Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 91 Robbery (Subscribe)
More than two hundred people were killed. It might be an exaggeration to say that the blood flowed like a river, but the blood really was flowing along the ground.

During this process, prisoners had to be escorted in batches, evidence of crimes had to be read out, corpses had to be moved, and the public had to be appeased from time to time. Therefore, the sun had already set by the time the whole process was completed, and it took a full three or four hours.

But this is not the end. After the execution, another coroner brought Magistrate Cao and others to carefully examine the bodies one by one. On the one hand, they wanted to confirm whether there were any mistakes in the identity, and on the other hand, they wanted to observe whether the prisoner was really dead, even if his head had been chopped off. In any case, they were very rigorous.

Chen Xuan had originally stopped wanting to watch after Liu the Boatman was beheaded, but when he saw Magistrate Cao and his men examining the body, still hammering long nails into the head, he couldn't help but exclaim in astonishment, "What are they doing?"

Could it be that people who committed heinous crimes must have their corpses whipped after death?

Mr. Yushan didn't say anything, but Geng Hong spoke up instead, grinning, "Xuan'er, you don't know, but they do this for two reasons. Those long nails are called soul-scattering nails. Driving them into the head means, firstly, scattering their souls. Such heinous people won't even be qualified to become ghosts after death. Secondly, there are countless talented people in the world, and you can't guarantee that someone can reattach a head that was cut off some time ago and bring it back to life. Anyway, there have been more than one cases in history where people faked death after being beheaded. This is to completely eliminate the possibility of regeneration!"

After hearing this, Chen Xuan was shocked. Is there such a thing?

But this was too serious, and then he said in silence: "Could it be that ghosts really exist in the world?"

"When a person dies, it's like a light going out. Where do ghosts come from? I haven't seen any in decades, but there are plenty of people who pretend to be ghosts," Geng Hong shook his head and then jokingly asked, "Xuan Ge'er, are you afraid of ghosts? If you saw a beheading today, wouldn't you be unable to sleep for a while?"

Before Chen Xuan could speak, Mr. Yushan shook his head and said, "Mr. Geng, Xuan is still young, don't scare him."

Chen Xuan thought to himself, forget about the fact that there are no ghosts, even if there are, there’s nothing to be afraid of. I’m not even afraid of being poor, so why would I be afraid of that thing?

Geng Hong stopped teasing Chen Xuan and pondered, "I don't know if ghosts exist in the world. Few people have 'seen' them, and there are just a lot of rumors to confuse people. But one thing is certain, that is, some people with extremely high martial arts skills have extremely strong spiritual consciousness. Even if they die, their consciousness can remain for a period of time. But death is death. The body carries the consciousness. Once the body loses its vitality, the consciousness will also dissipate. It is impossible for them to survive alone."

Hearing this, Chen Xuan's eyes widened slightly. If one's martial arts cultivation reached a certain level, could one still allow their spiritual consciousness to exist for a period of time after death? Wouldn't that be equivalent to, to a certain extent, the consciousness being freed from the shackles of the body? Even if it could only exist for a short time and its demise was irreversible, it still defied common sense.

Leng Bing suddenly interrupted, "What Brother Geng said is true. I've heard of this kind of thing before. However, to be able to sever the vital energy of the body while retaining consciousness for a short period of time requires at least a breakthrough to the Grandmaster level in martial arts. But so what? Death is death. Just the remnant of consciousness. If you're not scared by it beforehand, there's no threat at all. Even the legendary martial arts immortals can't survive if their vital energy is cut off. So the gods and ghosts people talk about are all lies."

They talked one after another in a very serious manner, and Mr. Yushan, a scholar next to them, did not refute them. It seemed that it was true.

Is martial arts really so magical?

However, no matter how magical it is, it cannot escape the law of life and death. At best, it can only linger for a period of time.

Meanwhile, at the execution ground, County Magistrate Cao had finished his inspections one by one, nailing each prisoner to death with the Soul-Dispersing Nail. He then returned to his position overseeing the execution and announced in a hoarse voice, "My fellow villagers, the prisoner has been brought to justice. I hope you will take this as a warning and refrain from committing crimes or committing evil. Otherwise, the law will not show mercy. Those who are capable should do more good deeds, and those who are ordinary should refrain from harboring evil thoughts. Only then can the world be peaceful and tranquil. Let's encourage each other. It's getting late, so let's disperse."

After saying this, he bowed and left exhaustedly surrounded by a group of people. Naturally, he didn't have to worry about the rest of the matters.

But even though he, the executioner, had left, the matter was not over yet.

After he left, some civilians gathered around and began to approach the execution platform. They couldn't wait to go forward, took out steamed buns stained with blood and stuffed them into their mouths, their faces covered with blood. Chen Xuan was stunned and even his scalp tingled when he saw this scene.

Is it true that there are people who take advantage of others' misfortune? Aren't you afraid of getting sick?

There were still many yamen runners and soldiers at the scene maintaining order, but they were used to it and didn't care at all. They just formed a human wall outside the corpses to prevent them from being trampled and destroyed by the people.

Mr. Yushan looked at the nearly frantic crowd, shook his head and sighed, "People in this world are ignorant and have spread rumors. They think that eating human blood steamed buns can ward off disasters and bring good luck. In fact, it is not only useless but also has many disadvantages. It's sad and pitiful."

There were too many people who wanted to eat the blood of the prisoners, and some of them couldn't even squeeze in. Chen Xuan seriously suspected that the blood of the prisoners would be eaten up by people as dipping sauce. His stomach began to feel uncomfortable and he didn't dare to watch anymore.

Geng Hong looked indifferent, but Leng Bing was a girl after all, her face turned pale and she looked away.

After sitting here for most of the day, everyone was hungry, so they simply asked the teahouse to prepare some food and send it over. Mr. Yushan and Geng Hong ate as if nothing had happened, but Chen Xuan had no appetite at all, and Gao Jingming felt nauseous at the sight of everything. Today's events made them all haggard.

It was late after dinner. After a day of noise outside, the crowd gradually dispersed. There were some stampedes, all caused by ignorance, but there were no casualties, so it was not serious.

When it was getting dark, Mr. Yushan arranged, "Mr. Geng, Miss Leng, you guys take Ming'er back to the inn first. Ah Xuan will stay here and go back after he finishes some things. Ming'er was frightened today. When you get back, you guys should dissolve this pill in water and give it to him to drink. Let him have a good sleep. I'll help him deal with his emotions tomorrow."

As he spoke, he handed over a small porcelain bottle, obviously having prepared it.

"Okay, sir, do you need any help next?" Geng Hong replied as he took the porcelain bottle.

Mr. Yushan shook his head and said, "No need to help, everything has been arranged."

"Master, I won't leave. I want to stay with you." Gao Jingming suddenly jumped up like a frightened rabbit and held Mr. Yushan tightly. The little guy was very scared and regarded Mr. Yushan as his psychological support.

Mr. Yushan had anticipated this and gently patted his head and said with a smile, "Be good tomorrow, Master won't go anywhere and will stay with you."

His voice seemed to have magic, Gao Jingming gradually calmed down, even yawned and fell asleep with his eyes closed on the spot.

It was definitely Mr. Yushan who was secretly doing this. He supported Gao Jingming and said to Geng Hong and the others, "Take him back. Be careful on the road and don't leave him alone."

"Yes……"

After Geng Hong and his men took Gao Jingming away in the dark, Mr. Yushan remained unmoved and was in the mood to drink tea. Chen Xuan, who stayed behind, did not say much and waited silently for his arrangements.

After dark, lights were on everywhere, but the area around the execution ground gave people an eerie feeling. Chen Xuan could already see people sneaking around in the dark to collect the bodies. The people had dispersed, and the government officials had also withdrawn. No one cared at all.

It wasn't until the teahouse closed early and Mr. Yushan apologized and reminded them that they were about to close that he stood up and said, "A Xuan, let's go, follow me."

The money had already been paid. Chen Xuan paid with Gao Jingming's money and also gave some extra tips.

The two men left the teahouse through the main entrance and turned left. There was an alley not far away. Uncle Zhong had been waiting there for some time. Besides him, there were several masked men and a carriage. Atop the carriage sat a pitch-black coffin. The coffin looked of poor quality. A few taels of silver wouldn't buy a good coffin. It was good enough. "Let's get started," Mr. Yushan nodded after they met, without mentioning his name.

Uncle Zhong immediately responded: "Okay, put it on first, to avoid suspicion."

As he spoke, Uncle Zhong handed over two black face towels.

Mr. Yushan took it and covered Chen Xuan's face with one of the strips, then covered his own face, saying, "Even though the government doesn't care when collecting bodies of criminals, you still have to avoid other people to avoid being hated."

"Yeah," Chen Xuan nodded.

Then several people drove the carriage to the execution ground. Dozens of corpses had been taken away one after another, and some people were still working. Everyone was busy with their own work and no one spoke. Everything was going on silently. Almost everyone was wearing masks. It was pitch dark and no one knew each other.

Chen Xuan always remembered where Liu the boatman's body was placed, so he walked straight towards it.

After getting closer, Uncle Zhong blew a fire stick to light the body and let Chen Xuan confirm it in the dim light. After getting confirmation, the masked men who came with him began to carry the body into the coffin. Chen Xuan then realized that those people should have been hired to help. Who would be willing to do this for no reason?

No one would earn this disgusting money unless they were paid enough.

As they were moving the body, Mr. Yushan looked at Chen Xuan and said, "Since you are so willing, if you are not afraid, why not go and lend a hand? If you are afraid, forget it."

Chen Xuan nodded when he heard that and stepped forward. Several hired men carried the body into the coffin and were quite surprised to see a little kid like Chen Xuan stepping forward to help. In their astonished gazes, Chen Xuan suppressed his discomfort and put on the gloves that Uncle Zhong had prepared for him. He held up Liu Chuanfu's head, and then with the help of Uncle Zhong, he lifted him up and placed Liu Chuanfu's head on the neck of the body in the coffin.

During the process, Chen Xuan was not afraid, he just thought of it as repaying the other party for saving his life.

After that, the coffin was half-closed, and Mr. Yushan nodded and said, "Let's go."

So the group left in the dark, and Chen Xuan didn't ask where they were going, leaving it all to the arrangements.

Chen Xuan was only helping Liu the boatman collect the body to appease himself because he saved his life. He was not there to fulfill his filial piety, so there was no need for him to wear mourning clothes.

As they walked forward, Uncle Zhong handed Chen Xuan a basket of paper money and said, "It has come to this point. Let's scatter some along the way. Even though he doesn't deserve it, it will make you feel at peace."

No name was mentioned during the whole process. Chen Xuan took it silently and scattered some paper money along the way. Since he had spent money anyway, he might as well just go through the motions.

In fact, at night, the streets are full of paper money flying around. These are scattered by other corpse collectors. They "use money to pave the way" and cannot be publicized. This is the only way to comfort the deceased.

Chen Xuan didn't ask about the destination, he just followed. After walking for a while, he went straight out of the city. There were not many people who gave money to the gatekeeper when leaving the city. People had seen this kind of thing many times, so they turned a blind eye.

After leaving the city, lanterns were lit to facilitate walking.

After walking for a while in the wild, Mr. Yushan took the initiative to speak, "I asked someone to find out where he lives in advance. It's not far, only seven or eight miles away. Bring him back and bury him. It will be like a fallen leaf returning to its roots. It will also fully fulfill your wish. I originally wanted to ask someone to pray for his soul, but no one is willing to do so for such a person, so I will read the eulogy when the time comes. It will be a complete success."

"Thank you," Chen Xuan said sincerely.

We are not related in any way, and it is really rare that someone can help me to this extent. This is a favor from a great person.

They hurried on in silence, but didn't meet anyone in the wilderness, otherwise it would have been really bad luck to see their group.

After a while, they arrived at their destination, Liu the boatman's home, which was located on the riverbank about seven or eight miles downstream of the Yu Shui River, near Lanfeng County. There were no houses around, and it was very remote. There was only a dilapidated thatched house, and even the broken boat that had saved Chen Xuan was still floating on the river not far away.

After arriving at the place, the hired men picked up the prepared hoes and started digging holes at the location that Uncle Zhong had selected in advance. They must have been used to doing physical work and moved quite quickly.

The pit was dug in just ten to twenty minutes, and then the coffin was carried down for burial. During the process, Mr. Yushan read the eulogy in an unclear and rhythmic voice.

The coffin was still not closed tightly after the burial. Halfway through the chanting, Mr. Yushan stopped and said to Chen Xuan, "I have prepared incense, candles, and paper. If you are willing, light a stick and kowtow to him. If not, forget it. I have done my best. Once I finish chanting, cover the coffin and it will be over."

Chen Xuan hesitated after hearing this. No matter what, the man had saved his life, and they had nothing to do with each other from now on. He might as well burn some incense and kowtow to him.

Holding the incense, he knelt down in front of the coffin in the pit. Chen Xuan thought to himself, "You saved my life, I'll give you a ride. I won't bother with the fact that you sold me out. If there's a next life, be a good person. Forget it, you don't deserve a next life."

After muttering to himself, Chen Xuan held the incense and bowed three times, then inserted the three incense sticks in front of the pit.

Just as he was about to stand up, something strange happened and everything around him became quiet, as if time had stopped at this moment!
At this moment, Chen Xuan found that he could not move at all, and could not even blink. He could see Mr. Yushan and others out of the corner of his eye. They were still busy with their own things and did not notice anything abnormal about Chen Xuan. Chen Xuan wanted to call for help but couldn't, as if he was separated from another world.

I feel creepy. Could it be that I've encountered a supernatural event?
Could it be that this old guy is restless even after his death?

Then Chen Xuan thought of what Geng Hong Lengbing and the others had said not long ago. Could it be that this old guy is not simple?
Then Chen Xuan saw with his own eyes that inside the half-open coffin, on the body of Liu the boatman, a shadow that looked exactly like him passed through the coffin and floated in front of him!

Chen Xuan exclaimed in his heart, "Oh the hell, it's a ghost." No, it's not right, it's a ghost. But that's not right either. It should just be a picture presented by his consciousness on the spiritual level.

Liu the boatman still had that honest face, looking at Chen Xuan quietly, his body was illusory as if made of smoke, still glowing faintly, but it quickly dissipated and became dim.

He just floated in the air a foot above the ground, quietly looking at Chen Xuan. His body stood up little by little, and his cloudy eyes became deep and bright, giving him a bit of an immortal air.

Then he suddenly sighed and began to speak, "I have lived in a state of confusion for decades. Only after my death today do I realize who I am. I have roamed the world for over two hundred years, making rapid progress in the art of martial arts and rarely finding an opponent. Decades ago, I broke through the Grandmaster realm and hid my identity to face the calamity. Unexpectedly, the heavenly calamity could not destroy me, nor the earthly calamity could bury me. I never imagined that the calamity would be borne by the human calamity, and would fall on you. I have ferryed others across the Jade River for decades, but I cannot ferry myself. What a pity, how tragic. However, when you are caught in the calamity, everything is predetermined. It is difficult to ferry yourself, it is difficult to ferry yourself. Only by following your heart can you hope to penetrate the self lost in the calamity and seek to transcend the mortal world and become an immortal. Unfortunately, I fell just one step short of the human immortal realm. You are my opportunity for enlightenment, but also my calamity. It was my own fault that I did not seize it. In a single misstep, over two hundred years of achievements turned to ashes in a single day..."

(End of this chapter)