Chapter 193

"Fake, fake goods! This jade pendant of yours is too fake!"

To have someone howl like that in the middle of the night, right above one's head—is there any way for a person to live?

Shang Shaoyang, carrying a lantern, was startled; the flickering candle flame inside the red paper lantern extinguished instantly.

Shang Shaoyang just wanted to lift his head, but suddenly recalled what Second Master Feng had said about the headless ghost that ate people's eyes.

As long as a person had fake goods on them, that ghost would pluck out the pair of eyes that had looked at the goods.

Shang Shaoyang listened to the mention of a jade pendant from the other party, his mind full of confusion.

If you're cracking down on fakes, why don't you go find Xu Qing? He has such a large fake painting on him, the ink might not even be dry yet; why are you looking for me?

Xu Qing didn't have a jade pendant hanging on him, so at this moment, only the one hanging from his own waist remained.

That jade pendant was just a decorative item he had bought for fifty taels of silver notes while strolling through the Flower and Bird Market a couple of days ago.

Xu Qing was also caught off guard. Why wasn't this ghost playing by the rules? Could it be that the fake painting he drew was so realistic that even a ghost couldn't tell the difference?

In a flash, Xu Qing spoke up: "Don't look up, close your eyes, throw the jade pendant to me, and then walk back!"

Throw the jade pendant to someone else? How was that any different from betraying a friend for personal gain?

Furthermore, he, Shang Shaoyang, had come here today specifically to catch a ghost; if he just left like this, wouldn't he have come for nothing?

Shang Shaoyang had been rebellious since he was a child. When other noble children were fighting crickets or playing with birds, he would run through the streets with a wooden sword chasing dogs, claiming he was going to kill corrupt officials.

When he grew a bit older, while other young masters were teasing maidservants or visiting brothels, he was single-handedly charging in and out of bandit strongholds.

During the New Year, when paying respects to elders, his peers would all dutifully bring gifts or recite fitting poems, earning a round of praise from the elders.

Shang Shaoyang was different. When he went to pay respects to his elders during the New Year, he carried the head of a bandit leader. He dismounted and headed straight for the main hall, and without caring if it was appropriate or fitting, he threw the blood-dripping shroud, along with the head inside, onto the floor.

Then he said excitedly: "I've wiped out the bandit nest at Qingfeng Stronghold; this year, our common people can finally have a good New Year!"

A noble descendant from a thousand-year-old family who always felt he was just a commoner—would you say he's rebellious or not?

Hearing Xu Qing's prompt just now, Shang Shaoyang only listened to half of it—that is, to close his eyes and not look up—but he did not throw away the jade pendant on his body, nor did he turn around and leave.

Instead, he drew his sword and decisively thrust it in the direction from which the voice above his head had come!

In the silent dead of night, in the narrow alley, a headless ghost was clinging to the high wall, holding its head. Its pale hands, like noodles, were stretched out long, cradling the head and staring unblinkingly at its target, just waiting for the yang fire on the living person to weaken so it could pluck out their eyeballs to eat.

A person has three yang fires: one on top of the head and one on each shoulder. As long as the yang fire is unstable, the ghost has an opportunity.

At this moment, the headless ghost was holding its own head, just waiting for Shang Shaoyang to look up at it.

As long as the other party was startled and the yang fire flickered, it would stretch out its long arms, bring the head right in front of the person's face, and blow on it. Then the person would lose all ability to resist, and whether to kill or slice them up would be entirely up to the ghost.

However, things did not go as the ghost wished. Just as its ghostly schemes were clicking away, a point of cold light suddenly came straight at it!

In the pitch-black alley, the snow-white sword light was like a thunderous tongue of lightning, piercing the ghost's head in an instant. Only then did the clear, ringing sound of the precious sword leaving its scabbard echo through the narrow alley.

"."

Xu Qing re-evaluated the second-generation ancestor before him.

This rich kid was a bit reckless!

Silently putting away the scorching rice bowl, Xu Qing approached.

The headless ghost's head had already fallen to the ground, and a muffled sound seemed to come from the abdominal cavity on the other side of the high wall.

"My head, quickly return my head!"

Shang Shaoyang didn't know when he had opened his eyes; on the long sword he was holding, a ghost head with smoke coming from its seven orifices was skewered.

"What the hell is this?!"

Shang Shaoyang realized what had happened and was so scared he nearly dropped the sword in his hand!

Xu Qing couldn't judge it. If you say this person is reckless, he really did stumble upon a dead mouse by accident, triggering an incomparably sharp sword intent at a critical moment.

That sword strike had no frills; it was just a simple thrust, yet it was full of righteous energy, pouring Shang Shaoyang's entire spirit and essence into it.

Even Xu Qing, not far away, felt that sword intent belonging to a true swordsman.

But if you say he's impressive, this person opened his eyes, saw the ghost head skewered on the sword, and was so startled he stuttered, not knowing how to deal with it.

"Brother Xu, look at this, what kind of thing is this? Why is it still smoking?"

"Give me the sword, you turn around first."

"Oh, oh!"

Xu Qing watched as the other party really handed the sword to him and turned around, and he was speechless again.

Does this second-generation ancestor really not know how sinister the human heart is, or what? Is he not afraid that he might take the sword and give him a poke in the kidneys?

Xu Qing casually tossed the still-smoking head into the rice bowl, then flipped over the high wall, gave the headless corpse that was searching for its head a sound thrashing, and finished it off.

Hearing the commotion, Shang Shaoyang hurriedly turned around and followed him over the high wall.

But there wasn't even a shadow of a ghost to be seen!

"It's gone just like that?"

Shang Shaoyang took back the sword Xu Qing tossed to him, feeling a sense of thrill and excitement, yet also feeling a bit unsatisfied.

"Brother Shang, you've performed a great service this time. When we go back, you might even get to wear a big red flower and parade through the streets on horseback."

Shang Shaoyang didn't care at all about fame; he just wanted to ask Xu Qing where the ghost had run off to, and why his newly bought jade pendant was fake. Could it be that someone actually dared to cheat him?

Xu Qing glanced at him sideways and said irritably:

"I told you to hand over your sword and turn around, and you dared to do exactly that. So what's so strange about someone cheating you into buying a fake jade pendant?"

Shang Shaoyang was stunned. How could that be the same? Brother Xu is a great philanthropist; in the few days we've known each other, he's done more good deeds than some officials do in a year!

Other people might be bad, but Brother Xu is definitely not that kind of person!

Xu Qing ignored this second-generation ancestor. He is just a zombie, not some great philanthropist.

On the way back to Second Master Feng's house, Shang Shaoyang's chatterbox never stopped.

Someone who didn't know better would think the chatterbox ghost they just encountered had possessed him.

"Brother Xu, where did you learn your ghost-catching skills? Are there really enlightened masters in this world?"

Xu Qing said flawlessly: "Those who do business with the dead will, more or less, encounter some bizarre things. Those are just residual obsessions of the dead, nothing worth talking about. As for enlightened masters..."

"If I really knew an enlightened master, I wouldn't have to go to such great lengths to coax others into buying burial plots."

"In the end, it's just all the living beings in this world struggling to make a living."

Shang Shaoyang's attention was immediately diverted. Xu Qing had just personally said that the burial plots were bought by coaxing people.

Xu Qing played dumb: Did I say that just now? Why don't I remember?

Shang Shaoyang said with a dark face that he wanted a refund.

Xu Qing said that with white paper and black ink, and a big red stamp, since the deal was already done, there was no reason for a refund!

Furthermore, a burial plot is not like other items; there is only first-hand, no second-hand. Once taken back, how could he sell it a second time?

The two of them—one full of ghostly nonsense, the other frank and sincere—the former didn't take it to heart, and the latter didn't take the truth to heart either.

Upon returning to Second Master's mansion, Xu Qing said briefly and concisely: "That thing has been executed. This time, it's all thanks to Young Master Shang. If Second Master has anything he wants to ask, just ask him. It's getting late, so I'll head back to rest first. We can talk about the details tomorrow."

While speaking, Xu Qing gave Second Master Feng a wink. The latter, being a shrewd person, immediately grabbed Shang Shaoyang and started questioning him about the sequence of events.

Seeing Xu Qing about to leave, Shang Shaoyang still wanted to follow.

He still had many questions he hadn't had time to ask, but he couldn't resist Second Master Feng's obstruction, so he could only stay behind to accompany the Second Master and Ji Ruinian.

Xu Qing had been pestered by Shang Shaoyang all day and was already annoyed beyond measure; it was much better to go back and keep his corpse company!

Returning to the mortuary, after feeding the snacks he'd swiped from Second Master Feng's mansion to Xuanyu, Xu Qing entered the morgue, unable to wait to pour out the headless ghost from the rice bowl!

The sizzling, blue-smoke-emitting corpse, paired with a skull burned down to nothing but white bone, rolled onto the cold bed.

Xu Qing shook his head. To crack down on fakes, you have to have the ability. If you don't have much ability and still dare to dig out people's eyeballs, that's like strolling through a graveyard—you're not far from being buried yourself.

He attached the head that the headless corpse often held in its hands back onto its body. The Sutra of Saving the Dead rustled, and a previously unknown past was presented before Xu Qing.

There are three places in Luojing City that are the most bustling: one is the East Four and West Dan archways, one is the Vegetable Market, and the other is the Heavenly Bridge outside the South Gate.

The street at the South Gate Heavenly Bridge gathers talented people from all over: martial artists performing, street jugglers, and medicine peddlers selling miracle pills...

And the headless corpse before Xu Qing was a color-play artist who performed tricks on this Heavenly Bridge street.

Color-play artists are also called strange-trick performers. A few years ago, there weren't any particularly amazing color-play artists at the South Gate Heavenly Bridge, until half a year ago, when a "Little Half-Immortal Wang" who knew the art of decapitation without dying arrived.

Why was he called Little Half-Immortal Wang? Because he wasn't a real immortal, nor had he learned immortal arts. The only "decapitation without dying" art he knew was just a set of tricks to fool people.

If he could really be decapitated without dying, he would have long since joined the army and achieved unparalleled fame.

On this day, Little Half-Immortal Wang was performing his immortality art on the Heavenly Bridge as usual.

Just then, his apprentice picked up a ghost-head broadsword, sprayed a mouthful of strong liquor onto it, and with a shout, Little Half-Immortal Wang's fine head rolled down.

Little Half-Immortal Wang hooked his hand to catch his own head, holding it with both hands like a wine jar. That wine jar had a nose and eyes, and he didn't feel any pain, still playfully interacting and talking with the onlookers.

"Everyone, this immortality art of mine is originally a secret art from the Nine Heavens. It cannot be easily activated. Every time it is activated, three years of lifespan are deducted. This is a punishment from Heaven, and the secret method must not be shown to the world."

"But I am unwilling to let the world be blind, not knowing that such strange arts still exist in the world. Therefore, I would rather violate the heavenly count and shorten my lifespan to display this art."

"I, Little Half-Immortal Wang, do not ask for rewards. Those with money, please give some money so I can save up for my coffin early and have a place to be buried later. If you don't have money, just give your support. As long as you are entertained, I haven't worked in vain!"

There are often people in the world who risk their lives to earn applause, such as those who perform sword swallowing, throat piercing, or breaking stones on their chests; they are in this category.

But most of those are tricks that rely on props to deceive people, and people get used to it after seeing it too much.

But this Little Half-Immortal Wang was different; at the very least, it looked like he was really risking his life!

Plus, what he said was pleasant to hear—the money he asked for wasn't for drinking or visiting brothels, but for his coffin money, to leave himself a way out.

When everyone heard this, they felt embarrassed not to give a few copper coins since he had already said it to that extent.

Just like that, Little Half-Immortal Wang was doing very well at the Heavenly Bridge, until one day when he was packing up his stall and passed by a female fortune teller's stall, the fortune teller suddenly said:

"You say you practice a secret art from the Nine Heavens, and that activating it once deducts three years of lifespan. Do you know how many times you have activated it in the past few days?"

Little Half-Immortal Wang was amused when he heard this. This fortune teller probably hadn't had a customer all day and saw that he had earned a lot of money, so she wanted to make a profit from him.

Others might not know, but he knew his own business. His so-called "Nine Heavens Secret Art" was entirely fabricated. He had heard an old woman passing by say it casually, and he had just moved that rhetoric over.

As for the cost of three years of lifespan, that was even more baseless.

"Could it be that the lady fortune teller has been counting for me?"

"I am not called Lady Fortune Teller, I am called More-than-Half-Immortal."

The female fortune teller said meaningfully: "Just a little bit older than you, Little Half-Immortal."

"More-than-Half-Immortal?" Little Half-Immortal Wang didn't pay much attention. He shook his head and continued to ask: "What exactly did you mean by what you said just now?"

"Heavenly secrets cannot be leaked. It's fine that you know some tricks, but you shouldn't use such words. You must know that disaster comes from the mouth; who knows, one day it might actually come true."

Little Half-Immortal Wang's face dropped instantly when he heard this. Wasn't this deliberately cursing him!

"A fortune teller who doesn't know how to speak human words deserves not to earn money!"

Seeing him cursing, the female fortune teller didn't get angry, just smiled slightly: "You have performed your tricks eleven times these past few days, which translates to thirty-three years of lifespan. You are thirty-six this year, and looking at your face, your total lifespan is only seventy. If Little Half-Immortal wants to die of old age, you cannot make fun of Heaven anymore from now on."

Little Half-Immortal Wang looked at the female fortune teller with suspicion. He was indeed thirty-six this year; how could the other party say it in one word? Could it be that this person really had the ability of a "More-than-Half-Immortal"?

Little Half-Immortal Wang was a person who knew how to bend and stretch. Now that he had doubts in his heart, he cheekily apologized to the female fortune teller, saying he had eyes but didn't recognize a true god, and then asked for the fortune-telling fee, wanting to have a reading.

But just at this juncture, a thunderous explosion suddenly came from outside the capital, followed by continuous rumbling of thunder.

In broad daylight, where did this bolt from the blue come from?

The female fortune teller stood up abruptly, her eyes fixed on the distant thunderclouds.

When she came back to her senses, she quickly packed up her stall and said without looking back: "Little Half-Immortal! Don't be a busybody today. Once today is over, you will naturally be safe."

Little Half-Immortal Wang was confused for a long time. I gave you the fee, and you just left me with this one sentence?

"I wasn't cheated by this woman, was I?"

Although Little Half-Immortal Wang was a bit suspicious, he didn't take it to heart.

He wasn't the type of person who liked to be a busybody!

"Hey, hey! What's wrong with you? Why is the night-soil bucket outside in broad daylight? Doesn't it stink?"

"Whose sign is this? The characters aren't even written correctly. Let me add a stroke for you."

He took out a pen from his pocket and added a horizontal stroke to the character that was missing a stroke.

"Catch the thief! Catch the thief! That thief took someone's money bag—"

Little Half-Immortal Wang didn't like to be a busybody; he just had a warm heart.

He wandered all the way to the capital's bird market, where someone selling antiques and calligraphy was bargaining, and a hundred taels of silver was finally traded for ten copper coins...

The alley where Little Half-Immortal Wang rented was right in front of him, but just as he turned the corner, he saw someone holding a piece of calligraphy, observing it in the deserted alley.

While observing, the person was talking to himself: "Not bad, with my craftsmanship, no matter who comes, they won't be able to see a hint of fakeness in this calligraphy!"

Little Half-Immortal Wang passed by the person, stretched his neck to take a peek. Not to mention, this calligraphy was written quite well, much better than the person who couldn't even write the sign correctly earlier!

Hearing the movement behind him, the person hurriedly put away the calligraphy. When he turned his head, Little Half-Immortal Wang and this person happened to face each other, and then the person lowered his head and left the alley in a hurry.

Half an hour later, Little Half-Immortal Wang went out to find a restaurant to eat. Passing by a pawnshop, at the entrance of the pawnshop, the shopkeeper was holding the calligraphy up to the sunlight, observing it carefully.

"Good, good! It really is a piece of good calligraphy. This really looks like the authentic work of Master Lu."

"This calligraphy was sought after by Grand Tutor Du's daughter for a thousand gold, how could I dare to use a fake to fool her?"

Little Half-Immortal Wang hadn't paid much attention, but it was this casual glance that made him stop in his tracks.

The reason was none other than that he had just seen that calligraphy and that person selling it half an hour ago!

"Shopkeeper! His calligraphy is fake! You should look carefully, don't be fooled!"

When the person selling the calligraphy first heard this, he wanted to argue, but when he turned his head and saw Little Half-Immortal Wang's face, his expression changed instantly!

He could only blame himself for letting disaster come from his mouth, not knowing that walls have ears, and letting someone hear the truth.

"Jiang Dachan, is your calligraphy real or fake?"

"Fake! His calligraphy is too fake! I heard him say with my own ears that his calligraphy is fake!"

"Jiang Dachan, do you know what the crime is for fooling a Grand Tutor?"

Jiang Dachan huffed and puffed, his face turning red and white. Seeing that many people had gathered to watch the fun, he hardened his heart, simply snatched the painting, and turned to run.

Behind him, the shopkeeper shouted: "Quick, catch him! This person has sold many fake goods here, he must not be allowed to escape!"

Seeing this, Xu Qing already knew what happened next.

Because he had only recently performed the funeral rites for that Jiang Dachan who sold fake paintings...

(End of chapter)