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Chapter 164 Compassion (Part 1)

Two or three hours later, on the other side.

Zheng Sandan yawned loudly.

To be honest, he really disliked his name. He preferred to be called Brother Zheng, Master Zheng, or at the very least, Master Zheng. But unfortunately, his name was given to him by his parents, so there was nothing he could do about it.

"Everyone says that a humble name makes a child easier to raise, but I haven't seen any children who are much easier to raise."

Zheng Sandan spat a mouthful of phlegm onto the ground with a "ha!" and then, thinking about how he had worked hard all day and still had to stand there like a pillar to keep watch, his resentment grew even stronger.

Of course, just like his name, he dared not complain about Zhou You—in the eyes of these bodyguards, Zhou You was a celestial being on earth, a bodhisattva in the mortal world, and complaining about him would bring divine retribution—so he could only vent his resentment on Lu Xiuyuan.

However, he wouldn't be foolish enough to point his finger at someone and curse them to their face.

No, this is by no means to say that he is cowardly or afraid of Lu Xiuyuan. It's just that he has been having some throat problems lately, and he is a magnanimous person who doesn't bother to argue with this guy.

So Zheng Sandan simply looked around to make sure everyone was asleep before cursing in a voice barely above a mosquito's buzz.

"You son of a bitch, you're just messing around with your father in the middle of the night. Sooner or later you'll be covered in sores and your ass will rot away. No wonder you're so old and still can't have a son."

—But speaking of his son, for some reason, Zheng Sandan remembered a letter that his hometown had sent him a few days ago.

He was illiterate, so Lu Ping read the letter to him. The content was quite simple: it said there was a widow in the village who had remained chaste for three years, and her husband's family was planning to release her. She was now preparing to remarry, and he was asking Zheng Sandan if he was interested in going on a blind date with her.
Are you interested?
What a joke!
Zheng Sandan, who had been single for thirty years, resigned from his job at the time. Unfortunately, this bastard had a human face but did nothing like a human. He actually said that if he left, he would not get any of the escort fee for this shipment!
Is there any justice left? Is there no law?
In the end, Zheng Sandan had no choice but to grit his teeth and finish the escort mission, enduring countless life-and-death situations along the way—but now it's finally over.

Thinking of the young widow's possibly alluring figure, Zheng Sandan couldn't help but hum a line from a traditional opera.

"Three cannon shots boom like thunder as the bridal sedan chair rises; the sedan chair bearers shout their commands; the bridal sedan chair rises as a celestial maiden descends to earth; the sedan chair rises as the top scholar welcomes his bride."

Unfortunately, he only remembered these few lines from the entire play, and he kept repeating the same sentence over and over again.

As night deepened, the rain, which had stopped, suddenly started again. Though light, the pattering rain was particularly soothing and lulling.

Zheng Sandan sat there in the chair, feeling his eyelids gradually grow heavy, and the lyrics he was humming gradually became softer. Amid the sound of rain, he slowly closed his eyes.

Soon after, snoring began.
-
In a daze, Zheng Sandan felt as if he had arrived at some place.

The place was dark and overgrown with trees and weeds, and looked like some part of the mountains and forests.

It was still night, and everything seemed shadowy, as if countless ghosts and monsters were hiding there. The only sound was the whistling of the wind, like the screams of demons.

Zheng Sandan trudged along, step by step, through the muddy ground.

He didn't know why he was walking; he was simply following his instincts.

Gradually, the vegetation disappeared, replaced by hard rocks, and the ground beneath our feet was no longer rotten soil, but moss-covered steps.

But the surrounding atmosphere didn't improve at all; instead, it became even more eerie.

The scent of grass and trees, the dampness of rain—all the sensations slowly faded, replaced by an extremely nauseating, fishy-sweet smell. Zheng Sandan wanted to vomit, but he couldn't. His steps felt incredibly heavy, as if filled with lead, yet he was still being manipulated, involuntarily walking forward.

I do not know how long it has been.

Zheng Sandan arrived at a dungeon.

Around him, a dozen monks stood motionless in iron cages, each with heavy shackles on their feet, but their faces were all expressionless, staring blankly ahead, like a pile of wind-eroded sculptures.

Zheng Sandan continued walking.

Finally, he arrived at the end of the road.

It was a statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, over three zhang tall, entirely black, but it did not depict compassion or anger, but rather utter madness.

At that moment, he looked up at Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva was also gazing at him.

Then, the Buddha's lips moved slightly.

He spoke softly.

A wave of screams immediately swept over us.

"—Kill me!!!"
-
".Zheng."

".three."

".Three Eggs"

"Zheng Sandan!!!"

— Zheng Sandan was suddenly awakened by the impatient shouts.

Terrified eyes stared at the sky, the body trembling uncontrollably from extreme fear, yet completely unable to move. After a long while, the darting eyes finally managed to focus.

The first thing that caught his eye was a face full of anger.

It took Zheng Sandan several tens of seconds for his slow-witted brain to finally recognize who it was.

"...Lu the镖头?"

"Ahem."

Lu Xiuyuan coughed lightly, then spoke.

"Hey Zheng Sandan, I've been calling you for ages and you still haven't woken up. You must be sleeping really well!"

Hearing those clearly mocking words, Zheng Sandan finally understood where he was.

He suddenly stood up from the chair, his face full of panic, screaming, and grabbed Lu Xiuyuan by the collar.

"Chief镖师 Lu, listen to me—"

Strange, what was I going to say?

Zheng Sandan froze on the spot.

Lu Xiuyuan, on the other hand, was somewhat confused. He slapped Zheng Sandan's hand away and said...

"No, Zheng Sandan, Zheng Laopi, what's wrong with you? It's one thing to sleep soundly while on night watch, but why are you suddenly acting like a madman?"

Zheng Sandan didn't answer for a moment. He just stood there blankly, trying to recall some images from his mind, but he couldn't remember anything at all.

Seeing his demeanor, Lu Xiuyuan couldn't say anything more. He sighed and patted Zheng Sandan on the shoulder.

"Alright, alright, Lao Zheng, you've probably been overworked these past few days and had nightmares. Go find somewhere to rest. We don't need you on watch tonight; Ping'er and I will each stay up for an extra half hour."

Zheng Sandan didn't hear the rest of the words, nor did he answer. He simply turned around unsteadily, walked into the house, and slammed the door shut.

Lu Xiuyuan was left standing there awkwardly, and after a long while he shook his head.

"What's wrong with this?"

(End of this chapter)