Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 775 Sending Off an Old Friend

As the mouth of the jar was opened, the surrounding air seemed to be instantly sucked out, and the pervasive stench of decay was suddenly replaced by a more stagnant and bone-chilling cold.

Dao Ge felt a chill run down his spine and up to the top of his head. He shivered involuntarily, but his eyes were fixed on the two seemingly ordinary kimchi jars.

The mouth of the jar is deep and bottomless.

Immediately afterwards, two wisps of solid white mist swirled out of the mouth of the jar like smoke, quickly converging and condensing above the mouth.

In just a few breaths, Brother Dao watched as the outlines of two figures gradually became clearer in the mist, eventually transforming into two distinct "people" with clear features yet an ethereal quality.

The old man who emerged from the jar on the left was burly and imposing. Even though he was only a spirit, his eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, and he exuded an unsettling aura.

Dao Ge even felt that the person in front of him was more terrifying than the evil spirits in front of him.

The old man who emerged from the jar on the right was slightly thin and tall, with a gaunt face and a refined demeanor, yet his eyes were equally sharp, as if they could see right through people's hearts.

Zhao Qingming opened his eyes, his gaze sharp as lightning. With a wave of his hand, a tearing sound suddenly emanated from the surrounding void. The evil spirits in front of him were instantly struck as if by lightning, letting out piercing screams as they were torn apart by an invisible force.

At the same time, Xiao Zhenye also made his move. Thick corpse energy surged, and the corpse pool unfolded, instantly swallowing the surrounding void. Then, countless chains flew out from the corpse pool. The chains, like raging pythons, lashed fiercely at the bodies of these evil spirits, causing them to be utterly destroyed.

"No, you two save some for me, I haven't had enough yet."

Seeing how ruthless the two old men were right off the bat, Zhou Shang panicked. He took out a paper boat from his sleeve, blew on it gently, and the paper boat suddenly caught fire.

However, the fire on the palm-sized paper boat grew bigger and bigger.

With a gentle breath from Zhou Shang, the flames turned a deep green and slowly flew out with that breath.

Those evil spirits that come into contact with the emerald flames will immediately be ignited, emitting painful howls, and then pounce on the evil spirits around them.

In an instant, flames filled the sky, and the efficiency was even higher than that of Zhao Qingming and Xiao Zhenye.

Now, Brother Dao was dumbfounded.

Looking back at Zhou Shang, she couldn't help but shudder.

"What are you waiting for? Come on, are you planning to spend the night here?"

Li Qing poked Dao Ge with his finger.

Dao Ge finally came to his senses, swallowed hard, and nodded with difficulty.

"Wait, since we're already here, let's go all the way. There's something dirty in this station, let's get rid of it too."

Zhao Qingming squinted, and saw him slowly raise his palm and gently pat the train behind him. Immediately, visible ripples appeared in the air in front of him.

The frequency of the ripples then increased, emitting an audio sound that was almost inaudible to ordinary people.

Then, painful screams came from the train behind.

The sound was more like the hissing and screaming of a wildcat.

"get out!"

Xiao Zhenye snorted coldly, and countless chains, like pythons, slithered into the train. Soon after, the chains suddenly tightened.

Xiao Zhenye tried to pull it a few times but the thing didn't come out.

So he gave Zhou Shang a wink.

Zhou Shang immediately understood. He casually took out a piece of yellow paper, blew on it, and the yellow paper seemed to melt into the iron chain like grease. Then, a wisp of green fire quickly flowed into the carriage along the chain.

"Oh!!"

The screams inside the carriage grew even more piercing, and soon a dark, indistinct thing jumped out of it.

Before Brother Dao could even get a clear look at what it looked like, Xiao Zhenye stomped his foot, and one coffin after another flew out of the corpse pool, smashing directly onto the thing.

The coffin was shaped like a mountain, with six or seven chains slowly wrapping around it, and no matter how much the thing struggled, it could not break free.

Instead, the green flames on his body grew larger and larger, burning the coffin along with him.

The blue flames illuminated the entire station.

The screams stopped abruptly in just a moment.

But none of the three of them, including Xiao Zhenye, stopped.

Zhao Qingming formed a hand seal and released a talisman, while Xiao Zhenye clasped his hands together in prayer and pounded them forward. Zhou Shang took out two wads of paper from his sleeve, shaped them into a double lotus flower, and chanted a spell. The lotus flower then opened, shining a bright light onto the bonfire.

Regardless of the methods used, the ruthlessness of these three old men, their tendency to deliver a heavy blow even after someone is dead, made Brother Dao suddenly realize that he had been too kind all along.

Until the campfire turned to ashes.

At this moment, Xiao Zhenye turned back to Zhou Shang with a hint of dissatisfaction: "Second brother, I feel that your skills have not improved as much as before after all these years. All you do is keep your sister-in-law company."

As Xiao Zhenye spoke, he glanced at Zhou Shang's chest.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Shang snorted coldly: "My family's most treasured possessions have all been taken by your grandson. We're still using the old stock."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhenye grinned and proudly raised his head: "Keeping that thing of yours is just asking for trouble. You might as well give it to my grandson. Maybe he'll even pay off your debts by now."

"Humph."

Zhou Shang snorted, too lazy to argue with Xiao Laosi, and threw out a paper figure. After searching through the dust, he found only a broken oil lamp.

"Well, that's all that's left."

The three of them examined the oil lamp for a while, and after determining that it was useless, Li Qing took it and handed it to Dao Ge, who looked bewildered.

"Young man, it's better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester. Consider this oil lamp a gift from us elders to you as our first meeting."

"This……"

Dao Ge hesitated for a second, then immediately took the thing.

"You have discovered an E-level cursed item, the Soul-Summoning Lamp. Do you wish to activate it?"

This thing is actually a cursed object.

However, the fact that the four people in front of him didn't seem to care about such a cursed object gave Brother Dao a feeling he couldn't quite describe.

Having resolved the root of the trouble, the evil spirits scattered in all directions.

The group climbed over the wall next to the tracks on the other side and exited the station.

After leaving the station, Li Qing introduced Dao Ge to Dao Ge: "This is your Uncle Zhao, this is your Uncle Zhou, I am your Uncle Li, and this is your Uncle Xiao. Come and kowtow to us and call us Grandpa."

Dao Ge was very obedient upon hearing this. He knelt down with a thud, put his hands on the ground, and kowtowed to the four people: "Four grandfathers, I am ignorant. Please forgive me for the sake of my master."

"Well, this child is really obedient."

Li Qing grinned and helped Brother Dao up with a smile.

"Whose kid is this? Who is his master?" Xiao Zhenye asked, frowning. He didn't know anything about Brother Dao's background.

"Haha, you probably wouldn't believe it, but this kid is Duan Rui's apprentice," Zhou Shang said with a laugh.

"Duan Rui!!"

Xiao Zhenye and Zhao Qingming exchanged a glance, and the serious expressions on their faces gradually softened.

Zhao Qingming asked, "Is your master still alive?" "My master is still alive, but his health is..." Brother Dao sighed, "A few years ago, the old man was still in good health, but that year there was a heavy snowfall, and he slipped and fell when he went out in the morning. He has been bedridden ever since."

Hearing what Brother Dao said, Li Qing sighed, "Duan Rui used to call himself the Lone Ranger, skilled in light-footed knives, throwing knives, and the Bodyguard of the Horizontal Strike. Who would have thought that he would stumble at the last minute when he got old? Sigh, you can't deny getting old."

The four brothers had all witnessed Duan Rui's incredible lightness skills back then, but who could have imagined such an outcome?

Where is your master?

"It's just behind, about a half-hour drive away."

Brother Dao pointed to a house at the foot of Danshan Mountain behind the town, which was his master's house.

Zhao Qingming looked up and, with his excellent eyesight, spotted the lone little house in the distance. He said, "It's nearby. Let's go, lead the way, and go see this old brother."

The three people and two ghosts slowly walked towards the foot of Dan Mountain.

On the way, Brother Dao honestly introduced himself.

His real name is Zeng Jun, he is 24 years old this year, and he has been learning his craft from his master for fourteen years.

Zhao Qingming also asked him to demonstrate his knife-throwing technique.

Dao Ge immediately took out his two throwing knives and swept them towards the tree branch in the distance. The branch was at least as thick as wood, and it was pierced directly by the two throwing knives.

However, Dao Ge's throwing knife only earned him Zhao Qingming's response: "So-so!"

This inevitably dealt a heavy blow to Brother Dao.

It wasn't that Zhao Qingming was deliberately trying to discourage him; it's just that Dao Ge's throwing knife skills were only passable.

Especially after witnessing Xiao Ran's talent, Zhao Qingming really didn't think there were many young people who could compare to Xiao Ran.

Thinking of this, Zhao Qingming couldn't help but turn his head to look at the fourth brother beside him.

A hint of envy appeared on his face: "But your Xiao Ran, hey, he's something else. The last time I saw him, he was already extraordinary. Now he's probably... tsk tsk, it's a pity that you old man traveled all over the world and accumulated so many connections, but you haven't used a single one of them."

Zhao Qingming grinned and made a few jokes.

Xiao Zhenye did not refute this, but simply sighed and walked forward with his head down.

This week, Shang was not happy. Holding Zhao Qingming's sauerkraut jar, he said, "Why bring up something you shouldn't talk about? If you say another word, I'll throw you in the latrine."

Zhao Qingming's lips twitched upon hearing this. He glanced at the sauerkraut jar in Zhou Shang's hand and muttered, "Couldn't you two have found something more presentable? A sauerkraut jar? So we're old-fashioned sauerkraut?"

Dao Ge walked in front, but his ears were listening to the conversation of the four people behind him. He was confused by what he heard, but he remembered one person's name.

Xiao Ran.

"Master!"

Pushing open the courtyard gate, the four looked at the house in front of them. It was just an ordinary house, with one room and one kitchen.

Dao Ge and his men would come to clean whenever they had free time. Although their master was unable to get up, Dao Ge and his men hired a woman to take care of him.

Dao Ge stepped inside, saying as he went, "Master, someone has come to see you."

After saying that, he turned around and saw that Zhao Qingming and the other three were standing motionless at the door, with no intention of going in.

Just as Brother Dao was wondering, Zhao Qingming cupped his hands and exclaimed, "Old brother, I heard you're living in seclusion here, carefree and happy. How delightful!"

There was a moment of silence in the room before a hoarse voice was heard: "Zhao Qingming? You...you're still alive?"

"Ha ha ha ha."

The four brothers burst into laughter.

Zhou Shang said, "Brother Duan, Lao San and I are here. Lao Da and Lao Si are not very fortunate. Otherwise, we could have gathered together tonight and enjoyed a good drink."

Silence fell over the room once more.

After about five or six seconds, a sigh was heard: "So that's how it is. It's the Zhou brothers and the Li brothers. After all these years, you two are still in good health."

"It is ok."

Zhou Shang smiled and chimed in, "Brother Duan is living the life of a 'half-immortal' now, peaceful and resting. We roughnecks are here, all travel-worn, let's not disturb the feng shui of your blessed place. Besides, the kids are doing a great job, a hundred times better than us clumsy folks!"

Li Qing stepped forward, his voice booming: "Old brother! The green hills remain unchanged, and the clear waters flow on forever! To be able to meet an old friend today, knowing that you have solid connections, makes us brothers feel as happy as if we've satisfied our craving for tobacco! You can squat here in peace!"

Li Qing also raised his hand, and a dark jade pendant slid into the window frame: "Brother Duan, here's a little 'travel money' under your pillow."

Though the journey through life may be long, our bonds of friendship must not falter!
If the kids ever run into trouble, just let them know; their old brothers will surely help them out!

At this moment, Zhou Shang flipped his wrist, and with a folded yellow paper square (auspicious paper talisman) between his fingers, he flicked it lightly.

Fang Sheng'er seemed to have eyes; he steadily slipped through the window crack and landed near the head of the bed inside. "Brother, here's a talisman for you, hoping for good luck! Our brotherhood isn't over yet! Who knows, someday when we brothers come back, we'll have to mooch a drink from you!"

The piece of paper Zhou Shang gave him was one of the few he had in stock. It was stamped with the "Tongyou Seal." If Duan Rui were in trouble, this piece of paper could be a lifesaver.

They left something behind, and said everything.

The four bowed towards the house, then turned and headed straight down the mountain.

Decisive, clean, and without a single unnecessary word.

Brother Dao stood at the door for a moment, then quickly escorted the group to the mountainside before turning back.

When I got home, I opened the door and saw a dimly lit room with pots and pans scattered around. On the bed next to it, a thin old man was lying weakly.

"Master!"

Seeing this, Brother Dao quickly went over, reached out to wipe away the tears on the old man's face, and helped him sit up straight.

"Master, they're gone."

Duan Rui nodded, took the jade pendant left by Li Qing in his hand, glanced at it, and then let Dao Ge wear it around his neck.

After a moment of silence, he pointed to the box at the foot of the bed and said, "Jun'er, open the box. There's a book, a set of throwing knives, and a recipe inside. These are our family's treasures, and we'll be entrusting them to you from now on."

Dao Ge looked back at the box and suddenly had a bad feeling. He then looked back at his master on the bed.

"Master, I...I don't want your things. You just lie down and I'll make you braised pork later."

Duan Rui smiled, looked up at the ceiling, and said, "It's been a long time since I've felt this good. I want to drink."

"Yes, there's a bottle of Moutai at home. I'll go get it for you."

Dao Ge quickly got up, went to the kitchen, found the bottle of Moutai, shook it a few times, and there was still about a cup left. He immediately went back to his room.

Dao Ge carefully poured a glass of wine and presented it to Duan Rui.

Duan Rui, at that moment, suddenly sat up straight, seemingly drawing strength from nowhere.

Holding his wine glass, he gestured towards the door: "Goodbye, everyone!"

After saying that, the glass of wine slipped from his fingertips.

With a loud crash, it shattered into pieces.

(End of this chapter)