Chapter 109: Three Evils by the River

In the waters completely surrounded by boats, Lu Ping floated half his body above the surface, looking at Xu Qing, who had jumped into the water right behind him, with a half-smile.

The latter wore an equally harmless smile.

Several corpse-retrievers standing on the surrounding boats watching the scene were clearly used to this.

"Young man, it's still time to regret this. Once you're in the water, the outcome won't be up to you!" an old hand on a boat called out to remind him.

Xu Qing seemed not to catch the other's implied meaning; he glanced around and said, "You're blocking me here simply because you want the money I'm hiding, to get a share. If you truly meant to help me, why wouldn't you be willing to move the boat beneath you and leave me a path to escape?"

"Kind words can't persuade a doomed ghost; Old Song, why bother persuading him anymore!"

Lu Ping had never seen such an arrogant young man; today he had finally met one.

Xu Qing chuckled; these corpse-retrievers before him were clearly all on the same path, all breathing through the same nostril.

However, if the other side truly followed the rules and was willing to gamble, he would be happy to continue muddying the waters and retrieving corpses within the corpse-retriever team.

If they didn't follow the rules

He could still retrieve corpses!

Submerging into the water, Xu Qing sat cross-legged, his expression quite relaxed; his appearance was just like a Zen master in a great temple practicing concentration, steady as an old dog.

Seeing that the other hadn't even held his breath before diving straight in, Lu Ping felt even more contempt in his heart.

After all, he was just a greenhorn, full of empty bravado but lacking any experience in the Jianghu.

Snorting coldly, Lu Ping's chest seemed like a bellows; as he inhaled and exhaled, large gulps of air rushed in, and his chest visibly swelled.

Holding his breath and sinking to the riverbed, Lu Ping grabbed water weeds with both hands to fix his position, sitting opposite Xu Qing.

Ripples surged on the water's surface as several corpse-retrievers poked their heads out to peer into the deep, dark depths below.

About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea passed, and a corpse-retriever exclaimed in surprise, "This kid can hold his breath quite well; will Master Lu really lose?"

Old Song spoke up, "This is nothing yet. When Master Lu was in the Jianghu, he learned a breath-holding technique; he can stay underwater for at least the time it takes to burn an incense stick. Just wait; this kid won't last long."

After the time it took to burn an incense stick.

Old Song stared fixedly at the water surface while the corpse-retrievers around him looked at each other in confusion.

This, this isn't right, is it?

Underwater, Lu Ping's face was tense, his ten fingers clenched tight, looking as if he had suffered from constipation for years.

He stared fixedly at the youth sitting quietly not far in front of him; amidst his surprise and confusion, a hint of impatience and panic arose in his heart.

Exhaling the last string of bubbles, the air in Lu Ping's lungs was already completely exhausted.

He looked at Xu Qing, seeing only a smile lingering on the other's lips, but not a single bubble rising from his mouth.

No wonder this dull kid wasn't afraid of the duel; it turned out the other knew a breath-holding technique too, and an even more superior one than his.

Lu Ping's thoughts raced; he narrowed his eyes slightly and silently untied a pig's bladder filled with air from his waist.

Then, right in front of Xu Qing, he sucked the bladder, which had swelled into a ball, flat into a pancake.

You don't even care about your face anymore, do you?

Watching Lu Ping cheating so blatantly, Xu Qing finally showed some emotional fluctuation.

He untied the pig's bladder from his own waist, used the string at the opening to tie a river stone, and threw it to Lu Ping.

The meaning was clear: Even if I let you have two pig's bladders, what can you do about it?

Lu Ping's face flushed red; he finally realized that the other simply didn't take him seriously at all!

Amidst shame and rage, Lu Ping stomped on the pig's bladder before him, crushing it, causing a gush of bubbles to spray out.

His expression turned fierce and cruel; he took the corpse-retriever rope from his waist and pretended to lasso it over Xu Qing's head.

Facing the underwater bandit who had revealed his vicious nature, Xu Qing formed his fingers into an orchid shape and smiled as he faced the enemy head-on.

Lu Ping didn't know what the youth intended by making such a seductive pose; surely he wasn't trying to seduce him with his charms.

He continued forward until he saw Xu Qing flick his fingers lightly, and only then did he react when sharp stings struck three spots on his own chest, neck, and between his eyebrows.

Unfortunately, by then everything was already settled.

Just now, when Xu Qing held his fingers like an orchid and flicked at Lu Ping, what he sent wasn't an ordinary object, but three plum blossom needles steeped in cold poison.

Gazing at Lu Ping, who had instantly died, Xu Qing slightly tugged the three loops of red thread wrapped between his fingers, pulling the corpse that was trying to float to the surface back towards him.

Dragging Lu Ping's corpse to his front, Xu Qing glanced over and saw that where the plum blossom needles had pierced, a layer of blood mist and frost had formed, exactly like blooming plum blossoms.

Flicking his fingers to retrieve the plum blossom needles, taking advantage of the moment while Lu Ping's corpse was floating up, Xu Qing surged out of the water a step ahead.

Countless waves splashed around him.

The several corpse-retrievers staring at the water surface were caught off guard and all fell backward on their backs.

Before they could regain their senses, seven or eight poison needles had already pierced through the splashing water, shooting towards their vital points.

By the time the water splashes in the air fell, only several corpses lay crookedly on the boat deck.

Xu Qing landed on his own awning boat; only then did Lu Ping, who had died in the water, finally float to the surface.

While the corpses were still warm, Xu Qing dared not delay; starting with Lu Ping, he activated the Return to Origin Art to squeeze out their remaining value one by one.

Half a year of cultivation, one year of cultivation, two or three months of cultivation

Although not much, the quantity made up for it!

This time, Xu Qing gained a total of four or five years of cultivation from the several corpse-retrievers; adding the life force and yin qi absorbed from the water tiger's corpse, just this single outing earned him roughly ten years of cultivation.

Ten years of cultivation practice is not as good as one day of corpse retrieval.

As the sky grew darker, Xu Qing, still unsatisfied, stored all the corpses into his courtyard, planning to perform the rites of salvation when he returned to the coroner's shop.

Punting the boat back to the dock, the manager responsible for registering the corpse-retrievers' information immediately came forward to ask.

"Why did you return alone? Where are the others?"

Xu Qing asked in surprise, "What do you mean by that? Could it be that the other corpse-retrievers haven't returned yet?"

He wasn't intentionally pretending to be confused; this corpse-retrieval team had twelve people in total, and only five, including Lu Ping, had fallen at his hands; logically, the other six should be searching elsewhere.

He hadn't returned early; normally speaking, those six corpse-retrievers should have been back by now.

"Strange. In the past, the corpse-retrieval team always returned before nightfall. Why is it that only you have come back today?"

The steward asked in confusion, "Didn't you encounter them halfway?"

Xu Qing shook his head. "I only joined the team today. I'm still clumsy at rowing the boat; how could I catch up to them, let alone meet them?"

"Then let's wait a moment longer."

The steward didn't take it seriously. At that moment, he noticed the corpses placed in Xu Qing's covered boat and asked curiously, "Did you retrieve all of these?"

Xu Qing smiled modestly and said, "Just good luck. I had only been on the river for a short while when I happened upon a hidden cave on the water's surface. Inside were several corpses. After retrieving those, I rowed back, but halfway there, I stumbled upon another corpse."

"Judging by the appearance, this corpse must be the merchant Zheng you mentioned."

Upon hearing this, the steward immediately stepped forward to identify the body. After a short while, he turned around and said, "It is indeed him. You certainly have good fortune."

"Misfortune and fortune are intertwined. Fortunately, you were inexperienced and rowed slowly; otherwise, you might not have had such good luck."

Xu Qing smiled, and the two chatted intermittently.

"By the way, Steward Cai, I can't keep these corpses on the boat forever; that would be highly improper. We must find a place to store them, right?"

Steward Cai nodded in agreement. "That's easy to handle. In a moment, I will lead you to the corpse-retrieval team's storage place for bodies; just leave the corpses there!"

As the two chatted, when the sky gradually darkened, Steward Cai finally realized something was wrong.

He frowned at Xu Qing and ordered, "Do not rush to leave yet. I will keep watch here. You must quickly go to the watchtower and light the torches to guide them."

Xu Qing nodded in agreement. The corpse-retrieval team was not just Lu Ping's squad. Now that night had fallen, the fact that these people still had not returned was unreasonable.

Arriving at the base of the watchtower, Xu Qing did not climb up. Instead, he cast the Lamp-Lighting Technique, snapped his fingers, and all the torches on the watchtower lit up.

At the first watch, late-returning fishermen ran around spreading the news, saying that six fast boats of the corpse-retrieval team had been discovered at Baisha Mouth, and everyone on board was already lifeless.

When Xu Qing heard this news, he paused for a moment in shock.

Lu Ping and the others' boats had been thrown into the reed marsh by him. That area was forbidden ground for fishermen and ferrymen; it would not be discovered for some time. Even if by some chance someone stumbled upon it, it would be the work of the Water Tigers, having nothing to do with him whatsoever.

What Xu Qing had not anticipated at this moment was that, besides Lu Ping's squad, another team of corpse-retrievers had also failed to survive.

"Are you saying the corpses of those corpse-retrievers are still on the boats?"

Xu Qing grasped the key information.

"Of course! Those corpses died in a terribly sinister way. You didn't see it; they looked as if all the blood had been sucked out of their bodies. We didn't dare to touch them, so we thought we should ask your corpse-retrieval team to retrieve them. After all, this is your trade; you surely have more experience than us."

Upon hearing this, Steward Cai's face instantly turned black. Looking at the way things were spoken, the corpse-retrieval team was nearly wiped out. Now, in this entire water area, only Xu Qing, a lone novice corpse-retriever, remained. No one else had returned, so where would the manpower come from to retrieve bodies from the river?

"You go to the government office to report to the authorities. I will gather manpower. This matter cannot be handled carelessly!"

A group of people ran around busily. By the second watch, the river patrol soldiers and the head constable along with their officers had all arrived.

The tall, imposing man at the head scanned the area, asked for some key information, and when he saw Xu Qing standing beside Steward Cai, the man was clearly stunned.

"Why are you here?"

Xu Qing looked at Zhao Zhonghe and said irritably, "This isn't your home; why can't I be here?"

Steward Cai, who had previously received favors from Xu Qing, chimed in in time. "Officer, Brother Xu is a member of my corpse-retrieval team."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhonghe looked at Xu Qing in surprise. "When did you become a member of the corpse-retrieval team? Weren't you running a funeral shop?"

"Look at what the constable is saying. Retrieving corpses is also part of funeral affairs; isn't it all the same business dealing with the dead?"

"..."

Zhao Zhonghe helplessly shook his head.

He didn't know what the other party was thinking. Clearly, he was already a Licentiate, yet he still clung to that business dealing with the dead.

"Officer, regarding this matter at Baisha Mouth..."

Seeing that Zhao Zhonghe remained silent, Steward Cai quickly changed his tone. "One should not observe colors at night. This matter is not urgent. If the Officer wishes to wait until tomorrow to come, that is also reasonable."

Zhao Zhonghe looked up at the bright moon and said, "Tomorrow has tomorrow's matters. Since we are here, we must first return the corpses at Baisha Mouth to the government office."

"Steward Cai, since you are responsible for this water area, please trouble you to find a few corpse-retrievers to lead the way and guide us to drive the boats to Baisha Mouth."

"Offi... Officer, there are no people left in the corpse-retrieval team!"

Zhao Zhonghe looked at Steward Cai in surprise.

"Officer, the corpse-retrieval team on duty today had only twelve people. Six died at Baisha Mouth, and of the remaining six, five have not yet returned..."

Zhao Zhonghe narrowed his eyes and said, "Six dead, five missing. Where is the remaining one?"

Steward Cai turned his gaze toward Xu Qing.

The latter felt a surge of joy in his heart and volunteered, "I am as close as brothers with the corpse-retrieval team. Since they encountered trouble, I cannot ignore it."

"Even if I cannot find the true culprit for them, going to collect their corpses for them is something I ought to do."

Zhao Zhonghe nodded and said, "Then you shall lead the way and guide us to Baisha Mouth."

Xu Qing blinked his eyes and asked, "In which direction is Baisha Mouth?"

"..."

Zhao Zhonghe frowned. Steward Cai, standing nearby, quickly said, "Brother Xu only joined the corpse-retrieval team today and is not familiar with the routes on the river channels. However, I do know where Baisha Mouth is. I will accompany the Officer on the boat."

Xu Qing glanced at Steward Cai, thinking to himself that this steward was far more sensible than Lu Ping and the others.

The group boarded a ferry boat and, under the moonlight, sailed toward the Baisha ferry crossing.

The moonlight was bright and clear, and the river surface shimmered. With nothing else to do on either side, Zhao Zhonghe began to ask Xu Qing about the corpse retrieval during the day.

Xu Qing used the explanation he had previously given to Steward Cai and repeated it once more.

"If I hadn't encountered this incident, I would have originally taken Merchant Zheng to the government office to find Senior Brother Wang to verify the corpse."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhonghe nodded. What Xu Qing said corresponded with his actions, with no discrepancies.

Furthermore, since the other party often assisted Wang Lingyuan in verifying corpses and judging cases for the government office, he could be considered half one of their own.

After pondering for a moment, Zhao Zhonghe ruled out Xu Qing's suspicion.

Shortly after, on the shallow beach at the Baisha ferry crossing.

Xu Qing and the others disembarked from the ferry boat and arrived before the several fast boats stranded on the riverbank.

Zhao Zhonghe looked at the corpses haphazardly piled on the chaotic boat, his brows knitting slightly.

Some of the corpses had water weeds sprouting from the corners of their eyes, hanging slimily on their faces, while others had their noses and mouths filled with river sand and lung water, each appearance stranger and more grotesque than the last.

Zhao Zhonghe suddenly remembered something; he reached out to grip a corpse's upper and lower jaws, forcing its mouth open, while his other hand reversed its grip on the knife hilt and smashed heavily against the corpse's abdomen.

In the next instant, the corpse's abdominal cavity was compressed, and its mouth began to spew out large amounts of sand, river water, and even dead small fish and shrimp.

"It's a Water Labor Daoist Priest who fled from Tianwu Temple!"

Zhao Zhonghe immediately deduced the culprit: "This evil person keeps a water monkey and is best at manipulating water currents and employing sorcery that floods the lungs; several months ago, the entire household of Old Lady Cao of the Salt Gang died at his hands."

Xu Qing remained silent.

Speaking of this case, it was actually solved with his assistance; otherwise, no one would ever have known the true murderer behind the extermination of Old Lady Cao's family.

"This area lies right next to the river channel with abundant water vapor; if we encounter an evil Daoist Priest from Tianwu Temple, we will definitely not be a match!"

"This place is not safe to stay; let us move the corpses onto the ferry boat first. As for apprehending the culprit... once we return to the government office, we will hand this case over to the Demon Suppression Bureau for them to send people to investigate."

The government office runners who had followed along all nodded in agreement.

They only earned a few coins a month; it wasn't worth risking their lives over this matter.

When the government office runners moved these grotesque corpses, they were somewhat hesitant and restrained, yet there was one young man who handled the corpses with remarkable dexterity.

Xu Qing deftly hoisted corpse after corpse onto the ferry boat, looking as if what he carried on his shoulders were not corpses, but rather a young bride.

Just as they finished moving the corpses and Zhao Zhonghe turned around to lead everyone back, at this critical moment, a human figure suddenly appeared on the riverbank opposite the shoal.

That person wore a dark green Daoist robe, accompanied by a child who looked nothing like a human, just as if he were leading a monkey.

The Daoist Priest smiled gently at the group of government office runners, and under the moonlight, he appeared exceptionally terrifying.

(End of Chapter)