Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 788 A person dies but the debt remains

The fine rain, like silk threads, moistened the continuous dark mountains and shrouded Mengjiang in a misty haze.

The small boat carrying Xiao Zhenye and his four companions drifted silently downstream, its bow breaking the calm surface of the river and creating ripples.

Amei nervously hugged the pickle jar, afraid that she might accidentally drop it into the water.

Zhou Shang rowed the oars at the stern at a leisurely pace, seemingly casually, but actually with steady force, keeping the boat's speed just right.

Zhao Qingming sat in the boat with his eyes half-closed, seemingly resting, but in reality, he was fully aware of his surroundings and paying attention to the movements around him.

Xiao Zhenye sat alone at the bow of the boat with his back to everyone, while Li Qing sat at the stern.

Just then, a slight ripple of water came from the side and front.

Suddenly, a large patch of dense reeds on the right parted to the left and right, and a smaller boat glided out nimbly, blocking Xiao Zhenye's boat upstream at a distance that was neither too close nor too far, just enough to shout and defend itself.

An old man with a kind face stood on the small boat, wearing a common local cloth jacket.

He addressed Xiao Zhenye and the others with a long string of words spoken in a thick local accent:

"Hey—! Is there no wind or waves while sailing on the river? Is the bow of the boat stable?"

The sound was loud and clear, especially distinct on the silent, misty river surface.

Zhou Shang paused slightly while paddling, but instead of being startled, he grinned, revealing a smile reminiscing about the past.

He turned his head and smiled at Zhao Qingming, who was calmly sitting in the cabin, Li Qing, who was peeking out, and Xiao Zhenye, whose back was turned:

"Hey, listen to that noise! ​​This scene seems familiar!"

Zhao Qingming's lips curled slightly, but he didn't utter a sound. Li Qing, however, chuckled softly.

Even Xiao Zhenye, who had his back to him, subtly raised and lowered his straw hat.

The three of them laughed knowingly, and the air was filled with a kind of banter and sentimentality that only old friends share after going through many years together.

Yes, back when they were a bunch of greenhorns, when they first set foot on the Mengjiang River with Wang Shen, Cat Four, weren't they questioned by similar overt and covert agents using almost the same set of slang?

The tension, the novelty, and the fearless spirit of youth are still vivid in my mind.

Now that they've become "old hands" revisiting the same place, the routines on the river haven't changed at all.

Amei, on the other hand, looked bewildered and looked at Li Qing beside her in confusion.

Li Qing smiled and explained, "This person is in charge of scouting. What he just said was a coded message, meaning he was asking you whether your purpose in coming here is legitimate. If you answered incorrectly, hehe."

Li Qing pointed to the fishing boats that were faintly visible behind the aloe vera in front of him.

"The fishermen will soon surround you and let you experience the hospitality here."

Upon hearing Li Qing's explanation, Amei suddenly understood.

Zhou Shangqing cleared his throat, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, and sang a doggerel in a style that was also somewhat classical and clearly pronounced:

"A boat sails steadily on the river with the help of the rudder (meaning that one's own people are reliable)."

Parents light stoves across the four seas (wandering the world)

Today, I burn incense not for wealth (not to cause trouble or steal money).

"Just to find relatives and worship the mountain god (to search for old friends)"

Upon hearing Zhou Shang's doggerel, the other party slowly brought the boat closer.

The old man smiled and cupped his hands in greeting to Zhou Shang and the others: "So you're just a errand boy from the martial arts world. My apologies for not recognizing you."

In the world of martial arts and social circles, "errand runner" is a respectful title, meaning someone who travels a lot and sees a lot; not just anyone can be called that.

"You're too kind. How should I address you, elder brother?"

Now that we've confirmed each other's identities, there's no need for any pretense in our conversations; it's best to just say what we mean directly.

"Alas, I dare not accept such praise. My name is Mu, and I am the eighth among my brothers."

"Brother Mu, my apologies for not recognizing you."

After exchanging pleasantries, Mu Laoba boarded Zhou Shang's small boat and took the oar from Zhou Shang: "The mountains are high and the road is long, let me see you off for a while, brother."

"Thank you, brother."

Mu Laoba smiled and nodded, waving his oars and singing a folk song.

The sound was loud and clear, echoing across the water and captivating the senses.

"Gentlemen, things have been quite turbulent lately, so please hold on tight."

As Mu Laoba rowed, he reminded the group, but he certainly wasn't referring to the waves on the water in front of them.

"Oh!" Li Qing turned around and looked at him. "Old brother, what's all this fuss about lately?"

"Recently, a strong northwest wind has come out of nowhere, and it's really tough."

The northwest wind is a bandit, the east wind is a river pirate, the south wind is a government army, and the north wind is a robber.

Mu Laoba was reminding them that bandits had been causing trouble recently, and to be careful. After all, bandits sometimes have no sense of morality; they don't care if you're a member of the underworld or not, if they encounter you, they'll either kill or rob you.

As they spoke, the small boat had already sailed out of the reeds. After Mu Laoba escorted them to the shore, he cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Everyone, the journey of the martial world is long, take care!"

"What goes around comes around, goodbye!"

The group bowed to Mu Laoba, who then quickly rowed away.

It was only then that Amei came to her senses. She looked at Zhou Shang and said, "Grandpa Zhou, that boat..."

"That's the rule." Zhou Shang took a lollipop out of his pocket and popped it into his mouth.

They are river bandits, but seeing that you are a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person of the martial arts world), they will not rob you, but you must leave your boat to them. This is the code of the martial arts world.

"Can……"

Before Amei could say anything, Li Qing said in a serious tone, "We are outsiders. If others have to follow the rules, we also have to follow the rules."

Amei said with a wry smile, "But grandpas, it's a paper boat."

It turned out that when they reached the Lianjiang River upstream, they found that there were no boats, so Zhou Shang made a paper boat.

If Zhou Shang and the others were on this ship, things would be fine, but without them...

"Pfft!!"

A splash of water appeared on the distant lake surface, followed by the sound of Mu Laoba's cursing.

The four brothers didn't take it seriously. Seeing this, they immediately grabbed Meng Amei and darted into the dense forest on the bank.

The group moved with incredible speed, trudging through the slippery mud after the rain, and hurried south along a tributary of the Mengjiang River.

Li Qing casually made a small hand seal, and the five figures became indistinct and blurry in the forest, making them difficult to see clearly.

In less than half an hour, the rain gradually subsided, and amidst the misty air, a village nestled against the mountain and beside the water, consisting of stilted houses, appeared at a bend in the river ahead.

Ping'an Village

At the entrance to the village stands a crooked, half-old wooden archway, the very place Xiao Zhenye remembers from back then.

“This is it.” Xiao Zhenye stood in the shadows at the edge of the forest and pointed to the village. “Back then, I searched all over the place before I finally found a master who was good at opening mountains and drilling caves here. I just don’t know what the situation is now.”

"Let's go and take a look first."

The five people entered the village entrance.

The village was unusually quiet after the rain. The roads were muddy, and there were hardly any people in sight. The only sounds were the occasional bark of a dog and the sound of the flowing river.

We found a relatively spacious stilted house deep inside the village.

Just as I reached the wooden steps at the doorway, before I even knocked, the dilapidated door suddenly creaked open from the inside.

The man who opened the door was a burly man with dark skin, gleaming eyes, and a headscarf.

The other party was obviously about to go out. When they suddenly opened the door, they saw five people in front of them and were stunned for a few seconds.

But soon, the burly man came to his senses, took two steps back with a wary expression, and placed one hand on the machete at his waist: "Who are you looking for?"

Xiao Zhenye and the others didn't answer, they just kept walking inside.

Upon seeing this, the burly man's expression changed, and he raised his machete to strike.

But what are his mediocre skills compared to those four old guys?

The moment the knife was raised above his head, a loud "bang!" rang out, and the burly man felt his hand go numb. He couldn't hold onto the broadsword, and it flew out of his hand.

The burly man was startled, wondering where this group of people came from.

When they came to their senses, they had already gone inside.

This left him completely bewildered, so he simply closed the door and went inside.

"Who are you, and what do you want?"

Li Qing and the others sat down as if they were old friends, and Zhou Shang even picked up the snacks on the table and stuffed them into his mouth without any politeness.

Xiao Zhenye looked around and asked, "Do you know Wang Chuangzi?"

The burly man was taken aback, his eyes turning strange: "You know my father?"

Without further ado, Xiao Zhenye took out a black donkey hoof and tossed it to the burly man.

The burly man caught the black donkey hoof, his expression changing slightly. He then carefully felt its surface with his fingers. A name was engraved beneath the hoof using an intaglio technique, invisible to the naked eye but easily discernible by touch. Confirming it was indeed his father's name, the burly man immediately understood.

"So it was you!"

He was taken aback. His father had told him about this: if anyone came to him with a token, he should help them to repay the favor.

This all happened more than ten years ago, and he had completely forgotten about it. If it weren't for the black donkey hoof, he really wouldn't have remembered such a thing.

The man's expression changed slightly. He stroked the black donkey hoof and thought for a while before smiling and placing the items on the table. "So it's you gentlemen. I know about this matter. I know all of my father's skills. What do you need me to do?"

"No rush, what should I call you?"

Xiao Zhenye countered with a question.

"Wanglang Mountain".

"Oh." Xiao Zhenye's expression changed slightly, and he sighed, "How long has your father been gone?"

"Twelve years, a cerebral hemorrhage, and it all passed suddenly, without any suffering."

Wang Langshan sat down, picked up the teapot on the table and shook it, then stood up, walked to the kitchen next door, and began to add water to the teapot.

"Gentlemen, my father has always thought of you, but I didn't expect you to arrive so late. However, what my father can do, I can do too. You can rest assured about my skills. If there's anything you need me to do, just let me know."

As he spoke, Wang Langshan walked over with a teapot and poured tea for each of them.

"You just said your name is Langshan. Do you know if there is a mountain in Luodian called Langshan?"

Xiao Zhenye asked.

Langshan, Langshan.

It's actually a homophone; the place they're going to is Langshan.

It seems that Wang Chuang has been keeping this matter in mind all along, which is why he named his son Wang Langshan.

Upon hearing this, Wang Langshan was immediately startled and blurted out, "So it's in Langshan!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhenye and the other three exchanged glances, then quickly lowered their heads, pretending not to have heard.

"Come, come, gentlemen, and young lady, have some hot tea to warm yourselves up. It's very damp in the mountains after the rain."

Wang Langshan smiled broadly, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the group, lingering for a moment longer on the two pickled vegetable jars that Amei was tightly holding.

Xiao Zhenye picked up the rough pottery bowl, blew on it to cool it down, and glanced at Wang Langshan's slightly tense wrist out of the corner of his eye.

Zhao Qingming seemed genuinely tired. He picked up the bowl with his eyes closed, but his nostrils twitched almost imperceptibly.

Li Qing picked up the bowl and ran his fingers along the rim.

Zhou Shang was the most decisive, picking up the bowl and taking a big gulp.

Amei picked up her teacup, sniffed, and looked at Li Qing beside her with a puzzled expression. But Li Qing was smiling as he picked up his teacup, made a toasting gesture, and drank the tea in one gulp.

Seeing this, Amei had a moment of doubt in her heart, but then she drank the tea.

"The taste is a bit bland, Langshan." Li Qing smacked his lips and put down his teacup. "Are there any snacks left here? My stomach is a little empty."

Wang Langshan's eyes flashed and he laughed, "Yes, yes, yes, look at my memory! Please wait a moment, I'll go to the kitchen and get some pickled vegetables and flatbread to have with the tea!"

He stood up and strode quickly towards the back room.
The room fell silent, save for the patter of raindrops falling from the eaves outside the window. Amei felt her eyelids getting heavy, thinking it was from the boat ride, so she rubbed her eyes and then lay down on the table to sleep.

Zhou Shang yawned and muttered, "Oh dear, this tea... I'm a little... a little dizzy..." Before he could finish speaking, his head lolled to the side and he slumped onto the table.

Immediately afterwards, there were several muffled thuds.

Xiao Zhenye, Zhao Qingming, and Li Qing seemed to have all their strength drained away instantly, their bodies went limp, and the teacups in their hands rolled to the ground.

There was dead silence in the house.

A moment later, Wang Langshan poked his head in from the kitchen, his face now bearing a greedy and fierce expression, completely devoid of the respect and honesty he had shown just moments before.
He stepped forward, feigning concern, and gently nudged Li Qing. Only after confirming that the old man had fallen into a deep sleep did he stand up.

"Hmph, favors? The person is dead, what favors are there to talk about? Since you want favors, then I'll send you to see my father later, and you can ask him for them."

After saying that, Wang Langshan turned around and strode out of the courtyard. He poked his head out and whistled loudly into the village.

Soon, eight or nine people came out from all around and quickly entered Wang Langshan's house.

"Third brother, what's going on? Who are they?"

The man in the lead had two scars on his face, one on each side, and held a large machete in his hand. As soon as he entered, he stared at Wang Langshan and asked a question.

They had planned to rob the village's merchants tonight, but Wang Langshan, acting as an inside man, hadn't made a move yet, which inevitably annoyed them.

"Big brother! This is great news! It's fantastic news!"

Wang Langshan bowed and pointed at the people on the ground, "Do you remember when I told you that there was a big tomb here? That place is actually in Langshan. These people are the group that my father mentioned back then. I didn't expect that after more than ten years, they would actually come looking for us."

"A great tomb!"

The scarred man at the head of the group thought for a few seconds, then slapped his forehead and remembered.

"Langshan!"

His eyes lit up instantly, and he chuckled, "Hahaha! Heaven has opened its eyes! All these years, it turns out it's been right under my nose! The Langshan Tomb! Good, good, great, brother, we're going to make a fortune this time."

A group of bandits roared with excitement, their eyes gleaming with greed.
Some people started rummaging through the packages on the elderly people's bodies.

One of the henchmen, with a pointed mouth and monkey-like face, fixed his gaze on Ah Mei, who was slumped over the table.

He couldn't help but chuckle mischievously and said, "Brothers, there's a woman here too."

Upon hearing this, the crowd immediately booed.

Scarface curled his lip in disdain and cursed, "Damn it, she's a forty-year-old woman, and you still want her? Bah! Don't tell anyone she's my brother when we go out. I can't bear the shame."

"Ha ha ha ha."

The crowd burst into laughter, but the men below were anything but polite, thinking to themselves, "Go to hell, you have young and pretty girls, have you ever let us touch them? After we're done, you haven't even given us a chance to use you."

The instant his fingers touched Ah Mei's shoulder line,
"Whoosh!"

A golden thread emerged from Amei's collar and flashed up to the other person's hand.

"Hiss!" The man felt a sharp pain on the back of his hand. Looking down, he saw a hideous little insect, no bigger than a fingernail, entirely green with a golden head, biting him hard in the mouth of his hand! The excruciating pain instantly spread throughout his body!

"Ah! What the hell!"

The man screamed in terror, frantically shaking his hands to get rid of the poisonous insect, but the next moment, the four old men who had been sleeping soundly on the table all opened their eyes at the same time.

Li Qing, with his short body, was launched off the chair like a spring compressed to its limit!
"Whoosh whoosh!!!"

A few barely perceptible cold stars shot out from his sleeve!

"Puff puff!"

In an instant, a hole appeared in the head of the people who were close to the table.

Zhou Shang, Zhao Qingming, and Xiao Zhenye didn't even need to lift a finger; the pellets in Li Qing's hand struck them like bullets, leaving them completely defenseless.

"Damn it! This is a tough one!" Scarface was terrified and instinctively pulled a musket from his waist.

Before he could make a move, Xiao Zhenye tapped the table lightly with his fingers, and the next second, iron chains emerged from the ground, instantly binding the scarred man like a rice dumpling.

Li Qing then fired a bullet with his other hand, which pierced through the scarred man's skull.

In a matter of moments, the wooden house was completely transformed into a bloody inferno.

In just a few breaths, the eight or nine bandits who rushed in, along with Wang Langshan who had just been looking smug, were all caught off guard by this sudden, precise, and ruthless attack, and fell to the ground in disarray.

Wang Langshan was kicked hard during the initial ambush and was groaning in pain while clutching his chest. Just as he was about to grab his knife to fight back in the chaos, a hand slapped him on the shoulder.

Wang Langshan froze on the spot.

“My child, they say that a thousand pieces of gold cannot repay a debt of gratitude. If everyone is like that, then you are underestimating the importance of human relationships. If you don’t repay my favor, then you will repay it with your life.”

Xiao Zhenye's words made Wang Langshan tremble all over, and he screamed, "No, I'll still... I'll still... Please let me go, I promise I'll listen to you."

However, as soon as he finished speaking, Wang Langshan suddenly felt a sharp pain under his neck.

A soft "click!"

Wang Langshan's head tilted at an odd angle.

Xiao Zhenye threw the body on the ground and sighed, "Too late!"

From the moment this guy drugged them, Xiao Zhenye and his group already considered him a dead man.

They couldn't possibly take someone like that with them.

but……

Xiao Zhenye's hand reached into Wang Langshan's corpse, and after groping around for a few moments, he actually pulled Wang Langshan's soul out of the body.

Wang Langshan was stunned, seemingly unaware that he was dead. After regaining his senses, he immediately tried to beg for mercy.

This time, Xiao Zhenye didn't refuse; he simply put one hand on Wang Langshan's shoulder and pulled him towards the back.

"That's right. It's only right to pay back debts. And as for debts of gratitude, even if you have to become a ghost, you have to pay them back first."

"Yes Yes!"

Wang Langshan nodded repeatedly, completely unaware that his own corpse was lying on the ground behind him.

(End of this chapter)