Chapter 40

Who is the first to wake from the great dream? I know my life myself.

Private Secretary Tang's sleep was worth it!

When he woke up, his head was not dizzy, and his mind was not bloated. The wine in his body felt like it had been blown away by a bone-chilling cold wind; he had never been more sober.

Reflecting on the life in the dream, it was as if he had truly gone through a reincarnation. While he felt fortunate, he also felt infinite emptiness.

His big, lovely daughter—

Gone!

Illusory bubbles and shadows, nothing more than this.

Although the dream was shattered, the fawning big head of Liu before him was not.

Private Secretary Tang hated him in his heart, wishing he could go to the government office tomorrow morning and sentence him to death by a thousand cuts!

Whether it was because he lost his daughter in the dream or because he lost the glory and wealth of the dream, he counted this debt on Liu's head.

Killing Liu ten thousand times wouldn't satisfy his anger!

Seeing Private Secretary Tang roll up his sleeves and clench his fists to hammer him, Liu, in addition to being shocked, did not forget to dodge around the tea table.

Xu Qing watched the two jumping up and down in the small pavilion and was amused. Even the performer on the stage almost missed a beat; it was only because they were well-traveled and had seen northern-style duets that they were able to stabilize their stage presence.

Wang Lingyuan, with his old arms and legs, wanted to step forward to mediate, but he was always a few steps behind the two.

The two plays on and off the stage were lively, and Xu Qing thought to himself that this trip was not in vain.

Speaking of which, there weren't many things for people to be entertained with in these times. It was hard to come by such a play, so he had to watch it carefully.

Private Secretary Tang was a refined man. Seeing that he couldn't catch Liu, he took out two hundred taels of silver notes from his bosom and slapped them on the tea table.

"Liu, you can run from my hands, but you can't run from the law!"

"Today you used the banquet as a pretext, intending to bribe me, but I, Tang, am of clean character and integrity; how could I be lured and instigated by you!"

"You killed your wife to collect wealth; you are destined not to escape this tribulation!"

Liu looked at the silver notes slapped on the table and the Private Secretary who was panting, his handlebar mustache pointing straight up.

His mouth felt like he had chewed coptis; he couldn't be more frustrated!

They say the government office gate opens wide; if you have reason but no money, don't enter.

He had no reason but had money, so why couldn't he get things done? And this flip-flopping Private Secretary Tang had repeatedly toyed with him, first raising the price for a bribe, then deliberately ordering a play about abandoning one's wife and children at the theater.

Finally, he went back on his word at the last minute. This kind of heartless behavior was truly detestable.

Liu cursed Private Secretary Tang in his heart for being inconsistent and having two faces, while waiting for an opportunity to snatch the silver notes on the table, intending to escape Linhe and flee to another township.

Private Secretary Tang was pressing his hand angrily on the silver notes, waiting to gather strength for a second outburst, when he never expected that Liu, with evil growing from his courage, would poke his big head straight toward his chest.

"Ouch!"

Clatter, clatter—the dishes, wine cups, and tea sets on the tea table fell to the ground. The Private Secretary felt pain in his chest and was also knocked down inside the tea table.

Seeing that Liu wanted to take the money and flee, Private Secretary Tang couldn't care about his disheveled state. He crawled out from the hollow base of the tea table, supported himself with one hand, and with the other, like the Jade Emperor who had been disturbed by the Monkey King, hurriedly pointed his palm toward the direction of Liu's escape and shouted: "Quickly stop that fellow! Don't let him escape!"

At the main passage of the pavilion, Xu Qing, seeing the Private Secretary give the order, was happy to act as the Buddha, so he took two quick steps to block Liu's path.

Liu, seeing someone blocking the way, felt ruthless. He gritted his teeth and exerted force, using his big head and shoulders to charge toward Xu Qing.

Xu Qing was tall, and the place where he stood was also high. Liu wanted to rush onto the corridor, so he aimed straight at his waist and hips.

Smashing a walnut with his head?

Xu Qing didn't indulge him. He stretched out his palm and—slap—gave him a big smack.

This slap was fierce; Liu spun in place, and even a few of his back teeth with blood and water flew out.

Private Secretary Tang crawled out from under the table, came to the front, and without a word, kicked him a few times.

After venting his anger, Private Secretary Tang praised Xu Qing, who had acted righteously, and even said he would recommend him to work in the government office.

"You have a good eye for things. It just so happens that Constable Zhao has lost two men under his command. If you are interested, I can recommend you to work under him..."

Xu Qing rolled his eyes upon hearing this. Even if he went to the latrine outside the six bureaus of the government office, he would never work under Zhao Zhonghe!

Seeing him refuse, Private Secretary Tang only said it was a pity, but promised that if the three shifts and six bureaus expanded their recruitment in the future, he could save a position for him...

Xu Qing didn't care at all. If you gave him a coroner position, he might consider it, but if it were any other position where he couldn't touch corpses, he had zero interest.

At this time, it wasn't too late, and the opera on the stage was only halfway through, but after such a commotion, the few of them had no mood to listen to the music.

Private Secretary Tang and Wang Lingyuan escorted the bound Liu to the government office for detention, while Xu Qing returned alone to his own geomancy treasure house.

In the dead of night, it was the perfect time for all kinds of snakes, insects, rats, and ants to come out of their holes to forage.

On the street not far west of Water Gate Bridge, several sneaky-looking people were walking along the wall, throwing things into people's courtyards house by house.

When they arrived outside a courtyard without lights, someone said: "Take a string of coins and an extra copy of the booklet. The government has been checking strictly recently, and those people from the Tax Bureau are even confiscating the booklets we distribute. This time, we will distribute one extra copy to each household; we aren't afraid of them coming to collect them!"

As the voice fell, someone took two small booklets and a string of coins from a back basket and handed them to the leading thief.

Here, the thief leader took a piece of coarse cloth from his bag, wrapped the booklets and the string of coins into a bundle, and prepared to throw it into the courtyard before him.

Just at this critical moment, a strange voice suddenly sounded from behind them.

"Didn't your parents teach you not to throw things around? Even if you don't hit anyone, what if you hurt the flowers and plants? That wouldn't be very good."

The thief leader, who was preparing to throw the cloth bundle, was so scared that he shuddered all over. He turned his head and saw a fair-faced young man behind him.

"Where did this blind thing come from? You scared the hell out of me. Watch how I deal with you!" Having said that, the few thieves drew their sticks and knives, and it looked like they were about to attack.

At this time, the thief leader who was throwing the bundle stopped them and said: "Wait! We are disciples under the Saint Master of the Heavenly Heart Sect, here to save the world. If you meet us, it's fate with our sect. Ah Chong, why don't you take a string of coins and two booklets and give them to this person of fate."

Xu Qing raised his eyebrows upon hearing this and re-examined the leader of the flyer-distribution group.

Don't say, those who can become small leaders really have some professional quality.

"One copy isn't enough. It just so happens that I'm short of toilet paper for the latrine recently. Why don't you give all the booklets to me, and I'll help you solve your performance problem."

"Presumptuous!" The small leader, upon hearing this, immediately abandoned all professional quality, drew his sword with a clatter, and was about to have a real showdown with the person who insulted the Heavenly Heart Sect.

Xu Qing sighed faintly. He was not naturally combative, but if the other party wanted to make a move, then he couldn't be blamed.

The martial arts level of the few people before him was mediocre, and the small leader distributing the rebellion flyers was only at the External Refining realm.

Xu Qing didn't need the Tiger Seal Dragon Elephant; he could use the King-Tyrant Fist or Dog-Barking Fist he had opened from the Scripture of Saving People, or those street tricks like poking eyes and grabbing crotches, to make them obedient.

How could the few small minions be the opponents of this wicked zombie? One by one, they were beaten to a pulp, and until they died, they couldn't figure out when such an insidious person had appeared in Linhe.

(End of chapter)