Just as Uncle Nine had expected, Li Si arrived the next day before dawn.
His face was full of terror, and he was covered in snot and tears.
The black aura that had shrouded his head had also turned into a glaring blood-red light.
Without a doubt, that thing was angry.
It did not dare seek revenge on Uncle Nine, so it could only vent its anger on Li Si.
Unless something unexpected had happened, more people in Li Si's household should have died, and quite a few of them at that.
Just as Xu Long had expected, everyone in Li Si's household was dead, leaving him alone.
After Uncle Nine and Xu Long left the previous night, that thing had begun killing in a frenzy.
If he hadn't dragged his wife and servants down with him, he would probably be dead by now too.
"I see..."
After hearing him out, Xu Long took out a silver dollar and tossed it onto the ground.
"This is beyond my abilities. All I can say is sorry."
Hearing Xu Long's words, Li Si immediately panicked.
"No! No! You have to save me... If you don't save me... I... I won't leave..."
He dropped to his knees with a thud and wrapped both arms tightly around Xu Long's thigh, acting like a shameless rogue.
If it had been Uncle Nine, he might well have relented.
But Xu Long was different. If he didn't squeeze the marrow out of Li Si's bones, the trip there and back would have been a waste.
"Rice Bucket..."
Xu Long called out, and the foolish dog dozing nearby immediately sprang up.
Although the Main God had changed his appearance, Rice Bucket was still big and sturdy.
He stood about a meter tall and was nearly two meters long, like a little calf.
When Li Si saw Rice Bucket pouncing at him, he was so scared he pissed and shat himself.
He forgot all about acting shamelessly and ran outside like a madman.
"Come on, why did you scare him away? Who's going to pay us now? Are you going to do it by sneaking out every few days to steal the neighbors' chickens?"
Seeing Li Si flee, Wen Cai angrily shouted at Rice Bucket and pinned the blame on him.
Rice Bucket wasn't about to put up with that. He lunged and bit him hard.
"Ow! You stupid dog!"
Rice Bucket had shown real skill with that bite: he had torn Wen Cai's trousers, but hadn't drawn blood.
"Qiu Sheng, keep an eye on your dog! He steals chickens and bites people too."
Wen Cai hopped and jumped behind Xu Long for cover, continuing to slander him.
"Go lie down over there!"
Xu Long spoke, and Rice Bucket immediately closed his mouth and lay down in a corner.
Though he was quiet now, he still looked at Wen Cai fiercely. Wen Cai would probably have a hard time of it from now on.
"A monster or a dog, getting killed or getting bitten-I think Li Si knows which to choose."
With that, Xu Long went back to drawing talismans.
He was deeply struck by how industrial backwardness affected not only food, clothing, housing, and transport, but also held back the supernatural and the occult.
In Xu Long's previous life, cinnabar could easily have been refined and purified, making it more effective than the cinnabar he used now.
Roosters and black dogs could also have been raised on a large scale, so there would have been no need to worry about using them up.
With those things in place, Xu Long could have used the firepower-based fighting style he favored.
He could mass-produce talismans and throw down thousands or tens of thousands of them, then see which ghost dared come out and hop around.
"Science and technology really are the primary productive forces!"
Xu Long sighed and continued working hard on his talismans.
Much as he had expected, Li Si did indeed return, more than ten minutes earlier than Xu Long had thought.
"Taoist priest, save me... I'll give you money... Didn't you want ten silver dollars before? I'll give you twenty..."
Li Si's face was covered in snot and tears. Clearly, this was no longer a question of whether he was scared enough to piss himself; he was on the verge of collapse.
"Ten silver dollars? Do you take me for a beggar?"
Xu Long snorted and began to extort him outright. "One thousand silver dollars, or there's nothing to discuss!"
"One thousand? Why don't you just go rob someone?"
Hearing Xu Long's words, Li Si's terrified expression instantly turned to anger.
In this era, copper coins were still the common people's main currency. One silver dollar could be exchanged for a thousand to thirteen hundred copper coins, and three copper coins could buy a breakfast.
A thousand silver dollars was an astronomical sum.
"Rob someone? Robbery doesn't bring in money nearly this fast, and this isn't dangerous either."
Xu Long smiled. "I've changed my mind. I want fifteen hundred silver dollars."
"Fifteen hundred? You fucking-"
"Two thousand!"
"I'll pay! I'll pay! I'll pay!"
Seeing the price climb higher and higher, Li Si hurriedly agreed.
He knew Xu Long was determined to extort him, and if he didn't agree now, the price would probably keep rising.
"If you'd known it would come to this, why did you act that way in the first place?"
Xu Long snorted coldly and began packing his things.
Xu Long had used all of Uncle Nine's talisman paper to draw Blazing Fire Talismans, so he would have to use them sparingly.
But as long as he made it through this hurdle, he could throw down heaps of silver dollars afterward and get as many talismans as he wanted.
Master and disciples returned to Li Family Village.
The weather was clear, the sun hung high, and a group of villagers had gathered outside Li Si's house.
Before they even got close, Xu Long saw a faint trace of blood-red light slowly melting away under the sunlight.
"Well, look at that. It doesn't even avoid people anymore?"
Xu Long snorted coldly, pushed through the crowd, and strode inside.
With Li Si back, the onlookers all dispersed.
"Bring me the money!"
Xu Long sat in the seat of honor and crossed his legs as he spoke.
"The money? Shouldn't you deal with that thing first?"
"If I get rid of that filthy thing, will you still pay me?"
Xu Long's face was full of mockery. He had seen through Li Si's plan at a glance.
"Uh..."
Li Si gave an awkward smile, then went with Wen Cai to carry the silver dollars over.
Although Li Si owned a banana plantation and counted as a minor landowner, all his assets added together came to less than three thousand.
Xu Long had extorted two thousand from him at once, and the loss pained him so much that tears fell from his eyes.
But circumstances were stronger than he was, and however unwilling he might be, there was nothing he could do.
Li Si's banana plantation was vast, covering more than a thousand mu. Finding a monster in a place that size would be extremely difficult.
Wen Cai went to fetch the money, while Xu Long accompanied Uncle Nine to the vicinity of the plantation.
The bananas were ripe, and a sweet fragrance filled the air.
He took out an Eye-Opening Talisman, and everything before his eyes immediately changed.
The formerly clear sky seemed draped in a thin veil of blood, and a pungent, bloody stench permeated the air.
A large group of gray figures wandered aimlessly through the banana grove, while behind them, a seductive woman sat dozing in the fork of a tree.
"Right there!"
Xu Long shouted, then leaped forward.
Perhaps it knew Xu Long and Uncle Nine were difficult opponents, or perhaps its strength had been suppressed by the daytime sunlight. The blood-red light had no intention of fighting and instantly darted deep into the banana grove, disappearing from sight.
"It really is slippery!"
Uncle Nine frowned. "Jiangshi suck people's vital blood, ghosts devour souls, while monsters both eat and drink. Let's go back first and think about how to deal with it."
"Wow, Master, we're rich!"
When he saw Uncle Nine return, Wen Cai immediately came fawning over like a lapdog.
Behind him was Li Si, looking as though his father had died.
Too lazy to pay Wen Cai any attention, Xu Long discussed the matter with Uncle Nine, and they decided to find a way to lure the female monster out.