Money Is All That Matters

Chapter 8: As Long As The Money Is In Place

"Where is Kongchenzi?"

"Is Sword Immortal Kongchenzi here?"

The bailiff stepped forward into the courtyard and shouted loudly, but there was no response for a long time.

Xie Zizhi waited for a long time, and finally grew impatient. He stopped bothering with pleasantries, waved his hand, and the bailiff stepped forward to try and push the door open.

At this moment, a strange voice came from the air, spreading in all directions.

"Great Immortal Kongchen is cultivating, mortal."

"Mortal..."

"Mortal..."

The word "mortal" kept trailing off, echoing in the air.

"Who? Who's speaking?" As soon as the voice sounded, everyone around immediately became alert.

"Who else could it be? It's me, Donkey Guardian General."

"Great General..."

"General..."

"Gen..."

The voice was erratic, impossible to pinpoint its origin. The bailiff at the door felt it was coming from behind, the one in the middle felt it was from the sky, and Xie Zizhi, standing in front of the courtyard, felt like it was coming from underground.

A strange aura condensed, and demonic sounds pierced their ears, making the group, who had rushed over in the early winter morning, shiver.

"General Lu?" Xie Zizhi certainly didn't think of the word "donkey" and his first reaction was General Lu, focusing entirely on the words "Great General."

"Nonsense, where did this country get a General Lu? Who is impersonating a god and playing tricks?" Xie Zizhi spun around, looking in all directions, trying to find the trickster.

"Come out quickly."

But the voice was too strange, making Xie Zizhi's palms sweat.

"Not General Lu, but Donkey General."

"Great General..."

"General..."

"Gen..."

At this moment, a bailiff beside Xie Zizhi seemed to have discovered the truth.

He suddenly tensed up, tiptoed, pointed at the donkey tied up in the courtyard, and shouted.

"It's this donkey."

"The donkey is talking, it's talking."

The bailiff looked at the donkey, and in an instant, cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

In all his years, even in storybooks, he had never heard of a donkey talking.

Seeing that everyone had discovered him, Donkey Guardian General stood up completely, snorted, and stepped forward proudly.

A powerful aura, unique to a guardian deity and an unusual creature, emanated from him, forcing everyone to retreat.

At this moment, Donkey Guardian General's figure seemed to grow infinitely tall, and Xie Zizhi, under the pressure of his aura, kept stumbling.

"Mortal... mortal... mortal..."

"I am Donkey Guardian General, a subordinate of Great Immortal Kongchen."

"A dignified guardian deity."

"A demon... a demon... a demon!" Xie Zizhi finally saw clearly. It really was a donkey talking.

"This is a monster... a monster!"

This lewd donkey's words completely scared the wits out of Xie Zizhi, and he fainted on the spot.

The bailiffs around him were also terrified. They shouted and screamed, turning to flee.

Normally, they only caught petty thieves and maintained order in the city. Now, a monster had suddenly appeared. These men were easily frightened and had no intention of fighting a legendary demon. They even abandoned Xie Zizhi, who had fallen to the ground.

Fortunately, there was a young bailiff at the back who knew to drag Xie Zizhi out. Otherwise, Xie Zizhi would have fallen into the hands of the "demon."

The sun was high in the sky when Gao Xian finally emerged from his warm bed.

When he climbed out, his hair was a mess, and he sat lazily on the bed, staring blankly.

Donkey Guardian General understood Gao Xian best. This Great Immortal Kongchen was not only sleepy, but also slept like a log. Furthermore, he had a terrible temper when woken up.

Anyone who dared to provoke his morning rage would not see Great Immortal Kongchen.

Instead, they would have the honor of seeing what Old Demon Kongchen was like.

Therefore, Donkey Guardian General had long since retreated to the back. Only when Gao Xian was completely awake did he lick his lips and step forward to report the previous events.

Of course.

This report might deviate slightly from the facts.

After sleeping until noon, Gao Xian only saw a mess all over the floor, along with a chest of silver.

"What's going on?"

General Donkey, completely oblivious, offered a euphemistic explanation: "Someone just came to deliver the bounty money for the Demon Lord Silver Flower."

"Apparently, they were from the Prefect of the prefecture."

Gao Xian immediately struck a pose of immortal grace, while secretly glancing around to see if anyone was secretly observing his handsomeness.

However, after waiting for a long time, there was no movement. Gao Xian asked General Donkey Guardian, "Didn't you say someone came? Where are they?"

"I said the Great Immortal was in seclusion, and those people didn't dare to disturb him, so they left the silver and departed."

"?"

Gao Xian was astonished by the noble integrity of the people of this era.

"Are people this generous nowadays? They just leave money without saying a word?"

Gao Xian felt a bit regretful. He had known the court would send money, and had chosen this courtyard to wait, even preparing "Three Styles of Cultivating the Self as an Immortal" in advance, none of which he got to use.

He hadn't even gotten to display his immortal grace and lofty demeanor before the supporting characters who were supposed to deliver the goods ran off.

It felt like having the art of dragon-slaying but nowhere to use it.

However, looking at the chests and boxes, and the piles of silver, "Ah, whatever. As long as the money arrived, that's fine."

In an official residence in the eastern part of Gongzhou City, Prefect Hu watched Xie Zizhi being brought back, while questioning the trembling constables lined up about what had happened.

Seeing Xie Zizhi, who had fainted from fright and only recovered after the doctor administered a few needles, Prefect Hu couldn't help but sigh and shake his head.

"Brother Xie? Brother Xie?"

Prefect Hu placed considerable importance on this fellow townsman. Although he found the situation somewhat amusing, he still treated Xie Zizhi with respect.

Prefect Hu breathed a sigh of relief when Xie Zizhi finally came to, then ordered hot soup to be brought for him while he sat in his chair, shaking his head.

"Your courage is truly lacking."

"I told you to treat him with courtesy, yet you rudely slighted him, and were then terrified by his donkey."

Although Xie Zizhi's face was still pale, he was ashamed of his predicament and quickly explained, "That... that wasn't an ordinary donkey, that was... that was a monster!"

Prefect Hu already knew the full details. "It seems Kongchenzi is indeed an extraordinary person. I originally wanted to meet him personally, but the Duke of Wei is very interested in this master, so it's not convenient for me to go."

"Well, as long as the items were delivered, that's good."

"I imagine a master like that wouldn't care about your slight rudeness, but your temper really needs to be improved."

Although Xie Zizhi was badly frightened and his face was still pale, his experience in official circles made him keenly notice the mention of the Duke of Wei.

This Imperial Relative was about to enter the capital, and countless people in the city wanted to curry favor with him.

Xie Zizhi forced himself to sit up. "Is the Duke of Wei interested in meeting this master because this Sword Immortal saved the Two Daughters of the Li Family?"

Prefect Hu put down his teacup and covered it. "Yes! But that's not all!"

"As you and I both know, the Current Emperor reveres Daoism and Buddhism. The Duke of Wei is likely aiming for something in that regard."

He then cautioned Xie Zizhi, "However, we are all subjects. It's not appropriate to speak of such matters, nor to get involved. It's best to stay far away."

Prefect Hu said earnestly, "A gentleman avoids talk of strange phenomena. It's best for us scholars to keep our distance from the Duke of Wei and that Daoist."