Chapter 200: Buy One Get One Free, Foolish People Have Foolish Fortune

The next morning, Xu Qing drove a Qianli Horse wearing white flowers on its chest, pulling a thin-skinned coffin, and arrived at the government office gate.

The Qianli Horse had once been ridden by Xu Qing, from the ferry on the eastern side of Jingcheng all the way to the Northwest Imperial Mausoleum.

Xu Qing had not cherished that horse back then; although he only rode it once, he pushed the horse's strength to its absolute limit, shoving down a pile of Pill of Abstinence, Qi-Nourishing Powder, and Great Strength Pills. The horse had never run that fast in its entire life!

Afterwards, Xu Qing was solely focused on secluding himself for cultivation and left the horse behind, letting it depart on its own.

As a result, by sheer coincidence, while the horse was wandering along the official road, it met Wu Wencai, who was heading to the capital for the imperial examinations.

The horse possessed considerable spiritual intelligence; Xu Qing did not know what the horse saw in Wu Wencai, or perhaps it simply treated the other as a long-term meal ticket, seeking only superior horse feed.

Now encountering Xu Qing again, the horse was like seeing a former white moonlight, even though it had only had a one-day encounter with Xu Qing.

In contrast, Wu Wencai, who had carefully tended to it for half a year, now faded into insignificance at this moment.

"Why does this horse become so excited upon seeing Brother Xu, yet show not a shred of spirit when it sees me?" Wu Wencai asked curiously.

At that time, Xu Qing had replied, "When I first met this horse, it was being used as a draft animal pulling a cargo cart, but I knew it was a Qianli Horse, so I released the restraints on it and let it gallop freely for a day."

"Perhaps it cannot forget the grace of being recognized; even after more than half a year, it still remembers me, its discoverer of talent."

The honest man Wu Wencai, hearing these words, sighed at the horse's intelligence and simply returned the horse he had carefully tended to Xu Qing.

Now, Xu Qing drove the horse that Wu Wencai cherished so much, using it to pull coffins for funerals for all sorts of dead people.

And the horse accepted it with joy.

Linjiang County government office.

Every autumn is the busiest time for government office affairs; the entire government office must not only resolve pending cases but also deal with local inspections that could arrive at any moment.

Furthermore, the autumn harvest is a major event; the government office Runners are so busy their feet barely touch the ground, and even sending off a brother for burial requires picking an early morning slot when there is a spare moment.

The deceased government office officer had no relatives at home: a gambling-addicted father, a mother who had remarried, and a younger brother with an intellectual disability.

When Xu Qing drove the hearse, bringing Zhao Zhonghe and several government office Runners to the deceased's home, that old gambler pushed open the door, didn't even ask about the son inside the coffin, and immediately asked when the government office's pension would be given, as he was in a rush to gamble!

Zhao Zhonghe's fists clenched with a creaking sound; if the other hadn't been the father of his deceased brother, he would have long ago slapped him into a nap.

Inside the room, a giant with the intelligence of a five or six-year-old wore a faded red bellyband, holding a piece of charcoal in one hand and gnawing on it; he looked starving, his mouth covered in pitch-black coal dust.

"Silly Zhu, why do you eat everything?"

The giant called Silly Zhu broke off a piece of coal and said foolishly, "You try it, it smells great; Xiao Xi gave it to me!"

The Xiao Xi mentioned by the giant was also an unattended brat who wandered the streets aimlessly every day; hearing that Silly Zhu was starving, he stole a piece of coal from somewhere and let Silly Zhu eat it.

Zhao Zhonghe watched, his eyebrows twitching; he had always known the family situations of his government office brothers, but he never expected that just two or three days after his brother's death, the home would turn into such a ghostly state.

"Where is the money your brother gave you?" As soon as Zhao Zhonghe spoke, he realized the answer.

Right, with this silly giant in front of him, even if he were given money, the gambling-addicted father would swindle it all away.

Zhao Zhonghe looked at the old gambler, who was muttering curses while preparing to go out.

That old gambler was leaning over the front of Xu Qing's hearse, stroking the coffin that contained his own son.

"One after another, all are money-losing goods; why use such a good coffin for the dead?"

The old thing muttered a few words, then suddenly asked Xu Qing, "My son died serving the government office; this coffin should have been provided by the government office, so it is my family's property."

"Here's the deal: you leave the coffin, I'll give you a straw mat, and you can just bury this short-lived ghost however you like."

Is this the kind of thing a human being says?

Xu Qing was not entirely human, yet even so, a trace of humanity remained in him; but you, a living person, how can you do nothing human?

Now, the gambler in front of him should not have, of all things, targeted his client right in front of him.

"Old thing, try lifting it!"

Xu Qing rarely got angry, but seeing the other prepare to lift the coffin lid, Xu Qing was truly enraged this time.

"This is my coffin; why can't I lift it? Nonsense!" The old gambler scoffed at Xu Qing's words, rolled up his sleeves, and went to move the coffin.

It was also fate that the old gambler deserved this retribution; before Xu Qing could act, the Qianli Horse, protecting its master, raised its hind legs first and kicked the old gambler squarely in the soft spot of his ribs.

Accompanied by a dull thud, Zhao Zhonghe saw a blur fly out, finally crashing heavily against the door wall.

"..."

The noisy entrance instantly fell silent; the young man gnawing on coal blocks forgot to eat, standing there straight-eyed and snorting snot.

He was probably thinking that his gambling-addicted father was actually a hidden martial arts master, otherwise how could he fly so far!

Zhao Zhonghe quickly walked to the door wall, squatted beside the gambler, and reached out to check his breath.

A moment later, Zhao Zhonghe frowned and said in a muffled voice, "He's dead."

Everyone looked at each other, momentarily at a loss for words.

You call this what kind of situation? Coming to send off a brother for burial, and right at the brother's doorstep, ending up killing his own father.

This matter is utterly inappropriate; if it gets out, the reputation of all of us brothers will be ruined!

Fortunately, when everyone was at a loss, Zhao Zhonghe spoke up: "This is too unfortunate; we came to send off Brother Li for burial, but Father accidentally fell and died."

Zhao Zhonghe stood up, glanced at Silly Zhu who was still dazed, and pondered, "The dead cannot return to life; with the current hot weather, we must bury the elder as soon as possible."

Captain Zhao did not mention that the man was kicked to death by the horse; after all, the horse belonged to Xu Qing, and if investigated deeply, Xu Qing as the owner would bear some responsibility.

Secondly, today's funeral was requested by the government office; Shopkeeper Xu was the one who drove the hearse over, so strictly speaking, the government office also bears responsibility.

In ordinary times, Zhao Zhonghe would certainly not shirk responsibility, but today this old gambler truly provoked everyone's anger; where in the world is there a father whose son died, yet he wants to pawn the son's coffin to gamble?

Xu Qing stroked the horse's mane, calming the horse's agitation, and said, "It's fine; Captain Zhao need not spend any money. My shop has always offered a 'buy one get one free' service; since the son has already been paid for, I will not charge for the elder."

Having said that, Xu Qing added, "Didn't the elder say there is a straw mat at home? Just take it out to wrap the corpse and bury them together."

"As for the family... let Silly Zhu hold the mourning staff."

"..." Zhao Zhonghe watched Silly Zhu standing there smiling foolishly, wondering if this would work.

But since things have come to this point, even if it won't work, it must work!

The old gambler's home had nothing; two government office Runners walked into the room, and without needing to search specifically, they found a rotting straw mat with loose threads and holes on the earth bed.

Fortunately, the straw mat was in poor condition; if it had been any better, it might have already been pawned and sold cheaply.

Xu Qing poked his head out to glance inside Shazhu's home; the place was bare as a wall. Zhao Zhonghe, standing nearby, said, "That old thing is utterly careless. I was the one who stood as guarantor when this house was rented to the Li brothers. Otherwise, Shazhu would probably have nowhere to live now."

A government office Runner asked, "What about the original house?"

"Sold! He was a gambling ghost; what do you expect him to do with the family estate?"

While Xu Qing collected the gambling ghost's body, he listened to Zhao Zhonghe and the others talking.

He had already learned of the Li family's situation when he performed the soul-delivering rites for the Li surname government office Runner.

At that time, the Deliverance Sutra had granted a Wisdom-Opening Pill as a reward for the soul-delivering rite; now, seeing Shazhu's actual state, Xu Qing suddenly gained some understanding.

All people have their obsessions; perhaps the obsession of the Li government office Runner throughout his life was his younger brother, Shazhu.

"Shazhu, come help lift your father."

"Okay!"

Shazhu, his mouth full of coal dust and grinning with white teeth, ran over happily and helped Xu Qing lift his own father onto the carriage.

"Where is my father going?" Shazhu asked.

"Your father's lifespan has ended; Heaven has come to take him," Xu Qing replied.

"Oh." Shazhu seemed not to understand.

A talkative government office Runner nearby blurted out, "Shopkeeper Xu means your father is gone, you silly child."

"Stop talking nonsense, say less!" Zhao Zhonghe glared angrily at that government office Runner.

Shazhu remained happy.

Once the carriage and horses were ready, several government office Runners scattered paper money along the way as they hurried toward the city gate.

When passing the bustling market entrance, many people cast strange glances.

There was no other reason; it was simply because there was a smiling filial son in the funeral procession.

Whose funeral does not have a filial son supporting the coffin and holding the staff with a face full of grief? Meeting a happy filial son suddenly, isn't that just something to find 'curious'!

When passing a breakfast stall, Zhao Zhonghe bought several bowls of noodles, telling everyone to have a quick bite.

Xu Qing followed the rules; before eating, he first inserted a stick of incense before the spirit carriage and placed a bowl of noodles, letting the deceased eat first.

As for why it was one stick of incense and one bowl of noodles—was a gambling ghost worthy of Xu Qing feeding him?

The funeral-going Shazhu had not eaten a proper meal for two days; now that he had food, he didn't even bother using chopsticks, squatting on the ground and shoving noodles into his mouth with his hands.

Zhao Zhonghe had just lifted a pair of chopsticks with noodles, preparing to send them to his mouth, when he saw Shazhu's wolfing-down appearance.

Putting down his chopsticks, Zhao Zhonghe stared at Shazhu, his furrowed brows never relaxing.

After Shazhu finished the bowl of noodles, Zhao Zhonghe beckoned him with a finger, saying, "Shazhu, don't squat on the ground; sit over here and eat."

Shazhu hesitated, saying, "Father doesn't let me sit at the table."

"."

Seeing this, Xu Qing waved his hand at Zhao Zhonghe, telling him to eat peacefully.

He then brought two bowls of noodles, squatted on the ground with Shazhu, and began to eat.

"Fine!"

Seeing that sitting was no longer an option for himself, Zhao Zhonghe simply held his bowl of noodles and squatted by the street to eat together.

The other government office Runners, seeing this, looked at each other, silently left their seats, lined up with the Head Constable, and started slurping noodles.

After finishing breakfast, Zhao Zhonghe saw Shazhu stuffing a bowl containing noodles into his chest and couldn't help but ask him, "Shazhu, there's more noodles; if you're afraid of getting hungry on the road, I'll buy you some oil cakes."

Shazhu, sniffling, said, "I'm not hungry; I'm saving these noodles for my brother to eat when he gets home."

This silly child.

Xu Qing helplessly said, "Your brother has already eaten; you don't need to save these noodles for him."

"Where did my brother eat? Why didn't I see him?"

"He ate in the carriage; he just ate his fill and is now sleeping in the wooden box."

Hearing this, Shazhu happily took out the noodle bowl again and began to 'drink' it with loud slurps, showing that he hadn't really been full before.

After finishing the noodles, Zhao Zhonghe also paid for the noodle bowls.

There was no choice; several people had come out to attend a funeral, which carried a bit of bad luck; used bowls and chopsticks would inevitably make others feel uncomfortable.

The group left the city and did not head directly to the graveyard; Xu Qing said he wanted to go to Purple Cloud Mountain first.

After all, the Li government office Runner had died near Purple Cloud Mountain, so a soul-summoning ritual must be performed there for the Li government office Runner before sending him to Wujiu Slope for burial.

Zhao Zhonghe suspected nothing; in fact, he also needed to go to Qu Shui Township to investigate the Liu family case.

And that Qu Shui Township was right near Purple Cloud Mountain; wasn't that a coincidence?

"There is a temple on Purple Cloud Mountain built with funds from the County Magistrate, my lord. Brother Xu is already of an age; you should go pray for marriage, strive to find a wife soon, establish a family, and have several big, fat sons."

Am I worshipping myself?

Xu Qing found it somewhat amusing, saying, "I heard that temple is a Baosheng Temple; could the Baosheng Lady possibly manage people's marriages?"

"Why not?" Zhao Zhonghe argued logically, "Let me ask you, is having a child one person's business or two people's business?"

Seeing Xu Qing remain silent, Zhao Zhonghe continued, "Even we martial artists know the principle that isolated Yin does not give birth and isolated Yang does not grow; having a child naturally requires one Yin and one Yang, two people's business."

"If Brother Xu goes to pray for a son, wouldn't the Baosheng Lady first find him a wife, otherwise how can he have a child?"

What twisted logic is this? When others come to pray for a son, do I have to act as a matchmaker for them?

Xu Qing had never thought that besides randomly acquiring a Lady Temple to manage, he would also have to work part-time as a matchmaker!

Burning one stick of incense to accomplish two things; this was treating his temple like a wishing well.

When the group arrived at Purple Cloud Mountain, Zhao Zhonghe led several government office Runners toward Qu Shui Township, while Xu Qing and Shazhu stayed in a nearby village, responsible for summoning the Li government office Runner's soul.

On the surface, it was said to be a soul-summoning, but in reality, it was otherwise.

As soon as those government office Runners left, a man in yellow clothes walked in from the village entrance.

"Sect Master!"

Guan Dazhuang's arms, strong enough to run a horse, were wrapped with a donkey rope, looking mighty and powerful.

Xu Qing asked, "Have you traced Yuan Hu's whereabouts?"

"He's holed up right in Qushui Township!"

"Qushui Township?" Xu Qing's thoughts stirred slightly, and he asked again, "Are you confident you can capture him alive?"

"No problem at all," Guan Dazhuang laughed. "Those who have not entered the Profound Gate and those who have are worlds apart. Although Yuan Hu's name contains 'Tiger', he is merely a martial artist who has not entered the Profound. Now, I possess nearly a century of cultivation; the mountain grass and trees are all my spies, and with the crows of Luanshi Mountain aiding me, as long as he dares to show himself, I will certainly capture him alive."

"This time, there is no need for such caution," Xu Qing pondered for a moment and said, "The Ziyun Mountain territory is my Daoist field, and it has already been officially sanctioned by the imperial court. You may act freely, enter the township, and drag that Yuan Hu out."

"The government office constables are already in Qushui Township. After you drag Yuan Hu out, do not rush to vanish; simply lead the constables to throw that Yuan Hu into the Baosheng Temple, and this matter will be considered settled."

Guan Dazhuang did not know Xu Qing's plan, but he knew that following the Sect Master's orders was never wrong.

"I will go handle it right now!"

No sooner had the words left his lips than the yellow-robed giant transformed into a yellow wind on the spot, and amidst flying sand and rolling stones, he vanished without a trace.

Xu Qing returned to the Spirit Chariot; at this moment, the simpleton Zhu, frightened by the gale, was hanging onto the rear of the chariot, fearing he would be blown away by that wind.

"Simpleton Zhu, the wind has stopped; you can open your eyes now."

Simpleton Zhu opened his eyes and looked around left and right; indeed, as Xu Qing had said, everywhere was calm and peaceful, as if the wind had never blown at all.

"Simpleton Zhu, stretch out your hand; Mr. will give you a sugar bean to eat."

Hearing Xu Qing's words, Simpleton Zhu instinctively looked over and saw Xu Qing extending a snow-white, translucent pill.

(End of this chapter)