bookbashuk Chapter 55 Confiscation and Transactions
Chapter 55 Confiscation and Transactions
We have eaten.
Blackie, who had somehow returned, jumped into Song Quyou's arms, carrying a letter in his mouth, and nuzzled against her affectionately.
Song Quyou put down the ancient book in his hand, took the letter from its mouth, glanced at the elegant handwriting, and read, "To Young Master Su."
"Just take my senior sister's letter."
The chubby, dark-skinned man trembled as he spoke, "Look at this. It's a letter from a bad woman."
"I won't look."
Just then, the door to the room where Su Tang was staying opened, and Su Tang stretched and walked out.
"Your letter, Senior Sister."
Su Tang walked over, casually opened the package and glanced at it, then said to Song Quyou:
"The officials in charge of the pond have been arrested, and some of the affected villagers have filed a lawsuit against the pond owner. They will be arresting the owner tomorrow, and we will need to help out by eliminating the evil spirits."
Upon hearing this, Song Quyou thought that another fierce battle was inevitable, so he put down the ancient book in his hand and went to write some purification talismans.
……
The next day, at midnight.
Song Quyou and Su Tang, carrying their swords, arrived at Natangfang.
Before they even entered the town, someone was already waiting and led the two to the town's post station.
There were more than twenty soldiers in full armor, armed with crossbows, waiting in ambush.
The leader was an unfamiliar captain with a broad face and a heavy chin, but his eyes revealed shrewdness. Beside him was a compassionate woman wearing a headscarf, and a white ape with its face covered, which had already changed its attire, followed by others.
The captain clasped his hands in greeting to Song Quyou and Su Tang, saying, "Miss Su, Young Master Song, I have long admired you. My name is Zhou Ke, and I am here to assist in this case on the orders of the Prefect."
Song Quyou and Su Tang returned the greeting with clasped hands.
Su Tang said, "This time we are relying entirely on Captain Zhou. We are just a few lone warriors who can only eliminate some demons, capture treacherous officials, and eliminate their henchmen. We still need Captain Zhou and all the brothers to risk their lives."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ke's shrewd face revealed a wry smile, and he clasped his hands in a fist salute, saying:
"Miss Su, you flatter me."
To be honest, when my brothers and I arrived at Tangfang Post Station, the owner of the pond seemed to have heard the news and gathered a large number of fishermen and boatmen. He also kidnapped countless old people, women and children and brought them into his house.
To find out what was going on inside, two spies disguised as civilians were sent in, but no word has come back yet.
Upon hearing this, Song Quyou frowned slightly, exchanged a glance with Su Tang, then stepped forward and said in a deep voice:
"Captain Zhou, there is a hidden room under the Tangfang owner's house, where evil spirits live. With so many villagers gathered there, and not enough rooms and food to house them, they have probably already fallen into the demon's mouth."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ke's expression changed drastically. A hint of unconcealed horror finally appeared in his usually calm eyes, and his Adam's apple bobbed violently.
"Is Young Master Song's statement true?" His voice was very low and somewhat hoarse.
"Not counting the elderly, women and children, there are at least seventy or eighty people inside. If what you say is true, young master, this matter will surely shock the court. If it is leaked out, people will be in a panic, and it may even shake the foundation of the country."
Song Quyou's face was ashen and he did not answer immediately. Instead, he slowly turned around and looked in the direction of the Tangfang owner's residence.
"It is absolutely true. I personally witnessed three crocodile demons emerge from the secret chamber."
Zhou Ke's Adam's apple bobbed again, and his broad face was no longer as composed as a military lieutenant, but only ashen.
"Three crocodile demons!" he muttered, then abruptly turned to the armored soldiers behind him, crossbowmen at his side, and shouted sternly, "Did you all hear that? Anyone who leaks a single word about what happened today will face my wrath!"
All the officers and soldiers clasped their fists together, and the armor plates clanged loudly.
Song Quyou turned to the captain, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Captain Zhou, there is no time to lose. I am willing to be the first to sneak into the residence."
……
Song Quyou and his party followed the soldiers to the ward owner's residence.
The house remained the same, a two-section brick courtyard, its gates tightly closed, quiet and utterly silent.
As the night breeze blew by, Song Quyou, light as a swallow, vaulted over the courtyard wall and landed silently.
Song Quyou quickly swept across the front yard. The water vat, stone mill, rope stake, and all the objects were in perfect order, as if they had been deliberately tidied up. It was so clean that it didn't look like a place with nearly a hundred people.
He walked quickly along the wall for a few steps, when he suddenly heard very light footsteps behind him. Su Tang also climbed in and landed beside him.
The two exchanged a glance but said nothing, quickly crossed the corridor to the courtyard, and then went to the backyard.
There wasn't a soul in sight.
It was so quiet, so eerily quiet, that it made one's heart race.
Song Quyou no longer concealed his steps and followed his memory to the room where the ward master had been last time.
The house was lit by a dim, yellowish light, the door was ajar, and sandalwood incense wafted out continuously.
Song Quyou strode in and kicked open the door.
But the shopkeeper, with a sorrowful expression and a righteous air, pushed a fisherman into the passageway of the house, and instructed him:
"The soldiers are here. You go first. A divine crocodile will guide you away. Your wife, children, and elderly parents are waiting for you up ahead."
The man's eyes were filled with tears as he looked at the pond owner, then glared fiercely at Song Quyou.
The pond owner shouted, "Get out of here! Do you want me to sacrifice myself in vain?"
With tears welling in his eyes, the man sighed deeply and walked into the passageway without looking back.
Song Quyou did not stop him, but coldly watched the man's back disappear into the entrance of the passageway. Then his gaze sharpened like a knife and pierced the face of the pond owner.
From the passageway came reluctant cries: "Master, our family will erect a memorial tablet for you for generations to come, burn incense and pray, and never forget your kindness today."
Song Quyou drew his sword, its sharp edge pressed against the pond owner's throat, and said with a faint smile:
"The shopkeeper's methods are impressive; so many people are willing to believe him and even set up a memorial tablet for him."
The pond owner suppressed his grief and said, "Taoist priest, you may not know, but the remains of their ancestors were all buried inside the Lord's belly. Today, sending them to be buried with their ancestors is the greatest filial piety. Their family has made a living by fishing for generations and has received countless favors from the Lord. Now, they are offering their lives to repay that kindness for the Lord's great cause of escaping his predicament, which is the greatest loyalty..."
The more the man spoke, the more excited he became, and the brighter the light in his eyes grew. But in Song Quyou's eyes, the man had gone mad.
With a flash of light, Song Quyou's sword slashed through the pond owner's neck. The clean cut left no blood; instead, white flesh sprouted, swaying and twisting, as if trying to return to its original position.
The head of the pond owner slowly slid down and rolled into the dark tunnel, emitting incessant maniacal laughter.
His body straightened up, and he staggered as he reached out to touch and search for his head.
Finally, he stumbled and fell deep into the tunnel, his rumpled head still laughing maniacally in the darkness.
But then there was a loud "plop," like a watermelon being crushed by a great force, and the maniacal laughter stopped abruptly, followed by the crunching sound of bones being chewed and the gurgling sound of swallowing.
The sounds from the darkened passageway sent chills down one's spine.
Deep inside the passageway, the chewing sounds gradually subsided, replaced by a suffocating silence.
Song Quyou quickly took out three paper cranes and gently blew on them. The three paper cranes fluttered their wings and flew into the air, transforming into red firebirds that entered the dark tunnel.
Three silver-gray crocodile demons could be vaguely seen lying in the deep pool at the bottom of the passageway, with chunks of flesh covered in buds hanging from their mouths. When they were discovered, they swallowed them whole.
Seeing this, Su Tang frowned and unleashed three bolts of lightning at the three crocodile demons who were trying to escape.
Three bolts of lightning, like silver snakes, slashed into the tunnel, striking the heads and necks of the three crocodile demons with the help of the firebird's remaining light.
In an instant, lightning flashed, and the lightning followed the crocodile demon's body into the deep pool, leaving only slight scorch marks on the crocodile demon's head and neck.
Upon seeing this, Song Quyou immediately controlled the firebird in the air to peck at the three crocodile demons.
As soon as the firebird entered the water, flames burst forth. The three crocodile demons, writhing in pain, plunged into the water, but the purification talisman fire, which was originally unafraid of ordinary water, was extinguished in an instant.
Without the firebird, the depths of the tunnel were darkened and silent; even the sound of water died out.
At this moment, Captain Zhou walked in, followed by Miss Jingci and the white ape.
Na Jingci smiled kindly, looking at the deep passageway, and said, "This passageway must lead to the crocodile demon's cave, but judging from the dense moisture inside, it should lead directly to an underground river. We must not venture in rashly."
As she spoke, Jingci took out a gold-threaded net from her bosom and tossed it into the passageway. The net shimmered with golden light in the air, slowly growing larger until it sealed the entrance to the passageway.
"With this, the underground crocodile demon will have a hard time getting out." Saying this, the woman turned to Captain Zhou and said, "Please, Captain Zhou, check the courtyard again to prevent any other exits that could allow the demon to escape."
The captain cupped his hands in greeting, turned and left the house, ordering his soldiers to search and investigate.
Song Quyou glanced at the golden net without saying anything, but he felt that the woman, who had been silent just now, was now acting urgently and continuously, as if she was trying to cover something up.
Su Tang said, "Miss Jingci, I heard that you want to do some business in this Tangfang. Could you tell me a little about it?"
Jingci smiled and said, "My businesses are all in Wanchun Garden in the county town. I came to this pond to do business because I was invited by the prefect to guard this passageway and prevent evil spirits from sneaking up to the ground again."
"Regarding buying and selling, I still need to think about what I can do to avoid losing money."
……
Zhou Ke led his soldiers to search the entire mansion from top to bottom. Sure enough, they found a secret passage entrance in the woodshed in the backyard. The stone slab had been pried open, revealing a dark, damp place with a foul stench.
Then Jingci took out a gold-threaded net from her sleeve and sealed the secret passage in the same way.
Before long, the search was completed, and no other exits were found in the entire mansion. Jingci and the white ape stayed in the courtyard to guard the two sealed-off entrances, while Zhou Ke led a team to surround the outside of the courtyard, not allowing anyone to approach.
When Song Quyou walked out of the house, the sky in the east was already turning a pale white. He yawned and left Tangfang with Su Tang.
……
After several days of peace, the government's reward money reached Song Quyou's residence, while the pond owner's residence fell into Jingci's hands. It was said that she was going to do business there, but the gate remained tightly closed, which inevitably aroused suspicion.
The disappearance of the pond owner and nearly a hundred people was attributed to refusing to pay fish taxes and fleeing in fear of punishment, which did not arouse much suspicion among the surrounding people.
Tangfang Residence.
Jingci, wearing a headscarf, looked at the passageway blocked by the gold-threaded net. With a kind smile, she casually waved her hand, and the net returned to her grasp.
The passageway was damp and cold, and the sound of water could be heard from deep within.
The white ape revealed its true form, crouching at the entrance of the tunnel, staring intently into the pitch-black depths, its body trembling uncontrollably.
Jingci smiled faintly and said, "You don't need to go in. You can just stay outside and keep watch."
As he spoke, he summoned a dazzling golden lotus that floated in his palm, and slowly walked inside, braving the gentle, cold wind.
Upon reaching the pool at the bottom, the golden lotus slipped from her grasp and landed on the pool, slowly growing larger until it could hold a person.
Jingci lightly touched the ground with her toes and landed on the central lotus stamen.
Once it stood firm, the golden lotus petals spun slightly, emitting a soft halo that illuminated the surrounding area for several feet.
The pool water beneath my feet was crystal clear and bottomless. Three silver-gray shadows could be vaguely seen lingering underwater, bubbling as if warning or threatening me, but they dared not approach the lotus flower even a fraction of a second.
Jingci ignored them, gazing into the deep darkness, watching the fireflies flickering in the shadows.
The golden lotus slowly drifted deeper into the water. After an unknown amount of time, it passed through the crevices of the rocks and arrived at a vast body of water. Fireflies shimmered all around, and beneath the bluish-gray stone dome lay an underground dark lake.
The dark lake is vast and boundless, its waters a deep, dark green, with only the halo of light emanating from the golden lotus creating a small patch of dim yellow.
Jingci stood on the lotus stamen, her gaze as calm as an ancient well, looking into the dark depths, and slowly moved forward until she stopped at a place where a fishing boat had run aground.
But her voice was loud and kind, so loud that it made the surrounding rocks tremble: "Lord of the Dragon King of Qiantangkou, I beg you to show yourself."
As Jingci finished speaking, a deep, rumbling sound rose from the depths of the dark lake.
The sound was unlike ordinary surging waves; it was more like some giant creature turning over underwater, deep and long, so loud that the halo on the lotus petals swayed a few times.
After a short wait, the lake began to surge and the waves became towering. A colossal creature emerged, its huge dark golden eyes and ancient, weathered gray scales revealing its antiquity and power.
"What business do you have with this man from the Western Church?"
"This humble nun has come here to make a deal with the Prefect."
"A deal?" The Dragon Lord's voice was deep and rumbling like thunder, echoing endlessly beneath the dark lake dome.
"What could a mere nun like you possibly possess that would warrant the attention of this lord?"
"This humble nun certainly dares not compete with the Lord in wealth. Instead, I wish to break the seal and help the Lord gain freedom in exchange for the chance for a wicked serpent to pass through the Lord's gate and transform into a dragon."
Lord Tuolong narrowed his vertical pupils, staring at the unusually delicious-looking nun on the water's surface, deliberately remaining silent.
Jingci stood atop the lotus stamen, her expression unchanged, meeting those dark golden vertical pupils, and said slowly, "Lord, you have been imprisoned here for hundreds of years. Do you intend to rot and stink completely in this dark lake where the sun never shines?"
Lord Tuolong spoke up: "With your abilities, how can you help me escape this predicament?"
"This humble nun cannot do it, but that wicked serpent can. As long as the Prefect agrees to let that wicked serpent pass through your Qiantang River, the remains of tens of thousands of villagers it has swept away along the way can all be given to the Prefect."
"What arrogance! Back then, when I diverted seawater to flood the Qiantang River, sweeping across both banks, I only devoured tens of thousands. How could a mere, undeveloped serpent bring tens of thousands of blood sacrifices?"
"Furthermore, don't think I don't know that the 'evil serpent' you speak of is none other than the Eight Dragons of your Western Sect who have long coveted my Central Heaven Dragon Body."
Jingci explained with a faint smile: "Your Majesty is wise. It is indeed the son of my Dragon Clan. It was born in the Western Heaven and grew up in the Central Heaven. It can also be considered a Central Heaven Flood Dragon."
The tens of thousands of remains were not something a single snake could accomplish. To help the sons of my sect, the Dragon Clan, vie for the Central Heaven Dragon Body, a thousand-year plan has been meticulously crafted, taking full advantage of opportune timing, favorable location, and popular support. The opportune timing lies in next year's extraordinary rainy season; the favorable location is the vast emerald lake atop the high mountains of the West; and the popular support is the entire Western Sect's meticulously planned strategy. When evil demons cause the terrain of that vast emerald lake to collapse, and with the Eight Tribes soldiers from various regions along the way adding water to the momentum, then, not to mention tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands is not impossible.”
Lord Tuolong remained silent for a long time, his dark golden vertical pupils flickering uncertainly in the darkness. Faced with the temptation of freedom, all his thoughts and considerations were reduced to a single word.
"allow!"