Fans were very happy to see him return on schedule.

Especially Little Master Fan, who had recently become very close with Chen Guanxin. Chen Guanxin had no other skills, but when it came to eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling, there wasn't a place in the entire capital he didn't know about.

Led by him, Little Master Fan had truly opened his eyes during this period.

Little Master Fan issued an order: in view of Chen Guanxin's excellent performance, he did not need to go down to the Heavenly Prison on ordinary days. However, not a single cent of the money he was entitled to share could be missing. If a person came, they had to occupy a quota.

Xiao Jin was an old hand and didn't want to cause trouble, so he instigated Qian Fugui to lodge a complaint.

Qian Fugui was hesitant, looking as if he had something to say but stopped himself.

Chen Guanlou raised his eyebrows slightly, "If you have something to say, just say it. Have you forgotten my previous instructions? There is no need to be so cautious and careful in front of me. I am not a petty person who holds grudges. In the long time we have spent together, have you ever seen me retaliate against anyone?"

Company Commander Shi was unconvinced!

Qian Fugui gave an awkward laugh, "It's like this: while Chen Tou was away, Li Xin didn't just curry favor with Little Master Fan. He also colluded with the imprisoned officials, saying he had connections to help them conduct business. He seems to want to steal your business, Chen Tou."

Chen Guanlou was truly a bit surprised, "Did he succeed in any business?"

"The time was too short, and the imprisoned officials didn't trust him. However, there is no guarantee that in the future, some imprisoned official won't find him to sell antiques, calligraphy, and paintings. Chen Tou, shouldn't we guard against this? Li Xin is a newcomer and truly doesn't understand the rules."

"I know about this matter. You go down first; I will handle it." ===== CHAPTER 162 =====