nagpurpolice Chapter 40 Heroes and Valiant Men
Chapter 40 Heroes and Valiant Men
The bright sun hung high in the sky, making the clouds along the border appear even whiter.
The black-tiled houses in Niujia Town gleamed faintly. A gentle breeze blew by, creating ripples that resembled the rippling waters of a lake.
This town is one of the few prosperous places in Lintao County. The low-walled earthen houses that are usually seen are nowhere to be found here. Instead, black tiles and white walls are everywhere.
The streets were teeming with people, shoulder to shoulder. The shouts of peddlers, the cries of vendors, and the haggling of customers all combined to create a bustling and lively market.
At the end of the street lived a family surnamed Liu. Although their fortunes had declined, they could still be considered wealthy local gentry.
...
"We've had enough of the food and wine. If we could have a couple more bowls of rice, that would be perfect."
The muscular, bearded man with a round head wore a happy expression. He mumbled something indistinctly while drinking and eating meat.
"Quickly serve the monk his meal..."
The Liu family patriarch, who was standing to the side, hurriedly ordered his servants to help him.
In a short while, the burly man had devoured the rice that was piled high on the plate. Not satisfied, he also ate the soup from the dish.
"ha.."
The burly man patted his round belly with satisfaction, praising it with delight.
*Pfft...pfft...*
The series of loud farts quickly spread.
Mr. Liu, who had been looking somewhat worried, now frowned even more.
The servants waiting nearby could no longer hide their gleaming white teeth, but dared not laugh out loud. The group, on the other hand, were all red-faced from holding back their laughter.
The burly man calmly circulated his internal energy, forcing himself to calm down. However, due to excessive exertion, all his internal energy was diverted to his feet.
"Sizzle"
The cloth shoe, which had already been patched many times, broke open with a snap, and the rough big toe peeked out through the gap.
In an instant, a pungent fart and a nauseating foot odor mingled together.
Master Liu could no longer contain himself. He covered his face with his sleeve and strode out the door in a few steps. The two servants who were waiting there held their last breath.
"Grandpa, please wait."
The burly man waved to stop Master Liu, then casually followed him away. Only two servants remained, exchanging bewildered glances...
"Grandpa, I see you look so sorrowful and heartbroken. Could it be that I disturbed you by coming to your estate?"
"Did I also eat and drink a lot of your food and wine?"
"I'll return all the money to you..."
The bearded monk who called himself "Sajia" was named Zezhiyuan. He happened to be begging for alms at the Liu family's house, which led to all the events that followed.
The monk turned back and hurriedly pulled out silver ingots to give to Master Liu. But no one noticed the wine jar covered with black talismans next to the monk's bag.
But the patriarch of the Liu family quickly stopped the monk.
He disregarded his twitching mouth and nose, and with a sorrowful expression, he poured out his grief.
"It's nothing serious, it's just that my whole family is about to die."
"What exactly happened? If there's anything I can do to help you, I'll do my best to relieve your worries."
The monks, taking advantage of the situation, stopped mentioning food.
"Last night, Tong Huai'an, who lives next door to me, was haunted by a water ghost and became its scapegoat. If the evil spirit is not cleansed within three days, all the people in the surrounding area will surely die."
"Such a trivial matter is nothing more than a piece of cake for me. Let me repay the kindness of the old man who gave me a meal."
"Is this really true?!"
Upon hearing this, Master Liu's spirits lifted, and his energy reached its peak.
The monk did not answer, but instead asked the host to prepare a side room for him. He planned to conserve his energy and exorcise the demon that night.
Within the open, disheveled package on the table, a black jade-like seal with crimson characters bearing the character "镇" (zhen, meaning suppression) was scattered around the edges...
If a chivalrous knight were here, he would surely recognize this man as a demon-slaying captain...
"I wonder if this person is just a fraud or if he really has some skills," the tall, thin servant murmured.
The short, fat servant beside him looked extremely disdainful, his mocking expression undisguised.
"I've only ever heard of handsome, sword-wielding swordsmen, but I've never seen a burly, strong monk like him."
"What do you know..."
"As the saying goes, 'Heroes have smelly feet, and good men fart a lot.' In my opinion, this person, if not a peerless knight-errant, must be a rare hero..."
...
Chen Qinghe and Ruan Huaizhong arrived at Tong Huai'an's home.
A dense crowd had already gathered around the house, and the two of them managed to squeeze through the crowd to reach the front.
Tong Huai'an's body lay in the hall.
The stench of rotting, fishy seafood lingered around the house but did not spread. Dried seaweed could still be seen on the mottled walls.
"Old Tong is really dead..."
The onlookers were all elderly people who had a good relationship with Tong Huai'an. They came to confirm Tong Huai'an's condition and to search for the legendary drowned ghost.
"I've visited Old Tong's house before, and it was never as gloomy and cold as it is now. In broad daylight, under the clear sky, it's still like this... There really are ghosts here..."
The crowd erupted into chaos, and a few timid individuals fled the scene in panic. Chen Qinghe was about to approach for a closer look.
A chill ran down his spine, followed by goosebumps and a tingling sensation on his scalp.
The reason is simple.
Although everyone was facing the old man and their backs to the street, Chen Qinghe could feel that if he wanted, he could relive the suffocating coldness and terror of last night.
"There really are...and more than one..."
Suppressing the urge to turn around, Chen Qinghe gripped Ruan Huaizhong's sleeve tightly. This made the already tense Ruan Huaizhong even more frightened.
However, he didn't shout or yell, but instead muttered to himself.
"Where to now?"
"Don't look back, just come home with me..."
Ruan Huaizhong immediately realized what was happening. His face turned deathly pale, and his legs trembled. Large beads of cold sweat instantly soaked through the hempen robe on his back.
Chen Qinghe was now extremely annoyed. He had thought that evil spirits feared yang energy, so he shouldn't have encountered them during the day.
Taking advantage of this rare opportunity, I gathered as much intelligence as possible so that I could discuss countermeasures with my father that night.
Who would have thought that he and his friend would run right into the drowned ghosts?
"But wasn't that drowned ghost thrown back into the sea by Father yesterday? And what about those three behind me...?"
"Oh no, oh no..."
"Three more bodies have been pulled from the dock—Old Tong's son, daughter-in-law, and young grandson! Their whole family is dead..."
News from the port came from afar.
Those who had originally planned to join in the fun scattered like birds and beasts, leaving only Chen Qinghe and Ruan Huaizhong standing there.
It wasn't that they didn't want to leave, but Chen Qinghe could clearly sense that the three drowned ghosts had their eyes on him.
They would never let him go, and Chen Qinghe was well aware of that. That was why he stood still, not daring to make any rash moves.
A cold wind brushed against their faces, and they could faintly hear someone calling their names from behind. Ruan Huaizhong was about to turn around, but Chen Qinghe stopped him.
"Don't look back..."
"Let's walk forward slowly..."