Headless Immortal

Chapter 43 The Golden Cave
Lu Xun breathed in the abundant spiritual energy freely.

It's like a tiger entering the deep mountains, or a dragon returning to the sea.

It's still a small courtyard.

The old peach tree trunk was bare; a cold wind swept through, swirling and blowing down withered yellow leaves.

The bleak autumn wind reflects a crimson glow on the distant mountains, while the evening glow stretches across the sky, spreading out layers of clouds that resemble mountain ranges.

Lu Xun strolled around the courtyard, carrying a plastic bag.

The most urgent thing is to get some clothes to wear.

He gave up many things in order to bring the three kilograms of handicrafts over.

Sensing movement, Lu Xun transformed back into a three-legged old cat, carrying a plastic bag in his mouth.

An old man walked out of the main hall, locked the door, and was about to turn and leave when he suddenly froze and exclaimed, "Three-legged!"

Lu Xun almost didn't recognize the other person; the old man holding the pipe was none other than Lao Cheng from the yamen.

The old man now wore a dark blue jacket and a black turban. The lines on his face were more pronounced, as if cleaved by swords and axes. His cloudy old eyes flashed with brilliance when he saw the four-foot-tall black cat.

A person seems to grow old in an instant.

When we last met, Lao Cheng, though aged, did not look like this.

Since they were old acquaintances, Lu Xun didn't pretend to be stupid and stepped forward with the head of the Five Tong Mountain Lord in his place.

"It's really you."

Old Cheng was somewhat unrecognizable.

There are indeed black cats that are four feet long, but only this one can transform from a black cat into a great demon.

Upon seeing the great demon again, Lao Cheng was no longer wary, only joyful at the reunion with an old friend. He said, "I'll get two jugs of good wine. Wait for me, wait for me."

He hurriedly went out, bought two jugs of wine at a tavern, and a cloak at a tailor shop.

A pot of wine to celebrate our reunion.

Old Cheng took a deep drag of his brass tobacco, white smoke billowing from his nostrils, and asked with a smile, "When are you coming back? Where have you been for the past six months?"

Lu Xun fell silent as he gazed at the reflection in the wine glass.

He didn't want to lie, but he didn't know how to answer.

Fortunately, he was originally in the body of a great demon, and the words he spoke were in a hoarse beast language that ordinary people could not understand, which saved a lot of trouble in exchanging pleasantries.

He picked up the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

Lao Cheng didn't expect Sanjiao to give him any response, and said to himself, "Zhao Tou'er is leading them to the county town to take up their posts. If you want to go, you can go to Jiujiang County to see them."

“I’m getting old, and the injury from last time has left me with lingering health problems, so I’ll stay in the county town and look after Zhao’s house.”

It turns out that half a year has passed, Lu Xun thought to himself.

He silently calculated the days he would spend at the grocery store.

Lu Xun dipped his finger in the tea and wrote two characters on the stone table.

"knowledge"

"Character"

Then he pointed to himself.

"You want to learn to read?" The old man asked, half guessing and half making connections.

Lu Xun nodded; he needed to systematically learn the writing system and language of this world.

The old man pondered, "There are schools and private academies in the city, and each village also has its own teachers."

"Their knowledge is mostly limited. If they really want to achieve something, they have to go to the Bailudong Academy, located at the southern foot of the Five Old Peaks. The academy's headmaster is a renowned scholar."

"Many students travel thousands of miles to study at the academy."

Taking a drag on his pipe, Lao Cheng suddenly had a flash of inspiration and said, "You know Qingquan Temple, right? That old temple in the city that was raided. There's news that Bailudong Academy plans to take over it and open a branch school here, and they're recruiting a batch of students in the county town now."

To open a school in Meilan County, it was essential to cultivate good relationships with the local gentry and wealthy people. Therefore, the academy decided to do them a favor.

As long as you have the money, you can study at the academy for several years.

The wealthy families in the city were overjoyed.

It would be good to send one's good-for-nothing offspring to study for two years to get some prestige. This is indeed an opportunity, Lu Xun tilted his head to look at Lao Cheng.

The old man said, "The date is probably around now; the notice is still posted on the notice wall of the county government office."

Wearing a cloak, Lu Xun decided to go take a look. He got up and took out five relatively clean marbles, about the size of quail eggs, from a plastic bag and handed them to Lao Cheng.

He forgot to continue smoking his pipe, and Lao Cheng felt overwhelmed by the dazzling jewels. He reached out his beast claw to Wutong Lu Xun.

“I kept one for myself and sent the remaining four to them in the county town.”

good.

Lu Xun nodded slightly.

As dusk fell, Lao Cheng left with his hands behind his back, leaving the key to the east wing room for Lu Xun before he departed.

I unlocked the door with the key and entered the east wing. The furniture and bed were still there, and the bedding smelled of sunshine.

Lu Xun pried open a floor tile and hid the plastic bag inside. He then took out three beads from the tile and buried the bag. Directly opposite the tile was a solid wood box. Inside the box were ordinary people's clothes.

Lu Xun put on 'Chen Sheng's' head, found some clothes that fit him, put them on, stuffed three quail egg-sized marbles into his waist pouch, closed and locked the door, buried the key in the hollow of the old plum tree, and then turned and left the courtyard.

As night falls, the lights of countless homes gradually come on.

The pale-faced giant headed straight for the east of the city. As dusk deepened, the east of the city grew brighter and brighter. Painted boats illuminated the long river, their reflections shimmering on the water. The most magnificent sight was a three-story mountain tower that shimmered half the city in golden and red fireworks.

Yizui Tower is a veritable den of iniquity.

Unfortunately, they weren't doing legitimate business.

I heard that the gold and silver piled up inside are beyond measure.

The sounds of the girls welcoming and seeing off guests carried far and wide.

Standing not far away, Lu Xun felt a surge of heat as he smelled the scent of rouge and powder.

He rubbed the three pure marbles stored at his waist with his large hand, and took half a step forward as if possessed. However, the thought of his mother still lying in the cold intensive care unit extinguished that flame of hope with his true energy.

Gambling and prostitution are inseparable.

The gambling dens were also extremely lively, and along with them were pawnshops. Gamblers would inevitably have to pawn their things in the end. When they lost everything, they would pawn their children and wives. Daughters were sold to brothels, sons were sold to mine in Southeast Asia, and wives were sold to wealthy men to have children.

Lu sought out a family and lifted the thick curtain.

A lazy shop assistant was lounging behind the tall counter, his eyes half-open, and said indifferently, "What would you like to do, sir?"

Lu Xun took out a pure marble from his waist. The scene of the shopkeeper's wide-eyed exclamation that he had imagined did not occur, nor was he invited into the inner room. The shopkeeper said without any surprise, "A foreign luminous pearl, colorless and lusterless, cloudy glass, worth fifty taels of silver. Sir, would you like to pawn it now or permanently?"

"Fifty taels!" Lu Xun was furious. He leaped onto the platform, grabbed the waiter by the collar with his thick hand, and pulled half of the waiter's body out.

She snorted coldly and said, "You think I'm some innocent girl from a wealthy family, trying to make a quick buck?"

His fist, as big as a clay pot, clenched so tightly it made a squeaking sound.

A fierce and pungent wind, mixed with the lingering moisture, rushed up all at once.

The man was trembling with fear, and all his previous arrogance had vanished.

The man before them was clearly a ruthless bandit who frequented the waterways and rivers; the strong, pungent smell of water from the lakes he had been immersed in for years was overwhelming.

The shop assistant spilled everything he knew: "No, no, how could I dare to cheat you, sir? Normally, this pearl would be worth two or three hundred taels. It's just that there are too many people pawning pearls lately, so it's not a rare item anymore. The master is worried about how to sell the jewelry in the storeroom. I heard that he's going to the county town to exchange it for gold and silver."

Lu Xun asked suspiciously, "Are there many people pawning jewelry lately?"

"Who are they?"

"Many fishermen who fish on the river are very tanned."

"other?"

"There was also a scholar."

Lu Xun found it increasingly strange.

He had no doubt about his colleague's ability to judge people.

Something unusual must be going on. He suddenly thought of the Five Gods who robbed tax silver.

Could it be some kind of monster causing trouble again?

　Updating at 8 AM was a bit late, so I'll update at midnight instead. Eight hours earlier. This will be the practice from now on.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)