The Taoist barked orders at the little demons, and the hedgehogs, ever obedient, rolled on the ground and transformed into human shapes.
Some cleared away the rubble, some fetched wine, and others boiled meat.
A lean, large hedgehog took human form—it was the same waiter who had led Nan Zhi earlier.
The waiter, known as Mao San, let out a long sigh of relief when he saw the Taoist’s anger turn to joy.
“Master, when it rained earlier, several groups of guests came to stay. I charged them several times the market rate.”
He brought out half a cooked dog leg from the back, tearing off pieces for the Taoist to eat with his wine, his voice dripping with flattery.
“When Lord Jiao lost his temper, I saw it clearly. One group was led by a black-faced young woman, and she had an exquisite, stunning female ghost with her! Hehehehe...”
He winked and smirked as he spoke, looking incredibly lecherous.
“What have I taught you?! In business, the most important thing is ‘trust’!”
The Taoist was enjoying the dog leg when he suddenly flared up in anger, slapping Mao San across the face.
“Overcharging them those few extra coins won’t make them poor, and it won’t make me rich. Who will want to stop at our foot-shop in the future if word gets out?
You ignorant fool! I may love beauty, but business is business, and women are women. How can you mix the two?
However, now that they’ve left the shop, that’s a different story...”
The Taoist sucked his greasy thumb, a lecherous glint in his eyes, which were underscored by dark, greenish bags.
“I’ve tasted girls from good families and courtesans from the red light districts, but I’ve never tried the flavor of a soul-stealing female ghost. They say it’s better to die under a peony flower and be a romantic ghost even in death...
Do you remember where they went? If we head out now, we might still catch them.”
Mao San shook his head and pulled a small red hedgehog from behind him.
“Lord Jiao was here just now, so we didn’t dare get too close. Only White 49 saw which way they went.”
“Squeak! Squeak squeak!”
The tiny red hedgehog struggled, its four short legs flailing in the air for a long time before it cautiously pointed in a direction.
“Squeak!”
“Ah! They went north. How unfortunate.”
The Taoist looked disappointed upon hearing this. He sat back down and resumed tearing at the dog leg.
“We don’t know when that old nun will return. It’s better to focus on catching more meat sheep and donkeys. We need to trade them for good items when the Gates of Hell open.
There are plenty of women, and female ghosts... well, I can find one if I look hard enough. But the opening of the Gates of Hell during the Ghost Festival only happens once a year.”
“Are the Gates of Hell opening in Dongjingfu this year?
I heard that Dongjingfu is incredibly wealthy. A famous songstress’s name alone can sell for three thousand taels. A top-tier banquet prepared by a chef from the Immortal Guest House costs at least five hundred taels!”
Mao San’s eyes lit up.
“So, is Master going to Dongjingfu this year? Then I shall congratulate you in advance! This time, you will surely get your wish and trade for a Foundation Establishment Pill!”
“Damn them! If the Demon Suppression Division wasn’t so overbearing and didn’t hoard all the Foundation Establishment Pills, why would I have to face disappointment every year?
A ghost messenger I know told me recently that this year’s Zhongyuan Festival will be different from usual. Many rare treasures are bound to appear.”
The Taoist got a piece of meat stuck in his teeth. He gestured toward one of the hedgehogs, and a large one immediately ran over, lying on its back to serve as a footrest.
“Once I trade these meat humans for a Foundation Establishment Pill, I’ll take you all to the cultivation world to enjoy yourselves. The spiritual energy in the mortal realm is far too thin. I haven’t seen a century-old spirit herb in the secular world for decades.
If I stay here any longer, what difference will there be between a cultivator like me and a commoner?”
The Taoist’s expression darkened at the thought.
Ultimately, it was the Demon Suppression Division’s arrogance that left no room for rogue cultivators like them.
Over the years, the Demon Suppression Division had not only restricted the number of Foundation Establishment Pills but also closely monitored every move of cultivators in the mortal realm.
They even set a ridiculous rule: “Cultivators must not take action against mortals.”
Anyone who broke the rules would be hunted down by the Demon Suppression Division, no matter where they fled.
There were no exceptions.
However, the Demon Suppression Division didn’t care about blood feuds, magical duels, or treasure-snatching between cultivators.
If not for the Demon Suppression Division, his search for a Foundation Establishment Pill wouldn’t be so difficult.
If not for that old nun Miaoyun, he wouldn’t have spent these years hiding, not even daring to step foot into Shouzhou city.
Now that the old nun was gone, it was the perfect time to strike.
Once he reached the Foundation Establishment stage, he could do as he pleased in the mortal realm. Money, women, and wealth would be his for the taking.
In the eyes of a cultivator, mortals were like crickets and ants—pitifully weak.
He had no intention of actually going to the cultivation world; that was just an excuse to string these little demons along.
This nest of little demons were creatures he had picked up while driving sheep, and they were very obedient.
These stupid things only wanted to go to the cultivation world. They took everything he said as gospel.
But the Taoist never intended to leave the mortal realm.
If he couldn’t enjoy wealth, glory, and the ultimate pleasures of the world, what was the point of cultivating?
Would the cultivation world have beautiful, charming, and seductive songstresses?
Could one bet on crickets, cockfights, play cuju, or gamble with dice there?
Most importantly, in the cultivation world, he would be nothing but an ant.
But in the mortal realm, he could be a king, living a life of leisure and pleasure.
Wine, women, wealth, and status—these were the desires of every man. He didn’t believe for a second that the people of the Demon Suppression Division never indulged in them.
It was all a front, nothing but lies to fool ghosts.
The Taoist spat out a bone and wiped his greasy hands on his robes.
“Master is wise!”
Mao San’s eyes shone with excitement, and the surrounding hedgehogs squealed with joy.
“To the cultivation world! To the cultivation world!”
“We want spiritual energy! We want spiritual energy!”
“We want to become immortals! We want to become immortals!”
“May Master’s fortune be as vast as the heavens! May your immortal path flourish!”
“Fortune as vast as the heavens! Flourishing immortal path!”
For a moment, the foot-shop was filled with the excited cries of the small beasts and a torrent of sycophantic blessings.
The Taoist clearly enjoyed it.
In the corner, the little red hedgehog lay on the ground, its pointed nose twitching. Its bead-like black eyes were full of anxiety.
...
Dingyuan County.
Less than two months had passed, but unlike its former bustling self, the Wang family mansion was now in ruins, the courtyard overgrown with weeds.
The rockery had collapsed, and strange stones were half-buried in the mud by the lake. The lotus flowers in the pond had withered, leaving only brown, decaying leaves.
Wine vats and racks were scattered everywhere in a mess. Countless hair worms had shriveled up, turning into thin black threads on the ground.
Shortly after Wang Fugui’s death, Old Lady Wang had been taken back to her family home by her nephew.
Ma Chunxiang, seeing her father-in-law’s tragic death and her newlywed husband’s disappearance, had immediately reported it to the authorities.
However, the officials were vague and refused to investigate. She had no choice but to dismiss the servants and have the mansion boarded up for the time being.
The only signs of life in the entire mansion were the fish in the lake and the sparrows on the branches.
Rustle!
The willow branches by the wall swayed gently. A long-tailed black scorpion crawled down the wall, heading straight for the black hair worms on the ground and began to chew on them ravenously.
“Huaguzi, since you’re here, why the act?”
A scruffy beggar drifted into the courtyard like a ghost and began to shout impatiently.
“If we delay any longer and ruin the task assigned by our superiors, I’d like to see how you explain yourself when we go back.”
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