Sending a Corpse to His Door

Who would be the first to awaken from the great dream? I alone knew myself all my life.

Steward Tang had slept like a king!

When he woke, his head was neither groggy nor aching. The alcohol in his body was like it had been blasted away by an icy wind that pierced to the bone—he had never felt so clear-headed.

As he savored the life he had lived in his dream, it felt as though he had truly gone through a reincarnation. Alongside his relief, however, there was also an endless emptiness in his heart.

His wonderful daughter—

She was gone!

Dreams and illusions, bubbles and shadows—nothing could describe it better.

Although his dream had shattered, Liu Sheng's obsequious, oversized head before him had not.

Steward Tang hated him from the bottom of his heart. He wished he could go to the yamen first thing tomorrow morning and sentence him to death by a thousand cuts!

Whether it was because he had lost his daughter in the dream or because he had lost the glory and wealth of that dream, he charged the whole account to Liu Sheng.

Even killing Liu Sheng ten thousand times would not ease his anger!

When Steward Tang rolled up his sleeves, clenched his fists, and looked ready to pound himself, Liu Sheng was startled, but he did not forget to dodge around the tea table.

Xu Qing watched the two of them leap about the small pavilion and was delighted. Even the opera singer onstage nearly went off-key. Fortunately, the performers had seen and experienced much, and had once watched the northern Errenzhuan, allowing them to barely steady their performance.

Wang Lingyuan had old arms and old legs. He wanted to step forward and break up the fight, but he was always a few heels behind the two men.

With two lively shows unfolding onstage and below it, Xu Qing thought that this trip had not been in vain.

After all, there was not much available for entertainment in times like these. Since they had finally come across such a performance, naturally they had to enjoy it properly.

Steward Tang was a refined man. Seeing that he could not catch Liu Sheng, he took out two hundred taels of silver notes from his robe and slapped them onto the tea table.

"Liu Sheng, you may escape my grasp, but you cannot escape the law!"

"Today, under the pretext of treating me to a banquet, you attempted to bribe me. But I, Tang, am incorruptible and upright. How could I ever be tempted or instigated by your money?"

"You murdered your wife for wealth. You were destined to escape this calamity!"

Liu Sheng looked at the silver notes slapped onto the table, then at the steward panting heavily, his mustache curling straight upward.

His mouth felt as though he had been chewing Coptis chinensis. The misery was indescribable!

They said that the yamen gates stood wide open, but without money, one should not enter even if one had reason.

He had money even though he lacked reason—so why could he still not get anything done? And then there was this fickle Steward Tang, who had toyed with him time and time again. First, he had raised the price and accepted a bribe. Then he had deliberately requested an opera about abandoning his wife and children at the Opera House.

Finally, he had gone back on his word at the critical moment. Such a heartless and faithless manner truly made him hateful.

While cursing Steward Tang in his heart for being two-faced and having two different faces, Liu Sheng watched for an opportunity to seize the silver notes on the table. He planned to flee Linhe and disappear into another land.

Steward Tang angrily pressed one hand onto the silver notes, preparing to gather his strength for a second outburst. Who could have expected Liu Sheng to let evil rise from the side of his gallbladder? With that enormous head of his, he charged straight into Steward Tang's chest.

"Ow!"

With a clatter and crash, the dishes, wine cups, and teacups on the tea table fell all over the floor. Pain shot through the steward's chest, and he was knocked backward into the tea table.

Seeing that Liu Sheng intended to flee with the money, Steward Tang had no time to worry about his disheveled state. He crawled out from beneath the hollow-bottomed tea table, planted one hand on the floor, and stretched the other toward the direction of Liu Sheng's escape like the Jade Emperor after Sun Wukong had wreaked havoc in Heaven. He shouted, "Quickly, stop that bastard! Don't let him get away!"

At the critical passage of the pavilion, Xu Qing saw the steward issue his order and was happy to play the role of Tathagata Buddha. He quickly took two steps and blocked the only path Liu Sheng could take.

When Liu Sheng saw someone blocking his way, ruthlessness welled up in his heart. He clenched his teeth, summoned his strength, and charged at Xu Qing with his enormous head and shoulder thrust forward.

Xu Qing was tall, and he was standing on higher ground. To charge up onto the corridor, Liu Sheng had to ram straight into his waist and hips.

Did he think he could smash an iron walnut with his head?

Xu Qing did not indulge him. He extended his palm and smacked him with a loud slap.

The blow was fierce. Liu Sheng spun around on the spot, and several of his bloodied back teeth flew out.

Steward Tang crawled out from beneath the table, came over, and kicked him several times without a word.

After venting his anger, Steward Tang heaped praise upon Xu Qing for his righteous assistance and even said that he would recommend him for a position at the yamen.

"You have a keen eye. Captain Zhao has just lost two men under him. If you are interested, I can recommend you to serve under him."

Xu Qing rolled his eyes. Even if he went to the latrine outside the yamen's Six Offices, he would never serve under Zhao Zhonghe!

Seeing him refuse, Steward Tang could only sigh over the missed opportunity. However, he promised that if the Three Squads and Six Offices ever expanded their recruitment, he could reserve a position for him.

Xu Qing did not care in the slightest. If they gave him a position as a coroner, he might consider it. But if it was any other post that did not involve corpses, he had not the slightest interest.

It was not yet too late, and the opera onstage had only reached its halfway point. However, after the disturbance midway through, none of them felt like listening any longer.

Steward Tang and Wang Lingyuan escorted the bound Liu Sheng to the yamen to be imprisoned, while Xu Qing returned alone to his own auspicious residence.

The night was deep and still, exactly the best time for all kinds of snakes, insects, rats, and ants to emerge from their holes in search of food.

On a street not far west of Shuimen Bridge, several furtive-looking people crept along the base of the walls, tossing things into people's courtyards house by house.

When they reached the outside of an unlit residence, someone said, "Take one string of cash, and bring one extra booklet. The authorities have been investigating closely lately, and those people from the Tax Department have even been confiscating the booklets we distribute. This time, we'll give every household one extra booklet. Let them come and confiscate them if they dare!"

When he finished speaking, someone took two small booklets and a string of cash from a backpack and handed them to the gang leader.

The gang leader took a piece of coarse cloth from his bundle, wrapped the booklets and string of cash into a bundle, and prepared to toss it into the residence before him.

At that very moment, an unfamiliar voice suddenly sounded behind them.

"Didn't your parents teach you not to throw things around carelessly? Even if you don't hit anyone, what if you hurt the flowers and plants? That wouldn't be very nice."

The gang leader who was about to throw the cloth bundle jolted all over in fright. When he turned around, he saw a fair-faced young man standing behind them.

"Where did this blind fool come from? You nearly scared me to death! Just watch how I deal with you!" With that, several thieves drew clubs and flashed their blades, clearly ready to attack.

At that moment, the gang leader who had thrown the bundle spoke up to stop them. "Wait! We are disciples beneath the Holy Lord of the Tianxin Cult, here specifically to provide relief to the common people. Since you have encountered us, you may be destined to share a bond with our cult, Ah-Chong. Quickly take one string of cash and two booklets and give them to this fortunate person."

Xu Qing raised an eyebrow at this and reassessed the little squad leader distributing flyers before him.

He had to admit, anyone who became a minor leader really did possess some professional ethics.

"One booklet isn't quite enough. I've been short on toilet paper lately when I use the latrine. You might as well give me all the booklets and let me help you solve your performance problem."

"Impudent!" The little squad leader immediately cast aside every trace of professional ethics. With a clang, he drew his saber and prepared to settle accounts with the man before him for insulting the Tianxin Cult.

Xu Qing let out a long, quiet sigh. He was not fond of fighting by nature, but if the other side wanted to make a move, then they could not blame him.

The martial levels of these people before him were mediocre at best. The little leader distributing rebellion flyers had only reached the Outer Tempering realm.

Xu Qing had no need to use Tiger Seal Dragon Elephant. With only the Kingly Tyrant Fist and Dog Bark Fist unlocked by the Duren Sutra earlier—or even those street-fighting tricks of jabbing the eyes and grabbing the crotch—he could beat them into complete submission.

How could a few lackeys possibly be a match for this vicious zombie? One after another, they were beaten senseless. Even on the verge of death, they could not understand when Linhe had produced such a malicious character.