Chapter 227: Seems I Forgot Something

"You have committed no evil; why should I arrest you?" Xu Yuan rolled his eyes and asked again, "I am curious: after transforming into a zombie, how have you managed to remain clear-minded for so many years without fully degenerating into an evil spirit?"

"This..." Tian Jing was somewhat reluctant to speak: "It is not that I do not wish to tell my lord, but the one who taught me this method made me swear an oath never to reveal it."

"Someone else taught you? Who?"

"This, I can speak of," Tian Jing said. "It was an old mountain runner from a village in Ghost Wushan."

"This method has been passed down through their generations. Their village still exists. He has an adopted son named Bai Laoyan, who learned the skill from him and is now a mountain runner as well..."

Xu Yuan immediately laughed: "So it was him."

Then there was even less of a problem.

Tian Jing was puzzled: "Does my lord know him?"

"I know him; we are considered friends."

Tian Jing also laughed: "What a coincidence indeed."

The dragon spoke from the side: "In a few more days, once my soul stabilizes a bit more, we will leave here and go to Ghost Wushan, so as not to leave trouble for my lord."

Tian Jing presented a jade bottle, saying, "This crafted object is offered to my lord; I only ask that after we depart, my lord could look after this village."

The golden man had merely been frozen by ice arrows and was already beginning to melt slowly.

Once it has completely melted, this crafted object can still be used normally.

But Xu Yuan did not accept it.

This item came from an official ship; if he took it out and used it, the news might leak, which would be trouble.

"Looking after the village is no problem, but the reward is unnecessary."

Tian Jing had just praised, "My lord's high righteousness," when Xu Yuan suddenly changed his tone and said, "However... has Lady Fu Shuanghui's 'Dragon Transformation Method' been preserved?"

The man and the dragon exchanged a glance; they did not want the golden man but rather the 'Dragon Transformation Method'.

They had thought he truly wanted nothing at all.

The dragon spoke: "There is no 'Dragon Transformation Method'. After Lady Fu Shuanghui died, her body exploded, and everything was shattered into pieces."

Xu Yuan felt a wave of disappointment, though the 'Dragon Transformation Method' was merely an added bonus.

This journey had already yielded a great profit: a pair of Dragon-Slaying Swords, a theatrical puppet, a fishing net, and that piece of turtle-shell material.

Immediately after, the dragon said, "However, there is Lady Fu Shuanghui's soul; you can find a way to interrogate the soul yourself."

Xu Yuan was delighted and looked at the dragon, who smiled mischievously.

Xu Yuan pouted; never mind. In consideration of the 'Dragon Transformation Method', this official will not hold it against you.

"Is there no 'Thread-Pulling Method' within Lady Fu Shuanghui's soul?"

"There is," the dragon said. "But my Void Swallowing can isolate the influence of the Thread-Pulling Method."

As it spoke, it spat out a dark yellow, semi-transparent bead.

Xu Yuan took it; inside was sealed the soul of Lady Fu Shuanghui, her face expressionless.

Xu Yuan put away the bead, planning in his heart to return home.

This matter could only be entrusted to Uncle Mao Si with peace of mind.

The spiritual cultivators of the Purification Bureau must not handle it.

"Then this official takes his leave," Xu Yuan clasped his hands.

Tian Jing hurriedly bowed in farewell: "May my lord have a safe journey."

The dragon also lowered its head slightly.

Xu Yuan waved his hand: "This official often goes to Ghost Wushan; perhaps we shall meet again in the future."

After Xu Yuan left, the dragon and Tian Jing returned to the bottom of the sky pit. The dragon's body shrank, and together they entered the cave at the pit's base.

The dragon shook its head and smiled bitterly: "Pack up your things. We have been lying low here for two hundred years; suddenly leaving, I find I am somewhat reluctant..."

Xu Yuan had walked two li when he felt something seemed to have been forgotten.

After walking another half li, he slapped his forehead: "Oh no! I forgot Wan Yun!"

Xu Yuan immediately turned back.

Tian Jing was dragging heavy wooden crates out from several other caves at the bottom of the sky pit.

"You swallowed them all, making it convenient for us to take to Ghost Wushan," Tian Jing said gleefully. "Even if we go to Ghost Wushan, we will be two wealthy gentlemen among the evil spirits; perhaps we will even secure a spot on Guanghuo Street..."

The wooden crates were filled with fine goods.

Tian Jing had plundered several official ships; only a few of the items were needed to revive the dragon, while most of the precious supplies had been stored away by him.

The dragon opened its mouth—but suddenly heard a cheerful voice from above: "Greetings, you two; we meet again."

The man and the dragon looked up to see a head sticking out from the pit mouth far above.

Who else could it be but Lord Xu?

Both of them wore bitter expressions.

Although the distance from here to the pit mouth was a full hundred zhang, and although the pit below was pitch black, neither of them would foolishly hope that Lord Xu had seen nothing.

Those hundred-plus large crates all bore the stamp of the Imperial Ming Bureau!

The dragon and Tian Jing came up together, smiling awkwardly: "My lord has returned."

"I said so; we would meet again," Xu Yuan felt no embarrassment at all: "I forgot to ask something earlier. I have a group of colleagues; are they dead or alive?"

Tian Jing secretly felt relieved.

Lord Xu's tone was rather unfriendly.

Beneath the smile, a certain distance was already hidden.

"I did not kill them," Tian Jing hurriedly said. "I did not kill a single one; I merely locked them up."

Then Tian Jing immediately revealed the location of their imprisonment.

Wan Yun's group possessed no skill; after being trapped by the dragon's 'Void Swallowing', they one by one fell unconscious shortly thereafter.

Tian Jing captured them and locked them in a cave.

"I'll call a little creature to take you there," Tian Jing said cautiously.

Xu Yuan did not care at all whether Wan Yun lived or died; in fact, it would be better if he were dead.

But it was best if the Captains under his command remained alive.

Xu Yuan nodded: "There is no rush; let us first discuss the goods on those official ships below."

Both the man and the flood dragon felt a jolt in their hearts; it had come to this after all.

"My lord..." Tian Jing said bitterly, "What share do you want?"

Xu Yuan glared at him: "In your eyes, am I no different from those other corrupt officials of the Huang Ming?"

"I dare not," Tian Jing quickly lowered his head and clasped his hands.

Yet inwardly he thought: If you didn't want to take anything, why bring this up?

Xu Yuan snorted: "You are heading to Ghost Wushan; how do you plan to handle these goods?"

"This..." Tian Jing refused to speak the truth: "I haven't thought it through yet."

Xu Yuan wore an expression of disappointment, as if scolding iron that refused to become steel: "If you keep money in your hands, it is dead money! You must find a way to make money breed money!

The same logic applies: what use is keeping these goods in your hands? You must exchange them for what you truly need; you must conduct trade!"

Tian Jing was stunned; what he said was... what exactly do you mean?

"I have heard that within Ghost Wushan, there is a Guanghuo Street..."

Both the man and the flood dragon were dumbfounded: Could my lord be the roundworm living in our bellies?

No, I am a zombie and it is a flood dragon; roundworms do not grow in our bellies.

Xu Yuan then meticulously planned for them how to set up a shop, how to use low prices to attract buyers, and so on.

These were actually taught by Zhang Laoya.

After speaking at length, Xu Yuan's mouth was dry; he untied his waterskin and gulped down several mouthfuls.

"Do you understand?"

"I understand."

"Then let us proceed thus." After a pause, Xu Yuan said with a sheepish expression: "Since I have offered you my counsel, I must surely take a share of the profits from this business, must I not?"

Tian Jing thought inwardly: What difference is there between this and taking it directly?

What Xu Yuan wanted was not primarily silver, but the Dao of commerce that this would bring.

As Tian Jing pondered what share was appropriate, the flood dragon already spoke up: "My lord shall take fifty percent of the profits."

Xu Yuan immediately smiled until his eyes vanished, hypocritically refusing: "Oh, oh, how could I possibly accept that? It is too much, too much..."

Tian Jing then sighed: "It is settled thus; my lord, please do not refuse any further."

He too spoke hypocritically: "If my lord had not pointed out a clear path for us, we truly would not have known what to do."

(End of this chapter)