Chapter 281: Neighbors in a Shared Grave, Gods Fallen

The sky had already turned dark. Thirteen brand-new corpses were laid out in the mortuary. As the cool early autumn breeze blew into the shop, the paper shrouds covering the bodies began to flutter.

Several government office runners shivered; only after stepping out of the shop door did they feel their bodies warm up again.

"This Shopkeeper Xu's line of work really isn't something an ordinary person could do."

"Who's to say otherwise? Pitch black, over a dozen corpses laid out in the room, and he doesn't even feel afraid."

Another runner added, "What I fear is that if any of us brothers meet our end one day, we'll be the ones lying in Shopkeeper Xu's shop."

"Old Wu, if you can't speak properly, then keep your mouth shut!"

In the silent street of Jingxia, the sound of the runners' spitting, cursing, and joking carried far away.

Inside the mortuary, Xu Qing began to examine and perform rites for each body, starting with the Cui family members covered in white paper.

After viewing the "lantern-lit journey" (life review) of the Cui family's corpses, Xu Qing remained silent for a long time. Over the years, he had seen corpses with all sorts of causes of death, but this was the first time he had encountered a family that had tried to bully others, only to end up killing their entire household instead.

It was just that there were still many details within this that had yet to be fully clarified.

Holding the attitude of wanting to see the full story, Xu Qing began to investigate the Li family members covered in black paper.

Yet, even after looking from beginning to end, Xu Qing still could not string all the clues together.

This case of the Li and Cui families both being wiped out was clearly missing a key link.

Xu Qing finally set his sights on the Li family's old man, the only one who hadn't mistakenly eaten the mushrooms and who knew the entire root cause.

As he flipped the *Scripture of Delivering the Dead*, the Stele Forest of the Yin River emerged. When the old man's life review began to play, the life experiences of everyone in the Li and Cui families instantly linked together.

The time must return to three days ago. Outside Linjiang County, there was a "Hundred Families Village." As the name suggests, a hundred kinds of people lived in this village, and every household had a different surname.

At the east end of the village, there were two such families: one surnamed Cui, one surnamed Li.

The head of the Cui family was called Cui Dazui (Big-Mouthed Cui); he was born with a wide mouth and sharp teeth, and he was obsessed with taking advantage of others.

The manager of the other family was named Li Duoji (Li of Many Schemes); the man was just like his name, skilled at calculation.

These two families were half-neighbors. Why say half? Because sandwiched between the two families was a household of honest folk, and there was only one person in the home, called Han Gui.

Han Gui was a good-natured man. When he first arrived in the village, he had a sullen temperament. The villagers said he was "unable to fart even after three strikes," that his heart was as stiff as a needle, and he couldn't even pinch off a single turd.

That day, hearing that County Magistrate Chen was going to build a school in the countryside, the neighboring Cui Dazui and Li Duoji called him to do some work, chopping wood to earn some quick cash.

Han Gui did not refuse and went along with them.

However, halfway through the work that day, a light rain suddenly began to fall from the sky, and it showed a trend of getting heavier.

Cui Dazui and Li Duoji were clever masters. One said he had caught a cold the day before and couldn't stand the wind and rain; the other said there were mushrooms in the mountains, and he had known a barbarian from Southern Yunnan years ago who taught him how to pick them. Those mushrooms were so fresh they could make you bite your tongue off. When he picked them, he would share them with Han Gui so he could take them back to satisfy his cravings.

The two had their own reasons. Han Gui gave an honest smile, seemingly believing them, and went off alone to move the timber through the rain.

The mountains were deep and the forests dense. Cui Dazui and Li Duoji found an old tree as thick as three men could embrace; the inside of the tree was hollow, which was just right for resting and avoiding the rain.

During this time, Cui Dazui asked Li Duoji, "Did you really learn how to pick mushrooms from someone in Southern Yunnan? I've heard that if you eat the wrong thing, it can kill you!"

Li Duoji laughed heartily and said, "Where would I have learned that? But when I was working in Jinmen, I did eat a full mushroom banquet made by a Southern Yunnanese person. That taste—how could 'fresh' even begin to describe it!"

Cui Dazui laughed and cursed, "And yet you still said you were going to pick mushrooms for Han Lengzi (Stupid Han)..."

"Bah! What do you know? That Han Lengzi is a fool. Later, I'll just say I didn't find any, or that I ran into wild wolves or bears and accidentally dropped the mushrooms I picked. He'll still have to ask me if I'm alright. We two brothers should just rest well, don't worry! Let that fool do the work; the pay is the same anyway."

Look at this—is this even human talk?

Cui Dazui chuckled upon hearing this, and the two rested there for a full half-day.

When the rain stopped in the afternoon, the two finally yawned, stretched, and walked back.

Perhaps it was because of the rain, or perhaps the forest was damp to begin with, but as Cui Dazui used a thin stick to beat the grass and drive away the dew, he suddenly caught sight of patches of mushrooms growing on the rotten soil and wood deep in the grass.

Those mushrooms were plump and moist, still hanging with dew, looking just like colorful umbrellas that had just been opened.

"Duoji! Look quickly, what is this?"

Li Duoji looked in the direction of the sound, and his eyes lit up instantly.

This thing was exactly the same as the mushrooms he had eaten in Jinmen the year before!

"Heh, why wouldn't you say we two brothers have good fortune! That Han Lengzi is only concerned with working; how could he have this kind of fate?"

However, Li Duoji was clear-headed. Mushrooms were always things of divine mystery and ghostly change; they might look the same, but once they hit your mouth, it was hard to say.

Li Duoji's mind turned quickly. He immediately said, "If we eat them ourselves and get poisoned, wouldn't that be a grievance? Better to let that Han Gui eat them first. If he's fine, then we'll eat."

Cui Dazui immediately clapped his hands and said, "You're still the clever one, no wonder everyone calls you 'Clever Bean'!"

The two were not diligent in their work, but when it came to picking mushrooms to be lazy and satisfy their appetites, they were more diligent than anyone.

Cui Dazui used his blue cloth jacket to wrap up a full bag of mushrooms, while Li Duoji tied knots in the long sleeves and collar of his clothes to use as a bag.

When they returned to the outside of the forest, Cui Dazui pretended to be generous and stuffed a small bag of mushrooms to Han Gui, saying, "Brother Han, these things are precious! Take them back and have a taste of freshness. This is the good friendship between us neighbors!"

Li Duoji also chimed in, the two singing in harmony, acting more realistically than the real thing.

Han Gui couldn't refuse, gave his usual honest smile, thanked them, and accepted.

When they returned to the school, it was still Han Gui carrying the timber.

Li Duoji and Cui Dazui went to collect their daily wages with their respective packages and the freshly picked mushrooms.

Halfway there, whether intentionally or unintentionally, while Han Gui was carrying the timber, he used his hand to support his waist, and the bag of mushrooms hanging at his waist fell to the ground.

As the bag hit the ground, Han Gui shrugged his shoulders, his waist straightened up instantly, and his walk became lighter than when there were outsiders around. ===== CHAPTER 282 =====