Day and night tour

Chapter 288 Mingxi Water Man
"Looking for someone... I think you're here to look for a girl."

Huang Xi leaned sideways, gently leaning on the half-person-high counter, her eyes clear and charming.

"I'm not looking for a girl, I'm really looking for someone..." Zhou Xuan was in "working mode" and had no time to chat with Huang Xi. He urged: "Looking for Zhang Sheng who buys cloth shoes on South Street... You have to hurry up, my physical body is still dazed."

"Zhou Xuan" in the tea room was concentrating with his eyes closed, as if he was telling fortunes. If Xu Qing didn't go back early, she would probably think that Zhou Xuan was asleep.

"Only looking for a man, not a girl?"

"Of course, what kind of personality do I have? Looking for a girl...ha...we'll talk about it next time."

“……”Huang Xi.

When Huang Xi heard that Zhou Xuan was going to look for someone, he called the "big teapot" in the store.

"Big Teapot" has another well-known nickname - Turtle Man.

"Boss, what's the matter?"

"You, go and tell your disciples to find a man named Zhang Sheng, who sells cloth shoes on South Street."

"Hey."

The teapot responded and quietly went out. When he passed Zhou Xuan, he saw that Zhou Xuan was looking at him. He did not dare to say much and lowered his head and walked out of the "Si Xi Tower".

“It really fits the stereotype.”

In his previous life, Zhou Xuan had seen those "teapots" on TV. They were all big and strong. After all, they had to do odd jobs and were also responsible for being bodyguards in the building. Now, as expected, they looked like a tower.

After the teapot disappeared, Zhou Xuan asked Huang Xi, "What is the price for this business today?"

When doing business, of course you have to pay a price.

Huang Xi sat back on the recliner, his right hand dangling on his knee, and said meaningfully: "When it comes to finding people, we at Huangmen are professional, and the fee depends on the progress you need.

If you need to slow down the process and can wait for the time, two Jingguo notes will be enough.

But if you need it quickly and can’t wait, the price will naturally go up, and two or three hundred yuan in Jingguo notes won’t be enough to cover the cost.”

“How fast can it be?”

"Within ten minutes, the Huangmen's network of relationships spread throughout Mingjiang Prefecture. The number of Huangpi people is greater than the number of people. If we want to ensure that the message is delivered quickly, we may have to awaken a quarter of the disciples to participate, which will naturally be very costly."

Huang Xi still spoke in a businessman's tone.

Zhou Xuan directly stated the conditions and said, "You old Huangmen people all believe in that stupid Buddha. I once embroidered a pair of torn robes for you.

"Remnant Robe" is a White Walker with more Buddha nature, but he is still just a White Walker, not a great Buddha.
This time, I will make a tattoo of a Buddha in green clothes for you Huangmen.

The Green Buddha, I think you also know, is the only big Buddha in the sky. "

When Huang Xi heard the three words "Blue-robed Buddha" tattooed on her face, she could no longer conceal her joy. Although she tried very hard to cover it up, she couldn't suppress the upturned corners of her mouth.

"really?"

"It's not just this one job." Zhou Xuan bargained, "Find Zhang Sheng who sells cloth shoes and ask him to take my green Buddha tattoo. How can I get such a great deal?
The tattoo of the Blue Buddha is a very high-level tattoo in the tattoo hall. Besides being used for you Huangmen Buddhists to worship, it also has other magical uses. "

"So what do you want your business to look like?"

Huang Xi's ears burned with excitement, and he vowed to take the tattoo from Zhou Xuan and put it on his hand.

With this picture, all the older generations in the Huangmen would have to love her, and her importance in the Huangmen would rise sharply.

"I want to cultivate the Dragon-Seeking Incense. I guess the matter of looking for people will still happen from time to time. Within ten days, if the Yellow Gate disciple can help me find someone, I will present the Green Buddha tattoo picture."

"Ten days? That long?"

"If you don't agree, I will replace you." Zhou Xuan urged, "There are more spirits in the world than just the Huangmen. The Hu, Huang, Bai, Liu and Hui are all rat spirits. They have more disciples than you Huangmen. I will replace them because they are more informed."

"I agree, I agree, ten days is ten days." Huang Xi didn't want the tattoo to fall into the hands of others, so he responded repeatedly.

"Don't regret it."

"No regrets, no regrets. The disciples of the Yellow Sect are all clever and capable, unlike the disciples of the Gray Sect, who are all cunning and stupid."

Well, the weasel looks down on the mouse for being "sly and sneaky", and you are not much better.

"Then it's settled. I'll be here, waiting for your news. Hurry up. I want all the information about Zhang Sheng in the past within ten minutes."

"Easy to say, easy to say."

Huang Xi walked to the door, stretched out his right hand, and a small yellow flag appeared in his hand. He muttered something while waving the yellow flag vigorously. At the door of "Si Xi Building", a yellow wind blew up. The yellow wind was fierce and spread out, blowing to many corners of Mingjiang Mansion.
After finishing all this, Huang Xi returned to the main hall and whispered to Zhou Xuan, "Young Master, I am fortunate that I am a small flag officer of the Yellow Gate and can call on many disciples. If you had asked someone else to do this, you really wouldn't be able to notify so many disciples to do things within these few moments."

"The flag in your hand, is it the magic weapon of Huangmen?"

"It's a fake. The real magic weapon is the old flag, which is in the hands of the Yellow Clan's patriarch. Each of the five great immortal families has a flag, with different colors and unique uses."

"It's a rare thing." Zhou Xuan praised.

……

Huangmen, as a wild fairy from the Great Five Roads, is very good at two things. The first is making money. He is the God of Wealth among the wild fairies.
The second thing was to look for people. There were many disciples, all of them were smart and agile. Zhou Xuan was lying down, but after a cup of tea, a tall yellow-skinned man jumped into the hall, climbed up Huang Xi's body, sat on her shoulders, and kept whispering.

Huang Xi nodded as she listened. After the yellow fox had finished telling all the information, she waved her hand, signaling it to leave temporarily.

After sending the disciples away, Huang Xi smiled sweetly and said to Zhou Xuan: "You came to see Zhang Sheng in your spirit, and I thought he was a great man, but he turned out to be a cloth shoe seller."

"I've told you many times that he's a cloth shoe seller. How could I lie to you?"

Zhou Xuan got straight to the point and asked, "Tell me about Zhang Sheng's background."

"He's just a cloth shoe seller," said Huang Xi.

"Has there been no setbacks in his life in recent months?"

"Yes, I have, but they are all trivial matters. I'm afraid you won't like to hear them, young master."

"You're overthinking this. I came here just for these trivial matters."

Zhou Xuan said very seriously.

"If you want to hear it, I'll tell you. There are indeed some changes in his shitty life."

Huang Xi talked about Zhang Sheng.

Mr. Zhang sells cloth shoes on South Street. His business is booming and after deducting living expenses, he has some extra money.

However, he was a very honest and righteous person. Four months ago, a cousin of his clan came out to do business and saw a shop, but he didn't have much money in his pocket.

The cousin then took out a loan and asked Zhang Sheng to be the guarantor.

Unexpectedly, the cousin turned out to be a crooked person. After getting the loan, he absconded with the money to other prefectures.

Since the creditor couldn't find him, he naturally found Zhang Sheng and forced him to pay back the money.

Zhang Sheng immediately went to look for his cousin, but he couldn't find him. As a guarantor, he had to repay the debt himself. Not only was all the remaining money in his hand taken away, he also had to mortgage his shop and borrow some money.

In the following months, the money he earned was not enough to repay the interest and principal, and he had to continue borrowing.

A good small business family became impoverished just because of a mistake in misjudging people. Their good days were gone and they were left with a huge debt.

After hearing this, Zhou Xuan estimated the date and understood why Zhang Sheng didn't want his wife to get pregnant.

Mr. Zhang mortgaged his shop and had to pay off debts every month. He lived a tight life and had no money on hand, so how could he have extra financial resources to raise a child?

However, Zhang Sheng was not in a position to tell his wife about these major changes.

Zhou Xuan asked Huang Xi again: "What happened next?"

"That's how it went on. For the past two or three months, Zhang Sheng was overwhelmed by his debts and was distracted every day. A few days ago, after the Mingjiang disaster, he left home."

Huang Xi hits the key point.

Zhou Xuan asked, "Where did he go after leaving home?"

"Mingxi District."

"Where are you going?" Zhou Xuan asked.

"Of course, it's to do a profitable business." Huang Xi put his arm around Zhou Xuan's shoulders and said affectionately, "You are a big shot in Mingjiang Prefecture. You don't know the bitterness of some small people.
The Ming River catastrophe, a flood, submerged the Mingxi District, and there are many depressions and deep pits in Mingxi. After the flood receded, the depressions and deep pits were filled with water, and many victims' bodies were floating in the pits. "

Zhou Xuan was shocked when he heard this and asked, "Zhang Sheng went to the puddle to fish out corpses to make money."

"You're quick-witted. The Mingjiang government office distributes resettlement allowances based on the number of bodies. If the bodies can't be found, some people won't get the money they're entitled to. That's why the government office has spent so much effort to retrieve those bodies and do things as meticulously as possible to appease the people."

Huang Xi said: "There are now boatmen in Mingxi District who specialize in salvaging corpses from deep water pits.

After the bodies were fished out, they went to the government office to collect the bounty according to the number of bodies. In addition to selling cloth shoes, Zhang Sheng was also a good swimmer. He grew up by the Ming River and could sink to the bottom of the river and pull up a big black carp by holding his breath.

However, it stands to reason that the boatman disciple of Kugui should be good at the job of fishing out corpses. I don’t know why the government didn’t hire Kugui but instead asked for boatmen from the public.”

Zhou Xuan knew the answer, of course. He said, "The labor fee of the bitter ghost disciples is high, and the watermen composed of ordinary people charge a low price. The government office has no money, so we can just pick the cheaper ones."

In order to provide post-disaster resettlement services, the painter sought help from various large and small organizations and raised money to provide resettlement expenses to the families of the victims.

Jin Hai has already spent all his money, and it is impossible for them to raise a large sum of money to hire the ghosts to retrieve the body.

"A flood has devastated the Mingjiang Prefecture."

"Where is Zhang Sheng in Mingxi? I'll go over there one day to take a look."

"There is a natural pit called Chenmu Tiankeng on Chenmu Mountain in the west of Ming. Seven or eight miles away from it is Jiuchuan Street. There are many people on the street. When the flood occurred, many people were washed into Chenmu Tiankeng.

By the way, there is a palm-sized scar on Zhang Sheng’s back. You will be able to recognize it when you get there.”

"Okay, thank you, Mr. Huang. If you have time, come to Jingyi's shop to pick up the Green Buddha Tattoo."

When Zhou Xuan said this, his spirit traveled again and went to Chenmu Tiankeng.

……

Chenmu Tiankeng was originally a dry pit with some cracks at the bottom. After every rain, water would accumulate in the pit. After only a few days, the accumulated water would slowly seep into the ground through the dense and narrow cracks underground.

But the flood was so severe that it filled up the tiankeng. If the water could only be drained through the cracks, it would take who knows when.

At this time, the boatmen in the tiankeng were working hard to retrieve corpses, making this somewhat desolate place look bustling with activity.

The boatmen were divided into two groups. One group pulled the rope on the shore, while the other group tied ropes and iron weights around their waists, jumped into the water, and sank into the water to retrieve the corpse.

Because there were too many people around and none of them were disciples of the incense-burning and divine way, Zhou Xuan did not show up and just watched silently.

As he was watching, he saw another familiar face - Si Yuer.

"This thief daughter is really kind-hearted."

The last time Zhou Xuan saw Si Yuer, she was using the thief's "Five Elements Escape Technique" to save people from the flood.

Now that the flood has receded, Si Yuer has come to the Chenmu Tiankeng again to retrieve corpses.

"How could the violent temper of Hall Master Si have educated such a conscious girl?"

Zhou Xuan's mind moved and he shook his head. He felt that Si Yuer's good qualities might not come from Siming, but from her mother Duan Qinglan.

He had met Duan Qinglan several times, and she seemed to be a smart, open-minded, and gentle woman.

"If you come across a body, you don't have to fish it out. Just tell me when you get ashore."

Si Yuer instructed the new boatman today: "The water is turbid. I use the Five Elements Escape Technique to enter the water. I can't tell east, south, west, and north. I need you to tell me the approximate direction so that I can use the Escape Technique to accurately rescue people."

"I know, I know."

After tying the rope, the boatman understood Si Yuer's instructions and jumped into the turbid apricot-yellow water. Relying on his swimming ability and the iron block hanging on his waist, he sank into the tiankeng.

They relied on accident and their large numbers to dive randomly, then reached out to touch the surroundings to feel if there were any corpses floating in the deep water.

In addition to Si Yuer, Zhou Xuan also saw Zhang Sheng.

Zhang Sheng was thin, with long legs and arms. There was a shocking burn scar on his back, the size of a palm.

At this time, Zhang Sheng had new injuries on top of old ones, with many cuts all over his body, especially at the elbow, where there was a crack that prevented him from bending his hand. If he bent his hand, purple joints would stick out of his elbow.

He was just untying the rope around his waist when Si Yuer trotted over and asked, "Asheng, can the doctor give you a stitch?"

When fishing for a body in such turbid water, it is inevitable that one will be scratched or stabbed by hard objects floating in the water.
Moreover, due to the complex underwater terrain with ravines and bumps, if a boat enters a stone-filled sluice gate, the boatman may swim in but cannot swim out. He or she will be forcibly pulled out of the narrow sluice gate by people on the shore. If the boat is lucky, its skin may be scratched but the boat may survive.

Those who were unlucky died directly in the water.

It is hard and dangerous for the boatmen to retrieve corpses. Although the pay is high, people who have lost all their jobs will not come here to work.

They paid for their money with their lives.

The task of recovering bodies from the water is very difficult. The Bone Association has also called in doctors from Shan De Hospital to be on call at all times. Those who can be rescued must be rescued free of charge, and those who can be treated for injuries must be treated on the spot.

Facing Si Yuer's concern, Zhang Sheng pointed to his elbow with a pierced joint and said with a simple smile: "No, no, these are just minor injuries. There are many injured sailors here, treat them first."

"Your joints are all sticking out."

"It's okay, it's okay. I'm lucky to be alive."

The government would give the boatman 188 yuan for each corpse he fished out. This price was very tempting to the common people.

However, high returns come with high risks, and there are many cases where sailors have died in the water.

Zhang Sheng was already one of the lucky sailors.

He smiled at Si Yu'er and said in a flattering tone, "Miss Si, I did some calculations myself. In the past few days, I have fished out thirty-four bodies. According to the agreement between the government office and us, the reward is six thousand three hundred and ninety-two yuan."

"You want to collect the money."

"Yes, yes, this six thousand yuan is enough for me to pay off my debts. I can also have some money left to buy a set of gold jewelry for my wife, and rent the store next to my cloth shoe store."

"Aren't you going to continue making money?" Si Yuer was also joking. She saw off every sailor who left on his own initiative.

"To earn money as a sailor, you have to sacrifice your life. I still have a use for my life. My wife is three months pregnant. I can't die here."

When Zhang Sheng mentioned the word "death", he lowered his voice very low, for fear of affecting the fighting spirit of the other sailors.

"Then you should go back early. Your wife still misses you."

Si Yuer took off the waterproof sheepskin bag around her waist and unzipped it - these days, zippers are high-end products, and she is the daughter of a thief and comes from a noble family, so she can afford to use one.

She took out an anonymous promissory note from Huifeng Commercial Bank from her bag, wrote down the amount of "six thousand five" and handed it to Zhang Sheng.

"Ah Sheng, take this promissory note to the Jingguo Issuing Bank... the one on Jiaofang Road. Give it to the teller and he will withdraw the money for you."

“That’s a lot of money.”

Zhang Sheng had received some education and could read. He noticed that the amount on the promissory note was not right.

"I'll give you a zero."

Si Yuer is doing the reverse zeroing.

Zhang Sheng thanked him repeatedly and left happily.

Zhou Xuan saw this and completely understood Xu Qing's situation.
Zhang Sheng was cheated by his cousin and was forced to mortgage his shop to pay off his debts. His life became even worse. He didn't want to have a son, but since Xu Qing was really pregnant, he was ready to have and raise the baby. He even left without saying goodbye and came to Mingxi to work as a sailor in a highly dangerous job, risking his life for money.

"Fortunately, the ending is not bad. At least Zhang Sheng really made money and returned alive."

After investigating the matter to this point, Zhou Xuan only needed to return to the tea room in spirit and "tell the hexagram" to Xu Qing, and his first fortune-telling business would have come to a successful conclusion.

But Zhou Xuan was in no hurry to leave.

Zhang Sheng successfully completed his journey of making money, but there are dozens of Zhang Shengs in this tiankeng... They are all waiting to take the money home, and no one wants to die in this tiankeng.

"Since we've all passed by, we still have to help."

Since Si Yuer needs the approximate location of the corpse, she can use the Five Elements Escape Technique to save people.

Zhou Xuan found the locations of the corpses hanging under the water one by one and marked them.

Thinking of this, his soul dived into the water and released all of his extremely powerful perception.

The turbid water became extremely clear in Zhou Xuan's eyes. He saw hundreds of corpses hanging in the 20-meter-deep puddle. Because each corpse took up water at a different level, they were hanging in the water at different heights...

(End of this chapter)