The Terror of the Heavens Begins with Gu

Chapter 274 The Money Master Who Offers Offerings to the Cat Demon and the Xu Master Who Goes to See Li Zhen

Walking down the street, Zhang Dadan kept thinking about how to investigate the so-called anomalies for Detective Li.

The difficulty in this matter lies in the fact that we cannot conduct a large-scale search; we can only investigate quietly.

Fortunately, Zhang Dadan was a rickshaw puller and had connections with all sorts of people, especially the many rickshaw pullers he knew. He made countless trips around the city every day, so no news could be kept from them.

But those people all had bigger mouths than the others.

To get them to do things, you must first shut them up.

Zhang Dadan took out the silver from his pocket and weighed it in his hand.

Although the silver was too hot to handle, it pained him to part with it.

But compared to one's own life, this silver is naturally insignificant.

Zhang Dadan tilted his head and thought for a while. He finally decided to find someone to help him find out information, then go home to sleep, and finally go to Shili Pu outside the city to find Master Xu and ask Master Xu to give him another insurance.

If it weren't for Master Xu last night, he would have been dead long ago.

He naturally trusted Master Xu.

However, in Zhang Dadan's eyes, if asked who he thought had higher magical power, he would lean more towards Li Zhen, who saw through him at a glance.

After all, Master Xu didn't display such abilities.

He swaggered into the city, ate breakfast, and gathered together the coachmen and all sorts of people. He offered them money as bait to gather information for them.

Those people had never seen Zhang Dadan so generous before, so they immediately agreed and went to inquire about the situation for him.

Zhang Dadan instructed them to keep it a secret and not to tell anyone that they were inquiring about information, but to find out quietly from the sidelines.

Those people readily agreed.

Even if Zhang Dadan hadn't said anything, they would have kept it a secret.

Zhang Dadan said that no matter who it was, as long as they found out the news, they could get a share of silver. Whoever found out the news first would get the most, and only the first five people could get silver.

Those people naturally hoped the news wouldn't leak out, otherwise they might not be the ones coming to collect the money.

After letting those people leave, Zhang Dadan went home and took a long nap.

His wife wasn't home today, so no one was bothering him to rest.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he was suddenly awakened by loud banging on the door.

Sweating profusely, he suddenly sat up in bed, and it took him a while to pull himself out of the nightmare.

The knocking on the door outside intensified.

"Coming! Stop knocking! If you keep knocking, the door will break!"

He got dressed, quickly washed his face, and ran to the door to open it.

Five or six men who were waiting outside hurriedly squeezed into the door, almost breaking the door panel.

Zhang Dadan quickly pressed down on the door panel and shouted to the outside, "Don't push, don't push, come in one by one!"

A man with a black mole on his nose, who was at the very front of the crowd, shouted, "Zhang Dadan, I've found out the information you're looking for! I was here first! Let me in!"

The people behind them shouted immediately.

"I've found out too!"

"I know where the fishy smell is!"

"I was here first..."

……

The noise annoyed Zhang Dadan to no end, so he shouted, "Stop pushing! One by one! Everyone who comes today gets a share, and everyone will split the money equally, regardless of who came first or last!"

The people outside looked at each other and immediately stopped trying to squeeze in.

Zhang Dadan let those people into the house and then closed the door behind him.

The man with a mole next to his nose spoke first: "Zhang Dadan, the place you're looking for with a fishy smell is the Changsheng Inn! I was the first to get that information!"

Another person quickly added, "Chang Sheng Inn was fine a while ago, but recently the fishy smell has become particularly strong. When people ask, the owner says that some guests want to eat fish, but no one has ever seen the inn transporting many fish in. They do transport a lot of cattle and sheep, though."

Most people were talking about the Longevity Inn, but one person was talking about a different place.

Zhang Dadan decided to go to the Changsheng Inn in person to take a look before going to find Li Zhen.

He raised his hand to silence the commotion and said to everyone, "Of course, I can't give you the money directly. I'll go to the Changsheng Inn myself to check it out, and if there are no problems, I'll give you the money tomorrow."

Seeing someone about to speak, he pointed at the person and said, "Hey? Don't you know who I, Zhang Dadan, am? I'm a man of my word, and I've never cheated you on anything when it comes to money."

"Besides, with so much money, if I give it to you without checking first, won't people think I'm a fool?"

Those present could only laugh and express their understanding.

Zhang Dadan gave a final reminder: "Don't blame me for not saying this beforehand, this matter needs to be kept secret, otherwise..."

Everyone quickly assured each other that they would keep it a secret.

After seeing those people off, Zhang Dadan also went out.

Zhang Dadan wasn't surprised that those people found the location he was looking for so quickly; on the contrary, he felt that they were a bit slow in their work.

It was already afternoon, and although there was no sun in the sky, it was still extremely hot and humid.

Zhang Dadan arrived at the Changsheng Inn drenched in sweat.

Changsheng Inn is one of the few high-end inns in the city. It is owned by Boss Tan, the richest man in the city, and only a few wealthy people stay overnight at Changsheng Inn.

Zhang Dadan had previously escorted people to the Changsheng Inn, so he was quite familiar with the area.

After circling around the Changsheng Inn, he indeed discovered a peculiar fishy smell, especially in a certain area of ​​the inn's backyard.

When Zhang Dadan got to that spot, he almost vomited from the stench, and exaggeratedly pinched his nose with his fingers.

For a moment, he was curious about what the Changsheng Inn was up to, why there was such a strong fishy smell.

Is it trying to dry salted fish?
Zhang Dadan took a couple of breaths, stood on a rock next to him, and jumped up and down twice, but he saw nothing and almost fell.

After finally regaining his balance, he kicked the large rock aside. Turning his head, he was startled to see a man in a bright yellow Bagua robe with a long beard standing in front of him.

He instinctively took two steps back, clutching his chest and speechlessly saying, "Master, do you know that scaring someone can kill them?"

The mage in front of him was of medium build, with a somewhat plump face. He had a bald patch on the top of his head, with a fringe of hair around the sides, showing no signs of shaving. He looked like a genuine mage.

The other person sized Zhang Dadan up with sharp eyes and asked, "What are you doing here? Sneaking around like that, trying to steal something?"

Zhang Dadan fanned his nose with his hand, and said with a bitter face, "Your place stinks so much, are you drying rotten salted fish in there? You're accusing me of stealing, do you mean I stole your dried salted fish? You're crazy."

As he spoke, he turned and walked back the way he came. The monk kept watching Zhang Dadan's retreating figure.

After Zhang Dadan disappeared, a voice rang in his ear: "We can go somewhere else. This place has attracted a lot of attention."

The monk smiled ingratiatingly: "Has Cat Immortal not recovered yet? I've already found you plenty of good food."

The voice said, "Not at all. The me you saw was severely injured. If I could fully recover, I could swallow you whole. Why would I need to hide in such a small place?"

"The power of the Cat Master is beyond my imagination."

The sorcerer flipped over the wall and nimbly leaped into the courtyard. He respectfully addressed a rockery adorned with talismans, saying, "When does Master Cat intend to feed on living people? Animals are far less spiritual than humans and offer little help to Master Cat now."

"No rush, no rush." ​​Two eerie eyes opened from the cracks in the rocks under the artificial hill. "I'm too weak. Eating those animals is just right for me. If I were to eat living people, I would be affected by the malevolent energy they carry, and I would lose my mind."

"Furthermore, if I kill too many people and commit too many atrocities, it will be easy for me to be exposed."

The monk's expression hardened: "I wonder who could have beaten you, Cat Master, to this state? Could it be that Cat Master is no match for those people? This shouldn't be the case. Those people must have used trickery to ambush Cat Master."

Silence fell over the crevice in the rock.

Without a sound, those sinister eyes began to move outward.

The monk's forehead immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

Soon, a rotten cat head, missing half of its head, appeared in the dim light.

Behind the cat's head is its rotting, maggot-infested body.

This body is extremely peculiar. The front half has cat feet, while the back half has two small, pale human feet. It looks as if someone forcibly sewed two different creatures into one, which is extremely bizarre.

The fishy smell in the air grew stronger, and the temperature continued to drop, making the monk feel a distinct chill.

The cat's mouth didn't move, but the voice came from its body: "Hmph, that family of theirs, like you, also came from Maoshan. They've been entangled with me for hundreds of years, spending countless lives to kill me eight times with trickery. I never expected that I would still escape in the end. Their whole family, on the other hand, is wiped out."

Upon hearing this, the monk felt a chill run down his spine.

This is indeed an immortal and indestructible peerless demon.

The family, descended from the Maoshan lineage, spent hundreds of years trying to kill this monster, but instead had their bloodline wiped out by it.

In the end, the monster was still alive and well.

The few words uttered by the cat demon gave the mage a strong smell of blood.

The cat couldn't control its instincts and meowed a few times before continuing, "The past is the past. No one can restrain me anymore! Once I recover, I will be immortal and indestructible. No one can take me away! I will then link my life with yours, which will guarantee you at least nine lives!"

The sorcerer immediately grinned and said, "Master Cat is amazing! I've traveled all over the country for so many years and I've never seen anyone as powerful as Master Cat! However, my talisman can't seal Master Cat for long. No matter where Master Cat moves, I'm afraid others will discover the strange phenomenon."

The cat tilted its head and looked at the mage: "This is not important. It's just a little anomaly. As long as I don't reveal my wild nature or kill people on a large scale, there shouldn't be any major problems."

After calling out, it said again, "The problem now is your junior brother. He is not on the same path as you. If he finds out about our affairs, he will become an obstacle for you sooner or later. If you don't get rid of him as soon as possible, you may regret it later."

The monk pondered for a moment and said, "After all, we are from the same school, so there is still some affection between us. However, what Master Cat said makes sense. I will find a way to get him to leave here as soon as possible. If he is courting death and refuses to leave, then don't blame me for being ruthless."

The cat stared at the mage for a while, then turned to look at the sky outside.

That guy definitely won't find this place...

But it also needs to be prepared to run away as soon as it detects any signs that the guy is coming...

As he walked onto the bustling street, and felt the monk's gaze leave, Zhang Dadan shuddered.

The monk's gaze was terrifying; it looked like he wanted to devour him.

Moreover, ever since the sorcerer appeared, he had felt a chilling aura enveloping him, making him feel extremely uneasy, as if he were being watched by some man-eating beast, and would be devoured if he wasn't careful.

"It's really not simple..."

Zhang Dadan didn't go home. Instead, he bought a roast chicken by the roadside and hurried towards Shili Pu outside the city.

There is a charitable estate in Shili Pu, which is where that Master Xu lived.

"Real person, help me!"

Before even entering the mortuary, Zhang Dadan shouted.

As soon as he pushed open the door, he almost bumped into Master Xu.

Seeing that the thing wrapped in grease in Zhang Dadan's hand was about to fall to the ground, Xu Zhenren sniffed, kicked the thing up, caught it with his hand, sniffed it, and immediately smiled broadly, saying, "Good lad, you have a conscience. I didn't help you for nothing."

He opened the oil paper bag, tore off a chicken leg, and began to eat it in large bites.

He had a mustache, a thin face, and bore a striking resemblance to Master Qianhe. He was also rather thin, but possessed a strong presence.

Zhang Dadan said anxiously, "Master Xu, don't just focus on eating!"

With his mouth full of chicken, Master Xu mumbled, "Speak slowly."

Parched, Zhang Dadan ran to the water vat in the mortuary and drank a large mouthful of water. He then immediately ran back to Master Xu and recounted everything that had happened after he met Detective Li.

Upon hearing what Li Zhen said, Master Xu initially didn't take it seriously, thinking that Zhang Dadan had encountered a fraudulent fortune teller.

But when he heard Zhang Dadan say that everything Li Zhen had said had actually come true in the events that followed, he suddenly stopped chewing the roast chicken, turned to look at Zhang Dadan, and asked in a deep voice, "It all came true? Not a single detail was off?"

Zhang Dadan nodded: "Not a single word is wrong! That mangy dog's surname is Hua, isn't it? I was shocked at the time, so I ran back..."

Then, he listened to the rest of the story.

Master Xu had already put down the roast chicken and was listening intently to Zhang Dadan's words.

He wasn't surprised that someone wanted Zhang Dadan to enter the Ma family ancestral hall again tonight.

He was more concerned about matters related to Detective Li.

After listening to Zhang Dadan's words, he asked, "Is there really a peculiar fishy smell at the Changsheng Inn?"

“Yes, the fishy smell was so strong that it almost made me throw up.” Zhang Dadan fanned himself in front of his arm. “I also saw a mage there. I felt like I was being stared at by something. It was so scary. So I ran over here.”

"A sorcerer?" Master Xu narrowed his eyes. "What sorcerer? Tell me about him."

Zhang Dadan described the monk's characteristics.

Xu Zhenren, seemingly lost in thought, asked again, "Was the fishy smell coming from that monk?"

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Dadan shook his head and said, "It doesn't seem so, but that sorcerer was also very scary. He kept staring at my back and even saw the cold sweat on my face."

Master Xu joked, "Where did you get all this cold sweat on such a hot day? This is a bit strange. How about this, you take me to see that sorcerer outside the city. I'll talk to him myself and see what his purpose is."

Zhang Dadan said happily, "That's fine. I feel much more at ease knowing that Master Xu is coming with me."

"Sigh, although this monk doesn't seem like a bad person, nor does he seem to want to harm me, I'm still a little scared in front of him."

"Don't jump to conclusions. In this line of work, there are good people and bad people. If you run into a bad guy and he kills you, you might even thank him." Master Xu picked up the roast chicken and started eating again. "After I finish this, I'll pack my things and we'll set off together."

(End of this chapter)