Dao Cheng Gui Xian

Chapter 18 Planting Eyes and Moving Corpses (Please read on Tuesday)

If you suddenly made a fortune, would you still work?

Some people will, after all, life is a long journey.

But that applies to some people; Li Wushou obviously wouldn't, and neither would the old beggar or Chen Gou'er.

After resolving the City God's soul imprint, Li Wushou went to the market early the next morning and bought a lot of food.

The three of them stayed in the Three Immortals Pavilion for the entire day.

Annoyed by Chen Gou'er's whining, Li Wushou occasionally got up and went for a stroll in the courtyard, but he didn't want to go outside.

On the third day, in the afternoon, a group of bailiffs came up the hill, and Li Wushou then realized that it was time for everyone to plant their eyes together.

Since the old beggar and Chen Gou'er had their eyes implanted beforehand, Li Wushou wasn't too worried.

Li Erniu, the leader of the corpse-moving team, followed the group of constables, going from house to house.

He would occasionally jot down in a small notebook which family's elderly person was likely to pass away and when, so that he could arrange for people to move the body.

There are nearly twenty households living on the low hill, with about seventy people.

The constables carefully took out beads of blood, each about the size of a thumb, from the box. Even though the people still possessed spiritual eyes, they had no choice but to accept the beads of blood since they had no money to pay.

Regardless of gender or age, each person received two pills, which were then swallowed under the watchful eyes of the constables.

Soon the flesh on his face began to writhe violently, like seeds taking root and sprouting, and bloodshot eyes appeared haphazardly on the faces of the people.

A quarter of an hour later, they had covered the hill once. When they arrived at the Three Immortals Hall, Li Erniu's expression was somewhat strange, but he still stepped forward and explained to the leading constable:
“Hu Tou, Li Wushou of this family is a member of the corpse-moving team, and according to the rules, he doesn’t need to have his eyes implanted.”

The constable surnamed Hu glanced at Li Erniu and sneered.

"Tch! Who knows if there's anyone else hiding inside? Call that Li Wushou out!"

Li Wushou naturally heard the noise outside the door. The old beggar and Chen Gou'er were sleeping soundly, with the blankets pulled up to their foreheads. Helpless, Li Wushou could only open the door and go out.

"Greetings, officers. There is no one in my household who needs eye transplants."

Upon hearing this, Li Erniu's eyes lit up. He had thought that Li Wushou would continue talking about the old beggar and Chen Gou'er, which would inevitably lead to unexpected complications.

"So you're Li Wushou? You certainly look like you'll die young. Whether someone lives or dies isn't up to you. You two go and take a look."

Hu, the constable, was not buying it. He had just been transferred to this area and was eager to show off his power whenever he had the chance.

The two constables behind him sneered and pushed Li Wushou aside before walking inside.

Incense was burning on the altar inside the house. After the two bailiffs entered, they circled around several times before leaving the house cursing.

"Damn it, even rats cry when they come!"

The bailiff surnamed Hu's smile vanished, and he spat a mouthful of phlegm onto the ground.

"Another penniless wretch, let's get out of here!"

Seeing this, Li Erniu felt slightly relieved. He lagged behind and tentatively asked Li Wushou, "Aren't the old beggar and Chen Gou'er home?"

Li Wushou didn't hide anything and said to Li Erniu:
"Yes, I'm here. I had my eyes implanted two days ago and I'm sleeping at home right now. I'm not lying, there really isn't anyone in our family who can get an eye implant!"

Li Erniu's smile vanished, his face darkened further, and he waved his hand at Li Wushou:

"Be careful these next few days, the body-moving teams are going to be busy!"

Then he quickly left and caught up with the procession of constables.

He sighed inwardly, "I thought Li Wushou was better, but now he seems even more insane! No wonder I thought I saw him wandering around outside the Blood Buddha Temple's outpost the day before yesterday."

Seeing Li Erniu leave in a hurry, Li Wushou had no intention of wandering around outside and turned back into the house to sleep.

Every household on this low hill had just planted their first seedlings, and there was a chorus of wails and cries, which was quite unpleasant to hear.

The moon was bright and the stars were few; Li Wushou was still half-asleep. "Bang bang bang~"

A rapid knocking came from the courtyard. Chen Gou'er, with his backside sticking out and four lively eyes on it, replied impatiently, "It's already 7 PM, who is it?"

"Li Wushou, get up, it's time to work!"

Li Erniu's voice rang out in the courtyard, and Li Wushou quickly responded, "The captain is here!"

Someone had an eye transplanted during the day, and by night someone couldn't take it anymore and left; it's most likely an elderly person.

Are you going tonight?

After Li Wushou finished speaking, he said to the old beggar, "Since you've decided to become a high priest, this Yin Meridian is indispensable. Without the old beggar's help to get one, I can't grow it myself."

The old beggar was barefoot, letting his four eyes bask in the moonlight.

After hearing this, he thought for a moment, then nodded, "Let's go! We'll see if there's anything suitable!"

"I also need to go!"

Chen Gou'er was anxious and wanted to go too, but Li Wushou and the old beggar both refused!

Huang Dabing, who had come with Li Erniu, stood outside the courtyard and listened to Li Wushou talking in the house for a long time. He felt a chill run down his spine, but remembering Li Erniu's instructions, he didn't make a sound.

"Captain, I'm ready."

Upon reaching the door, he pointed to the old beggar beside him and said to the two of them:

"This is the old beggar. We'll go help out tonight. He knows the rules and won't interfere with our work."

Li Erniu's face was dark, and his expression was not visible in the darkness. He had had similar experiences in the several times he had worked with Li Wushou. He had already given Huang Dabing a heads-up before he came.

So he politely turned to Li Wushou's side and greeted him, "Hello, hello!"

Huang Dabing also waved his hand stiffly.

With outsiders present, the old beggar became more reserved, adopting the typical expression of an old beggar as he responded to Li Erniu and his companion.

Hello everyone, sorry to bother you~

Upon hearing the old beggar's response, Li Erniu's lips twitched slightly, and Huang Dabing instantly got goosebumps.

Li Erniu was preoccupied with tonight's task. After exchanging pleasantries, he began to explain what the work would entail that night.

The person whose body was to be moved was the old patriarch of the Ren family compound at the foot of the hill. He was old and frail, and had been blinded during the day and died at night.

What's even more troublesome is the Spirit Eye, which ran away before it had enough to eat.

But that's none of the corpse-moving team's business; their job is simply to dispose of the body of the old master of the Ren family.

Li Wushou nodded to indicate that he understood, and the group prepared to descend the mountain and head towards the Ren family compound.

Before leaving, Li Erniu lit the blood lamp in his hand, which was provided to the corpse-carrying team by the Blood Buddha Temple.

When walking at night, ordinary evil spirits and wandering ghosts cannot get close to you.

Since the South City was sold to the Blood Buddha Temple, the number of demons and monsters in the South City has increased.

If they absolutely had to move the body, none of them would have gone out at night.

Along the way, Huang Dabing followed closely behind Li Erniu, staring intently at the blood lamp. Fortunately, the lamp seemed normal.

Li Wushou and the old beggar were whispering to each other behind him, making him feel uneasy.

Li Wushou didn't want it to be like this either, but the eyes on the old beggar's feet were unusually active at night, and every step he took made the old beggar grimace.

Li Wushou had no choice but to carry the old beggar on his back.

It was nearly 10 PM when we arrived at the Ren family compound!
(End of this chapter)