Attempting to Wait for God

"They're all dead..."

"Many thanks to the hero for saving our lives... This old man will never forget your kindness..."

"Thank you, Young Hero Chen..."

As Chen Guan finished slaughtering the bandits, the people inside the inn stood stunned for a moment before fearfully offering their thanks one after another.

Because now that they no longer feared the bandits, they were even more terrified of this "strange young hero" who killed without a second thought!

Especially as the bandits' heads were severed, the scent of blood began to permeate the air.

Breathing in the mixture of food and the metallic stench of blood, and gazing at the scene where blood and severed heads were splattered amidst the fine wine and delicacies, their awe and fear of Chen Guan only deepened.

At this moment, you could hear a pin drop in the inn.

But just then.

A merchant timidly raised his head, and after taking a few glances at Chen Guan's ears, he asked cautiously, filled with both fear and admiration:

"Chen... Chen Guan... are... are you the Marvelous Hero Chen of Liu Town?"

In this inn, there happened to be a merchant who had heard the storybooks about the "Young Marvelous Hero."

Furthermore, after Chen Guan had announced his name earlier, it had sounded somewhat familiar to him.

Coupled with Chen Guan's strange ears, he dared to take the risk and ask.

Of course, it was also because the atmosphere was too oppressive, and Chen Guan's strength was overwhelming.

Thus, his remark was also an attempt to attach himself to a powerhouse, displaying a sense of superiority: "None of you in this inn recognize this master, but I do."

Perhaps he could even use this as a pretext to build some rapport.

"Indeed." Chen Guan ignored his thoughts and walked toward the nearest corpse. "There is no need for you all to thank me; I simply happened to see them and finished them off while I was at it."

"This... over a dozen lives... he calls this 'while at it'..."

"Truly a hero! I admire you!"

"The Marvelous Hero is so righteous; he is worthy of being the Liu Town Marvelous Hero!"

Upon hearing Chen Guan's words, the crowd, caught between gratitude for their lives and sheer terror, scrambled to shower him with praise.

Even the two martial artists present adopted a sycophantic, worldly air, refusing to be outdone by the others.

At this moment, the merchant who had tried to strike up a conversation earlier could barely get a word in.

However.

Chen Guan paid them no mind, instead using his long blade to flip over the bandits' clothing one by one, searching the corpses and delivering finishing blows to each.

Since some had only had their throats slit or the blade hadn't pierced deep enough into their hearts to guarantee death, he had to ensure they were completely finished.

Since he had already taken action, he had to see it through to the end, achieving what he considered perfection.

While delivering the finishing blows.

Chen Guan noticed some secret manuals or handwritten notes.

He picked them out to take a look.

But at the same time, the people in the inn had initially been fawning over Chen Guan.

Yet, upon seeing how meticulous and ruthless Chen Guan was, they dared not speak again.

Chen Guan was happy for the quiet, continuing to finish off the bandits one by one.

This searching and finishing process took less than two minutes.

Chen Guan managed to dig out some silver, as well as a volume of Pengfeng Sword techniques.

It was a small harvest.

At the very least, it covered the cost of today's meal.

But in the eyes of the crowd, this Young Hero Chen, who killed in the blink of an eye and then proceeded to loot and mutilate the bodies, seemed even more seasoned than the bandits themselves!

For a moment, they couldn't tell who was the bandit and who was the hero.

Perhaps, heroes and bandits were the same, both engaged in the business of killing.

But bandits killed for profit without regard for cause.

When good and evil are indistinguishable, those who commit evil are inevitably bandits.

Conversely, those who eliminate evil are naturally heroes.

These sayings were very popular among the common people of this dynasty, as they were spoken by the "Prime Minister of the current dynasty."

It was this pronouncement by the Prime Minister that established a certain unspoken tone.

Only then did it become the norm that when a hero killed someone within a town, they were generally not held accountable for the crime.

Swish—

As he fished out the wallet from the last person, Chen Guan finally looked toward the crowd, who had dared not speak, and fixed his gaze upon the innkeeper.

"I..."

Seeing this ruthless man look his way, and then glancing at the scattered, mangled corpses, the innkeeper trembled uncontrollably.

Chen Guan tossed a portion of the silver he had collected in front of him.

Clatter—

The money bag landed on the quiet floor of the inn.

"Though it was a life-saving favor," Chen Guan pointed at the money bag, "when Chen engages in a duel, he never holds back."

Chen Guan swept his gaze over the overturned and shattered tables and chairs, and the floor covered in blood and corpses.

"Settle the bill. Pay for the meal, and cover the damages to the inn."

In the end, the innkeeper refused the money and dared not accept compensation for the damages.

Seeing him decline repeatedly, Chen Guan stopped bringing it up, lest he appear pretentious himself.

However, those who dare to run an inn in the wilderness and travel the roads are truly people who have seen the world.

Once they confirmed repeatedly that Chen Guan did not seem like a great villain, and the merchant who knew of Chen Guan's deeds shared his story with the others, the crowd felt more at ease. They even managed to calmly work together to move the corpses into the forest ahead.

Yet, when they finished, they saw this strange hero standing before the bodies, showing no intention of leaving.

"Great Hero..."

They wanted to ask why he would not leave.

"You all should depart first." Chen Guan gazed at the moonlight, as if waiting for something.

"We shall take our leave..." Not daring to ask further, the crowd bowed and retreated one after another. Some, to thank Chen Guan for saving their lives, knelt and kowtowed before leaving.

Once everyone had gone, Chen Guan took out a leather pouch and smeared some medicinal liquid onto his eyes.

"I wonder what it looks like when the Underworld Bureau comes to collect souls."

Chen Guan was indeed "waiting for someone." To be precise, he was waiting for an Orthodox God from the Underworld Bureau.

This was something Chen Guan had learned only after coming into contact with Chen Changhong—that this world possessed something akin to a "Netherworld."

As for the figures from mythology, Chen Guan truly wanted to see them, which was why he had specifically retrieved the Yin-Yang Eyes fluid from the Dilapidated Temple while on his travels.

Of course, Chen Guan had asked Chen Changhong and knew there was no danger in this. In Chen Changhong's words, the Orthodox God figures of the Underworld Bureau were originally good people who, after passing away, were canonized by Heaven and Earth as deities.

Such deities, with very few exceptions, were mostly approachable. As long as one did not make any demands while the relationship was still shallow, a "gentleman's acquaintance" or a simple meeting was absolutely safe.

In particular, even if one encountered an Orthodox God who was difficult to deal with, the worst that would happen was being treated with cold indifference, as they would simply ignore the living.

Faced with such "good-natured deities," Chen Guan certainly wanted to see one.

Moreover, if one could strike up a friendship, there were other benefits. For instance, if the relationship was good and they were considered friends, and someone in one's family passed away while that specific Orthodox God was on duty to collect the soul, one could put in a word to have the ghost messenger delay taking the person away.

Or, one might even be able to use techniques to allow the deceased's descendants to see the soul one last time. To use an analogy, it would be like the "Return of the Soul on the Seventh Night," where the descendants of the deceased could see the soul return to bid their family a final farewell.

This supernatural phenomenon on the night of the soul's return is essentially a back door opened by those with connections to the underworld agents.

Such minor back doors, which do not involve major matters like "resurrection," are all within the bounds of reason.

When it comes down to it, most Orthodox God were human in their previous lives and are still subject to the ways of the world and human sentiment.

Even if a spirit beast ascends to become an underworld deity, it still possesses seven emotions and six desires, and will always value the face of a close friend.

However, there are also underworld agents who simply see that a family is kind-hearted and has performed many good deeds in their lifetime, so they turn a blind eye to allow the deceased and their family one final reunion.

Of course, there are also underworld deities who do not care for sentiment and only abide by the laws of the Underworld Bureau.

And now.

Beyond wanting to try and expand his "underworld connections," Chen Guan also wanted to see what the underworld agents, the Soul-Snatching Envoy, or perhaps the Roaming God actually looked like.

Would they be like the Ox-Head and Horse-Face, or perhaps the Black and White Impermanence?