Chapter 273 - 259: Brothers, We’ve Got Food Again
"I’ll give you something to laugh about! Let’s see you laugh now!"
"I’ll see to it that you never work in the professional mourning business in Anhe City again!"
Several servants who had been waiting on standby immediately rushed forward. They grabbed the professional mourner, who was still laughing uncontrollably, and laid into him with a flurry of punches and kicks.
"THUD! THUD! THUD!"
The sounds of fists and feet landing on flesh mingled with the "HA HA HA HA" of laughter, creating an incredibly bizarre scene.
On the rooftop, Lin Qingfeng watched the scene, his shoulders shaking. Finally, unable to hold it in any longer, he too let out a laugh. The show was over. Satisfied, he leaped down from the eaves, ready to leave.
Su Ling’er stood on the roof, watching the farce below. She glanced at her Senior Brother, who had been laughing so hard he’d almost split his sides, and a chill ran through her heart.
’Compared to the city-wide blood sacrifices and using commoners for Alchemy that I imagined an Evil Cultivator from the demonic path might do, this is... a lot milder.’
’But it’s still so despicable! Aaaah! Senior Brother, how can you be such a troublemaker?’
Seeing that Lin Qingfeng had lost interest and was turning to walk away, Su Ling’er finally breathed a sigh of relief. She raised her hand, remotely unsealing the acupoints of the mourner who was still being beaten. As she did, she noticed the blade hidden between his fingers...
’Could it be...’
’Thinking back on the mourner’s previous actions, was he planning to...’
Su Ling’er didn’t dare to think any further. She looked at Lin Qingfeng, her eyes filled with lingering fear and relief. ’Don’t tell me Senior Brother acted just now to stop such a vile act of desecrating a corpse?!’
’But if you’re going to do a good deed, can’t you just say so?! No, wait. I feel like even though you stopped his evil act and got him punished, is making someone burst out laughing in a Spirit Hall and then get beaten up really the best solution?!’
’The method was indeed... a bit malicious, a bit despicable... But I have to admit, for dealing with a scoundrel who wanted to desecrate the dead, making it impossible for him to continue in his profession is probably a worse punishment than just killing him, right?’
’Senior Brother... what kind of person is he, really?’
’Call him evil, but he didn’t go on a killing spree. Call him good, but he’d pull a stunt like this in someone’s Spirit Hall.’
Su Ling’er sighed. The fear and aversion in her eyes lessened, replaced by a touch of helplessness and... an exasperated indulgence, as if she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
’Forget it. Following this unpredictable "demon lord," I’ll probably have to train my heart to be harder than iron. As long as he doesn’t kill anyone... let him play his pranks!’
’It’s better than rivers of blood... right?’
’But... the Great Dao has fifty aspects, the heavens perceive forty-nine, and one escapes. Is Senior Brother the forty-nine, responsible for stirring up trouble, and I’m the one, responsible for cleaning up his messes?’
’I hope not... Life from now on seems a little terrifying...’
The professional mourner’s laughter came to an abrupt halt. Excruciating pain shot through his entire body, and he was dragged out the main gate of the An Mansion by the servants.
A man who looked like a steward pulled a money pouch from his robes and threw it in the mourner’s face. "You stop laughing after a beating, huh? Heh, now scram!"
With that, the gates of the An Mansion slammed shut in front of him with a loud "BANG".
...
A light rain shrouded the whole of Anhe City. Lin Qingfeng and Su Ling’er walked along the damp plank roads, finally arriving before the Su Mansion.
In front of the Su Mansion, a large cloth awning had been erected. Beneath it, several servants were struggling to lift a large, empty iron wok onto a cart.
Rainwater dripped through the gaps in the awning, creating ripples on the ground. Another figure beside the awning caught Lin Qingfeng’s attention.
Huddled in a corner by the wall was a person in ragged short clothes. He had a buzz cut, dark skin, and was covered in all sorts of grime.
He was holding a chipped earthenware bowl, slurping down the congee inside with a "SLURP SLURP" sound. Lin Qingfeng’s eyes narrowed. He could see a string of text—an ID—above the man’s head.
[Jiang Stone]
’Whoa, what’s he doing begging all the way out here?’
Lin Qingfeng watched the player named Jiang Stone drink the last drop of congee from his bowl. Then, facing the gate of the Su Mansion, he shouted in a full-throated voice, "May the heavens bless you!"
After shouting, he tucked the empty bowl away and scurried across the street to huddle under some eaves, finding a corner to shelter from the rain.
’Not bad, this guy. Instead of begging as a prefect in the real world, he’s come to Anhe City to beg, has he? Is he trying to compete for the title of "Number One Cross-Dimensional Beggar"?’
’No, wait. He should be called the Prefect of Anhe City now, right?’
Lin Qingfeng saw Jiang Stone crouching in the corner, with no one in front of him, yet his mouth was moving as if he were talking. ’Is he... livestreaming?’
He quickly opened the game’s livestream interface, found Jiang Stone’s channel, and clicked on it.
...
「Across the street, under the eaves.」
Jiang Stone gesticulated at the empty air in front of him.
"Bros! I’ve scored another meal! My dudes, I gotta keep it real with you, today’s haul is from the Su Mansion of Anhe City."
"Their congee is seriously good! The rice grains are all soft and fluffy, and they even put in red dates and goji berries! Anyone else looking to beg should definitely stake this place out!"
"As for money? The Old Buddha has already paid for me!"
...
Su Ling’er watched the buzz-cut beggar muttering to himself in the corner, her eyes filled with confusion.
’Wait... and he’s begging with such pride...? Is there something wrong with his head? Is he a madman...? Then, she recalled the begging strategies her Senior Brother had shared with her before.’
She turned her head to look at Lin Qingfeng.
’No way... Don’t tell me you guys relied on these kinds of begging strategies and this... conviction... to beg your way from the mortal world all the way to the Cultivation Realm, and finally begged for a demonic sect’s legacy?’
’That’s too terrifying of an underdog story!’
Just as her imagination was running wild, her gaze fell upon a figure under the awning, directing the servants.
It was a familiar back, one that had grown hazy in her memory. The figure was a little more stooped than she remembered. Her hair was still tied in a bun, but now there were streaks of silver in it.
Mrs. Su was bent over, wiping the edge of the iron wok with a cloth, muttering something under her breath.
"Be careful, all of you! We need this wok again tomorrow, don’t chip or dent it!"
"And those sacks of rice over there, hurry up and move them inside! They’ll be ruined if they get wet!"
Her voice was still so familiar. Su Ling’er stood across the street, rainwater dripping from the ends of her hair. She lifted her foot, then set it back down.
It had been three years. She didn’t know how to begin, what the first thing she should say was, or what would be most appropriate...
Meanwhile, Lin Qingfeng stood beside her, still watching the livestream, so he didn’t rush her.
Mrs. Su finished wiping the wok, straightened up, and pounded her lower back. She glanced up inadvertently, her gaze sweeping across the street. Through the curtain of rain, her eyes met Su Ling’er’s.
Mrs. Su’s gestures directing the servants froze. She stared at the girl standing across the street in the rain, dressed in black martial attire.
’That figure... could it be that Ling’er is back?’
The thought had just surfaced when a chill doused it.
’Perhaps... this is just another mistake...’
’Ling’er is cultivating at Qingxu Temple. That’s a place of immortals. How could she look so travel-worn? Besides, besides... that child... she always loved to wear red. But the girl before me is dressed in grim black.’
’Perhaps she just looks similar... After all, over the past three years, how many times has she had this illusion?’